P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wrap Knock-Offs

So I have never actually been to P.F. Changs, BUT I hear that these lettuce wraps are basically better than the restaurant. I know you may not believe it, but I do because I will admit, they are DIVINE. My sister gave me the "recipe"..although it was more like "put a dash of this and a squirt of that"...So I will try to put some numbers to it. Really just taste it as you go along, and add more of any flavor that you like the most :)

Lettuce Wraps


Ingredients:

1 whole Yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 whole package Ground chicken, turkey, or pork (I used pork)
1 clove garlic (you can put 2 if you really like the garlic flavor)
3-4 TBSP Hoisin Sauce
1 TBSP oyster sauce ( I didn't use this because I don't like the flavor much)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1-2 tbsp lime/lemon juice ( I used lime)
Several shakes of chili powder
2 Tsp Chili powder
2 Tsp Ginger ( I put more like 4-5 tsp. I really like the flavor of ginger)
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 small zucchini
1 red pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce



Directions:
1. Sautee diced onion and carrot until soft ( in about 1 tbsp of sesame oil)
2. Add ground meat and cook until almost done.
3. Add garlic, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, lime/lemon, chili powder, ginger, and brown sugar.
4. Food process zucchini and red pepper, add to meat, and cook until most of the water has boiled off (5-10 minutes) This adds color and texture.
5. Let sit for a few minutes for the meat to reabsorb the rest of the moisture before serving.
6. Wrap meat in a leaf of lettuce and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Bars

Ever get tired of the ol’ chocolate chip cookie recipe? But don't really have any ingredients to make anything else more exciting? Try the new thick and chewy chocolate chip bars. They are almost like eating a chocolate chip cookie, but in brownie form!! Doesn't sound good enough yet? Mix in some peanut butter and you will be consuming a small bite of heaven :)

I made these on one of those Mondays where you don't feel like doing homework, but you don't feel like doing much else either. Since I actually had all the ingredients for this recipe, I thought I should try it, even though I really don’t need them :).

You don't want to bake them any more than this, otherwise they will be too crunchy,

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars:

2 1/8 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (optional…I didn’t use it and they turned out great)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.
2. Grease a 9x13 baking pan
3. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
5. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch (less is more, because they still cook in the hot pan even after you take them out of the oven) about 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
6.  Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls!

One of my favorite (yet probably most unhealthy) family traditions is to make some sort of dessert every Sunday. My mom usually made crazy cake, but it really varied from time to time. I just feel like there can't be a normal Sunday without a scrumptious treat to warm you up on your most relaxing day of the week! (Or to keep you going if your day is stressful ;).  However, no matter how unhealthy this tradition is, I am going to continue with it because it seems to bring people together in ways I never would have ever imagined!! One of my most successful Sunday treats were these very cinnamon rolls I made a couple of weeks ago. So few ingredients, yet SO good! Enjoy!

Sorry I don't have the greatest camera, but I think you get the general idea ;)

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls (these don't have the glaze yet). I'm going to have to learn how to make them prettier :)

Ingredients

4 to 4-1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

1 package  fast-rising active dry yeast

2/3 cup  milk

2/3 cup  water

1/2 cup  sugar

1/2 cup  cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon  salt

2   egg yolks

1/4 cup  butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup  sugar

4 teaspoons  ground cinnamon

 Cream Cheese Icing (see recipe below)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour and yeast. In small saucepan, combine milk, water, the 1/2 cup sugar, oil, and salt. Heat; stir over medium heat till just warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F).

Add milk mixture and egg yolks to dry mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl often. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that's smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes). Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Roll out dough to form a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter or margarine. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from long side. Seal seam. Slice into 12 pieces. Place in greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Cover; let rise in warm place till nearly doubled (20 minutes).

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly; remove from pan. Frost warm rolls with Cream Cheese Icing. Serve rolls warm or cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 rolls.

CREAM CHEESE ICING (I didnt have any cream cheese so I just made a simple milk/powdered sugar icing with a hint of orange zest. It turned out really tasty, but if you have cream cheese, this would be even better!)

In a medium mixing bowl, beat one 3-oz. package cream cheese, softened; 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened; and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar until icing is spreading consistency.