New adventure!!!!.....cooking

Ok so everyone knows I love making and designing things! which good news ( for me anyway ) I have been doing pretty well with my booth at quilted bear! I am very excited! So in true Martha Stewart fashion I have decided to become a better, more rounded (....I meant that strictly in an experience 'rounded' way not my figure lol....) cook. I have been gathering recipes for a long time and finally took the plunge!

PF Chang's has AMAZING lettuce wraps that I've been craving so why not look into lettuce wrap recipe's and try it right?!! So that was my first brave attempt and cooking! OH MY GOODNESS YUMMY YUMMY!!! I'm including the recipe I found on one of my all time favorite websites and it calls for random Asian ingredients that I just found at Wal-mart. Go easy on the soy sauce it was a little salty so I am tweaking the next batch a bit but all and all a definite keeper for my little recipe tin! Enjoy!!! side note I cut out the sherry and the mushroom's and they were still very very yummy!!!! yummy yummy! lol

PF CHANGS LETTUCE WRAPS

Ingredients:

8 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons water

salt and pepper

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, minced

5 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

2 small dried chilis (optional)

1 8 oz. can bamboo shoots, minced

1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, minced

1 package cellophane Chinese rice noodles, fried in oil for a minute or two (until they puff up)

Cooking Sauce:

1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Iceberg lettuce "cups" leaves OR

Bibb lettuce leaves or other leaf lettuce

Directions:

Cover mushrooms with boiling water, let stand 30 minutes then drain. Cut and discard woody stems. Mince mushrooms. Set aside. Mix all ingredients for cooking sauce in bowl, and set aside. In medium bowl, combine cornstarch, sherry, water, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken. Stir to coat chicken thoroughly. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinate. Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil, then add chicken and stir fry for about 3-4 minuts. Set aside. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan. Add ginger, garlic, chilis (if desired), and onion; stir fry about a minute or so. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir fry an additional 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add mixed cooking sauce to pan. Cook until thickened. and hot. Break cooked cellophane noodles into small pieces, and cover bottom of serving dish with them. Then pour chicken mixture on top of noodles. Spoon into lettuce leaf and roll.

Few hawaii pics...from my phone

Look at me I'm actually updating my blog frequently!!! Mars you should be so proud! I just got back to Utah from Hawaii. Sorry to everyone I didn't get to see in AZ. I was sooooo busy getting things together for my booth that I didn't have much time to visit! I'll be in town in less than 3 weeks for Christmas!! YIPPEE

The Arizona Memorial on O'ahu. Not bad for a phone pic right?

One of the gorgeus beaches on O'ahu. Kate and Erik live on Schofield Base (20 minutes from the beach!) So don't worry I'll have a ton of pictures up soon! : )

hahahaha....as we walked up the Waikiki shopping strip we saw this restaurant sign! oh I love it....we did not eat there but it was a great name for a restaurant!