Lettuce Wraps

First, let me just say I have never been to PF Chang's.  With that said, I know this is a copycat recipe, and for any PF Chang fans out there, I apologize in advance if this does not resemble the real thing.  HOWEVER, even if this doesn't resemble theirs, my family finds this worth making.  This is not a leftover meal.  I froze a little the last time we made them, and I'll be defrosting it within the next week to let you know how it holds up as a freezer meal.  You won't be freezing the lettuce of course.

The page I picked up the recipe from is Wasabimon.com.

Did I do anything different?  Yes, but only because I was using what I had, not because of any culinary insight.  I used regular sesame seed oil, and the dijon mustard I had was not the "good stuff" but a store brand.  Also, I did not have fresh lemons, so I did use lemon juice from my fridge.  The verdict...they were still AMAZING.  We had no leftovers either time I have made them.  The only reason I was able to put some to the freezer test is because I put it in the freezer before we started eating.  Even if I can only freeze the cut chicken ahead of time this recipe is staying as a regular in our house.  If for any reason the link doesn't work let me know and I'll send you over the recipe I have printed from the website.

By the way...this has moved so high up our favorites list it is what I requested for my Mother's Day dinner...the bad news - I think I'm prepping it today. Such is life.

Stir Fry, home cooking made easy

Okay, so this is not a recipe post, but to show that even we have our nights of cheating.  They sell a bag of stir fry veggies at Sam's Club.  Everything in one bag, it comes with two sauce packets, and my kids like bits and pieces of what's included...Craig and I like the whole thing.  We knew yesterday was a cook dinner as fast as you can night, which in our house means stir fry night.  Now, I do like to add a little protein in the mix, so we customize ours.



We take the bag of veggies, divide it into two gallon size ziploc freezer bags.  Add one of the sauce packets to the bag.  Then, when we are cooking chicken for the rest of the freezer meals, Craig cuts a couple chicken breasts for stir fry, throws them in their own quart size freezer bag and we put it inside the gallon size ziploc with the veggies and sauce.



Yesterday the bag was thawed and two cups of rice later...dinner was on the table.  Now, in case you have never cooked stir fry before, you want to cook the chicken first, we use a little sesame seed oil, or a small amount of olive oil and a little soy sauce.  After the chicken is done, remove from the pan and cook the veggies.  They will cook for three - five minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan and add the sauce. 

The moral of the story....A home cooked meal doesn't always have to be fancy.  Freezer meal cooking doesn't mean it always has to be cooked by you.  And the most important thing is you have a plan.  All your family really cares about is that you are at the dinner table together.

Orange Chicken

Yet another freezer meal.  This is a most requested meal at our house.  The girls love orange chicken and I am way too frugal to take them out for Chinese food as often as they would like.  We found this recipe on a copycat bulletin board but I was unable to locate the exact recipe again.  There are a few changes from the original, I increased the sauce quite a bit.  You can't tell from the picture because unfortunately in this batch we also added A LOT of chicken since the girls love it so much.  They surprised us and ate it all AGAIN, leaving no lunch leftovers for dad today.

If you choose to freeze this meal, we make the whole recipe, start to finish.  One of the reasons I like to make this as a freezer meal is because the frying of the chicken can be a little time consuming.  If you do it in batches, making three or four meals at a time, on cooking night, you have dinner on the table in the time it makes to cook your rice.  That is a winner in my book.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

oil (for frying)

1/2 c cornstarch

1/4 c flour

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper

1/4 c green onion, chopped

1 Tbl rice wine

1/2 cup water
2 Tbs cornstarch 

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Orange Sauce for Stir Fry

1/4 c soy sauce

1/4 c water 
1 Tbs ground ginger

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c white vinegar

zest of 1 orange 

Whisk egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well in a large bowl
Place chicken pieces in the bowl and stir to coat.

Stir cornstarch and flour together, and the flour mixture to the chicken, stir to coat.

Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees. (We use a regular frying pan and turn the chicken)

Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Do not overcook chicken. (If you can't cover the chicken with the oil you will need to cook it a little longer)

Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds.

Add and stir-fry crushed chiles and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds.

Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.

Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken.

Heat until sauce is thickned. Stir in sesame oil and orange zest.

Serve over rice.

**Note - I did not add the crushed red pepper the first time we made this recipe and EVERYONE loved it.  The second time I made it, I used the red pepper and it had a bit too much heat for my little ones.  It may be wise to omit the pepper if you are nervous about the heat, and allow those who like a spicier dish to add it at the table. 


To freeze this meal: Allow the chicken to cool completely then place the chicken in a labeled gallon size or quart size freezer bags according to your family size.  Lay flat in the freezer.  

On cooking day: Thaw completely.  Reheat the chicken in a covered frying pan on low until warm through, stirring frequently.  I usually start my rice the same time I reheat the chicken and they are typically ready about the same time.


I think the next time I freeze I may try using half the sauce while cooking and freezing half...I'll let you know how that goes!

Fortune Cookies

For some reason, this year my kids became very excited about Chinese New Year.  They wanted to know what we were doing to celebrate and what we were eating.  This caught me a little off guard because we have no Asian background in our family, but since we were planning to have Asian Chicken Salad for dinner that night anyway, I decided I'd run with it.

We had egg rolls (store bought), Asian Noodles, and homemade fortune cookies.  They were so fun to make that I decided to give it a go again.  Now, this is not a quick and easy treat.  When I am in the zone I can get six done in a batch...when I'm in the norm...more like four before they start drying because I'm not moving fast enough.  I watched a you tube video when I was looking for recipes.  I really wish I could find the clip again to reference it, but I do remember the girl saying to start with two at a time, then gradually work yourself up to six.

Before you start make sure you have your fortunes typed, cut and ready to go.

Preheat oven to 300
Blend together the following until frothy.  Do not beat so long the mixture becomes thick.
     2 large egg whites
     1/2 tsp vanilla
     1/2 tsp almond
     3 Tbs oil
Add to the above:
     1/2 c flour
     1/2 c sugar
     1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
     1 Tbs water
     1/8 tsp salt
Blend the batter together until it's smooth.
Generously grease a cookie sheet.  Use a tablespoon to drop the batter into small circles and spread evenly until it reaches approximately 3" in diameter.  You will probably only be dropping 1/2 - 2/3 of the batter out of the spoon.  That's fine, it should be plenty to create your circle.

• Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown.  If the cookies are cooked too long you will not be able to shape them.
• When the cookies are ready, open the oven and pull the oven rack out enough that you can remove the cookies from the cookie sheet.
• Remove the cookies one at a time, place the cookie upside down on your working surface, and place the fortune in the center of the cookie.
• Fold the cookie in half, then using a mug or bowl, fold the cookie in half again using the mug or bowl to help shape the cookie.
• Place the cookie in a cupcake pan to help hold the shape.
• Repeat until all the cookies have been removed from the pan. You want to move fast so the cookies won't harden before you shape them, and also because you are pulling them straight from the oven and they're hot!
• Keeping the cookies in the warmth of the oven will also help keep them from hardening too quickly.
• Start with 2 cookies on a cookie sheet, then work yourself up to more.  To keep the dough from touching on the cookie sheet, you can most likely do no more than six cookies at a time.