Asian Lettuce Wraps

Every time I order lettuce wraps at a restaurant, I am reminded how simple they are, 

and have recently been whipping them up at home.  Here's how I like to do it.

Oh, and all the steps, up to eating, were done a day in advance. 

YumFest, right! 

Grab a head (or 2 or 3...) of bib lettuce in the produce section

 1 lb. ground turkey (93% lean is preferred) and

in a small bowl mix: 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce,

1 tablespoon sriracha and 2 tablespoons light brown sugar)

 Use a fine grater (I get out my zester) to finely grate

carrots (yield ~1 cup grated carrot)

 Pulverized goodness

Cook the turkey thoroughly, then stir in the sauce and

carrot (add more heat, sweet or sodium to the sauce to 

meet your liking.  I do think the measurements I gave

you are a good base though)

It's hard to find that cup of grated carrot, huh! 

Sneaky, sneaky!!

 Chop the zucchini and drop into a pot of boiling water

for 1-2 minutes.

 Remove from the boiling water and submerge

in an bowl of ice water, to stop the cooking.

 Turn the heat off the boiling water and drop

the mai fun noodles in the pot.  They will

sit in the hot water (off heat now), covered,
 for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, drain the noodles.

 This step is for sure not compulsory, but I think it adds

 a wonderful crunch and is super simple.  If you want the

crunch, but aren't up for this step, use store bought 

crispy chow mein noodles.

I use my pizza wheel to make strips of wonton dough.

I find the packages of wonton wrappers in the 

produce section at the market.

 In a saucepan heat 2 inches of canola oil, test the temp

by dropping one strip in and watch it dance, if you will

 (I am not a seasoned deep fryer, but these are hard to screw up)

Use a metal tong (or spider skimmer) to remove from the oil 

when they are light golden brown in color. Place on a

plate with paper towels to drain.  

These can be made several days in advance, just store air tight.

 All the fixings for delicious Asian Lettuce Wraps:

Bib lettuce (cut off the base and cleaned very well and

wrapped in towel to dry), the ground-seasoned turkey, wonton

strips, jullienned sweet peppers, blanched zucchini, sliced

scallions, lightly salted cashews, cooked mai fun noodles.

Also, if you want whip up some more sauce, that was stirred into the

ground turkey, for topping the wraps.

Enjoy!!!  

xo.

Toffee Pretzel Crunch. Oh My!

I was making care packages this week to send off and deliver locally

as several friends needing the TLC of homemade treats.

I was thinking how tasty it would be to dip pretzel rods in toffee, but

then at a little Oprah light bulb moment and decided on this...

you can thank me later.

What you need to make this ridiculous treat:

3 1/2-4 cups Pretzel Crisps

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Line a large jelly roll pan* with aluminum foil, and then thinly coat the foil

with butter (I just gently rub one of the sticks used in the recipe along the 

foiled surfaces. You will not use much) then place a layer of Pretzel Crisps 

along the bottom of the buttered pan.  I break up some of the crisps. Don't 

worry if the crisps are overlapping. 

* a jelly roll pan is smaller than a sheet pan, but larger than a 9x13 pan.

 In a saucepan over medium/high heat, begin melting the butter, brown sugar and salt.

 This is one pot you want to watch boil.  Continue stirring as the sauce boils 

and thickens.  Watch that it doesn't burn.  I stir at boil for a couple minutes.

Pour the boiling sauce evenly over the pretzel crisps.  

Place pan in a 425 degree oven.

The sauce will thicken in the oven. After 4 minutes I pulled the bubbling concoction 

out of the oven.  Check at 4 minutes. If it isn't super bubbly and darker in color, 

put it back in for 1 additional minute.

 Immediately sprinkle the semi sweet chocolate chips evenly 

over the toffee pretzels. 

The heat of the pan will quickly melt the chocolate chips.  If you

find that they aren't melting, pop the pan back into the cooling oven for 

1 minute and the chocolate will be ready to spread with a knife.

After the chocolate chips are evenly spread across the top of the toffee,

pop the pan in the freezer to set up for 30 minutes.

 After setting in the freezer, I pull the brick of toffee from the foil,

double checking that all foil pulled away, then use my hands to 

break into chunks.  I store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

It packages up nicely, in boxes, to drop with friends and neighbors.

I buy bulk food safe boxes on the Internet.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Marsala Parcels

I really wanted to make Chicken Marsala, but didn't want to make it the way I always 

make it: with pasta or smashed potatoes...so I looked to my favzy box of frozen pastry 

and decided it would be the perfect addition to the wine drenched chicken breasts.

First, butterfly and pound chicken breasts, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

You will need 2 pounded chicken breasts, for this recipe.

Remove the pounded chicken breasts from plastic wrap and dredge in:

1/3 c. flour

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

heat 2 T oil in a saute pan, over medium heat

brown the dredged chicken breasts, remove from pan once cooked through 

(a few minutes on each side)

After you finish browning all of the chicken breasts (add a splash of oil to the pan

between each browning process, if needed), add the following to the pan, leaving

all the brown bits from the chicken in the pan:

1 T. butter

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

Cook the onions for a couple minutes.

To the onions add 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms.  Continue

cooking cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender.

to the pan add:

1 cup Marsala wine and 1 cup chicken stock, heat until simmering then add:

roux (in a cup mix 1 T. flour with 2 T. chicken stock, use a fork to 

combined into a chunk-free slurry which will thicken the sauce)

1 T. brown sugar

4 T butter

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Continue to simmer the wine sauce, allowing the flavors to meld and sauce to thicken. 

 Then return the chicken, cut up into bite size chunks, to the pan. 

 Remove the chicken and sauce from heat and allow to cool completely, before 

wrapping in the puff pastries (this can be done the night before...chill in
the refrigerator, and pull out when you are ready to assemble the parcels)

 Puff Pastry.  Find it in the freezer section at the market.  Remove the 

puff pastry from the freezer the night before, place in the refrigerator. Pull out
of the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before assembling the marsala parcels

Use a rolling pin to lightly roll out each rectangle of pastry 

(2 rectangles of pastry, per box).

Then, have completely cooled chicken and sauce, 

along with shredded mozzarella ready to go.

Use a pizza wheel to cut the pastry into 2" by 3" sections. Place

a scoop of chicken and sauce in the middle of the pastry, and top

with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella.  Keep the edges of the

pastry free of chicken and sauce.

 Top with another piece of pastry, 2" by 3" (this does not have to

be exact, at all) and press edges from top and bottom pastry together,

using the pad of your finger (or use the prongs of a fork).

Continue making parcels, until you run out of pastry.  Then gently

brush the top of each parcel with an egg wash (1 egg white, 2 T. water)

and if desired, crack black pepper and sea salt the tops.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

Yum!!!

last minute I decided the parcels needed a sauce on top...so in a saucepan I heated to boil:

1 cup Marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

Roux (mix 2 T. butter & 1 T flour together into paste, before adding to

 the heated wine/stock, this will thicken the sauce- I used butter this time
to add a little richness to the sauce)

2 T. brown sugar

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste 

(why yes, this is the same thing the chicken, onions and mushrooms are 

soaking in, it needed to happen!)

Once the sauce boils for a couple of minutes, allowing the roux to fully cook through, 

reduce heat to simmer for a couple more minutes and it will be thick and delish.

I served the parcels with a loaded green salad and wild rice.

Caramel Coated PIRATE'S BOOTY

ArrrrrrMazing!

Place 9 cups of Aged White Cheddar Pirate's Booty in a roasting pan
 (or split on two sheet trays, if you do not have a roasting pan).

 In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp sea salt

Heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

 

Keep the saucepan on the heat, and quickly stir in 1 tsp baking soda.

Making sure all bits of baking soda are fully stirred in.

 The baking soda will really make the sauce bubbly, this is why you

must use a large sauce pan.  

 Pour the hot caramel over the Pirate's Booty

 

Toss the Booty, until each piece is coated.  Pop in a 250 degree, 

preheated oven, and bake for 40 minutes (removing pan every 10

minutes to stir)

 Place a large piece of parchment paper* on the counter, and pour the

caramel-coated-puffs-of-heaven out, pulling apart big chunks, as they 

will harden up while resting on the parchment.  

Once cool, store in an air tight container or bag.

This stuff will certainly please a crowd! 

* PARCHMENT PAPER IS NOT THE SAME AS WAX PAPER*