Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This delightful, easy, and fast meal only takes 5 ingredients! *OK, it takes 7 but you probably have water and olive oil on hand, so they don't count. I'm a huge fan of lettuce wraps from P.F. Changs but the ones I tried before, take up a lot of time. This one is seriously done in 15 minutes. It was delectable and delightful.

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps (from Rachael Ray)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 10 ounce bag  shredded carrots
• 4 - 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup store-bought teriyaki sauce (get a thicker one, not one the consistency of soy sauce)
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

Directions

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil over high heat. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots, scallions and 1/4 cup water; lower the heat to medium-low. Cover loosely with foil and cook until the water is absorbed and the veggies are soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the teriyaki sauce to taste and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Divide the mixture among the lettuce leaves, about 1/4 cup for each; roll up and serve immediately.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Soup is always on our menu lately. Why? Because it's cheap and easy to make. We've been trying to watch our food budget lately and I've been trying to step out of my comfort zone and use things I never have used before. I actually had all the ingredients on hand for this soup except mushrooms and pearl barley. I was pleasantly surprised by this hearty soup. It was bursting with flavor, yet was light and filling at the same time. I found the recipe here at $5 Dinners

Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 carrot stalks, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
About 8 oz. of mushrooms, chopped and sliced
 2 cups water
4 cups homemade chicken broth
1 cup pearled barley
2 tsp dried dill
2 tsp fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste



Directions:
1. Add butter or margarine to large saucepan and let it melt.  Saute the chopped onions, diced carrots and garlic.  Once onions become opaque, add in the sliced and/or chopped mushrooms.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add water and broth and bring to a boil.  Add the pearled barley, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. (Add cooked chicken or turkey here if you wish!). Reduce heat so the soup cooks at a rolling boil.  Cook for 45 minutes, or until barley has cooked through.  (Note: I used pearled barley, not quick cooking barley.  Follow time directions on package if using quick cook barley!)
3. Serve Mushroom Barley Soup with Rolls and Jam.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken (perfect for Valentine's Day)

If you need a dish to impress your man this Valentine's Day, this is the dish. This Baked Teriyaki Chicken is restaurant quality. I'm salavating just thinking about it. It tasted just as good or better the next day! I personally loved it for it's taste AND ability to make out of a cheaper cut of meat. I usually only cook with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I tried this recipe with breast and thighs and they both turned out great. For boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I kept at 400°F  but reduced the time to 40 minutes.
(Sorry no pic. I'll have to make again to take pictures :)

Baked Teriyaki Chicken (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugars, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
3. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with tinfoil. Place chicken pieces into baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Apple Pie & Best Ever Pie Crust

I never get to make apple pie because my husband does not enjoy warm apples, but this year I got to for Thanksgiving. I know, a little late, but here it is anyways. I absolutely LOVED this pie. The filling had just the right amount of sweetness and the crust I used was flaky and perfect. First attempt at making apple pie and it was 5★ all the way!

Apple Pie (based off this recipe from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1/2 C. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1/4 C. water

1/2 C. white sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

dash of cinnamon

5 Granny Smith Apples- peeled, cored and sliced

1 recipe for a 9-inch double pie crust (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar,brown sugar, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Reserve 1/4 C. liquid and set aside to brush on top of pie. Mix the remaining liquid with apples and pour into crust, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. 3. Brush the reserved sugar and butter liquid over the crust.

4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350° F (175 ° C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Best Ever Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 C. all- purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 C. shortening

1/2 C. water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

2. Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The description from Amazon.com:

"It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul."

MY REVIEW: Excellent book. Death is the narrator in this book, which I was a little reluctant to read. It was intriguing and very well written. You come to love the main character and feel for her. More adult themed because it does deal with death, but much more fascinating than other Holocaust era books I've read. It has tons of positive reviews on Amazon and I can see why.