PF Changs Lettuce Wraps. Mmm Mmm Good!

OH MY HECK!  Today at work I was really craving some PF Changs lettuce wraps, and decided I would test my cooking skills by making some tonight! Making lettuce wraps don't sound too hard right? WRONG! I am seriously surprised they turned out as good as they did for me tonight. I learned two important lessons tonight.

1) Be careful when you have a wok full of boiling lava hot oil! OUCH!

2) A little bit of sesame seed oil goes a LOONNNNGGGGG way :)

The recipe I found is amazing...these tasted just like the ones at the restaurant! I challenge anyone who is reading this blog to try this out! (Pick a night where you have at least an hour and a half to cook....)

Here is the recipe and instructions.

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Chicken breasts

1 cup water chestnuts

2/3 Cup mushroom (I didn't use the mushrooms and you couldn't even tell)

3 Tablespoons minced garlic 

1 head of iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil (make sure its NO more than 1/8 teaspoon)

1 Tablespoon hot mustard

2 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon garlic (minced)

1 1/2 teaspoon red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1) Make special sauce by dissolving sugar in water in a small bowl.

2) Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon and sesame oil.

3)Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4) Combine hot water w/ mustard and set aside.

5) Eventually, add your desired amount of mustard, garlic, and chile paste to special sauce mixture to pour over wraps. 

6) Bring oil to high heat in wok.

7) Saute chicken breasts 4-5 minutes until almost done. (to avoid having dry chicken, finish cooking the chicken at the end) Remove and cool.

8) Keep oil in pan hot.

9) Mince chestnuts and mushrooms small. The size of peas would be great.

10) Make stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

11) When chicken is cooled, mince it to the same size as the water chestnuts and mushrooms.

12) With the pan still on high heat, add another teaspoon of vegetable oil.

13) Add chicken, minced garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms into the pan.

14) Add stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mix for a few minutes. 

15) Serve in the "lettuce cups".

16. Top it all off with the "special sauce".

AMAZAZAZING!

Seriously, Jake?

Ok, I don't know about any of you out there, but I have watched the Bachelor religiously this season. I just get so frustrated every single week because of VIENNA! EWWW! Have you googled her? (I have...) and she is so disgusting! She is sooooo ugly! Oh my heck. I guess after a little plastic surgery though, anyone can look halfway decent.  But take away her boob job, her nose job, her bleached out blonde hair and extensions, and her fake and baked tan...you have nothing but a spoiled brat with over-plucked eyebrows.  EW. I hope Jake gets rid of her soon. Haha. Ok. Done.




Please pick Tenley...ok Jake?

Ode to Rob.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I declare this post "Ode to Rob".  I just want to take a minute and declare my love for "Skidmark McGee" and how truly blessed I feel to have found a husband like him.

Robbie is one of the sweetest boys I have ever met. He is truly sensitive and puts me first in every situation.  Just one example of this: On our 6th month anniversary, he took me to Nordstrom Rack so I could pick out some jewelry by Betsy Johnson. (I LOVE her jewelry) He didn't expect anything in return, and I found it funny that on OUR anniversary, all he wanted to do was make ME happy. He never thinks about himself, and that is just one example. He treats me like that everyday. 

**He never yells. He never belittles me.  He is sensitive to my feelings and never says anything out of line.  As we venture into the world of having "married friends", I have realized by hanging out with other couples, that Robbie really is one in a million.  Some of the husbands I have been around don't treat their wives half as good as Robbie does to me.  

**No matter how hard I TRY to annoy him, he can still only smile and laugh. Sometimes I feel like its impossible for me to get on his nerves....and if I DO...he hides it VERY well...which is nice :) 

**Even after being together almost 2 years, he still opens the door for me everywhere we go.

**All he can ever think about is doing nice things for me.  When he gets a paycheck, instead of immediately looking for things that he wants, he gets online and looks at stuff he would like to get me. ( I am not a very material person, I don't know why he loves doing that. Its his OWN idea haha.)

**He is very ambitious and hard-working.  If he sets his mind to something, it WILL be done.  I feel like I will never have to worry about him supporting me and our future family.

**He is patient.  I am emotional. Get it?

**Lets be honest, I have some self-esteem issues.  Robbie makes me feel beautiful, and he NEVER talks about other girls, looks at other girls, or says other girls are pretty.  To be honest, I really wouldn't care if he said "That girl was really pretty" but the fact that he doesn't is nice.

**I feel comfortable knowing that he is our foundation.  No matter how lazy I feel, we will always say our prayers, read our scriptures, and pay our tithing.

**He is freaking HOT. I see girls checking him out wherever we go. I like the feeling that I have what they want ;-)

**He treats me like a princess.

** He is self-less, respectful, and understanding.

**I could go on and on, but then again I don't think you would want to read a novel about how much I love my husband.

Lastly, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, he reminds me sooo much of my DAD! That makes me feel good inside, because my dad is the most respectful, most LOVING, caring, self-less, patient, and amazing man that I know.  My dad treats my mom like a princess, and I love knowing that I picked someone just like him.

 

One on One time. With myself.

Today I had the day off since it was a holiday, but Robbie still had to work because he works in the exciting and wonderful world of retail.  I really wanted to make the most of my day off so I cleaned the apartment, got ready, and then headed to Antelope Island for some picture taking. Welp,  being the airhead that I am, I got to Antelope Island and realized I probably wouldn't have enough gas to explore the island AND get back in rage of a gas station before I ran out of gas. Typical.  So I took some pictures right at the gate and then left, barely making it to the gas station. I frustrate myself.  Anyways, it was beautiful out there today with the inversion letting up and whatnot.  You could actually see the sky!  I am definitely going back out there as soon as I can- with a FULL tank of gas! I want to take more pictures out there as soon as possible.  Here are some of my pretty pictures from today. Next time it will be better :)

                            

Yeah, thats about all I could get today... pathetic eh? Yeah, but I really enjoyed the time to myself! Expect more soon! 

i am going crazy!!

Ok so my friend Ally and I were sitting in Olive Garden a few weeks ago and I saw this woman wearing the CUTEST hat ever. Well, it wasnt really a hat its technically an ear warmer. But its knit and has a knit flower on the side. I cant find it anywhere and I want one soooo bad! If anybody knows where I can buy one let me know...its seriously driving me nuts haha.



that is all.


Oh PS.  I am watching the biggest loser and as much as i like this show, they make every little thing into the biggest dramatic event possible. A woman just fell and got a bloody nose and she was being such a freaking baby about it. They took her to the hospital in an ambulance.  Seriously? Get over it. Ive broken bones without even going to the hospital until a week later.  muthaPLEASE.

New Years Resolutions.

So cliche as it is, I am going to list the changes I want to see in my self this year. Lets see if I can get past March this year :)

              **My Biggest Resolution of 2010**

*Have a gluten-free diet.  I was told a few years ago that I have a small allergy to preservatives and gluten. I have kind of ignored this, thus resulting in feeling sick after every single time I eat.  Kind of stupid I have suffered this long to really start to try to cut it out of my diet.  I just love food too much! But starting today, I am going to do my best to eat foods without gluten.  That cuts out the majority of foods out there, but I think it will be worth it to not feel sick all the time and getting headaches EVERY SINGLE day.

*Really crack down on my daily scripture study.  I was so good about this before I got married, and then all of the sudden I sort of stopped. Also, go to all of the meetings at church on sunday...even if my ward is all 90 year old people and I hate it.

*Get going on something to do as a career....which means going to ALL of my photography seminars and classes. 

This resolution isnt for me, its for Rob...he just doesnt know it yet...*Robbie willl stop texting while driving :)  (It drives me absoultely crazy...he is such a smart person I dont know why he insists on doing this)

*Start a fund putting away a couple hundred dollars a month (how much we put in depending on what we can afford that month) to put away for an amazing vacation! That way when we want to go somewhere to get away, we will be able to. Hopefully by December we will have $2,400. 

*Start going to my physical therapy, so that when we decide to have a baby, my back wont break in half.

A perk of this situation: I will be able to touch past my KNEES when I bend over.

Oh dear...Christmas time has been turned upside-down.

I lost my job. What a great way to keep the Christmas spirit in our little apartment alive!  I was laid off because they don't need as many people doing the job I was doing anymore due to the upgrade of a faster computer system.  What a crappy time of the year to lose a job.  Not only do we have a tight budget because of buying presents for everybody, but losing the 1500 dollars I made a month is definitely going to effect a lot of things.  I was planning on going to school in January. Not anymore. I feel completely worthless. I am not making any money, and I am not getting an education.  I may or may not have been bawling my eyes out for a few hours yesterday evening.  Without even any notice, the company dropped me on my tush, letting me know I wouldnt even be working the NEXT DAY. No severence, no nothing.   As if losing my job wasnt enough yesterday, Robbie found out that he didnt pass his ECON class. He didn't graduate because of ONE class. I know economy classes are hard, but hearing Rob talk about this teacher all semester didnt help. She is one of those power hungry teachers who doesnt care one bit for the success of her students.  Robbie emailed her multiple times telling her he was having trouble in the class.  She never said anything back to him...ever.  He emailed her again, letting her know that he needed no less than a C on the final exam to graduate in hopes that she would be reasonable in helping pass.  She never emailed him back or even acknowledged him whatsoever.  She didnt pass him.  Robbie wasnt the only one in the class with problems.  A valedictorian in his class that was also graduating this semester, has not received anything less than an A in every class.  He didnt do so hot in her class either and she didnt acknowledge his existence when he tried to contact her also.  I dont understand what is up some people's butts.  Robbie was going to job hunt for something better, but now is stuck in the job that he hates and will now have to pay $500 to re-take that stupid class.  

Now that I have told you what bad things have happened....(I hate complaining but I HAD to get that all out haha) We have been having fun lately...besides yesterday.  Robbie no longer has to come home and do homework from the minute he gets home from work until the second its time to go to bed.  I actually get to hang out with my husband.  It's amazing.  On Monday, we got a gingerbread house kit and made a gingerbread house.  It was so much fun! Robbie did a good job on the side he was in charge of. I was definitely impressed! I like to think of the creation as our "first house".  We put a down payment of $7 on it, and we are very happy with the outcome!

Life always has a way of throwing crap at you.  Literally, crap.  We both just need to stay strong, we will get through this.  If anyone knows of anybody hiring or you have any leads on any jobs, I would really appreciate it if you would let me know!