Lettuce Wraps

My good friend Jaclyn introduced me to these. :) It's just the recipe she uses off the back of a pack of Romaine Lettuce hearts, but I can't get enough of these! From what I can tell, they're nothing like the PF Changs recipe, but I don't mind... If you can put aside any first though of what cilantro pesto may taste like, I promise you will be addicted JUST.LIKE.ME. lol

Lettuce Wraps

1 head romaine lettuce hearts

2-3 chicken breasts - cooked and sliced (Or use a shredded rotisserie chicken)

1 bunch cilantro (you can use 1/2-3/4 of a bunch)

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic (minced)

Shredded cheese (optional)

1/2 cup oil (olive oil or vegetable oil)

1 avocado

2 roma tomatoes

1 bunch green onions, diced

salt and pepper

Combine garlic, cilantro, pine nuts and 1 tsp salt in a food processor and pulse until pesto is a creamy texture. (you should know what pesto looks like lol) Transfer to a bowl and whisk while adding oil. Bring to desired texture and add 1/4 cup chicken broth to thin if needed. Set aside. Slice tomatoes (strips or rounds), dice green onions and slice avocado into strips. Clean the lettuce and separate the leaves. Mix the chicken with the pesto. Top lettuce leaves with the chicken and toppings and EAT IT! lol Seriously ... I love these things.

Mmmm.... Tzatziki sauce!

From OurBestBites.com

Tzatziki

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (that's 2 6-oz. containers)

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tsp. lemon juice

3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped

1 tsp. dry dill weed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Lemon Pancakes (with blueberry syrup)

Now... before you balk... let me just say - the combination of lemon and blueberries is ABSOLUTELY divine!! When I worked at the spa last year, the fancy shmancy restaurant had a cheesecake one night that was a lemon and blueberry combination with sweetened ricotta cheese... I thought I had died and gone to heaven! These pancakes are a good substitute... and might I recommend, instead of butter, a smidge of sweetened ricotta cheese! :) (I didn't get to make the blueberry syrup when I made these... didn't have the ingredients on hand)

Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 TBSP butter, melted

2 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (from the same lemon you zested)

4 TBSP butter, divided (you use this for frying the pancakes and I needed more)

Fresh blueberry syrup - recipe in a minute

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (What this means for stand mixer users like me, use a glass measuring cup that holds 4 cups or more to mix the liquid part in, put the dry mixture into your stand mixer bowl.)

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 TBSP of butter over medium heat. Spoon 2 TBSP of batter for each pancake into skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter.

Serve with warm Fresh Blueberry Syrup.... or if your kids don't want that.. regular syrup is just as yummy. :)

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and lemon juice over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved.

Add blueberries; cook for 15-20 minutes or until syrupy, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly before serving. Sweetened ricotta is as easy as mixing whole milk ricotta with some sugar and vanilla! :)

Sunrise Smoothie

This is from another of my magazines that I love - Simply Southern. I tend to pick up magazines that have recipes that I want to try and most of the time, they end up being some of my most favorite recipes. This one is for a smoothie that is used in a brunch sequence. Way good!

Sunrise Smoothie

2 1/4 cups orange juice (if you can find the Tropicana Valencia orange juice, I highly recommend it)

2 1/4 cups vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberry sorbet (if you can't find strawberry sorbet like me, I resorted to using strawberry sorbet fruit pops... enough to equal 1 1/2 cups. lol)

Garnish with fresh strawberries if you'd like

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth... pour into glasses. It's not rocket science. lol

Cheese Grits

Let me first tell you ... anyone who has never had grits... PLEASE let this be your first recipe in trying them! These are simply DIVINE and it's so versatile... you can use them at breakfast or dinner! I know some of my friends have never had grits and thought they were supposed to be served sweetened.... although SOME people may like them that way, I assure you... Grits are a salty mash that for breakfast is awesome mixed with eggs and bacon and toast, and dinner, along side crab cakes or some other protein. This recipe calls for the brand Wade's Mill Stone Ground Grits... but regular old fashioned (slow cooking) grits work just as well.

Cheese Grits

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 tsp salt

1 cup grits (they NEED to be the slow cooking, old fashioned kind. NOT the quick cooking stuff)

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 cup warm heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I'm a cheese lover, so obviously I use more... and it HAS to be sharp, in order to get the cheese taste. Mild cheddar is just that... too mild. Using the cheddar you grate yourself tastes MUCH better in this recipe)

4 TBSP unsalted butter

1 dash hot pepper sauce (tabasco) optional

1 pinch nutmeg, optional (I didn't add this)

In a medium saucepan, combine boiling water and salt over high heat. Combine grits and cold water and then slowly add to boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes, for 20 minutes.

Add cream, cheese and butter, continue cooking until grits reach desired consistency. Season with hot pepper sauce and nutmeg, if desired.

You can look on the package of grits and change the liquid measurements according to the directions for 4 servings if you want to, and follow the rest of the recipe for the cream and cheese. I've done it both ways and if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think there was much difference in the measurements. Combining the grits with the cold water before adding them to the boiling water is what prevents lumps and keeps the mixture from spitting and burning you, which it will usually do if you add grits straight to the boiling water.

Orange Fruit Dip

I haven't made this one yet, but believe you me... the next time I get a chance to try it.. I will be! This comes from one of my most favorite magazines - Taste of the South

Orange Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream

1 (16 oz) container cool whip, thawed

2 TBSP honey

1 TBSP fresh orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

assorted fresh fruits

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add marshmallow cream and continue beating until combined. Add whipped topping, honey, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon, beating until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with assorted fresh fruits. (The picture in the magazine has pineapples, grapes, strawberries, and honeydew)

*Dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

Chicken Spaghetti

Another Paula! :) This is really, really, really tasty.

Chicken Spaghetti (10 to 12 servings)

2 TBSP butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilies, drained (mild rotel)

1 (4.25 oz) can chopped black olives, drained (I left these out)

1 (4 oz) can/jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (1 rotisserie chicken works well for this)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (16 oz) package angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

3/4 panko (Japanese bread crumbs.... but I only had regular old bread crumbs on hand and it did just fine)

1 TBSP butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, broth, soups, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, sour cream and salt. Stir in chicken and cheese. Add pasta, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into prepare baking dish.

In a small bow, combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Spread evenly over casserole. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Even my kids liked this! It has a little bit of a kick to it because of the rotel... so be prepared... but MY GOODNESS! The list of ingredients looks overwhelming, but really, it's very simple to put together. Serve with salad and breadsticks.