Your favourite restaurant appie, lighter at home

I'm finally feeling a bit more inspired to cook these days. I think it's kind of taken us this long to build up a good inventory of sauces, oils, spices and other non-perishables to feel like we have a chance at making something delicious without having to specifically go out and buy every single item in a recipe.

I think Pammy's got her groove back in the kitchen, so to speak. Now, if only a young Taye Diggs would come over so I could cook for him. A girl can dream, right? And, just FYI - I saw that movie recently on TV. I'm really too young to have seen it when it first came out. Just thought you should know.

Anyway, I skipped the gym today and ate an entire box of Kraft Dinner for lunch (it was just one of those days. Don't judge), so I thought I would make something somewhat healthy for dinner. My mom has made lettuce wraps before and I thought I would give them a try myself. My mom sent me this recipe she always uses and I doubled the recipe and added my own spin, of course. I also doubled the recipe as I have a growing man-boy who lives with me and I like to have enough for the next day's lunch. Here's how I made mine:

What you will need:

2 packages of Granny's ground turkey
1 medium onion, minced
S & P
4 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp water
5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp liquid honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp chili garlic sauce (or less if you're sensitive to spice)
6 green onions, chopped
2 227ml cans slice water chestnuts, drained and chopped (these are like mini cans - found in Oriental section of grocery store)
a couple handfuls of Chinese style steam fried noodles
few tbsp peanuts, chopped for garnish
Outer lettuce leaves - I used the hydroponic kind but iceberg works well too

1. Heat a large, non-stick skilled on high. Add turkey, onion, salt and pepper, and cook until turkey is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat.

2. Add in minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until turkey is no longer pink.

3. Meanwhile, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, and chilli garlic sauce in a bow. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. It should look like this:

4. Add to skillet and stir to combine.

5. Add green onion and water chestnuts into the skillet, then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

6. Add the noodles and stir. Cover and let cook on medium low for about 5 minutes or until the noodles  have softened. It's okay if they are still slightly crunchy though.

Let cool a bit and spoon onto lettuce leaves. I spooned mine out when it was still quite hot and it wilted the lettuce leaves a bit. Then, I topped with the chopped peanuts and a spoonful of Thai sweet chilli sauce.