Ringing in 2010

I can't believe that its already a new year! The holidays have just flown by this year!! I spent yesterday packing away Christmas decorations and cleaning up the aftermath of them. Decorating is so fun, undecorating is just sad!
Cody and I spent New Year's Eve at Horseshoe Bay on Lake LBJ with some college friends. We really enjoyed the time with our friends and I loved getting dressed up for a NYE party! So fun!



Another note on the new year: I have just recently realized how monotonous my dinners are. I cook basically the same thing every week and most of those meals are not super healthy, so I'm expanding my horizons this year and cooking new things. I've already asked for and received many wonderful recipes on facebook, but if you my blogger friends have any easy healthy(ish) recipes or crockpot recipes that you care to share, I would love to try them! : ) Last night Cody and I made lettuce wraps from this recipe and they were very yummy (probably not too healthy though..)
P. F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe #15865
25 min | 10 min prep
SERVES 2 -3
* 3 tablespoons oil
* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 cup water chestnut
* 2/3 cup mushroom
* 3 tablespoons chopped onions
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 4-5 leaves 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
* 1 tablespoon hot mustard
* 2 teaspoons water
* 1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste
Stir Fry Sauce
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16. Top with"Special Sauce".