A staple

I hope everyone survived the holiday weekend. Tami from Running with Tweezers coined the perfect phrase, and I hope she doesn't mind but I am totally going to steal it: Swalloween. This phrase summed up our festivities, and I won't share many of the details because I want you, friends, to continue reading this site.

In brief, Warren Jeffs made a quick prison-break for the weekend to help us horrify our friends and the local children. Fun and debauchery was had by all. Thanks, Warren.

The following recipe is a dish I could not live without. Seriously, I might die if I don't eat it in some form several times a month. As Stuart Mackenzie says in So I Married an Ax Murderer, it has "an addictive chemical that makes ya crave it fornightly, smartass!" This mixture, combination, amalgamation of turkey, crunchy vegetables and salty goodness is, well, worthy of the above quotation.

Here's the problem though. I have never written down my recipe. My mom has asked for this recipe at least thirty-seven times, and I've always said add a couple tablespoons of this and a couple tablespoons of that. As I've mentioned before, I am a chronic non-measurer. It also depends on what I have in the fridge. This time I didn't have any sesame oil so I had to do without -- did the lettuce wraps still make my toes curl with ecstasy? Yes. Internet friends, I love this dish. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

I suppose my point is: BE FLEXIBLE. Try using ground pork, use cabbage instead of lettuce, serve over rice or rice noodles, adjust the seasonings to suit your family's taste. I admire Asian cuisine and wish I was more well-versed in it's many nuances. By no means am I expert. In fact, I probably butchered a classic recipe, but if butchering tastes this good, I'm going with it.

I hope you aren't disappointed by the hype of my toe-curling description. But I could die happy after a meal of these lettuce wraps that's how good they are.

Feel free to adjust these characters. Like I said,

they were on hand.

Water chestnuts are FUNDAMENTAL.

Lettuce Wraps

1 package ground turkey

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

5 green onions, diced

1 can water chestnuts, diced

2 shallots, diced

1 - 1 inch piece ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs canola oil - NOT olive oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tbs hoisin sauce

2 tbs oyster sauce

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbs sriracha - disregard if you don't like spice

1 head crunchy lettuce or cabbage

In a large pan or wok heat oil over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic. Be careful not to burn, as it will ruin your dish. Stir-fry until fragrant. Add the carrots, celery and shallots. Cook for about 5-8 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, mix all of the sauces together in a bowl including the sugar. Stir well.

Add the turkey. Stir completely to incorporate all the vegetables. Add the water chestnuts and green onions. Pour in the sauces. Continue stirring so all the flavors combine. Cook until the turkey is cooked through. Serve in lettuce/cabbage cups.