Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps Recipe like P.F. Chang's

P.F. Chang Cloned Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Angie's Recipes: Lettuce Wraps Recipe a great way for diabetics to save on carbs. These vegetarian lettuce wraps are made with tofu. Enjoy!

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wrap Clone Recipe.

Okay, first I will let you know I found this "Clone" Recipe on-line after craving these for over a week. To give credit where credit is due, I found this on the website Food.com. I did change a few things after reading the reviews and looking at the ingredient list to find Oyster Sauce ( I chose to omit to make it actually a vegetarian dish). This was an easy dish to make and pass off to the family.

The family fell in love with the chicken version of the lettuce wraps when I introduced them to the restaurant and after making several dishes with tofu; the family fell in love with that too. So no one in my house was going to complain about this dish! Score one for mom. :-)

P.F. CHANG'S VEGETARIAN LETTUCE WRAPS 

(copycat recipe)

(4 servings; you can double recipe for 8)

Tip: When buying bamboo shoots, get the strips. This cuts down on prep time, all you have to do is dice them.

I've also included a sauce for adding to the individual wraps after cooking (just like in the restaurant!) I like my sauce spicy so you may want to experiment with the ingredients for a milder version.

FOR THE COOKING SAUCE:
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoon. water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon cornstarch

FOR THE MARINADE:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon dry sherry
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon water

FOR THE TOFU MIXTURE:
1 cup baked tofu with 1 T Chinese Five Spice added before baking, diced
2 tablespoon peanut oil plus 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, mixed
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Chinese chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
1/2 small or 1/4 large red onion, minced
1/2 can bamboo shoots, diced
1/2 can water chestnuts, diced
TO SERVE:
Cellophane noodles, prepared according to package directions
Iceberg or green leaf lettuce
Spicy Sauce (optional, recipe follows)

TO MAKE THE COOKING SAUCE:
Mix the cooking sauce in a bowl and set aside.

TO MAKE THE MARINADE:
In medium bowl, combine sherry, soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and water. Mix well.

TO PREPARE THE TOFU:
Stir tofu into the marinade. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mixed oil and stir fry tofu for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Add the ginger, garlic and onion; stir-fry for about a minute.
Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
Return tofu to wok/skillet. Add cooking sauce and cook until thickened (about 2 minutes).
Combine  mint, cilantro and lemon juice to taste at the end to tofu mixture

TO SERVE:
Place prepared cellophane noodles onto a platter. Pour tofu mixture over them and serve with lettuce and Spicy Sauce.

SPICY SAUCE
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard (e.g., Coleman's)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Chinese chili sauce
In small dish, mix the dry mustard and water until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Recommended Reading:


Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes*

Kids Creative Chaos Recipes



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Whimsical Kids' Decor for the Nursery: Baby or Toddler Room

Whimsical Nursery Room Decor for Baby

A lot of thought goes into designing a nursery. Many future moms dream about and plan their baby's nursery room long before the baby is even a twinkle in their eye. The rest have nine months to mull over it. So, what design elements should go into your baby's nursery? The baby's room can be whimsical, sophisticated, or comfortably shabby chic. No matter the style, kids room design should be vibrant, inviting, and engaging to stimulate the baby's developing brain. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*

Whimsical Kids' Decor for the Nursery: Baby or Toddler Room.

Universal Design Bedroom Furniture: Cool Toddler Bed* at Amazon.

Cool kids dresser for nursery*.

Toddler Tent Bed Playspace*

Whimsical Wall Art For Kids Room*

Cool comfy chair for kids* for reading and snuggling.

Soothing, colorful, curtain panels*.

Use bright, complementary colors for a fun and soothing environment for baby. Differing hues of orange are perfect for the nursery. Orange is  a warm soothing, spicy earth-tone. Pair green and purple with a splash of orange for a pleasing triad color scheme.  

When planning your design think about the psychological effect of colors. Orange is known to invoke feelings ranging from comfort to anger and hostility. Therefore, orange should not be placed on large surfaces such as walls or floors. Use an orange accent, like drawer pulls or a bed tent, to give the room a punch of color. 

Paint the walls in a cool, light green or pastel lavender for a calming effect. Plop purple and orange throw pillows into a green chair to make a cozy reading nook, and accent your baby's room with whimsical character shapes to set a fun mood.

Recommended:

Make a Cool Wall Border with Rubber Stamps

Nemo and Dory Bathroom Decor Ideas

Disney Princess Wall Decals *

Wall Art for Baby's Room: SimpleShapes.com

The Toothfairy Failed the first time (includes cute free toothfairy clipart)

Toothfairy Stories and Clipart

Last night, the tooth fairy must have stayed out late partying. 

Today, she's a no-show, no-call. Apparently, she has a hang-over.  How rude!  She didn't even call to apologize.  

Of course, I didn't tell my son this theory. No, I thought it best to shelter him from the wild doings of a floozie fairy at least until he's a little older.

Check out the cute toothfairy clipart

Print as a gift tag from the tooth fairy.

What do you say to a six-year-old who let his tooth float by a thread for a week, carefully sheltering it with his tongue, as each murderous morsel attempted to fling it to death?  He protected that tooth like a precious diamond. With each day, the idea of the gifts it would bring filled his little head with joy- and now this...

Tooth Fairy Free Printable Coloring Sheet right click to save and print 
or click here for Free PDF.

I was up late blogging, learning the ropes to make buttons and baubles. I simply refused to stay up past 'Saturday Night Live'. Egads! When the ending credits started rolling, I turned off my monitor and headed to bed. Discreetly, I tip-toed into my kid's bedrooms to confirm that everyone was safe, sound, and breathing. I turned down "Todd World", and then I hit the hay. 

The next thing I remember, the sun began seeping through the crack in my curtains beckoning my busy children out of their beds. My son awoke groggy. I sent him to the potty first to buy some thinking time. He moved slowly, as I waited impatiently.  

"Jake, hurry I need to pee too!"  

He didn't hurry. In fact, he stopped in his tracks holding a tiny, plastic bag in the air.

"She didn't come."   

"What?"  I said in mock shock.  

"The tooth fairy didn't come!  I still have my tooth."

I interjected, "Don't you have to pee? I know I do." Then, I danced around the issue both literally and figuratively while searching for a fabulous excuse. As I waited for my turn at the potty, I said, "I bet you got up too early and nearly caught her in the act. Let's try again tonight."  

His toothless frown turned to an angry rant, "No!  I didn't see her. She just didn't come."  

Finally, I got my turn at the potty and took a moment to gather my runaway thoughts. Returning with a renewed mind and spirit, I explained that the tooth fairy is a very busy lady. "I stayed up too late last night, and we all got up too early this morning. She didn't have a chance to sneak into your room. She probably planned to come back, but got busy with all the other kid's teeth. I bet she feels terrible! I am sure she'll make it up to you tonight."

And then...

I reprimanded his Daddy who had tucked him into bed the night before. "A little help here please. I can't remember everything!"   

That floozie fairy better not forget us again tonight! I'm gonna set a trap...


Recommended Reading:


The Night Before The Tooth Fairy (Reading Railroad)*

The Tooth Fairy Fails Again

Candy Corn Turkeys Recipes and Ideas for Thanksgiving

Check out these Candy Corn Turkey Ideas

What do all of these Thanksgiving turkeys have in common? Candy Corn! These cute little turkeys are fun for kids to make. Wouldn't they make cute Thanksgiving Placeholders? Just add a name card. This is an old post, if these are your images and I haven't added a link or attribution, please send me a note so I can remedy the situation.

Turkey Cupcakes with Candy Corn.

Turkey Cookies.



Turkey Cookie and Candy Edible Craft.



These look perfect for an after-school project!

Recommended Reading:


Thanksgiving Family Get Together Activity

Paper Turkey Craft


Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks (Reading Railroad)

Abraham Lincoln and George Washington Compare and Contrast: President's Day Skit and Lesson

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Stage Play for President's Day

Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were two of America's most beloved presidents. In this compare and contrast lesson for homeschoolers or school enrichment, we answer a popular question, were Washington and Lincoln friends? Find out by performing our stage play for classroom use. The free printable skit imagines what it would be like if they were beamed to a 21st century classroom. Scroll Down for our Presidents Day Classroom Skit. Enjoy!

We've included some companion printables for a Presidents Day lesson on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Right click and print Abraham Lincoln's Beard.

George Washington display printable from Mailbox Magazine.

We found this cute George Washington printable project display holder at Squish Preschool Ideas. I think all the details are at Scholastics.com: Abraham Lincoln Printable.

Though, it was designed to highlight a paper, I think it would make a good president paper bag puppet.


Teachers/Parents:

Download this printable Venn Diagram, and have the students fill it out prior to reading the stage play. As they read the play aloud, let them add details to their Venn Diagram. We've also linked to a fun printable that compares and contrasts facts about Washington and Lincoln.

Free Printables:

Abraham Lincoln and George Washington Venn Diagram Printable

Abraham Lincoln and George Washington Facts

PRESIDENT'S DAY SKIT

Free Printable President's Day Skit: Were George Washington and Abe Lincoln Friends?


Language Arts Component:

Another popular question... Who would win in a fight between George Washington and Abe Lincoln?

Easy. As a past military hero and soldier, George is the clear choice. Honest Abe wouldn't fight unless it was a battle of wits and then he has our vote, but both men were very intelligent in their own right. 

Grab a journal and write about who you think would win and list reasons why.



Recommended Reading:

Presidents Day Lesson

Jimmy Carter Facts

President Benjamin Harrison Activities

When is President's Day? Barack Obama Pattern

If I Were President

Presidents' Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays)

Bald Eagle Paper Bag Puppet Pattern

















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*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Homeschool PE Egg Hunt for Elementary Students: Fun for a Family Get Together Party too!

Get Fit with this Creative Physical Education Easter Egg Hunt for Parties or PE Class

This Egg Hunt isn't just for Easter. Add physical fitness to your family get together, birthday party, gym class, or homeschool PE. Hide the eggs outdoors, and then hide physical fitness activities inside each egg. Make a game out of working out! In the video below, we improvised and had fun turning exercise into a fitness game that got the whole "family" involved. Enjoy!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

Visit Telescope Indiana: IU Link Observatory

Homeschool Science Field Trip: Visit the Link Telescope


If you are looking for something different to do in Indiana, visit the IU Link Observatory Telescope between Mooresville and Martinsville, Indiana. It's a one tank trip from most places in Indiana, and it makes a great homeschool science field trip. Psst... It's not just for homeschoolers and science junkies. Architects, historians, and gardeners will love it too! Keep reading to find out why.

The Link Observatory is a magnificent piece of architecture in a beautiful setting. It sits atop a hill adjacent to a Daffodil garden. Completed in 1939, for Dr. Goethe Link, the domed structure is made of local wood from the property. The dome swivels for a panoramic view of the night sky. Until the 1980's the observatory was used for astronomical research. However, as the the city lights of Indianapolis grew, it made star viewing increasingly difficult.

The adjacent Daffodil garden is the perfect setting for a family picnic, to catch up on reading, to walk your dog, or to paint the gorgeous landscape. The day we visited, an artist was painting a lovely watercolor painting of the dome.

And this happened in 2018, Indiana native, David Wolf, electrical engineer, medical doctor, and astronaut, joined the Link Observatory Space Science Institute staff as Chief Science Officer. Dr. Wolf works with the Institute on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) educational programming, public engagement, and fundraising.

Link live events take place at area libraries. You can also invite them to do a program at your school, camp, or other event. Check the Link Telescope Event Calendar for activities at the observatory and within the surrounding communities. The Link Observatory is free to the public on the 1st Saturday of each month for night sky viewing and the 2nd Thursday of each month from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm for daytime tours of the telescope and facility.

We visited on a free Thursday. The docent was full of fun facts, science humor, and shared the interesting history of the observatory. It seems Mrs. Goethe planted and cultivated the Daffodils. There are several different species, still blooming after all of these years. 


Tips for your Visit:

Don't expect anyone to greet you at the door. Just walk in and head up the steps to see the telescope.

If you visit during the day, pack a picnic lunch. You can tour the facility in under 20 minutes, but be sure to let the guide share the telescope's history with you. We even got a demonstration of the dome pivoting around its track.

When you're done, head over to Martinsville to visit the Martinsville Candy Kitchen or the Martinsville Farmer's Market.



Recommended:

Indiana: Between Camby and Moorseville on State Rd. 67 visit the Dr. Who Store and Museum

For more one tank trips and family friendly vacation ideas follow us on Instagram or check out our  Things to Do on Vacation page.

Click here to find some cool kids telescopes.

Baby Book: Cute Baby Words and Sayings with Vernacular

Our Baby's Vernacular and Sayings Cute Words and Quotes

Mayhem's baby book memories: Mayhem's Dad was born and raised on the East Coast. Boston, Massachusetts. By the time we met he had very little accent left.  He finds my Hoosier, small-town vernacular amusing and often asks me to repeat things in "English, please".  For example, he and I both ride bi-sickles but while I also ride a motor-sickle, he rides a motor-cycle. The teasing of my 'country bumpkin' accent is endless.  Really? 


   
How many people do you know who ride a bi-cycle? 

Maybe in England.



Anywho....  Mayhem seems to have been born with a Bostonian Gene.

"Mommy, Good Mawning."   

Mayhem's Baby Word List:

Can you guess what these words represent?

Sqwiell

hawn

Cawn

wom

tawtise

Awweo

Guwd

Big Tortoise.

Colorful Fall gourds.

              
And, my favorite...

"Awweo, you know, Mommy,  AWWEO.  I don't know, Jada's puppy's name.  That Cookie!  I can't say it Mommy...  I just can't.  Aww-EEE-O!"      
      
Recommended Reading:

Beginning Reading

Quiddler