Pedicures are the cure for everything!

Ok, I'll let you in on a little secret, I'm not a high-maintenance gal. Yeah, I like a little makeup to keep me from looking like death-warmed-over and I try to fix my hair each day so I don't scare myself. My hair and I came to an impasse years ago, it is very fine and frizzy so it really doesn't matter if I spend an hour or 10 minutes fixing it after about 30 minutes, it's going to look the same! I used to say that my hair has declaried mutiny on the top of my head. I have a double crown also and several cow-licks so getting it to just lay down and behave is sometimes a challenge.

Anyway, I'm not really high-maintenance. I had my first pedicure done a few years ago when my husband got me a gift certificate for mothers day. Now I try to save up my money and go a few times each summer. My birthday is in May so I get a certificate for mother's day and another on for my birthday, makes for an easy gift that my hubby doesn't have to stress over. He knows I'll love it!

If I was as rich as Oprah, I would have a pedicure each week and drink Jamacian blue coffee every morning. Oh, and let my hair stylist do my hair each morning! Well, I fell in love with the pedicure chairs at the place I go! They knead and rub your back while your getting your toenails done some ridiculus color. I never get just natural or get the tips painted white. What kind of thing is that anyway, getting the tips painted? If I'm paying for someone to paint my toes, I want the entire thing painted!

I love the chairs so much that the man that runs the store always puts me in a chair as soon as I come in, even if they aren't going to do my pedi for 30 minutes. He knows that I'll be so very happy sitting in that chair watching taped tv programs on Vietnam. If they aren't busy, he usually sits back there beside me and we talk about the food on the programs. It doesn't matter that I speak Okie and he has a very Vietnamese accent, food brings us together!

Speaking of food, which is where most of my conversations go, here's a quick easy recipe to use that precooked and seasoned ground meat sitting in your freezer! I made up the recipe when we went to a very expensive Chinese restaurant and wanted to re-create it for my kids.

Lettuce wraps:
1 lbs precooked/seasoned ground meat
1/2 cup hoisin sauce (you may need to add more depending on the consistency you like and if you're adding rice, you'll need more. The final product should resemble taco meat)
1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot pepper, I like them spicy!
Seasoned rice wine vinegar - serve on the side as a dipping sauce

Warm the ground meat in a skillet until hot, add the hoisin and hot pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes. If you have a large family and need to stretch the meat a bit, add pre-cooked brown rice to the meat mixture. Remember, a little meat goes a long way if you know how to stretch it!

Serve in lettuce leaves, I like bibb lettuce for this but regular loose leaf is also good. Put about 1/2 cup of the meat in the center of the leaf and roll up. This is messy with kids so I adapted it a bit to serve in flour tortillas, not as traditional but much easier for them to eat! In a large flour tortilla, place about 1/2 cup of the meat and cover with shredded lettuce. fold like a burrito and serve.

I usually serve this with a fruit salad and fried rice or rice pilaf for a light, quick and easy meal.

Now, if I could just justify going to get a pedicure today!

Spread your blessings out today to cover several people!