Homemade Bagel Chips

When you make the Original Chex Mix, do you buy bagel chips to put in? Or, are you like me and refuse to pay $5.00 for a 7oz bag?  Sadly, bagel chips have always been one of my favorite ingredients in the mix!  So, this fall, when I started making Chex Mix recipes, I thought to myself, "I make croutons at home.  Why not Bagel Chips?"   Well, guess what.  I tried it.  It's super easy and cheap to boot.  Score!

• First, you slice your bagels.  For future reference, I'm using 3 bagels in this batch.

Depending on what I want the chips for, I slice them differently.  For any snack mix, I prefer the coins.

For soup or salad, I go with the faster method of plank slices.  Why?  Because, I'm lazy like that.  

• Second, combine 2 Tablespoons melted butter or olive oil with your choice of seasonings mixed in.  I'm a garlic lover, so I added 3 large garlic cloves, minced.   You could do onion and garlic, parmesan and garlic, herb and garlic (Told you, I love garlic.)  Then placing all your bagel pieces in a large plastic bag, pour in the melted butter/olive oil and shake.  This will help with equal distribution.

• Third, Empty contents of your bag onto a cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly.  Pop into a hot oven at 325 for 15-20 minutes until they are turning brown.  (YMMV, so watch carefully!)

• Fourth,  Enjoy!  Once they are cooled you can put them in a container for storage for the week, or use them immediately in your soup.  

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

We are busily cleaning up the leftover ham from Christmas. Sound familiar to anyone else?  I have a few meals that I'm hungry for, but I'm trying to clean up this ham before it goes to waste.  I have enough for 2-3 meals, but I don't feel like I have enough to bottle like I'd wanted.  I thought a few half pints put away for future ham sandwiches and soups would be wonderful, but it's not going to happen this time around.  

I love this creamy comfort soup.  It starts very simply with softened onions, large chopped veggies and stock.
The roux is made separate and then combined once the veggies are cooked through.

We served this with homemade toasted garlic bagel chips.  YUM!


Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups potatoes,  peeled and roughly chopped.
2 stocks celery, roughly chopped

1 large carrots, roughly chopped1 onion, finely chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, minced1 -2 cup ham , diced and cooked
3 1/2 cups stock
1 teaspoon pepper

5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 cups  milk
2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded


Directions:

1.    Bring you're soup pot up to cooking temperature.  Then saute the onions in a bit of olive oil.  Once the onions are translucent, combine celery, carrots, and garlic into your soup pot.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  

2.  Add potatoes, stock and pepper.  Cook over Medium heat till potatoes are soft, 20-30 minutes.

3.  In separate saucepan, melt butter over low heat.  Whisk in flour and cook stirring constantly until thick.

4.  Slowly stir in milk making sure to beat out any lumps that form.  Continue to cook until you're roux thickens.

5.  Add cheese and stir until melted.

6.  Stir the cheese mixture into you're soup pot and cook until heated through. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Pancetta pasta with Feta

Sometimes, when you try to make dinner with whatever you find in the fridge and pantry, you find a masterpiece.
This time I'll contribute it to the wonderful ingredients.   After all, with cream and pancetta, how can you really go wrong?   Add in simple prep, and 20 minutes of cook time, and it's a keeper for us.

Pancetta and Feta Pasta

Ingredients:
½ lb Pancetta, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
¼ cup cream
Fresh Basil
Feta

Directions

1. Fry the pancetta in a saucepan until crispy, about 5 minutes
2. Drain some of the fat according to diet/taste
3. Add the onions, fry until caramelised
4. Add the garlic and diced tomatoes, gently fry around 5 minutes
5. Add the tomato sauce and leave on low heat for 15 minute
6. Turn off heat, stir in ¼ cup cream. Add more if you're feeling indulgent!

    Top with Fresh Basil and Feta to serve over Pasta. Enjoy!

Autumn Beef Stew

   Tonight I made a delicious stew.  Partially because the weather has started to turn cooler and partially because when I got home from a very long day at 5:30, I needed to figure out something to make for dinner; and many of these ingredients were already in my fridge.  Isn't that one of the best things about soups and stews?  They allow you to dump things in a pot and still taste fabulous?  

   When I started this stew, the tomato flavor was overbearing.  It was at that point that I added in the leftover roasted acorn squash that was sitting in the fridge from earlier this week.  It was just the flavor that was needed.  This was going to be just a one off dish of whatever I could put together out of the fridge in a hurry, but the kids all asked if I would make it again, so I thought I better write it down!

  
   Enjoy!

Autumn Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 1 small white/yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small red onion
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups water
• 1 potato, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, chopped
• 2 pounds cubed leftover beef roast
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
• 1 bottle tomatoes
• 1 acorn squash, mashed

Directions

1. Melt butter in a skillet, and saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until they are tender.
2. Sprinkle Flour over veggies and stir well.  Let brown for 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour water into pot and bring to boil.
4. Add Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes, then let cook for a few minutes.
5. Add Tomatoes , Roast, Acorn Squash and seasonings.
6. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium-low heat till flavors meld.
7. Serve hot with Crusty Bread!

Thai Cashew Chicken

Because Kolton works by the International District of Seattle, when he eats out, its often Oriental food. When he did the grocery shopping last, he came home with a large bag of delicious cashews and the veggies the dish require with the idea in mind that we could recreate one of his favorite dishes. I Googled up many recipes to try to get an idea of how to approach the dish, since I had never before seen or eaten it.  That night,  I worked beside Kolton in the kitchen as we put together the dish and tweeked things here and there till we were happy with the outcome.  Since the original creation we've continued to modify and are now happy with the dish as a keeper. 

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 Tbs. sesame oil
2 T Chili Paste
1 clove garlic
1 tsp shredded ginger
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 large green pepper

1 large red pepper

1/2 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 carrots
1/4 cup oyster sauce

1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup Cashews


Heat oils in a pan over medium heat on the stove top.  Stir in Chili paste, Garlic and Ginger letting the spices warm for a few minutes, being careful to not burn.
Take these minutes to coarsely peel and chop all of your veggies.  
Once the spices have had time to infuse the oil, stir in the chicken broth and allow to warm for a moment before proceeding.
Carefully put all chicken pieces into the pan turning and stirring to allow all chicken to be coated in the sauce before you continue to cook for a few minutes until chicken is no longer pink.   At this point stir in your Oyster sauce and Sugar.   Next place large vegetables into pan, turn down to medium low heat, cover with a lid, and continue to cook until vegetables are lightly cooked.  I think this dish is best when the vegetables have a bite to them and are not mushy, but you can cook them for as long as you'd like.
While the main portion of your meal is cooking, I like to toast my cashews for just a moment in a cast iron pan.  I have skipped the toasting step before and no one seems to complain though. 
Serve topped with Basmati Rice topped with almonds and you have a finished dish!  

*You can add other veggies as well.  The time pictures above I tossed in a sliced zucchini. 

Foodies - Great Resources!

I go through phases in my kitchen leaning on one method of preparation more than the rest for periods of time, depending on what life has on my plate.  I am aware that going into the rainy season soon on top of being returned to baby momma status, that I will be soon turning to my Crockpot to avoid the evening dinner woes that are inevitably on the horizon.  

Today I came across another local North West transplant.  Whom like me, is enjoying a summer of moderate temperatures, unlike the ones we left back home further South.  If you're looking for some recipes to add to your  menus, check Jessie out over on her blog Bites.  I have a few recipes bookmarked to start with including the Slow Cooker Chocolate Mess.  With a name like that, and a picture of it served with Ice Cream.... I just can't wait!  She also has beautiful red dish ware that serves as the backdrop to most of her food pictures that I'm in love with.  

Tonight for dinner, I made her Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans  for dinner knowing that I would be coming home from shoe shopping with the kids and we would all be hungry.  With only 5 ingredients, I had the time to put it together in the Crockpot while telling the kids to get their shoes on and get themselves  into the car.  The recipe also works using frozen chicken, which I tend to always have in the freezer and keeping preparation simple.   We served this over rice, but I would like to try it wrapped up in a tortilla next time.  The kids all asked for seconds, so despite its lack in appearance, this recipe is a keeper for us!

Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans

1 lb frozen boneless chicken 

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans -drained

1 (15 ounce) can corn - drained

1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Directions

Combine frozen chicken, black beans, corn and salsa into Crockpot.  

Keep in crock pot on low for about 5 hours or until chicken is cooked and easy to shred.

Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

Break your chicken into pieces, or shred and serve over a bed of rice.

Tonight's Pizza was absolutely Delicious!

Every other Wednesday when Khali goes to Liberty Girls we stop in at the Magna Reams. They knows how to make pizza crust and their bread sticks are not bad either! You get two large, partially cooked crusts for $3.18! We only eat one pizza for dinner when we make these and there is even an extra piece or two left over! In contrast, we can demolish at least 1.5 pizza's from most of the delivery chains. Together with a side salad and you have a $5.00 dinner. Talk about savings!


Bacon Pizza
Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 13 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-baked crust
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped Tomatoes (optional)
  

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat oil in large skillet and saute onions and garlic until crisp tender, 4-5 minutes. Add paprika and flour and cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add sour cream and thyme and cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes longer. Spread over prebaked crust and top with bacon and cheeses. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-13 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. 6 servings