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I'm a busy stay-at-home mommy of a 2 year old monst-- er toddler. This is a blog about stuff I like to cook, including recipes and pictures. <3
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 Lily Pads and Apple Sauce
Enchiladas from Scratch!
Sourdough Starter Experiment # 1
Yogurt - Recipe Experiment!
Nearly Effortless Mexican Style Dinner!
The Tofu Shake Diet!
Yum! Sweet Potato Snack
Ez Perfect Chicken Teriyaki
Bread in 5 minutes a day
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Photos, Bagels and Oatmeal
Friday, October 31, 2008 | Time: 11:35 AM
My photos aren't the greatest quality, so I often use photos found from Google Images of what I am making. But today, I am going to post photos of my own! Yay!
I do so few posts of things I make, I generally cook every day but only post every once in a while. Though some things don't turn out as well as others (and I don't have a whole lot of time always for blogging) one reason I haven't actually posted some things is I've been too embarrassed to show off my own pictures, >.<~ Most food blogs have lovely, gorgeous photos that make you want to eat your screen! But I figured it's time I go ahead and post my own stuff. After all, I can't well improve as a food photographer if i don't ever take any pictures! Here are a few recipes I've been working on in the last week or two.
Bagels!
I thought I'd give bagels a try, with the remains of my Sourdough Experiment. I had no idea that you boil bagels, like dumplings, before baking them! I've always loved bagels! You can put practically any thing on them, not just for breakfast of course. I confess, I'm particularly fond of mini bagel pizzas! I have wonderful memories of delicious breakfasts at the bagel shop, picking from seemingly endless piles of the slightly chewy things... I was always particularly fond of the 'everything' bagel, smeared with herb cream cheese. That and a cup of tea, and you have my undying love forever.
Basic Bagel Recipe
From Recipe Source
1 1/2c [Sourdough Starter]
1 3/4c Flour
1t salt
3tb Sugar
3tb Salad oil (i used Olive Oil)
2 Eggs
2tb Sugar in 4 qts boiling water
Let all ingreds come to room temp. Sift 1
1/2 c flour, salt, & sugar into warm bowl. Stir in
salad oil & eggs. Stir in Starter & add
enough additional flour for dough to leave sides of
bowl. Turn dough onto well floured board & knead in
enough additional flour to make dough smooth & elastic
(abt 1/4 c). Place in warm greased bowl, cover & set
bowl in warm 85F spot until doubled in bulk. This will
take abt. 2 hrs. When doubled, punch down & let proof
for an additional 1 1/2 hrs or until doubled in bulk.
Turn dough out onto floured board & divide it into
12-14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-“ roll
abt 3/4 ” thick. Pinch the 2 ends together to form a
doughnut shape. Boil 4 qts water & add 2 tb sugar.
Drop each bagel into boiling water 1 at a time. Boil
only 4 at a time. Cook until they rise to the top &
then turn over & cook for 2 mins longer. [DG NOTE-
don't cook longer than 3 mins or they get tough.]
Remove w/slotted spoon & place on greased cookie
sheet. When all have been boiled, put in preheated
375F oven & bake for 20-25 mins until crusty & golden
brown. Makes 12-14 bagels.
 You could of course add all kinds of things in the dough like cinnimon and raisins, rosemary and garlic, maybe fruit preserves... personally, I think bagels really shine with Toppings.
The ones I used here: Garlic + Dried Basil, Brown Sugar, Sesame + Salt
Some of my bagels, in the boiling process, came undone where I had pinched the edges together after making a circle. Other than that, I had no trouble with this recipe, it was very easy and I was happy with the results.
OH! I forgot to mention - since my Sourdough Experiment didn't turn out so well (I just used the 'starter' for flavor in the end) I did end up using a teaspoon of yeast, to be sure they would rise properly.
Breakfast (so-I-can-stay) In Bed
My sweetheart works long, weird hours, so I often make him lunch and dinner to take with him to work. He usually gets up early in the morning (even before the baby is awake!) so, rather than get up early too and make him breakfast, I like to have something already prepared that he can easily heat up or just eat on the go.
Yesterday I came up with a yummy breakfast which is quicker and easier than making sausage biscuits. I call them Sausage Pockets, lol. Basically, take canned biscuits and roll out each one flat, put a little (cooked) sausage and cheese in the middle, fold them over and crimp the edges together with a fork. Bake like you normally would biscuits, per instructions on the can. These keep for a few days in the 'fridge, so I made a whole tin of biscuits and wrapped them in aluminum foil packets (2 each packet). He can pop them in the oven when he gets up, and by the time he's dressed and ready there is hot breakfast for him, to go. This would probably be even faster and easier with a microwave?
This afternoon I'm experimenting with Oatmeal Bars. Its hard to find a good recipe that is not eaither full of marhsmallows and chocolate (which is nice once in a while, but not for breakfast every day, in my opinion) or too bland and dry. This recipe seems to work really well, and it uses things I already have in my kitchen.
Oatmeal Bars - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rolled oats
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.
- Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
 A note by one of the commenters mentioned that if you double recipe and use 1 egg for 1/4 c of the butter - they turn out less crumbly and have the added bonus of not using quite as much butter.
Here's mine! I actually didn't have any jam or preserves in the house so I used a can of mango, smushed up with a fork, with a little added sugar.
There are Alex's little hands! He likes to help Mommy cook!
The end result was very very tasty. Using the fruit, it was alot like a cobbler. I'm sure my Sweetheart will happily gobble them up ;)
I also made a Gluten-free version of these for my allergic friend - just substitute 1c Rice Flour for the 1 c Flour. He is also allergic to citrus, so I used a can of pears mixed with a little cinnamon instead of the mango. Delicious!Labels: baby, bagel, breakfast, cute, gluten free, oatmeal, pictures, sourdough
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Photos, Bagels and Oatmeal
Friday, October 31, 2008 | Time: 11:35 AM
My photos aren't the greatest quality, so I often use photos found from Google Images of what I am making. But today, I am going to post photos of my own! Yay!
I do so few posts of things I make, I generally cook every day but only post every once in a while. Though some things don't turn out as well as others (and I don't have a whole lot of time always for blogging) one reason I haven't actually posted some things is I've been too embarrassed to show off my own pictures, >.<~ Most food blogs have lovely, gorgeous photos that make you want to eat your screen! But I figured it's time I go ahead and post my own stuff. After all, I can't well improve as a food photographer if i don't ever take any pictures! Here are a few recipes I've been working on in the last week or two.
Bagels!
I thought I'd give bagels a try, with the remains of my Sourdough Experiment. I had no idea that you boil bagels, like dumplings, before baking them! I've always loved bagels! You can put practically any thing on them, not just for breakfast of course. I confess, I'm particularly fond of mini bagel pizzas! I have wonderful memories of delicious breakfasts at the bagel shop, picking from seemingly endless piles of the slightly chewy things... I was always particularly fond of the 'everything' bagel, smeared with herb cream cheese. That and a cup of tea, and you have my undying love forever.
Basic Bagel Recipe
From Recipe Source
1 1/2c [Sourdough Starter]
1 3/4c Flour
1t salt
3tb Sugar
3tb Salad oil (i used Olive Oil)
2 Eggs
2tb Sugar in 4 qts boiling water
Let all ingreds come to room temp. Sift 1
1/2 c flour, salt, & sugar into warm bowl. Stir in
salad oil & eggs. Stir in Starter & add
enough additional flour for dough to leave sides of
bowl. Turn dough onto well floured board & knead in
enough additional flour to make dough smooth & elastic
(abt 1/4 c). Place in warm greased bowl, cover & set
bowl in warm 85F spot until doubled in bulk. This will
take abt. 2 hrs. When doubled, punch down & let proof
for an additional 1 1/2 hrs or until doubled in bulk.
Turn dough out onto floured board & divide it into
12-14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-“ roll
abt 3/4 ” thick. Pinch the 2 ends together to form a
doughnut shape. Boil 4 qts water & add 2 tb sugar.
Drop each bagel into boiling water 1 at a time. Boil
only 4 at a time. Cook until they rise to the top &
then turn over & cook for 2 mins longer. [DG NOTE-
don't cook longer than 3 mins or they get tough.]
Remove w/slotted spoon & place on greased cookie
sheet. When all have been boiled, put in preheated
375F oven & bake for 20-25 mins until crusty & golden
brown. Makes 12-14 bagels.
You could of course add all kinds of things in the dough like cinnimon and raisins, rosemary and garlic, maybe fruit preserves... personally, I think bagels really shine with Toppings.
The ones I used here: Garlic + Dried Basil, Brown Sugar, Sesame + Salt
Some of my bagels, in the boiling process, came undone where I had pinched the edges together after making a circle. Other than that, I had no trouble with this recipe, it was very easy and I was happy with the results.
OH! I forgot to mention - since my Sourdough Experiment didn't turn out so well (I just used the 'starter' for flavor in the end) I did end up using a teaspoon of yeast, to be sure they would rise properly.
Breakfast (so-I-can-stay) In Bed
My sweetheart works long, weird hours, so I often make him lunch and dinner to take with him to work. He usually gets up early in the morning (even before the baby is awake!) so, rather than get up early too and make him breakfast, I like to have something already prepared that he can easily heat up or just eat on the go.
Yesterday I came up with a yummy breakfast which is quicker and easier than making sausage biscuits. I call them Sausage Pockets, lol. Basically, take canned biscuits and roll out each one flat, put a little (cooked) sausage and cheese in the middle, fold them over and crimp the edges together with a fork. Bake like you normally would biscuits, per instructions on the can. These keep for a few days in the 'fridge, so I made a whole tin of biscuits and wrapped them in aluminum foil packets (2 each packet). He can pop them in the oven when he gets up, and by the time he's dressed and ready there is hot breakfast for him, to go. This would probably be even faster and easier with a microwave?
This afternoon I'm experimenting with Oatmeal Bars. Its hard to find a good recipe that is not eaither full of marhsmallows and chocolate (which is nice once in a while, but not for breakfast every day, in my opinion) or too bland and dry. This recipe seems to work really well, and it uses things I already have in my kitchen.
Oatmeal Bars - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rolled oats
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.
- Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
A note by one of the commenters mentioned that if you double recipe and use 1 egg for 1/4 c of the butter - they turn out less crumbly and have the added bonus of not using quite as much butter.
Here's mine! I actually didn't have any jam or preserves in the house so I used a can of mango, smushed up with a fork, with a little added sugar.
There are Alex's little hands! He likes to help Mommy cook!
The end result was very very tasty. Using the fruit, it was alot like a cobbler. I'm sure my Sweetheart will happily gobble them up ;)
I also made a Gluten-free version of these for my allergic friend - just substitute 1c Rice Flour for the 1 c Flour. He is also allergic to citrus, so I used a can of pears mixed with a little cinnamon instead of the mango. Delicious!Labels: baby, bagel, breakfast, cute, gluten free, oatmeal, pictures, sourdough
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You could of course add all kinds of things in the dough like cinnimon and raisins, rosemary and garlic, maybe fruit preserves... personally, I think bagels really shine with Toppings.
A note by one of the commenters mentioned that if you double recipe and use 1 egg for 1/4 c of the butter - they turn out less crumbly and have the added bonus of not using quite as much butter.
