Bagels

HERE is the recipe I used to make bagels this week. It is different from an old faithful recipe that I really loved but that I lost to a dead link on the internet. This one is great, straightforward, and simple. I did not use the malt syrup that the recipe calls for, instead I used honey and it seemed to work just fine. I topped mine with fresh minced garlic, kosher salt, some I made with several different kinds of seeds, some I made with rosemary, salt, and garlic, and a few I made cinnamon and sugar (although I prefer the savory over the sweet).

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I will definitely learn my lesson by printing this little baby out so that I have it no matter what!

Fresh Tomato, Green Pepper (and Cucumber) Salad

School is out and I am back in action around the house. Goal for this coming school year is to still do things I enjoy doing despite the long hours I put in..we'll see. For now, no worrying about it, just going to enjoy it and play as hard as I worked this school year...WATCH OUT!

So far I have been cleaning and reorganizing and rearranging and LOVE IT! I donated my hair to Locks of Love so I have a spiffy new haircut, which was free by the way because I let a Tricochi student use my head in order to take her test over cutting long hair into layers...her first time ever cutting a real person's hair and she did such a good job! I had a dentist appointment today and am CAVITY FREE!! SUCH GOOD NEWS BECAUSE I HAVE A HISTORY WITH LOTS OF DENTAL WORK, UGH! AND, tomorrow I am going with my mother-in-law for a manicure and pedicure through an awesome deal on Groupon.

Ok, enough of my gushing about how happy I am to be on vacation...Here's the recipe I made today for lunch. I am not sure where I got this recipe. I had the card in my recipe box and pulled it out while going through my recipes to menu plan this summer. Here it is!

2 large tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 cucumbers, chopped into small pieces
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 TB red wine vinegar
1 Chopped green pepper, chopped into small pieces
1 Red Onion (optional) **I didn't have it on hand or else I would have added it for sure!
Seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, Italian herbs


Next up....Bagels! So sad that my usual recipe's link died. I found another recipe that I am going to try today.

Bagels

Yay! Yay! YAY! I made bagels for the first time this morning!!

Check out this link for a great recipe.

I tried to post some great videos from E-How.com, however, I couldn't quite figure it out...so, if you need the visual, like I did, you can search on E-How.

I am super excited because bagels are so delicious and I never thought I could make them! I topped mine with a variety of things---garlic, salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, and cinnamon and sugar. The recipe makes 10 and I read that if you do not boil the bagels (which I did), you can freeze the dough, let rise, and then bake. This really cuts down on the time it takes, which it is rather involved, but TOTALLY worth it!!

Well, time to relax a little and clean up a bit before Tom's family comes over. Tonight, we are celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday at an awesome pot sticker house in bridgeport!!

Happy Weekend to all!!

Summer Grilling

Tom and I bought a grill this summer and love it! I especially love it because we can have home-cooked meals without making our kitchen so hot. It is miserable to cook in there during the summer. It also saves us money on our gas bill, since our electricity is always higher during the summer in order to run our window-unit air conditioner. We bought a small, table top grill so that we can take it with us on our camping trips. Camping is WAY UP THERE on my list of things to do this summer...we'll see!

Last night's meal was probably our favorite meal so far. We grilled:

*Lemon-Herb Pork Chops--marinated them in olive oil, lemon juice, and rubbed on some garlic, oregano, parsley, sea salt, and ground black pepper. The secret was rubbing on some Rocky Mountain Seasoning from Pensey's. SO GOOD!

*Seasoned Apples--core the apples and fill with a little butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and then top with a few drops of water and seal in tin foil to throw on the grill for about 30 minutes. SO EASY and delicious!

I also made brown jasmine rice and green beans that I seasoned with Northwoods Spice from Pensey's, using the stove. I had a Fat Tire (my favorite beer) and Tom had a Heineken. It was such a fun night to sit at the dinner table, talk, and listen to some records. We both agreed that it was even better than the night before, where we went out to dinner. Sometimes it is so easy when we are at home to eat dinner in the living room and watch a movie or tv show on the internet. Sitting at the table was very lovely and I am going to make it a priority to do a little more frequently.

Tonight, we are grilling marinated round steak and seasoned carrots. I think we'll grill the apples again for dessert!

Peanut Butter--Yum!

I made some peanut butter today using a recipe from the Food Network. I made a slight adjustment or two (instead of using peanut oil, I used olive oil and then added a tiny bit of sesame oil, which I am not sure if it really made a difference, but it tastes delicious either way). I am looking forward to a PB and strawberry jam sandwich on homemade wheat bread for lunch tomorrow!

I truly get SO much satisfaction and joy through cooking. I am so happy to have the extra time to do so...now, if I can just make time next school year.

Ok, so here is the recipe that I adapted from Alton Brown of the Food Network:

Ingredients

• 15 ounces shelled, unsalted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• A touch of sesame oil

Directions

Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

I never have this much energy on a school night! Maybe it was the Americano I had after school, or just the way things have been going lately. YAY for a great weekend and a happy outlook on the coming week! I am pretty busy at school, but every teacher is as the year comes to a close.

This weekend Tom and I enjoyed good food as well as company. I was able to start an herb window box, do a little organizing, and finish up a knitting project. Unfortunately, this weekend also included a going away dinner for our friend, Michael, who is moving to North Carolina to start law school. I am so happy he is going for his dreams, but we will miss our Thursday TV and dinner night. I loved using him as an excuse to try out some new recipes!

To wrap up this post, I must also mention that in 30 minutes I will be tasting fresh bread from my new-to-me bread maker!! Tom and I picked it up today from John, a nice man who sold it to us for an awesome price via Craigslist! I hope it is good! I used this recipe, from the amazing, Finding Joy in My Kitchen blog. I want to try all of her bread recipes! I am planning on making french toast in the morning as well as use it for my sandwich for lunch...we'll see!

Pita Chips

Here's a simple recipe Tom and I use at least once a week. I love having chips with a sandwhich for lunch during the week, but chips can be pretty expensive and most aren't really that good for you....so, we started buying whole wheat pita from the market and then turning them into pita chips and they are SO TASTY!

To make them, split the pockets in two so that you can get even more chips for your buck. Then, just use a pizza cutter to cut the pita bread into bite-size, chip-like pieces.

Once all the pieces are assembled on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with a little olive oil. Last, sprinkle them with seasonings and bake at 350 for about 5-7 minutes (or until they are a nice golden color).

I like to try out all kinds of flavor combos but my two old faithfuls are as follows:

*Sprinkle with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic powder

OR

*If you are lucky enough to have a Penseys Spice store nearby, buy the Brady Cheese Sprinkle and give the pieces a light dusting ( a little goes a long way).

Hope you enjoy!

yum!

Just wanted to share one of my favorite recipes for peanut butter cookies. They are so simple with only 3 ingredients! It is was submitted anonymously from a church cookbook of mine. Here it is:

*1 cup peanut butter

*1 cup sugar

*1 egg

Mix ingredients until well blended. Form into small balls. Place on cookie sheet and press down with fork. Bake 8-12 minutes at 325 degrees. Watch carefully as they burn easily.

This is a short week for us so I am keeping things fairly simple. Also, Tom and I are still not working with our usual grocery budget, so just trying to make do with what we have. No Crockpot Wednesday this time, but I will be back in action for next week (I'm thinking a Coconut Chicken Curry??!)!

Monday: Leftover--Bowtie Pasta in Homemade Sauce (what we canned this summer)

Tuesday: Ground Beef Tacos with Homemade Tortillas (so amazing...definitely check out the link found at Finding Joy in My Kitchen) and rice.

Wednesday: Leftover--Butternut Squash Soup (SO TASTY! I add curry powder, garlic, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and a touch of sea salt to mine)

Thursday: Cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries

Friday: Packing sandwiches and hitting the road to visit family for the weekend!!

So, I LOVE to cook with the seasons. Today, my sister and I made Butternut Squash soup for friends while we all enjoyed the Bears football game.

Next week I am definitely going to find some recipes with acorn squash. I bought one on Saturday at the Farmer's Market before actually knowing what I want to do with it. I am thinking something where I can stuff them, as I have never cooked anything like this before...we'll see! I also want to make baked apples for a dessert next week!

Oh, Autumn, you are definitely my favorite!!

*You can find more tasty recipes HERE!!

Crock Pot Wednesday!

SO! I was asked to join "Crock Pot Wednesdays" over at Dining with Debbie and since this Thursday I will be making potato soup in my crock pot, this is the perfect time to share a crock pot recipe! This is from the cookbook entitled, The Slow Cooker Bible, which my husband and I bought when we were first married (I can't believe 3 years have gone by!).

Ok, so this is one of Tom's FAVORITE soups! It is hearty and very easy to whip up! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! You can find more wonderful crock pot recipes HERE at Dining with Debbie.

Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup

~2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

~2 cans (10 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup

~1 1/2 cups finely chopped green onions, divided

~1/4 tsp. garlic powder

~1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

~1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

~1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream

~1 cup milk

~Ground black pepper to taste

1) Combine potatoes, soup, 1 cup green onions, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours.

2) Add cheese, sour cream and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover; cook on HIGH 10 minutes. Season to taste with ground black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions.

**Makes 7 servings.

-Sarah

Lovely Monday

Lena and I attempted a run this morning and after only 1 minute the clouds literally parted and poured bucketfuls of rain on us...thankfully we were not far from where we left and made it back before the lightening and thunder began. It was SO funny though. It happened AS SOON AS we started and I all I could do was laugh and run with my buddy :) We were sopping wet even in just that short amount of time.

The rain cleared and guess what?! I am no longer motivated to run today...I mean I already cleaned up, put on my makeup, did my hair, etc. Excuses, excuses. I did get in quite a workout though, weeding and tilling the garden and planting three new rows of green beans, two rows of lettuce, and I am about to plant some more cantaloupe...it can't hurt to give it one more try.

I also made Zucchini Soup for lunch for my father-in-law and husband. We are over at their houses. Tom is working and I am doing laundry! I just LOVE doing laundry when it isn't at Bubbleland (the name makes it sound fun, but laundry mats are laundry mats).

Ok, so here are the meals I've planned for the week:

Monday: Chicken Tacos, Homemade Wheat Tortillas (thanks to Joy in My Kitchen it is my favorite!), and Chips with Queso

Tuesday: Beef Straganoff with Tarragon Green Beans

Wednesday: Leftover Zucchini Soup with Cheese Quesadillas

Thursday: Zucchini Spaghetti with homemade garlic bread and garden salad

Friday: Tahitian Stir-Fry with Jasmine Rice

You can find more wonderful recipes at HERE!

SO, I think I mentioned we have a lot of zucchini. Well, I created a salad/slaw to use some of it up because I already have 8-10 freezer bags each with 2 - 3 cups of grated zucchini for baking this fall/winter. This salad/slaw is tasty and uses up a lot of other veggies from our garden as well! I have been eating it for lunch these past two days and I am not even sick of it :) Tonight Tom and I will be having zucchini spaghetti (grain free) for dinner and zucchini chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The cookies are from the book, Animal Vegetable Miracle, which you can find here and they are delicious!! Probably one of my very favorite cookie recipes. I froze some and I hope they keep...we'll see!

Here's the salad/slaw recipe:

Zucchini Salad/Slaw

What you'll need:

*4 cups grated fresh zucchini

*4-5 Roma tomatoes

*1 green pepper

*1 red pepper

*1 cucumber

*Basil, Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper, Garlic Powder--all to taste

*Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar--also to taste. I would say maybe 2 TB of Oil and 1 + a little more TB of the Vinegar. I can't say for sure, I just know that I like it to have just a hint of the oil and vinegar so it is not too watery.

*Olives (green or black)

*Grated Parmesan Cheese or Crumbled Feta if using the black olives

***I use a food processor to grate the zucchini and chop up all the veggies. I combine in a large bowl and then add the spices and then the oil and vinegar.

I top with some olives and then sprinkle parmesan cheese on it right before serving.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

-Sarah

Hey, Good Lookin'...

So, we have been/are eating a lot of zucchini lately, which is definitely NOT a complaint! As you can see from the previous post, our zucchini are ginormous! They are really tasty, which I thought they wouldn’t be that great because of their size. I’ve already grated and frozen quite a bit of them for baked goodies, but more are on their way! Here’s what we’ll be cooking this week:

Monday: Zucchini Fritters with Sour Cream

Tuesday: Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Wednesday: Zucchini Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, garlic bread and garden salad

Thursday: Zucchini and Tuna Casserole with garden salad

Friday: It’s the Weekend and we are not traveling anywhere!! We’ll probably go out or eat leftovers.

**I am also going to be baking zucchini chocolate chip cookies for the first time. I am excited to try them out! I am using a recipe from Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which is one of my very favorite books).

More amazing recipes and dinner ideas can by found at The Happy Housewife.

-Sarah

Monday: polish sausage with green peppers and onions and baked macaroni and cheese

Tuesday: Chicken Tortilla Bake

Wednesday: Meatloaf with Creamy Smashed Potatoes

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: OUT OF TOWN FOR SARAH AND BEN’S WEDDING!!!!

Well, Ben is in town until this evening and Tom has jury duty so Ben and I are off to El Meson for some coffee and reading and knitting for me!

-Sarah

God save strawberry jam and all of its varieties...

You gotta love The Kinks!

So! Had a great weekend attending my friend Janet's bridal shower in Indianapolis. My sister and I drove there and back and it was fun to just listen to music and laugh.

Janet is a beautiful, blushing bride and Andy seems like a great guy. It is evident that they are both so happy! I hope we get to see them exchange their vows but we might have to wait till November for their Indiana reception (seeing as the wedding is in California and Tom and I do not yet have teaching jobs). We'll see!

Tom and I saw the movie Up this weekend and I loved it! Such a great movie. I already want to see it again :)

Dinners we'll be eating this week are below. Some, you'll notice are repeats from last week. That is because our leftovers from the 4th lasted WAY longer than I had anticipated so I had to find creative ways to use what we had. You can find more recipe ideas here at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Monday: Noodles Alfredo with Grilled Chicken and Sugar Snap Peas

Tuesday: Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi served with Brown Jasmine Rice and Asparagus

Wednesday: Cajun Wild Rice

Thursday: Beef Tacos with Homemade Wheat Tortillas and Rice

Friday: Not sure if we'll cook or not! We have friends in town for the weekend!!

So excited to see Kristina, Marcus, Holly, Keith, and maybe Ben??? (i hope) and also to hang out with Michael (we haven't seen in two or three weeks). Don't know what we are going to do yet, but with good friends it really doesn't matter.

-Sarah

Menu Plan Monday!

Ok, so I have loved the results so far of planning our dinners for the coming week and then shopping with the plan in mind! So, I am planning again! Here's what we are having for dinner this week. If you need dinner ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie. She has excellent ideas and links to others with excellent ideas :)

Monday: Leftovers! We had so much great food at our cookout on Saturday: Grilled Zucchini, Burgers, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, and Lemony Chickpea and Zucchini Salad

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken (from cookout) and Zucchini Pasta (thanks Joy in My Kitchen!)

Wednesday: Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi and Asparagus

*This is my first time cooking Mahi Mahi. Usually we buy Tilapia, but Tom wanted to try these so I am all for it! This recipe seems to be pretty simple. The only thing I had to buy that I didn't already have was a piece of ginger root, which costs next to nothing. We'll see!

Thursday: Chicken and Veggie Quesadillas

Friday: Spicy Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries.

*If using the sweet potato fries recipe, I skip the microwave step and just cook longer in the oven to get them to crisp up. I have tried it in the microwave and found it to be a hassle (I also avoid microwaves whenever possible).

Saturday: We'll be traveling to Indy to meet up with friends and so that I can attend a friend's bridal shower...don't know when we'll be back! :)

-Sarah

Whew

I am not sure how to describe just how great it feels to have finished student teaching. My quality of life has already drastically improved. These past 12 weeks were probably the most challenging of my life. I learned so much and it was such a rewarding experience. I am just so excited for the future. I take the Illinois APT test this month and then I'll apply for my teaching license!!! So, in the meantime, I am finishing my portfolio, studying for the test, looking for a job, and substitute teaching again.

I am SO pumped that it is Spring! I am really looking forward to Easter. Tom and I will be celebrating with his family. I am really excited to try to bake an Easter cake I found here. I hope it turns out the way I envision it. Cooking/baking is something I am very happy to start practicing again AND knitting! I have many projects that have fallen by the wayside.

Well, time to make some dinner and catch up on a little reading from this book. Tom bought it for me as a Christmas gift. It's been out for a while but I was never fortunate enough to own it until now! Amy Sedaris is HILL-AR-ious! If you've never seen Strangers with Candy and are not too offended by crude, dark, and just plain wrong humor, you have to check it out. Tom and I are currently making our way through Season 2 via Hulu.