I made some bagels and they were good.

Let me first say that on Tuesday night, we watched Food, Inc.. It was a really well done documentary that looks at where our food comes from. To say that grocery shopping yesterday was a bit of a challenge is an understatement. It was disturbing how much of the produce section came from different countries, let alone different states. So basically, I tormented myself trying to decide if I should buy the red peppers from Israel, or the organic peppers from Mexico. Oy.

Having learned a bit from my first attempt at bagel-making, I decided to forgo the store bough variety and make my own bagels for last night’s sandwiches. This has become an important choice for me, to try to make my own food before purchasing something, especially if that something is normally a processed food. I have to say, the bagels came out quite tasty. The last time I made 8 bagels with the recipe, and this time I made 6. They were much bigger and fatter, and I thought a bit better. To my horror, we were completely out of cream cheese (I know…but now we have a great excuse to visit the local cheese farm on Saturday, so SCORE), and my plan of veggie sandwiches was pretty well dead due to the lack of decent veg at the grocery store, so I cut up one of our last remaining apples (I smell another farm visit on the horizon…) and topped with shredded cheddar and popped them in the toaster oven. I toasted the tops of the bagels, added butter and cinnamon sugar, and there you go. A light and yummy dinner.

And now, I wait patiently for cream cheese.

Sausage Pasta Stew + Cheese Bread

We really enjoyed this dish, and since it’s a crockpot recipe, I really enjoyed it. It was fairly quick to put together, and was another great interactive dinner for Olive. She enjoyed adding all of the ingredients into the pot and stirring it together.

And this? Oh. My. Gah. A simply delish cheese bread that we all loved, especially paired with the stew. And I have to say, toasted with butter for breakfast? Even. Better. Recipes posted below. Try them and enjoy!

Sausage Pasta Stew (for a crockpot)

1 lb. Italian sausage, casing removed
4 c. water
26 oz. jar meatless spaghetti sauce
16 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4″ slices
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. uncooked spiral pasta
1 c. frozen peas
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Saute sausage in a skillet until no longer pink. Drain and place in slow cooker. Add water, sauce, beans, carrots and onion. Mix well. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 7 – 9 hours), until veggies are tender. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on high 15-20 minutes until pasta is tender.
Note: You can also add any other veggies that you like, such as peppers, squash, green beans, corn, etc.

Cheese Batter Bread

2 tsp. active dry yeast (1 package)
1 c. warm chicken broth (or water)
2 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 egg, beaten
3 c. flour, divided
1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm broth (or water). Add sugar, butter, salt, thyme, egg and 1 cup of flour; beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of cheese and remaining flour and stir for 1 minute.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Stir the batter about 25 strokes. Spread evenly into a greased 9×5x3 loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm.

Bean and Rice Casserole + Cheddar Dill Breadsticks

By the time I got around to getting dinner ready on Saturday, I realized that I wouldn’t have enough time for dough to rise, so I scrapped my plan of making sesame breadsticks. Instead, I found a great, quick recipe for sage breadsticks from The Taste of Home Cookbook. This is the edition that I have, from 2007, but they put a new updated edition out every year. I have found some really great stuff in here (see: my new favorite pull-apart rolls – oh yes), and I haven’t even gone past the breads section.

The casserole came from The Vegetarian Mothers Cookbook, which has been giving me great inspiration for our weekly meatless meals. This casserole was so quick to throw together, and it would be even easier if you have leftover rice. Just mix together 3 cups cooked rice, one can of drained and rinsed black beans, one cup each of salsa and corn (I used frozen – no need to defrost) and about 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice. I baked it in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese got all melty. And it was super yummy leftover last night. You could also throw in all manners of other veggies that you have on hand.

Tonight I’m trying out a new crockpot stew. I’m hoping it comes out well, because there should be plenty leftover to stow away in the freezer for another meal. Or two.

Menu Plan Monday – 10/16

Monday – leftovers – our fridge is overflowing!

Tuesday – Sausage Pasta Stew (Crockpot recipe; p.84)

Wednesday – Open-face veggie & apple bagel melts

Thursday – Black bean soup with tortillas (V-Mix recipe)

Friday – in Albany

Saturday – Pizza

Sunday – White chicken enchiladas + Mexican rice (PW Cooks)

Waffles!

For my 21st birthday, Adrian bought me a waffle iron. A very serious Belgian waffle iron. At the time, I can tell you that I was very excited to be the owner of a very serious Belgian waffle iron. I can also tell you that I moved that waffle iron all around New England and back every time we moved. Last night, I actually opened the box and USED IT. The more astute of my readership will note that my 21st birthday was, in fact, nine years ago, which is a long time to own a very serious Belgian waffle iron without actually using it. Part of me was worried it may not work with today’s standards in electrical wiring.

I am happy to report that I am in love with this waffle iron. It’s incredibly easy to use, no sticking issues, easy clean-up, and I just loved the recipe for old fashioned waffles that was included in the box. I’m excited to go down the list and try all of the recipe variations that were included, though I’m a bit bummed that at this point, it is probably far too late to order the additional waffle recipes offered in the back of the manual. Oops.

I am also happy to report that a recently finicky little girl was more than happy to wolf down an entire giant waffle for dinner, oddly refusing the offer of whipped cream as a topping choice. Next time around I may sneak in some wheat flour. I also made a failed strawberry syrup which, thanks to the use of frozen strawberries instead of fresh, turned out more like a frozen smoothie than anything else. Adrian happily ate it over the waffles anyway – it was actually quite tasty, though it made dinner seem more like dessert.

I’m going to let Olive help me make the mini pizza cups that we’ll be having for dinner tonight this afternoon. I’m hoping my idea turns out, because they would be another great meal or snack for me to freeze for later on.

This week we have been working on having Olive put one mess away before she starts another. She is really doing well with the concept and it seems to be getting easier. Her imagination is just exploding lately, and it can get her frustrated quite easily. She continues to tell us stories, and yesterday she told me all about a monkey that was sitting in a tree in our backyard. I hope this phase never ends.

I made Olive a quick skirt last weekend, but I still haven’t taken pics. Hopefully I’ll have a few more things to share this weekend. What are your plans this week?

Last Night

me: “Olive, what are you doing?”

Olive: “I going to the post office.”

me: “Why are you going to the post office?”

Olive: “I going to the post office for Bill.”

And then there’s this guy:

It could get none cuter in this house.

A Special Dinner at Home

Monday marked ten years that Adrian and I have been together, and I knew I wanted to have a special dinner to mark the occasion. He brought home a steak from the smokehouse, and I made two of his favorite side dishes: roasted broccoli and oven fries. I also made some of those pull-apart rolls from last week. My new favorite go-to roll recipe, for real. Also, that afternoon Olive decided that she wanted to make a cake. A princess cake, to be exact. I had a strawberry cake mix in the pantry, so I pulled it out and together we made a strawberry bunt cake. It was the perfect ending to a perfect dinner. Adrian is a master at the grill by now, and the amazing grass-fed beef that we get from the smokehouse is like nothing else. I love that we can share these special dinners at home!

Menu Plan Monday – 10/09

Monday – Grilled steak with roasted broccoli, steak fries and rolls

Tuesday – Broccoli cheese soup with rolls (V-Mix recipe)

Wednesday – dinner in Albany

Thursday – Belgian waffles with strawberry sauce and whipped cream (V-Mix recipe)

Friday – Mini cheese pizzas and mini white veggie pizzas

Saturday – Rice and bean casserole with Iceberg salad and sesame breadsticks (Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook)

Sunday – dinner in Albany – and a night with Anthony Bourdain!

Dinners From This Week

Last night was some deep-dish pizza, which we are now enjoying for lunch. It’s been a good week in terms of sticking to my menu plan. I’m going to make the tacos tonight instead of tomorrow as I plan on going grocery shopping tomorrow morning and we don’t really have any leftovers for tonight.

I started my Christmas crafting list last night. It’s rather ambitious, so we’ll see how far along I get. I’m hoping to do a bit of sewing later today. Time just keeps passing by so quickly!

Menu Plan Monday – 11/02

Monday – Loaded twice-baked potatoes

Tuesday – Pork chop skillet with baked acorn squash

Wednesday – Grilled steak with roasted broccoli and carrots, applesauce + rolls

Thursday – Grilled cheese sandwiches with Tuscan chick pea & tomato soup (V-Mix recipe)

Friday – Deep dish pepperoni pizza

Saturday – leftovers and/or sandwiches

Sunday – Tacos!