Bagels.

Bagels are a lovely thing. Made well, they are chewy, lightly browned, with a lovely light texture. Poorly made, they are so tough your jaw may just wear out before you finish eating them. Now, I do not claim to be a bagel connoisseur, I have not had the famed H&H bagels or anything like that, but I do know that I do not want to wear my jaw out on food that is supposed to be tasty. On top of all that, storebought bagels, the ones that are usually the worst offenders of the toughness issue, are much too expensive per bagel for me to justify buying regularly.

Normally, I would attempt to solve these problems by making them at home. You see, though, I've tried that. Back when I was a newlywed, still trying to figure out what I needed to learn in our little postage stamp sized kitchen, I attempted to make mini bagels. After several hours in a hot, steam-filled, noisy kitchen, (our smoke alarm was ridiculously sensitive - it went off every time the oven door was opened, no matter what temp it was set to!), the only passable results convinced me that bagels simply had to be purchased, not made.

Recently, I came across a few different bagel recipes that made me rethink my stance on bagels. Many called for ingredients I didn't readily have on hand, though, so I kept putting off the attempt. Then, yesterday, I found this recipe. I decided the wait was over and the same day began the process of making what resulted in delicious bagels.

My advice to you, if you choose to attempt these, (and you should), make sure you read through the entire recipe and consider how much time they take to make. They are very time consuming, at least in the "hurry up and wait" department. You work with the dough a bit, and then put it in the fridge. Then you pull it out, shape it, and put it back in the fridge. Then you leave it overnight, and then pull it out, let the dough rest for an hour, and then you begin the baking process. Consider yourself warned, but know that it's totally worth it. Enjoy!

Ratatouille.

This is NOT a traditional ratatouille recipe. If you think I could get eggplant in any form past my guys, you don't know us very well. :) Still, this is a delicious sauce-like creation to serve over pasta, that changes it just enough that I'm not bored, and is similar enough to other pasta dishes that my guys will still eat it. Jonathan even agreed to eat one of the tomatoes! (After which he promptly declared he still doesn't like tomatoes.)

Ratatouille, from the Hy-Vee Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 T garlic-flavored olive oil (or chop some garlic up and toss it in when you heat the plain olive oil.)

1 med onion, chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped (or any color) (:

2 cans diced tomatoes (preferably no salt added)

2 med zucchini, cut into 1-in chunks

1 tsp herbes de Provence

salt and pepper, to taste

penne, optional (this recipe is great served over pasta, but you technically can eat it on its own. We always have pasta.)

Directions:

Heat oil, (and garlic) in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onions and green pepper, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, zucchini and herbes de Provence. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. During this time, cook pasta according to package directions.

Serve ratatouille over pasta, if desired. Enjoy!

Coconut Whipped Cream.

This isn't so much of a recipe as a suggestion. If you like coconut, and want to try it in a completely different way, try this. You must start with full fat coconut milk, the light has too many additives that interfere with this process. 

Chill your can of coconut milk. Open, if it has seperated at all, pour in all the white stuff, none of the oily stuff. (Usually it won't seperate, as there's not as much to seperate with the higher fat cans.) Pour into a medium bowl, and whip until thick and the consistency of whipped cream. Add sugar if desired.

Peanutty Chicken and Pasta.

Lately on my son's and my regular date to the library, I pick up a couple cookbooks to browse though. Usually I find one, maybe two recipes I'm truly interested in making, and I usually don't get around to making those. This cookbook, though, the Southern Living Kids Cookbook, has so many post-its sticking out of it now I hardly know where to begin. Jonathan even helped me choose which recipes to make, though I suspect he was just having fun sticking on the post-its to as many pages as possible. I know for a fact he wouldn't eat the chicken salad he picked out.

This recipe stood out to me, as I love ordering the chicken with peanut sauce at the asian restaurants we occasionally frequent. The lovely thing is that my husband liked it too, and he's not usually a fan of peanut sauces. The other thing I love about this recipe is that you don't cook the vegetables, and you can't tell. Until I told him, Chris had no idea I'd not cooked the vegetables, and he hates uncooked veggies.

All in all, an simple, quick recipe that works great for lunch or dinner. Now, please excuse me while I go add this cookbook to my christmas list.

Peanutty Chicken and Pasta, from Southern Living Kids Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce

2 T. coconut milk

2 T. creamy peanut butter

1/4 t. dark sesame oil (This adds so much to the sauce! Worth getting if its not in your pantry already.)

8 oz. uncooked corkscrew pasta (I just used the full 16 oz bag and counted on having leftovers.)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1/2 c. preshredded carrot (or, you know, you can shred it yourself...it'll just take a bit longer.)

2 green onions, sliced thinly

1/4 c. chopped red bell pepper

1/3 c. unsalted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and place in a big bowl. Add sauce, chicken, carrot, green onions, and bell pepper, toss gently to coat. Top with chopped peanuts. Enjoy!

Cornmeal Breakfast Pudding.

Soon after I got married, my mom called me and said she'd found a couple of my grandma's cookbooks, and did I want them? I, who nostalgically cherishes almost anything that has belonged to my ancestors, and would collect cookbooks until my shelves were full of them if I could, of course said Yes! As soon as they were in my possession, I scoured them for recipes I could easily create. This recipe was one I made almost as soon as I saw it. (I believe I found the recipe and had it made within that hour.)

Since then, I've learned that a full recipe is much too much for my family to enjoy. I reduce the recipe by either 1/3 or 2/3, as it's simpler than trying to divide an egg. A 1/3 recipe will adequately feed two people, or heartily feed one. A 2/3 recipe will easily feed three to five people, and a full recipe feeds six to eight, depending on portion sizes desired.

Evelyn's Breakfast Cornmeal Pudding, from Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930's, by Rita Van Amber and revised by Janet Van Amber Paske

Ingredients:

1/4 - 1/2 c. sugar or honey (I use the honey, and go a bit shy of 1/4 c.)

1 t. salt

3 T. butter

3 c. milk

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. milk

3 eggs

Directions:

Combine sugar or honey, salt, butter, and 3 c. milk, and heat to scalding. Combine cornmeal and 1 c. milk, then add to honey mixture. (VERY IMPORTANT: Don't add the cornmeal and milk seperately to the honey mixture, thinking it will combine and save you a step, it won't. Experience talking...)

Cook till thickened, stirring. Then cover, cook five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Beat the eggs. Very slowly, add a small amount of hot cornmeal to the eggs, till they are warmed but not cooked by the cornmeal. Pour egg mixture into cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat, covered, for five minutes. Spoon into serving bowls, serve warm with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a splash of milk or cream. (I usually go with the cream.) Enjoy!