Snacks

Garlic Bagel Chips | Make Ahead Mondays

April 22, 2013 by Rebecca 12 Comments

Garlic Bagel Chips rock my Casbah. I’m pretty sure just about everyone out there has tried them at one time or another, but it should come as no surprise that the homemade variety -fresh and crisp and hot- from your own oven is THAT much better. That they’re ridiculously simple to make is icing on the cake …Or cream cheese on the bagel, if you will.

There are really only two tricks you need to keep in mind when making your own bagel chips.

Do not eat the bagels you intend to turn into chips. Don’t laugh. I really need this reminder.
Take your time slicing the bagels. Ultimately, the direction you cut the bagel doesn’t matter as much as getting the slices uniformly thin (as much as is possible) and generally the same size.

Here’s the beauty of making them yourself.

Homemade Bagel Chips are crispy without being rock hard. You can salt them as much (yes, please!) or as little as you’d like. You can completely control how much of what kind of bagel you like best; for instance, I a-d-o-r-e dark bagels. I love pumpernickel, rye, and whole wheat. If I can control myself around the fresh bagels, I like to have a higher concentration of those dark bagels for chips than any others. If I can’t (and you can tell from the picture above that I suffered a huge lapse in self-control) then I have more white bagel chips. If you have topped and/or seedy bagels, they work beautifully here. Toss any toppings that fell off of the bagels during slicing into the bowl when you add the salt and they should re-stick by virtue of the oil coating on the bagel slices.

Make more than you think you need.

Believe you me, you’re going to have a heckuva time keeping your hands off of these things when they’re warm from the oven. Be kind to yourself and make a double batch to compensate for what you’re going to inevitably consume while they’re still hot. Why do you want so many around? Here’s a list just to get you started: croutons on salads or soups, topped with a schmear of cream cheese and a little smoked salmon as an appetizer, in place of crackers with a cheese tray, or served plain or with dip as a snack. I’m sure there’s more, but isn’t that enough, really?

Garlic Bagel Chips | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Garlic Bagel Chips | Make Ahead Mondays

No one in my house can keep their hands out of the jar of garlic bagel chips. These perfectly crispy, salty, garlicky bagel crisps are an addictive snack! Eat them plain, with dip or topped with a little schmear of cream cheese and a little smoked salmon for a second-to-none appetizer.

Ingredients

6 savoury bagels, any variety (I like a mixture of pumpernickel and white bagels, most often of the everything sort.)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Slice the bagels thinly -no thicker than 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. How you slice them doesn't matter as much as how uniform they are. Take the time to make the slices as close to each other in size as you can. Put the bagel slices in a deep mixing bowl.

In a small liquid measuring cup, use a fork or small whisk to combine the olive oil and granulated garlic or garlic powder. Drizzle this over the bagel slices and use your hands to toss until the oil is evenly distributed. Scatter the salt over the top and toss again to evenly distribute it.

Divide the bagel slices between two pans, trying to keep them in a single layer. Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the pans ever 15 minutes, or until crisp but not hard. Remove the pans from the oven and let the chips cool completely on the pans before transferring to a jar or other container with a tight fitting lid.

These store very well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/22/garlic-bagel-chips-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks, Super Bowl, Vegetarian

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

April 17, 2013 by Rebecca 18 Comments

Piña Colada Smoothies are my new go-to smoothie. They’re kind of fabulous.

You know how I’ve told you I was a picky eater when I was a kid? I was a total texture-phobe and I was dead picky about flavour combinations. My mom now says, “Hey, we just didn’t know you were gourmet.” My mom is the Queen of the Euphemism.

I must’ve been a righteous pain in the rear to feed.

The reason I’m confessing this (again) is that pineapple and coconut were both on my no-fly list. I didn’t like pineapple because of the stringy texture. I didn’t like coconut because the sum exposure I had to coconut in Northern Michigan in the 70s and 80s was the über-sweetened stuff in the middle of Mounds candy bars or in a macaroon. Both grossed me out, so piña coladas were a serious no go.

Fast forward to now and my insatiable desire to eat both of those ingredients. (Okay, I still dislike sweetened coconut flakes, but honestly, can you blame me?) I love the fruity, tangy, acidic pineapple AND its texture. I can’t get enough coconut milk -which I’m pretty sure is an ingredient given to humanity by the grace of God-, fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes.

And piña coladas? Well, until recently they were still on my no-fly list because -frankly- I don’t really like alcoholic smoothies, which is what I always viewed piña coladas as being. Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall for a moment, would ya?

THUD THUD THUD

Howzabout just omitting the hooch, dingbat?

The result of leaving out the high octane stuff was a creamy, dreamy, coconutty, silken pineapple, thick concoction that pretty much makes my eyes roll back into my head. Let me let you in on a little something… There is ZERO added sugar and there doesn’t need to be because the frozen bananas do double duty. They thicken the mixture to milkshake consistency and they sweeten it to boot. Oh and HEY! If you happen to be vegan or cutting back on dairy OR allergic to anything dairy, this is still kosher for you (small ‘k’ kosher because I make no claim to understand kosher law!)

It’s warming up out there, friends. You need this in your lives this summer.

Double Bonus: If you have leftover smoothie (HA. Like that would happen here unless I plan for it.) you can freeze it in ice pop molds for some wicked good popsicles. You are welcome. Mwah.

Rebecca

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

These super creamy, indulgent tasting, family friendly pineapple and coconut Piña Colada Smoothies will transport you to the tropics in a matter of minutes. Using only 3 easy-to-find and healthy ingredients just boosts the appeal of this naturally vegan, dairy-free treat!

If you've got a hankering to make this a true piña colada, you can stir in a shot of rum before serving.

Ingredients

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
3 bananas, peeled and frozen

Optional Garnish:

A slice of pineapple
a dusting of shredded coconut

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately!

Leftovers can be frozen in ice pop form.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/17/pina-colada-smoothies-vegan-and-dairy-free/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Beverages, Breakfast, dessert, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, Snacks, vegan, Vegetarian

Pulled Pork Walking Tacos {giveaway closed}

April 10, 2013 by Rebecca 355 Comments

Walking Tacos | www.foodiewithfamily.com

First, I need to get something out of the way. Isn’t my boy adorable? Look at those eyes. That face. That smile. This boy melts my heart. Now, let’s talk about what he’s holding in his hands that’s causing that smile.

It’s that GO GO GO GO time of year. Everything from buds on trees to school schedules is running at breakneck speed toward an explosion of greenery and excitement. Snow has melted here and whether it stays that way remains to be seen, we ARE in New York State after all. The kids, however, are busy puddle jumping, creek stomping, tree climbing, and biking like it’s their job. I suppose it is.

Busy days and activity filled evenings are the standing order. Sometimes you just gotta meet the challenge with a walking taco.

Right about now, there’s a big part of the Central U.S. saying, “You betcha!” and quite a few other folks scratching their heads. A Walking Taco, as I have known it, is a snack sized bag of Fritos (!) or Doritos (?) that is sliced open down the side and piled high with taco toppings.

Yes, you must slice it down the side instead of popping it open in the usual way. Observe my hand model with the filthy-playing-outside-all-day nails.

Why do it this way? Well, it’s for fittin’ in all the stuff, of course. Just look at this spread.

This standard of high school football, baseball, softball, and soccer games, wrestling matches, and community fundraisers is popular both for its ease of preparation and for the lack of additional serviceware needed for it. The chip bag forms the bowl, you pile in all the toppings that you possibly can and a plastic spoon or fork is all you really need to deliver the goods where they’re intended to go.

Since by this point you probably know I’m more than a little fixated on pulled pork (see examples here, here, here, and here) and I’ve waxed on and on about making a ridiculously inexpensive huge amount of pulled pork to keep in the freezer (examples here and here) I’ll spare you that harangue this time around. I’m going to go ahead and assume you have a stash in your freezer or have plans to make some soon. If you don’t, I’m pretty sure you’re aware you can make it easily ~or~ you have a source for purchasing pre-made pulled pork. Any which way you shred that pork shoulder, a Pulled Pork Walking Taco is sure to make your entire crew gleeful.

Heck. It makes ME gleeful. You know how I feel about Fritos.

Can a meal get easier than this? Well, sure… if you call someone to deliver it, but even with the bagged chips, I’m thinking you’re still ahead when you make this at home. With a little creative insulated packaging, you could even take this on a day excursion or a trip to the park for a fast dinner.

What’s your favourite fast meal? Have you indulged in Walking Tacos?

Rebecca

P.S. Here’s a free pro Walking Tacos tip; after you open your bag of chips, but before you start piling in the goodies, slightly crush the chips. This helps them to mix into whatever you add in the bag a little more easily.

Pulled Pork Walking Tacos

Rating: 51

Pulled Pork Walking Tacos

This is a Midwestern and Central US classic gussied up a bit; Fritos or Doritos in a snack-sized bag topped with Pulled Pork, sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro, avocado cubes and whatever else your heart desires. These fun, portable meals please kids of all ages and make clean-up beyond snappy!

Ingredients

For Each Walking Taco:

1 snack sized bag of Fritos or Doritos
1/3 cup fully cooked pulled pork, reheated You can use this recipe, or this recipe, or use purchased pulled pork.

Optional Toppings:

Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
Shredded lettuce
Fresh cilantro leaves
sour cream or Greek yogurt
salsa
chopped tomatoes
chopped black olives
chopped avocados
guacamole
barbecue sauce
hot sauce

Instructions

Slice the bag of chips open along the side rather than the top. Slightly crush the bag to break up the chips a little bit. Pile the pulled pork in and add as many toppings as you'd like. Pop a fork in there and eat immediately!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/10/pulled-pork-walking-tacos-giveaway-le-creuset-anthropologie-and-more/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Giveaway Closed: Congratulations to Jennifer (comment beginning: “Other than fresh bread…”)! Check your email for information on your prize package!

P.P.S. About a month ago, I was invited to take part in a Kitchen Conversations webinar discussing trends in food that was put on by Land O’Lakes. Given my past work with Land O’Lakes, I was thrilled to say yes.

The webinar featured top bloggers Ree Drummond a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman, Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen, Sommer Collier of A Spicy Perspective, Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod, and Brenda Score of A Farmgirl Dabbles. I have to tell you that each of these women is a wizard with butter and nobody does butter better than Land O’Lakes. You should most definitely click on over to their sites and look at the drool-inducing butter-centric recipes they created for the Kitchen Conversations push. I’m just going to say “Butter Chicken Sliders“, “Beef Bahn Mi“, “Meatball Tortilla Soup“, “Garlic Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn“and “Curried Cauliflower with Israeli Couscous and Grains“. Are you drooling yet? I was so hungry by the time our Kitchen Conversation was done. Don’t go until you’ve entered the giveaway, though… Wait ’til you see what Land O’Lakes has in store for you!

As a thank you for a stimulating discussion on what foods are on the rise in popularity this year, Land O’Lakes sent me a gift package to review and will send an identical package to one of you, my readers. Wanna see what’s in it? Of course you do!

The giveaway includes:

-one BEAUTIFUL and seriously serious Le Creuset enamelware sauté and frying pan.

-THREE gorgeous kitchen items from Anthropologie

-one full-value coupon for any Land O Lakes® Butter Half Sticks

-one full-value coupon for Sauté Express® Sauté Starter which includes butter, olive oil and herbs or spices.

How to Enter:

This doesn’t get much easier. Just leave a comment here on the blog telling me what your absolute all-time favourite dish is that’s made with butter! That’s it! The winner will be announced on this post on Friday, April 12, 2013. Good luck everyone!

Disclosure: Land O’Lakes sent me a gift package as a thank you for participating in the webinar and is sponsoring the giveaway of an identical gift package to one Foodie with Family reader. This contest is only open to U.S. Residents. Sorry, international friends! All opinions remain my own.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, kid food, Party Food, Recipes Tagged With: family-friendly, giveaway, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, seasonal, Snacks, Super Bowl

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

March 25, 2013 by Rebecca 24 Comments

That is a sandwich you need in your life right now. Luckily, it takes little time to accomplish such a sandwich even though the Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken is made in the slow-cooker. Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen for her original recipe that inspired my version you’re seeing here today.

Now, let’s get into what makes this chicken so very good. I am a chicken breast lover in a dark meat chicken loving household. Most often, I use chicken thighs because it seems to be a happy medium and it’s usually far less expensive per pound. This chicken, however, starts with boneless, skinless chicken breast. Mrawrrrrrrrr.

Although all by itself, boneless, skinless chicken breast tends to cook more quickly than dark meat chicken, it gets a boost here by being trimmed, cut in thirds lengthwise and then in half crosswise. What this does for us to reduce the cooking time even further. You start it cooking on HIGH for an hour then drop it to low for the remaining two hours. That’s right. Three hours to slow-cooked perfection. That means that you might even be able to squeeze this in on a week night.

Cutting the chicken thusly serves another purpose, too, though. It sets it up for shredding more quickly and into more manageable bite sized pieces. See? This is the chicken straight from the slow-cooker.

And two forks and five minutes later…

As for the sauce, there’s nothing complicated to it. I drop all the ingredients in the blender (including the onion and garlic) and whizz ’til smooth. If you’re blender-averse (or blender-less) you can chop the onions and garlic separately then whisk it into the liquid ingredients before adding to the slow-cooker. When you take the chicken out of the slow-cooker, simply pour the sauce into a saucepan and reduce it over high heat until it’s thick. You return the chicken to the slow-cooker while it’s reducing, then pour the thickened, reduced sauce over the chicken and toss. Fast and fabulous is hard to beat.

This recipe also holds the distinction of being something every one of our family members loved. My kids like spicy foods, so we went with the high end of the Sriracha. If you have more delicate taste buds in your crew, reduce that down, but don’t omit it; it delivers such flavour, the chicken would be lost without it.

So why is this a Make Ahead Monday recipe? Because this recipe feeds my hungry horde two full meals! It’s hard to believe that six little boneless, skinless chicken breasts could stretch like that, but it does. And you could easily increase it to the point where you’ve filled your slow-cooker. In that case, it might take just a wee bit longer to cook, but the end game remains the same: tasty honey tinged gently spicy barbecue shredded chicken for topping salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and more.

Speaking of sandwiches, I chose to serve the chicken on toasted whole wheat buns with a simple salad of cucumber ribbons (just cut a cucumber in quarters lengthwise and use a vegetable peeler to cut the ribbons) and fresh cilantro leaves. That was topped -in turn- with a runny-yolked fried egg.

It’s eye-roll-into-the-back-of-your-head good. Really. Just look at that. I can’t help myself around runny yolked eggs. I get weak in the knees with joy. I lose control of my better senses; I lick the plate in front of my children.

So today, YES, please today, make yourself a batch of this chicken and divide it into meal sized portions. You’ll be so glad you did!

XO,

Rebecca

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

Gentle sweetness from honey brings out the best of the tasty heat from Sriracha in this great Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken. Pile the chicken high on sandwiches topped with a cucumber, cilantro salad, and a fried egg ~or~ on a tossed salad, in tacos or on a chicken fajita or barbecue pizza. Leftovers store beautifully in individual portions in the freezer.

Adapted from and with thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped (*See Notes)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (*See Notes)
1/2 cup honey
1-3 tablespoons of Sriracha, depending on your heat tolerance
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Chicken:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed of visible fat
salt and pepper to taste, but don't add until the sauce has been reduced.

For the Sandwiches:

1 English cucumber, cut in quarters lengthwise then into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
fresh cilantro leaves, to taste
1 fried egg per sandwich
1 whole wheat sandwich bun per sandwich

Instructions

Cut the chicken breast into three strips lengthwise, then cut once crosswise. This will reduce each chicken breast into 6 pieces for faster cooking and shredding when it is done. Lay all of these in the bottom of a slow-cooker crock.

Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender, fix the lid in place, and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour this over the chicken in the slow-cooker. Put the slow-cooker lid in place and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. At that time, reduce the heat to LOW and cook for another 2 hours or until you can pick up a large piece of chicken with the tongs and break it in half easily by pressing it against the side of the slow-cooker crock.

Use tongs to transfer all of the chicken to a cutting board. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and place it over medium high heat to reduce, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. While it reduces, use two forks to shred the chicken and return the shredded chicken to the slow-cooker on the Keep Warm setting or off, but either way, put the lid on to keep the chicken warm and prevent it from drying out.

When the sauce is reduced, pour it over the chicken and use the tongs to toss to coat it with sauce. Taste the chicken and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot on a toasted whole wheat sandwich bun topped with cucumber ribbons, cilantro leaves and a fried egg, cold on salads, tucked into tacos or baked on pizzas.

Leftovers can be frozen in individual meal-sized portions in airtight containers.

Notes

*If you do not have a blender, finely chop the onions and garlic and whisk them into the liquid sauce ingredients before pouring over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/25/slow-cooker-honey-sriracha-barbecue-chicken-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Chicken and other Poultry, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, slow-cooker Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks, Super Bowl

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

March 18, 2013 by Rebecca 11 Comments

Time again for Tasty Penance wherein I apologize for all the fattening recipes I give you by offering a super healthy one that still tastes great. I present to you: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars! They taste ever so much like a proper oatmeal raisin cookie but they are good for you. How good for you? They’re made entirely of dates, raisins, almonds, oats, cinnamon, vanilla and a wee pinch of salt. This is the home version of the fancy-pants energy bars (Cliff, Lara, etc…) for which you almost need a second mortgage if you want to eat them regularly.

Since they are essentially dried fruit and nuts with just a little bit of this and that thrown in, they are -if eaten in large amounts- very caloric which would seem to defeat the whole Tasty Penance idea, right? The saving grace here is that it doesn’t take a huge energy bar to deliver that pick-me-up and burst of power you want. Dried fruits and nuts eaten together are very filling. Additionally, the carbohydrates from the fruit give you a quick blast of energy while the protein from the nuts make you stay satisfied longer. So a small energy bar gives you a lot of bang for your caloric buck. Besides that, we’re talking iron, calcium, tannins, beta-carotene, potassium, maganese, magnesium, copper, lutein and FIBER all in one tasty little package.

Since these are little powerhouses of nutrition, they make a great mid morning or afternoon snack. Pop one or two in your kids’ or loved ones’ lunches. Deliver some to a friend who just had a baby or a shut-in. Stuff a couple in your mail carrier or UPS person’s hand. I guarantee smiles of surprise and contentment.

Some Tips for Energy Bar Success:

Because dates can vary widely in their moisture content (depending on age, proper storage and other extenuating circumstances) use the amount of nut butter called for as a starting point. Don’t feel obliged to stop at two tablespoons if the mixture isn’t clumping. Be patient, add more little by little until the mixture holds together without crumbling when squeezed in your hand.
When pressing the mixture into the pan, really push down as hard as you can without breaking the pan. Pay some extra attention around the edges, being sure to press them as firmly as you did the center so the edges don’t crumble when removed from the pan. You can use your hands, a little roller or the edge of a sturdy (not glass) cup to do the job, just do press down.

Taste the mixture as you go along and adjust with more cinnamon, more vanilla, more of whatever you like personally. Since there are no ‘dangerous’ ingredients in this, you can taste to your heart’s content and make it exactly what you want it to be.
If you want these to be truly raw in the ‘raw, living foods’ sense, don’t toast the oats before grinding them. Personally, I prefer the taste of toasted oats, but it’s strictly optional.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

These tasty little morsels made of dates, raisins, almonds, toasted oats, cinnamon, and vanilla taste just like oatmeal cookies, but deliver a serious nutritional punch while providing energy to get done what you need to do.

Ingredients

2 cups pitted dates
2 cups raisins
2 tablespoons nut butter (Peanut butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc...)
1 1/2 cups raw or toasted almonds
3/4 cup raw or toasted quick or rolled oats (*See Notes)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Line a 9-inch x 13-inch straight sided pan with a piece of parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the long edges. Set aside.

Add the almonds and oats to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Fix the lid in place and pulse until the mixture inside resembles fresh bread crumbs.

Add in the cinnamon and salt and pulse a couple of times to combine. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.

Add half of the dates, half of the raisins and about half of the vanilla extract and process until a paste forms and clumps together in the workbowl. Open the food processor and add in 1 tablespoon of the nut butter and half of the ground nuts and oats. Replace the lid and process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan.

Repeat with the remaining dates, raisins, vanilla, nut butter and nuts/oats.

When all of the ingredients have been thus processed, wet your hands and use them to press the mixture as evenly over the bottom of the pan as possible. Fold the excess parchment over the bars to cover them and use something flat and heavy to press down firmly on the mixture until it is smooth.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before moving onto the slicing.

To slice:

Use the excess parchment paper like a sling to transfer the now-firm bars from the pan to a large cutting board.

Cut into desired size (I prefer to cut 9 rows of 6 squares) and store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. An unrefrigerated bar will be good for 48 hours, covered, at room temperature.

Notes

*To toast oats, pour the oats into a dry, heavy-bottomed frying pan large enough to hold the oats in a single layer. Place the pan over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until they smell nutty and are golden brown. Pour into a bowl or onto a plate until cool enough to handle comfortably. Voila! Toasted oats!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/18/oatmeal-raisin-cookie-energy-bars-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, seasonal, Snacks, Vegetarian

The Friday Fifteen: March 15, 2013

March 15, 2013 by Rebecca 12 Comments

It’s Friday the 15th! And I have the Friday Fifteen today! This is all too tidy, so I’m putting -at my father’s suggestion- sixteen links into this post. I clearly have an authority problem.

See that picture up top? That is one of my newly favourite dishes ever, ever, ever. I tasted one at Rick Bayless’s Frontera at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and almost wept with joy. Yes. I loved airport food. I loved it so much that I made my own. If you haven’t tried it yet, you’d best do it soon. You’ll regret the time you’ve lost not eating it if you don’t.

There’s been so much great stuff out there this week for Saint Patrick’s Day… You KNOW how I feel about corned beef, so it figures largely in this week’s roundup. And colcannon? Forget it. How could you go wrong with mashed potatoes, greens, onions, butter and cheese?

Main Dish Madness:

Favourite Slow Cooker Recipes by Add A Pinch. Dear Robyn has collected her favourite slow-cooker recipes from her site. Can I just personally put in a word for every single one of the recipes she included? Her Balsamic Roast Beef and Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas are on our regular rotation around here. Oh, and BONUS! She’s giving away a most fabulous slow cooker. Get on over there and enter, people!

Corned Beef Poutine with Guinness Gravy by Closet Cooking. My word. French fries, corned beef, Guinness gravy, melted cheese. Mercy. I’d probably just have to sit alone eating this so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone thereby ruining the joy of the experience.

Baked Tilapia with Pecan Rosemary Topping by Cookin’ Canuck. I am a fish nut and this tilapia looks beyond tempting with its sweet, spicy, crunchy, nutty topping.

How to Make your Own Corned Beef by Black Girl Chef’s Whites. Yes, yes, yes. This is how I feed my corned beef habit at less than a billion dollars per pound and it’s so easy and so gratifyingly delicious. Try it out. Now, you won’t have it done in time for St. Pat’s, but who cares? Corned beef is for the year round!

Appetizing Appetizers and Snacks:

Chipotle-Cheddar Broiled Avocados by Eating Well. Oooooooh yeaaaaaaaah. I’ll take five. Make it six. We wouldn’t want to leave that poor avocado half hanging, would we?

Ricotta Crostini Party by Honestly Yum. This tray full of thin, crispy crostini topped with ricotta cheese and all sorts of lovely toppings actually makes me angry. Angry because I’d have to employ strategy to prioritize which one to eat first to ensure I get my favourites. Radishes, smoked salmon with dill, honey with blueberries or nuts, strawberries with aged balsamic vinegar, cucumbers and herbs? Holy man. I’d have to lock myself in the closet and eat them all by myself.

Reuben Style Potato Skins by Simple Comfort Food. Hubba hubba! Potato + Corned Beef + Sauerkraut + Swiss Cheese= Happy, happy me. This is happening.

Deadly Desserts:

Chocolate Pretzel Nachos by Gimme Some Oven Are you even kidding me? Would you look at those? Pretzel chips topped with chocolate chips, a fudgy sauce, mini marshmallows and SPRINKLES! GAH! I about died when I saw these. My kids begged for me to make them. They’re on the docket for this Saturday’s nacho-fest.

Nutella Peanut Butter Chewies by Seeded at the Table. These cookies made me do a double take. No flour? Nutella, peanut butter, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla. Hey, these are gluten-free! And boy do they ever look good! Nikki says they’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I can’t wait to give these a whirl for myself!

Classic Shamrock Shake by The Naptime Chef. There are not words to describe my obsession with Shamrock Shakes. Oh, and I’m pretty sure I mentioned once or fifteen times that I gave up frozen treats for Lent so you know that means I won’t have one from The Golden Arches this year. I will, however, have every single ingredient in my pantry/fridge that I need to make this on Easter Sunday.Woot woot!

Chocolate Amaretto Crepe Cake by Sprinkle Bakes. This take on a classic French dessert is sure to be a head turner. We are talking about a visually stunning dish that tastes equal to its looks; layer upon layer of whisper thin crepes filled with a chocolate amaretto ganache then frosted. When you cut into it, you have so many layers of lusciousness that it can be overwhelming in a good way!

Beautiful Beverages

Homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream by Averie Cooks. Make your own Irish Cream in a blender. Okay. If you insist. I’d be happy to. Thank you. Mwah!

Cool Gadgets

Magimix by Robot-Coupe. This is my only recommended gadget this week. I received one for review and have been putting this thing to the grindstone for several weeks. If you want to buy a food processor, do yourself a favour and save up until you can get this one. I’ve paid my own money for other big name food processors and been terribly disappointed by the shoddy, lightweight construction and anemic power behind them. This one is heavy and serious. I LOVE that it doesn’t hop around on the counter while I’m using it. I adore that it blitzes whatever the heck I put in it in record time. I can’t get over how sharp those French blades are. I used the commercial equivalent of it when I worked in restaurant kitchens and loved it then and love it even more now. I know the reputation of the company and I know how great their customer service is and can recommend it without reservation. (Note: I am not compensated for this post or the review. This is NOT an affiliate link. I seriously believe this is the best food processor you can possibly get outside of a commercial kitchen and it’s well worth the money.)

Books, books, books!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. There’s no getting around it, this book made me weep the ugly cry and jagged sobs. So why am I recommending it? Because I think it is one of the best books in the last decade. Because I think it is crucial to know how very fortunate and blessed American women are. Because Khaled Hosseini is a masterful story teller who pulls you into the story so effectively that you are willing to join humanitarian or missions groups just to go help people around the world. Get it on Kindle:

…Or in paperback. It’s hard to beat a used copy for a penny plus three dollars in shipping!

Or go to your library and get on the waiting list for it for free, but do read it. And when your sons and daughters are old enough, have them read it, too. It’s that important.

A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind at the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s hard for me to explain just how much these junior fantasy books mean to me. I read them first when I was about thirteen years old; they were gifts from my Aunt Molly. They transported me completely to the world of the O’Keefe children that I almost could’ve sworn that I was the red-headed, awkward, hot-tempered, glasses-wearing Meg O’Keefe. Madeleine L’Engle is widely considered to be a children’s author, but I’ve reread these books several times as an adult and gotten something new and deep from them on each reading. In fact, my best friend of years-upon-years and I had a discussion over the phone about Charles Wallace’s farandolae and mitochondria and how it’s a metaphor for what society is experiencing with perpetual childhood. Don’t let that scare you off of the books, though… Give them to your favourite tween or teen or read them yourself and see what I mean. And if you haven’t read them yet, do yourself a favour and start one on a dark and stormy night while snuggled under your quilt. Oh what fun!

Magnificent Movies

Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. Yes, this is an animated film. This acclaimed and award winning fantasy is about Chihiro, a young girl trapped in a world of traditional Japanese spirits. Despite her fears, she perseveres in order to help save her parents who have undergone a mysterious transformation. Miyazaki has an unparalleled ability to use silence and quiet to fill the spaces that would normally be filled with chatter taking a film that could’ve been merely good and making it great. All of my kids (ages 6-15) love this movie and I can happily recommend it to that age group and above. I do suggest that if you have kids who are particularly susceptible to tension in movies, you may want to preview it. Personally, I put this movie firmly in my top-five-films-of-all-time list. It is heartwarming, magical, sweet, cautionary and redemptive all at the same time. Don’t just take my word for it, though, look at the other reviews for it!

Filed Under: Friday Fifteen: Link Love Tagged With: family-friendly, seasonal, Snacks

Reuben Egg Rolls and Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

March 13, 2013 by Rebecca 18 Comments

A couple of months ago, my little sister sent me a hilarious exchange from NPR’s Sandwich Monday about Reuben Egg Rolls. I’m pretty sure I haven’t mentioned it here before, but I am straight up obsessed with Reuben sandwiches. As in perilously close to having named one of my children Reuben obsessed. My husband was thinking more clearly and steered me away from it by asking something like, “Would you name one of them Monte Cristo?” Well no, I’m not THAT crazy.

But I remain bonkers over Reubens. There’s something borderline mystically perfect about the crispy rye bread, salty corned beef, briny sauerkraut and creamy Thousand Island dressing that makes me lose all willpower. This particular little sister who sent me the link is just as wacky over Reubens as I am, so I sent her a text: “You know I’m going to have to make these right?” Her response was, “YESSSSS. It worked!”

…And work it did. I finely chopped some leftover baked corned beef, rinsed and chopped sauerkraut, shredded Swiss cheese, and just a pinch or two of caraway seeds to mimic the rye bread. Like Hackney’s in Chicago (the restaurant featured on Sandwich Monday) I decided to leave the Thousand Island as a dipping sauce. Homemade, of course!

I deep fried (duh) but they could’ve been baked, too. Baking would have robbed them of some of that shatteringly crisp egg roll wrapper exterior that I love so dearly, but if your fear of the deep-fryer is standing between you and a batch of Reuben Egg Rolls, I’m advising you to bake them. I’ve included instructions for both cooking methods in the recipe.

I posted a picture of the finished product to Instagram and within two minutes had a triumphant text from my sister that read, “YOU DID IT!” Oh, I surely did. And I’m making a batch to share with her when she comes to visit at the end of the month… She and I will sit and lose ourselves on a platter of Reuben Egg Rolls.

I highly suggest you make far more corned beef than you think you’ll need for Saint Patrick’s Day this coming weekend when all the world is Irish. You might even consider skipping the whole boiled dinner and going straight to these egg rolls for your Saint Pat’s feast. I guarantee you won’t get many objections.

Rebecca

P.S. My husband ate these happily with the Thousand Island dipping sauce, but insisted I tell you all that he really enjoyed them with wasabi, horseradish, spicy brown mustard, and Mae Ploy, just not all at the same time.

Reuben Egg Rolls and Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

Rating: 51

Reuben Egg Rolls and Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

This irresistible twist on the classic Reuben sandwich features shatteringly crisp egg roll wrappers stuffed with salty corned beef, briny sauerkraut, nutty Swiss cheese and a pinch or two of caraway seed to mimic rye bread. Dunk in homemade Thousand Island Dip or serve with horseradish, wasabi, or spicy brown mustard.

The recipe includes instructions for deep frying or baking the egg rolls.

Ingredients

For the Reuben Egg Rolls:

24-36 egg roll wrappers (not won ton sized)
1 1/2 to 2 pounds leftover baked or thickly sliced deli corned beef
1 packed cup sauerkraut (preferably not canned)
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)
2-3 inches of peanut, canola or vegetable oil or shortening in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pan

For the Thousand Island Dressing:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
3 tablespoons ketchup
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

To Prepare the Thousand Island Dipping Sauce:

Use a fork or whisk to combine all of the dressing ingredients. Scrape into a container with a tight fitting lid and let it rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the egg rolls.

To Prepare the Reuben Egg Rolls:

Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse over the sink. Squeeze as much excess liquid from the sauerkraut as you can, then transfer it to a cutting board and coarsely chop it so the largest pieces are 1/4-inch big. Put this in a large mixing bowl.

Coarsely chop the corned beef so that the largest pieces are no bigger than 1/4-inch. Transfer the corned beef to the mixing bowl with the chopped sauerkraut, add the shredded Swiss cheese and the caraway seed (if using.) Use your hands to toss the ingredients together so that everything is evenly combined.

Set the mixing bowl next to a clean cutting board that is set up with a small bowl with fresh water in it (for moistening the egg roll wrapper edges) and your pile of egg roll wrappers. On the other side of the cutting board, you should have a clean pan to hold your rolled-but-not-yet-cooked egg rolls.

Place a single egg roll wrapper with one point facing toward you and one away. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and moisten the two edges farthest away from you. Scoop 1/4-cup of the corned beef filling onto the egg roll wrapper just slightly closer to you than the center of the wrapper. You can use your hands to slightly compress the filling together if you find it is too loose. Lift the tip of the wrapper closest to you and fold it up and over the filling. Use this to help compress the filling but do it gently so you don't spring a leak in your wrapper. Fold the points on either edge toward the center like an envelope, then -using your hands to tuck in the edges as you go-, roll the egg roll away from you until the whole thing is a tight cylinder. Try to avoid holes in the wrapper as they can cause leaking melted cheese and therefore splattering during the frying process. Gently press the final edge to help seal it and lay it on the clean pan you prepared for it. Repeat until the filling is used up.

You will get anywhere between 24 and 36 egg rolls depending on how consistent you are with filling the wrappers and how much snacking you do of the filling while you roll them.

To Deep Fry the Reuben Egg Rolls (Preferred Method):

Bring the frying oil to 350°F. (*See Notes) When it reaches temperature, carefully lower as many egg rolls into the oil as you can fit without overcrowding the pan. The egg rolls should be able to move around the pan as they cook. Cook the egg rolls for about 3 minutes, flipping once or twice with tongs during the cooking, or until they are golden brown. Keep in mind they will darken somewhat when removed from the oil, so don't cook them until they're dark golden brown. You may find some of them don't want to stay flipped when you flip them which would prevent one side from cooking to crispy perfection. If this happens, use the tongs to hold the uncooked side in the oil for a few seconds to help the process.

Transfer the cooked egg rolls to a pan lined with several layers of paper towels. Let rest for at least a minute before serving with Thousand Island Dip or the dressing or sauce of your choice.. While these are definitely best hot, they are also good at room temperature.

To Bake the Reuben Egg Rolls:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray both sides of the finished egg rolls with non-stick cooking spray and lay them -not touching- on a baking sheet. Bake until the wrappers are golden brown and the Swiss cheese is melted inside. While these are definitely best hot, they are also good at room temperature.

Leftovers can be frozen on a sheet pan then transferred to a freezer bag and reheated in a 350°F oven until heated through.

Notes

*If you have a deep fryer you can definitely use it for this recipe, just set the oil temperature to 350°F and fry when it comes to temperature!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/13/reuben-egg-rolls-and-thousand-island-dipping-sauce/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: family-friendly, party food, seasonal, Snacks

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies | The Croods

February 27, 2013 by Rebecca 13 Comments

I love movies of all kinds: comedy, drama, action, adventure, COLIN FIRTH (because he gets his own category), HUGH JACKMAN (because he does, too), classics, musicals, suspense, animation (both silly and serious)… I love all of them. I can converse entirely in movie quotes and adaptations thereof when in the company of another movie lover. I don’t do this often because it’s just not as much fun when someone looks at you blankly when you say something like, “Wonder Twin powers activate! Form of a play date!” and try to fist bump.

Sigh.

I am especially fond of animated films. I’ve loved them my entire life and being firmly entrenched in adulthood is -in my opinion- not any kind of reason to stop. So when Dreamworks Animation -the studio behind some of my all time favourite animated films (Shrek, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Chicken Run, Kung Fu Panda, and Megamind)- contacted me and asked me to develop a recipe for their upcoming film THE CROODS, I said yes enthusiastically.

From the moment I signed on, I knew what I was going to do… A Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookie. What goes better with movies than popcorn? And without giving too much away, popcorn features prominently in THE CROODS as well. It was a match made in animated film heaven!

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies are -like the movie- full of everything whimsical and bright: crunchy popcorn and salty pretzel sticks, sweet and sticky marshmallow, nutty brown butter and bright candy covered chocolate pieces.

They’re like a cross between a popcorn ball, rice crispy treat, candy bar, a bag of pretzels and a rainbow. Every bite is a happy bite; I challenge you to eat these without a smile!

Thankfully, you don’t have to wait long or fire up the oven when you get a hankering for these fabulous treats. All you have to do is pop some popcorn, melt some butter and marshmallows together, stir all the goodies together and scoop-n-squish the cookies. You don’t even have to wait until they firm up. Eat them warm and gooey if you want. I won’t tell!

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies | The Croods

Sweet and Salty No-Bake Popcorn Cookies like a cross between a popcorn ball, rice crispy treat, bag of pretzels, chocolate candies, and a rainbow with crunchy popcorn and salty pretzel sticks, sweet and sticky marshmallow, nutty brown butter and bright candy covered chocolate pieces. These chewy no-bake cookies are guaranteed to make you smile!

Ingredients

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (if using a pan on the stovetop, you also need enough oil to pop it according to package directions.)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 10-ounce bag of marshmallows or 4 cups of mini marshmallows
3 cups thin salted pretzel sticks
2 cups candy coated chocolate morsels
oil for your hands

Instructions

Pour the pretzels into a large mixing bowl and use your hands to break them roughly. The goal is to have most of them broken into three or more pieces. Set the bowl aside.

Line two sheet pans with silpats, parchment paper or wax paper and set them aside, too.

Pop the popcorn kernels using either an air popper or on the stove top using the directions on the bag of popcorn. Pour the popcorn into a bowl and give the bowl a couple of firm shakes back and forth to loosen unpopped kernels and let the drop to the bottom of the bowl.

Use your hands to scoop and shake the popcorn (again, to get rid of any remaining unpopped kernels) before transferring them to into the mixing bowl that has the broken pretzel sticks in it.

Use your hands to gently crush the popcorn so that about 1/3 of it is broken into smaller pieces.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat and let it bubble around the edges, lowering the heat if necessary to keep it from burning, just until the butter is golden and smells a little nutty. Add the marshmallows and carefully stir to coat them in butter. Drop the heat to low and -stirring constantly- melt the marshmallows in the butter until smooth. Pour over the popcorn and pretzel mixture and stir to coat everything evenly. Stir in the candy coated chocolate morsels just until distributed.

Oil your hands generously and use them to scoop about 1/3-1/2 of a cup of the popcorn mixture and gently press it together to form a ball. Put it on the lined pan and gently press down to flatten it slightly into a thick cookie. Repeat with the remaining popcorn mixture until it is gone.

Eat immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/27/sweet-and-salty-no-bake-popcorn-cookies-the-croods/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

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THE CROODS is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world’s first modern family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always been their home is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods are rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts as they discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures — and their outlook is changed forever.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.