DIY Bagel Dogs

May 28, 2015 by

DIY Bagel Dogs
I have a secret to tell you… soft pretzels and bagels.. basically the same thing, just in a different shape.  Honest.  I have another secret.  Bagel dogs are the secret to a happy life.  Well, happy kids and that’s basically the same thing. 😉  I keep my freezer stocked with these at all times and they are a total life saver for crazy days when you need something quick for the kids (okay, some adults too).  When we have company over for dinner, no matter how nice of a meal it is, I will have some of these out for the kids too.  Often times kids won’t want to eat something new, especially when they are having fun playing at a friends house.  They are super easy and way better than what you’d get at the store.  Best part is you control the hot dog component so if you want them to be organic, chicken, turkey, heck even vegan, you can do that.  This dough is the same as the soft pretzel dough so you can even make some of each.  I usually make a double batch, and make half into bagel dogs, and the other half into soft pretzels.
Now let’s make some!
DIY Bagel Dogs

DIY BAGEL DOGS

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
2 oz butter, melted

10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 T water)
pretzel salt, optional
24 hot dogs

Combine all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer (you could mix this by hand as well of course).
Mix until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Place in an oiled bowl and cover for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 450 degrees and bring the water to a boil with the baking soda (A wider pot will come in handy here too).  While the water is heating form the bagel dogs.
Divide the dough into half, then each half into 12 equal pieces.  For each piece of dough stretch into a rectangle and shape around the hot dog, leaving the ends exposed, and pinching well to fuse the dough together, making sure the dough is snug around the hot dog.
Place on a greased baking sheet and repeat with remaining hot dogs and dough.  (I used 2 baking sheets)
Working with a few at a time (I use a big pot so I can fit about 6, just make sure they have room and are single layer) place in the boiling soda water bath for 30 seconds.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place back on the baking sheet, leaving some room around each one.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel salt if using.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown.

To freeze, cool first then place in freezer bags or containers.  I’ve never flash frozen these and have never had them stick together.  Reheat in oven or microwave.

Filed Under: Beef, Chicken / Turkey, Freezer, Pork

Strawberry Honey Cream Soda

May 22, 2015 by

Strawberry Honey Cream Soda
We are having an early strawberry season this year, and nothing makes me love living in the Pacific Northwest more than fresh berries! 🙂  Okay, there’s a few other reasons too.  But we are seriously spoiled when it comes to berries.  I’m not a fan of soda, but homemade sodas are a different story all together.  This one tastes like summer in a glass.  Honey and strawberries go so well together, it reminds me of this amazing cheesecake.   It’s super fast, and while I haven’t made it with frozen berries yet they should work just fine as well.  Just thaw them first.   There is no sugar in this, so it isn’t overly sweet, and of course you should adjust the honey depending on the sweetness of your berries and how sweet you want it.  I don’t like super sweet drinks so sometimes I use even less honey.  Happy (almost) summer!

STRAWBERRY HONEY CREAM SODA

1 pint strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup milk (I use fat free, but any is fine)
1/4 cup honey (more or less to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Seltzer water, to serve

Combine the strawberries, milk, honey, and vanilla in a blender and puree until smooth.  Strain if desired to remove the strawberry seeds.
To serve put about 1/3 cup puree in a glass and pour about 1 cup seltzer water over puree.  Refrigerate remaining puree.  Will keep a couple days in fridge.

Recipe adapted from Homemade Soda by Andrew Schloss

Filed Under: Drinks

Favorite Places: Art Ala Carte

May 9, 2015 by

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My youngest loves anything… anything involving art.   Especially when she isn’t instructed and can just be free to have fun.  Enter her mothership: Art Ala Carte.

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It was created in 2012 by this genius, Aria Leighty.  The Vancouver location is newer, but there’s a Portland one as well that’s been around longer.  The Vancouver location is getting a bigger store soon (yay!)  and we are excited to see what they do with more space.
Basically how it works is your kid gets a tray and goes down the “art bar” and picks out what weird odds and ends (they take donations of all kinds, plus you get a discount for bringing a donation!) and art supplies.  Then they go to a table and create!  The first time we went I whispered to my daughter “Lucy… do you really need all those pipe cleaners?  Save some for the other kids.”
Then about 5 minutes later an employee came up to her with a pile of more pipe cleaners.. “I found more for you!” 🙂
Kids are free to create, find their own voice, glitter and all.
The open studio is open tomorrow so send your hubby and kids to create something for you for Mother’s Day and they can leave the mess behind!
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Art Ala Carte Vancouver is located at 5305 NE 121st Ave Unit #306 Vancouver, WA They have moved to an even better space at

9120 NE Vancouver Mall Loop #130

(Same Parking lot as “Van Mall” Timbers Building)

 

Filed Under: Favorite Things & Places

Zucchini Noodle Caprese Salad

May 6, 2015 by


Zucchini Noodle Caprese Salad

I love raw zucchini.  I’ve put shredded zucchini on salads for years, practically using more zucchini than lettuce.  I even won my hubby over.  It adds great crunch.  Since the spiral cutters have become so popular I could see the potential but always found myself disappointed with them.  We bought a popular one and I used it once, it was so awkward to use and the design was flimsy.   Then I came across this one on Amazon, the Mueller Sprial-Ultra 4 blade spiralizer.   It is so much easier to use and works so much better!  I’m finding all kinds of uses for it and this is one of my favorites.  Super easy, quick, and I’m sure will be on the table often this summer, especially when our tomatoes are ready in the garden.

ZUCCHINI NOODLE CAPRESE SALAD

Tomatoes, sliced
Green zucchini, cut into noodles with spiral cutter
Marinated mozzarella, I used my homemade recipe found here
Fresh basil, cut in chiffonade
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil (I use the flavored oil from the mozzarella marinade
salt and pepper to taste

Lay the tomato slices out in a single layer then top with the zucchini noodles.
Sprinkle some mozzarella on top, followed by basil, balsamic, olive oil, then salt and pepper.

Filed Under: Salad / Dressings

Where have all the manners gone?

April 30, 2015 by

Soooo, April is autism awareness month.  I feel like I should acknowledge that but I want to keep this to the point and short.
Many people I meet are divided into 2 groups.

GROUP #1: You’ve seen commercials about how autism is some thief that comes in the night and is the ugliest, scariest thing you can imagine.  The very mention of the word sends chills down your spine.

GROUP #2: Your neighbor’s cousins son has high functioning autism and you think you’re an expert.  And bonus for me, you want to bestow all your knowledge and advice, and more importantly, your judgement,  on me.  Yay!

To group #1: Autism makes life kind of difficult at time.  But my daughter is not a scary ugly monster.  She’s sweet, loving, and the first to give someone a smile.

To group #2: Every situation is different.  And the most valuable gift you can bestow on almost anyone is withholding judgment and keeping your advice to yourself.  A simple smile and greeting will go much further, trust me.

To the world: Where have all your manners gone?!  As my daughter is getting older I’ve seen a shift in the way she is treated by those we meet.  When she was younger it seemed people  either ignored her or passed off odd behaviors more.  (Not always, of course.)
But now she is almost 12 and taller than me.  My Amelia is social, friendly, and loves to say hi to new people.  In fact, if she had her way, she’d probably hug every person she came across.
She loves to run errands with me (depending where we are going, of course.).  Often times, in the grocery store, or wherever, she will stand in the middle of someone’s path and smile at them, say hi.    I’m saddened to say this is very rarely met in a positive way.  And I understand somewhat.  There is a stranger, tall enough to be an adult, with puppets on her hand and big smile on her face, standing directly in your path.  Maybe you are uncomfortable.  I get it.  I even have family members who are uncomfortable with autism.  We rarely see them, or when we do they avoid Amelia and ignore her greeting.  It breaks my heart.  Because you know what you miss?  You miss out on the best, most contagious giggles you’ve every come across.You miss the chance to have THE BEST hug of your life.  You miss the chance to hear her say “Nice to meet you!”    And we only worked about 4 years on that sentence.  Amelia didn’t speak until she was over 6 years old, and I’m talking about one word here or there.  Any language she has now has been due to years of tears and hard work.

So I have  simple request.  If you meet someone who seems different from you, bestow them a gift.  Withhold your judgement and just mind your manners.  Say hi.  Smile.  It won’t hurt, I promise.   (Oh, and adults? Your kids are watching.  When you are uncomfortable and judgmental, your kids will surely be as well.)
Children AND adults with special needs should be treated as what they are.  People.  With feelings.  Every person you meet started out the same, someone’s baby.  Maybe not yours, but that doesn’t mean their feelings matter any less.  So if someone with special needs makes you uncomfortable ask yourself why and figure that crap out.  Because you are being rude to the very group of people who are most likely to accept you exactly how you are, and the first person to give you a hug.

Besides, WHY ON EARTH, would anyone see this smile and not want to return a greeting?!
amelia

 

Filed Under: Autism, Ramblings

Greek Kale Salad

April 22, 2015 by

Greek Kale Salad
Kale may be an old food fad, but it remains one of my favorite foods.  The trick with kale is it needs some time to soften up.  The best way to do this is to chop it finely and dress it with an acidic vinaigrette and rub it into the leaves.  Then let it sit for a bit while you prepare the remaining ingredients so it can continue to soften up.
This is especially good served with homemade Naan bread and some lemon grilled chicken… and maybe some hummus too. 🙂

Greek Kale Salad
GREEK KALE SALAD

1 bunch kale, stem removed and finely chopped
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (if using canned, drain and rinse well)
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (or halved grape or cherry tomatoes)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine (You can also blend in a blender or whisk together in a bowl).
Toss the kale with the vinaigrette and massage into the leaves.
Prepare the remaining salad ingredients while the kale softens.  Toss all together.

Filed Under: Salad / Dressings

DIY Lego Cart!

April 15, 2015 by

DIY Lego Cart!

It was a long standoff, but I finally caved.  I mean, they weren’t going anywhere and waiting them out was useless.  The Lego’s are here to stay.
But before I surrendered I made a compromise.  If these little weapons of foot pain are going to stick around they need to have a home… besides the floor where they lay in wait like little grenades of destruction just waiting for you to step on them and cause excruciating pain… or the dog eats them.
I loved some of the ideas I’ve seen using Ikea’s trofast system, the trays are a good size for sorting colors and since they have a large opening you can easily sort around and find that elusive piece.
But I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to look, and wanted it to be on wheels… and out of wood, not particle junk.
So we made it ourselves! From scrap in the garage, even better!
I used plywood for the sides, dividers, top, and bottom.  1 by 3 for the bottom trim, 1 by 4 for the top trim, and trimmed the front of the sides to hide the plywood edge.  1 by 2’s worked well for the ledge for the trofast bins.  Added some wheels and perfecto!  We’ll probably add some Lego base plates to the top sometime, but for now it’s working great as is.

DIY Lego Cart!

We even have a drawer for those directions that always get lost.
Lego cat was so excited she had kittens! Yay!
DIY Lego Cart!

Filed Under: Woodworking

Roast Beef Hash

March 17, 2015 by

Roast Beef Hash

This was one of my father’s favorite dishes, so it seems fitting to post it today.  He loved all things Irish and was quite proud of his Irish heritage.
I’m pretty sure my youngest inherited her fieriness from that line 😉
In the month of March I always make a big Irish dinner and it remains one of my favorite meals to cook.
This is a great recipe to use up leftover corned beef (or roast beef if you don’t enjoy corned).  I’ve made this even with some cubed leftover Canadian Bacon, or crumbled bacon too.  It’s delicious any way!   If I’m thinking ahead I cook the potatoes even a day or two ahead of time to make these super easy and quick to cook.  Happy St Patrick’s Day!

ROAST BEEF HASH

3 lbs gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes (Should be 5-6 cups)
2 T oil
1 large white onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 lbs leftover cooked roast beef or corned beef, diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add potatoes and cover.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Uncover and add onions.  Cook about 5-10 minutes longer.
Add beef and spices, cook until heated through and potatoes and onions are golden and tender.
If desired, serve with a poached or fried egg and fresh parsley.

SHORTCUT VERSION: Boil or bake your potatoes, peel on, ahead of time.  Cook until barely tender.
Chill, then peel and cut into cubes.  Cook in an uncovered skillet along with the oil and onions until golden, then continue as above, adding meat and spices.

Filed Under: Beef, Irish

Super Fizzing Eggs

March 11, 2015 by

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This is one of the funnest sensory activities we’ve done.  Both my girls thought these were amazing.  You know those “hatching eggs” they sell? You know, those “eggs” that “hatch” when you put them in water for a couple days… and cost $10 for a flimsy plastic toy you probably want to throw away?
Every time my 7 year old sees them she thinks they are the coolest thing ever and wants to buy one.
These totally save the day.  Not only are they cheap to make but they are a really fun activity.  I used some small dinosaur figures but of course you could use larger ones as well.

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SUPER FIZZING EGGS
makes 4 to 5 small eggs

Small plastic figures
1 cup baking soda
food coloring, optional
2 T citric acid
1 T oil

Mix together the baking soda, coloring, and citric acid.
Add the oil, using just enough to get it to stick together when pressed.  Add more, a 1/2 tsp at a time if needed.  Just be careful not to add to much, this shouldn’t be a wet dough.

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Form dough around small figures, we used dinosaurs, and leave on a tray to dry overnight at room temperature, uncovered.

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Now comes the fun part! You can even put these in the bathtub, or in a tray of water.  We had the most fun spraying them with vinegar.  While the citric acid will create fizz with water alone using vinegar will REALLY make them fizz!
Slightly adapted from Fun At Home With Kids

Filed Under: Autism, Easter

Cheddar and Green Onion Chicken Burgers

February 25, 2015 by

Cheddar and Green Onion Chicken Burgers
These are our absolute favorite chicken burgers.  You can also make them with ground turkey but we all prefer the flavor of ground chicken.  Try to use a good quality chicken as well.  I buy mine locally from Butcher Boys.  Buying meat from a butcher with quality product makes a total difference how your meat will taste, there just isn’t a comparison.  I actually save money as well.
I’ve made them with shredded swiss, gruyere, medium or sharp cheddar, or Irish cheddar.  Our favorite is the sharp cheddar or Irish cheddar.  Since there isn’t a lot of cheese in them using a stronger flavored cheese makes sense.
I usually serve them with slider buns, lettuce, tomato, etc.  I don’t mind them without a bun even, but I’m weird like that. 🙂
While you could grill them I wouldn’t recommend that since ground chicken can be a little trickier to grill.  Since it has a lower fat content it tends to fall apart and stick more on a grill.

CHEDDAR AND GREEN ONION CHICKEN BURGERS
makes 7 (3 oz) sliders

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheese (We like cheddar or Irish cheddar)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 T breadcrumbs
2 T dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
drizzle olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a bowl, mixing gently.
Form into patties.  Heat a pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat and cook patties, flipping once.  Be sure to cook all the way through, this is chicken not hamburger.
You can always check the temperature if you’re unsure and don’t want to overcook them.
Serve hot.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food

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Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey