21 Ways to Top a Bagel

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all the best year yet!

When the new year begins I always think of a organization, eating healthy, and how to make budget friendly meals.


For the past few days I've been going through drawers and getting rid of items that are not needed, packing for donations etc....organizing shelves in the meantime, hence the organization.


Another quest is to eat more whole grains, fruit, and vegetables this year.  That should help the eating healthy goal!


And I have to admit, I have a little bit of a stock pile when it comes to food.  I buy on sale, and freeze.  Which is good right?  I'm also known to buy more food instead of eating what's in the freezer already....eeks!  Bad...Bad.


So I'm taking a new approach and planning my menus around items I have on hand, with a little help for the grocer.  This should save on the budget!

One way to get the most use out of your food is to utilize an item in different ways.  So I bring to you a post using bagels!  I love them, doesn't everybody?  They are so versatile.  You can use them to prepare breakfast or lunch, plain or all fancied up! Now I don't freeze these but who can buy just one bagel?  So buy several, or a bagful...they are perfect for a variety of toppings.  Here are some of my favorites.  

21 Ways to Top a Bagel

• Plain Butter. That’s it…enough said! 
• Strawberry or Grape Jelly
• Peanut Butter
• Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly
• Peanut Butter and Honey
• Cream Cheese
• Cottage Cheese, plain or with cucumbers and tomatoes 
• Tomato and Mozzarella, broiled
• Cream Cheese and Sliced Cucumbers
• Scrambled Egg and Cheese
• Scrambled Egg and Tomato
• Sliced Tomato and Grated cheddar cheese, melted
• Pizza Bagel - tomato sauce and grated Cheese, melted
• Chicken Salad
• Turkey Deli slices with mustard, tomato, and lettuce
• Pumpkin Butter
• Lox and Cream Cheese
• Apple Butter
• Cream Cheese with Pecans and Raisins
• Hummus
• Nutella

Enjoy a bagel tomorrow!

New Year's Eve Appetizer Round-Up

New Year's Eve is a time for celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of a bright new one.  A time to socialize with family and friends.

Appetizers are great items to serve allowing you to mingle with people, grabbing a small bite.  They are easy to carry, fit on a small plate, and are often finger food.  Clean up is a cinch, and you don't have to prepare a sit down dinner with all the dishes to wash!

Here is a display of some great appetizers that would be perfect to ring in the New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

Spinach and Feta Cheese Bundles

Sausage Mushroom Quiche Appetizers

Cheesy Garlic Herb Bread

Garlicky Lima Bean Spread

Cheesy Italian Bread

Sweet Onion Salsa

Seeded Breadsticks

Mini Pizzas

Salsa Roja

Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

2012 Update:

Plum and Mascarpone Crostini

Spinach and Feta Mini Turnovers

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Flatbread

Mini Pizzas

How many of you had to take Home Economics in Junior High School?  

I'm kinda dating myself, although it really wasn't all that long ago!  It was a class girls could take that combined cooking and sewing skills.  Boy, times have changed and I don't think that they even offer a course like this any longer.  We also had International Cooking courses as an elective in High School.  Maybe they should bring them back?  Seems like the art of cooking is getting lost in a world of electronics.  


That's why I love blogs.  It's so great to see so many of the younger generation of men and women cooking.  The talent out there...OMG amazing!! It's heartwarming to see that the interest is there because cooking is actually fun!  I love that people are passing down family recipes and teaching their young children how to cook.  Sharing family treasures is the best way to keep traditions and memories alive.


This super simple easy dish is a great memory for me.  I've been making these Mini Pizzas since Junior High where I learned them.  They are a knock off of a "real" pizza.  They are great for kids, an afternoon snack, or as adults that love them too, you can serve these as appetizers.  Say...New Year's Eve is coming up...what a great idea! hehe!


The best part is that you can create any type of pizza that you want.  The toppings are all up to you, so create to your hearts content. Keep them simple...or make them elegant.   I'll provide you with the basic recipe and you can take it from there, the variations are endless!


Here you go....step by step pics.


Making the sauce...simple.  Just a can of tomato sauce with some Italian seasoning added, stir and heat it up to blend the flavors.  You can jazz it up if you want!.

Shaping the pizzas...simple.  Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Spread them out with your fingers to form the pizzas.  Note:  don't use the flaky layered biscuits for this, they don't work so well.  The buttermilk old time regular biscuits work the best!

Add the sauce...

Add your toppings...

 




Pop them in the oven and let them bake at 450 fro about 8 to 10 min.  They should puff a little and turn golden brown.  Voila....mini pizzas!  Dig in!

Mini Pizzas


serves 10


1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning 
1 small can of biscuits (not the flaky layered kind)


Toppings:
shredded cheese
turkey pepperoni, sausage, olives, peppers, diced ham, etc.


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Open the can of tomato sauce and put it in a small saucepan.  Add the Italian seasoning.  Place over medium heat and bring the sauce to a bubble.  Turn the heat down to a simmer.


Open the can of biscuits and place them on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Using your fingers spread out each biscuit to flatten the dough just a bit.  Add some warm sauce to each biscuit, leaving a small edge around the biscuit.  Top with shredded cheese and any other toppings.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.