Wednesday: Bagel Storage Mysteries, Pool Snacks, and a Snack-Platter Dinner
This morning started with a breakfast that looked very familiar:
- Bacon
- Homemade bagels
- Smoothies with my three-year-old
We are officially very stocked on bagels after my teen doubled the batch yesterday.
That did lead to one question, though: how exactly are people storing homemade bagels?
I wrapped them in plastic last night because that seemed like the obvious thing to do, but by this morning they were already getting a little weepy. I could see moisture collecting inside the bag, which always makes me nervous because that’s how you end up with sticky bagels and eventually mold.
So after breakfast I moved them to the refrigerator.
For future reference, I think my plan may be:
- Let them cool completely before storing
- Store them in a paper bag inside a loosely closed plastic bag for short-term use
- Or just slice and freeze them immediately
Because we definitely have enough bagels to last more than a day or two.
Lunch: Still Working Through the Bagels
At lunch, I leaned into easy food.
Several of the kids had hot dogs.
I know sometimes people act like hot dogs aren’t a legitimate lunch option, but they are quick, several of my kids like them, and sometimes that’s enough.
My teen, meanwhile, continued her bagel era.
She turned one of yesterday’s homemade bagels into a sandwich with:
- Chicken
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Onion
- Caesar dressing
Along with some fruit on the side.
The bagels continue to disappear, although not nearly as fast as I expected after making a double batch.
Pool Afternoon
This afternoon we headed to the pool.
As usual, I packed a variety of snacks:
- Homemade beef summer sausage
- Cheese sticks
- Yogurts
- Fruit
- Other easy grab-and-go options
We didn’t stay long because a storm started rolling in, so after a while we packed everything up and headed home.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that pool snacks are rarely wasted. If they don’t get eaten at the pool, they become after-pool snacks or part of dinner.
Dinner: The Snack Tray Wins Again
Because the pool day ended early and a lot of the food I packed never got eaten, I decided not to force a traditional dinner.
Instead, I pulled everything together and made one giant snack tray dinner.
Crispy Summer Sausage
The star of tonight’s platter was homemade beef summer sausage.
While everyone enjoys it cold, they absolutely love it when I crisp it up in a skillet.
I simply:
- Heated a little bacon grease in a pan
- Diced the summer sausage
- Cooked it until the edges got browned and crispy
It ends up tasting almost like a cross between bacon and summer sausage, and it disappears incredibly fast.
The Rest of the Platter
Alongside that, I set out:
- Naan bread pieces from Costco
- Pub cheese
- Hummus
- Fresh vegetables
- Fruit
- mozzarella ballsEveryone built their own plates and grazed.
No cooking marathon.
No complicated dinner.
No complaints.
Just lots of little things arranged on a platter.
Tonight, I made a quick one pan stir fry for my dinner with random leftovers in the fridge:
I mixed leftover steamed broccoli, leftover roasted vegetables, and the rest of the chicken drumsticks from my parents’ house on Sunday night. Then I added a mix of liquid aminos, honey, garlic powder, pepper, ground ginger, and rice wine vinegar. It was delicious!
Looking Ahead
Proteins Available
- Leftover steak from my parents’ house
- Homemade beef summer sausage
- Chicken thighs waiting to be cooked
- Ground beef stocked in the freezer
- Meatloaf stocked in the freezer
Tomorrow’s plan is pretty clear:
- Use up the leftover steak
- Cook the chicken thighs