Tuesday: Homemade Bagels, Summer Snacks, and Leftover Magic
This morning was a quick one because I had an early meeting at our new homeschool co-op location.
That meant breakfast needed to happen fast.
The kids had our usual mix of:
- Bacon
- Smoothies
- Cereal
- Toast
Nothing fancy, just enough to get everyone fed and moving before I headed out the door.
I was gone most of the morning, and thankfully my sweet mom came to the rescue and brought Chick-fil-A for lunch for the kids.
By the time I got home, I was starving.
My Current Favorite Summer Salad
I used some of the grilled chicken from last night’s dinner and built one of my giant lunch salads.
The real star, though, was the dressing.
I think this may become my go-to dressing all summer because it is so good.
Avocado Salsa Salad Dressing
- 2 large spoonfuls avocado salsa
- 1 spoonful fresh salsa
- Splash of rice wine vinegar
- Drizzle of honey
- Garlic salt
- Salt and pepper
Stir everything together and toss it with a big salad.
Today mine had:
- Grilled chicken
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Onion
- Whatever other vegetables I had available
It’s creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and works with almost any salad combination.
Summer Afternoon Snacks
The kids spent most of the afternoon outside, which means food was basically being handed out whenever someone wandered through the kitchen.
Snack options included:
- Homemade beef summer sausage (one of my kids likes to dip her summer sausage into Avocado salsa)
- Cut vegetables
- Popsicles
- Jell-O ring pops
- Cheese and crackers
- Shaved ice
The shaved ice situation has apparently become a problem.
I was informed that our syrup inventory is unacceptable.
We currently only have three Torani flavors left, and according to the children, that is nowhere near enough.
This means a future trip to Jungle Jim’s International Market is probably in our future because they carry a huge selection of Torani syrups.
Apparently this is now an urgent family matter.
We also made some Cocoa Krispie treats
Homemade Bagel Project
One of the highlights of today was watching my teen finish a batch of homemade bagels.
She started the process yesterday using the King Arthur Recipe of the Year bagel recipe.
What I love about this recipe is that it isn’t difficult, but it does require patience.
There are multiple rises, including an overnight rise, which makes it a perfect summer project for a teenager who has more flexibility in her schedule.
She doubled the recipe and made four varieties:
- Salted
- Garlic salt
- Cinnamon sugar
- Everything bagel
The bagels were kind of an all-afternoon project, with different stages happening throughout the day.
It’s exactly the sort of thing I love seeing teenagers learn because it teaches both baking skills and patience.
Dinner: Letting Leftovers Do the Work
Since my teen was taking over a good portion of the kitchen with her bagel project and my husband wasn’t home for dinner, I leaned heavily into leftovers.
One-Pan Chicken Alfredo
For my teen, I made one of her favorites:
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Garlic powder
- Pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Broccoli
- Leftover grilled chicken
- Cooked pasta
Everything gets stirred together in one pan until creamy and hot.
Simple and always a hit.
Crispy Meatloaf Bites
I had intentionally left a few slices of meatloaf in the refrigerator when I portioned and froze the rest yesterday.
Instead of reheating them traditionally, I made what we call meatloaf bites.
Here’s how:
- Cut cold meatloaf into bite-sized cubes
- Heat a skillet until very hot
- Add a generous pat of butter
- Let the butter get almost to brown-butter stage
- Add the meatloaf cubes
- Cook until the edges are deeply browned and crispy
The outside gets caramelized while the inside stays tender.
Several of my kids actually prefer meatloaf this way.
The Rest of Dinner
Dinner ended up being a mix of:
- Leftover pasta
- Broccoli
- Chicken Alfredo
- Crispy meatloaf bites
- Fresh homemade bagels
A little unconventional, but everyone ate well and we continued working through leftovers while still feeling like we had a real dinner.