Favorite Chex Mix

I mentioned that we were on vacation with my husband's family and posted a picture of all the food it takes to feed 24 people.  Well, you better believe we had some amazing food while we were there!  My husband's family has a tradition of making Chex Mix every Christmas.  While I realize it wasn't Christmas, we still had the Chex Mix while on vacation, so I decided to share the recipe with you!

Favorite Chex Mix
13 cups Chex (5 cups wheat, 4 cups corn, 4 cups rice)
3 cups pretzel sticks
1 lb spanish peanuts
1/4 cup bacon grease
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Tabasco
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp savory or poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 250.

Combine cereal, pretzel sticks, and peanuts in a large roasting pan.

In a separate bowl, melt the bacon grease and butter.  Add worcestershire and Tabasco to butter mixture; pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat.

In a small mixing bowl, combine seasoned salt, celery salt, garlic salt and savory or poultry seasoning.  Sprinkle over cereal mixture; tossing to make sure the Chex mix is evenly coated.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

This picture was taken before it was baked.  Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but it looks pretty similar to this.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Revisited

Last March, I posted a delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe.  And while it is delicious, we've been able to improve upon it just a little bit based on some recommendations by one of Sumiko's friends from church, along with some of our own experience.  The recipe is almost exactly the same, but the technique has changed a bit.

Chocolate Chip Cookies 2
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (real butter), softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (I use my KitchenAid mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer), cream butter until pale yellow and shiny.  Add shortening and beat until combined.

Add sugar; mix until well-combined.  Add brown sugar and mix well.

The brown sugar should be packed tight enough that it
holds its shape once you take it out of the measuring cup.

After the sugars have been mixed into the butter.

Add vanilla and egg; mix well.  Add the flour mixture all at once, mixing until almost (but not completely) combined.  Add chocolate chips; mix just until they're evenly distributed and the flour has been incorporated.  Do not overmix.  I like cookies to be thick, so I've found that in order to get thick, chewy cookies, you first of all, need to make sure the butter isn't too soft.  The second thing is to scoop the cookie dough balls and then freeze or refrigerate them for at least several hours (see tips for freezing below).  I usually make the dough at least a day ahead.  Bake straight out of the refrigerator or freezer for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are light brown.  Cool 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is when you want to add the chocolate chips.

In this batch, I used half chocolate chips and half M&Ms.

Tips for freezing:

• Scoop the dough into balls.  Place dough balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for 15-20 minutes or until dough balls begin to harden.  Place dough balls in a zip-top bag and freeze.  When you're ready for some fresh cookies, simply pull the desired amount of dough balls out of the freezer and place them on your cookie sheet.  You can bake them frozen, but add a little time to the bake time. 
• You can also freeze baked cookies.  Simply bake as instructed, wrap cookies or place in zip-top bag and freeze.

Filled Pita Pockets

Since I've recently gotten back into the habit of making pitas, we've been experimenting with all different ways of eating them.  One of our favorites is as a snack with hummus, but we've also been trying them out as part of a main dish.  The possibilities are pretty much endless, but here are a couple of the ways we've filled them.

Basically, we've just been filling them with salads.  For example, I tossed some lettuce, red and green bell peppers, red onion, turkey or chicken (either lunch meat, torn, or leftover meat), and Italian dressing in a bowl, then cut a pita in half and filled it with the yummy goodness.

For my husband, I basically took the filling of our Chicken Caesar Wraps and stuck it in a pita instead of a tortilla.  The key to getting everything mixed well is to mix it all in a bowl first, then put it into the pita.

You can also make more sandwich-type filled pitas.  Try filling one with chicken salad, egg salad, roasted veggies, or anything else you'd put into a sandwich or salad!  Actually, you're not even limited to salad or sandwich fillings!  I'd think taco/burrito type fillings would be delicious, as would dessert-like fillings (I'm thinking peanut butter, banana slices, and chocolate chips)!  Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite pita fillings!

Muddy Buddies

I can't believe Christmas is in less than a week!  Wasn't last Christmas just a week ago?!  Anyway, despite how it feels, the reality of it is that Christmas really is on Sunday.  And Christmas is the perfect time to eat lots of sweets, right?  ;)

This recipe goes way back in my life, but I've recently noticed you can now buy this pre-made, which I think is strange, since it's pretty easy and much cheaper to make on your own.  I'm talking about Muddy Buddies (also known as Puppy Chow in some parts of the country).  A simple, yet oh-so-delicious treat!

Muddy Buddies
9 cups Chex cereal (wait until it's on sale)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Place Chex in a large mixing bowl; set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter.  Microwave 1 minute; stir.  Place back into microwave and heat until the mixture is smooth.  Add vanilla and pour over cereal.  Carefully mix until the cereal is coated in the chocolate mixture.  Place into a gallon size zip-top bag; add powdered sugar and shake until well coated.  The original recipe calls for the mix to be placed in a two-gallon zip top bag with the powdered sugar.  I only have 1 gallon, so I used that.  It worked, but I think next time I'll try just putting half of the cereal mixture in with 3/4 cup of powdered sugar a time.  Spread out on wax paper until the chocolate cools and hardens.

The pieces in the bottom right corner didn't get covered very well, which is why I think I'll split up the batch next time.

Your kids will enjoy licking the spoon when you're done!

English Muffin Pizzas

We’re almost at the end of our first quarter of school.  I can’t believe it!  Keanna is a quarter of the way through second grade and the boys are a quarter of the way through their first year of preschool!  That’s thirty-eight days of packing school lunches.

I recently decided to mix it up a bit by adding English muffin pizzas to the menu.  Just like the pb&j, grilled cheese, bean and cheese burritos, and quesadillas, you can make a big batch and freeze them for grab-and-go lunches!

One great thing about little pizzas is that you can customize them according to each family member’s preference.  Keanna likes pepperoni.  Lukas and Koda, when they decide they like pizza, prefer cheese.  Robbie is pretty easy to please but really likes bacon and pineapple on his pizza.

Before assembling the pizzas, I like to toast the English muffins on medium-low.  Not only does this give them a little extra crispiness, but it also helps keep them from getting soggy in the sauce.  I usually use whole wheat muffins.  WinCo was out of them this particular time, so I went with white.

I set my toaster oven on 3 out of 9.

I stick with traditional American pizza combinations (red sauce, mozzarella, toppings), but feel free to branch out.  I’m sure Kimiko’s BBQ chicken pizza would work well too.

English Muffin Pizzas

English muffins

Pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Toppings (pepperoni, olives, bell peppers, sausage, bacon, onions, pineapple…)

Preheat oven to 400°.  Split English muffins with fork.  Lightly toast.  Transfer to stone, crisper pan, or baking sheet.  Spread sauce over muffins; sprinkle with cheese.

Add desired toppings.  Bake until cheese is melted, about 8-12 minutes.  Baking time will vary depending on type of pan and amount of cheese and toppings.  If freezing, completely cool pizzas on rack.  Return to English muffin sleeve or store in gallon zip-top bag; store in freezer.  Place pizzas in microwavable container to pack in school lunches.

Chicken Salad

One of my husband's favorite lunches (besides leftovers) is chicken salad sandwiches.  Actually, I guess they technically can be considered leftovers, too, because I usually use leftover parts of a whole chicken (see recipes here and here).  This recipe is very flexible - I usually don't measure anything.  Instead, I taste and adjust as I go.  So use this recipe as a guide and make adjustments to suit your family's preferences.

Chicken Salad
2 1/4 cup cubed, cooked chicken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Taste and add ingredients as necessary.  I ended up adding a little more mustard and lemon juice, but you can add as much as you'd like!  Refrigerate.  Serve in sandwiches.

Shredded chicken from a leftover roasted chicken.  Sometimes I just shred it instead of cubing it.

Crustless Grilled Cheese

At the beginning of last school year, I wrote a post about making your own peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables.  These are still one of my go-to school lunches, along with bean burritos and quesadillas.  But I am always on the lookout for new items that I can stock in my freezer.

This week, Kimiko’s nieces and nephews started at a new school.  Unfortunately for their mom, the school has a nut-free policy.  She is not allowed to send anything in their lunches that contains nuts of any kind in any form.  Since she can’t rely on pulling PB&J’s out of her freezer, she asked if it was possible to make and freeze grilled cheese.  While I didn’t see any problem with it, I didn’t actually try it until this week.  And I was met with success!!

Beforehand, the main obstacle I could foresee was trying to get the cheese big enough to fill the sandwich without getting into the edges.  When I went to actually make the sandwiches, it was a no-brainer!  I simply folded the corners of each slice of cheese into the middle and they fit perfectly into the center of my sandwich cutter.  If you have a different size cutter, you may need to experiment to see what works best for you.

The one problem I did encounter was ripped bread.  I bought Iron Kids bread because I happened to be at Costco and that’s what they carry.  It wasn’t as soft as it needed to be to keep from ripping.  However, it ended up not being a problem.  I just buttered right over the cracks and they sealed themselves closed when I cooked the sandwiches.

Don't worry about the cracks if they occur.

Just butter over the tears.

Yesterday I picked up some Oroweat Soft Family 100% Whole Wheat bread, but haven’t tried it yet.  Extrapolating from my experience with PB&J, I’m guessing it will work better than the Iron Kids bread.

As far as reheating goes, it will vary depending on whether or not the sandwich is still frozen or has thawed by lunch time.  Either way, it doesn’t take long.  Pulled straight from the freezer, they only take about 30 seconds in my microwave.  If they are thawed, I imagine about 15 seconds would be sufficient.

And I don’t suggest microwaving them in the plastic wrap.  It just traps all the steam, making the sandwich soggy.  I will be sending these to school in plastic containers.

Crustless Grilled Cheese

Bread

Sliced American cheese

Margarine or softened butter

Heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Fold corners of each slice of cheese to middle and place in center of bread.  Top each with second slice of bread.

Cut and seal with sandwich cutter (mine is from Pampered Chef, but you can find other kinds elsewhere).

Butter tops of sandwiches.  Butter bottoms and immediately place in pan, top down.

This is the messy part.

Flip when top is browned; continue to cook until bottom is browned.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and store in zip-top bag in freezer.


And don't throw those scraps away!!  Save them for croutons and bread crumbs (recipes to come in the near future.)

UPDATES:  The Oroweat Soft Family 100% Whole Wheat bread was much softer and didn't tear!  The only problem I had was that it is slightly smaller than the Iron Kids bread so I had parts that didn't seal because the crust was in the cutter.  I'm guessing it would work with the cutter that Pampered Chef currently carries.

Someone had asked about eating them without reheating them.  I pulled one out of my freezer when the kids left for school and left it on the kitchen counter until lunch time (to simulate being in a lunch bag until lunch time).  Surprisingly, it wasn't bad!  I still prefer them warm, but I'd eat them just thawed if I had to.  And I'm sure my kids wouldn't notice the difference.

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

Keanna with her 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Inloes!

For the public school kids in our area, school starts today.  Robbie and Keanna have already been back for two weeks.  And Lukas and Koda started preschool at that time!!  They are absolutely loving it and don't want to go home when I arrive to pick them up at lunch time.

Most moms cry when their little ones start preschool.  I have to admit that I was ecstatic!  I now have two mornings every week with just April at home--I didn't realize how many usable hours there are in the day!  And the boys are really in need of some outside-of-the-house-without-mommy structure.

Koda (left) and Lukas with their teacher, Miss Lauren!

This does make Tuesday and Thursday mornings quite interesting.  Keanna can pretty much get herself ready for school, but the boys are another story.  More than ever, we need organization and efficiency in our mornings.

As most of use dive into this new school year, I thought I'd re-post last year's post about school lunches.  With a few additions and changes.  For example, since then, I've added bean and cheese burritos to the list.  Last week I made 50 bean, cheese, rice, and corn burritos and froze them.  And my over-estimation is that it cost me about $20!!

So to help you help your kids start the year off right, here are my school lunch strategies (note:  prices have not been updated for this year, but I'm sure they all went up!):

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To save money and feed my family more nutritiously, I do not buy pre-packaged snacks.  Though individually packaged snacks are super convenient, they can cost three to five times more than if you bought a regular package and divided it up yourself.  For example, I checked the price of goldfish crackers at WinCo last week.  If you buy the 100-calorie packs, you will pay over $0.70 per ounce.  However, if you buy a big box and divide it up into little containers or bags, you will only pay $0.21 per ounce.  The same is true for just about all pre-portioned snacks:  raisins, applesauce, fruit cups, pudding cups, crackers, chips, cookies, cheese, and drinks.

To be a little more environmentally friendly, I try to use cheap reusable plastic containers.  I love these Glad containers.  They hold ½ cup and are the perfect size for snacks.  I bought this pack of eight for only $2.22 at Wal-Mart.  Before sending them to school with my daughter, I used a permanent marker to write her name on them.  Hopefully we’ll end the school year with almost as many as we’re starting.  These don’t work for long, stick shaped snacks like pretzel sticks or carrot sticks.  I have yet to find small, cheap containers that accommodate snacks of this shape so I use zip-top bags.  Anyone have any suggestions?

But I have to admit that packing school lunches is one of my least favorite things to do.  I currently only have to pack two lunches (one for my daughter and one for my husband), but someday I will have to pack five.  Just thinking about it makes me tired—or maybe I’m just tired from the middle-of-the-night feedings.  Anyway, last year I kept finding myself scrounging around the kitchen every morning trying to pull healthy lunches together at the last minute while trying to make breakfast and help Keanna get ready for school.  Can we say “frazzled”?!?!

Packing snacks like this does take time.  That’s one reason why my mornings used to be so hectic.  But I am not willing to pay the extra money for convenience.  I decided I did not want to continue in this manner for the next 17 years so I came up with a system for preparing school lunches:

Sunday night:  prepare and package up all snacks for the week

Each night:  fill lunch box/bag with non-refrigerated items (including napkin and utensils); fill thermos and put in fridge

Each morning:  add refrigerated/frozen items (including ice pack)

By packaging up all the snacks on Sunday night, the rest of the week is grab-n-go.  There are some things I cannot do on Sunday such as cut fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire week—I usually portion these out on Sunday and Wednesday nights.

I never buy baby carrots.  They are more expensive and don't last as long in the fridge.

I usually send my husband with dinner leftovers for lunch.  I simply package those up for him as I am putting the leftovers away.

Good school lunch ideas:

• Bean and cheese burrito
• PB&J
• Peanut butter and banana sandwiches
• Quesadilla
• English muffin/bagel pizza
• Macaroni and cheese

Good school snack ideas:

• Crackers and peanut butter
• Hummus with pretzels or pita bread/chips
• Grapes, sliced apples or peaches, or orange slices
• Cheese sticks (cut from a block to save money)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Pudding
• Whole wheat noodles
• Carrot or celery sticks (ants on a log!)
• Homemade trail mix/snack mix
• Raisins or other dried fruit
• Yogurt
• Granola bars
• Popcorn

This week's snacks:  grapes, cheese crackers, hummus, pretzel
sticks, chocolate graham crackers, peanut butter sandwich crackers,
and carrot sticks.

You can also get your kids involved.  Keanna made the peanut butter sandwich crackers this week.  Even small children can fill containers or bags.  Not only does this take some of the work off you, but it helps teach them that everything they eat needs to be prepared by someone.

If you have other great ideas for quick, healthy school snacks, please post a comment to share them with all our readers.