Baking – Simple Comfort Food – Recipes that are simple and delicious.

3 Ingredient Everything Bagels

September 20, 2018October 1, 2018 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

I recently came across, what I thought was a posting from TastyKitchen.com, a resource I have been a contributor and friend of for many years. It was a post that intrigued me, so much that it had me interested in trying to make it. This takes a lot from me, if you will. Granted I read a ton of cook books, review recipes, but I rarely sit down with a recipe and create it. I know it sounds ironic that a dude that publishes recipes for everyone never really uses other peoples recipes. I know it’s weird, trust me. Granted when I am reading through recipes, I get ideas that may snowball into something similar down the road, or I may take an ingredient that sounded great and use that in another recipe, but I rarely sit down and go step by step. That was until I say a 2 ingredient bagel recipe.

For one, my whole family loves bagels. I’m an everything bagel dude and so is my kid, however if you pretty much put any bagel in front of us I bet it would be devoured. So this particular recipe, that I found out was from Kirbie’s Cravings was right up my alley to try, plus I have been in search of an Everything Bagel seasoning which I found at Trader Joes, that I have been dying to try.

This must be a win, win, right? Or did they turn out only using 2 ingredients (3rd being the seasoning)?

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of Non-fat Greek plain Yogurt, strained
1 1/4 cup Self-Rising flour, adjust accordingly
1 whole egg, beaten
1/2 tbsp water
Everything bagel seasoning, to your liking
parchment paper

You have two options for making the bagel dough. Hand knead, or KitchenAid mixer. God gave me some strength that morning so I decided hands (I probably did not want to have to deal with dishes).

To a mixing bowl, add the self-rising flour. This already includes all of the wonderful baking ingredients so you don’t have to worry about things like baking powder, or salt. Next add in the strained yogurt. I strain the yogurt in a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, and let it sit over the bowl for about 30 minutes. You will see about a 1/4 cup of water strained from the yogurt. Crazy.

Start mixing the yogurt and flour with a wooden spoon (or KitchenAid) until it begins to form, then start working with your hands to knead the dough. Be gentle as you only want the dough to come fully together. Try not to overwork the dough.

Let this rest for a minute or two as you get a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and your oven preheated to 350 degrees.

Divide the dough into about 4-6 pieces. Take each ball and form into a rope, making the rope long enough and wide enough for a bagel shape. Take each end of the rope and pinch together, flipping over the rope and keeping the seam side down. Repeat.

Take your beaten egg and add the water. Mix. Using a brush, take the egg wash and brush each bagel on the top and sides.

Generously sprinkle the everything seasoning over the top. Heck if you just want another seasoning, go for it. Now is the time!

Place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. You can crank up the heat to 450 towards the end if you want additional color but only cook for a couple of minutes.

Remove, and get your cream cheese ready.

Again, I was a bit skeptical of these, but they only took a few minutes to whip up, were only a few dollars to make (and now I can make a ton with all of the self-rising flour I have), and was ready to dig in.

My first bite. Delicious. My second bite. Delicious. This is when I told my wife and kids to get over here and try them. We huddled around the table and were all surprised out how good they were.

Yogurt, flour, everything seasoning. Who knew. So thanks to Kirbie’s Cravings for drawing me in enough to buy the ingredients and give these a shot. I suspect these will be made every weekend in the near future. If you like bagels, give these a shot.

Easy Loaded Baked Beans

August 26, 2018August 26, 2018 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

Summer is almost over, and many of us in Wisconsin are starting to feel that gloom upon us. In all honesty my wife love summer, but love fall even more. We welcome fall with open arms but again sad to see summer weather retire. There are things I will miss during the summer months, in particular food, and one of those things is baked beans. Yes, I know… I can make baked beans all year round, and I do but for whatever reason baked beans just remind me of grilling outdoors, sitting around a smoker or eating smoked meat that has been cooked for 12 or more hours, or hanging out with family and friends. They almost are up there with sweet corn on the cob and garden tomatoes for me. The problem with baked beans in my family is that not really one of my kids, or my wife enjoy baked beans as much as I do.

So with a recent get together, I decided it was my time to make some easy loaded baked beans that not only I could enjoy but I knew that other party goers would enjoy as well. I was right about that as the majority of those beans were consumed during the party.

These look like normal baked beans, but every spoonful results in simple, yet complex flavors that may have you question ‘What are in these things?’. Easy, and loaded, these are great to make before (or after) summer ends.

Ingredients:

32 oz can of your favorite canned baked beans (Maple Cured for me)
16 oz can original baked beans
3 slices of cooked bacon, grease reserved
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno (seeds optional), roasted in bacon grease, diced
3 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp Jufran Banana Ketchup (Filipino Ketchup)
salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce

Let’s start by heating a large skillet on medium heat. Add in your bacon slices and your whole jalapeno pepper. Cook slowly to release the fat and to crisp up your bacon while at the same time cooking and charring your jalapeno pepper. You will want to blister the skin on the chili pepper throughout the time you cook your bacon.

During this time, prepare your remaining ingredients as the rest will go by rather quickly.

Once the bacon is cooked, remove and place on a paper lined plate, along with the jalapeno. Keep the skillet on medium heat, and add in the onion, cooking for about 5 minutes or so until they soften.

While the onion is cooking, chop up your bacon, and your jalapeno. Once the onion is softened, add in the cans of beans, jalapeno, and bacon, and give that a good stir. Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, then squirt on the mustard, worchestershire sauce, and Filipino ketchup.

If you have never had or tried Filipino ketchup, go find it. I love this stuff. To me it is not as sweet as regular ketchup and actually provides some little kick to it.

Give another good stir, reduce the heat, and cook for about 30 minutes until everything jives, and gets a bit sticky. Taste and season with any salt or black pepper to your liking.

Serve into a bowl, and provide to your family and friends.

The result is a great bowl of beans, and one that has some mysterious flavors. Sure you can get that flavor of bacon, and see the onions and jalapenos, but they might have your friends and family guessing on those wonderful mustard and ketchup flavors. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and hope you enjoy the beans!

Easy Loaded Baked Beans

Author: Dax Phillips

Recipe type: Sides

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

32 oz can of your favorite canned baked beans (Maple Cured for me)
16 oz can original baked beans
3 slices of cooked bacon, grease reserved
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno (seeds optional), roasted in bacon grease, diced
3 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp Jufran Banana Ketchup (Filipino Ketchup)
salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce

Instructions

Let’s start by heating a large skillet on medium heat. Add in your bacon slices and your whole jalapeno pepper. Cook slowly to release the fat and to crisp up your bacon while at the same time cooking and charring your jalapeno pepper. You will want to blister the skin on the chili pepper throughout the time you cook your bacon.
During this time, prepare your remaining ingredients as the rest will go by rather quickly.
Once the bacon is cooked, remove and place on a paper lined plate, along with the jalapeno. Keep the skillet on medium heat, and add in the onion, cooking for about 5 minutes or so until they soften.
While the onion is cooking, chop up your bacon, and your jalapeno. Once the onion is softened, add in the cans of beans, jalapeno, and bacon, and give that a good stir. Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, then squirt on the mustard, worchestershire sauce, and Filipino ketchup.
If you have never had or tried Filipino ketchup, go find it. I love this stuff. To me it is not as sweet as regular ketchup and actually provides some little kick to it.
Give another good stir, reduce the heat, and cook for about 30 minutes until everything jives, and gets a bit sticky. Taste and season with any salt or black pepper to your liking.

Roasted Sunchokes

June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

I frequent the farmer’s market every Saturday in my neighborhood. This year they moved the market to a new location, and one which was a great improvement. I was excited several weeks ago to say the least, not only for the new location but to see some of the familiar faces and to check out what was in season.

There was the standard Spring items including rhubarb, some asparagus, honey of course, and then sunchokes. If you have never seen or tried a sunchoke, it is a must try. They are knobby looking vegetables that are way to easy to make, and leave you with almost a nutty flavor. With that being said it was my duty to pick up a pound of them, take some advice from the farmers, and get to work. This is my take on the roasted sunchoke.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb sunchokes, rinsed and cleaned
salt to taste

That’s it my friends. I used garlic and butter only because I was making camerones al mojo de ajo (garlic shrimp) for a main, so the sunchokes would be served as my vegetable and side dish.

Start by heating a skillet on medium to low heat. Add in the butter, oil, and garlic, and let that come to temperature.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once the butter has melted (do not let it brown), add in the sunchokes, and give them a gentle turn from time to time. You only have to do this to get some flavor, or should I say more flavor onto the sunchokes. Once your oven is preheated, add remove the sunchokes with some tongs onto a baking sheet and place into the oven for about 35 minutes or until they are tender.

Remove from the oven, season with a bit of salt, and plate and serve.

When I plated these, my wife and kids were a bit intrigued, as was I. So my wife and I grabbed a few and were blown away. They are nutty, and almost potato like, but with these had that nice garlic butter and salt addition which topped them off even more.

If you are looking, or if your market still has sunchokes, get them, and hook them up. If you do not want to turn on the oven, feel free to put them on the grill on indirect heat. These make a great side, and to boot are really great for you. Thank you farmers and farmer’s market! I’m glad it is that time of year!

Homemade Corn Nuts

May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

I grew up eating corn nuts. I loved them, and still to this day. I’m a bit cautious however eating them nowadays only because I think I may crack a tooth or something. But corn nuts are something my boys love as well, and I figured what the heck, let’s make some homemade ones. I was thinking of what to seasons these corn nuts with, and came up with two versions. One using a Filipino sisig seasoning (you can find it in your Asian market), and the other using one of my son’s favorite seasoning blends, Slap Ya Mama.

These corn nuts are really easy to make, come out a bit on the chalky side which is ok, and still pleased the boys. Feel free to use whatever seasoning mix you enjoy.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1 bag of Goya Giant White Corn Kernels (You can find at your local Mexican grocery store)
1 pinch of sugar
1 tbsp salt
water to cover and soak
3 cups of canola oil
3 tbsp of your favorite seasoning blend

Now you have a couple of options here. You can fry them or bake them. I default to the fry method, however if you are going to bake them, bake them at 400 degrees between 20-40 minutes turning every 10 minutes.

You have to soak the beans overnight in a large bowl in cool water. The next day, drain the water, and them them stay in the strainer to air dry a bit. Sprinkle in the sugar and salt, and give them a good toss.

Next heat up a pot and pour in the oil. Bring to a medium-high heat for a few minutes. Drop in a couple of corn nuts and see if they sizzle. If not, wait a few more minutes until they do sizzle.

Fry the corn nuts, in batches, for about 15 minutes or until they get nice and golden. Move them around with a slotted spoon from time to time. Once they are golden, remove them to a paper lined baking sheet with a kitchen spider or slotted spoon, removing any excess oil, and let them cool slightly.

While they are cooling, pour them into a mixing bowl, and add your seasoning, tossing to completely coat them. Repeat and serve.

My oldest loved these, in particular the Slap Ya Mama version. Crunchy, salty, and delicious. These make for a perfect snack. Hope you enjoy!