October 20, 2011

Homemade Bagels

I'm obsessed with Bagels.  If I didn't think/ know that by eating too many bagels I would start looking like a bagel myself, I might eat them for every meal.  I'm not sure if its the actual bagel or the oh so appealing cream cheese factor, but I can't get enough. 
I'm not talking about Noah's Bagels.  While they get the job done, I am really not a fan of their squishy, airy texture.  Bagels are supposed to be dense and chewy; and when they are, everything is right in the world. 
I think if I lived in New York I might gain 10 lbs.  I'd likely eat a whole wheat everything every day!!!
Anyway, I've been wanting to make homemade bagels due to my love of them, and it finally happened!
Here's the steps:
Broil, Boil, and Bake!  Catchy!
First you make your dough and knead it. 
Bagels are actually pretty simple, but they do take some time.  Because of the yeast in the dough, the dough takes time to rise.
Then the bagels will need to be formed, and then they need to proof again. 
After all that, it's Broil....
Boil...
and Bake!
I made half whole wheat bagels and half plain bagels. 
I minced some garlic and put it atop a couple of the bagels just for kicks.
 
 
They came out to be a great texture.  I wasn't really sure how the recipe would turn out because I'd never made bagels before.  But yes! They were dense and chewy and perfect. They were a bit crisp/crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside.  As I describe them I am dreaming about eating them again.... sigh.

Plus they gave me an excuse to eat as much cream cheese as possible!  Breakfast time!! 
I got the recipe from All Recipes, and made half with AP Flour and half with AP Whole Wheat Flour.


October 13, 2011

'Tis the Season?

It's October!  That means changing leaves, boots, scarves, pumpkin spice lattes, and blustery days, right?  Well apparently not this year!  Los Angeles is having a hell of an Indian Summer.  It was 100 degrees yesterday! What?!  I'm all about hot weather, but I'm not all about LA not being able to make up it's mind about what type of weather to have.  Sometimes it decides to dabble in the clouds and rain, and then it gets finicky and reverts right back to old faithful, stronger than ever before.  Well I'll tell you one thing,  Los Angeles can keep the leaves green, take my boots away, but I refuse to let go of pumpkin in October!
Pumpkin baking and pumpkin flavored things are definitely a highlight of the fall months.  I'll admit, I'm a pumpkinphile and will likely be swayed by anything that is pumpkin flavored.  It's like a disease.  But don't worry, I stocked up already with 4 cans of pumpkin, 2 cartons of pumpkin cream cheese, and a canister of pumpkin coffee! I literally went out and bought pumpkin on October 1st.  Before going in to Trader Joe's I told Cole, "Get ready, because I'm going to go bat shit crazy."  And I did.
I love how pumpkin and all of its accompanying spices make the house smell.  And look at that orange color!  This October, I've already made Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies!
 

The Cream Cheese Bars I sort of devised on my own, swirling in two layers of a pumpkin cream cheese mixture.  I think it helped make them extra soft and creamy!
The cookies are probably the most popular pumpkin cookies.  My roommates and I in college used to devour Pumkin Chocolate Chip cookies whenever it was the season for them!
 
This time I made three different types.  Some with mini chocolate chips, some with oatmeal and mini chocolate chips, and some with oatmeal, mini chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips!  I like oatmeal in them to give them more texture.  Next time I think I'll do butterscotch chips or milk chocolate chips.  Que rico!

Happy Fall!