LOVE, LIFE AND BAGELS

It is so important to stop for a moment and take pleasure in what we have and do. We need to celebrate our happy moments because they can help us fight aggravations and disillusionment in life.
Try adding a dash of love, respect and memories to your meals. Those ingredients shouldn’t have to be included in each recipe. They should be understood – like preheating the oven before baking. A good meal can make you feel loved and give you a sense of belonging.
“Sure, but I don’t know how to cook,” you say. “How can I achieve all that?” Do not miss the point of this blog entry! You can open a can of tomato soup, and serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich and create a memory. When family or friends gather, take advantage of those moments to make a lasting impression. Whether you prepare popcorn on Fridays for family TV night, or pack a lunch box with a little note for your kids, you will be making memories. Choosing a favorite food item that says I love you is as easy as picking up a bagel.
Our oldest son loves to eat bagels and he is always asking to stop and pick some up at the nearest bread shop. He would eat a bagel for breakfast daily if we let him. I wanted to try a shortcut to make bagels and be able to have something easy to make that he would enjoy. I could make a recipe from scratch, like I have done with croissants, but I know many of my blog followers would think that it is too much work! Bagel stores are popping up everywhere these days. For a little over a dollar per bagel, who wants to stay in the kitchen for hours making a batch of bagels besides me? Oh, don’t answer!

So, here is how to make a bagel with very little effort. I bought a packet of Parkerhouse style rolls. I let them thaw out and combined two rolls. I shaped them into a ball and pulled them apart to make the hole in the center, and then let them rise for about an hour. In a medium size pot, I added salt and enough water to cover the bagels. I boiled them for 3 minutes per side. When I pulled them out of the water, I let them rest on a cookie sheet previously coated with corn meal. After they rose for the second time they were coated with an egg wash and baked at 370 degrees till they were golden brown.