Real Bagels

We had some good friends over for breakfast this morning so we decided to give these a whirl last night. We didn't have enough bread flour so we used all purpose. We also didn't have the barley malt syrup so we left it out. We were very nervous at first, ok I'll be honest, we were nervous the whole way through, but they actually turned out pretty good. The boiling is weird but gives them that outer crust. A few tips. Don't use the wax paper. It sticks to the bottom. And we had to broil them for a minute or so to get them slightly golden. All in all they tasted like bagels which in my mind is a success. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 28 ¹⁄₂ ounces bread flour divided (about 6 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup (omit if you cannot find)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 12 cups water
• ³⁄₄ cup sugar

Directions

1. Combine 2 cups warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Weigh or lightly spoon 28.13 ounces flour (about 6 1/4 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, syrup, and salt to yeast mixture. Mix dough at low speed 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic; add enough of remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), shape each portion into a ball. Make a hole in the center of each ball using your index finger. Using fingers of both hands, gently pull dough away from center to make a 1 1/2-inch hole. Place bagels on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat bagels with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 10 minutes (bagels will rise only slightly).
3. Preheat oven to 450°.
4. Combine 12 cups water and 3/4 cup sugar in a Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Gently lower 3 bagels into pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the bagels to a wire rack lightly coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining bagels, working in batches of 3. Divide the bagels between two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 450° for 7 minutes. Rotate pans, and bake for 7 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
5. Note: Omit barley malt syrup if you can't find it.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 255

Fat: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 322mg

Fiber: 1.7g

Protein: 8.3g

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year when you get together with your family for Thanksgiving remember the food pyramid:

In all seriousness, enjoy what this holiday is all about and be thankful. I am thankful for my health and will attempt to only go over my daily allotted calorie intake by 1,000 calories which will put me at 2,200. Here is some food for thought when considering how many plates to have in front of you tomorrow:

The average American will consume more than 4500 calories and 229 grams of
fat on Thanksgiving Day alone.

A 160 lb. person would have to run at a moderate pace for four hours, swim for
five hours or walk 30 miles to burn off a 3000-calorie Thanksgiving Day meal.


Don't deprive yourself and enjoy but be smart. Easier said than done....

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Tortellini Tuscan Stew

Another school night crock pot recipe. Sadly Husband didn't get to try it before he left so you only get one opinion on this one. I came home to a fantastic smell which made me super excited to eat! The veggies were great (my favorite was the green beans) and the tortellini was even better. I think this makes more like 7 or 8 servings because it was SO much food and all 5 of my tupperwares were full to the brim. I was stuffed. Other than the enormous serving which may appeal to some I thought it was a really good meal. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Source: Good Housekeeping

Serves: 6 (more like 7 or 8)

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) butternut squash peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large zucchini cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 large yellow summer squash cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 large red bell pepper cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 4 ounce(s) thin green beans trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths
• 1 can(s) (28-ounce ) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoon(s) fresh oregano chopped
• 1.5 teaspoon(s) chopped garlic
• 0.75 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 package(s) (9-ounce) fresh cheese tortellini
• 1 bag(s) (5-ounce) baby spinach
• 3 tablespoon(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach, and Parmesan cheese, in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low 6 hours.
2. Uncover; turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover: continue to cook 15 minutes, or until pasta is almost tender.
3. Uncover; gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover; cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 254

Fat: 5g

Carbohydrate: 48g

Protein: 12g

Tomato-Provolone Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo

This was another "what do we have in the kitchen" recipe. We used our homemade pesto and the honey-oatmeal wheat bread and although it tasted great I think it would be even better on sourdough as the recipe says. Husband and I gobbled this up pretty quick so it must have been a 5 out of 5 stars and super easy to make.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons organic canola mayonnaise (such as Spectrum)
• 5 teaspoons refrigerated pesto
• 8 (1 1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread
• 4 (1/2-ounce) slices provolone cheese
• 1 cup arugula leaves
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine mayonnaise and pesto in a bowl, stirring well.
3. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil bread 2 minutes or until toasted. Turn bread over; place 1 cheese slice on each of 4 bread slices. Broil 1 minute or until cheese is bubbly. Spread about 2 teaspoons pesto mixture over each cheese-topped bread slice. Arrange 1/4 cup arugula and 2 tomato slices over pesto mixture; sprinkle tomato slices evenly with pepper and salt. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of remaining pesto mixture evenly over one side of each remaining bread slice; place 1 slice, pesto-side down, on top of each sandwich.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 329

Fat: 16.7g

Cholesterol: 16mg

Sodium: 630mg

Fiber: 2.9g

Protein: 11g

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

I don't have much to say about these besides yummy. My advice is to warm them up before eating them because it makes the top softer. Husband and Thing 1 approved. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking light

Serves: 18

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup chopped pecans
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup butter softened
• ¹⁄₂ cup egg substitute
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ³⁄₄ cups all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 teaspoons fresh orange juice
• Dash of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients; set aside.
3. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add egg substitute; beat 3 minutes. Beat in sour cream, water, and vanilla.
4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture; add sour cream mixture. Stir just until combined.
5. Place 3 tablespoons brown sugar mixture in a small bowl; set aside. Sprinkle surface of batter with remaining brown sugar mixture. Gently fold batter 4 times.
6. Place 18 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Sprinkle batter evenly with reserved brown sugar mixture. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
7. Combine powdered sugar, juice, and dash of salt in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle powdered sugar mixture evenly over muffins.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 182

Fat: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 14mg

Sodium: 176mg

Fiber: 0.6g

Protein: 2.9g

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Ok, ignore the mass amounts of sour cream in the picture. Please use less. Husband loves sour cream and I could do without entirely. That being said Husband fell in love with this meal AND Thing 1 ate almost an entire serving. We love these 8 serving casseroles because we split them in half and put one in the freezer for later. Works great for when you have too much going on to get to the store or you just don't feel like cooking. Husband made this and added a little fresh pico de gallo since we had it and it would have eventually gone bad in our fridge. Less spicy than expected but great flavors. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese divided
• ¹⁄₃ cup fat-free milk
• ¹⁄₄ cup egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles drained
• Cooking spray
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• ¹⁄₂ cup fat-free sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 354

Fat: 14.1g

Cholesterol: 58mg

Sodium: 620mg

Fiber: 2.5g

Protein: 18.9g

Honey-Oatmeal Wheat Bread

This is definitely one of those recipes where if I can do it you can too. On my quest for the perfect sandwich bread I found this and since we had everything for it already I decided to give it a whirl. When adding all the ingredients I kept thinking "there is NO way this will taste good" with molasses and honey and oats but I am happy to report this was REALLY good. Thing 1 and I split a piece and he begged for more so it is definitely kid friendly. Husband gobbled up the bread butt so fast I could tell he wasn't lying when he said he loved it. It is a little more calories than I would hope for in a piece of bread but I figure with all the good stuff baked in to it I'd rather this than a piece of wonder bread. 5 out of 5 stars from everyone in the house.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour divided
• 2 ¹⁄₂ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup uncooked regular oats
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ cup honey
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Vegetable cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a 2-cup glass measuring cup; let yeast mixture stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, and salt.
3. Beat yeast mixture, 1 cup all-purpose flour, honey, and olive oil at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until well blended. Gradually add whole wheat flour mixture, beating at low speed until a soft dough forms.
4. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface, and knead 9 minutes, adding additional all-purpose flour (up to 6 tablespoons) as needed. (Dough will be slightly sticky.) Place dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray, turning to grease top of dough.
5. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 13- x 8-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Roll up each dough rectangle, starting at 1 short side, jelly-roll fashion; pinch ends to seal. Place loaves, seam sides down, into 2 (8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch) loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.
7. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until almost doubled in bulk. Remove and discard plastic wrap.
8. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped and are golden. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, and cool on wire racks.
9. Note: If you don't have a heavy-duty electric stand mixer, you may mix dough by hand with a wooden spoon.
10. This recipe makes two loaves, so freeze one after cooling to help it stay fresh longer. Slice first, if desired; then wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and place in a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 1 month.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 150

Fat: 2.4g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 297mg

Fiber: 2.4g

Protein: 4g