Friday, May 22, 2015

Cowpoke Cookies {Gift in a Jar}

I love creating culinary gifts for family and friends. These were a huge hit last time I gave them out!

Simply pack the dry ingredients in a mason jar and give them the instructions to make their Gift in a Jar Cowpoke Cookies. Gourmet gifting has never been easier!

Friday, May 15, 2015

Bagels

These bagels were once a part of my weekly baking repertoire. Back in the day, when I ate grains. ;)

These bagels are soft, warm and spongy on the inside, and slightly crisp on the outside. I baked them using steam. They're great warm, fresh out of the oven and at room temperature the next day. Honestly, I never the desire to toast them. I'm not so sure fresh bagels need toasting!

Dress these bagels up however you'd like! The mister seems to prefer them plain, but I have dolled them up with a combination of flaxseed, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, anise seeds, tiny sunflower seeds, and black caraway seeds. I also liked mixing together a little garlic powder and dried onion. The onion will moisten and plump up slightly during the steam baking. For an "everything" bagel try a combination of the poppy seeds, dried onion, sesame seeds, and garlic powder. Or you can dust them with a little cinnamon and embed the bagel with raisins.

*storage tip: save and reuse your bread bags to keep your bagels in*
Homemade bagels are where it’s at! If you’ve never made them yourself, you’re missing out. I love that regardless of rolling imperfections, these bagels are still better than store-bought.