Pumpkin Spice Bagels

I made these bagels last weekend and I was so happy with the recipe! YUM! I will say though, only make as many as you will eat the day you make them, because they will be a little tough the next day.

Pumpkin Spice Bagels
(Makes 8 bagels)

2/3 cup warm water (around 80 F)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (you could make it fresh, or use canned, but be sure NOT to get pumpkin pie mix. You could also substitute mashed sweet potato)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp all spice
3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda
2 T water
1 egg white

1. Pour warm water in bowl of mixer and sprinkle in yeast. Allow yeast to proof for about 3-5 minutes (water will look cloudy).
2. Add the brown sugar, salt, pumpkin and the spices to the water and yeast. Stir to combine.
3. Add flour to wet ingredients. Fit the mixer with the dough hook. Turn on mixer and mix/knead for about 7 minutes. (You could mix together and then knead by hand).
4. Place dough into a bowl that has been prepared with cooking spray and cover bowl with clean towe. Allow to rise about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Divide dough into portions (probably about 8). Roll the dough portion into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and then poke a hole through the center with your finger. Shape into bagel shape and place on a floured pan. Cover with the plastic wrap allow to rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, place pan into refrigerator overnight.
6. When ready to cook, remove the pan from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil. Add in 1 tsp of baking soda to boiling water.
7. Preheat oven to 400 F.
8. Drop bagels into boiling water (don't overcrowd the pot) and allow to boil about 30-45 seconds per side (flip after 30 seconds). Remove from water and allow to dry slightly on a clean towel. The original recipe recommends dipping the bottom of the bagels into cornmeal. I didn't have any, and my bagels stuck pretty bad, so I would recommend using it. Place bagels onto baking sheet.
9. In a small bowl, mix water and egg white. Brush tops of bagels with egg wash.
10. Bake bagels at 400 F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Smoky Lentil Soup

This recipe came to my inbox the other day along with an advertisement for a new soup making small appliance for the kitchen. I don't really feel that I would ever need something like this appliance (which is pretty much a blender that can heat up to cook ingredients prior to needing to be blended...I can achieve the same thing-although with a few more dishes to do- with a pot and a blender), but the recipe was intriguing. Now I can't believe in the dreadfully hot day we are having that I decided to make soup, but I did and it is delicious! So we will just sit under the fan in the A/C eating this yummy soup!

Using the Cuisinart soup maker and blender, you can sauté the vegetables, cook the soup and then puree it all in one vessel. For a quick and easy weeknight dinner, pair this hearty lentil soup with our Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (see related recipe at left).


3 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. smoked paprika (I didn't have this, so I used a little more than 1/2 tsp of chili powder)
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained (I also didn't have this, so I used crushed tomatoes)
3/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth

1. Preheat large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned/crisp. Drain on paper towels and chop.

2. Return the pot to the heat and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste and paprika (or chili powder). Cook until the vegetables just start to soften. Add the tomatoes, lentils and broth. Cover and cook on high heat until the lentils are tender, approximatley 30 minutes. Add in bacon reserving a few pieces for garnish.

3. This step is optional. I used my stick blender and pureed until smooth and almost creamy. If you like yours more chunky, you can skip this or just blend it lightly. If you don't have a stick blender, you can pour the soup into a blender. Use the lid, but leave that central piece out and cover with a towel, blend on low.

Spiced Apple Cookies

My hubby is pretty good at buying something for a snack that he is so excited about, to only turn around a few days later and tell me he is sick of this snack. It generally leaves me to either eat it, throw it away, or use it in a recipe. The most recent snack he bought was a large bag of Honeycrisp apples from Sams. He thought he could finish them all. He was quite disappointed as these apples didn't have as much flavor as the ones they sell at Publix. He ate a few, but with about 5 apples left, he decided he couldn't eat another apple. What to do? Well, I came across a few recipes I wanted to try, but these apple cookies looked different and yummy, so I tried it out. They were AMAZING! My family kept coming back for more. I brought them to work and they were gobbled up there too! Definitley a recipe I will make again.
I modified the recipe on Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog

Spiced Apple Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup finely diced peeled apple- I might use more apple next time
1 cup golden raisins (you can use regular if you'd prefer or none at all)

Maple glaze

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 Tbsp (or more to taste) maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets (I used 2)
2. Cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and milk and beat until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts, apple and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls one inch apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool prior to glazing.
5. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, maple syrup, and milk. Drizzle over cooled cookies.