weekending

Winter weekends are quickly filled. And this one I filled with pie baking and bagel making. Using this recipe I started the bagels Saturday morning. Bread flour, yeast, and some water left to turn into a bubbly sponge. But, two hours {the suggested time} and two pie crusts later there wasn't much bubbling or raising action going on.

Instead, we snuck out of the house for a little holiday lights photography {photo from earlier in the week}. The sky was hazy, the streets crowded {think 100s of drunk santa clauses}, and the outing pretty much a bust. But, by the time we got home the bagel sponge was big and bubbly - just the way it was supposed to be.

So I knocked it down, dumped in more flour, yeast and salt and began to kneed. On the cleaned counter I pushed and pummeled the lump of dough. Working it till it was smooth and satiny. At ten minutes I checked but not good enough. At fifteen I checked again but it still tore as I stretched it to window pane. Some time later {I stopped looking at the clock} it was ready.

Pinched off rolls, rest, shaped into bagels, rest and into the fridge to wait for tomorrow. The next day we had friends over for a bagel party. {Maybe I shouldn't invite people over when I'm making something new for the first time?!} The bagels were boiled, topped and baked. They looked like bagels and surprise surprise they even tasted like bagels!

I made sesame, herb parmesan, and salt bagels {the salt were way too salty!}. And after toasting them up we topped them with our favorite stuffed mushroom filling, and smoked salmon.

Other weekend activities:

• baking pumpkin pie with maple whipped cream
• a little sewing
• creating a troll hunter costume for this little monster

Happy Monday...