Their site had two simple bagel recipes, but one required an overnight starter (I’m not opposed to making a starter, but I wanted to be able to have them for breakfast the next morning). I decided on the simple recipe listed here: Simple Bagel Recipe

The recipe requires making a dough (I used my bread machine dough setting), resting the dough, shaping the bagels and boiling them, and then a final baking.

The full recipe and ingredients are on the KAF site, but a short version is listed here:

Dough

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar or barley malt syrup (I only had brown sugar, so that is what I added)
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) lukewarm water

Water Bath

• 2 quarts (64 ounces) water
• 2 tablespoons non-diastatic malt powder, brown sugar or barley malt syrup
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

I added all of the ingredients to the bread machine and let it do its thing. I weighed the resulting dough and tried to split it into eight equal-weighted pieces (though I ended up with nine).

After letting the dough rest for 30 minutes, I poked holes in them and shaped them into the standard bagel shape and added them to the boiling water for 3 minutes (2 minutes on one side, 1 minute on the other).

After removing them from their refreshing, warm bath, I placed them on baking sheets in preparation for the oven.

They were baked in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes flipping them once during the baking (the wet bagel dough from the bath makes the oven shoot out a nice bit of steam when you open the door, be careful when flipping them).

After removing the finished product and letting them cool, we finally got to taste them.

They tasted great and even received the Casey seal of approval so this recipe is a keeper. This recipe was incredibly easy to make so I highly recommend giving it a try even if your baking skills are somewhat limited. You will be very pleased with the results.

Below is the final recipe that I used. This was my first experience with leeks, and I was pleased to find the following short video on how to clean and prepare leeks for cooking.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 4 medium leeks)
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 4 medium)
• 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (approximately 2 potatoes)
• 2 cups fresh snap beans (or green beans), broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 cups yellow zucchini (2 medium zucchini)
• 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can northern beans (washed and drained)
• 6 cups chicken broth (would have used 8 cups but ran out of space in my pot)
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
• ~1 lemon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat.
2. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the carrots, potatoes, and snap beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer.
5. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn, zucchini, northern beans, and pepper.
6. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes (the snap beans took quite a while to soften up).
7. Remove from heat and if desired to thicken the soup up, use a stick blender to puree a small portion of the soup
8. Add the parsley and lemon juice and season to taste with kosher salt
9. Serve immediately.

The simmering soup prior to being stick blended looked like this:

What a tasty soup recipe. WAF was high, so this soup will be added to my basket of recipes.

Maria’s Stuffed Chicken Breasts

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place chicken breasts between pieces of plastic wrap and pound until uniform and flat
3. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In medium bowl, combine Ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, eggs and 6 ounces of the mozzarella cheese.
5. Mix well and stuff chicken breasts (I did this by adding the stuffing to the top of the breast, folding the breast in half and then securing with toothpicks)
6. Place breasts into 9×13 lightly greased baking dish.
7. Pour spaghetti sauce over breasts and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear
9. Remove toothpicks before serving (the chicken will retain its shape after cooking)

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Boneless Pork Chops In Mushroom Sauce

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1.5 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 lbs. boneless pork chops
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 minced small onion
* 1 cup minced green pepper
* 1.5 cups diced mushrooms
* 2 cups milk
* juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Mix 1/4 cup flour, paprika, salt, and pepper together in bowl
2. Dredge pork chops lightly in mixture
3. Brown pork chops on both sides in a skillet with butter
4. Transfer to shallow baking dish
6. Add onions, green peppers, and mushrooms to skillet and sauté until onion is soft and golden
7. Stir remaining 1/4 cups flour into skillet along with milk
8. Stir constantly cooking until sauce is smooth and thickened
9. Stir in lemon juice and pour sauce over pork chops in baking dish
10. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Chicken Breasts with Feta Cheese Sauce

* Vegetable cooking spray
* 6 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
* 1 tablespoon margarine
* 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
* 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skimmed milk
* 1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives
* 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot.
2. Add chicken, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done then set aside, and keep warm.
3. Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. Add flour to margarine and gradually add evaporated milk to flour mixture while stirring constantly with a wire whisk.
5. Stir in chives and cook 1 minute.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
7. Add feta cheese, and stir until cheese melts.
8. Spoon cheese sauce over chicken and serve.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1/4 cup sauce).

Hot Crockpot Dressing

* 8-inch pan corn bread (6 cups)
* 8 slices of day-old bread (you can also use toasted bread)
* 4 eggs
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup celery, chopped
* 1 1/2 tablespoons Sage
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cans cream of chicken soup
* 2 cans chicken broth
* 1 stick margarine

Directions

1. Crumble cornbread and white bread.
2. Add all other ingredients except margarine.
3. Spray crockpot with Pam
4. Pour dressing into crockpot
5. Dot with margarine
6. Cover and cook on high for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

16 servings.

Hot 7 Layer Dip

* 1 (16 oz.) can Refried Beans
* 1 (15.5 oz.) can Black Beans, drained
* 1 (1.25 oz.) package Taco Seasoning Mix
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 cup Salsa
* 1 (4 oz.) can Diced Green Chiles
* 2 to 3 tablespoons Diced Jalepeños
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
* 2 large green onions, sliced
* 1 package tortilla chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine refried beans, black beans, and seasoning mix in medium bowl. Spread bean mixture in ungreased 8-inch-square baking dish
3. Spread sour cream over bean mixture. Top with salsa, chiles, jalapeños, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 375° F. Remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dip is bubbly. Garnish with green onions. Serve with chips.

Makes 10 servings.

The GF, Casey, asked me to make her some of my famous Chicken Tortilla Soup passed down from generation to generation in my family over the years. So first I had to find the recipe (which really came in the newsletter that comes with my power bill, not from Grandma’s kitchen).

I always have a bit of a problem tracking down the recipe, so I thought I would post it here so I can find it later. The recipe is posted on the Alabama Power website here, but the details are as follows.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

* 4 cups fat-free chicken broth
* 4 cups water
* 3 boneless chicken breasts
* 1 can 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
* 1 can Rotel tomatoes
* 1 cup skim milk
* 12 oz. Velveeta Light cheese
* 1/4 cup sauteed onions
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 3 low-fat flour tortillas, torn into small pieces

Directions
Boil chicken in water and broth until tender. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and return to boil. Add remaining ingredients, except tortillas. Boil 10 minutes and then add tortillas. Boil until tortillas are soft – about 10-15 minutes, stirring often to keep from sticking.

Now I don’t add the tortillas anymore because they get very soggy (kind of like a dumpling), but you may like them. Also go easy on the chili powder because that stuff packs a pretty good kick, and this recipe already turns out quite spicy. It is also good with turkey substituted for the chicken in case that is more your style.