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