Bagel Recipe, SUCCESS!

So I attempted this recipe from www.allrecipes.com yesterday and it turned out fantastic. It made 12, and only one was left by 5:00 PM! I made 2 plain, 2 salt, 4 with sesame seeds, and 4 cinnamon and sugar. I do not have a countertop mixer, so I did it all with the hand mixer and hand kneading, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. Just make sure you let it rise for a full 45 minutes at least the first time.
So easy and so good! Yum!
Bagels I

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 2/3 cups warm water 2 tablespoons margarine 1 tablespoon white sugar 2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Mix together the unsifted flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, yeast, water, and butter in the bread machine on the manual setting.
2.	OR, mix 1-1/2 cup flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, and yeast. Heat water and butter to 120-130 degrees F. Add water to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed on mixer. Add 1/2 cup flour, beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in more flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rise. Punch down. Cover; let rest 15 minutes.
3.	Remove from bread machine.
4.	Divide dough into 12 pieces; shape 3 pieces into smooth balls. Poke a 1 inch hole in each. Drop bagels into a large skillet with 1 inch water (simmering) with 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons salt in the water. Cook on medium low heat for 3 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes; turn again, cook 1 minute more. Drain on towels. Repeat for rest of dough. Place on greased cookie sheet.
5.	Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes. Remove from sheets and cool. If desired, before baking, mix 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water, brush on bagels, and sprinkle with sesame, poppy, or caraway seeds.

What's up now!?

So my reviews are starting to slow down, if you haven't noticed, but don't worry! I will have at least 1-2 new reviews a week. I promise. I have a large cash of books I've already read and am currently reading Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling (so far its pretty good.) In the cue for future reviews (of books I haven't read yet): Graceling, Incarceron, Ender's Game, and Unwind, along with many others!
Also, I going to attempt making homemade bagels today! This of course will only happen if my daughter will allow me to work in the kitchen for more than 3 minutes. So please keep checking in, or better yet, subscribe to my blog with emails (in the right column) whenever I post. I promise you won't be barraged with anything I don't write.
Thanks again for sticking with me!

Review: Sisters Red - Jackson Pearce

Rating: 4/5
Summary: Scarlett and Rosie March are werewolf, or rather Fenris, hunters. As young children, their grandmother was killed by a Fenris and the teenage girls have since trained and become fearsome hunters, vowing to save as many lives as possible. Things get tricky when the new moon phase brings about a huge wave of murders and the girls take on their largest challenge yet.
Review: I just picked this book off the library shelf because I loved the cover and I'm so glad I did. I love that this is a twist on Little Red Riding Hood, but so completely different you can't compare the two stories. The characters are uniquely wonderful and captivating and the plot was very well paced and dotted with a satisfying amount if drama, plenty of action, and the perfect dose of romance. The only thing that would have made this book a full 5/5 for me was a little more sexual tension a la Twilight. Other than that, this was a great read for YA fans and heroine enthusiasts.

Buy It Here:  Sisters Red

Review: The Magicians - Lev Grossman

Rating: 3/5
Summary: Quentin is admitted to the school magic, Brakebills Academy, making friends as he learns about something he never knew existed. When his friends and he discover that the magical world they read about as children, Fillory (think Narnia,) is real they head into a complete whirlwind of trouble, adventure and love.
Review: This is sort of a mature Harry Potter story. The characters are teenagers that get into trouble, fall in love, do bad things, and get mean. I like that the characters have realistic flaws and believable personalities, but for some reason this book just didn't do much for me. The story has such great potential and reading the reviews and summary made me get excited to open it, but it just didn't live up to the hype. Maybe I'm spoiled from the Harry Potter series and the new world of magic it created, but this book's style of mixing reality with magic was just disappointing.

Review: Peter and the Starcatchers (series) - Barry and Pearson

Rating: 3/5
Summary: Peter (as in Peter Pan) meets young Molly in his adventures. Molly's family has long been protecting "star stuff," the magical substance that allows all sorts of unimaginable things to happen, including flight (think "happy thoughts.") When others find out the power of "star stuff," Molly's family risks letting it fall into the wrong hands and must use Peter's help to save the world. The series of books chronicles Peter's other adventures and the trouble he gets in and out of.
Review: While definitely a fun little read, this book is certainly intended for a very young audience. Filled with lots of action and adventure, the plot is a backstory for Peter Pan and explains details of the popular story like Tinkerbell's magic, the lost boys history and much more. The characters and adventures are fun, but again this is meant for a young group of readers so it would be a nice series to share with your children.

Review: The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan

Rating: 3/5
Summary: Carter and Sadie are siblings who have grown up separately due to the passing of their mother and the work of their father, Dr. Kane, as a traveling Egyptologist. When Dr. Kane goes missing, Carter and Sadie join together to find out the mysteries of their past and to help save their father.
Review: I initially read this book because my grandmother is part Egyptian and I have a secret obsession (I guess not so secret) with my heritage. I enjoyed this story as a fun adventure full of history, mythology and a lot of fantasy. The characters were well developed and believable and the plot was quick and always kept me on my toes. I listened to the audiobook which was a great experience since its read by both a male and female narrator in the voices of the children. This is definitely intended for a younger audience though, as the main characters are 12 and 14. While this book is part of a series, The Kane Chronicles, I don't think I will be reading any further simply because it did feel a bit young and I personally like a little more PG-13 action.

Review: Wings - Aprilynne Pike

Rating: 2/5
Summary: At 15, Laurel gets sent to public school after being home-schooled all her life. She quickly finds out, as a wing-like blossom appears on her back, that she's not like other teenage girls. With the help of her scientific friend and a mysterious person she meets in the woods, she soon finds out she is a faerie and then proceeds to discover more secrets about her history and future.
Review: While definitely a new creative idea, this book fell a little flat for me as a mid-twenties mom. I would say this a great book for a preteen or young teenager, but for an older reader the story is very tame and slow. I also found it really hard to imagine this growth that shows up on Laurel's back. I felt the book lacked depth and believable interactions between the characters and in general would be a waste of a read for an older adult.