Home Made Bagels

1 Package Yeast  (or two and 1/2 teaspoons of yeast )

1 Cup Warm Water (approximately 105 degrees)

1/4 cup Oil

2 teaspoons salt

3 to 3 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose floor

 a handful of coarse or table salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water 

Toppings such as poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let sit until dissolved.  

Add oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 and 1/2 cups of the flour.

Beat until the mixture is smooth.

Add enough of the remaining flour to make a manageable dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for one minute.

Let rest 10-12 minutes.

Knead for 10-12 minutes after resting until  dough is smooth and elastic.

Sprinkle on flour to keep the dough from becoming too sticky when needed.

 Place in a greased bowl,  cover and let rise in a warm place until double.

Punch the dough down and  turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Cut the dough into sixteen golf ball sized pieces.

Roll the dough between your palms to make a smooth ball.

Create a ring  by punching your index finger through the center.

Stretch the ring with your fingers to make a 1 inch hole.

To make the shape uniform, place the ring on the floured surface.

Twirl on your finger until the hole is about 4 inches. It will shrink when you stop.

Place each formed bagel on a lightly floured surface.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Bring about 3 quarts of water to boil in a large pan. 

Add a handful of salt for a slightly salty crust.

Lower the bagels, a few at a time into the boiling water.

Cook for 3 minutes on each side.

As they are done, remove with a slotted spoon.

Lay on a greased baking sheet.

  (or use parchment paper)

Arrange about an inch apart.

Brush the tops with the egg and water that were blended together to make an eggwash.

Sprinkle them with toppings.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the baking sheet and  let cool on racks.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken (more if you like)

1/4 cup of chicken stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp grated ginger
3 Garlic cloves
Sesame seeds

Remove as much fat as possible and put the chicken in the crock pot.
Mix every thing else together in a bowl before pouring over chicken.
Pour over the liquid and cook. I cooked overnight, 8 hours on low. If you let it cook on low just a bit longer it will start to fall apart when you stir the pot.
About 15 minutes before serving, add a tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Sesame Crunch Chicken

Take about a pound of boneless for skinless chicken and flatten it a little. Soak the chicken in about a cup of milk with a 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder. Combine in a shallow bowl 1/4 cup of cornmeal, 1/4 cup flour, 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds with a tablespoon of dried parsley and a dash of salt and paper.

In a large frying pan, add a couple of tablespoons of olive il and heat. Dredge your chicken in the sesame coating. Pat the coating on with your you hands to ensure the chicken is fully coated. place the chicken in the oil on medium heat  (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of the pan) for about 6 minutes on each side until browned on both sides and cooked throughout. Once all the chicken is done, remove to a plate with some foil over the chicken.

Drain off about 1/2 of the remaining oil. Add about a cup of white wine (I use Vermouth) to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits and turn up the heat to get the wine bubbling pretty good.  Add a pinch of two of the coating mix and let it cook down a little to thicken a tad.

Serve the sesame crunch chicken and serve the sauce in a gravy bowl or creamer cup. I like this with rice and i bet some stir fried veggies would go well too. drizzle just a bit of the pan sauce over the chicken and dig in.

Sesame Seed Cookies

Ingredients for Sesame Seed Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
3 eggs
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
a lot of sesame seeds

Cream Crisco with sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. in a separate bowl, combine flour with baking powder. Add flour mixture a little at a time to the egg mixture. Add vanilla. Shape into 1 inch balls.  roll into sesame seeds, using about a tablespoon of seeds per cookie. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 375 degrees or until light golden brown.  makes about 70 cookies.