Bagels and Pot Pies

4.29.12

Now that spring is in full force, I can't image that bagels or pot pies would sound good but in the middle of winter, they were so perfect.  Comfort food to warm the soul on cold night.

Vegetarian Times strikes again with chewy, flavorful, and delicious pot pies. I was craving a pot pie for awhile - there is something so wonderful about pot pie, don't you think? The flaky pastry crust and warm veggie filling combined for the perfect hearty meal. I saw this recipe and immediately knew that I needed to attempt to make it.

Rolled and cut-out crust.

Crusts placed in the ramekin. I didn't have enough crust to line the sides.

Veggie filling.

Completed pot pie.

It actually turned out really well, but I would be sure to at least double or triple the filling. Because I like to have crust on the top, bottom, and sides the crust recipe needed to be tripled.

Baked to a golden glow.

Finished pie. Delicious!

I decided to also attempt to make bagels.  I really love bagels, especially for breakfast in the morning. Rather than purchasing them, I thought "hey, I could make those!" So, I did. My new Professional Series KitchenAid mixer did most of the work.  The rest was pretty easy, it just took some time to let the dough rise a few times.

formed bagel.

The most fun part of the process was dropping the formed dough into boiling water to make fluff up to to their perfect size.  A quick toast in the oven and they were complete!

Bagels ready to go into the boiling water.

Baked and finished.

I'm not sure what I will attempt to make next.  I really feel like I am becoming more confident in the kitchen and realizing that things that seem difficult aren't really. A future cooking adventure awaits!