The other day I decided to make egg bagels. My niece, Lindsay, was rolling through town for one night, on her way back to finish her final semester of college and I wanted to have some goodies ready for her to take. I bake bread a lot and wanted something different, so egg bagels won the coin toss. The recipe calls for one egg yolk for each cup of flour. I was making two batches of bagels, four cups of flour per batch, so eight egg yolks. (This is your math lesson for today!) With the eggs separated, there is now one bowl with those golden yolks waiting to jump into the bagel batter bowl and one with whites just waiting to find out its destiny. I have read many recipes that just say to discard whatever is not needed, in this case, the egg whites. This doesn't gel with me. Eight egg whites in the trash? I don’t think so! I looked in the fridge and found that I had a package of tomato & basil feta cheese. Hmmm, while the bagel dough is proofing, I thought, I could whip up an omelet for brunch. Not a formal brunch, mind you. I had gotten up and had coffee and then dove right into preparing the bagel dough and it was now around 11A. Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch; Brunch! I like the flavor of Feta cheese but sometimes it can be dry. Plus I like to add a bit more flavor to a dish so in came the chedda. The Feta & Chedda Egg White Omelet was born! I used Colby, as that is what I had on hand, but any chedda will work. And wow, did it work! The Feta & Chedda Egg White Omelet was delicious! I have listed the recipe below, along with the Egg Bagel recipe, because a bagel should always get an invitation to brunch!
Back to the brunch. This omelet is large, since it has eight egg whites, so it could serve up to four people. Not in my house; it served two. About a fourth to a third for me and the rest went to my daughter, Altynai. She is 5 feet, three inches, petite and has a hollow leg. I, on the other hand am 5 feet, almost 10 inches; no hollow legs here! You are asking how my adult daughter is only 5 feet, 3 inches. It is because God had a plan:
I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the most beautiful city in the world. Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Penguins! I had taken a position with my company that took me on the road. I knew that God was moving and that there was a new place out there for me to call home. With each stop, I wondered if this was the spot! I had been working on an assignment in Michigan when I had a call from management that I needed to get to Muncie, Indiana the following week. My first thought was, “Where?!!!” (Muncie is located north of Indianapolis and south of Fort Wayne. It is home to Ball State University.) The following week, I was on a plane to Indianapolis. Then an hour plus drive north and I finally arrived in Muncie. I was on this assignment for a very short time when I heard God telling me that this was the place He wanted me to move. Really?!!! There is no baseball in Muncie. I love baseball. I love the Pittsburgh Pirates. Muncie is a six hour drive to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Of course my initial reaction was UGH! But, because I want to be obedient to God, I moved to Muncie, Indiana. The first order of business when I move, after finding a place to live, is to find a church. I went to this church and that and for several months, didn’t find the one that was right. And finally, I was invited by a friend to attend her church. “You’ll like it!” she said. “It sounds like what you’ve described to me.” So I went. And I did! Like it, that is. I knew that this was the church where God wanted me. This church had a ministry in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is located in central Asia, northwest of China and south of Russia. It is one of the “Stan” countries. You know, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan. Stan means land of. So, land of the Kazakhs! The things I’ve learned! Back to the church. They were sending teams to Kazakhstan for about two week English camps. Now going to Asia is not a problem for me. I had already traveled to Hong Kong and China twice. Teaching at an English camp? Ummm, no! I didn’t feel it. So a couple years had passed by. Many trips to Kazakhstan still offered. Then in January of 2000, there was an announcement that this year, they were sending a team to work in an orphanage in Taraz, Kazakhstan. I heard the announcement and then I heard God. You will go on this trip. Now this I could wrap my head around. We were going to teach life skills to kids who had no-one! I would use my sewing skills to teach kids the basics of sewing. I was all in. So over the river and through the woods or more like planes, trains and automobiles, we went.
Flight to JFK: two hours
Flight to Amsterdam: seven hours
Flight to Almaty, Kazakhstan: seven hours
Load into small busses and drive to Taraz, Kazakhstan: seven hours
Just a hop, skip and a jump!
We had arrived. We pulled onto the orphanage property and there waiting to greet us was 200 sweet, smiling kids, excited and cheering. No one had ever come to this orphanage, or any orphanage in Kazakhstan, just to be with the kids. We were the first. It was so exuberayting that we forgot just how tired we were from the previous two days of travel.
Right away, we were taken on a tour of the orphanage. We met the younger kids during this tour. The children at this orphanage were ages four to sixteen, seventeen. We would be working with the older ones, starting at age seven or eight and up. The younger ones were divided into age groups so first we met the four year olds, then the fives and so on. We walked into the room where the five year olds lived and the little ones were sitting on benches arranged in a half circle, ready to greet us. The workers spoke to them in Kazakh and told them to say hello (we had translators). Only one little wide eyed, sweet faced girl smiled brightly and said hello (in Kazakh, of course). I looked at her and thought, wow, she looks like my sister did when she was about that age. Dark hair and dark eyes. This was when God spoke to my heart and told me that that exact little girl was to be my daughter. I would adopt her. I would be a mom. Now God has a way of working in my life. He has given me the opportunity to travel all over the world to do His work. He helped me buy a house. He has supplied all of my needs over the years. OK, so if He says I am to adopt this little girl, then He will show me the money! And walk me though it. And He did! So in April of this year, we will celebrate our 16th year together as Mother and daughter. God is good, all the time!
Priscilla
Egg Bagels
4 plus cups unbleached flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lukewarm water - about 110 degrees
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 egg
Prepare a large pot with a lid by covering the inside surface, including the lid with oil or use cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Start the mixer at a low speed and drizzle the warm water slowly to begin to incorporate dough. Add in the egg yolks slowly. Typically, two fall into the mixer and then the second two slip in. When the ingredients have been evenly distributed, the dough will begin to form a solid, smooth ball. It is time to knead. Either turn the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead until it forms into a smooth and stretchy ball or use switch to the mixer to the dough hook and let the mixer do the work for you If the dough seems too dry, add a bit more warm water, a tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time. Now turn that beautiful ball of dough into the prepared pot with the lid on. Set the pot in a warm spot to proof. Check the dough within 30 minutes. It could be ready. Mine tends to take up to an hour.
Prepare the baking sheets by placing parchment paper over the baking sheet or use cooking spray to coat the surface of the baking sheet. Use more than one baking sheet if needed.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface or onto a pastry mat. I like a pastry mat because you don’t have to use flour when working with dough. Divide the dough into 12 balls, about the same size. To do this, I take the dough and form it into a rectangle shape. I cut the rectangle in quarters. Now take each quarter and divide it into three chunks of dough, about the same size. Voila, 12 dough balls! Take each dough ball and form it into a smooth roll. Then press your thumb through the center and slightly stretch the center hole. Place each newly formed bagel onto the prepared baking sheet. Once all 12 bagels are made, cover the baking sheet with a fuzz free tea towel. Let the bagels proof again for 20 to 30 minutes.
Boiling the bagels: Bagels are cooked/baked twice. First by boiling the bagels, which assists in achieving that crustiness on that outside and sealing in that light fluffy texture on the inside. Then the bagel is baked to get them to that golden brown that we all know and love.
First, pre heat the oven to 400 degrees in preparation for the baking, which immediately follows the boiling.
Fill a wide mouthed, deep pot with water. Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey. I use honey. Sugar or honey is added to the water to assist in that golden brown goodness. When the water begins to boil, add three to five bagels, depending on the width of the pan. Beware they will puff up in the water and will get crowded if there are too many in the pot. Boil them for one to two minutes on each side. I like to boil them for one minute, flip them, boil one minute, flip, boil, flip boil. I do this because I get bored just staring at bagels boiling while I have one eye on the timer! The longer they are boiled, the thicker the crunchy crust so if you like a small crunch, boil for one minute on each side. But if you love that crunch, then go for three or four on each side. I like a medium crunch so I am a two minute on each side bagel boiler!
I have a large colander in the sink nearby ready for the draining. Pull a bagel out of the water with a slotted spoon and place in the colander. Then repeat with each bagel, placing the drippy bagels next to each other in the colander. Add more bagels to the boiling water. Now take the drained hot bagels and gently place them right back onto the parchment paper baking sheet. They can be fairly close together, but not touching.
Once the bagels are boiled, it is time to bake. But first, the bagels need an egg wash. I use a measuring cup to beat one egg. Add a tablespoon of water. This assists in loosening the egg wash. Brush the egg wash over each bagel. If you like, you can sprinkle them with
poppy seeds or sesame seeds or even onion flakes. I like plain egg bagels so I leave mine naked. The oven should be ready, so place the egg brushed bagel tray into the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. When the bagels are that beautiful golden brown, remove from the oven and place the bagels on a cooling rack or tray. They are ready to eat. Yum! I top them with cream cheese and fresh fruit or honey butter or if I’m in a particularly sassy mood, peanut butter and honey. No matter the topping, the bagels are delicious just cut in half or toasted for that extra crunch.
Feta & Chedda Egg White Omelet
8 egg whites
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup grated chedda cheese - OK, so it could be cheddar cheese, but that’s not as much fun
Salt and Peppa - or Pepper!!!
1 tablespoon butter (or butta!!)
Beat the egg whites: You can use a fork to do this but it could take a while. I used an old fashioned egg beater that had belonged to Nana, my grandmother. You can also use a mixer. Place the egg whites in a deep bowl or container. I use a large measuring cup. Whichever method is used, beat the egg whites so that they poof up and are less watery. I keep them moist so stop when all the whites look white and appear fluffy. This doesn’t have to be a meringue.
Preheat a large skillet on medium and add the butter. Once the butter begins to melt, swirl the skillet to coat the entire bottom with that golden butter. While the butter is melting, double check the egg whites. if they have begun to separate into half liquid, just give it one last whirl of the mixer. Reduce the heat of the skillet to low and pour in the egg whites. The eggs should be evenly distributed over the entire pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently swirl the eggs in the pan so that they begin to cook evenly. Lightly touch the egg whites. If they are feeling quite warm, it is time for the feta & chedda! Sprinkle the feta evenly over the egg whites, followed by the chedda. I place a lid over the skillet for one to two minutes to keep the eggs moist and to melt the cheeses. Lift the lid and take a flat rubber spatula and gently lift one side of the omelet. If is is firm and golden, it is ready. Turn off the heat.
Now for folding! There are two ways to fold an omelet. Others may disagree, but I didn’t ask them! Ha ha! Option one is to take that spatula and gently but firmly lift one side of the circle to cover the other side. Then slide the omelet right out of the pan and onto a large serving plate.
Option two is to grab that large serving plate and slide the unfolded omelet onto it. Then, gently but firmly for the omelet in half.
Either way, it tastes the same…delicious!
I had bought a cauliflower and a broccoli. They were both waiting patiently for me to decide their destiny. On this particular day, I decided it would be a veggie dinner. Now that does not mean we simply eat a veggie. It means that we use the creativity and talents, that God gave us, and create something spectacular. In this case, we attempted to make a pizza crust from the cauliflower, and Broccoli Cheddar Soup. One success, one so-so attempt. The soup was wonderful. The pizza was good but definitely needs work. Just like me. I definitely need work. But that is where God steps in. He knows that I am not perfect and that I fail. But He is always there to pick up the pieces and forgive me for my short comings. I humble myself and ask Him to forgive me and He does! Simple! In the book of Romans, it says that we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. But then Paul explains how we can be forgiven! How cool is that? 
