Sarah Vs. Food: Bagels

I LOOOOVE cheese bagels! Always have! When I was little, my mom would buy for a special treat. I would warm them up in the microwave and I had a weird way that I ate them. They were sooo good!

I found a recipe on Pinterest that I pinned over a year ago. I decided I would surprise my family by making them for Christmas!

First off, I wanted them to be a surprise do I made them after everyone was in bed...this meant a late night baking. I think I finished around 3 a.m.

The dough before rising

 Ready to boil after another 30 minute proof.

Hmmmm, smelling sooo good!!!

They turned out FANTABULOUS!!!

I made a dozen and they were gone that day! This was another win for Sarah! I will make them often and I might try different toppings!

For those keeping track at home the score is....

Sarah: 4

Food: 0

Here is the recipe:

10-12 ounces freshly grated asiago cheese

2 cups warm water

2 packets active dry yeast

2 tablespoons honey

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar (for the water bath)

vegetable oil for brushing

In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine water, yeast and honey, stir to combine, then let sit until foamy, about 10-15 minutes. Once foamy, gradually add in salt, 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of bread flour with the mixer on low speed. After 5 minutes or so, if the dough is still sticky, add the remaining bread flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and mix until combined. Remove the dough from the bowl (it should be thick and stiffer than most yeast breads) and knead a few times with your hands, forming it into a ball. Add the remaining all purpose flour if the dough is still sticky.

Brush a large bowl with oil and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place (I turn on my oven and set it on top) until it’s double in size – about 1 hour.

Once doubled, punch down the dough and place it on your counter, using a little more flour if needed to prevent it from sticking. Divide the dough into 12 pieces (I actually got 15) that are 2.5-3 ounces each. Using your kitchen scale here is priceless! Rolls the dough into balls, then places on an oiled baking sheet, cover and let rise for 30 minutes. At this time, grate your cheese and place it in a large bowl.

After 30 minutes, fill a large pot with water and add brown sugar, letting it come to a boil. While the water is heating up, take each round of dough and poke a hole straight through the middle, twirling it gently on your finger to create the bagel “look.” Place back down on the baking sheet and let rest for 10-15 minutes, while the water comes to a rolling boil.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If needed/desired, grease another baking sheet. I did this as I found it was easier to place the bagels on.

Once boiling, add 3-4 bagels at a time. Let cook for 2 minutes on one side, then using the end of a wooden spoon, flip the bagel and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove bagels one at a time and place in the bowl of asiago cheese, turning to coat and lightly pressing to adhere. Transfer to the greased baking sheet for final baking and repeat. Once all the bagels (or as many that can fit on your sheet) are finished, place in the oven and bake for 28-35 minutes. I began checking mine after 20 minutes just to ensure that they cheese wasn’t burning. It never burnt, but it did get golden and delicious!

A few changes I made:

-I used an already shredded bag of Kraft "Italian Blend" cheese

-I never used the full 3 cups of all-purpose flour

-I used a baker's non-stick spray on my cookie sheets and the bagels slid right off!

So You're a Convert Catholic

Welcome to the Catholic faith! Here are some pointers that may come in handy:

1. Don't get offended by people. Many people have been part of the Catholic faith a lot longer than you. They want to share what try know with you. They are not trying to be rude or scare you away. They simply want to share things to help you. If you find a comment offensive, offer it up to God and keep going!

2. Explore EVERYTHING!! There is sooo much to the Catholic Church! As a "cradle Catholic" I know I haven't explored everything yet. Don't get stuck doing the same things because that's what you like. Go out and find new ways to praise Jesus and keep challenging yourself. This will be how we get to know God better!

3. Get involved in your parish! This one is hard! Many parishes (mine included) have a group of people who have been in charge for the last 50 years. These people complain about how they need help and can't do it anymore, but when someone tries, they get scared away. I have finally taken the step to be a Eucharistic Minister. Took me almost 26 years, but I'm not letting the scary church ladies scare me off!! Start small, but again, don't get offended if they tell you EVERYTHING you did wrong.

4. Feel free to ask questions. I still ask questions. There are still things that confuse me. For example, I'm trying to figure out why everyone loves Eucharistic Adoration so much. Why are people drawn to it. What do you do during it? Again, see #1. People want to share with you and help you grow.

You know what? This advice is for ALL Catholics! There should be no distinction between "cradle Catholics" and "convert Catholics"! We are ALL Catholics! 

My grandma was a convert and no one really knew that! She converted so she could marry my grandpa! She went to mass every Sunday, raised her daughters in the faith, worked the bingos and church picnics, she even cleaned the church and Father's house every week. She would sometimes cook dinner for Father as well. 

So, be Catholic! It doesn't matter what word is before that. It's all CATHOLIC!

My Job is the BEST!!!

I know I have talked about how much I love my job before, but it's still true.

We are at the (about) halfway point in the school year!! It has been an awesome experience so far!

First off, I have been featured in our quarterly newsletter

I think they (maybe) might be proud of me and my discernment! This makes me feel really good!

Then, there is my stack of Christmas gifts that I received! The 4th grade gave me a homemade big card (that they all signed) and a big bag of assorted gourmet popcorn! The principal gave me wine glasses and chocolate. From Fr. Jack, I received homemade honey mustard! I'm SUPER excited to dig into that! The kindergarten gave me lotions and some soap.

Then we had our Christmas party. I didn't feel out of place or like I didn't belong once! It was an awesome feeling!

I love the kids that I work with and I love the school! I love that I'm supported when I am having trouble with the students and not the other way around. It's not a super stressful work environment and that is awesome!

However, I'm trying not to get attached. If/when I take the next step in formation, I will probably not be able to keep my job with them. That will be a sad day! I will miss them! They have been/are/will be important in my discernment!

#7QT: Late Night Discussions

A friend of mine, who I know reads my blog, and I had a chance last Friday to grab dinner and just hang out. We talked about anything and everything until around 1am-ish...here's a taste of our conversation (I know she has been waiting for this post) in #7QT style!

1. I have been thinking and praying about wearing a veil to mass. It's something I have found interesting all my life. I remember attending mass when I was younger and found myself fixated on this family that always wore a veil. Apparently I'm not the only one who has had this idea, but my friend has also thought about it. We agreed it would be awkward in our small country parishes, but...

2. We both also want to attend a Latin mass. We discussed how we didn't want to go alone and how there were fears if doing the wrong thing. It's harder to know what to do when you don't understand the language.

3. We also discussed Eucharistic Adoration. There is a parish in our diocese that offers perpetual adoration. She looked it up on their website. What she doesn't know is that I talked to a priest friend and got a little more info on it. I will be contacting the parish office this week to get more info. The chapel has a security system and you need a code to be able to get in.

4. We talked about "The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns". We have many of the same thoughts on the subject. We both enjoy following the live tweets during the show.

5. She talked about France. I can tell how much she loved it there! She wants to go back and I pray for her daily that she gets that chance. I will miss our adventures when she goes back, but maybe I'll get the chance to visit her.

6. I talked about camp and how much I loved it! I believe that every child should experience a "sleep away" camp at some point! They teach kids so much! Even though I wasn't a kid when I was at camp, I learned so much about myself and how to live with others.

7. We also talked about having young adult meetings in our diocese. It's fun when we get the chance to talk with others our own age with similar struggles. This is one reason why I love being involved in TEC (even though I feel my time on the board is drawing to a close). When we have "4th Day" events, we have a chance to hang out and do young adult stuff together. For now, we will be happy going to this event:

Linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

#TheSisterhoodFinale

Tonight was the season finale of "The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns"

This show has helped with my own discernment! It was like I was on the journey with the ladies exploring those communities! (I wish they had shown more of the Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker)

My (maybe) final thoughts of the show:

-Christie and Claire came into the experience prepared and it showed! I'm really excited for them that they have found to what community God is calling them!

-Stacy is brave in her own way! She has decided that God isn't calling her to religious life and it's awesome that she has realized this!

-Eseni and Francesca weren't prepared and hadn't been seriously discerning before this experience. And I REALLY didn't like the stupid things they were doing at the end. It showed immaturity on their part.

-It was AWESOME the way they did the final episode. They showed that they didn't run away and join the convent right away, but there were more steps for Christie and Claire to make! I also liked that they showed how the others had discerned that they weren't actively pursuing religious life at the moment.

-I LOOOVED Francesca's mom! My mom had told me something similar (about being brainwashed) when I went to a Theology on Tap hosted by the PHJCs. She was also one of the hardest people to tell when I told her that it was there that I had the overwhelming feeling that God was calling me to discern.

One of my biggest fears of starting discernment was what people would think if I chose NOT to pursue religious life. It was scary for me to tell people because I didn't want people thinking I was a bad person if I didn't chose religious life after starting the process. 

Overall Rating:

I would give this 4 out of 5 stars. I think some of the women needed to discern more. Also, the immaturity was off-putting at times. I do hope for a season 2! Would love to have sisters who don't wear the habit spotlighted!

This Week's Thoughts on "The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns"

Wow! This week's "The Sisterhood: Becoming Nums" really struck a chord with me. I have many thoughts about it...I shall arrange in a list to keep them orderly.

1. I LOVE that Eseni admitted that she didn't care for adoration. That it made her feel uncomfortable. It was neat that they showed adoration on T.V. and showed the different ways people adore Jesus.

2. I still feel like Eseni isn't truely discerning and that she is bringing Francesca down with her. The stunt that they pulled with their skirts at the end after a very powerful modesty discussion was immature. I think EVERYONE rolled their skirts in grade school, but you aren't in grade school anymore! I also think that Darnell doesn't love her. If he did, he would understand her need to discern*

*I know this from experience. While it may not have been a romantic love, it was my family. The way that they are supporting me, even when they don't understand, is truely amazing.

3. GAH!!! That's the (at least) THIRD time this week that I have felt the need for confession! As they were doing adoration, I thought to myself, I wish they would show confession...they did...and I do plan on going to confession on Thursday.

4. I can really relate to how Christie is feeling about that pull that she has found "the right" community. That is where I an at right now...I THINK I found "THE" community!! I'm still in discernment, but that pull in my heart is truely amazing!!

5. I'm back on Twitter...just so I can follow the #realpostulants...ya, exciting life...

6. One of the very first things I learned to do when I started my discernment was to let God love me. Wow, did I get chills when Sister talked about that...I still do it every night. 

Here's what I do:

-lay down and be comfortable

-close my eyes

-imagine God as the most perfect person

-see and feel His arms around me

-feel the love that He has for me

Often times I fall asleep doing this, it's okay because I'm falling asleep in the living embrace of God!

These are just my thoughts as I watch the show! I LOVE it and feel like I'm exploring these communities with Eseni, Claire, Stacy, Francesca, and Christie!

New (Liturgical) Year Resolutions!!!

The current pastor at my home parish is an interesting man. He tried to be funny me his homily last week by starting it out with "Happy New Year!" 

It didn't work and I'm fairly certain only a couple of us understood it.

It got me thinking. We set goals for a new calendar year, why not set goals for the new liturgical year.

Then this week at mass I had an overwhelming feeling that I need to go to reconciliation.

So that got now got me thinking of what I want to work on in this liturgical year.

1. Go to reconciliation once a month.

This will also require me to "get over" my anxiety I have with this sacrament, so please pray for me with this one.

2. Don't miss any holy day and Sunday masses.

I have been super lazy about attending mass. I can say that I have only missed 1 Sunday mass since July.

3. Attend a weekday mass at least once a week.

This is pure laziness on my part. I'm not a fan of mornings. And I can't find an evening weekday mass.

I feel like this is enough for right now. I will update as the year goes on with how I am doing. Again, please pray for me with going to reconciliation. My chest gets right just thinking about going.