Makin' Bagels

It was a cold and blustery day in PA... a good day to be inside. My husband was out of town. It was a day off work for my dear daughter and me.   It was a perfect day to try our hand at... making bagels!

We LOVE Panera bagels, especially the Asiago ones and the cinnamon toast ones. But we don't live near a Panera. So unless we wanted to drive a distance (which we didn't), we would have to make our own.

We did a little research, read and compared recipes and finally decided on THIS ONE (Asiago) and THIS ONE (Cinnamon Crunch).

We convened at my house and got started:

Brody had his faced washed and was ready to get busy.

As usual, the cats were excited and involved...  #sarcasm

Double checking the recipes:

Beautiful new KitchenAid mixer did a wonderful job mixing up the dough.  

But nothing beats hand kneading!

Our dough raised beautifully!

Dough shaped into 13 rounds. Starting to look like bagels now!

Short break for a belly rub:

"Awww thanks Sissy! You know the BEST spots!"

Next the bagels got boiled for a few minutes...

Grating the cheese...

Ready for the oven now...

Sprinkled with the cheese and baking in the oven.

Smelled soooooo good!

TA DA! Beautiful finished Asiago bagels! #AsGoodAsPaneras #MaybeEvenBetter

Next up, the Cinnamon Crunch bagels. (We were pros by now!)

Then kitchen tidied up...

Two happy (and just-a-little-tired) bagel loving' girls:

We divided the bagels and darling daughter went home.

All told, about 4.5 hours, start to finish...

The cats were EXHAUSTED!

NATIONAL CAT DAY

Today, October 29, is National Cat Day.  It's a day to recognize and honor the wonderful and wacky feline members of our world.

Some fun CAT FACTS:

1.  In North America, cats have become more popular as pets than dogs.  Nearly 73 million cats are kept as household pets vs. 63 million dogs.
2.  A cat can jump up to 5 times its height per jump.
3.  Outdoor cats have a lifespan averaging only 3-5 years; indoor cats can live to 16, or more!
4.  Cats are the mammals with the largest eyes.
5.  Cats have 24 more bones than humans.
6.  Cat's pregnancies last about 9 weeks.  Most litters have 4-6 kittens.
7.  Each side of a cat's face has 12 whiskers.  Cats use their whiskers to measure openings, indicate mood, and for general navigation.
8.  A fingerprint is to a human what a nose is to a cat.
9.  Want to call a hairball by its scientific name? Next time, say the word "bezoar"! (As in, "Why yes, there's another BEZOAR on my bed!")
10.  Cats sleep on the average of 16-18 hours a day.  Of their time awake, approximately 1/3 of it is spent grooming themselves.

(Cat Facts from DID YOU KNOW...)





Here are a few ways to celebrate National Cat Day:
(Reprinted in part from Baxterboo.)  

1. ADOPT A CAT. Do you have room in your home for a homeless kitty? Visit Petfinder.com to find available cats for adoption near you. If you can't adopt, encourage others to do so or sponsor one at a shelter. Consider fostering cats as an alternative to help several cats and kittens.

2. TAKE CARE OF YOUR CAT. If you are a cat guardian, guard them well with updated vaccines, quality food and yearly check ups. Also, if you haven't spayed or neutered the cats under your care (either house cats or feral) please do so to keep more cats from contributing to shelter populations.

3. PLAY WITH YOUR CAT. Cat behaviorists suggest playing with your cat at least 15 minutes a day for mental and physical exercise. This keeps cats in shape and emotionally well balanced. It can reverse problem behaviors! This is particularly important for indoor cats and cats that used to be outdoor cats. Cats need to experience the daily "hunt" to feel all catty inside. This includes stalking, catching and "killing" a cat toy. This technique is best created with fishing pole type toys. Well-exercised cats are less likely to exhibit behaviors that get them sent to shelters.

4. DONATE TO YOUR FAVORITE SHELTER. Cats and cat shelters have it rough. Because of severe cat overpopulation, nearly 7 out of 10 cats in shelters are euthanized. Consider getting involved by volunteering your time and money at your local shelter where your resources can really make a difference.

My husband and I are happy and honored to share our lives with our two wonderful cats, Boo and Bentley. We love them so much! They make us laugh and smile every day. They also keep us humble. It's pretty hard to start thinking TOO MUCH of yourself when you live with cats!

Boo Radley

Bentley Edmund Spencer

Do you have a special cat (or two...) in YOUR life?

FOREVER CAT

LOL!

Update on our darling Boo!

I gave a Squeak (Bentley) "update" awhile ago (please look here), and my faithful, kitty-lovin' readers have informed me that I am long overdue for one of Boo. I totally agree!

The problem is that Boo (my 4 year old seal-bicolor Ragdoll)  is CAMERA SHY! Srsly! He hhhhhhates the camera. He hates the flash. But even without the flash, my Canon Power Shot emits a red light prior to taking any picture, and apparently Boo doesn't like THAT, either!

What's a devoted Raggie mom to do??! I get out the camera out and he starts running! Really! You'd think I beat him with it, LOL! ;o)

Therefore, MOST of my Boo photos are of him SLEEPING. Which, while 100% adorable, admittedly aren't too awfully exciting!

Buuuuut, I am tenacious  ;o)  and have been working hard on getting some good *awake* pictures of him with my new phone (no evil red light!)

So here you go, an update on my adorable, quirky Boo. Complete with his own captions. (Because, yes, I KNOW how he thinks!!!)



Yes, of course I am aware that I am leaving fur all over the quilt fabric in this basket!  So what's your point?

  

You need to use the sink? There's another one downstairs.



You need to do laundry? More baskets downstairs.

I am the King of the Land Under the Table!

You can have your quilting fabric after my nap... *yawn!*

You want to use these quilts?  Um, not now.  Sorry.

No, I really prefer to think of this as MY bed. Thx.



Ahhhh, nappin' with my brother in a sun beam. Life is gooood!



Um, what is it about "get another basket" that you don't understand?!




This box pleases me.We will keep it. And yes, right here in the kitchen. Thx.

Isn't he ADORABLE?  We sure think so.  For more posts on our darling Boo, please look:
HERE
HERE  
HERE

Thanks!



Bentley (aka "Squeak") Update

"WHAT?!  You lookin' at ME?!"

So my kitty-loving followers have told me it's time for an update on my adorable Raggies.  I am pleased and honored to oblige!

First up, Bentley (aka "Squeak").  Born on 12/1/09, Bentley (a blue lynx mitted) is from Megailee Ragdolls near Raleigh, NC.  He came home at 3 months old, and he was 14 months old in these pictures and the video.

He is 100% gorgeous, and one of the two Raggie lights of our lives!  (His older brother Boo is the other one, and I'll do an update on him soon.  Getting good pictures of Boo is little trickier, though, because he HATES the camera, and runs away whenever he sees it.  And if I do a video of Boo, it will probably have to be of him sleeping!!!  Really!)

Anyway, Squeak is 11 pounds, 4 ounces, according to the vet's scale.  (But he looks much larger because of that soft, plush fur coat he wears!)  He is healthy, bright-eyed, quiet and sweet; and rarely meows.  The name of his game is PLAY*PLAY*PLAY, and he is an excellent "fetcher".  (Don't miss a short video clip of that HERE.)  Even people who are not cat-lovers (I can hardly even imagine!) comment on what a striking, stunning animal he is.

And a short video clip (less than a minute long) of my beautiful boy :

 

Other blog posts about Bentley can be found below.  

Enjoy, and thank you for looking!  

Welcome Home, Bentley!
Oct. 2010 Update
Bentley - one CRAZY Raggie!