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?

Boo - one ADORABLE Raggie!

 











Well, I couldn't very well have an entire post devoted to Bentley (link: HERE)  and not have one about BOO now, could I?!

The problem is that Boo is camera shy.  Really!  He knows -- and HATES -- the camera.  He hates the flash.  He hates the little red light that shines in his eyes, even when the flash is OFF.  He literally runs when he sees me with the camera.  The older he gets, the worse his camera-phobia has become.  Therefore, it has become quite difficult to get a nice picture of Boo lately (awake, anyway!!!)

Boo is so special to me.   He was 4 years old in January.  He started out in life with a heart murmur which scared me, but it resolved before he was a year old.  He is "fit as a fiddle" now, and I am sooooo relieved and happy about that.

I love him so much.  He was my first "Raggie" and I will never forget how adorable he was as a baby kitten..  This is Boo the first time I "met" him... not quite 3 months old, and still at the breeder's.  (Is this not the CUUUUTEST kitten you have EVER seen???!)

These are some pictures of Boo "through the years"... see how he has darkened up? He's a seal bi-color Ragdoll, so (as is typical for Raggies) his dark brown "points" got gorgeously darker through the years... but of course his eyes stayed bright, clear blue.

 

Doin' the Famous Raggie Flop!  (With my daughter's cat, Buster.)

 Me and m' boy!

Look at that face!  Could you resist THAT FACE???!! I can't!

Just ONE MORE treat, Mom????  Pleeeeeze????

During our kitchen remodel, Boo quickly learned to climb the step ladder all by himself.  He would shimmy up there in 5 seconds flat, and then "supervise" us from his "perch"!

Boo's such a quirky little guy.  He makes us laugh (and scratch our heads!) frequently.  Raggies are typically a pretty "quiet" breed, but not Boo -- I guess he didn't get that memo!  He is VERY vocal, always *talkin'* about something!

He's more cuddly than his li'l brother, Bentley... but some of that I am convinced comes with a little bit of age.  Right now, "play" is the name of (one-year-old) Bentley's game!  Boo is especially snuggly during naps and at bedtime, and oh, I LOVE that!  He's a selective lap-cat... loves my husband's lap at his home office chair (?!!) and my lap when I'm in the bathroom ("?!!"  indeed!) and when I'm sitting at a dining room chair.  Go figure?!  But hey, we'll take it wherever we can get it!

So, it's no secret that my husband and I totally adore BOTH of our kitties.  They crack us up and they make us smile everyday.  I think animals are truly a "gift"... and I am honored and delighted to share my home and heart with these two.

For more posts on my kitties, please look here:

• Introducing Boo
• Welcome Home, Bentley!
• Update on my Boys
• Bentley (One CRAZY Raggie!)

Thank you!