It's a "Two-fer"

I heart bagels. I really, really do. I also love things made from bagels. Tonight I whipped up two bagel-licious recipes and I shall share them with you.

First, my gourmet croutons. I've been making these for quite some time and they are AMAZING! You will never buy croutons again. This is so easy and forgiving that you will never run out of ways to mess with these babies to suit your flavor desires. You can buy fresh bagels but you really should buy day-old bagels. If you use fresh bagels you may just have to cook them for longer. If you go to a place that specializes in bagels you can usually get whole bags for cheap. I got mine from a coffee shop in my town, and they are 6 for $3. If you like your croutons to be minimally seasoned, buy plain bagels. If you are like me, the "Seasoning Queen," get something like the Everything Bagels. I also recommend getting these if your spice collection consists of no more than salt and pepper. And away we go...

You are going to want to turn your oven on to 400º. Get out your bagels and a breads knife. Also get a big bowl and two big spoons. You can also use a large Ziploc style bag for this too. Make sure you have some EVOO and any spices you may want. Get out cookie sheets and tin foil. Lay the tinfoil down on the cookie sheet. This step is not totally necessary but I really hate scrubbing my cookie sheets down.

Cut the bagels (you can use as many as you want, but I suggest 3) in any size chunk that you wish. Toss them into the bowl or baggie. Then drizzle in some EVOO. Don't overdo it! Add a tablespoon and try to coat the pieces with it. It is easier to use a baggie for this, but that's also kind of wasteful (unless you wash and reuse your baggies). If you are using a bowl, here's where you are going to use the big spoons to toss everything around. You only need enough oil to coat the pieces, so continue to add a little more at a time until they are lightly coated. If they are soaking it will be disgusting when you try to eat them. Once they are coated you can add seasonings. If you are unsure about this, stick with salt and pepper. Dried parsley goes well in croutons too. Tonight I made them with sage, cumin and parsley. I've even made them with curry before. Again, get everything mixed well. Now just dump them onto the cookie sheet and make sure each piece is lying flat on the sheet. You don't want pieces piled on each other, or they will cook unevenly. Put them in for about 10 minutes. You are going to want to keep checking them. After they start to get light brown on the edges you should carefully remove one, blow on it, and try it. If it's not crisp enough, wait a few more minutes, and try again. As soon as they are as hard as you like them, remove, let cool, and put them into something air tight (baggie, container, etc.).

These are not only great on salad but awesome for soup too, as they don't get soggy right away like store-bought ones. They are also cool because you can change the flavor to suit what you are using them for. Let's say you are making some fancy Mexican salad, add chili powder and use jalapeno bagels. If you are going to have a big Italian feast, just toss in some Italian seasoning and get Sun Dried Tomato bagels. I think you get the point.

Recipe #2-Bagel chips!

I haven't bought bagel chips from the store in awhile, but they aren't super cheap. I mean, if you live at home and your parents buy your groceries, and you are just buying these as a snack, it's probably not a big deal. Or, if you are Bill Gates, you probably don't worry about your grocery bill. At any rate, I think it's always more rad to make something at home and tailor it for yourself.

Basically you are going to keep your oven at the same temp. While the croutons are cooking, take the other 3 bagels and slice them. I would recommend that you cut them in the middle. Not the way you cut them when you are going to toast and schmear them, I mean cut them the other direction. This gives the bagel a flat surface for the rest of your cutting. This prevents you from cutting yourself and bleeding all over your yummy bagels.

Now keep slicing as thick or as thin as you want them to be. You will probably get about 10 slices out of each bagel. Now take the bowl that you were just using for your croutons and toss in 5 slices at a time. Drizzle lightly with your EVOO and try to get them coated again. It's fine if every little part isn't covered, just make sure to get some on each piece. When you are done, place them on the cookie sheet. You can sprinkle salt on them if you like, or leave them plain. Complete this step until you have put all the pieces onto the cookie sheets and then pop them into the oven. When they start to get light brown on the edges, flip them over and put them back in until the back side is done.

Again, you can add seasoning to this if you want. Or, if you want a good snack for your kids, you can use Cinnamon Raisin or Blueberry bagels. You could always sprinkle sugar instead of salt over these, or leave them with just the EVOO.

Any way that you make these, people with think you are brilliant when they try them. You could probably even bring them as Hostess gifts or whip up a yummy dip for the chips and bring them to your next potluck. Enjoy!