So Halloween is coming up…

For some reason, thinking about costumes for Halloween always stresses me out. Girls/women seriously have the trickiest situation for Halloween costumes. Please fellow females, tell me you know what I am talking about.

There are hardly any non-slutty costumes around anymore for women. Sure you can find them…but some of them are like actually SCARY. I’m not the biggest fan of super scary things so I really don’t think it would work out too well if I was scared of myself. Funny short side story! When my sister was really little, she dressed up as a witch for Halloween and my mom did her make-up. When my mom was done with her make-up and my sister looked at herself in the mirror, she was too scared to look at herself and had to take the make-up off.

That would totally happen to me..I’m the same person my sister was when she was 8.

So I tend to go the more fun, humorous, cute route for costumes. This year some of my friends and I are going to be the “Dream Team” from the 90s with Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, Dennis Rodman, you know..all them from the Bulls. I want to hear what you guys are all planning for being for Halloween! And if you have any cute plans for your kids/pets!!

Oh yeah, I made bagels and they turned out pretty awesome. Homemade bagels are a gazillion times better than store bought-true fact..so give these a try! Homemade bagels may sound intimidating, but they are seriously super duper easy and the end product is so worth it!!

Homemade Bagels

(Makes 12 medium bagels)

4 1/4- 4 3/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat, then the rest all-purpose)

1 package active dry yeast

dash of salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

1. Using a stand mixer, combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast. Once combined, add warm water, 3 Tablespoons of the white sugar, and a dash of salt. Beat with mixer for 30 seconds on low, scraping when necessary. Then, beat on high sped for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, mix in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Cover with clean dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Working quickly, divide dough into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and poke a hole through the center, stretch out hole until about 2 inches in diameter. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with clean dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
3. Broil raised bagels about 5 inches from heat for 1 1/2 minutes, then flip each bagel and broil for an additional 1 1/2 minutes. The tops of bagels should not brown. Meanwhile, bring 6 cups of water combined with remaining Tablespoon of white sugar to a boil in a dutch oven. Reduce heat and simmer bagels four or five at a time, for 7 minutes, flipping each over once (so 3 1/2 minutes for each side). Drain bagels on a paper towel lined wire rack. Place drained bagels on a well greased baking sheet and bake in 375 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Let bagels sit for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy! Store leftovers in plastic bag or tupperware container.

Random Fact of the Day: A survey reported that 12% of Americans think that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.

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