Bagels and pancakes and Ziploc

I made the bagels. I will say this recipe was a new one and I really did not like how they turned out. It called for 7 cups total of flour, with the first 6 cups being mixed in and the last cup used for kneading--oh goodness, I did not need it! With just the 6 cups, the dough was so stiff! I didn't even need to flour my board while kneading and actually had to add some water into the dough. It was extrememly stiff and made for slow rising, as well as hard forming of the bagels. I could not get a good ball going and that is why my bagels look a little funky-lol! Here is a pic:

Did they taste good-well, yes, they actually did-they were VERY chewy right out of the oven and slathered with butter :) Today, after being in a baggie all night, they are nice and soft and ready to be toasted. So, they are getting eaten-the kids love them. IF--IF-I use this reacipe again, I will watch the flour at about 4 cups-maybe 5. I know when using flour in making bread, you have to watch it due to humidity-you may need more or less flour in certain situatins. Also, I will saute some onions to add into the mix-I did add in onion powder and garlic powder, but I love onion bagels and these needed something. Also, I will be sure to buy some poppy seeds too :) I love them in bagels!! So, these were not a total failure!!

Now, I got a special treat the other day :) It made me very happy! I could not wait to use it but didn't know what to use it on until I went shopping....From Right @ Home I got the new Ziploc Vacuum Starter Kit. It removes air from special baggies you use with it so you won't get freezer burn. I have wanted one for a long time-going back and forth between this one (because it cost less) and the Reynold's one which my sister and mom have (they love it). Well, my decision delima was over when I got this. Every so often, you can go to http://www.rightathome.com/ and sign up to get gift packs-it is limited to a certian number, so you have to be fast-this is the first time I have ever won in probably 2 years-lol! But, if you do not win, they send out a nice coupon pack to the others, so it is still nice :)

I got in quick enough last time and got the Ziploc kit--I used it yesterday on my pancakes-it came with 3 qt size baggies (which I must add do not fit alot of pancakes in them, but that's ok-lol). I put some pancakes in a regular baggie (note here-not a freezer baggie but it is all I had on hand) and some in the Ziploc vacuum baggie....here are my results after one night of freezing:

Not the best pic but you can sort of see the ice crystals starting to form inside the regular baggie-also you can see there is air back in the baggie-this is not the Ziploc one but a regular gallon sized Great Value brand baggie.

Here is the Ziploc Vacuum baggie-no air and no ice crystals formed. It held up through the night and Im very pleased. I will try to remember to post the price of this Starter System when I go to Walmart next and also the price of the baggies-hopefully vs the price of the Reynold's system. The Ziploc System uses no batteries, so that is a plus. It only took a few pumps to get the air out. Others have reported being able to reuse the baggies after washing and drying.