Oven toasted bagels

I love to make big breakfasts on the weekend, Sundays especially. I think it stems from all the family breakfasts we used to have at Grandma Helen's house growing up. Those breakfasts were amazing. Fruit, pancakes, waffles, sausage... everything. Not at once of course, but certainly a handful of them every week.

One of the great things was that everyone helped out. Aunt Carolyn would help man the toaster. Mostly, because Grandma burned it all the time. When we had waffles, Uncle Jack was in charge of those. We ate in shifts as people trickled in from mass or from across the driveway. Dishes were done in shifts, too, so no one got stuck washing them all. More often than not, I was in charge of sweeping the floor.

It's just three of us at our house, so you'd think making a big breakfast would be easy. Less to cook, less to coordinate, and it doesn't have to be spread across the whole kitchen. Still, there are some things I can't quite manage. Pancakes, bacon, and fruit salad? No problem! I can whip that up in my sleep. Bacon, eggs, and bagels? For the same breakfast? Ready at the same time? Not a chance.

I don't know why, but the bagels throw me off. Maybe because I only have a two slot toaster. Maybe because I hate it when they get cold and butter won't melt. Or because Phee only wants hers barely toasted. Whatever the reason, I feel like it flops when I try to make bagels for everyone's breakfast.

One morning, standing in the kitchen prepping everything, I was trying to figure out how I could fix the bagel problem. No toaster oven, two slot toaster... what's left? The oven. I wrapped the bagels in foil and popped them in the oven. I figured the worst case scenario was that the bagels didn't get toasted, or even warm, and I had to pop them in the toaster anyway. So, really, I wouldn't be any worse off than I was.

Turned out, it totally worked. Eggs, not burnt bacon, and perfectly warm, toasty bagels all ready to go at the same time. A breakfast success!

If you want to give this a try, slice the bagels, wrap them in foil, and put them in the oven on 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. To make it work for me, I gather up all my breakfast cooking supplies and get them ready. I put the bagels in the oven first then start the bacon. Eggs happen last. It all comes together and nothing is burnt. Delicious!

What's your best breakfast cooking tip? I could use some more!