Tossed Greens with Strawberries, Avocado, Bacon, and Soft-Boiled Eggs

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Guess what?  The snow and ice have completely melted. Spring is FINALLY here!  Woohoo--doing a happy dance...doing a happy dance!  Two of the first things I have to get my hands on are fresh chives from my garden (can you believe that they made it through that blasted winter?) and sweet spring strawberries at the market.  They both come into play in this deeply flavored, sweet and savory salad.

It is perfect for a spring luncheon with friends or as a light Friday night dinner like my husband and I enjoyed it.  The greens are dressed with a delightful maple-balsamic dressing.  Just please use the good stuff and not the flavored high fructose corn syrup kind.  I'm talking about 100% pure maple syrup (I use Grade B from Trader Joe's). The salad is then topped with strawberries and avocado.  The original didn't call for bacon, but hello, there are eggs and maple syrup in there, so you just gotta have some bacon too☺.  Now about those eggs.  I like mine on the "soft centered-just barely set-little bit of runny" side. That creamy, golden center mixed in with the sweet dressing--yumm.  You could also poach them.  But if that is not your thing, you can certainly hard-boil them and slice them for the salad.  Remember--"make it for you, make it your own". 

French Toast Bagels

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I can't believe it is January 13 and we are just now receiving the first measurable snowfall in the Chicagoland area (6-8 inches of heavy snow in case you were wondering).  I can honestly say that I am happy the white stuff is finally here for several reasons.  First, it finally looks and feels like winter. Secondly, my children can get out and make forts and snowmen and have some fun in it.  On mornings when they are really itching to get out there,  I want them to have a breakfast that will fill them up in a good and tasty way, but won't tie them down to the breakfast table and cut into their playtime in the snow before school bell rings.  A quick or on-the-go breakfast is a good place to start and bagels are a great option.  But these are no ordinary bagels.  

This recipe is adapted from my plain bagel recipe (step-by-steps included in that post).  It has all of those qualities, but with all the flavors of french toast-- so good!  By adding a few extra ingredients like brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, maple flavor, and an egg for richness and great texture, these bagels take on a whole new look and taste.  And since I added more wet ingredients like the sugar and egg, I also reduced the amount of water from the original.  As I do for some of my plain bagels, I like to garnish the top with a little something extra.  I sprinkle on organic maple sugar before baking and they come out with a nice sugary and crunchy top.  Certainly optional, but I highly recommend it, especially if they are to be eaten the same day.  If you make them in advance, the maple sugar may start to dissolve and become sticky when stored in an airtight container, but the goodness is there and they still toast up beautifully.  My only problem with these bagels is that I cannot decide what I like to schmear them with-- butter, cream cheese, jam, fresh fruit, or little bit of everything for a stuffed "french toast" bagel to go.  Yum!