What do you put on your bagel?

[princess43215]

One time (at band camp), a friend made me a bagel with a thin layer of cream cheese, Next a salted tomato slice. Then add a slice of swiss cheese. Broil. I just ate one. Delicious. Curious as to what everyone does.

[the_MU]

I see this thread is ancient, but I am compelled to reply.

Fruit is out. And a bagel is not a sandwich -- any decent bagel will squirt fillings out all sides if you tried to eat both halves at once. Also, I am brainwashed enough to cringe at trayf on a bagel, so ham, bacon, or meat & cheese combos just skeeve me out.

Plain butter is good. I'd also go classic with lox, cream cheese, tomato, red onion & caper, or my childhood comfort combo with thick layers of cream cheese and chopped herring.

The Mr. Bagel chain here in Maine was actually helped into existence by the guys at Ess-A-Bagel in NY, who came up to train them when they were first opened (a guy at the uptown Ess-A-Bagel told me that. Other than being twice the size they should be, their bagels are ok). You'd never know it by Mr. Bagel's bagels, though. Bleh. Lifeless hunks of pale flaccid bread. Here, I make my own.

[Steve]

For me it's pretty simple: toasted then topped with butter, tomato, s & p. Or substitute roasted red pepper for the tomato.

Crimes against food:
Blueberry bagels, asiago cheese bagels, whole wheat bagels, sun dried tomato bagels, streusel bagels, jalapeno bagels. Whenever I get to the store too late, they are the only ones left.

I firmly believe that 95% of the sale of those bagels are to desperate noshers after the shop has run out of all the acceptable ones.

[McJ]

If I am stuck with a bad bagel situation (like on a train or most places outside NYC) I'll make a cream cheese and doritos bagel sandwich. Gross and blasphemous but good. Otherwise cream cheese on plain, sesame or everything. Also smoked salmon and schmear of cream cheese. I love a pumpernickel/bialy toasted with loads of butter too.

[schrutefarms]

I stick to the same thing...Onion bagel, a sh*tload of cream cheese, slice of tomato, and lots of kosher salt. Every great once in a while I'll get a cinnamon raison bagel with cream cheese.

[gansu girl]

That sounds like my kina combo, although I'd go w/a shmear of cream cheese and a sh*tload of Kosher salt!

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

[pikiliz]

I love Blueberry bagel with peanut butter and orange blossom honey

[goodhealthgourmet]

oy. to some of us, a blueberry bagel is blasphemy ;)

[jfood]

no such thing...its a boiled blueberry donut

[Orchid64]

One of my friends swears by avocado and wasabi.

[steinpilz]

That sounds pretty good.

[wontonfm]

I like avocado and freshly ground black pepper... but the wasabi addition sounds great.

[ELEMENTIZMYLIFE]

i like to put scrambled egg,lettuce,salted and peppered tomatoe,and cheese,ona plain bagel.it brings a delight to yur bagel meal XD

[Avalondaughter]

I like an onion bagel with just butter. I go for the simple. If I want another type of sandwich, I don't eat them with bagels.

[wontonfm]

Since I was a kid I've had a special preparation. The bagel must be sliced into two flat halves. Then, butter on the top. Cream cheese on the bottom. I eat each half separately.

Other variations are butter on the top with either jam or nut butter on the bottom.

WON
http://whatsonmyplate.wordpress.com

[Shayna Madel]

Sesame or everything bagel, with a little Land ' Lakes sweet butter, a fair amount of Philadelphia cream cheese and sable.  The sable should sit out around 5-10 minutes, so it's sorta room temperature and not super-cold.  It almost melts in the mouth. It makes me very happy.

 

[operagirl]

Toasted plain bagel with avocado, nutritional yeast, and pick-a-peppa sauce. Mm.

[fara]

wow, i have to get a bagel for breakfast tomorrow now. my all time favorite is russ and daughters poppy seed bagel with cream cheese, onion, tomato, and belly lox.
tomorrow, as i am nowhere near houston st, will probably be whichever savory bagel is labeled as still "hot" with chive and onion cream cheese, maybe a slice of tomato, from bruegger's bagels. i can't believe this thread has 75 replies, good one!

[Shayna Madel]

Since you do know of Russ & Daughters, I will forgive you (for the moment) the mention of Bruegger's. If you ever get back to R & D, try the "Super Heeb," (yes, they and I know the name could be considered controversial) which consists of whitefish and baked salmon salad, horseradish cream cheese and wasabi-infused caviar. Definitely has a kick, but tolerably so. My sister and I stopped R & D recently, shortly before closing. We had seen the sandwich featured on the documentary "The Jews of New York," on PBS. They were out of bagels, as it was very close to closing time, but the counterman said they would do the sandwich if my sister ran to a bagel place down the block for a bagel. Clearly, just from the looks, this was not the best bagel, agreed my sister, the counterman and me, but the sandwich was made and they took off 70 cents for the price of the bagel. It was good, and would have been even better if it were made on a good bagel.

Check out this clip from "The Jews of New York," on PBS, where they interview the "Daughters" and the two great-grandchildren who now run the shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLzCtg...

[nliedel]

Cream cheese and tomato is my favorite. The tomato has to be in season and fairly thin though.

[justagthing]

Toasted everything, plain, or onion bagel topped w/soy sausage that I nuked along with scrabbled egg w/dill that I also nuke and some salsa. My on the go breakfast when I use to live in Seattle.

[atheorist]

Nothing compares to lox or the occasional liverwurst mustard and pickles, but for fishy goodness in a pinch, I keep a tube of anchovy paste on hand to smear on the cream cheese.

[im_nomad]

I am one of those people who likes to have a little bagel with my cream cheese...which is why i don't eat it often !! My faves are an everything bagel with plain cream cheese, or it's available, smoked salmon cream cheese (DD's). Bagel with smoked salmon, red onion, capers....or a montreal bagel with nothing but butter.

Don't like cinnamon raisin bagels (a bagel is not sweet enough to carry it), and for some reason the smell of blueberry bagels toasting almost nauseates me.

[thew]

what's a montreal bagel?

[im_nomad]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal...

[Lindseyup67]

Just LOVE bagels with regular cream cheese and a few slices of fried bacon! Also, cream cheese and hard salami that is microwaved for a few secs is delish too!!!!!!!

[foodhypnosis]

Mmm - all the traditional cream cheese with... that others have mentioned, as well as using it in place of bread for regular sandwiches. Favorite combos: sesame bagel with cream cheese, tomato slice and red onion, Pumpernickel (the really dark, really chewy NY version) with just cream cheese. Strangely delicious is cinnamon raison bagel with swiss cheese and brown mustard - the sweet and pungent combo tastes so much better than it sounds! Whitefish salad on sesame or onion. Chopped liver on onion. hungry now.

[MrsT]

Depends on the bagel. Depends on my mood. Sometimes I want an everything with butter, sometimes it's scallion cream cheese, sometimes it's plain cream cheese, maybe it's tuna fish or chicken salad, it could be roast beef and cheese. Sometimes I want a plain bagel with nothing on it. Sometimes I want a poppy bagel with Virginia ham and munster. I happen to live next door to a bagel store and I can smell them baking. I will only toast a bagel if it's a day old.

[thew]

everything is good on a real NY bagel. seiously

i tend towards sesame and poppy

this morning i had Bra Tenero cheese. i did close it like a sandwich, but that was for convenience sake ( i was hungry, and have a 3 yr old running around the house)

peanut butter is good.
nova or lox and cream cheese with onion and tomato.. a classic

also nova or lox on a buttered bagel with onion tomato and a squeeze of lemon juice mmmmmm

french cooked ham and any cheese

butter and good jam

whitefish salad and cream cheese and tomato and onion - especially on a pumpernickle bagel

bagels are great; bialys RULE!!!!!!!!!

[goodhealthgourmet]

what goes on it isn't nearly as important as the bagel itself.

take a good NY sesame bagel, slice in half, and "scoop" most of the insides out. toast the shell until nice & crunchy, and fill with:

good smoked whitefish salad. [tomato & onion slices optional].
cream cheese, nova, capers, tomato & onion. [also great with pumpernickel
smoked turkey, cream cheese [yes, cream cheese], and tomato.

or skip the filling, tear off pieces, and dip into a container of zabar's scallion cream cheese.

there's also the toasted [non-scooped] cinnamon raisin bagel spread with butter while still warm.

crap, now i want a bagel. good thing i gave them up along with all things gluten, because i know i'd never find an even remotely satisfactory one on a rainy saturday night in LA!

[bitsubeats]

thick slices of liverwurst with lots of onion, cracked pepper, and dijon mustard all on a delicious warm bagel.

[Bunnyfood]

Mmm..bagels...Ugh cream cheese(I just hate cream cheese).
Usually, have to wait until I travel out of state to get a "good" bagel, but when I do, my faves include:

Fresh bialy with an absurd amount of cold, unsalted butter.

Toasted sesame, with Garlic & Herb Boursin cheesse, run under the broiler and topped with a nice layer of fresh gorund black pepper...

[lstormont]

Bagel with cream cheese, bacon, and avocado.

[BobB]

That actually sounds good, but I can hear my Jewish grandmother roiling over in her grave as I read it...

[lstormont]

Mine doesn't know I eat it......

[dude]

minus the avocado is my wife's all-time breakfast buffet favorite!

[fara]

cream cheese and boiled ham -albeit on a toasted english is also a good combo.

[bouffe]

Russ & Daughters belly lox, with horseradish cream-cheese, capers, and white onion. So salty, so delicious.

I prefer all this on a Kossar's bialy but I do like this pumpernickel from Murrays.

[goodhealthgourmet]

brialliant, bouffe, but a tad too salty for me.

nothing beats a kossar's bialy, but i love good pumpernickel too.

i'll take mine toasted, with nova instead of belly lox, and red onion instead of white...the rest can stay the same.

[JungMann]

Oh now I feel boring with my New York everything bagels with an unhealthy schmear of chive cream cheese, topped with red onion, salty lox and a squeeze of lemon. I need to get me one of those hot pickled tongue dealies.

[Janet from Richmond]

I love a bagel topped wth cream cheese and pepper jelly...especially good on an onion or everything bagel. I also like cream cheese and smoked salmon.

[McJ]

I'll second the pepper jelly combo.

[invinotheresverde]

Bagels really are good with the cream cheese/pepper jelly combo.

[moh]

You know, I'm not sure anyone mentioned Tzatziki! The stuff made with the thick greek yogurt and lots of garlic and lemon! Arahova, a local Greek chain has some very excellent tzatziki, and they are right across from St. Viateur bagels in Montreal. I can't be the only person who does it, because they stock the stuff in the bagel shop too! But it is not a great morning bagel choice, as you smell of garlic for a very long time. Best on a toasted bagel, open face. I'm another open face bagel person, I already have a food dribbling issue ( i have stopped wearing white shirts, I prefer patterned fabrics, preferably anything resembling blobs of tomato sauce), and eating a close faced bagel is just asking for spillage. If you put enough tzatziki on a close-faced bagel, one can create a projectile object.

[emerilcantcook]

Always on toasted sesame bagel ...

Butter and Marmite (nope, I am not British)
Cream cheese and thinly sliced radishes
Cream cheese and olive tapenade
Another fan of avocado and salt here

I seem to go with the duos.

And sometimes, nothing at all. If it is a hot from the oven, and from at my favorite bagel shop (St Viateur) it doesn't need anything to make it better.

[hotteacher1976]

toasted onion, garlic, or plain bagel with herb cream cheese, yummy!

[soypower]

-plain bagel w/ cream cheese, smoked salmon, thinly sliced red onion and some capers...
-everything bagel toasted w/ vegetable cream cheese
-sesame bagel topped w/ tuna salad and a slice of swiss cheese, put into toaster oven until melty

also, in high school we used to be able to go to the student store and get a plain bagel heated in the microwave with a schmear of cream cheese on a paper towel...we would rip pieces off the bagel and dip them on the schmear of cream cheese.

[Val]

Yes yes...the cream cheese/smoked salmon/finely chopped red onion and capers combo on plain bagel is heavenly.

[Emme]

we did the same in high school, except we could purchase little mini tubs of cream cheese... heat in micro outside, then rip and schmear each bite.

[ESNY]

If i'm back at the parent's house in NJ, its Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese on a toasted everything bagel.

If I'm home, in NYC, is a light shmear of butter on a fresh Ess-a-bagel. Occassionally I'll make an open face grilled cheese sandwich (broiled till brown and bubbly) on either a salt, everything or an onion bagel. Has to be american cheese and has to be smeared with hot sauce pre-broiling. American cheese was invented for grilled cheese and cheeseburgers.

[Eat_Nopal]

Seasame Seed Bagel, Cream Cheese, Additional Toasted Sesame Seeds, Bacon, Paper Thin Sliced Tomatoe & Onion, Pickled Jalapenos

[jfood]

Bagels, like pizza, have their purists, like jfood and then there are the newbies. Bagels are plain, poppy, sesame, onion, full stop. add fruit and germs and raisins, then they become a bagel-wannabee.

On top of old bagel:

1 - Novey and a shmear. You don;t know what that is, you have never lived. And smoked salmon is NOT novey. Capers, teeney pieces of hard boiled eggs, gherkins, diced onions, thin slices of pumpernickel go with smoked salmon, not novey.
2 - Sable and a schmear.
3 - White fish and a schmear
4 - Whitefish salad
5 - Chopped herring
6 - Egg Salad
7 - Pickled Herring in cream sauce

The the big question is open-faced or as a sandwich. Jfood is an open-faced bagel-eater.

[Prav]

Open-face here as well. To nosh closed-face would be denying your nostrils of the heady fishy aromas of the novey/sable/what-have-you upon approaching each bite. Also, the bagels in Boston tend to be so oversized, it'd be difficult to eat closed face.

[Diane in Bexley]

Hey, just for the record before they revoke my membership in Our Crowd, I pointed out that nova and smoked salmon are different things! Also, I am with you on open face. Why not have 2 pieces of double the yum for practically the same calories.

[Prav]

Great minds :)

[BobB]

Ditto on the open face, but can't agree with you that it's "practically the same calories." There are quite a few more calories in that extra schmear and lox than in the bagel half itself - at least the way I load mine up!

[choctastic]

here, here!

[jfood]

DiB

If you have the same calories open and sandwiched, then you are not piling on enough to the open facer. It's almost like you have to hit the tip of the nose with the fish on the first bite. There is no way a jfood open facer could be closed and not have all kinds of schmutz come out on the first bite.

Yes you did differentiate between nova and smoked salmon, thank you so much and mozel, but to be a true argumentative MOT on the subject you gotta call it novey. :-)))

[missfunkysoul]

It makes my heart hurt a little when my PA-born husband sandwiches a bagel.... oy vey.

[goodhealthgourmet]

glad i'm not the only one who feels that way. i went to college in the south, and i would cringe every time my goyish friends did it. somehow the jews - even the southern ones - knew better.

[fara]

never had a sandwiched bagel (not open-face) until I lived in NY as an adult, constantly getting take out, and had to get used to eating the bagel outside of the house in a hurry.
how about Toasted or Untoasted? For me that is the question. If the bagel is good enough, it doesn't need to be toasted.

[goodhealthgourmet]

if i'm eating it completely unadorned, then it's not toasted, especially when it's hot, fresh & straight from the bakery oven. otherwise, it's toasted. especially when it's "scooped" [i.e. the middle is pulled out to make more room for fillings] - then it's gotta be toasted for structural integrity.

[missfunkysoul]

Agreed, if the bagel is fresh and good enough then it doesn't need a toast. I'd give it, oh, a 4-hr window after coming home from the bagel place... after that they're sliced and in my freezer!

[QSheba]

Besides the obvious favorite of Lox and Cream Cheese:) ...

Avocado + Salt
Avocado + Provolone Cheese, put under the broiler to melt cheese
Provolone Cheese, melted under the broiler

[Prav]

Whitefish salad, onions, and fresh tomato at Barry's in Waban Village, MA!

[camp1980]

The bagel I had in NY when I was visiting I think it would have been a sin to put anything on it since it was so good on its own and still warm.
Up here in Toronto the bagel must be toasted and my favorite is a simple butter, tomato and salt and pepper. Nothing fancy but yummy. I usually get this on an everything bagel as I am a garlic lover.

[missfunkysoul]

Poppy bagel, toasted and buttered w/ a slice of meunster cheese and layer of sliced half-sour pickles on each half.

YUM.

It's got that crispy-salty-fatty thing going on that drives me wild :)

[Emme]

Whole grain gluten free... split, scooped, filled w/ skim cheddar, then toasted, then filled with salsa, and maybe some cottage cheese.

Mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan, toasted, topped w/ sundried tomato puree and ricotta

As a kid, butter and cream cheese... heart attack in the making, right?

Scooped, toasted then filled w/ tuna salad and a slice of american cheese (only thing I don't mind american for)

Or, heat in microwave then rip of pieces and scoop up cream cheese on each individual bite

[cheesepowder]

cream cheese and strawberry jam. it's like a strawberry cream cheese danish.

[mrsbuffer]

On a sesame bagel, I like chive cream cheese or olive cream cheese, or sometimes walnut raisin cream cheese.

Also, there is nothing like a sausage, egg and muenster on a toasted sesame - used to get one from a little shop on 32d street in Manhattan walking from the Q train west on 32d to Penn Station.

[Ludlows23]

My traditional favorite is an everything bagel or a salt bagel with a salmon spread cream cheese - my whole childhood this was the only kind of cream cheese I would eat!

Non-traditional - college favorite - banana nut bagel, cream cheese, sliced banana, cinnemon & sugar, steamed - you have to know the place to love it!

[manraysky]

I like a toasted sesame bagel with Dijon mustard, cheddar cheese, red onions, red peppers (raw, not roasted), cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. But just the mustard and cheese is good, too.

[piccola]

I like the bagel-cream cheese-tomato combo or bagel egg sandwich (vegetarian). For something a little different, I like hummus, sprouts, grated carrots and tomato.

On a salt bagel, nothing beats Nutella.

[LaLa]

nutella for me too ...yum!

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Slippery-M...

[moh]

Just posted on the Western Canada board about smoked goldeye on a Montreal bagel with cream cheese. Goldeye is a wonderful freshwater fish that is very popular in Winnipeg and Manitoba. Smoked goldeye is subtle, smooth, and lucious, and is absolutely stunning on a bagel!

I also go up to Northern Quebec once in a while, and while in Puvirnituq, I pick up some of the locally caught Arctic char, which is lovingly smoked by a gentleman named Qalingo. It has a wilder taste than smoked salmon, and is also wonderful on a bagel with cream cheese.

[EWSflash]

moh, my mouth is watering reading your post- and I just ate. it sounds so wonderful.

[ItinerantKitchenElf]

If near a good cheese source - dutch cheese with caraway / cumin / mustard seed, with a scrape of mustard, sliced tomato, salt, thinly sliced red onion, and sprouts. Yum.

[NYchowcook]

I like an onion or garlic bagel toasted w/ butter and a slice of swiss cheese and salt. It's buttery, cheesy and all melty. Yum in the a.m.

In college my favorite late night snack was a toasted bagel w/ butter and honey. Funny, I don't think I've had it since!

For a proper Sunday morning, I like cream cheese, good smoked salmon, sour cream/horseradish mixture w/ capers.

[Kelli2006]

I like garlic, rye or onion bagels toasted on the cut side, w/ a bit of hot sauce or hot mustard.

[chelleyd01]

everything bagel, not toasted, schmear of cream cheese, kosher salami and good brown mustard. Side of slaw and a cold pickle, please.

[invinotheresverde]

On a salted bagel, I love tartar sauce and radishes. I know, i'm gross.

[steinpilz]

I've got to try that now thanks.

[invinotheresverde]

Really, it's delicious.

[steinpilz]

I like sesame, salt, poppy seed, and caraway seed bagels. I sometimes just eat them alone, otherwise I slice and toast them and either have: rosemary ham with smoked paprika mayo, or rosemary ham with black bean spread.

BTW gansugirl, Rosenfeld's in Newton Centre has salt bagels daily and they're great.

[gansu girl]

Mmmm, thanks for the tip! They're not on my usual rounds - we'll make a special trip.

[gansu girl]

This post is making my mouth water.

I agree w/the other poster re no fruity/sweet flavors and only tradionally made bagels. Must be made that day! No toasting!

Thinly sliced summer tomato and kosher salt atop a thick schmear of cream cheese
Cream cheese mixed with chopped green olives
Cream cheese mixed with chopped scallions and crumbled bacon (oy!)
Classic lox and bagels - capers, red onion, tomato cream cheese

Salt bagels are a favorite of mine (good w/all the above combos, but esp. w/the bacon and scallion duo) - but alas, in bagel-challenged Boston, they're hard to come by these days.

[BobB]

Salt bagels (my favorite too!) are also available at Kupel's in Brookline. They don't usually make a huge amount though, so best to call and check if they have them.

[gansu girl]

Thanks, Bob - I actually do check at Kupel's when I'm over there and I always seem to miss 'em . . . . not early enough!

[puppymomma]

Mmm, Kupel's. I was in Cambridge the other day and was going to drive to Kupel's. But then I remembered it was the Sabbath, and I imagine they are closed. I don't get out that way too often, so I was bummed-out.

I wanted to smother it with my "Miami" cream cheese - a combination of salmon, scallions, and horse raddish. It's the best!

[EWSflash]

Oh darn- green olives, that would be so good with cream cheese. Gotta try it.

[alexajord]

Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Banana or cream cheese and sliced strawberry
Lunch: Hummus, sprouts and cuke
Sweet: Cream cheese (or butter) and cinnamon, browned under broiler.

[DaisyM]

whitefish salad with red onions, and tomato on a toasted everything bagel!

[jeni1002]

Hummus, celery, radishes, lettuce, scallions
Fried egg, caramelized onions, spinach, tomatoes
Cheese (usually kashkaval or something similar), red onions, spinach
(not a big fan of cream cheese)
...and I'm sure I forget a few

[Diane in Bexley]

OK, I will bite. But let me clarify, to me a bagel is onion, plain, egg, sesame, poppyseed but not blueberry, cinnamon raisin, carrot or any of the other "new" flavors. A real bagel is a yeast dough that has been boiled and baked, not some kind of fluffy thing that may pass for a bagel in a place with no Our Crowd.

Here are combos I enjoy (and miss dearly while doing South Beach diet!!), always toasted well, not burnt (subtle difference!)
nova, cream cheese, thin slice of ripe tomato and thin slice of red onion
cream cheese and good sliced green olives
kosher hard salami, dijon mustard and gouda cheese broiled
same as above but with swiss cheese, fontina, gruyere or other good hard cheese
veggie cream cheese (with cucumbers, radishes, green or red peppers)
chunky peanut butter and seedless raspberry jam
nova/lox cream cheese spread w/ tomato & red onion
cottage cheese mixed with a little Splenda & cinnamon broiled (any Weight Watchers remember this?)
kosher bologna and mayo (memories of my childhood!)
hot pickled tongue, cole slaw and slice of swiss cheese broiled open faced
very rare roast beef, horseradish mayo, and swiss/emmenthaler/gouda cheese with lettuce & tomato
2 fried eggs, some kind of cheese, slice of cooked sausage

[KevinB]

Oh geez - a cinnamon raisin bagel hot out of the toaster with butter? Here in the Great White North, that's a welcome winter treat.

And just to change things up, may I suggest you try your lox/cream cheese bagel with some capers? A little less sharp than the onion, but still great flavour. (Not that I'm dissing your combo - lox/cc/tomato/onion sounds pretty good to me!)

[Diane in Bexley]

Sorry to disappoint Kevin, but cinnamon raisin is for crumb or coffee cakes, not bagels. There is a subtle difference between nova and smoked salmon, but I do like capers and will try that next time. I have actually made my own gravalax and serve a whole side of salmon with finely chopped red onions, capers, hardboiled eggs, so why wouldn't it be good on a bagel? Thanks!

[hotteacher1976]

I agree

[tigerd]

Every morning I eat 1/2 of a cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted, with extra crunchy peanut butter (all natural) and sometimes have sliced bananas and honey on top! Yummmm.... I look forward to it every morning :)

[big o]

Eh, peanut butter and jelly is for white bread and 4-year-old kids, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed otherwise. I'd say toasting a bagel is a worse offense than putting cinnamon in it.

[EWSflash]

Oh gosh, a hound after my own heart, big o.

Cinnamon is the most overused ingredient on earth, gawd, my MIL puts cinnamon potpourris in the bathrooms at her house and how can you ever not make the connection between sh__ and cinnamon after that? It's a good spice, but horribly ubiquitous.

and toasting a bagel ruins it IMO, but then they sure smell great when my coworkers are toasting theirs in the toaster oven when I come in to work in the morning. SO much better than cinnaon LOL

My perfect bagel has a schmear of cream cheese, capers, nova lox, pepper, maybe some red onion, heaven on a plate.

[goodhealthgourmet]

"my MIL puts cinnamon potpourris in the bathrooms at her house and how can you ever not make the connection between sh__ and cinnamon after that?'
~~~~~~
LMAO!!

i must confess i used to love toasted cinnamon raisin bagels with butter when i was a kid. i haven't had one in years, but that must sound positively vile to you!

[16crab]

I can only to bagels with cream cheese if there's lox to go alongside. I detest plain cream cheese on its own, save it for making a good cheesecake.

When I'm at home and having the lox and cream cheese (which isn't often, hubby is veg and I can't eat a whole package of lox on my own and so we have to be having company...) my whole day is made when I remember my little jar of capers. That combo is heaven.

Agreed. If I want cinnamon for breakfast (which I often do, don't get me wrong), I'll have a muffin.

[garlicvampire]

It drives my Yankee husband nuts that I put a "see through" layer of cream cheese on my bagel! I used to think he was joking about it until we were in NYC. When the waiter saw all of cream cheese left on my plate, he asked if it had gone bad and when I said that's how I liked my bagel, I got quite the stink eye.

[boogiebaby]

Besides the usual toasted bagel with cream cheese, I like:

toasted onion bagel with cottage cheese, salt and pepper
toasted bagel with cream cheese, thinly sliced red onion, thin sliced ham and pepper