If there is one thing people should know about me, it would be that I am very particular about the food I eat, how it is prepared and the way in which I consume it. It is one of the reasons why I would rather choose to make my own breakfast even when my husband offers to make it for me. I need my eggs cooked just so, with a hint of salt, and a nicely toasted slice of bread or half a bagel. I do not want an egg covered in salt next to a bagel that has been slathered in butter. Nor do I enjoy eating a burnt piece of toast. The problem with our old toaster stems from the fact that my husband and I were constantly adjusting the dial to our individual preference, making it hard to get a consistent shade. Thankfully, Dempster's sent over a new state-of-the-art toaster that toasts bagels to perfection.

The KitchenAid Architect 4-slice toaster has a motorized lift control that lowers on its own at the push of the button. The slots are extra-wide to accommodate bagels and thick pastries. You can choose one of four settings: Keep Warm, Bagel, Defrost, or Reheat, and you can keep track of the progress on the LCD display. The bagel feature is great for ensuring a nice even toast of your favourite Dempster's bagel. And because it has a digital display, my bagel will always be toasted to perfection because I can easily remember to set it at 3. 

While on the hunt for Dempster's bagels, I found that my local Valu-Mart didn't carry any so I headed out to the larger Metro and grabbed a bag each of their Everything, Sesame and Original Bagels. It wasn't long before I had toasted a bagel for myself that I had a request to make one for my daughter and then my son as well. The bagels were mostly sliced and all I needed to do was carefully twist the top and bottom pieces to pull them apart. The original bagels were very fresh and lighter than some bagels I have previously tried. My daughter enjoyed her bagel enough to ask for seconds. 

While a toasted bagel is great with a bit of butter or some yummy organic hazelnut and chocolate spread, I found I now crave a bagel with cream cheese and tomato. It makes for a great snack morning, noon or night. Here is a simple recipe for how I prepare it to my own taste:

Toast the bagel at desired setting. I prefer the bagel setting at number 3. Then spread the cream cheese, add three to four thin slices of tomato, sprinkle on the salt and top with fresh basil leaves. Eat. Repeat.