Lifelong fans of sesame bagels, ordering an everything bagel at Zabar’s, our favorite specialty food shop in New York City, proved a no-brainer. One bite and we knew we’d search out these toasted sesame, garlic, onion and poppy seed bagels at every opportunity.

Decades later, spice companies brilliantly bottled the chunky, aromatic topping from everything bagels into jars. We’ve tried nearly all brands. Flavors vary from very garlicky to a toasted sesame punch. Some taste saltier than others.

It’s easy to customize your own blend. Little flakes of dried minced onion and garlic, along with sesame seeds form the backbone of the mixture. Lately, I’m in favor of using a garlic seasoning salt with parsley for a subtle garlic flavor. When I have them on hand, I use both white and black sesame seeds. You can toast the seeds briefly in a small skillet to bring out more flavor and be reminiscent of a toasted everything bagel.

Our family uses the seasoning blend on boneless chicken breasts and thighs destined for oven roasting or the grill. The blend tastes great over a toasted, buttered plain bagel or English muffin in the morning. You’ll enjoy it too, sprinkled over corn on the cob and baked potatoes.

For a savory muffin riff, I replace the salt in the muffin batter with Everything bagel seasoning blend — either homemade or store-bought. Serve the muffins warm, with butter, as a side at your next cookout. Everything will be delicious.

Everything Bagel Seasoning Blend

Makes a scant 1/2 cup

Note: Toasting the sesame seeds is optional. You can substitute 2 teaspoons each: garlic powder, salt and dried parsley for the garlic seasoning salt if desired.

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (or more white sesame seeds)

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