Buttery Sugar Glazed Doughnuts

Okay I must admit memories of homemade doughnuts are only those from a young women activity in high school the result was a sugary grease bomb. This recipe turned out perfectly and if you make sure your  oil is hot (350*-360*) before frying the doughnuts will not be greasy. The kids are ecstatic and kinda think I'm cool for venturing out in this arena. Next time we will experiment with a few different toppings. I chose to keep it simple today. :) I saw this recipe at Real Mom Kitchen she did hers heart shaped for Valentines day .


Buttery Sugar Glazed Doughnuts
makes 26 doughnuts and holes (Print This)

Yeast Doughnuts
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 package instant yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/3 stick melted butter (not hot, just melted)
1 tablespoon Vanilla
4 cup All Purpose Flour
pinch of salt
Oil, for frying

Add sugar to the warm milk (around 110 degrees), and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the yeast, and allow to rest around 10 minutes.

Combine the eggs with the butter and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium low speed with the dough hook until well combined. After the 10 minutes have passed on the yeast, add the mixture to the butter/egg combination, and mix for a few minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt

Begin adding the flour, one half cup at a time, until it is all incorporated. Use a medium speed for this. Do not over knead, dough will be a bit sticky.

Remove dough from the mixer, and place in a greased bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 4-5 hours, or overnight is you wish.

Roll out the dough to 1/3 to 1/5 inch thickness. Cut with a doughnut cutter (or biscuit cutter)

Place cut doughnuts on parchment, and allow to rise in a warm place until very airy and light.

Heat oil to 350/360, and drop doughnuts in one at a time. Cooking time will vary based on the heat of your oil, but 15 seconds per side worked for me. Remove from oil and pat with paper towels. Continue until all doughnuts are fried.

Dip in glaze. Allow to dry. Dip again, if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Doughnut Glaze
4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup milk

Stir all ingredients together until well combine

Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

I made thes great cupcakes for Valentines Day. They were a big hit. I found the recipe at Jamie cooks it up. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Vanilla Cupcakes wih Raspberry Filling

(printable version) RASPBERRY FILLING: 2 heaping C (one 12 ounce package) frozen raspberries 1 1/2 T cornstarch 2 T lemon juice 1/2 C sugar 1 T butter 1 t almond extract dash salt CUPCAKE: 1 box Duncan Hines White Cake Mix 1/3 C flour 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding 4 eggs 1/3 C sour cream 1 1/2 C water 1/3 C oil 1 t almond extract FROSTING: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 C butter, softened 3 T shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco) 5 1/2 C powdered sugar 4 T whipping cream 1 t vanilla dash salt RASPBERRY FILLING 1. Place 2 heaping cups frozen raspberries, 1 1/2 T cornstarch, 2 T lemon juice and 1/2 C sugar into a medium sized sauce pan. Stir it around with a whisk to combine. 2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. The raspberries will break down very quickly. Continue to stir while the mixture boils for about 2 minutes. or until the filling becomes glossy and thick...like this. 3. Remove the pan from the heat, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon almond extract and a dash of salt. The filling is a bit sour if eaten plain. However, remember that we are going to pipe it into a sweet cupcake and top it with an even sweeter frosting. The sweet and tart will work nicely together. 4. Set the filling aside to cool. CUPCAKES 1. Into your stand mixer add 1 box white cake mix, 1/3 C flour and 1 small box of vanilla pudding. Toss it around with a fork to combine. 2. Add 4 eggs, 1/3 C sour cream, 1 1/2 C water, 1/3 C oil and 1 t almond extract to the dry ingredients. Mix on low for about 1 minute. Then scrape the sides of you mixer with a rubber spatula and beat on medium speed until the batter is smooth and a bit thick. 2-3 minutes should do the trick. 3. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners and spoon the batter into them.  Fill the liners just a bit over half way full. This will give you a nice round domed cupcake. If you fill them too full  you will have cupcakes with more of a mushroom shape. 4. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 5. Remove the pans from you oven and allow the cupcakes to rest in the pans for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely. 6. When your cupcakes (and filling) have cooled completely, place a large cake decorating tip into a pastry bag. Carefully fill the bag with the raspberry filling. This can get a little bit messy. Be sure that when you are filling the bag you turn the tip end up a bit so the filling doesn't run out. 7. Pipe the filling into each cupcake. FROSTING 1. Place 1 package softened cream cheese, 1/2 C softened butter and 3 tablespoons shortning into your stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until well combined and smooth. 2. Add 5 1/2 C powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a dash of salt. Mix until well combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more whipping cream. If it gets too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. 3. Fill another pastry bag with the frosting and pipe it onto each cupcake.

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Sweetheart Peanut butter blossoms

I saw this version of peanut butter blossoms on my sisters cafe.......amazing perfect for Valentines day !!!

Sweet “Heart” Peanut Blossoms
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cup flour
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
1 package heart shaped chocolates

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll into balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 375°. Then press heart shaped chocolate gently into each cookie. Bake 1-3 minutes longer.

(Print This)

Olive Garden Style Salad

Last night we had planned on feeding the sister missionaries for our church . It turns out that one of them had the flu so I delivered dinner to them. We made  Pasta e Fagioli Soup, breadsticks, and this wonderful Copy cat salad recipe. The dressing is creamier than the original Olive Garden dressing but it doesn't dissapoint. Turn your kitchen into the "Olive Garden " tonight :) The whole family loved this.

Olive Garden Salad with Homemade Dressing

Time: 15 minutes  ...  Yield: 6-8 servings Recipe from Copy Cat Recipes (Printable Version) 2 romaine lettuce hearts (you just want the hearts, they will give you a crisp crunchy texture.) 3 Roma tomatoes 1/2 red onion 1/2 C medium sized olives 1 C croutons 1/4 C Parmesan cheese Dressing: 1/2 C mayonnaise 1/3 C white vinegar 1 t Canola oil 2 T corn syrup 4 T Parmesan cheese 1 t minced garlic 1/2 t Italian Seasoning 1/2 t parsley, dried 1 T lemon juice 1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or small food processor and mix until well combined. 2. Chop your lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. Add your olives, croutons and Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine. 3. Pour dressing over the top. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

 

Multigrain Bread

When I saw this great recipe show up on Our Best Bites I knew I would be making it as soon as I had a chance to purchase the 7 grain cereal blend. I made this today and it was big hit in my house even with my picky 4 year old grandaughter. If you like making your own bread and want one that is perfect for sandwiches then look no further :)

Cooks Illistrated Multigrain Bread

printable version

1 1/4 c. 7-grain hot cereal mix (like Bob's Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills) **(I used 7 grain cereal from Winco's bulk section) 2 1/2 c.  boiling water 3 c. flour 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour 4 tbsp honey 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast 1 tbsp table salt 3/4 c unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (I left these out) 1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats 1. Place cereal mix in bowl of mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in medium bowl. 2. Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 c at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (add 2-3 tbsp flour if needed). Continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. Place dough into greased container with 4-qt capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. 3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9×5 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12×9 inch rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise. Shape loaves and coat with oats; cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing, about 3 hours. 4. Leftover bread can be wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days; wrap with an additional layer of aluminum foil and the bread can be frozen for up to one month.

Pretzel Turtles

This is a great treat to make if your short on time and the kids can help !!! My husband thought they were dang good!!

Pretzel Turtles

Ingredients

• 20 small mini pretzels
• 20 chocolate covered caramel candies
• 20 pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate covered caramel candy on each pretzel.
3. Bake for 4 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps

I found this amazing recipe at Iowa Girl Eats and had to try it immediately. The result was amazing. I made a couple of changes to this recipe do to the ingredients I had on hand. I used diced chicken breasts instead of ground chicken and I used crunchy peanut butter instead of the chopped peanuts :)
This was a bif hit with the husband. I served it with coconut rice ...YUM!!! If you like asian cuisine then try this recipe....you won't be sorry.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps
(Printable Version)

Serves 2-3 Ingredients: 1lb ground chicken breast 1/2 medium onion, minced salt & pepper, a dash of each 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 inch gnob fresh ginger, peeled & minced 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1/2 Tablespoon water 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter 1/2 Tablespoon honey 1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hotter) dash of fresh pepper 3 green onions, chopped 1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped 10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry Directions: 1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, and cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add in minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink. 2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine.( I added the ingredients straight to the skillet with great results) 3 Add green onion and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through. 4. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves

Autumn Chopped Salad

Today was the day I tried this fabulous recipe I found on Pinterest...Go ahead and Thank Me...

This is the PERFECT salad for your Thanksgiving Meal. It is amazing....best side salad ever.....

I prefer a homemade dressing over the bottled dressing mentioned ...however this salad is great either way...ENJOY I know you'll love it.

Autumn Chopped Salad(Printable Version)

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and
feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of
the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing:
70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you
prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the
combination.

**** My Favorite Option for the dressing comes from Shannon Carlsen recipe to follow:

2 tsp Poppy seeds
2/3 C sugar
3/4 C. vegetable Oil
1/3 C. Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 TBSP onion
1/3 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until blended

Cake Pops or Cake Balls

Ingredients for Cake Pops
(Printable Version)
To make these cake pops, you will need:
1 cake baked in a 13x9 pan
1 tub of frosting, or about 2 cups
12 ounces of candy coating
lollipop sticks

Crumble the CakeBegin by breaking up the cake into fine crumbs. This recipe is really flexible, and you can actually use any flavor of cake, or even substitute muffins or quick breads instead. Whatever you use, work the cake until it's entirely crumbled.

Mix in FrostingTake your frosting, and again you can use any flavor you like, and mix it in. you can use a spoon, but I think it's easier, although messier, just to use my hands. I reserve a little of the frosting because I don't always need it. The exact amount needed will depend on the moistness of the cake.

You want the final mixture to be fairly moist and to easily hold itself together when you shape it into a ball, but not so moist that it's soggy or gooey.

Roll the Cake into Balls
Roll the cake into small balls, using a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop. You should get between 3-4 dozen balls depending on how large you make them. Set them on a lined cookie sheet.

Freeze the Cake Balls
Once they're all formed, put them in the freezer to harden for about an hour to make them easier to dip.

Melt the Candy Coating
While you're waiting for the cake balls to harden, melt the candy coating in the microwave and stir until it's entirely melted and smooth.
Put Lollipop Sticks into Cake Balls (or move on to the next step if not using sticks)

After an hour, remove the cake balls from the freezer. Use a skewer or a toothpick to poke holes in the balls, then dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted coating, and stick it into the hole you just created. The melted coating will help hold the stick in the cake pop.

Dip Cake Balls into Candy Coating
Once all of the cake balls are on sticks, it's time to dip them. Hold one end of the lollipop stick and submerge the cake pop completely in the melted coating. Take it out and gently tap it and swirl it upside down to remove excess coating--if you don't it will drip down the stick and look really terrible.

Set the Cake Pops
Now you can just stick them upside down on a baking sheet to set, but this does give them flat tops.

So if you want rounded shapes, you'll need to find some Styrofoam or florist foam to stick your cake pops in while they dry. Continue dipping them until all of your cake pops are covered with candy coating. If it starts to get too stiff from the cold pops, re-warm it briefly.

Decorate the Cake Pops
If you want to decorate them, you can drizzle them with melted white chocolate, or add sprinkles or chopped nuts while the coating is still wet.

Parker's Pumpkin Bread

My soon to be 11 year old son has been asking me to make pumpkin bread since school started. Kind of a strange request from him. Today he asked again and I finally felt in the mood to honor the request................He was quite excited as he announced that he was going to take his teacher a loaf since it was her favorite. With a smug look on his face he declared that he LOVES being the teachers pet........so there you have it a GREAT pumpkin bread recipe that makes superb muffins as well. I made large muffins and baked them for 30 minutes . My loaves take the full hour. Enjoy!!!

Parker's Pumpkin Bread

Printable Version

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup water
29 ounces pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
 
Directions In a large bowl, mix together ingredients in order given.
Divide mixture into 3 greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.