Buttermilk Pioneer Doughnuts

We simply call these doughnuts "Christmas Doughnuts" at our house.  My mom made these every Christmas while I was growing up and we always ate them along with sausage and eggs on Christmas morning.  My Mom's mom also made them while my mom was growing up, so you see, these doughnuts are tradition.  Maybe that is why we make them...and the fact that we LOVE them.  They aren't like any other doughnuts that you have eaten.  They are very dense and full of nutmeggy goodness.  You don't frost or glaze them.  They are just good as is.  It never fails that my kids have friends over and my boys will ask for a doughnut.  Of course the friend is always excited to have a doughnut too, but we always have to explain these doughnuts before anyone eats them.  We are a little protective of them and can't handle people being disappointed because they aren't getting a doughnut that they are expecting.  It is a sweet dough doughnut and apparently the pioneers made them.  Some of my siblings don't have families that love them but mine absolutely goes bananas for them.  The recipe makes a lot and we freeze them and eat them all through November and December (we usually eat our last bag on Christmas), but this year I made them on Christmas Eve and we had them all eaten by the end of the boys' school break.  This doughnut above was the very last one (and then I ate it :)


Another thing to note is how precious these are.  I have to admit when McKay fed his to Sasha one day I nearly cried.  I am a bit selfish with these as well.  They aren't the easiest to make, so when they are gone, we know that they are gone for another year (seriously I grumble through the whole process of making them because the dough is DENSE). 


I have thought of sharing this recipe in the past, but it is not for the faint of heart, so I always end up bagging the idea.  This year I have had quite a few requests for the recipe so I thought I would post it, but be warned.  It is a crazy dough recipe.  Also be warned, this recipe isn't exact...do your best :)  Okay now that I have scared 99.9% of you off from ever making these I will share the recipe...If there is a 0.1% out there that does make them, I would love to hear about it!


5 cups of sugar
4 TBS of shortening
4 eggs
lots and lots of flour (like at least 10 cups...)
4 tsp soda
1 1/3 tsp salt
2 tsp nutmeg
1 quart of buttermilk
1 can of Crisco (for frying the doughnuts, and yes you will need it all...these aren't low fat either.  There goes that 0.1 %)

Cream together (I use a Bosch to make these because the dough is so dense and when it starts having trouble, I finish up by hand...) sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and mix.

Sift together (you can either use a sifter or do as I do and just wisk them together)  5 cups of flour, soda, salt and nutmeg and then add it to the egg mixture.

Now start adding your flour.  You add until the dough is no longer sticky.  Not sticky at all...and that is a lot of flour.  So just keep adding and adding and you will get there soon :)

Once your dough is the desired consistency roll it out to about 1 inch thick (these doughnuts puff up when being cooked so you don't want them too thick at all.)  Cut out with a doughnut cutter.

Put all of your can of Shortening in a stock pot and heat it on medium.  I usually wait about 10 minutes and then put one of the doughnut holes in to see if it cooks.  You DO NOT want these to cook too fast or they will be doughy in the middle.  You want them to gradually turn golden brown (the color of the above doughnut).

When the top is golden brown, turn them so the other side can get brown.

I cut up a paper grocery bag (the way my mom always did it :) to lay these on so it will absorb the left over oil.  You could also lay paper towels across it.

Then you are done.  We really do love them. Then end.

Basic Cranberry Sauce

I haven't in the past even given the cranberry sauce at the Thanksgiving buffet table a passing glance. This year however for Thanksgiving I wanted to have some on our menu as it is a favorite of my MIL. I found this recipe here and tried it out. It was so good and will now be a staple to our Thanksgiving dinner!

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar $
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges) $
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Discard cinnamon stick; cool completely.

Note:

Make up to two days ahead and refrigerate.

Party Punch

Thanksgiving was such a wonderful day. You can read about our Thanksgiving dinner here. I made this punch that has received rave reviews for our Thanksgiving beverage. It lived up to they hype. Sooo good! Recipe found here.

1 can frozen piña colada concentrate, thawed
1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
4 liters of diet lemon-lime soda
1 bag of pebble ice (You can buy it at Sonic Drive-In or at most grocery stores in the deli or meat departments.)
1 bag of frozen raspberries

Directions:
Pour the thawed concentrates into your punchbowl and stir.
Use one of the empty cans and fill it with water four times and add it to the mixture. Stir.
Add your diet soda to the mixture.
Next, add about half your bag of pebble ice.
Add your frozen raspberries to the top.

Kung Pao Chicken

Image and Recipe from Blog Chef

Ingredients:

1lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” pieces)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons green onions (chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon powdered ginger

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

Step 1: combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss to coat. Heat sesame oil in wok over medium heat, add chicken and stir fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from wok.

Step 2: Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and powdered ginger to the wok and stir fry for 15 seconds.

Step 3: Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and add the sauce to the wok.

Step 4: Return chicken to the wok and coat with sauce. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. Top with additional green onions if desired and serve over white rice.

Chocolate- Coconut Bars

Recipe and Image

Ingredients

• 3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool, about 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely. Sprinkle with coconut.
4. Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Here is a delicious cheesy breadsticks recipe that I made! Super simple!

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe from THIS gal (she is so great at explaining!)

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity}

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands

Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it!

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks yield: 1- 12 inch pie

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Fail-Proof Pizza Dough
2 tablespoons softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese {use the real stuff!}
1/4 pound grated mozzarella cheese{salt & pepper, if desired}


Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.}Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Recipe and below image from HERE

Apple Strudel

Our family created a Summer Bucket List for things to do in the summer and we are still trying to finish up a few of them. One of the things we wanted to do was to learn about a different country. We did this last Sunday night with some friends where we learned about Germany. For dessert I made this delicious apple strudel. I found the recipe here.

Apple Strudel:

• 1/4 cup bourbon or apple juice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 to 3 Granny Smith Apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 5 sheets phyllo dough from 1 pound package of frozen dough
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing phyllo sheets, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Confectioners' sugar
• Caramel sauce, purchased

Glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons milk

For the Strudel:

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, pour the apple juice over the raisins and microwave on high for 45 seconds. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Combine the raisins, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, pecans, and butter in a large bowl.

Remove the phyllo dough from the box, unfold, and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on the work surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, brushing each with melted butter, stacking when done, being sure to keep the unbuttered phyllo covered.

Place the apple mixture on the nearest third of the phyllo stack, being sure to leave a 2-inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling and fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Pour over the glaze and sprinkle with cinnamon and confectioners' sugar. Pass warm caramel sauce, to drizzle over the strudel.