Strawberry Glazed Doughnuts

So after looking at multiple baked doughnut recipes on Pinterest I ordered a doughnut pan on Amazon from Wilton.  I then decided to try this strawberry doughnut recipe from Mary Quite Contrary Bakes.  I must say that my doughnuts did not look nearly as delicious as Mary's, but this is NOT her fault.  I learn by trial and error, and I think next time I need to add more strawberries and strawberry jam.

 

Slightly adapted from Mary Quite Contrary Bakes 

Ingredients:

Doughnuts:

1 cup All-Purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

 

1/4 tsp cinnamon (I would omit this next time because the cinnamon flavor was stronger than the strawberry flavor.)

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 tbsp melted butter

10 medium to large strawberries pureed with 2 tsp strawberry jam (I did not use all of this mixture because I thought it might make the mixture too runny, but next time I would use it all.)

1 tbsp honey (Mary recommends maple syrup, but I did not have any on hand.)

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup cold milk

 

The glaze was super simple, easy to make, and yummy!

 

Step 1:  Puree strawberries and jam.  I used a hand held mixer and it worked great.

 

Step 2:  Combine flour, salt, baking powder,  sugar and cinnamon.

Step 3:  Add egg, milk, butter and honey and mix.

Step 4:  Stir in pureed strawberries and jam.

Step 5:  Spray Wilton doughnut pan.  I use PAM for baking with flour.  The easiest way to fill the pan is to pour mixture into a Ziploc bag and cut off the tip.  Fill each doughnut 3/4 full.  Bake for 7 minutes at 425 degrees.

 

When doughnuts are cool, mix glaze ingredients together and dip doughnuts into mixture.

Ceasar Salad with Rotisserie Chicken - 10 minutes start to finish

I enjoy baking, but figuring out what to fix for dinner after a long day at work is not a fun thing for me.  I want something quick and easy that will please everyone in my family.  This is not an easy thing to do when you have a 13 year-old whose diet mainly consists of chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, corn, and fruit roll-ups.  So, when my 13 year-old stepdaughter told me this salad was the best salad she had ever had at home I knew it was a winner.  The best part is that you can prepare it in under 10 minutes!

 

 This recipe was inspired by The Girl Who Ate Everything, but has been modified to make it even easier for busy moms in a rush.  She added pasta to her salad and I think that would be a great addition.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 page lettuce (you can use any type, I usually use Romaine)

1 bag Texas Toast Croutons
2 Chicken Breasts from a Rotisserie Chicken purchased at the local grocery store
4 - 6 oz. shredded parmesan cheese (make sure to use shredded not grated)
Caesar Dressing (use the brand your family likes best)

Sunflower seeds (optional)

 



Add salad, chopped chicken, parmesan cheese, and croutons to a large bowl.  I pour almost the whole jar of salad dressing on top, but judge this based on how "dressed" your family likes their salad.  Toss and serve.  So simple and satisfying.



Quick, Easy Brownies (Homemade, too!)

 

I was looking for a recipe for homemade brownies that would travel well so that I could send them in a care package to my stepdaughter, Aby, who is a freshman in college.  Whenever I bake anything she has a very clever habit of asking if it is homemade before she tries it.  This makes me feel obligated to avoid box mixes and make things from scratch.  I found the following recipe on a great blog, How to Cook Like Your Grandmother, and thought I would try it.  The brownies turned out moist and delicious.  The next batch I make will be sent to my stepdaughter, this batch will be eaten by husband, younger stepdaughter, and myself.  I did post a picture of them on Aby's facebook page, maybe this will inspire a trip home to see the family (but, probably not).

The original recipe recommends using parchment paper to line the pan, but I always use butter and flour or cocoa powder.  It is difficult to remove the whole batch from the pan at one time if you do this, but you can easily cut them and remove them for eating or shipping in care packages.

 

Here is the recipe:

1½ cups sugar
¾ cup flour
¾ cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
3 eggs
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Toll-House)

Step 1:  Combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, eggs, butter and salt in a bowl and mix.

Step 2:  Add chips and mix.

Step 3:  Bake at 325 degress for about 25 minutes.  Use a cake tester, fork, or toothpick to check for doneness.  You should be able to remove it cleanly if they are done.  I used and 8 1/2 by 11 1/2 pan, but a 9 by 13 pan would work, too.

 

 Let brownies cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.  They will easily come out of the pan if you use the butter and cocoa powder trick.  They received a thumbs up from everyone in my family, and I think they will ship very well in Aby's care package.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Lemon Icebox Pie

Ever have one of those days where you just crave something?  For me it is usually chocolate, but at some point after I turned 40 lemon became an important flavor in my life.  Enter my husband, who is always asking me to make some kind of ice box pie.  He actually prefers a mocha toffee ice box pie I make, but I was craving LEMON.  The solution was the following lemon ice box pie.  While it had a wonderful texture and combined well with homemade whipped cream, it was a bit on the sweet side.  Almost too sweet, almost crossing the line into sweet tart sweet.

 

The recipe is super simple.

Lemon Ice Box Pie Ingredients

1 graham cracker crust (I like the Keebler pre-made ones)
8 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon rind
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup lemon juice (this takes at least 5 lemons)

First, I separate the egg yolks from the whites.  Then, I use a pampered chef zester to zest the lemons.  Mix the egg yolks and lemon zest with a  hand mixer.  Then I always put the lemons in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then roll them on the counter before I cut and juice them.  Trust me, it makes it easier.  Combine the lemon juice and the sweetened condensed milk in a bowl.  In another bowl, whisk the lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk together.  Pour the egg yolk and rind mixture into the lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk mixture and mix with the hand mixer until all ingredients are fully incorporated.  Pour into the pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Let the pie cool on the counter for about 1 hour, then freeze for 6 hours.

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipped cream
1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

The key to successfully making tasty whipped cream with a great texture is to use a chilled metal bowl.  Whip cream until it forms peaks that stand by themselves.  Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla.  Incorporate fully.  I have heard that you can use regular sugar, but I always use confectioner's sugar.  YUM!