Friday, January 29, 2010

Good Project For A Winter's Day

I didn't go outside today except to walk down the driveway and back to get the mail. The temperature was 13° and, believe me, that felt absolutely balmy compared to what it has been. Anytime you don't have to wear a face mask when outside, you know it's comfortable!

What I did do inside that was fun was to make donuts. I can't remember the last time I did so, but I've been thinking about (and salivating for) homemade donuts for a while now so today I did it.

My recipe made 24 donuts with as many donut holes. (Funny how that works out.)

I plopped the donut holes in a bag of sugar/cinnamon mix. So easy to pop one in your mouth. Then another one. Then another . . .

Chocolate Glazed being my husband's favorite, I made 12 of them that way. (Dang good chocolate glaze it was, too.)

Then 6 of them with a Lemon Glaze.

And 6 with an Almond Glaze. (Good thing I took separate pictures of these last two 'cause they look so different, huh?)

The donuts are just a smidge on the dry side. This was an old, tried and true recipe I've made in the past and I didn't change anything this time around. I know I didn't over-fry them. Hmm, wonder what would happen if I used honey next time instead of sugar in the dough? That should make them a little moister. (Uh, more moist? Moistyer?)

I decided to make them today because I thought we were going to have company but that didn't happen. Good thing Chicken Mama is stopping in on her way home from her Friday nannying job. I'll foist some on her so the two of us don't have to eat 'em all.

16 comments:

beth said...

those look so yummy! I tried to make donuts years ago when the kids were small...they were the saddest looking donuts you've ever seen, but of course I remember the kids ate them up!
You've inspired me again! should I make Donuts for dinner?

Jennifer Jo said...

I'll take one with lemon glaze, please.

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Beth - When Roy and I were sitting stuffing in the donuts with coffee and milk at 4 this afternoon, I told him we just might call it dinner . . . but I weakened and made a light dinner about an hour ago. But, ya know what? If we eat healthy 99% of the time, I don't see anything wrong with donuts for dinner once in a while!

Hey, Jennifer Jo - I'm putting it in an envelope for you right now. ;o)

MaineCelt said...

Almond glaze, for me! Oh, YUM!!!

Mama Pea said...

Hey, MaineCelt - Our daughter is in town nannying today and had planned to stop by our place on her way home. She called a short time ago and said she probably wasn't going to stop tonight unless there was some reason she should. I told her no need to stop, but I did have homemade donuts that I had planned on sharing with her. She's stopping. But I'll save an almond glaze one out for you. ;o)

Marty said...

Is foist a word???

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Mart - Sure. Like in "Foist, I'm gonna eat twelve donuts and then be vewy sick."

If you will check your Funk and Wagnall's . . . or in my case, The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition: Foist - 1) To pass off as genuine, valuable, or worthy. 2) To impose or force upon another by coercion or trickery.

Now go see if you can work it into your conversation three times tomorrow.

Erin said...

Yum! I have never tried making donuts, I think I am afraid of the mess :) ! Oh, I just woke up, it's 6 am and it's snowing like MAD outside! This will probably be a record breaker. I have lived here about 15 yrs (yikes!) and I don't ever remember snow like this. Not much now, but the grass is completely covered and it's coming down fast. It's even dry and powdery right now, which never happens in this coastal climate. I am sure it will change to freezing rain tonight and ruin everything, but for now it looks to be a fun day for the kids! The temp is 25, which is about perfect for kids to be out making snowmen :) I am enjoying the quiet and dark with my coffee right now before I flip on the news to them spouting their alarmist warnings about the snow. Kids are still in bed, love it!

Mama Pea said...

I'm a fairly neat and organized "cooker" in the kitchen so the mess doesn't bother me, but I AM always worried the lard is going to catch on fire! I remember the very first time I had a friend come over to show me how to make donuts. She worked with me right through to starting to fry them and said, "You'll be fine now. I'm leaving." I forcibly detained her and made her stay with me until I was done because I was scared to death the lard would burst into flames! Even yesterday, I had the cover for my electric skillet at the ready and knew just how I would snatch the thermometer out of the pan, yank the plug out of the socket and put the cover on the skillet in case of fire!

Your boys are going to be beside themselves with your beautiful snow when they wake up. Enjoy!

Chicken Mama said...

Uncle Marty, "is 'foist' a word?" ?!! Of course! "Who's on foist, What's on second!"

Hardee-har-har.

Mummsy, you were right: the chocolate were the best. The other two glazes just didn't "have it" this time. Notice I said 'were'? Yup, 16 hours & a full night of sleep since I picked 'em up, and they're already ALL gone.

Oh, and why the 'lard catching fire' fear??? I was gonna ask, though, did you use the bear fat? That would have been WONDERFUL, I'll bet!

Mama Pea said...

Hey, Chicken Mama - Yup, I already made notations beside the lemon and almond glazes as how to make them tastier next time.

The "lard catching fire fear?" I've just always had a fear of deep frying, don't know why. You've never seen me deep fry anything other than donuts, have you?

I didn't use the bear fat lard because I knew I wouldn't have enough even though I knew it would have made good donuts. (When I contacted J about getting more, she decided she wanted to keep the rest of what she had for making soap.) So I'm hoarding what I have to use for making fried potatoes . . . oh, so good!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

The cinnamon sugar are my favorites - my mother used to make them on occasion when I was a child and they were always my favorite flavor. Still are :)

I have a fear of deep frying too because I once started a fire making french fries and the baking soda was in the cupboard over the stovetop! Managed to get to the soda without burning myself and all's well that ends well but what a mess!

But that's not why I don't make donuts - I don't make them because I fear having that many donuts in the house at once!!!

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Jen - Yeah, well, I thought I was going to get rid of more of them than I did when I decided to make them.

P.S. I was always under the assumption that any donuts made at home contained no calories as opposed to store-bought ones that are chuck full of artery clogging and hip expanding stuff. Right? RIGHT?

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Um...sure! That's right - no calories at all! (of course if you go out and shovel a bunch of snow or something it's probably all canceled out anyway!)

Lady Katherine said...

They are mouth watering! lol I love them! I always wanted to make them, I love to have the recipe. They would be great for Valentines with strawberry perverse, I love the lemon ones, oh, I love them all! lol

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Lady Katherine - Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm not adverse to giving out any of my recipes, but don't want to pass this one on until I figure out what went wrong with them this time. They were definitely too dry. I don't even know if I'll try making them again. There are just too many yummy-sounding donut recipes out there to make an inferior one!