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Fake out Donuts

14 Mar

Hi!

It’s me.  Long time no see.

I’m truly sorry about that.

These donuts are my way of saying I’m sorry I was gone for so long.

Donuts and coffee make everything better.

Donuts are good at saying I’m sorry.

Or have a great day.

Or yippee it’s Friday.

Donuts work in just about any situation.

Unless it’s you anniversary.

If it’s your anniversary you may want to go with something a little fancier, just sayin’.

Let’s talk about these donuts.

You know what’s so great about these donuts?

They require no mixing, no blending, no sifting, and no waiting for that pesky yeast to rise.

Curious yet?

Can you keep a secret?

Ok, good!

See these are fake out donuts.

They started their lives as canned biscuits.  GASP!

I know!  I know!!

Now I’m not really a huge fan of canned biscuits baked to eat straight out the the can.

No see I’m a southern girl and I spent enough time at the elbow of my Great-Grand Mama and my Mama to appreciate a real deal buttermilk biscuit.

But canned biscuits transformed into donuts….I can get on board with that.

Plus they area easy peasy and your family will love them!

Here’s what you’ll need.

Fake Out Donuts

Canned biscuits (you’ll want the non buttered, non flaky.  I like Grands)
Vegetable oil
Heavy bottom pan (I used a 1 1.2 qt sauce pan)
Tongs for flipping
A plate lined with paper towels

Pour about two inches vegetable oil into the pan and place it on med-high heat.  Allow the oil to get good and hot.  While your oil is warming remove the biscuits from the container and place on the counter or a cutting board.  Use a small round cookie cutter to cut out the hole in the center. (I actually used the back end of a large icing tip)  Save the centers for donut holes.  Once your oil is nice and warm drop in one of your donut holes to test it.  It should turn a light golden brown.  Use your tongs to roll it so it’s evenly browned.  Once evenly browned remove to a plate lined with paper towels.  To cook the donuts drop them into the grease one at a time.  My pan would hold about 4 donuts per batch.  You don’t want them to be crowded.  Once the donuts are a light golden brown flip them with your tongs. Remove to paper lined plate once browned on both sides.  After you’ve cooked all of your donuts and holes you can top them how ever you like.

I used a bit of powdered sugar mixed with milk for some of mine.  For the others I brushed the tops lightly with some melted butter and dipped them into a cinnamon sugar mixture.

I think these would also be delicious dusted with powdered sugar or topped with chocolate ganache.

Enjoy!

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Educate Yourself on SOPA & PIPA. Also Why My Site Isn’t Going Black Today.

18 Jan

So yesterday I worked on a lovely new recipe for all of you.

Something quick and simple.

Suitable for a weekend snack or tailgate party.

I almost had it ready to publish and the more I thought about it I just couldn’t.

I need to talk about something else today.

You may have noticed that some of your favorite blogs and websites aren’t up.

They’ve gone black.

You can read about it here and here and I’m sure many other places around the web.

This is all in protest of an online piracy bill. SOPA.

I’m not that tech savvy so instead of taking my site down for the day (and fearing I may not be able to bring it back) I though I’d take the opportunity to add my two cents about this bill.

Youtube videos like this one are easily found with a simple SOPA search and offer some easy to understand explanations.

What is SOPA?

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act.  It is the sibling bill to PIPA, which is the Protect IP Act.

These bills are written in a way that makes them basically look good on the surface.  On the surface they want to wipe out online piracy sites that offer illegal downloads  of media such as music, software, videos, etc.

The scarey part is this opens the door for ANY site to be shut down even if the person is doing noting wrong.

For example. …

I’m I huge fan of the Joy of Baking website.

The recipes are wonderful and with each one you get a history and back ground information on the recipe.

This was part of a recent status update from their facebook page:

This week a major cookbook publisher issued a demand to our server company to take down a recipe alleging we were infringing with one of their books. We were forced to take down the page while we appealed this baseless attack on us. Not only was the recipe significantly different, but recipes aren’t even copyrightable under US law. All we did was referenced the author and the book that we used to help us develop our recipe. This is perfectly legal and what all cookbook authors do. But that didn’t matter, we are guilty until proven innocent. We have appealed and expect to have the recipe back up this week, but this was a huge wake up call for us and it should be for all of you.

With SOPA/PIPA it wouldn’t have just been the one recipe that was taken down.  The ENTIRE SITE would have been taken down.  It would have cost them time and money to appeal the governments decision.

For most of us who blog, we are NOT million dollar corporations.  We do not have the funds or resources to fight if our sites are taken down unfairly.

If this bill is allowed to pass it could truly change the internet and our freedoms of speech as we know them.

The most recent news is that the White House reaction to SOPA has tabled it, but there’s no reason why it can’t pop up again with a different name or a couple of simple changes and it would pass through silently.

Please go to house.gov.  Enter your zip code. Find your representative. Let them know how you fill about this bill.

**Update:  Google is hosting a petition against SOPA. You can it here.

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Candy Cane Meringues

4 Dec

So.  Last week I promised you another use for that candy cane sugar we made.

You remember, that sugar.

It’s beautiful in the jar all by its self, don’t you think?

But I thought you might want another alternative than adding it to your cookies or coffee.

So I made you some meringues!

I’m not gonna lie.

I could eat this with a spoon directly from the bowl.

No more cooking required.

I realize not everyone could.

You’ll probably want to pipe them onto a baking sheet.

Send them on a trip through the oven….

Eat them with hot coffee or tea.

You’ll mouth will thank you!

Candy Cane Meringues

4 large egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C candy cane sugar

Preheat oven to 250. Line 3 cookie sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper.

Before beginning wipe down the bowl, whisk attachment, and spatula you are using with white vinegar. This removes any residual grease that could affect your meringues.

In a stand mixer use the whisk attachment to whip the egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tarter, vanilla, and salt. With mixer turned to high gradually add sugars. Whisk until all of the sugar is mixed in and shiny stiff peaks have formed.

If you want your meringues to be a deeper red fill fee to tint with food coloring.

Pipe in dollops onto lined baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour or until meringues are dry to the touch. Cool completely on a wire rack.

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Pistachio Cake (a.k.a. Watergate Cake)

6 Oct

Now I know what you’re thinking….

Pistachios??

Seriously?

Walnuts? Why Yes!

Pecans?  Oh Please!

Almonds? That could be good!

But pistachios???

I’ll be the first to admit I had my doubts.

See, pistachios are my moms favorite.

So every year for her birthday I try to incorporate them into whatever I bake her.

I’ve baked them into torts…

Incorporated them into cookies…

This year I wanted CAKE!!

And not one of those cakes where the recipe begins ~ Start with 1 box yellow or white cake mix…

Aren't the pink and green just lovely together?

I wanted honest to goodness made from scratch cake!

Let me tell you.  This cake did not disappoint!!!

Up until I made this cake I didn’t think I liked pistachios, but I was wrong.

I’ll definitely be making this one again…

…and again.

Even if you don’t think you like pistachios give this cake a try.

It might surprise you.

I know it surprised me.

* I couldn’t find a recipe so this is what I came up with…

Pistachio Cake (a.k.a. Watergate Cake)

2 1/2 C Self-Rising Flour
2 C Sugar
1 C (2 sticks) Butter
1 (3.4 oz) pkg Pistachio Jell-O
1 C Buttermilk
1 T Almond Extract
1/4 to 1/2 C. Ground Pistachios
4 Eggs, separated
Chopped Pistachios to Garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350. Prepare 2 8x3in round pans. Cream the butter, sugar, and Jell-O until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks on at a time until well incorporated. Alternately add the flour and milk, ending with the flour. Mix in the almond extract. Stir in ground pistachios. In a separate bowl whip the egg whites, not to stiff. Fold whites into batter, being careful not to over mix. Divide between pans. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. If desired split each layer in half creating a total of 4 layers.

White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

6 lg. Egg Whites
1 C. + 2 T. superfine Sugar
4 Sticks of Butter, directly from fridge
2 tsp Vanilla
3/4 C. White Chocolate Chips, melted
pinch of salt (If using unsalted butter)
pink food coloring, if desired

Using the Kitchen Aid wipe down the bowl, whisk attachment, and a rubber spatula with white vinegar to remove any grease. To the bowl add egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water. Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Simmer until the temperate on a candy thermometer reaches 160 degrees. Remove bowl from heat and place onto mixer. Whip until thick, glossy, and cooled. Switch to the paddle attachment and set mixer to medium. Add butter in small cubes. Continue to whip on medium. Mixture will begin to look curdled, but will come back together after whipping. Add vanilla, melted chocolate, and food coloring. Use to frost cooled cake.

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