Baked Apple Cider Donuts

What do you like best about Fall?

Me? I like everything that Autumn brings...pumpkins, mums, sweater-weather, pretty leaves,  apple cider and...

Donuts! 

So...I flipped when I saw a recipe in my local paper this week for Baked Apple Cider Donuts.  

Apple cider and donuts go together like cheese and crackers; peanut butter and jelly;  spaghetti and meatballs.

The thought of fresh, cold cider paired with warm, home-made donuts takes me right back to childhood. 

When I was a kid, every fall, we drove out "to the country" to visit some farms, so we could get our pumpkins. Or at least I thought it was the country! Turns out it was only about 15 miles from home.  Ironically, I now live about five miles from where those farms once stood.

Sadly, the farms are gone, and have been replaced by strip malls. You can still buy apple cider and doughnuts there...but at the supermarket, not the farm stands. Somehow, it just doesn't taste the same.

Anyway, back then, one farm had an apple cider stand, and for ten cents, you'd get a paper cup, which entitled you to refill it as much as you wanted.  There was also a bakery with pies, and the most amazing freshly fried doughnuts! It was such a treat. 

Baked Apple Cider Donuts are a treat, too. This was my first venture with my new donut pan. You can get it from Amazon, right here. I'm kind of inFATuated with it right now (emphasis on "fat," since that's what I'll be if I keep making...and eating them. Nevertheless, I think I'll start a new Pinterest board called "Baked Donuts."

The donuts were simple to make. No electric mixer is needed. You mix the dry ingredients; you combine the wet ingredients, and you mix them together. Voila! 

Now, let's be honest here. These are not quite the same as the donuts of my youth.  They are not fried -- they're baked.  Even if I put them in a Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme box, I don't think I'd fool Mr. Goo Shoes, or Junior GS for a minute.  But, they are healthier, so I don't feel quite as guilty when I eat one. Or three. 

The batter was nice and thick, so it was easy to spoon into the pan.  Just be sure not to over-fill them, otherwise your donuts will not have holes. And what's a donut without holes? It's not a donut, that's what.

For the glaze, I used just three tablespoons of cider, instead of 3 tablespoons plus 3 teaspoons that the recipe called for, since I wanted mine to be a little thicker. 

The  recipe in the newspaper was for mini-donuts, but said to triple it for regular size, which is what I made. That's why the ingredient amounts are a little weird (like "3 pinches of salt"). I don't want to give you wrong conversion amounts. If you want to make the mini ones, you can convert it back by using 1/3  of the ingredients. 

Can I tell you how good these are? They are GOOD! Whip up a batch, grab a cup of coffee, or some steaming apple cider, and enjoy!

BAKED APPLE CIDER DONUTS
Recipe by Lauren Chattman

2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
9 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 pinches salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt (I used yogurt)
3/4 cup apple cider
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large egg yolks

For the glaze:
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted.
3 tablespoons + 3 teaspoons apple cider
3 pinches nutmeg

Make the donuts: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the impressions of donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (or yogurt), cider, butter and eggs.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened. 

Divide batter among the donut impressions.  

Bake until the donuts are well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean, about 10 minutes.  All ovens vary, so baking time is approximate

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.  

While donuts are cooling, make the glaze:

Whisk together sifted confectioner's sugar, cider and nutmeg in a small bowl.

Dip tops of donuts into glaze, letting excess glaze drip back into bowl. 

Return to the rack, glazed sides up, and let stand until the glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

Yield: 12 regular-sized donuts. 

 

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Foodie Friday

Cloudy With A Chance Of Turkey Meatballs

Have your kids (or grand-kids) read the book Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs?

It was one of Junior Goo Shoes' favorites when he was younger.  

When the first movie came out, he was too old to go see it.  And now that Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 is being released in theaters today, there's not a meatball's chance in hell that he'll want to go with me.

Recipe Below

I was feeling a bit nostalgic about the good old days, when I used to read to Junior GS, so I pulled out the book, and read it -- to myself, that is. I'd forgotten how cute it was. I'd love to be in the town of Chewandswallow on a day it rained french fries!

Anyway...

...you won't believe what happened last weekend.

It was a gorgeous day, so we decided to take a ride out to the country to see the fall foliage.  We put some random destination into the GPS, and off we went. 

I don't know about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with our GPS.  This latest one we have is constantly re-routing us, due to live traffic information.  It drives me CRAZY! Mr. Goo Shoes is always saying,

"What should I DO? Should I listen to her, or WHAT?"

Well, if you've been married awhile, you'll understand why I never answer that question, because....

...there is NO WAY I'd ever choose the right way. 

So, I say, 

"Honey, whatever way you think..."

 ...and smile sweetly.

On this particular outing, Mr. Goo Shoes decided to follow the  re-routing that "Judy GPS" suggested, when suddenly....

...she stopped talking right in the middle of a sentence, which is not like her at all (she and I are a lot alike in that way). 

The navigation system had gone completely kaput...

...right in the middle of nowhere. 

We were SO lost.

We kept driving around until we finally came to a little town.  

We walked around, looking for someone who could direct us towards a main road to take us home. 

There were plenty of people about, but we noticed that everyone seemed to be dressed in rain gear...yellow slickers, big rubber boots, umbrellas...

...which was odd, because the sun was shining brightly, and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Just as we were about to approach a gentleman on the corner, a strong wind kicked up.

The sky went from blue to a weird shade of...

...Beige???

I had never seen a beige sky before in my life.

"Here, grab these containers!" yelled the man on the corner.

Before we could ask why, big blobs of beige stuff started dropping from the sky. Suddenly the streets were filled with people catching this glop in pots, bowls, or whatever receptacle they had.  

We, too, filled our containers, not quite sure what was going on, when the man on the corner said, with a smile...

"Ground turkey...haven't had that in awhile."

Mr. Goo Shoes, Junior GS and I looked at each other in disbelief. It was snowing ground turkey?  

What the WHAT???

We had no time to try to make sense of this, because the man was pointing at something in the distance.

"Big storm clouds forming!"

Sure enough, the clouds got larger, and closer...and they were RED.

Huge drops of red, thick rain started falling. No one seemed at all alarmed about this; they just kept on catching it in their buckets...and they looked happy!

"Uh, ketchup?" I asked.

 "Nope, tomato sauce!" replied the man. 

In a nano-second, the red clouds turned purple, and the red drops were replaced by a  scarlet-colored jelly substance. 

The man said, 

                 "It's sure sign that fall has arrived, when it rains cranberry sauce!"

I barely had time to say, 

                    "Excuse me, but doesn't anyone think this is weird?"

...when the winds picked up, and we were suddenly in the midst of a major dust storm.

By now, we were savvy enough to know that it wasn't dust.

It was bread crumbs.  

I took a look at Mr. Goo Shoes, and Junior GS, and they were...breaded...from head to toe.

All we needed was a pan with some oil, and I could fry them right up.

"It usually hails right after we get breadcrumbs," said the man.

OMG, are you kidding? I don't know if we were intrigued or terrified at this point.  

The man was right.  It started hailing almost immediately.  People were using pots and pans as shields to cover their heads.  The hail was GIGANTIC.  

It was the size of golf balls...wait, no...

more like the size of onions. 

It was onions.  

Let me tell you a few things.  One, as all this was happening, I was really feeling like I needed to check myself into the loony bin to see if I was truly cracking up; and two, I did not look very attractive with raw food in my hair. 

Oh, and three? I did not like it one bit that my very favorite black suede boots, which I had just gotten at Nordstrom's for 50% off, were now covered in ingredients that could be tonight's dinner. 

YAWN....

Wow, I must have fallen asleep at my desk while I was reading Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, because I had the most bizarro dream...

 
...and an inexplicable urge to make Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs for dinner...

...(even though I'd rather do anything but cook). 

SWEET AND SOUR TURKEY MEATBALLS

1 pound Ground Turkey (makes about 20 meatballs, so I make a double recipe)
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 14 oz. can Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
1/2 Onion, chopped small
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped small
2 Egg Whites
Salt and pepper

Combine turkey, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, pepper, egg whites, salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed. 

Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.

 Put tomato sauce and whole berry cranberry sauce into saucepan. 
     Note: Make sure saucepan will be large enough to hold the sauce and meatballs. 
     The saucepan should not be shallow. 

Heat tomato sauce and whole berry cranberry sauce on a low flame, stirring occasionally, until it is completely melted.  Bring to a slow boil.

Gently add the meatballs. 

Press them very gently with a wooden spoon, so that they are submerged in the sauce. You may have to let it cook for a few minutes before you can do this.  

Simmer meatballs very slowly for one hour.  Do not stir until the meatballs are somewhat firm. Stir gently.

Serve over noodles.  

Are you ready to try it?

Enjoy!

Till next time,
Ms. Toody 

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My Liebster Award Nominees

I'm back with my Liebster nominees!

Thanks again to Sunnefa at Coder Mommy…all the way from Iceland…for nominating me!

In my post where I answered all of the requisite questions, I said I would be back with my list of 11 nominees. 

I'm a little tardy, thanks to major computer problems and the start of the school year, but I've finally got my list.

 …Drum roll please!!!

1. Beth at Goodness, Gracious Living.

2. Jennifer at Classic Home Style.

3. Khammany at Sweet Inspired Home

4. Kathy at Melding Magic 

5. Tonita at Shabby Chic Tiny Retreat

6. Alyson at New England Living

7. Susan at Simply Stone Creek

8. Julie at Love My Simple Home

9. Carol at Through My Front Porch

10. Debra at Frugal Little Bungalow

11. Cindy @ DIY Beautify

Ladies, here are the rules:

1. Acknowledge the person who nominated you.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourselves. 
3. Answer 11 Liebster questions given to you by the nominator.
4. Nominate 11 other bloggers who have under 200 followers.
5. Come up with 11 questions for your nominees.
6. Notify the bloggers whom you have nominated (Note: You cannot nominate the person who nominated you).

Please answer these 11 questions:

1. What is your favorite meal of the day?
2. Why did you start blogging?
3. When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
4. What characteristic do you find most attractive in others?
5. What is your favorite sport?
6. Gold or Silver?
7. Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?
8. What is your pet peeve?
9. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
10. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall?
11. How many pairs of shoes do you have? 

Congratulations to all of the nominees!
Ms. Toody

Looking Backward To Tonight's Emmys

Are you looking forward to watching the Emmy Awards tonight?

I'm actually looking "backward" to it.

Backwards, to when I still worked in the television industry, and had the wonderful good fortune to be on the 'inside" of this incredible event.

Tonight's awards show is making me feel a bit melancholy…

…because I'll be watching from my living room, instead of actually being there, like I have been in the past.

I didn't even plan to write a post about this, but it kind of just happened this morning, when I saw an article in the paper today about tonight's telecast. 

So it may not be the best-written post I've done…and the picture quality is pretty terrible, so you'll have to forgive me for that, but I have to get this out before the stars start walking down the red carpet! 

Yes, one of the highlights of my career was attending the Emmy awards, and the "After Parties", on several occasions.  

I did not attend last September, even though I was invited. 

I had already decided that it was time to leave my job, but hadn't yet given notice. It just didn't seem right for me to have the company spend all that money for me to attend, when I knew I'd be leaving shortly after that. 

When I officially resigned, my assistant admitted that she knew something was up when I rsvp'd "no" to the Emmys. 

I mean, really, who in their right mind would give up the chance to be flown first class to LA, stay in a fancy hotel, get all decked out, be picked up in a limo, walk the red carpet, and hob-nob with the stars at the party afterwards?

So, today, on the the day of the 65th Annual Emmy Awards…I'm taking a trip down memory lane (or the red carpet, more appropriately) to when I had the good fortune to
actually attend the event.

One year when I went, I was invited to the Nominees party two nights before the awards show.  

It was a pretty small gathering, and quite exciting to be so close to so many famous people.

But that was nothing compared to the BIG EVENT!

The day of the Emmy awards, I started getting ready at 9am. I had a hair stylist and make-up artist come to my hotel. It felt so decadent! 

A limousine picked us up at the hotel. I couldn't believe the line of limousines enroute to the Nokia theater. It stretched for miles. 

When we finally got close, a security guard approached the car:

"Are you nominees or presenters?"

It was tempting to say yes, but we were just honored to be asked!

And then, there we were, on the red carpet! 

But here's the thing…there is a rope down the center of the red carpet that divides the common folk from the real celebrities. No matter! It was incredible just being there.

We were being hurried along by the ushers, who wanted us to keep moving, but hey, there was no way we weren't stopping to ogle at the stars, or take each other's pictures on the red carpet. 

Every picture of me on the red carpet came out like crap. So no, I won't share. 

Finally, we were inside the theater. Our seats were WAY back.  Trust me, these photos are zoomed!

It was pretty exciting, but, honestly? A little boring. Even though I worked in TV, I didn't watch a lot of the other networks' shows, so I needed the TV captions to tell me who was on stage!

One year, I attended the Governor's ball after the awards. The decor was drop-dead stunning (that's my silver purse on the table).

However, I much preferred attending my company's "After-Emmy" party. Stars from every network always ended up at our party, because it had the reputation of being the best one. They all wanted to be "seen" at our event. 

I'm not an extremely outgoing person, but somehow, I found it kind of easy to approach some of the celebrities from our shows, and say, 

"Hi, I schedule your show. Can I get a picture with you?" 

Most of them were extremely gracious and said yes. 

If ever there was a Cinderella moment, it was when, at the end of the ball, I went back to the hotel…

…took off my glass slippers (oy, my feet were killing me!), changed out of my dress, and took off my makeup. 

It's nice to live the life of the rich and famous for a day…sigh. 


So tonight, as I watch this year's Emmy awards…

     I'll feel a little wistful, because I'm not there…

     I'll cheer for my former network as they win their awards…

     I'll scan the audience to catch a glimpse of the executives from my company…

     I'll still feel proud, when the winners thank the people I used to share a conference    table with...

     I'll feel just a tinge of envy reading all of the status updates on Facebook from my friends and former co-workers, who are posting photos of themselves with celebrities...

     And then, I'll click off the TV and head up to bed…while my friends will be just heading to the after-party...

But I'll remind myself to be grateful to have had the good fortune to have been Cinderella on more than one occasion…

...and to be immensely proud of the career I once had.

Ms. Toody