Somewhat – yes, better than fried doughnuts I am thinking!  I love old fashioned homemade plain doughnuts with cinnamon sugar coating.  I do not like frying anything though.  So I haven’t really ever made them much – I’ll get them at a fair perhaps – but not in my house – to dangerous!  Then I started hearing all about Doughnut Muffins!  Muffins made with a doughnut batter and then rolled in melted butter and cinnamon sugar – yummy!  And somewhat healthy!

I heard about them on several shows on the Food Network then I found this awesome recipe from the Downtown Bakery and Creamery!  They are easy to make – and so yummy to eat!

Doughnut Muffins – from the Downtown Bakery and Creamery

For dipping:
8 oz. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

To make the muffins Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don’t overmix. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 min (20 min for mini muffins).

To finish

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Make Ahead Tips

You don’t have to bake all the muffins right away; the batter will keep, covered and chilled, for up to three days in the refrigerator.

To finishMelt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Make Ahead Tips

I made mine into mini muffins – they were the perfect size for this treat!

You don’t have to bake all the muffins right away; the batter will keep, covered and chilled, for up to three days in the refrigerator.

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

This guest post with you from my good friend Love of Cooking With Luv!  She has such a passion for food and great recipes!  Love is a planner – she is so organized with her meal plans that she created her Cooking With Luv website to share her passion for getting your family meal plan organized.  Here she shares her passion for the pursuit of a recipe from her husband’s family – and the journey it took her on!

I recently ventured into a new region of food. My husband’s aunt is from the Philippines and whenever we would gather for family functions, she would always make her famous Pancit and Lumpias. I love her cooking and wished that I knew how to make this awesome food. For years and years I tried to get the recipe but never seemed successful. It is not because she didn’t want to fork over the recipe; it was because there is no written recipe. Everything is from memory or recollection of how mama made it. I realized that not having a written recipe was a common practice and that no two recipes are alike. These recipes like most ethnic food are learned from watching someone, not from following directions.

I can appreciate this because the same goes for me. It is very difficult for me to write recipes because they are a pinch of this and a pinch of that. One time I use x ingredients and the next time I use Y. I have very few recipes that I have written measurements for. However, not knowing how to make his aunt’s wonderful dishes, I needed some sort of recipe that I could learn the steps from.

The Perfect Opportunity to Get the Recipe

When my husband asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day I said, “All I want is your aunt’s Pancit recipe”. Well he was successful in getting me a full list of ingredients. LOL.. few measurements and lots of vague language like noodles. I have not made a lot of Asian cuisine in my many years of cooking and I realized I was just going to have to wing it.

Where Do I Get the Ingredients?

 So here I was looking for an Asian market to get my ingredients. I called my girlfriend who shops for Asian specialty items often and asked her where the best place to go was. She recommended Super 88. She said they will have everything you will need. I could hardly wait to go. So, the next day I ran into the city with two kids. In a matter of 18 miles and 40 minutes later I was standing in another land.

A Trip to Another Land

Here we are the Super 88. I really didn’t know what I was looking for-noodles  and Chinese sausage  (key ingredients). Oh boy.. I walked in and it was like venturing into the candy store. I was surrounded by all of these new ingredients and foods. The scary part is that most of it was not in English so I had little knowledge about what I was actually buying. I walked around aisle after aisle trying to make out the bottles and sauces and products by looking at the pictures on the label. The spices were relatively cheap so I kept throwing things into my cart. Luckily I looked up on the internet what the Chinese sausage looked like so I knew one thing I was looking for. I wandered into an aisle looking for patis –all I knew was that it was a kind of fish sauce that could not be substituted..hmmm So many bottles of fish sauce and they all looked different. But where was patis??? I stopped to ask a woman who worked there and she did not speak English. Good thing there was a young man next to her that said oh Patis, use this and he pointed to a bottle. He said you don’t want the stuff you have-it will kill you and tastes horrible. Few…I was saved by the nice gentleman. One ingredient down. I was now off to the noodles. Hmmm. How hard could this be? Well it would be like walking down the salad dressing aisle for choices. There were so many noodles. I was trying to look at the label and guess what it would look like cooked or look for some clues like a picture to know what it was used for. I finally asked two separate people (one shopper and one worker) again, no one spoke English. I was on my own. I placed several noodles into my basket and then realized that they had a fresh noodle section. I then walked over and placed several more packages of noodles in my basket with the hopes that I had the right one somewhere in my basket of noodles. The remaining of the shopping trip was very overwhelming for me, no one to help and so many choices. Soy sauce, soy sauce, soy sauce, soy glaze, thick sauce, thin sauce, and sweet sauce. What was the difference? I wanted a personal shopper someone who knew what they were buying or knew what to use it for. I knew I was in the midst of some good stuff here, I just didn’t know what was what. So it was time to get home for the bus, 12 bags later, 4 types of Chinese sausage, 6 bags of noodles, some sauces and who knows what else. I left the store hoping I would have what I needed to be able to pull off this one dish.

Ready..Set…Cook

And so it came, the BIG night. I whipped out the wok or should I say dusted off the wok and began cooking. I became a bit confused over the recipe and the time of cooking. I was worried that the sausage wasn’t cooked enough or that I didn’t have enough sauce.

Did it Pass the Taste Test

Finally I was done. I was very pleased with how it came out. I know next time what I need to tweak, add, or use less of. I knew the real test would be my husband. He was the one who would be able to tell me how authentic it really was. When he came home I was excited for him to critique it. When he tasted it, I got a thumbs up. He said that it was pretty darn close and it was very good. That was good enough for me. The hardest part now is finding the ingredients closer–good thing I bought enough to probably make it several more times before needing to go back.

Moral of the Story

Never fear making new recipes or venturing into a region that you are not used to cooking. I think the next month I have so many Asian ingredients we are going to be doing a lot of experimenting. Thanks Aunt Eva for letting me in on your family secret.

- Guest Post by Love of www.cookingwithluv.com - “Where Cooking is Made Easier and Passions are Found”!

Thanks so much Love – for being a good friend and for all your great meal planning tips!

- – Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

Growing up we were fortunate to live near Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts – a living history village where you can step in and experience early New England life as they did from 1790-1840.  After spending the day there we would go to the Publick House for a traditional New England dinner which was always followed by their Blueberry Pie!

I have recently been in touch with Michael Glick the General Manager of the Publick House – and he kindly gave me the correct recipe for their Blueberry Pie.  I searched online, but wasn’t sure of the authenticity for the one I found – well he kindly gave me the real deal!

Recently I got mini tart pans – and I thought it would be great to make this Blueberry Pie into mini tarts.  It did take extra time, but they are so cute!  Along with the Publick House Blueberry Pie recipe I will show you how to lay down lattice pie top.

I par baked the tarts first:

Then I roll out the second half of dough and use a lattice cutter to make the strips. 

Then I lay down three strips in the same direction.  If you are doing a full size pie lay down more as needed.

Then I fold back the vertical middle strip, and lay down a horizontal strip, then place the vertical strip back where it was.

Then I fold down the outer two vertical strips and lay down a horizontal strip, and then replace the vertical strips. 

It takes some practice as sometimes the strips break, but it makes the pies look so cute! 

Here is the official recipe from the Publick House

PUBLICK HOUSE BLUEBERRY PIE

1 CUP SUGAR

1 1/2 TABLESPOONS CORNSTARCH

1/4 TEASPOON SALT

6 CUPS FRESH BLUEBERRIES

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

COMBINE SUGAR, CORNSTARCH AND SALT IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN.  ADD BERRIES AND MIX WELL.  COOK OVER LOW HEAT, STIRRING CONSTANTLY UNTIL MIXTURE IS THICKENED AND BUBBLY.  ADD BUTTER, MIXING WELL.  SET ASIDE AND LET COOL. 

PIE CRUST

2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

1/2 TEASPOON SALT

3/4 CUP VEGETABLE SHORTENING

6 TABLESPOONS ICE COLD WATER

COMBINE FLOUR AND SALT IN A MIXING BOWL.  CUT IN SHORTENING WITH A PASTRY BLENDER UNTIL MIXTURE RESEMBLES COARSE MEAL.  SPRINKLE WATER OVER MIXTURE.  STIR WITH A FORK UNTIL DRY INGREDIENTS ARE MOISTENED.  DIVIDE DOUGH BALL IN HALF.

ROLL HALF  OF PASTRY TO FIT A 9” PIE PLATE.  POUR THE COOLED BERRY MIXTURE INTO THE PASTRY SHELL.  ROLL SECOND HALF OF DOUGH TO 1/8”-1/4” THICKNESS.  CUT INTO 3/4 INCH WIDE STRIPS AND ARRANGE IN A LATTICE DESIGN OVER FILLING AND TRIM THE EDGES.  SEAL.  BRUSH THE TOP WITH AN EGG WASH (1 EGG MIXED WITH 2 TABLESPOONS WATER) THEN SPRINKLE WITH COURSE SUGAR.  BAKE AT 400° FOR 20 MIN.  REDUCE HEAT TO 350° AND CONTINUE BAKING 30 MINUTES OR UNTIL THE CRUST IS LIGHT BROWN.

Notes – Ignore the urge to add liquid to the blueberry mixture – it takes about 20 min. to cook down properly, but it does start out very dry looking.  I baked the mini tarts at 375 for 35° min.

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

I love going to a cute bakery and getting scones and tea.  As I have mentioned before we don’t have a lot of those cute bakery around – there is one new one in town – maybe they have scones?  Anyway I just had to try them for myself.  The best was they were yummy and so easy.  Can’t get better than that!

I never knew how scones got their shape – it was so easy!  Just rolled the dough into a circle and cut it like a pizza!  How easy is that? 

I either use my silpat or parchment paper to bake on – no sticking required!

The whole family loved them and wanted to know when I was going to make them again!!

Lemon and berry Scones
Makes 8 large or 10-12 small scones

Scones:
3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2/3 cup unthawed frozen mixed berries

Egg Wash:
1 egg, lightly beaten OR 1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon milk, lightly beaten

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (1/2 teaspoon if you’d like a less pronounced lemon flavor)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
a few drops of milk as needed 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place oven racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir.

3. Cut the butter into small pieces, and add to the flour mixture. Mix with a pastry blender or fork, until a coarse meal forms with tiny pea-sized butter pieces.

4. Whisk eggs and heavy cream in a small bowl. Stir in zest and juice. Add to the flour and butter mixture. Begin to gently mix with a spatula. Add the blueberries. Mix until just combined. (It’s OK if a few berries bleed.) Do not over mix, or the dough will become leaden.

5. Using a floured surface, shape the dough into 1 large or 2 small disks, about 1/2-inch thick. With a wet knife (to make slicing easier) cut the dough into triangular shaped scones. Place scones on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Brush scones with egg wash.

7. Bake scones for 15 minutes, rotating pans mid-way through, or until puffed and golden; transfer to a rack to cool.

adapted from one of my favorite foodies:  www.foodblogga.com

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

I am talking hot sauces and hot pepper sauce!  I am a mild girl myself, but my husband loves it hot, hot hot – sauce that is!  He found this great site = Hot Sauce Planet that specializes in hot sauces, hot pepper sauce and condiments.  They have so many to choose from – over 400 hot sauces!  This is THE site for spicy food and hot sauce enthusiasts!

They even have a Top Ten Hottest Hot Sauces which includes hot ones like 1 Million Scoville Pepper Extract and Da’ Bomb The Final Answer Hot Sauce.

Then there’s the Humours and Funny Hot Sauces like Goin’ Bananas Hot Sauce  and Fire In The Hole Hot Sauce.

My favorite part about there site was that you can sort the heat level of the sauces by one to ten.  So I didn’t have to search through hundreds of sauces to find the mild tastes I like.

The ones in the collage I made were my favorites  -  the Bear Claw which has soy, molasses and garlic in it.  The Key West Key Lime salsa, straight from the Keys with a sweet and tart taste to it.  And the  Bone Suckin’ BBQ Sauce with hickory smoke, molasses and lemon in it – plus it’s from a nearby town Raleigh, NC!    As you see I am a mild girl.

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!

My favorite thing about Spring besides the gorgeous weather is going strawberry picking!  I am fortunate enough to live close by to three different farms to choose from to pick them.  I try to hit all three every season.  Of course that means lots of strawberries to get through, as they just don’t last like those ones you get at the supermarket that are hard as plastic.

I have made apple crisp, blueberry crisp, but hadn’t tried strawberry rhubarb crisp.

So when I had a ton of beautiful strawberries I pulled out one of my favorite baking cookbooks -   Stars Deserts by Emily Luchettti. I have had this cookbook forever, it has beautiful photos and simple – yet amazing gourmet desserts!

The tip from the farmer was to lay the strawberries flat on a cookie sheet, and place them in the fridge unwashed and enjoy!

I would never imagine that the bitter rhubarb would balance so well with the sweet strawberries.  We gave my son a taste of the rhubarb raw – now he eats everything – like raw onions and garlic, but he spit out the rhubarb!

Here is my version of Emily Luchetti’s (be sure to check out her site and I just found out she is on facbook – I am so excited!)

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp:

Serves 8

Filling:

3 1/2 cups of 1/4-inch-thick-rhubarb (about 5 stalks)

4 cups of strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons tapioca four (or corn starch if you can’t find it)

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

pinch of salt

The Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

4 ounces (1 stick) cold sweet butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons chopped orange zest

1/2 cup of oats

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the strawberries and rhubarb in a large mixing bowl.  In a small bowl mix the rest of the filling ingredients together.  Then take the filling ingredients and gently mix them into the fruit and place in a 1 1/2 quart ovenproof dish and set aside.

Then make the topping.  Put all the topping ingredients in a mixer fitted with the paddle blade and mix until the butter is incorporated into the mixture.  Sprinkle topping over the fruit.

Bake the crisp for 30 to 35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and topping is lightly browned.  Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream!

Enjoy!

- Helping you achieve your Domestic Success!