GONUTS FOR DONUTZ

HI!

I had all of the regular stuff planned for Thanksgiving as far as dessert goes, but I decided that I would test out this cute little donut pan I bought on a whim a few weeks ago....

I had also starred this RECIPE from Sprinkle Bakes that I wanted to give a try. Her photos and tutorial are AWESOME. They made it super easy for me to give this a shot.

Doughnut batter:

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. butter, melted
Seeds from one vanilla bean (this is what I was missing :C)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In large mixing bowl, sift together all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and butter and beat until just combined. Spray doughnut cavities with cooking spray or brush with butter. Fill each donut cup approximately 1/2 full.

Bake 5-8 minutes or until the top of the donuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 4–5 minutes before removing. Finish doughnuts with vanilla glaze. Doughnuts are best served fresh.


Vanilla glaze:

1 cup confectioner’ s sugar
1 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
4 drops of liquid blue food coloring (I used pink, duh!)
White nonpareils

In small bowl, stir together sugar, milk and vanilla extract until sugar is completely dissolved. Add food coloring and stir until color is uniform. Use immediately to glaze doughnuts. Sprinkle on nonpareils.
I had everything for the recipe, except the Vanilla Beans- which may have been the Pontiac Game Changing Difference here, as they were super cute, but tasted very flour like.

Either way, they were really easy, the glaze was fun, and a cute and exciting update to the gal who bakes a zillion cupcakes in her day!!!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

I woke up this morning, and thought about what I could do with a bunch of the leftover ingredients we had in the fridge from Thanksgiving....

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

1/4 tsp. minced garlic
2 tablespoons of butter
2 cups of Butternut Squash- cubed
2 cups of cubed potatoes
**additional veggies that would be good that I didn't have laying around- celery and onion
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Clove spices- i just used a dash
1/4 cup light brown sugar (this must have been that sweetness factor!)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

(my measurements are all approximated, as I just whacked it all together and tasted as I went.)

Brown butter, garlic and squash (you would also add the celery and onion if you go this route)
add chicken stock, potatoes, and both milks (probably one of the two would work here, I just had both so I used them!)
add sea salt, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove (just a dash, mind you)
bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
(it might look a little crazy at this point- don't worry. You may see separation, like the butter rising to the top, don't worry! We'll fix it!)

When potatoes/squash are "mushy" transfer the contents to a blender or food processor and puree.
placed pureed mixture back on the stove (IN THE POT, DON'T BE SILLY), stir it up and it's ready to serve!!!

The soup turned out a LITTLE on the sweet side, so I garnished it with a sprinkle of paprika and it was ready to go!

Chahhhhley, as you can see, is wiped out from all of the Holiday Hooplah!