Vanilla Donuts

June 3rd is National Donut Day.  I have some sweet little donuts to share with you.

I had them glazed for my children and added some of these cute little flowers sprinkled all over top.  However, as morning progressed the glaze was absorbed but I have to say they were just as delicious.  I had mine with tea in the afternoon.  Morning and sugar do not go together for me, save for a little in my coffee.

For the glaze, I added some strawberry flavoring.  You can flavor it any way you see fit though.  The nutmeg that is in the recipe really helps out.  I think it boosts vanilla flavor.  A 1/4 teaspoon is just enough to give you a hint rather than overpowering it with nutmeg flavor.

I have to tell you that every time I look at the picture above I want to glaze those donuts.

Vanilla Mini Donuts
These donuts are not real sweet.  Which is good but if you want to amp up the sweetness, then glaze them.  See recipe below.

2 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup buttermilk*
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup oil
glaze (optional)

Mix dry ingredients: flour , baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, sugar.  Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients:  melted butter, oil, vanilla extract and eggs.  Mix the wet into the dry and stir just until combined.

Spoon into greased donut sheet and bake.  I made mine in a Baby Cakes machine.  I spooned heaping tablespoons into the little wells.

Glaze while warm.  To make glaze combined confectioners sugar, about 2 cups, a tablespoon of milk and whatever flavoring you desire.  Add more confectioners sugar or liquid to make a runny mixture that you can drizzle over top of donuts.

*You can substitute the buttermilk with a 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup sour cream or a 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup yogurt.

Nut Free Dog Treats

My dog will choose peanut butter over meat.  It's just that simple.  So why make nut free dog treat? With a couple of friends with nut allergies, I thought I needed to find a treat that would not hurt them when they are over.  Also, I like to use up the fat that has been rendered from different stuff I cook.

I squirreled an entire batch away to the freezer.  I don't like the fat sitting around in my fridge forever.  The bacon would probably be okay because of the enormous salt content in it.  But I'd still rather not take my chances with it going bad. For this recipe I used part chicken fat and part bacon fat.  My parents are nice enough to save their bacon fat for me.  I think I probably fry up bacon two times, maybe four times a year. I used to hate it because of the grease mess.  Now, I just do it in the oven.  No mess really.  My oven stays pretty clean.  I think it just burns off in there.

DOG TREATS

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup melted bacon fat or other animal fat
1 large egg
1/2 pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree 
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (opt)
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  In a bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. You may need to add more flour, depending.  You want it to be able to roll it - not sticky- but moist. Cut with a cookie cutter or cut into squares or rounds.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip, place back in oven, then turn off the heat.  Let the oven cool with the treats in it.  This will help them crisp up a little more.


 

Old Fashioned Graham Crackers

I found this old recipe for Graham Crackers.  I have made graham crackers on a few occasions.  This one, in my opinion, is the best one yet.


Graham Crackers

1 cup shortening (you could use half butter and half shortening)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups white flour
4 cups graham flour (or wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy.  Add in vanilla extract.

In a bowl combine flour, salt,baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry infredients to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk  Chill dough over night in the refrigerator.

Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes or just squares like store bought graham crackers.  Poke with a fork all over cookie to prevent puffing.  Place on cookie sheet about an inch apart.  Bake in a preheated oven, 350F until golden brown for a crispier cookie. About 12 minutes give or take. If you like them a little soft and chewy take out a bit early.

Granola Bites

Some beautiful; Spring weather around here yesterday and today.  We were able to enjoy a lot of time outside yesterday. We went looking for tad poles. When I was a kid I would ride my bike down to this little creek about 3/4 of a mile away from my house and gather up some tad poles.  I would bring them home and watch them grow into little frogs, then I would take them back to the creek or release them.

I wanted my daughters to enjoy that so my husband and I decided to take them. I think we were too early, maybe- no tadpoles yet... I will keep you posted.

I tasted these at a Potluck sort of thing.  Asked the lady for the recipe because I had to have it.  Love these.  

Granola Bites

3/4 cup pancake syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
3 cups oats, toasted
1/4 cup chocolate chips or candy coated chocolate
3 tablespoons peanut butter ( a bit heaping)
handful of sliced almonds
1/2 cup sweetened coconut

In a 350F oven toast the oatmeal on a cookie sheet until lightly golden.

While the oats are toasting, gather up your ingredients.  In a saucepan place sugar, syrup, oil/butter and peanut butter.  Place on medium heat and melt.  Whisk together until it bubbles.  In a large mixing bowl, place coconut and almonds.  When oats are done put in mixing bowl.  Pour heated peanut butter mixture into oat mixture and stir.  Spoon into a parchment lined 8 x 8 baking pan.  Using the back of a spatula push down ont he mixture, until flat and even.  When a little cool sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  Cut when somewhat cooled but before it is too hard. Let cool completely.

Coconut Chocolate Bars

These are really good.  They are practically walking out of here.   My girls have been enjoying them in their lunches.

Coconut Chocolate Bars

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups flaked coconut (I used frozen grated, fresh coconut from Goya)
1 (12 ounce) package dark chocolate chips

In a 9 x 13 baking pan, combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and almond meal.  Mix together well.  Press evenly over bottom and place in preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and pour the condensed milk/ coconut mixture evenly over top.  Place back in oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  The edges should be a bit golden.  If you use dry flaked coconut, place in oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top.  Wait a few moments and spread the chocolate over top.  Let cool completely and cut with a sharp knife into squares.

Dog Treats

You can't bake a ton of cookies and not bake a treat for your dog. Well, I couldn't, not this year.  It has been way too long since I baked her a treat.

Yes, the verdict is out on whether you should give your dog any grain at all. Some say yes, some say no.  If you feed your dog regular dog food, then you are already giving them grain.  Some people that give their dog all raw food would totally object to this treat.

For me however, I feel that while dogs ancestry goes back to wolves who do not eat much grain.  Dogs have evolved over the centuries and changed.  In owning a dog, my opinion is that dogs love their meat (well, and peanut butter) they will eat anything when they are hungry.  And my guess, however uneducated it might be in the field of wolves, is that if they were hungry, they would eat whatever was available too.

In conclusion, it's totally up to you.

Just a little side note about the peanut butter.  My kids and I did a little experiment one day.  Mind you, it totally was in fun with a side of serious.  We put a piece of meat on the floor and a few feet away we put a glop of peanut butter about the same size to see which one she would go to first.  She smelled the meat first but did not eat it.  Ate the peanut butter and quickly went back to the meat.  What did we prove?  Even dogs eat dessert first.

Dog Treats
Unscientific but yet delicious
Printable recipe here.

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup pork fat*
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (yes, the verdict is out on that too)
1 large egg
1/2 cup cold water

Mix all the ingredients together.  Shape into logs and press flat.  Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip the treats.  Place back in oven.  Turn oven off.  Leave treats in oven until it cools.  This will dry them out so they are crispy to eat.

Interesting articles both pro and con on the subject of feeding dogs.

Dog Food Advisor article: Are Dogs Carnivores or Omnivores?- by Mike Sagman
The Wild Side:  Are Dogs Carnivores or Omnivores?  by The Wild Side Blog
Are Dogs Carnivores or Omnivores by Marks Dog Blog

Chocolate Pumpkins

Fun!

Take pretzels and smother it with peanut butter.  Lay it out on wax paper an stick it in the freezer. After about a half of an hour, dip into melted white chocolate (or Melt type chocolates that you get at the craft store).  Freeze again.  Melt the next batch of white chocolate and add the stems by placing some on a knife and touching the top of the pumpkin where the stem would go.  Hey, it's not fancy but I think they came out cute.  Little hands in our house loved this project and most certainly ate up the results.