Donuts - a tradition?

When I was in high school (10+ years ago) I made donuts with a dear family friend, Marcy, while listening to General Conference.  I still think of her every time conference comes around and of the wonderful time we had. 
This weekend, since it was General Conference, I had a friend over to listen to conference and we made delicious donuts; plain, filled with fresh raspberry filling, chocolate filling, and of course.. maple bars with coconut!
   I think it's gonna be tradition..  The first weekend of April and October, I'm gonna have to make fresh donuts while listening to some awesome spiritual messages!!    

It's like a spiritual and physical feast!

Here's the recipe I used!

DONUTS

1 T. yeast

2 c. water

½ c. sugar

1 c. warm mashed potatoes

½ c. shortening

2 eggs

1 T. salt

5-6 c. flour or more

Mix yeast, water, and sugar. Mix shortening, potatoes and eggs. Add all ingredients together and mix until soft but not sticky or stiff.  Place in greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise to double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Roll out 1/3" thick on floured counter and use a 3” cup to cut. Make hole with finger in the center and stretch to enlarge the hole.  Place donuts on floured cookie sheets and cover with dishtowels. Let them raise 15 minutes.  Fry at 380 degrees in lard.  Place on paper towels absorb grease for 1 minute. Then drop into frosting, take out and let drip on a cooling rack until cool.     Makes 50 donuts.  

Frosting:  

2 lb.  (4 c.) powdered sugar

¾ c. hot water

1 T. vanilla or maple extract

To make filled donuts, I roll out the dough 1/4" thick and use the small Pampered Chef 'Cut-n-seal'   to cut out each circle of dough. I then wet my fingertip with water and dampen the edge of the dough. Now place 1 T. of filling in the center. Next, stretch the 2nd piece of dough just a bit and place it on top, and crimp it shut with the 'Cut-n-seal'!!!!  Make sure the edges are sealed, if not all the way, use your fingers to squish the dough so the filling doesn't come out while it's frying.

Enjoy!

                                                                             

Corn Tortillas and Chips

I made Corn Tortillas! My motivation was... I didn't have any corn chips and I love salty, crunchy stuff!

I'd found a recipe earlier and finally mixed them up tonight. I served the tortillas with fajita type filling and some fresh chips on the side. We each got four chips... Ha ha! One of the corn tortillas made 4 chips!

The chips were VERY crisp and crunchy. More like a hard crunch than a crumbly crunch.. I'm not sure how to describe it. It did satisfy my salty, crunch craving and .. oh yeah, I baked them so they were healthier! I don't know how the texture would change if they were fried. I'd also rolled the tortillas a little too thin. Maybe if they're a little thicker, it'd be better..

Yep, I'll try it again and update you on what I discover!!

For now, Here's the recipes!

Corn Tortillas
Prep 20 min, cook 15 min, ready in 1 hr, serves 4

1 ¾ c. masa harina
1 1/8 c. water

In a medium bowl, mix together the masa harina and hot water until thoroughly combined. Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until pliable and smooth. If dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if it begins to dry out, sprinkle with water. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes. (I just put a lid on the bowl I was using)

Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-high.
Divide the dough in 12 equal size balls. Use a tortilla press or rolling pin to roll each tortilla about 1/8" thick between 2 sheets of plastic. (I use an old cereal bag that I've washed and dried.. it's sturdy and reusable)
Immediately place tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds, or until browned and slightly puffy. Turn tortilla over to brown on second side for approximately 30 seconds more, then transfer to a plate. Repeat process with each ball of dough. Keep tortillas covered with a towel to stay warm and moist until ready to serve! YUMMY!!!


Corn Chips - Baked
Cut your fresh tortillas in 4 pieces with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and spray with Pam or lightly brush with oil. (I only sprayed one side, but you can spray or oil both) Then lightly salt (or sprinkle with your favorite herbs and spices). Bake until golden brown and crisp in a preheated oven at 350 for about 12-15 minutes. If you are making a lot and using two baking sheets, rotate the baking sheets after 6 minutes so they'll cook evenly!
Enjoy!

You know I've got to try making chips now with the Rice and Oat Tortillas!!!

... Happy crunching!...

Oat and Rice Tortillas

I've been experimenting with Gluten Free recipes and came up with a good tortilla recipe! I made 5 different tortilla versions and My Soldier and I both picked this one. It's simple and the tortillas are bendable and taste good!  

.....UPDATE..... 

We found an even better way to make them :) 

Before you cook the rice (blend it up) then cook it using the amount of water the recipe called for. It will be like cream of rice cereal.

BROWN RICE AND OAT TORTILLAS
½ c. brown rice, blend until fine (not flour) in a blender
1 ¼ c. water
2 t. oil
¼ t. salt
Place all the above ingredients into a pan, bring to boil, then simmer for 10-20 min (or until soft).
Mix in ½ c. oat flour (or more) until it’s a soft dough.  Divide dough into 8-10 balls.
10 balls will create 6" tortillas.

If using this updated version, skip to **SHAPING THE TORTILLAS**  below and continue following the directions... :)

Original Recipe using pre-cooked rice:
INGREDIENTS for 4 large or 6 medium tortillas
 1 c. cooked white or brown rice (a great way to use up leftovers)
1/4 c. water
4 t. oil
1/2 t. salt

1-1 1/4 c. oat flour

     Put cooked rice, water, oil, and salt in a blender and puree.

Scrape it into a bowl and slowly add the oat flour until it isn't sticky any more. 

Now divide the dough into 4-6 balls.

****SHAPING THE TORTILLAS****

 Divide into balls and place on counter with bowl upside down over them so they don't dry out.

      Use a cleaned, plastic cereal bag, open it up so it's flat, wash and dry it. (It's reusable)   Sprinkle a little oat flour on one side and place a ball of dough that you've pressed with your fingers into a 3-inch circle. Sprinkle a little more oat flour on top and fold over the plastic.

 Now using a rolling pin, roll it out into a 8-inch circle. (I like to lift up the plastic after each time I roll the rolling pin back and forth. It helps it roll out more even and come off easier!)

    Carefully lift off one side of plastic, turn it over and repeat with the other side. (I like to peel off one side of plastic and place the tortilla on one hand, using the other hand to carefully peel off the plastic) 

 Cook on a medium-hi skillet or 350 degree griddle for 1 minute, turn over and cook again for 1-2 minutes. Place in a tortilla warmer or on a plate and cover with a clean dish towel until ready to serve.

Hope you enjoy them!

Try out some delicious NON-Dairy, Gluten, Egg, Soy, Nut, Chicken, Garlic, Chili, etc. Enchiladas! 

'Mindy's Enchiladas' reminded me of tamales and were delicious!

Click here for Mindy's Enchilada Recipe

Daniel 1:12    Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse ( foods made of seeds, grains, etc.)  to eat, and water to drink....

Playdough - homemade

What's funner than playing with playdough?  How about making it!  It's a great gift to give a child!


Homemade playdough smells better, feels better, if the kids do eat some of it, kids will be kids, it won't harm them,   AND it comes out of the carpet!  I've known some store-bought playdough to be like glue in carpet and never come out.  If this home-made playdough does get in the carpet, get out what you can, let the rest dry, then vacuum it up!

BASIC PLAYDOUGH

1 c. flour 

2  t. cream of tartar
½ c. salt
1 c. water

1 T. vegetable or olive oil
Food coloring (optional)

   Combine the dry ingredients in a saucepan and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly stir the liquids into the dry mixture.

   Cook on the Stove Top:

Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring until the mixture pulls away from sides of pan.

   or Cook in the Microwave:

Heat at med. temp. for 1½ min in a microwave safe bowl. Check, stir and heat again 1 min. until it begins to solidify.

     Cool slightly and knead gently. Store in an airtight container when cool.

*****

Sweet Smelling dough

Only do this if your kids are older as the little ones might think it smells/tastes good enough to eat. 
Add a few drops of  food flavoring extracts.  Vanilla, almond, rootbeer(will turn the dough brown), peppermint, etc. 
Mixing in a little powdered kool-aid will color the dough and also make it smell. (Mix it in a plastic bag so your hands don't become colored!)

Create some MAGIC dough! 

Make a few golf ball-sized balls of plain white dough.  Push your finger into the center of each ball of dough to create a 'hole'.  Place a few drops of food-coloring into each hole and carefully squeeze the ball shut, making sure the color doesn't come out. Now put each ball of dough in a  separate plastic baggie and close the bag. At least have one ball of red, one of blue, and one of yellow.
Let the kids squeeze the dough inside the bag until all the color is completely mixed with the dough.
You can also put multiple colors of food-coloring in each hole to create custom colored playdough.
The kids get excited when the dough turns from white into a new color!
Now let the kids mix the different colors of dough to create even more colors.

Perfect Playdough Tools

Contain the mess by using a plastic  picnic tablecloth or placemats or  for each child to 'play' on.
If you're worried about playdough on the floor under the table, put a picnic tablecloth under the table area.
Who said you had to use cookie cutters for just cookies?
What about plastic forks, spoons, and butter knives.
Got any popsicle sticks?
Toy car tires leave cool tracks when you 'drive' on the dough. Let them dry well and shake to get the dough out.
A Slotted spoon pressed down on a ball of dough makes tubes of dough when the dough pushes through it (like spaghetti or hair).
Plastic Spatulas help you turn over or lift up some dough.
Test different objects to see the indentions that will remain!

Enjoy becoming a kid again!

Flour Tortillas Home-made

FLOUR TORTILLAS  J

Serves  6-8 , 10 min-prep,   10-15 min-cook

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2/3-3/4 cup HOT water

2 Tablespoons oil or shortening

Mix dry ingredients.

Pour in liquids and stir until completely combined. 

  ** (If using shortening, cut into dry ingredients and then pour in water)

 Divide into 6 or 8 balls. Keep dough covered until ready to roll out.

Roll each thin.

Cook on medium heat. Turn when bottom is light brown (about 45 seconds) and cook other side.           

Best when fresh,  If using the next day, lightly sprinkle with water and microwave each tortilla for 10 seconds.

Cooking with Pureed Beans

You might think that using beans in a recipe will make it taste weird but.....

   Some recipes (snickerdoodles for example) become more soft and fluffy!

Try it out!  If you think your family won't like it, just wait and tell them after they've tried it.  Think they still won't eat it? Offer them cookies for breakfast, who can turn that down... even if it has beans? :)

Did you know that you can replace the oil in some recipes with pureed beans?

(Thanks to my sister for this awesome bit of advice)

The general rule of thumb:  ‘up to half’ of the oil called for in a recipe can be substituted.
If your recipe calls for ½ c. butter, you can use ¼ c. butter and ¼ c. pureed beans.

This also applies to margarine, shortening, lard, vegetable or olive oil!

If you're unsure, start with substituting 25% then 50%. Each recipe will be different. Have fun experimenting!

WHAT KIND OF BEANS? 

I prefer to use white beans as they have minimal flavor and color. If you’re making brownies or something with chocolate, go ahead and use black or pinto beans as the color won’t matter!  
 (I’ve never experimented with other kinds of beans so please share your findings!)

Why do I use pureed beans?

-I prefer pureed beans because it doesn’t add flavor but does add protein, and fiber and reduces the amount of oil I consume!
-I prefer pureed beans instead of applesauce because I don’t need to worry about it adding extra sweetness to the recipe like applesauce does.
-You’ll notice that you don’t have a greasy aftertaste in your mouth like you normally get from high oil-content foods such as frosting.

What recipes can I use pureed beans in?

-In most baking recipes!
-In cookies, they will become more fluffy which makes a delicious Snickerdoodle (I actually use 75% beans and 25%  butter in Snickerdoodles and get asked for the recipe all the time… boy are they surprised when I tell them my secret ingredient)
-In a pie crust, it will be a little crisper and if you use too much, it can become crunchy (I’d suggest only 25-50% beans).
-In frosting, it will be a softer texture. Expect to use it for the ‘flat’ frosting.  The more beans, the flatter it will be.  Go ahead and experiment using 25%, then 50% and see which you prefer.

When will I NOT use beans again?

My mom and I were making hard caramels and I figured I’d give it a whirl with using ½ beans and ½ butter instead of all butter.
The results were?           …. Drum roll please….  
Flavor- The same as the regular recipe.     Appearance- Just a hair darker.       Texture- Grainy.
Conclusion: The kids were ecstatic that we let them eat up the caramels and they didn’t mind at all!

Ok, are you ready to try it out?

IN A NUT SHELL

1 c. + 1 T. dry beans = 3 c. + 3 T. cooked beans
1 c. + 1 T. cooked beans + 2 T. bean broth = 5.3 oz (10 T + 2 t.) pureed beans
3 c. + 3 T. cooked beans + 6 T. broth = 16 oz (2 c.) pureed beans

HOW TO PREPARE PUREED BEANS

1 - The jar shows dried beans.  Cook beans as suggested below or use rinsed, canned beans. 

2 - Mash (with a fork) or blend (in a blender) 1 cup of  cooked, drained beans until smooth, adding 2 Tablespoons of bean broth/liquid until it’s the consistency of soft butter, shortening, or lard.

3 - Place  1 cup (8 oz) of pureed beans into the square plastic container (shown bottom,left) and smooth it out.

4 - Use a butter knife to score (lightly cut ½-¾ way through) it into 16 pieces like the diagram (shown bottom,right).

5 - Now freeze the beans so you can break it into 16 pieces (1 tablespoon each) as needed. This makes it easier to thaw and use. Keep pureed beans frozen and sealed in a freezer bag/container.

THE BASICS ABOUT SOAKING AND COOKING BEANS

Dried Bean Guide Use this guide to gauge how much dried beans to cook.   (1 serving – 1/3 cup. cooked beans)
¼ cup dry beans	¾ cup cooked beans
1/3 cup dry beans	1 cup cooked beans
½ cup dry beans	1 ½ cups cooked beans
2/3 cup dry beans	2 cup cooked beans
1 cup dry beans (1/2 pound)	3 cups cooked beans, drained
2 cups (1 pound) dry beans	6 cups cooked beans, drained
One 15-ounce can of cooked beans	1 ½ cups cooked beans, drained

PRESOAKING DRIED BEANS: Rinse beans in water and pick out any broken pieces and rocks. Add water/beans in sauce pan. (1 part dried beans to 3-4 parts water)

The Quick Presoak method is to boil the beans for two minutes, take the pan off the heat, cover and allow to stand for one hour. Before cooking the beans, regardless of method, drain the soaking liquid and rinse the beans with clean water.

TO COOK BEANS: Add three cups of fresh water or broth for each cup of dried beans. The liquid should be about one to two inches above the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, partially covering the pot. If any foam develops, you can skim it off during the simmering process. Black beans generally take about one and one-half hours to become tender using this method.    (Soaked beans cook in a saucepan in 1-1 ½ hours  OR in a 15lb pressure cooker  in 5-8 minutes.)

DO NOT add any seasonings that are salty or acidic until after the beans have been cooked since adding them earlier will make the beans tough and greatly increase the cooking time.

Right click on the above document to print or download the recipe

You can also use Pureed Lentils

Best of luck!



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