PW's Homemade Doughnuts

Because I had a 3-day weekend, and because I was feeling nice and rested because of it, and because I've been dying to try them, but never have the time or energy...This is what I did this morning:

Yes, these are doughnuts, and yes, I made them, and yes, I ate them. They are straight from the Pioneer Woman's website (I'll link you straight to the recipe in a second). I didn't do step-by-step photos while making them because it's all on her website, but I did want to share a few photos to get you salivating.


Here is a golden pile of fried dough, just waiting to be glazed.


Oh yeah, I did do one thing different.

I made this. A chocolate glaze to mix things up a bit. It's just 2 Tbsp cocoa, 2 Tbsp butter (softened...almost melted), 1/4 cup milk, and 2 cups powdered sugar.

These are the regular glaze. I dipped them twice for a nice thick layer of glaze.

These were regular glazed...until I dipped them in my chocolate glaze...mmmm.

I had a bag of coconut in the cupboard, so I dipped a few of the chocolate ones in coconut...so fancy ;).

You must go to Pioneer Woman's website to try the recipe yourself...here's a link straight to the recipe: Pioneer Woman's Homemade Glazed Doughnuts.

Enjoy!

Turkey Jerky

With summer here and outdoor activities on the rise, portable, nonperishable snacks are essential. We recently picked up a food dehydrator which has been key in making all sorts of easy to grab-and-go snacks. Yesterday we made turkey jerky...and let me just show you how easy it is!

All you need is ground turkey and some jerky seasoning and cure. You can pick up these handy little packets wherever you can buy a dehydrator.

Mix it all together... yeah, go ahead and get your hands dirty!

Then you'll need this....an extruder (or jerky gun). This is also right next to the dehydrators in the store.

Now, load all the meat into the extruder (it holds a pound of meat easily).

Pick the tip you want...we like the regular flat jerky.

Squeeze the trigger, and out it comes!

You may have to spread them apart just a tad so air can circulate around all edges.

Continue filling each tray and stacking them up. At the end there may be a little meat that won't quite push through, we just flatten it out and add it to the tray too.

Set the dehydrator on its highest setting (ours goes to 155 degrees). It usually takes about 3-4 hours. Then, since it's turkey and we don't want salmonella, place the jerky on a baking sheet and put it in a 165 degree oven for 30 minutes. That will kill any remaining germs without over cooking the meat.

When it's all done, it looks like this! A perfect portable snack.

I'll be trying out another recipe for a jerky marinade that's great for beef, venison, and other game. I'll let you know how it turns out...it may come in very handy next fall for anyone who lives with a hunter like I do!

His Eyes Were Bigger Than His Stomach

This little guy bit off way more than he could chew.

See that slimy thing wrapped around him? That's the worm he attempted to eat. Did he really think it would fit in his teeny tiny stomach?

Here's another angle (sorry it's a bit blurry..but you get the idea...tiny fish, big worm). Maybe he thought he was attacking a sea monster that was taking over his territory. Either way, he's back in the lake. I hope he doesn't pick a fight with a less-merciful worm (or bigger fish) next time.

First Fish

As promised, here is a picture of the first fish caught off the SS Minnow.

It was a pretty good size, not quite a keeper, though.

This is the second fish caught.

Notice how I'm not the one with the fish...I had a lot of nibbles but no bites that night (or last night for that matter). Maybe my luck will turn around soon.

Just in Time

We've been keeping our eyes open all spring for the perfect little used fishin' boat at just the right price. Well, we finally found one!...and just in time for the official-unofficial start of summer. It's just big enough to get us out on the water to do some fishing, swimming, and relaxing.

Here she is in all her glory, the SS Minnow.

Don't let the seat fool you, that's a perfect tanning platform (not that I recommend tanning...but 10 minutes a day is good for Vitamin D :)).

This was just after our maiden voyage...I'm smitten.

Ryan still admiring the back end (that's where all the important stuff is).

We did some fishing last night, but didn't catch anything big enough to keep. I'll post pictures of a couple little bass that Ryan caught and released next time!

How to Eat Corn-on-the-Cob

Okay, most of you may be more advanced than me, but I guess I never learned how to effectively eat corn-on-the-cob.

This is what my corn looks like...

...and if you think that looks messy, you should see my teeth..

...and my face..

...and my shirt...it's not a pretty site. I refuse to eat corn-on-the-cob in public.

Ryan has always been a pro, and until now, he just shook his head at my struggles and told me I was wasting perfectly good corn by eating it that way (not that I knew any other way to do it).

This is how his corn looks....

....clean, every kernel gone, and his teeth? Let's just say he could get up and go to the dentist and they wouldn't find a trace of that stuff in his teeth.

So, tonight we were eating our corn as always, me making a mess, Ryan enjoying ever morsel. He looks over and says, "You know if you just go straight across a row once, from there go across again, using only your bottom teeth to pop the kernels out, you get the whole kernel, and you don't get as much in your teeth."

Although I had my doubts, I tried it...and behold:

...my first row of perfectly eaten corn! And it's so much easier that way! I've always loved the taste of fresh corn, but the mess often deters me from it. If I had only known this the first 26 years of my life...and why Ryan waited 4 years to share this with me I'll never know.

One more time...Before:

After!

Amazing...Now excuse me while I go alert the media.

Another Dog Post

First, let me apologize for another dog post. If you have children, and your life no longer revolves around your pets please quit reading now. Otherwise you may like to read on and see Duke's obsession with his stuffed (well, was stuffed) fox toy.

This is Duke's (or Aspen's depending on what day it is, or what time of day for that matter) fox.


This is Duke about to leap into the air to grab it because its not torn up quite enough yet.

This is Duke trying to start some tug-o-war. You may note the deflated turtle toy from last month lying in the background...poor thing.

And this is a shiny new fox who doesn't yet know his fate.

And a droopy eyed monkey because I can't resist that sort of thing.

We are about to have two very happy puppies.

My New Favorite Thing for Taco Night

Ryan and I usually make tacos a couple times a month. Ryan recently picked these taco salad bowls up at the store, and they are my new favorite thing for taco night. You start by putting together these cardboard contraptions that are like upside-down bowls...it's very fast and easy.

You drape the shells over the cardboard contraptions...

Then stick 'em in the oven for about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile...Start preparing a few things to put IN the bowl. I usually chop some lettuce and tomato.

Brown some hamburger...if you have taco seasoning, great, but we usually just use fresh onion and garlic and lots of chili powder.

When you pull the shells out of the oven, they look like this...all golden and delicious. Take them off the cardboard molds and flip them over to fill.

Throw in your lettuce, tomato, meat, beans (black or pinto), cheese, salsa, and anything else you can come up with...and eat!

Burnt Sugar Candy Bar Cake

The day we left for our trip last week was my mom's birthday. I love baking for people on their birthday, so I made this always crowd-pleasing candy-bar cake for her birthday:

When you're done wiping the drool from your chin, return and I'll begin showing you how to make it for someone you love...or even better, for yourself :).

This is a recipe from Better Homes and Garden's Test Kitchen Favorites Cookbook. It's a bit of a complex recipe the first time you look at it, but once you break it down and try it, it's not so daunting...plus it's SOOO worth it. I love it for special occasions, holidays, and well, any day you want something absolutely rich and fabulous (which is most days for me).

To start, cook 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to melt (do not stir yet). Once it starts to melt, turn the heat down a bit and stir constantly.



Until it looks something like this:

Cook about 1-3 minutes after this, until it's just a bit darker. Then add 3/4 cup hot water (carefully)...The recipe says this will cause lumps, but that's the nice way of putting it. It's nothing short of a small nuclear reaction. Expect bubbles, steam, and a hard sheet of sugar that gradually melts into a nice syrup. So stir until there are no more "lumps" and remove from heat. Pour into a glass measuring cup and add hot water until there is 1 and 3/4 cup liquid total (no nuclear reaction this time). It will look like this:

Now set that aside. In a large bowl stir together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. In another bowl, beat together 1.5 cups sugar, 2/3 cup softened butter, 2 egg yolks (save the whites in another bowl), and 2 tsp vanilla until smooth. Alternately add in dry ingredients and sugar syrup, beating after each addition.

Now remember those egg whites? Use a clean, dry hand mixer to beat the egg whites until they look like this: fairly stiff.

Then, gently fold the whites into the batter. Now it's ready to bake! Use three 8 inch baking pans, greased and floured (or in my case, doused with Pam cooking spray...sshhh, don't tell anyone). Evenly divide the batter between the 3 pans, then bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto wire racks to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, go ahead and start preparing the icing/toppings. Chop some assorted candy bars. You'll need about 1.5 cups of finely chopped bars, and a few coarsely chopped bars for the top.

For the icing, start with 1/2 cup butter (1 stick salted butter, no substitutes). Heat it in a pan over low-medium heat until melted. Keep heating and stirring until it turns a dark nut-brown color. There will be some sediment in the pan, but that's what gives you such a great aroma and flavor. Once it looks like this, remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.

While that's cooling, beat together 8oz cream cheese (softened) and 3 TBSP butter until combined, then beat in 2 cups powdered sugar. Next beat in the browned butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in an additional 4.5 cups powdered sugar. Then add 2-3 tbsp milk until the frosting is spreadable. It'll look something like this... At this point, try to resist licking the spoon (at least until your done assembling the cake).

Now it's time to assemble the layers. With each layer, spread a generous amount of frosting and sprinkle a nice layer of those mixed candy bars.

After it's all together it will look like this:

But there's something missing...There we go...that's when you pull out the big chunks to throw on top.

Enjoy!