Homemade Donuts ~ For Beginners

recipe from sothernplate.com

I don't often eat donuts. If I do, I like them simple. No sprinkles please! I have been wanting to make my own for a while now and this recipe is a great way to start and is foolproof. I wasn't expecting much from the ingredients and method but was pleasantly surprised at how delicious these were. They were gone in no time!

Ingredients:

 vegetable oil

canned biscuits - any kind but the flaky layer ones

4 TBLS melted butter

sugar

cinnamon

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small shallow bowl. I like mine a darker brown color meaning more cinnamon than sugar. Make it the flavoring to your preference.

Fill up a large skillet with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Heat on medium high. 

While oil is heating. open your biscuits. Separate them and cut holes into the center of each. I used star shaped cookie cutters. Any shape will do as long as you have cut a small hole in the centers.

Place donuts in the oil. When the sides facing the pan are golden brown, flip them and brown the other side. When both sides are browned, remove the donuts and place them on paper towel.

As soon as the donuts are cool enough to handle, use your fingers to dip one side in the melted butter. Shake them a bit to remove the excess butter and then dip them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture, coating them well. Them repeat the steps to cover and coat the other side until all donuts are finished.

Eat warm or store them immediately in an airtight container for later.

Easy and so yummy!!

NOTE: I also repeated the process for the donut holes after making the donuts themselves.

Thursday Photo Challenge: Bottle

I am a caffeine junkie, although my vice of choice is Diet Mt. Dew. I drink so much of it, my veins must run green. I loved this old style Pepsi bottle and knew it would come in handy some day.

I linked up with Spun with Tears. 

Photoblog Challenges: B&W with Toning

Here I am again with another angel shot. I have decided at some point I would like to do a series of angel photos to help with my fear fascination of them and their watch. Maybe frame them and put them on them on display? It's a project I have given myself, one that may take or last years but I am looking forward to it.

I linked up with Photoblog Challenges: B&W with Toning.

Cranberry Streusel Muffins

These are Thanksgiving inspired muffins. You see, I love most fruits but I don't necessarily care for them "in" foods. Whole that is. As a sauce or flavoring, I am fine, even a topping...but chunks of fruit in a recipe and I rarely will even sample it. Weird? Probably.

These muffins have cranberry sauce without the whole cranberries in them. Simple to make and delicious!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp.salt
1 cup cranberry sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, sour cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Then mix in the baking powder & soda, and salt. Stir in the flour until just combined. 

Fill each cupcake liner about 1/3 full with the batter. Spoon 1 TBLS. of the cranberry sauce over each 1/3 filled liner. Sprinkle each with a little of the brown sugar mixture you set aside at the very beginning. Spoon remaining batter over each liner. Then top with remaining brown sugar mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned on top. 

Cool for a few minutes and serve.

Photoblog Challenges:Many

Good morning everyone! Are you recovered from Thanksgiving and Black Friday? It might take me a few more days to do so. 

Simple post from me today. I am even feeling too lazy to add a quote. 

Have a great Monday. :)

I entered Photoblog Challenges: Many

Cheese Bread

recipe from prayingforparker.com

I can include myself among the many people who go crazy for Red Lobster's garlic cheese biscuits. You may remember when I posted the copycat recipe here. I was super excited when I found this recipe on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try. It does not have the same texture as the biscuits, of course, and for whatever reason the garlic was all together left out. I decided to try it as is. 

While this did not taste like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, it when right to the top of my list for breads anyway. Gooey cheese, dense doughy bread and a whole loaf to enjoy!!! 

I will make a the one alteration of adding some garlic next time only because I am a garlic freak.You may find this perfect the way it is.

Delicious warm with a little butter smeared on each slice.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 TBLS. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. black pepper

4 oz. medium cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cup sour cream

3 TBLS. butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease or spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan. 

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Carefully stir in the cheese cubes until the cubes are covered. 

In a separate bowl, mix milk, sour cream, melted butter and egg. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. Do not over stir!

Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 45 - 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan (I find using a knife around the edges to loosen it up helps if it's not cooperating). 

Cool 1 hour on a baking rack before slicing.

Mexican Chicken & Rice

This is a super easy weeknight recipe. Cheesy, slightly zesty and the leftovers are great the next day.

You can even make this faster by preparing the chicken ahead of time. Just follow the instructions below for cooking the chicken. Cool and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use and then pick back up in the recipe where you left off.

Ingredients:
chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (I used 3)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 cups water
1 cup Minute rice, uncooked
3/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook chicken pieces with just a sprinkling of the taco seasoning until cooked through. I sprinkled the enough to coat the tops of the chicken after adding it to the skillet.

While the chicken is cooking, mix chicken soup, water, the remainder of the taco seasoning, rice and 1/2 of the cheese in a large bowl. Stir in cooked and seasoned chicken. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake up to an additional 10 minutes or until cheese on top is melted. 

Serve with tortilla chips.