Baked Doughnuts Recipe

• Don't over bake these, if anything, under bake them a bit - they will continue baking outside the oven for a few minutes. You want an interior that is moist and tender - not dry. Also, be sure to cut big enough holes in the center of your doughnuts - too small and they will bake entirely shut. Remember they rise, and they rise even more when they are baking. These really need to be made-to-order, but you can make and shape the dough the night before if you want to serve them for brunch.


• Instructions: after shaping, place doughnuts on baking sheet, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Pull them out an hour before baking, and let rise in a warm place before baking.


• 1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided)


• 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)


• 2 tablespoons butter


• 2/3 cup sugar


• 2 eggs


• 5 cups all-purpose flour (alternately, white whole wheat might work - haven't tried it yet


• A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated


• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted


• 1 1/2 cups sugar1 tablespoon cinnamon


• Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer.


• Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so.


• Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast.


• Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture.


• With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated.


• With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed.


• This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth.


• Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.


• Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.


• Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Most people (like myself) don't have a doughnut cutter, instead I use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles.


• Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them.


• Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.


• Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8.


• While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.


• Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two.


• Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl.


• Eat immediately if not sooner.
  Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.
• http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001561.html

Butter Toffee Vanilla Cream Fruit Tart

A delicious dessert using Almond Accents® Butter Toffee flavor.

• Preparation Time: 10 minutes
  Crust:
  2 packages Almond Accents® Butter Toffee sliced almonds, divided
  1 1/2 cups flour
  1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  2 Tbsp. sugar
  1 egg, lightly beaten
  1/2 tsp. vanilla
  
  Fruit and Filling:
  1 package instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
  1 cup sour cream
  1 cup milk or half n’ half
  4 - 5 cups sliced and whole fruits of choice (strawberries, raspberries, mandarin oranges, kiwi, blueberries and blackberries)
  1/2 cup reserved Almond Accents® Butter Toffee sliced almonds
  1/4 cup apricot preserves, melted
  


• Crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.


• Set aside 1/2 cup Almond Accents.


• Finely chop remaining Almond Accents® and mix with remaining ingredients until soft dough forms.


• Press into the greased 9-inch tart pan cutting off any excess dough from the ridge of the pan.


• Bake crust 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.


• Cool completely.


• Fruit and Filling: With electric mixer, on medium speed, mix pudding mix, sour cream and milk 1 to 2 minutes or until thick; spread evenly over crust. Arrange fruit and reserved 1/2 cup Almond Accents® over filling; drizzle melted preserves over tart.


• Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.


• Makes 6 to 8 servings.
• For more great recipe ideas, visit http://www.almondaccents.com/.

Greek Chicken

Preparation Time : 25 minutes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large red bell pepper, roasted and sliced into strips
1 (4-oz.) container crumbled feta or goat cheese
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. basil leaves
1/2 cup Almond Accents® Original Oven Roasted sliced almonds

Grill or broil chicken until no loner pink inside and juices run clear. Evenly divide roasted bell pepper strips over chicken breasts. Top with goat cheese, oregano and basil. Salt to taste. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted. Top each grilled chicken breast with 2 tablespoons Almond Accents. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings
For more great recipe ideas, visit http://www.almondaccents.com/.

Pesto-Coated Baked Chicken

Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:10 minutes Difficulty: Easy
Makes 4 servings
Amount Per Serving :
Calories:255.8, Total Carbs:1.6g, Dietary Fiber:0.6g, Sugars:0.1g, Total Fat:12g
Saturated Fat:3.4g, Unsaturated Fat:8.6g, Potassium:402.2mg, Protein:33.9g
Sodium:275.6mg
Dietary Exchanges2 Fat, 1/4 Vegetable, 4 1/2 Very Lean Meat
See the Detailed Nutritional Analysis

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1/2 inch thick cutlets
5 tbsp pesto sauce
1 1/2 tsp reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 tsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp Cheese, parmesan, fresh, shredded
1/2 oz pine nuts (1 tbsp)
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2 Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking pan in a single layer.
3 In a small cup combine pesto, sour cream and mayonnaise. Brush the mixture over chicken and top with cheese and pine nuts.
4 Bake the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Additional Information
Tender chicken seasoned with delicious basil, pine nuts, olive oil and Parmesan cheese sure to please any taste buds.
Recipe obtained from :http://www.dlife.com/

Steamed Chicken & Rice Balls

Prep Time:
20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Makes 14 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories:60.3, Total Carbs: 6.8g, Dietary Fiber: 0.5g , Sugars: 0.7g , Total Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Unsaturated Fat: 1.4g, Potassium: 75.9mg, Protein: 3.7g
Sodium: 1.2mg,
Dietary Exchanges1/2 Meat, 1/4 Starch, 1/2 Very Lean Meat

Ingredients
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1/2 lb ground turkey (or ground chicken)
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms , finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh chopped green onion , minced
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp fresh ginger root , minced
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
6 fresh cabbage leaves , steamed

Directions
1 Allow rice to soak in water for 1 hour, then drain and set aside.
2 Mix together the chicken, mushrooms, green onions, soy sauce, cornstarch, ginger, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix ingredients well.
3 Make mixture into tablespoon sized rounded balls and drop into the drained rice. Roll balls in the rice to coat.
4 Take a bamboo steamer and line it with cabbage leaves, then add the rice balls leaving a 1/2 inch of space between each ball.
5 Heat a large skillet with a 1 inch depth of water. Bring water to a boil and place the covered bamboo steamer in the skillet.
6 Allow rice balls to steam for 20 minutes or until tender.
Serve!
Additional Information Use brown rice for a healthier version.
See the Detailed Nutritional Analysis
Recipe obtained from :http://www.dlife.com/

Granddaughter is Graduating

My oldest granddaughter is graduating in May. I can't believe the time has passed so fast, seems like a couple of years ago she was in elementary school. She has grown up to be such a beautiful woman inside and out. She plans to attend college in the fall. Right now she is thinking of becoming a teacher. Her mother (Paige)would have been so proud of her, I am sure she is smiling down on her in everything she accomplishes.

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

This is a delicious recipe for ham and potato soup that a friend gave to me. It is very easy and the great thing about it is that you can add additional ingredients, more ham, potatoes, etc and it still turns out great.INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS
Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately. Recipe from allrecipes.com

Clone of a Cinnabon

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. Recipe from allrecipies.com

Excellent Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS 1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats and nuts until just blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Cookies should be at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for about 12 minutes in the preheated nt Oatmeal Cookies/Recipe from allrecipies.com

Thumbprint Cookies I

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2/3 cup any flavor fruit jam
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter or margarine, sugar, and egg yolk.
Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.
Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes./Recipe from allrecipies.com

Obama and Schwarzenegger State Love Fest

Obama's words of support for Schwarzenegger's May ballot initiatives - lead by a budget spending cap - came en the second of a two-day listening tour in California, one in which the President offered millions of new dollars in federal funding to ease California's housing crisis and unveiled a $2.4 billion program to encourage hybrid vehicle development.

Obama, addressing a question from a member of the audience regarding cutbacks in education funding, stopped short of a formal endorsement of the governor's six ballot measures - but told the audience at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center that he discussed the issues with the governor.
"That's why it's so important for everybody to get engaged in the various initiatives that are going to be coming up, to make sure - that what you just articulated, to invest in our kids...is reflected in the state budget," he said.
He warned that in the current economic situation, voters who want better schools, better roads and better infrastructure should know that "you can't have something for nothing.....you can't ask local elected officials to balance the budget" and cut taxes and increase roads. "Somebody's got to pay for it," he said.
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Thursday, March 19, 2009