This week, we tried Maple Bars. Yeast donuts shaped into bars, smothered in thick Maple Icing.
But, they weren’t alone. They had friends: Raspberry Bulls-eye, Vanilla-glazed, and Apple Fritters joined them.
There’s only one thing you can do when that happens – a Donut Party.
For those of you moving closer to us in the near future, I think this is how we will welcome you home.
Apple Fritters are by far Mike’s favorite doughnut. We learned some good technique with Top Pot Doughnut’s Book.
The apple in these is made with our very own special ingredient: Chunky Applesauce. Divine!
This guy turned 40 last week. Finally, he’s in the 40’s with me. I guess now I can call him “my old man.”
I surprised him with a Raclette Set for his birthday. He has talked about it since I’ve known him – something he was introduced to when he lived in Switzerland. I like to think of it as the Swiss version of Fondue, but I might like it even better. As you can see it is quite the spread – far from the history of Swiss Shepherds, I’m sure.
Small specialty potatoes, grilled chicken, and all sorts of veggies are a must. We also had french bread (unfortunately it is tough to find a real baguette in town), and salted pork is very nice (we used salami and prosciutto).
The key ingredient is cheese. We chose Brie, Emmentaler, and Raclette. Our favorites were the Brie and Raclette.
Here is the grill all ready to go for our little party.
My plate. Doesn’t it look good . . . . . just wait.
Veggies on the grill. Meat is optional – it’s already cooked, but everyone liked putting a little of everything on there.
See the little pan underneath? It’s holding the delectable cheese. This is the best part.
Bubbly cheese. Who doesn’t like it? It’s going on veggies, potatoes, . . . actually everything. That’s good, right?
So, our first Raclette Party was a huge success. We probably won’t be doing it super often just because it can be pricey – you have to spend quite a bit just for the cheese. And, let’s be honest, I don’t think I can possibly do enough Insanity to keep up with Raclette and Donuts!
This is becoming a dangerous Sunday tradition. When we stopped in at Top Pot Donuts in Seattle, we got their book, so we could only improve an already great thing.
That’s homemade raspberry jam in the middle.
Mike says fritters are next week. Heaven help me.
I heard that the top three New Year’s Resolutions were as follows: 1. Stop Smoking; 2. Lose Weight/Get Fit; and 3. Try Something New. This post falls under the third category. We tried something new this weekend.
I finally went to Williams-Sonoma to spend my birthday gift card, and this is one of the treasures I ended up bringing home – probably because it was on sale, and also because I was having a little craving.
When Sunday came around, it just felt like the time was right to make donuts. We didn’t have a proper donut cutter, but we can improvise. The small holes were made with a 1-inch jar opening and the larger ones with a 3-inch cup.
Is it true anything fried is divine? This could be dangerous.
They look like real donuts.
Let’s dip them in vanilla glaze. They smell super yummy.
I think they pass the test. I’m in real trouble if Mike’s only hobbies are ribs and donuts.
This time we did yeast, next time we’re going to try some cake donuts. The book gets a thumbs-up.
We love crepes at our house. Gabi was in charge of making these.
This little crepe maker makes it super easy to make a ton, and they are such cute little crepes.
See what I mean?
Add a slice of ham, a sprinkling of Gruyere cheese, and some fresh-cracked pepper. Fold and warm in a skillet, and you have yummy goodness (even if it is stinky cheese). It’s one of our favorite New Year’s traditions. We always have a few crepes leftover, which we like to spread a little Nutell, and grill. Try it . . . . . .
I love pecans and I love fudge. I always need to make at least one batch of my Dad’s special fudge at Christmas-time. So, it’s pretty logical to marry the two, right? I don’t know, can Dad’s fudge be improved?
Bubby’s Candied Pecans (from Bubby’s Homemade Pies):
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together 1/4 cup honey, 1 1/2 tablespoons whiskey, 1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (I left out the whiskey and it was great). Add 2 cups raw unsalted pecans or walnuts and mix well.
Spread the coated nuts on a large well-greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Stir and scrape them up every 5 minutes with a spatula and return the pan to the oven until the nuts smell good and are a deep glossy brown. Aren’t they beautiful?
Remove the pan from the oven and scrape the nuts up with a spatula occasionally as they are cooling or they’ll stick together and to the sheet.
When the nuts are cool, dry, and set, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. I made these the night before I put them in the fudge.
Smooth, crunch, and sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. I’m in love. Too, much so, I might add.
I have gotten out of the habit of giving away a lot of treats around Christmas-time, mostly because I like to consume as much as I like to give. But, we had a last-minute urge to give to teachers, and my kids are old enough to be very helpful, so we did some favorite quickies.
I got this idea from my friend Sherry. These always look so pretty in a cellophane bag tied with a ribbon.
Twizzler’s Pull ‘n Peel, cut in half and dipped in White Almond Bark.
Easy, tasty, and Christmas-y.
These were also easy – an idea from Cooking Light. Pretzel rods dipped in melted chocolate which has been mixed with creamy peanut butter. They were also a big hit. Salty and sweet – just right.
We had a family gathering last night and I just put all of the extras on a platter with the Real Simple Peppermint Brownies I made. I added Peppermint Almond Bark, made from extra melted when we made the Pull ‘n Peel sticks. Quite the array, don’t you think? Thank goodness all of the treats were devoured by the time everyone left.
I had this at Jenni’s. It was so yummy and festive. It’s easy, simple, uncomplicated.
You’ll want to serve it during this holiday season.
You’ll just need a bottle of this. Jenni bought hers at Costco, but I found something very similar at World Market.
Just pour it over a block of Neufchatel cheese and serve with crackers. I used Wheat Thins.
It was a huge hit.
1. Anna’s Ginger Thins at Costco. Yum.
2. Spread this Salted Caramel Frosting on them.
3. Sandwich them.
They turn soft and yummy. Serve them to people you love. They will love you more.
