Every once in a while when I was growing up, my mother would pick up some doughnuts for us as a treat. They were never yeasted doughnuts, only the cake type. To make them extra special for us, she would pop them into a paper bag and warm them gently in the oven. Oh . . . . but they were some good, especially when served with a glass of cold milk!!!
My Great Aunt Orabelle used to make "Cake" style doughnuts from scratch. I can remember her fingertips being burnt from when she slipped them into the hot fat. She basically didn't have any feeling in her fingertips and so consequently she wouldn't actually notice them going in. (Its funny the things you remember.) Nothing tasted as good as her doughnuts, although I only ever really got to taste them a few times.
Occasionally I would make doughnuts for my children as an after school snack. I always fried them in my heavy deep cast iron skillet. For some reason I thought everything tasted better when cooked in that!
I never thought of baking doughnuts back then, and I didn't have a doughnut baking tin in any case . . . baked doughnuts would have been a lot healthier for the kiddles . . .
Sugar aside (we won't think about that) these baked doughnuts would be a lot lower in fat and not quite as greasy as a fried doughnut. Doughnuts are a bit hard to fry without some of them ending up greasy.
If the oil isn't just the right temperature, they can't help but absorb more of it. No amount of shaking them in a paper bag with the cinnamon sugar will compensate for a doughnut which has absorbed too much oil!
These are ever so much easier to make. There's no frying involved and they are as simple as beating a batter together . . .
and then spooning it into a dedicated doughnut baking tin. I have two of those (from Wilton). Each one bakes six doughnuts. They are basically non-stick, so all I have to do is lightly spritz them with some low fat non-stick cooking spray. Easy peasy.
Don't worry if you don't have a doughnut pan, you can also use a muffin tin, or (to make doughnut holes) a mini muffin tin!
After baking and once they have cooled, you simply dip the tops in melted butter and then a bowl of cinnamon sugar. Tasty, tasty! You can also dip the bottoms if you like so both sides are cinnamon sugared, but bear in mind you will need roughly double the amount of butter and cinnamon sugar!
Yield: 12 - 18
Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts
prep time: 10 minscook time: 17 minstotal time: 27 mins
Every bit as satisfying as the fat fried option. In fact, I like these better.
ingredients:
- 280g plain flour (2 cups)
- 285g sugar (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- 300ml whole milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 2 TBS butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
To Finish:
- 120g butter, melted (1/2 cup)
- 95g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter
your donut pans really well and dust with flour, or spray with a
non-stick baking spray. Set aside. - Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and
salt. Whisk together the beaten egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together just to combine.
Spoon into the prepared donut pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake in the
preheated oven for about 17 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick
inserted into the centre of one comes out clean. - Let sit in the pans for 5 minutes before tipping out to cool on a wire rack.
- Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Put the melted butter in another bowl. Dip the tops of the donuts first
in the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar. (You can do this
on both sides if you wish.) Store in an airtight container.
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These will keep nicely for several days if stored in an airtight container. They really very tasty. You won't miss fat fried doughnuts at all. I actually prefer these and I hazard to think you will too!! Bon Appetit!
There is an old saying that the sure way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I am not sure where the saying comes from, but I am sure it is true.
If I had to re-phrase it to describe my husband, it would be that the sure way to my man's heart is through a good stew! He loves stews.
And if there are dumplings on top, well . . . so much the better.
He is a real Stew and Dumpling aficionado/lover! Meat and gravy and starch. That is the way to his heart.
Of course the dumplings are not totally necessary, but you will surely love these. You whisk them together, and drop them onto the stew for the last 20 minutes of cook time.
Since the stew is cooked in the oven, they end up being a bit like little biscuits/breads . . . all crusty and golden brown and going perfectly with that delicious oven baked stew!
The stew itself is very simple. Browning onions in hot butter in a Dutch oven . . .
I love the smell of onions cooking, don't you? It is a smell that really fuels the appetite.
Once the onions are done you begin adding in the remaining ingredients one at a time, until they are all involved . . .
Cubed beef brisket, garlic, paprika . . .
. . . marjoram, caraway seed, salt, tomato ketchup and a good beef stock . . . some quartered peeled potatoes. That's it.
Nothing else added.
There are no other vegetables in the stew, which is a bit different for me.
I grew up with stews that were resplendent with carrots and swede, parsnips . . . those vegetables were always in the stews of our childhood.
This has none of those in the stew . . . just the potatoes.
Instead you cook another vegetable and serve it on the side. It works . . . totally.
You end up with a delicious stew, filled with tender pieces of beef brisket and chunks of potato, in a rich and luscious gravy . . .
I chose to serve carrots on the side, but you could serve green beans, or cabbage, sprouts, whatever you wanted to serve . . . whatever you love most. We like carrots.
Like I said the dumplings are totally optional, but why not go for it . . .
Crusty, buttery little drop biscuits . . . tender in the middle and going oh-so-well with that beautiful gravy and those tender chunks of meat!
Yield: 6
Stewed Brisket & Potatoes
prep time: 15 minscook time: 1 hour and 30 minstotal time: 1 hours and 45 mins
This is a real man-pleaser. Serve with some cooked carrots or beans on the side. Dumplings are optional, but if your man is like my man, they are a sure way to his heart.
ingredients:
- 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 - 3 TBS butter
- 2 pounds Beef brisket, trimmed & cut into cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 TBS sweet paprika
- 3/4 tsp dried marjoram leaves
- 1/2 tsp caraway seed
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 62g tomato ketchup (1/4 cup)
- 480 - 950ml beef stock (2 to 4 cups)
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
Optional Dumplings
- 140g sifted flour (1 cup)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 TBS chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg, beaten + milk to make (120ml) 1/2 cup in measure
- melted butter to drizzle over top
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*c/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- In a large Dutch oven saute the ovens in the butter until lightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given, only using 480ml (2 cups) beef stock to begin with. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender, adding more stock as needed to keep it from drying out.
- 20 minutes before the stew is done, make the dumplings. Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat together the egg and milk and add all at once. Stir together with a fork to form a stiff dough.
- Drop the dumplings on top of the hot stew. Drizzle with butter. Return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, uncovered.
- Spoon the stew and dumplings out into heated bowls to serve, along with your favourite vegetable on the side.
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My husband was in comfort food heaven with this. And there is plenty left for him to enjoy another time. The beautiful thing about stews is that they taste even better on the second day!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Sheet Pan Sausage & Peppers. I adore sheet pan meals.
As you know I am doing a diet plan this week on trial, so my husband and I are not eating the same thing. I have discovered how dangerous it is however, to look at even photos of tasty food when you are not eating regular food.
Its tortuous! But one does what one has to do!
Sheet pan suppers. I love sheet pan suppers. Everything all on one or two baking sheets, baked at the same time in the oven.
No fuss, no muss. Deliciously simple.
Easy peasy and if you line the baking sheets with foil, no clean up either. You can't lose!
You know how lazy I can be when it comes to cooking. If it is easy to cook and easy to clean up after, I am all over it!
Myself, I adore roasted vegetables of any kind. Roasting helps to enhance the natural sweetness of any vegetable.
I really love the caramelised edges and almost-stickiness to them that happens when you roast them. I am drooling here.
You could of course serve this in crusty hoagie buns with some honey mustard or something similar, and that would be fabulous!
Sausage in a bun, can't lose! A winner every time!
For my husband I opted to serve it with a baked jacket potato. Gently broken open with a knob of butter tucked inside, and a sprinkling of cheddar gilding the top.
The potato all fluffy and light. That cheese, incredibly rich and delicious . . .
Just reading that made me hungry . . . my tummy is grumbling. Why do diets have to be so difficult.
They only make you want to eat more!
For breakfast today I have had some of the Dietbon pancakes (low carb, no sugar and about 2 1/2 inches in diameter), a small banana and a smallish pot of sugar/fat free yogurt.
I have to say I am no a fan of the flavour of artificial sweeteners . . . I would rather have plain yogurt with real fruit, and maybe some muesli.
Oh the things I do for my art. I was quite hungry last night, but I think that was because I didn't have two dinners like I should have done.
I am quite used to eating my main meal at noon, and then just having toast or cereal in the evening. Old dog . . . new tricks.
Today I think I will do the two mains . . . so I am not quite so hungry come nightfall.
Or course having to cook normal for someone else complicates things a bit. He cannot afford to lose weight. We are like Jack Sprat and his wife. He is incredibly thin, no matter how much he eats. It just isn't fair!
Back to the sausage and peppers. Clearly simple. Clearly delicious. No fuss, no muss.
Jacket potatoes are very easily done in the Microwave. Just poke with a fork, wrap in paper towelling (or place in a cloth bag for just this purpose) and nuke for 5 to 6 minutes until it yields slightly when gently squeezed.
Yield: 4
Sheet Pan Sausage & Peppers
prep time: 15 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 40 mins
Everything cooks on one pan and if you line the pan with a sheet of aluminium foil, its a really easy and simple clean up! Delicious!
ingredients:
- 1 pound of smoked sausage, sliced on the diagonalinto 1-inch chunks
- 2 medium red peppers, trimmed and sliced
- 2 medium yellow peppers, trimmed and sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste(Bear in mind the sausage is salty)
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line several baking trays
(with sides) with aluminium foil. Place the sliced sausage and
vegetables in a bowl. Toss with the oil and seasoning. Divide between
the baking sheets, spreading out evenly. - Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes,
until the sausage and vegetables are gilded on the edges. Serve hot
with your favourite sides. We like baked potatoes.
Created using The Recipes Generator
While my husband was enjoying this, I was enjoying this . . .
Mexican Meatballs with Pasta Vegetables and a Tomato Sauce, along with an applesauce. It was very tasty. Tonight I am planning on enjoying a Whole Meal Salad with Chicken and Pesto. Wish me luck! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
This week I am basically only cooking for one. As I am doing the Dietbon diet plan, my meals are all sorted, and its only Todd I need to prepare dinner for. Its an opportunity for me to cook him some of his favourites, as well as test to see if I can downsize them successfully for one!
He is a simple man really, with very basic tastes. He's not overly fussy really with the exceptions of pasta, chocolate and lemon, none of which he really enjoys but will tolerate when push comes to shove. Its kind of ironic really as those are three things I really love!
Before we got married most of what he ate came out of a tin. Seriously. I kid you not. Easy to please.
Last time I went home to Canada, he actually broke our tin opener. He had to buy a new one. I arrived home to find my food storage cupboard seriously depleted. I dread to think of the combinations he was coming up with. The mind boggles. 😵 Only Todd could happily survive on basic ingredients alone!!
Potato Pie is one of his favourite meals. He adores potatoes in any way shape or form, but mashed is his absolute favourite!
He also loves cheese! He adores potato pie, because basically it is just cheesy mash baked in a casserole until golden brown!
Potato Pie. A simple dish. Comfort food at it's best. Quick, easy and delicious. ( I know you probably get tired of me saying that!)
This is a dish that's been around for a very long time. A dish which
doesn't cost a lot of money and which you don't even really need meat to
serve with it . . . although you could if you wanted to.
We have always just enjoyed
it plain, like this, in its simplest form . . . a simple supper served with some buttered
brown bread and some pickled beets. The milk and cheese provide plenty
of protein . . .
Today I added a chopped Spring Onion just to charge it up a bit and Todd really enjoyed the addition.
He licked the platter clean and there was nothing left. He was a very happy camper. I am not surprised really as it is really tasty. It too all of my willpower to keep from digging into it myself!
If you have a family that you would like to feed this to, you can find my full sized recipe here. If you want to add some chopped spring onion to it, I would add 4 spring onions, finely chopped.
Yield: 1
Potato Pie for One
prep time: 15 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 45 mins
Buttery, golden brown on top, meltingly cheese inside, atop a base of crunchy buttery bread crumbs. Deliciously simple.
ingredients:
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters- 2 TBS whole milk
- 1 TBS butter
- 30g strong cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 20g white breadcrumbs, lightly crisped (1/3 cup)
- a bit of melted butter to brush on top
- softened butter to butter the dish
instructions:
- Put the potatoes into some slightly salted water and bring to the boil. Boil until soft and then drain well.
Pre-heat
the oven to 220*C/425*F. Lightly butter a small pie dish.
Add the breadcrumbs and coat the bottom and sides with them, pressing to
make them stick well. (To prepare the crumbs, toast them in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes until crisped up)- Shake the pan of potatoes over the burner
to dry them out and then remove from the heat entirely. Add the milk
and butter and mash completely until smooth. Stir in the cheese and
seasonings. (Stir in spring onion if using.) Spoon this mixture into the prepared pie dish. Rough up the
top with the tines of a fork and then brush with some melted butter. - Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Its very easy to make your own soft bread crumbs. I just blitzed a slice of bread in the mini food processor. Then I toasted them lightly in a hot oven to crisp them up a bit. Easy peasy.
Just in case you are interested in what I had, here is a picture. This was the Chicken Marinated with Thyme and Lemon, served with baby vegetables. When I saw all the peas, I kind of cringed a bit as they are not my favourite vegetable, but I was really hungry. Actually it was really quite delicious. Bon Appetit!
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