Southern Peaches ‘n Cream Praline Muffins

Happy Friday and Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope you have a good one. I'm not going to lie, I always dread Memorial Day weekend because it gets pretty stressful at work.

I don't have any plans... but mom and dad, if you're doing anything, let me know because I'll bring over a crazy-delicious dessert. I came up with this recipe idea last night when I was trying to sleep. Don't you hate when that happens?

I'm currently blogging in the middle of a thunderstorm and the power is out. It's been out for a while. I don't know what to do in this situation. Do you call someone? I guess I'll just finish this blog post and then maybe abandon the house and go shopping.

So here's the last part of Q&A. I promised I'd answer all of your questions, and I did! There are only a few questions for this round.

What is the one thing that you haven't baked or cooked that is a challenge and you're scared to attempt it?
There's a lot of things I haven't baked before, but one dessert that comes to mind is Baked Alaska. I would love to make a baked Alaska, but it seems like a lot of work, and it scared me to broil meringue on top of ice cream. I think my ice cream would probably melt everywhere.

Do you plan on having children?
My, my! What kind of question do we have here? Well, the answer is yes, someday. But not anytime soon. And when it comes time, I'm going to have to read a lottt of books. Off subject, but, guess what? My older sister is going to have a baby boy! He's due sometime in early October. I can't wait!

What's your favorite thing about your hometown? I've never been to Missouri, and interested to know what you like best about it.
I'm from Ozark, Missouri. There's not a lot going on there, unfortunately. It is really pretty, though, so I guess that's what I like best about it. We have lots of trees, rivers and hills.

What is your favorite cookbook?
Whenever I need a reference when I'm cooking, I always pick up the copy of Joy of Cooking that my dad gave me. His mom gave it to him, and it means a lot to me.

I know that you wait tables, and was wondering what was the highest tip you've ever gotten?
Hmm I think I had a group of twentyish leave me $80 one time.

How much of your budget is spent on baking ingredients?
Eek, I don't know! I should probably put myself on a budget. I'm pretty thrifty when it comes to other things, but when it comes to food, I spend a lot of money. On average I probably test a recipe a day. I try not to waste any ingredients and will stretch them as far as I can.

What's your favorite ingredient to use even when its out of season?
These are such good questions! I love using warm, autumn flavors all year long - pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, apples.

What ingredients must never be compromised?
Butter, good dark chocolate and good vanilla.

What is your favourite colour?
Look at that fancy spelling! Here in the Ozarks, we spell it favurit and colurrr.
I like lavenders and plums right now.

Which is your favourite comfort food?
I must have a lot of Canadian readers. Macaroni and cheese! Fried okra! Chocolate cake!

When you are creating a new recipe do you write it down as you go or write one up before then edit it? And one more...do you hand write them first then type them up?
I create the recipe as I make it. If if turns out well, I type it up on my computer.

So there you are! I'm going to add links to these Q&A posts in the FAQ section. ASAP.



I guess I should have some sort of red, white and blue jello flag dessert recipe to share with you today... but I didn't think that far ahead. Instead you get a muffin recipe I made a couple of months ago.

I'm not happy with these pictures of these muffins, but I decided to post the recipe anyway because they were so good! You'll need this recipe this summer when you want to make peach muffins for breakfast.

The muffin is light and fluffy, and flavored with buttermilk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and chopped peaches. These have a streusel topping made out of butter, brown sugar, oats and pecans. Mmm I love streusel topping.

You could use chopped apricot or nectarine in these, too.


Southern Peaches ‘n Cream Praline Muffins
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup + 2 cups all purpose flour, divided use
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups coarsely chopped peaches

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup Texas-sized muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together pecans, oats, 1/4 cup flour and brown sugar until well combined; knead in butter using your fingertips or a fork, until well incorporated and mixture starts to clump together.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and cinnamon until well combined. Gently stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined; stir in peaches.

Divide muffin batter into cups; evenly sprinkle pecan-oat mixture on top. Bake 20 minutes or until well risen, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool 5 minutes before transferring muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 big muffins

What's In My Kitchen - Equipment

Do your cabinets look like this too?

Yeah, I kind of hate it. This is just one of the many stuffed cabinets in our kitchen. Lord help me if I ever need to use the tart pan on the top shelf.

This is the cabinet where I store most of my pans: muffin, cake, 13x9, 8x8, loaf, bundt, pie and springform. I want a mini loaf pan, too... but I'll wait until someday when I have a bigger kitchen.

For this post, I thought I would show you all of the equipment in my kitchen I use for baking and making desserts. Most of the stuff I store on a huge wire rack that I bought from Target a few months ago. I love Target. I go there all of the time, even when I don't need anything. The next thing I know I'm leaving the store with a bag full of coffee creamer, a dress, some flip flops, and edamame.

Here's the beautiful deep fryer, once again. She's a beauty.
Is it bad that I used it three times this past week? It's just a little toooo easy to fry things now. Random hushpuppy craving? Heyyy, just pull out the deep fryer and make some.



You've seen this before. It's my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. It's great for yeast breads, meringue, marshmallows, and when you need large batches of cookies or cakes. It's great for everything, actually...



But you know what? I use my hand mixer more than my stand mixer. Am I the only one? It seems easier to use and clean.



I'd love to own a Vitamix someday, but, this blender isn't bad at all. I've never really had a problem with it. I guess I don't really use this for baking that much. I do make soups and smoothies in it, though.



I use a food processor whenever I want to chop up nuts or puree fruit. I've never tried making pie dough in it. Has anyone else tried that?



Ice cream maker! I've only used this once since I got it a few months ago. It's about to get used A LOT very, very soon. I would like to come up with some sorbet and non-dairy ice cream recipes.



I bought this coffee grinder with intentions of grinding my own coffee beans. But I really needed a spice grinder more than a coffee grinder. I've been grinding up spices up in it. Also nuts and coconut. Is that okay? I hope so because it works like a charm. It makes nut butter better than a food processor!



Here we have my sieves and rolling pins. Look how big that sifter is! It's for big, muscle-y women. Like myself. Mom bought me that for Christmas after I complained about my old sifter (I like the ones with the crank, not the ones that you squeeze).



Cookie sheets and cutting board. I use this one specific cutting board for baking, that way I don't mix in garlic and onion flavors in my baked goods (I use separate knives, too). My cookie sheets aren't very fancy. In fact, they're pretty gnarly. I can't seem to ever get them sparkling clean. I should probably upgrade and get some nicer ones. Question: does cooking spray mess up your pans?



Here are some different utensils I use: pastry brush, apple corer/slicer, spatula, cookie scoop, candy thermometer, microplane, biscuit cutter, Y peeler, and bench scraper. I can't tell you how much I love my cookie scoop. It's changed my life. I used to use just teaspoons to scoop my cookie dough and muffin batter. I love my microplane, too; I use it all of the time. Don't you think Y peelers are so much better than regular peelers? I do.



And finally, here we have glass mixing bowls, a whisk, a wooden spoon, measuring cups, measuring spoon, a knife, and a spatula. These are actually Eric's glass mixing bowls. Sadly, only one exists now. I broke one of them yesterday while making Swiss meringue buttercream; I used it on top of a pan of simmering water, and it cracked. It scared me.
It scared Eric that he might find some glass in his frosted cupcake.

(I'm only kidding. I know someone is going to take that seriously)



I guess that's it. Fascinating stuff, no? :)

What's in your kitchen? Is there something you own that you couldn't possibly live without?

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake

Hi there! Welcome back everyone. I hope you're having a good week.
I'm sickened by the devastation in Joplin, Missouri. I don't know if you all have been watching the news, but it's just awful. My heart goes out to all of the people in Joplin.

***

Let's see, the winner of the Saucy Mama giveaway is...



Shannon9585! Congrats, Shannon! Could you email me you shipping address and I'll send it over to the Saucy Mama people?



Guess what time it is? It's time for Q&A Part 2!

What's your favorite lemon cake/cupcake recipe?
I don't have a lot of lemon cake recipes on my blog. I did like this lemon glazed yogurt cake I made, though.

How did you get started entering recipe contests?
I think I got interested when I started watching all of the cook-offs/competitions on Food Network, especially the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Who inspired you to bake?
I guess my mom, because she likes baking and has a ton of cookbooks. She has an old collection of Southern Living cookbooks that I used to read like novels.

What's your favorite dessert to make?
There's always something so satisfying about baking pie. I love making the dough, and the filling and baking it.

What was the first meal you ever cooked for Eric? And the first meal he ever cooked for you?
I think it might have been a gourmet turkey panini and tomato soup. He still talks about that meal and how good it was. I feel badly. I should make it again for him. Eric's first meal he made me was chocolate chip pancakes. They were really good. That was the last meal Eric made me.

What's the (only) one food you would eat for the rest of your life?
Hmmm. That's a tough one. I can't say ice cream or fried okra because I'm sure I would get sick of that. I could probably eat really good bread for the rest of my life. With salted butter and maybe some brie.

Favorite ice cream flavor?
Easy. Chocolate chip cookie dough. Runner up: mint chocolate chip.

What is your favorite candy bar?
Easy. Twix. Runner up: Mounds.

What's your favorite TV show?
I love a lot of TV shows, but if we're talking about ones that are still on the air, I would have to say Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I used to love Top Chef, but it's getting old now.

What was the very first contest you entered and what made you decide to enter?
I think I was around fifteen, and it was a Mission tortilla recipe contest. I'm not sure what the prize was... maybe a trip? I wasn't old enough to enter it, so I used my mom's name. I created a pumpkin cheesecake with a tortilla crust, and ended up being a semi-finalist! I mean, my mom was a semi-finalist.

How do you stay so thin with all those yummy treats around?
I love the person who asked this. You deserve cookies.
I don't know about thinnn... How about medium sized? I work out a lot. Usually about 5-6 times a week, for at least an hour. I'm very dedicated. You can ask Eric and my family.

How do you decide what recipes you're going to post?
I usually just pick things by what I'm craving, what's in season, or whatever ingredients I have on hand.

What would your final meal be?
Fried chicken and baked mac & cheese. Mmm.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
Italy! I want to go so badly. I will go someday. I must! I need to have some authentic Italian gelato.

How and when did you start baking?
When my mom would bake I'd always help her out when I was younger. I didn't start baking and making desserts until I was in high school.

Who are your favorite and least favorite TV chefs?
Well, I've already mentioned my favorite chefs... although I also like Paula Deen and Nigella Lawson. I have a lot more of my LEAST favorite chefs.
-Robert Irvine. He annoys me sooo much.
-The Neelys. Ditto.
-I used to like Alton Brown. Then something happened and I don't like or watch him anymore.
-There's another chef whose name I won't mention. Let's say he drives around in a hot rod and wears bowling shirts.

If you were to bring a dessert to a work picnic (for a dessert competition) what would you bring?
Answer: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake.



This dessert most definitely would win! I don't know how anyone couldn't love this ice cream cake.

I created a slightly salty peanut butter cookie dough and pressed it into the bottom of a springform pan. After baking and cooling the cookie later, I topped it with chocolate frozen custard, melted milk chocolate, and chopped up peanut butter cups.



The cookie layer is slightly cakey, so you're able to cut the ice cream cake easily. I used Andy's frozen custard, which is amazing. I have an obsession with Andy's frozen custard. SO good! This is the perfect dessert for upcoming summer events.




Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake
Printable Recipe

Cookie bottom
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 quart chocolate frozen custard, softened
4 ounces milk or dark chocolate, melted
3/4 cup coarsely chopped peanut butter cups

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat insides of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until creamy - about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla, baking soda and salt until well combined - about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour until just combined. Spread peanut butter batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Cool completely. (Speed this process up by freezing the pan.)

Spread chocolate custard over the top of peanut butter cookie. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Spread melted chocolate over the top of custard; sprinkle with peanut butter cups. Freeze until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings

Saucy Mama

Recently I decided to enter myself in a Saucy Mama "Fab with Five" recipe contest. Have you heard of the Saucy Mama products before? It's a company based out of Oregon that makes gourmet marinades, dressings and mustards. I haven't seen their products in Missouri yet, but I bet they'll be in stores soon.

Saucy Mama sent me samples of their Santa Fe Creamy Chipotle Dressing, Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing, Sweet Heat Marinade, Dijon Mustard, Apricot-Ginger Mustard, and Tarragon-Lemon Mustard.

Honestly, I thought they all tasted really good. My favorites were the Santa Fe Creamy Chipotle Dressing, Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing, and the Apricot-Ginger Mustard.

The challenge for this contest was to create a quick and easy recipe using one of their products. Oh, and you can only use four other ingredients (not including oil, salt and pepper). The blogger who has the best recipe wins $1,000.

This was a challenge for me, because I like to use at least fifteen ingredients when I cook. Haha. I don't think I've ever made anything with only five ingredients.

I decided to use my three favorite products in three different recipes.



For my Apricot-Ginger Glazed Chicken Almond Couscous, I marinated chicken tenderloins in Saucy Mama Apricot-Ginger Mustard, oil, salt and pepper, and then grilled them. I placed the chicken on a bed of couscous with chopped up dried apricots and ginger. If you wanted to add a sixth ingredient, you might add some honey-goat cheese crumbles. I may have done that.



I loved this recipe; I ate it several times for dinner last week. The sweet mustard made the chicken really moist and flavorful.

Apricot + ginger + almonds=yum.


Apricot-Ginger Glazed Chicken Almond Couscous
Printable Recipe

1 lb. chicken tenderloins
5 tablespoons Saucy Mama Apricot-Ginger Mustard, divided use
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 box herb & garlic couscous mix
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots

In a large bowl, stir together chicken, 3 tablespoons mustard, oil, salt and pepper until well combined; marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare couscous mix according to package instructions. Stir in almond and apricot until well combined.

Heat indoor grill or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken 3-4 minutes per side, basting with remaining mustard occasionally, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate, tent with foil, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Slice chicken and serve over couscous.

Makes 4 servings



For my next recipe, I used the Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing in a marinade for chicken tenderloins, and I also used it to dress the salad. It's a light, slightly sweet Asian dressing with ginger in it. I simply grilled the chicken and placed in on top of sliced papaya, avocado and toasted macadamia nuts for a taste of the tropics.





Pacific Rim Chicken, Papaya and Avocado Salad was a success. It was delicious! Any recipe with avocado and macadamia nuts is a winner to me.

How did that honey-goat cheese get in the picture again? It keeps sneaking into all of my recipes. I might have an obsession with honey-goat cheese.


Pacific Rim Chicken, Papaya and Avocado Salad
Printable Recipe

9 tablespoons Saucy Mama’s Pacific Rim Dressing, divided use
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lb. chicken tenderloins
2 cups thinly sliced papaya
2 avocados, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted

In a large bowl, stir together 6 tablespoons dressing, oil, pepper and chicken until well combined; marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Heat indoor grill or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken 3-4 minutes per side until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate, tent with foil, and allow to sit 5 minutes before slicing.

Divide papaya, avocado and chicken onto plates; evenly sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle salads with remaining 3 tablespoons dressing, and serve.

Makes 4 servings




Okay, and here's my last recipe, and maybe my favorite... I loved, loved the Saucy Mama Santa Fe Creamy Chipotle Dressing. It reminds me of the sauce they use at Outback Steakhouse for their bloomin' onion. I've been enjoying it on salad all week.



For my Santa Fe Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese Bites, I used the dressing in a sauce. I combined the dressing, milk and pepper jack cheese in a saucepan until melted, and then whisked the cheese sauce together with cooked shell pasta and eggs.



The mixture gets divided into mini muffin cups and then into the oven for baking. Then voila! You have mini mac and cheese bites for appetizers, lunch, or dinner. If you wanted to add a sixth ingredient to this recipe, I would suggest sprinkling bread crumbs or cooked chopped bacon on top.

Ohhh so good, I tell you what. Eric took these off my hands and ate only these for two days straight.


Santa Fe Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese Bites
Printable Recipe

2 cups small shell pasta
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup Saucy Mama's Santa Fe Chipotle Dressing
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese, divided use

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a (24 cup) mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

Cook pasta in a medium pot of boiling water, until cooked al dente - about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Whisk eggs, salt and pepper together in a large bowl until well combined.

In a medium saucepan, bring milk and dressing to a simmer over medium heat; whisk in 1 3/4 cup cheese until melted and smooth. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into eggs until well combined. Stir in pasta until combined.

Divide pasta mixture into mini muffin cups. Evenly sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool bites for 5 minutes before removing from pan. (Use a butter knife and run it around the bite edges to release them from pan.)

Makes 24 bites


Would you like to try some of the Saucy Mama products yourself? Well, simply leave a comment on this post (any comment at all!) and you'll be entered in a giveaway to win three Saucy Mama products: Sweet Heat Marinade, Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing, and Tarragon-Lemon Mustard.

You don't have to have a blog to enter. Just leave me some way to contact you. Or have an extremely unique name.

I'll pick one winner using a random number generator and announce who won in my next post... which probably will be on Tuesday. So you have now until Tuesday to enter. Good luck!

Thanks Saucy Mama for allowing me to sample some of your products and sponsoring the giveaway! This was a fun blogging contest to enter. I think they hold it every year, so all of you bloggers out there should definitely enter next year.

Really Good Donuts

Wow! I loved all of the questions you guys asked! They were all so good, and I don't think anyone asked the same question. I also had some really sweet comments from new readers. They made my day!

So, I didn't really consider how I was going to answer all of these questions all at once. I've decided to break them up into several Q&A posts. Here's the first post!

How much sleep do you get?
Well, probably about six or seven hours. It depends on the day. Sometimes less. I need to start going to bed earlier. I've been telling myself that for years.

If you could only have one type of alcohol/liquor for the rest of your life, both for drinking and cooking/baking, what would you choose?
Oooh interesting. I would probably pick Chambord. I want a bottle for my birthday, okay?

Do you still have the hots for chef Michael?
Hahaha. No! I only have the hots for this man.

You look real sexy in those glasses, baby.

Who is your favorite celebrity chef
I would probably say Ina Garten and Giada De Laurentiis. Love those ladies!

Do you mind the clean up after baking, or is that Eric's job?
Nope, not Eric's job. Haha. I really do hate cleaning up. I feel like I spend more time cleaning than actually baking.

Do you like being a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher?
I wouldn't say I'm completely happy with Foodbuzz, but I'm like... 85% happy. They have a lot of contests and events, so it can be pretty fun. They just shot down my 24/24/24 proposal, though, so I'm kinda mad. No dinner parties for me. :(

What's your favorite movie?
I always say my favorite is What's Eating Gilbert Grape, but honestly, I don't know. I have a lot that I like.

Beach or mountains?
Beach!

Do you usually cook dinner for you and Eric? Or maybe Eric cooks?
I don't usually cook dinner for Eric. Sometimes I test out a recipe for a contest and he eats that for dinner. We pretty much eat different things. He's a pizza-taco-burger man and I'm a salad-tofu-sweet potato girl. He does cook, though. He makes a really good buffalo chicken pizza.

How long does it take for you to develop a recipe?
Usually just a day. If I don't get it right the first time, I usually get it right on the second day.

What made you decide to start a blog?I wanted a place to write recipes I made for my family and share them with everyone.

When did you first learn how to cook?
My parents have always cooked a lot my whole life. I think they started showing me how to cook when I was in high school.

My question is whether you've ever considering writing a cookbook?
Yes!! I really, really want to. My plan is to go to pastry school first, and then I want to work on some proposals,

Have you ever made sourdough anything?
No, I haven't. Thanks for bringing that up. I'd really like to!

What is your "food" guilty pleasure?
Just one? Ice cream. It's my absolute favorite thing in the world to eat.

How do you take care of that crazy amount of hair?
Haha. It's a lot better than it used to be. I get it cut and layered pretty regularly now.

Which recipe that you created do you make the most often?
I probably make these chocolate chip cookies the most often, but I always change a thing or two in the recipe.

What is your favorite rhubarb recipe on this site?
I love rhubarb! That would be my Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Cake.

What's your all-time favorite dessert?
Hmmm this is such a tough question! I guess I would say chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Or blueberry pie. Or coconut cream pie.

I guess that's probably enough questions for today. You guys are probably bored out of your minds!

Let's announce the winner of the giveaway. The winner is...



Sue of Food Network Musings! That's crazy. Sue was my very first blog reader, but I don't think she's ever won a giveaway on my blog before.

Congrats, Sue!! I'll be in touch.



Here's the donut recipe I made the other day, and I tell you what, it's good. I'm going to be using it again and again. I'd like to try making baked donuts with it because I think they'd turn out well.

I think the secret to the recipe is the mashed potato I used. I've heard about using mashed potatoes in donuts but had never tried it until these. I don't know why the potato makes them so good. These donuts seemed really light, moist and tender. They were perfect.



To make these, you mix up a simple yeast dough made out of all purpose flour, yeast, sugar, water, eggs, butter and mashed potato - no mixer required. After allowing the dough to rise you shape it into donuts shapes and allow them to rise again.

Then I fried the donuts in my deep fryer, but you could fry them in a pot (full of a couple of inches of oil) over medium heat for a few minutes.

I wanted to create a glaze sort of like Krispy Kreme's, so I made a glaze out of melted white almond bark and shortening. The glaze's texture was similar to Krispy Kreme's, but the flavor wasn't right. It did protect the donuts from getting soggy, though.

I think when I make them again I'll skip the glaze and coat them in cinnamon-sugar. I don't think you can beat a cinnamon-sugar donut.


Really Good Donuts
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup warm water (not hot)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar + 5 tablespoons, divided use
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mashed cooked potato
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Oil, for frying

4 ounces white almond bark
2 tablespoons shortening

Or, cinnamon-sugar

Whisk together water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar until well combined; allow to sit 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs, butter, baking powder, salt, potato, and remaining 5 tablespoons sugar until really well combined. Stir in flour until combined.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth - about 3 minutes. Place in a greased mixing bowl and lightly cover. Allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.

Roll dough into a 1/4-inch thick round, on a lightly floured surface. Cut into donut shapes, or roll into balls. (I cut out 6 donuts and rolled the rest of the dough into balls.) Place on greased baking sheets, lightly cover, and allow to rise in a warm area for 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry donuts about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Now you can use whatever glaze you prefer. I melted the almond bark and shortening together in a bowl, and dipped the donuts into the mixture and allowed them to dry on wire racks. I rolled the dough balls into cinnamon sugar.

Makes 6 big donuts, plus about 2 dozen donut holes

Whipped Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Salad

Hi there! I hope you all are having a good Thursday.

First off, did you know my blog was mentioned in a New York Times article on Tuesday? I was very excited when I found out. I texted, emailed and Facebooked everyone I know. I'm flattered they think I'm a specialist. They made me feel super important.

I was very excited about that, so I just had to share it with you.

Second, I believe I've gained some new readers from the article. Hello, and welcome!
I want to spice up this blog post today, because I'm feeling a little bored, with a Q&A session combined with a giveaway.

In the comments section, ask me anything you want to know. Have a question about this blog? Baking? Eric? Me? What I had for dinner? What color are the socks I'm wearing? Ask away and I shall answer. Wait, don't ask the sock question. That's weird and creepy.

Ask a question and you'll be entered in a giveaway I'm hosting for Tazo Tea.



One winner will receive a package with a tea tumbler, Zero Calorie Iced Chai samples and a picnic tote!



I sampled the Tazo Zero Calorie Iced Chai and loved it. I would definitely buy this drink. It's lightly sweetened, spicy, and very refreshing. The chai is made with freshly brewed black tea, sweet cinnamon, ginger, star anise and fragrant cardamom. Mmm I absolutely love chai! I added a splash of vanilla almond milk halfway through drinking this bottle and liked that, too. I really like milky chai drinks. Anyway, this is a nice, summery drink that's a great alternative to soda pop... or Kool Aid. Does anyone still drink Kool Aid anymore?

So ask your question, then I'll use the random number generator and pick a winner and announce it on Friday's blog post! Yup, that means you only have today to enter.



Moving on... here we have some pictures of a very un-photogenic Whipped Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Salad I made. These pictures are all so dark and make the salad look scary. I made this salad for Easter dinner and took the pictures right before we left for my parents' house. It was dark and rainy, and I was in a hurry.

Don't let the pictures discourage you from trying this.

One of the side choices at the restaurant I work at is pineapple walnut salad. People go crazy for this stuff! Everyone loves it. We had to start charging extra money for it because it's so popular. Customers now get angry at me because we're charging extra money. Not my fault, customers.

I like it too. But then one day I looked at the ingredients and it scared me from ever eating it again. There are probably fifty ingredients in it, all of which have names I can't pronounce.

I'm guessing you probably haven't had pineapple walnut salad before; it's a dessert salad made out of Cool Whip, pineapple, walnuts, and those other forty seven ingredients. It's like a Waldorf salad without the mayonnaise.



I decided to make my own version of the salad and use natural ingredients. I made it more tropical and added toasted macadamia nuts and coconut.

Wow, it was so good! This would be a perfect side dish for a summer picnic or barbecue. Or a luau? Pig roast? Will somebody please invite me to a pig roast? I've wanted to go to one ever since I read Little House in the Big Woods. I probably wouldn't play with the pig's bladder, though.

All you need is coconut, whipped cream, cream cheese, marshmallow cream (I guess marshmallow cream isn't exactly natural), macadamia nuts and pineapple. I used fresh pineapple. It's so much better than canned, and it's been awfully cheap lately.

Make it! Looks aren't everything. This salad has personality.


Whipped Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Salad
Printable Recipe

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple

Place coconut in a food process and process until finely shredded.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on high speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form.

In an additional large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and marshmallow cream until creamy and well combined. Beat in vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, macadamia nuts, pineapple and coconut until well combined.

Fold whipped cream into pineapple-macadamia mixture until well combined. Serve!
If you want to make this in advance, keep the pineapple separate from everything else, and stir in the pineapple right before serving.

Makes a huge bowl