Apple Cider Donuts

As requested:

APPLE CIDER DONUTS

Ingredients

• 2 red apples, such as Cortland or McIntosh
• 2 1/2 cups apple cider
• 3 1/2 cups all-pourpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Core and coarsely chop the apples (do not peel). Combine with 1 1/2 cups cider in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are tender and the cider is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Measure the sauce; you should have 1 cup. (Boil to reduce further, if necessary.) Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Beat 2/3 cup granulated sugar and the shortening in another bowl with a mixer on medium speed until sandy. Beat in the egg and yolk, then gradually mix in the applesauce, scraping the bowl. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix to make a sticky dough; do not overmix.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and pat into a 7-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 1 cup cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and glossy, then set aside. Mix the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl; set aside for the topping.

Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cut the chilled dough into 12 rounds, using a floured 2 1/2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter, then cut out the middles with a 1-inch cutter (or use a doughnut cutter). Slip 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer to the paper towels to drain.

Dip one side of each doughnut in the cider glaze, letting the excess drip off; dip just the glazed side in the cinnamon-sugar or roll all over in cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

Photograph by Kate Mathis
Recipe by Food Network Magazine

As Promised...

Whether you wanted me to follow up on this, or not, here are some more fabulous photos from my Thanksgiving, and the day after, and the day after that.

I apologize to those of you who were eagerly awaiting their posting, it's been a long few days of packing.

Here's Phil grilling the bird. It goes on like this; bloody mary's, grill smoke, and man banter for quite some time.

Isn't she a 'bute?

Despite dinner being ready at a resonable hour, we were all pretty hungry.

Thanks to Laura's remote control these shots were a breeze :)

The next day we were back to work in the kitchen. This time it was turkey broth... and Hand Pies!

Gimlet anyone?

No, not "giblet", "gimlet."

No recipe needed here. Just get (or make) some dough; pizza, pie, pastry, whatever. Fill it with your leftovers and heat it in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Top it with gravy and BLAMO! A Thanksgiving Feast all over again!

Party on Wayne!

I didn't want to leave you hanging on the outcome of the broth. Here's Phil's turkey tortellini soup.

Well, I hope by now you're satisfied. That was turkey to the third power.

Have you had your fill of pre holiday shopping yet too?

No?

Fear not. I just found out that today is Green Tuesday. A holiday shopping event hosted by Nonprofit Green America. They are encouraging us to buy gifts with the environment and community in mind.

Interested?

How about jewelry made from recycled nuclear bomb equipment?

www.fromwartopeace.com

Not interested?

Nevermind then.

And to my friend GoHeyJudy... I'll get you that donut recipe in a minute :)

The Day In Review

I am happy to report that this is how my Thanksgiving started, with homemade donuts and great friends. How awesome is that? No, I did not make this gem of a brunch dish, our friends the Jackson's did. I told Sarah I was going to post this picture this morning and she laughed. I was obviously serious. In a world when it is easier to go to the store and buy them, making your own donuts seems so archaic. Dare I even suggest impossible? But when you put a lot of time and effort into something, it tastes better. These donuts were full of love and sincerity. (Sarah and Max would probably want me to stop here, so I will) Let me just say that they were the best donuts I ever had.

These apple cider donuts set the bar for the rest of the day. The food from there out got progressively more delicious, as we proceeded to have increasing amounts of fun. Look at lunch.

It is no coincidence that this looks equally as gorgeous as breakfast. Lunch was Sarah's department as well.

Our friends came over at 10:30 for brunch and stayed until 10:00 pm. Let me do the math for you. That's almost 12 hours, a sure sign of a good holiday. When you can't be with your family for the holidays...love the ones you're with. Just kidding, we don't just love our friends by default. I am very thankful for them. I will miss them dearly when we part ways in a week. We had such a great time in fact, that they are all coming back over for leftovers. The party will continue tonight with Hand Pies! Yay! For those of you unfamiliar, the hand pie is the best idea (with the most awkward name) for leftovers. I can't wait.

Laura documented the entire day yesterday, as you can see by the above photo. There is a good chance she will be assuming the same position tonight. Stay tuned if you love to hate, but really love, photographs of other people's food.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a great day everyone.

And if you are interested in these pumpkins, click on them.

And if you are interested in shopping Florida Scarf this weekend, you'll get free shipping. The coupon code is SHIPFREE.

FREE SHIPPING

In honor of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, Florida Scarf will be offering FREE SHIPPING on all domestic orders through 11/28. The coupon code, SHIPFREE, is to be entered at checkout in the Etsy Shop.

www.floridascarf.etsy.com

I wish everyone a fabulous start to their holiday season.

I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful; full of food, friends, and festivities.

Mine will definitely be. It's my husband's favorite holiday. He always grills our turkey, and it's amazing. This year he's got a new recipe, Malt-Beer Brined Turkey with Malt Glaze. Doesn't that sound awesome? He's already started to brine. That probably means I gotta get off this computer and start my own prep work :)

Anyway, I know most of us start our holiday shopping after tomorrow. And it is with much enthusiasm that I encourage you to shop small. Keep it special and simple. Stay balanced. Shop a little bit on Etsy, Online, and at your local shops and boutiques. Handmake a gift or two even :)

Please visit my etsy shop now through Monday to take advantage of my offering. While your there sign up for Etsy's Seasonal Gift Email. They have really done a great job at making their site more shoppable. Wanna see what I like on Etsy? Go here.

If you are in Philadelphia, Hello World is a great place to shop. And if you are in Reading I recommend Hello Bluebird. St. Augustine? How about Simple Gestures, Mullet Beach Gallery, or The Closet? If you would like to give any other small businesses a shout go to my FB page and put them on the wall. Make sure they are open on Saturday :)

Thanks for checking in with Florida Scarf, you make me one happy turkey.

Extreme Holiday Cravings



Click the scarf to see it on Etsy.

Sorry if I got carried away with the pies.

Look Who's Packin'

I'm packing.
I'm packing for the eighth time since Phil and I have been together. That sounds crazy. I'm getting pretty good at it. I can't move and not get rid of anything. I reach a limit where I just can't pack the same item more than twice if I don't use it a lot. I just have to get rid of it.
Germany is different. I'm quite indecisive on many of our belongings. I'm not going to over think it though, except on maybe a few levels. Like last night...
To begin the packing process I started at the most insignificant level. The Florida Scarf fabric.
I can use the smallest piece of fabric on a scarf. Normally, I refuse to throw anything away, but I promised Phil I would get rid of some of what he deems useless. For me throwing anything away is like admitting that it doesn't have a purpose. I can't turn my back on the potential to be found in a chunk of fabric. I think this sounds really crazy, but each piece (or scrap) of fabric is like a puzzle piece. The puzzle for which the piece is appropriate may be yet to be crafted. I want to make it and give that fabric a home. It could end up on the coolest scarf I ever made. It's destiny could be to end up in your wardrobe, around your neck.
So here I sit, late at night, debating over a swatch of 1" x 3" of fabric. It's tiny and wrinkly but it still has a great image of a flower on it. I want it. It's going to be great on something. That one makes the cut, but there are hundreds more that won't. Much to the satisfaction of Phil, I will fill two garbage bags by the end of the night. Florida scarf will lose 10 lbs. in less than 3 hours. I actually feel much better by the end. More free. I'm sure there are many fine fabrics in Europe to be had.
As I was sitting on the ground in my sewing room, going through the fabrics, it was very much like reminiscing over an old photo album; like when you need to get a baby picture of your little sister to embarrass her at her next birthday party. In looking for the best photo you go through your entire collection recounting your entire childhood. I did that with my fabric. It's hard to believe that I'm still making scarves after four years. No one seems to be sick of me yet. And in the corners of those boxes I actually found a decent amount of fabric from the early days. I think I may start a scrap book. (wouldn't that be funny?) You remember different parts of your life, places you've been, customers you've had. They're good feelings. I can only hope that in closing this chapter of my life I am leaving plenty of space to build a great new chapter on the other side of the world.
I think this move is going to be great for Flo Sca. I can only dream about the new supplies I'm going to find and people I'm going to meet.