Donuts: My Hypocrisy

While I sit here planning tonight's Insanity workout, while on day 3 of my second round of the Three Day Diet, I am dreaming about donuts. Talk about hypocrisy! I'm not dreaming about just any donuts, but the homemade donuts that remind me of my childhood and happened to magically appear in my kitchen a few weeks ago.

Hint: I made them.

Bare with me! I am still on my healthy path, but once in a while you have to have a cheat. If you don't allow yourself that, then what is the point of living your chances of success are far less. While I would love to have a super model body (who wouldn't), I also want to enjoy life...and amazing food is part of that.

So, I bring you a favorite of mine from childhood that has now made an appearance in my adult kitchen: the homemade donut!

They start off so easy. Heat the oil, cut out a hole, and try to keep the drool IN your mouth. 

Drop them in the oil and watch as they sizzle! Keep a close eye so they don't burn...but even the burnt ones are heavenly.

Add some cinnamon sugar, and you are almost there.

Wait for them to cool, wake up the husband, and be ready to work on your self control...or not.

Homemade Donuts

• 1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 
• vegetable oil (for frying)
• sugar
• cinnamon (optional)

1. Start by heating a frying pan with 2 inches of oil to 300-350 degrees. This is about enough vegetable oil to keep biscuits floating. 
2. While the oil is heating, separate the biscuits and cut out a 1 inch hole in the center of each. Keep the centers for donut holes! You can use a knife or the top of a bottle to stamp them out. 
3. Once the oil is ready, drop in 1-2 biscuits at a time. Watch them carefully! It only takes 30-60 seconds before they need to be flipped. 
4. When both sides have been fried, dip the hot donut in a plate with a cinnamon sugar mix. 
5. Let cool on a rack and enjoy! These are best eaten the day of. 

I know these little beauties can't be a regular meal, but they sure do make a great treat once in a blue moon. 

YUM!  

Bunny Cake

Each year Emily and I lived together, we made bunny cakes for Easter. Once we moved in with the men in our lives, we decided that carrying on the tradition would be fun. The bunnies have evolved over time; adding coconut "fur", carving them into realistic hares, and changing the colors. This year was no different, and I decided to try something new. The 2014 Easter Bunny Cake would be....a cartoon bunny face with a bow tie!

Bunny Cake 2014

Seeing as I gave up chocolate for Lent, I chose a double fudge box cake. I used two 8 inch pans as the base.  After fully cooling the two layers, I got to work.

First, cut one of the rounds into three sections making two "leaves" on each side. These will become the ears and the bow tie.

Next, build the bunny. One 8 inch round will be the face. The two "leaves" become the ears, and the remainder is the bow tie.

I used chocolate whipped frosting because the whipped is a little lighter and easier to work with. With the exposed cuts in the cake, the whip helps to avoid tears while frosting. Frost the WHOLE bunny.

Now here is my not so secret, secret. Toothpicks are amazing! Toothpicks are the best things ever when it comes to cake decoration! I wouldn't be anywhere without toothpicks! Okay, maybe I'm going a little far, but they are the perfect tool for sketching out the decorations before you begin with the real stuff. If you make a mistake with a toothpick, it is a quick fix (erase), and you are back on track.

Once you are satisfied with your toothpick sketch, start the real deal! Before you know it, you will have a beautiful bunny cake that is not only delicious, but it is also pretty darn adorable to lay your eyes on.

The finished product! 

Bunny Cake 2013

People Pleasing and Breakfast Pizza

2014 has become the year of self awareness in my world. 2013 was full of so many amazing, wonderful, incredible events (became a Mrs., bought a house, went on a honeymoon, etc.) but somehow, amongst all the wonderful, I lost myself. In a time when I should have been focusing on myself, I poured myself into making everyone else happy. It just seemed easier to agree than to fight for what I wanted. All of this people pleasing caught up to me late in the year, so when it came time to make resolutions, I knew exactly what needed to be done.

2014 would be the year of self awareness! I love making other people happy, so I will always have a people pleasing side, but I also vowed to remember that my feelings and opinions were important too. 

Steps I've taken for me:

1. Join a workout group: I needed to make some friends in our new town, and this has been a perfect plan.
2. Remember that asking for help around the house is ok: Adam isn't going to love me less if the laundry doesn't get done. We are a team, and he is more than willing to help me out! 
3. Go to Des Moines/Iowa City/Chariton to hang out with my old friends when the opportunity arises. 
4. Be creative in the kitchen.
5. Attend church regularly: For the first five years of my adult life, church was my job! I worked at a Catholic school and loved teaching about God. When we moved, I got lazy and cut out organized religion completely.

The last one has been huge for me. When I ignored my faith, I didn't feel as strong and independent. But now that I'm back on track, I love starting my week at mass. It gets my head and heart ready to tackle whatever the week throws at me. 

Alright, now that I've been emotionally reflective and sappy, it is time to get to the meat of things...literally! For Adam, the best part of my new found church going ways has been the resulting Sunday brunch each week! 

This week was breakfast pizza, and it will be a repeat for sure! The gooey cheese, the crispy bacon...the easy prep! Oh breakfast pizza heaven, here I come!

I really need to invest in a good camera, but I'll have to save up for that! 

I had attempted breakfast pizza in the past, but had never quite understood how Casey's Pizza was so much better! This time I decided not to pre-bake my crust or eggs, and it made a world of difference! The eggy mixture ended up making a slight mess due to the holes in my crust, but a cleverly placed cookie sheet took care of that problem. Plus, any amount of mess would have been fine by me once I bit into this Sunday brunch delight. 

Heavenly Breakfast Pizza

• Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust
• 3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 precooked bacon strips, chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Spread pizza crust on a pan. Make sure there are no holes in the dough! It also helps if you keep a lip around the edge to catch your eggy mixture. 
3. Evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the crust. 
4. Whisk eggs and milk together in a small bowl. Pour over mozzarella covered crust. 
5. Sprinkle half of the bacon on the egg. Cover evenly with cheddar cheese. Top off with the remainder of the bacon. 
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the egg is firm and crust is slightly browned. 
7. Take a bite and pat yourself on the back for being such an awesome cook :-)

What are some of your favorite quick and delicious brunch recipes? 

BFFs and Oreo Cakes

Ashlynn and I have been best friends forever since we were fourteen years old, and we have known each other since we could dance. She is one of my favorite people in the world, and my life wouldn't be near as much fun without her! Do you want to know the best part of the whole relationship? Seven years ago, she married my brother...so she is also my sister! Can you take a moment to imagine this situation? Ever holiday, I get to hang out with my best friend. And, I am literally her son's aunt. I love it! So when her birthday came this year, I knew I needed to make a fun cake in celebration. 

Decorating cakes has sort of become my joy. A few weeks ago, I made a bulldog cake for my old roommate, Emily. A few months before that, Adam celebrated with a Superman cake. At our age, we all have enough stuff, so creative cakes are a way for me to show how much I love my people without adding to anyone's hoarding problem. 

But the cakes have to be special to the person. Emily and Adam's cake ideas came to me right away, but Ashlynn stumped me. While several ideas bounced around my head, none seemed right...until I found the Oreo cake! Ashlynn is this tiny, athletic human being...who loves her Oreos! I couldn't tell you the last time I bought Oreos for my own house, because I know I can get my fix if I go visit her. Thus, it only seemed right to make her a big, fat, giant Oreo cake! 

Did I mention I gave up chocolate for Lent? This was going to be a challenge!

The big birthday celebration was scheduled for Saturday evening, so when the idea struck late Friday night, I ran to the store to gather my ingredients. I found a yummy filling recipe here (they have great ideas!), and adapted the rest for my own needs. 

Without further adieu...

THE OREO CAKE

1 package (2-layer size) devil’s food cake mix

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping (I used the fat free kind)

12 OREO cookies, coarsely crushed (I just grabbed one of those small packages they sell by the checkout counter and called it good.)

1. Bake the devil's food cake according to the directions on the box. If you want to get fancy, you can always make this from scratch, but who doesn't love the ease of a mix! Completely cool before adding any fillings or frosting. 
2. Once the cake is cooled, beat sugar and softened cream cheese together until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping and crushed Oreos. Set aside. 
3. Using a long knife, level off the top of both layers of cake. You want them to be flat, so they look like the cookie part of the Oreo!
4. Place one cake layer on a plate and top with the filling. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until it has firmed up a bit. 
5. On a separate plate, frost the top of the second layer with chocolate frosting. Carefully use a toothpick to draw out the Oreo design. Then pipe the black on with a round tip. This can become time consuming, but remember, it doesn't have to be perfect! 
6. Finally, place the decorated layer on the filling layer. Use a knife to smooth out the sides. Refrigerate until serving. 

I wasn't able to taste test while I was baking because of Lent, but the rest of the group said it was pretty darn yummy! If you decide to try it out, please let me know what you think! I am living vicariously through all the chocolate eaters out there!  

Yum, yum yum! 

The Year of Creative Cakes: A Small Sample

Fourth of July 

A superhero cake for my Superman

Easter 2013

Tater Miska for Emily!

Coaxed, Cakes, and Chopsticks

I am officially pulling my hair out. Okay, not really, but there were a few moments today that I had the thought, "What am I going to do for the next month?" As I talked about earlier in the week, my student teacher has officially taken over teaching responsibilities...for the next month. Monday was hard for me to give up control. Tuesday and Wednesday brought a strange freedom and surge of energy, but today I was bored out of my mind. I am completely caught up on grading, so I ask, what is a teacher to do who can't teach? Well, I'll tell you.

1. I pulled small groups when the chance arose. 
2. I planned an entire geometry unit that I'll never get the chance to teach.
3. I searched endlessly for some ideas for Emily's birthday cake.
4. I talked about our vocabulary word this week, urged, and how it means coaxed. 
5. I ate with chopsticks for the first of 40 days. Wish me Lenten luck!

I'm thinking this list needs to expand quite a bit in the next few weeks, so hopefully there are some brilliant ideas out there for me. 

Moving on, this weekend Adam and I are going to visit Emily (and Paul!) for her birthday. Her birthday is on Tuesday, but we make due with weekend time. Plus, every year we are both in the same state is a win in my book. Can I just mention that I am SO excited to try out my cake decorating skills tonight? I have decided to go with a theme that Emily loves, but will hold off on sharing until this weekend. Stay tuned :-) 

Emily and I being silly: June 8, 2013