Mini Pumpkin Donuts with a Cider Glaze {recipe}

Lately I've been itching to make donuts with my new mini donut pan.  And I know 'pumpkin season' is 'over'... but I've had my eye on this recipe, and we had some cans of pumpkin left in the pantry.  And exactly enough apple cider left in the fridge.  I figured it was meant to be!

This was not my husbands first choice of recipes when I told him I was making mini donuts for breakfast, but he ended up loving them.  Clara loved them too - and they were just her size!  There were none left after we got through with them.  The cider glaze is a very thin, clear glaze.. just enough to give it that cider taste.  And it goes so well with the pumpkin.  And of course, the donuts go well with a cup of coffee.  ;)

And here is the dough all piped in the cute donut tins, and ready for baking..

Mini Pumpkin Donuts with a Cider Glaze (Printable Recipe)

Glaze

• 1 cup cider
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Donuts

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup buttermilk*
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• sprinkles or nuts to top them off - optional (I did not use any)

Preheat oven to 425 F and lightly grease a mini donut pan.

For the glaze:  Simmer the cider over a med-high heat in a saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes.  Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth, and then whisk in the butter.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, for the donuts:  Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl.  In a larger bowl, whisk the egg with the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla, and then add the dry ingredients.  Using a rubber spatula, mix gently until just combined.  Transfer to a resealable plastic bag.  Cut the corner off the bag and pipe the batter evenly into the mini donut molds.

Bake until just springy to the touch, 5-7 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack with parchment paper underneath.  Spoon and spread the glaze over top.  Top with nuts or sprinkles, if desired.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes roughly 12 donuts.

*Buttermilk:  If you don't have buttermilk, you can use a buttermilk substitute.  Or I highly recommend purchasing a powdered buttermilk.  I purchased it at WalMart and use it in all kinds of things - including pancakes (it has a yummy pancake recipe on the canister).

source:  Food Network Kitchens

Back on Track

It's been over 2 months since I've blogged.  I kind of miss it!

We were blessed enough to be able to spend the holidays with family this year.  Got through a bunch of sickness.  Our New Years was quiet, but nice.  And now it's a fresh new year.  There's just something I love about a new year.  A 'fresh start'.. and a whole year of fun to look forward to.

There are a few things I want to do better at this year, and one of them is managing my time better.  For me, it's easy to get off track while being a stay at home mom.  And I've found that if I have more structure to my day, I feel better and more things get accomplished.  Breakfast time, TV/movie time for Clara while I do some cleaning, then play/color/reading time with her, go run errands or take her somewhere fun/go for a walk and get fresh air, lunch time, nap time, more play time while listening to music, snack time, etc.. you get the idea.  Everything needs to have it's place, or I become overwhelmed and end up sitting on the couch watching movies with her all day long and nothing gets done.  That may not be how everyone is, but that's how it is with me.. and so time management is really important for me.

One thing I did to help myself, was print out a schedule for my cleaning.. so I can look and see what I need to get done each day, and I don't feel overwhelmed thinking that everything needs to get done at once.

A schedule for cleaning?  Go ahead and laugh.  My husband did.  ;)  But whatever works, right?  It has daily things and monthly projects.  It works for me.. and for that, I am thankful.  Haha.

  And.. just because she's cute.  My favorite view every morning.  ;)

Ham & Potato Soup {recipe}

I needed some soup to warm me up the other day.. plus I just feel like the weekend is a good time for crock pot cookin'.. less time in the kitchen, and more time spent with family.  This is definitely a keeper.  My husband is not much a soup eater, but ate it anyway.. what a trooper.  ;)  I told him he better get used to it because the winter is my favorite time to eat soup.. and I love me some soup.  I changed it from the original recipe just a little.. I added one more chicken bouillon cube, to give it more flavor.  After I served myself some, I also added just a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top.  Because I like cheese.  :)

We'll be eating this again!

Ham & Potato Soup
adapted from WW Recipes

• 7 c. diced potatoes (about 4 medium)
• 1 c. diced onion (about 1 medium)
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 2 c. ham, diced
• 5. c. hot water
• 5 small chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• Garlic powder, salt, & pepper, to taste
• Shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Add diced potatoes, onion, carrot, and ham to a crock pot. Dissolve chicken bullion in 5 cups hot water, then add to crock. Cook on low 7 hours, or high 3 hours. Then add milk and sour cream. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes. Add seasonings to taste.  Sprinkle a little cheese on top if you want.

If you'd like a thicker soup (which I did), just before adding milk and sour cream, slightly mash the potato mixture.


Makes approximately 12 1-cup servings. 

How I Menu Plan

Menu planning.

If you know how to do it effectively, it can be a huge help instead of a huge headache.  Menu planning can be a good thing for anyone - those who work, those who stay at home, those who want to eat out less, or want to get their grocery bill within a reasonable budget.  There is no right or wrong way to meal plan.  It's all about what is easiest for you and what works for your family.  I will share what currently works for my family and I.

Why do I meal plan?  It helps me save money as well as time in the kitchen - that way I can figure out what we're having to eat without standing in front of the fridge trying to figure it out at 5pm, stressing over it, and then ending up spending more time doing all that rather than enjoying more time with my family.  Dinner time should be an enjoyable time, not a stressful one.  And I've also found that I enjoy cooking a lot more, when I'm prepared for it in advance.  Less stress and less money being spent on last minute out-to-eat decisions.  When I meal plan, I take into account what our schedule is like for the week.  If we have anywhere to go, appointments, or if my husband has a class.  That way I can plan to have a crock-pot meal that day, or something else easy and quick, and still know that we're having a good meal.

Coupons.  I only use a coupon on something if we need it or I'm already going to buy it.  Using a coupon on something that you weren't already going to buy, or you won't need/use.. even if it's cheap.. is still a waste of money.  I buy the Sunday paper, they have good coupons in there.  And I also print out internet coupons.  They're obviously even better when you use them when the item is on sale.  ;)

Things I Consider when meal planning:  What I currently have in my pantry/fridge/freezer, coupons/sales, new recipes, appointments/busy days, leftovers.

I normally meal plan for roughly 2 weeks at a time (every pay check).  There's just 3 of us - my husband, me, and my 16 month old.  My goal is to spend $170 or less at the grocery store, and that includes toiletries, diapers, wipes, etc.   I do 'schedule in' a time to eat out once every 2 weeks, sometimes more.. depends, really.  I feel like if I schedule it in, then I feel less guilty about it.  Plus, we love going out to eat and exploring new restaurants!  So I always make sure that fits into our budget.  We also eat leftovers once a week or so, so I take that into account.

I've used many apps for my meal planning - ZipList, FoodOnTheTable, SpringPad.  But honestly?  I prefer a plain ol' pen and notebook when I'm working on my grocery list, etc.  I also use a pretty printable, to write down our weekly menu.  I put the pretty printable in a frame, and then write on it with a dry erase marker.,, so I'm not constantly printing off new ones and wasting paper/ink.  Actually, now that I type this.. I have a really fun idea on how to display our menu in the kitchen (my husband likes it to be visible lol)... once I figure out how to put it together, I'll blog it.  :)

Here are some fun and pretty printables for you, this is where I printed mine off ----> click here.  Because pretty little things always make me happier.  :)

An example of my current menu, for this 2 weeks:

• 11/1 - Out to Eat
• 11/2 - Chicken Fried Rice
• 11/3 - Ham & Potato Soup, with a side salad
• 11/4 - Tacos
• 11/5 - Leftovers
• 11/6 - Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups, with garlic bread and fruit
• 11/7 - Breakfast (we love having breakfast for dinner)
• 11/8 - Chicken Noodle Casserole (per my husbands request.. one of his favorite comfort foods;)
• 11/9 - Leftovers
• 11/10 - Turkey Chili & Cornbread
• 11/11 - Beef & Broccoli over rice
• 11/12 - Zuppa Toscana, with a side salad
• 11/13 - Leftovers
• 11/14 -  Salmon with wild rice and fresh veggies
• 11/15 - Chicken Breast with Mushrooms & White Wine Cream Sauce, veggies

I try to plan around what meats are on sale (we eat a lot of chicken, and we try to replace ground beef with turkey when we can), or use up what I've stocked up on last time I bought meat that was on sale.  We love fresh produce, but it can be pricey if it's not season - so, we try to only eat what's in season.  We are eating a lot of apples these days.  ;)  I incorporate 3-4 new recipes, to keep things interesting.  I also try to make sure I have some quick and easy (and crock pot) recipes mixed in.. because I KNOW there will be nights where I don't feel like doing much of anything.  And we try to eat up our leftovers - whether it's for lunch the next day, or as leftovers for dinner.  It helps cut costs, and I really hate wasting food.

And, after every shopping trip, I clean out the fridge and the pantry.  Having a clean, organized space definitely makes things easier (for me, anyway).

I also try to plan for anything extra I might want to bake or create (and I love to bake).  We obviously keep the staples in our house (eggs, flour, sugar, choco chips, etc).. but if there's something I want to make that requires a special ingredient, I plan for that too.  For example, this paycheck I think I'm going to make a couple different types of muffins, some pumpkin oatmeal cookies, and I need to replenish our homemade chocolate sauce.  ;)

Do you meal plan?  How do you do it?  What works for your family?

Lean & Green Juice {recipe}

My husband has been on this juice/smoothie kick lately.  So I've had the pleasure of trying out a billion (ok maybe just a hand full) of different recipes.  Today I made one called 'Lean & Green' for him before he went off to his class for the night.  After working all day, then off to college at night, this should keep him refreshed.  Hopefully.  :)

Now I know things like this (with spinach) wouldn't work as well in our old blender.  But for my birthday in August, my mama bought me the Ninja Professional, and it pretty much blends anything.  And for those of you who have never tried a green smoothie - no, you can't taste the spinach.  I promise. 

I took it with me on a little stroll with Clara around the neighborhood.  I gave her a taste, too, and she loves it.  She kept asking for more, and of course, it's healthy, so I'm all about giving her more if she likes it!

 

Lean & Green Juice

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 whole kiwi, peeled*
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
• 5 or so ice cubes
• Splash of apple juice, or white grape juice

Place all ingredients in blender.  And blend/pulse on high until smooth.  Makes 2 servings.

*Did you know.. that ounce for ounce, kiwi is the most nutrient dense when compared to 27 other fruits?

glazed pumpkin scones {recipe}

With it being October, I feel like everything I bake must have some sort of pumpkin incorporated into it.  I love pumpkin, and only get to bake with it during the holiday seasons - so I gotta eat it up while I can.  ;)  I wanted to do something different for breakfast Saturday morning, and landed on this recipe.  It was something different than waffles, pancakes, or pumpkin bread.. and we really enjoyed it!  They were flaky, and moist.  The powdered sugar/maple glaze compliments it very well, too.  Even my lovely guinea pig (my husband) enjoyed it.  These would be good for a snack as well, not just for breakfast.  But I will tell you this - they go really well with a good cup of coffee.  Try it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Glazed Pumpkin Scones
slightly adapted from Some the Wiser

Scones

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (greek or regular)
• 1 large egg

 Glaze

• Powdered sugar
• Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 F.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Using largest holes on a box grater, grate frozen butter into flour mixture and mix until it resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, combine egg, pumpkin, and yogurt and mix well.   Stir yogurt mixture into flour mixture.  Using hands, shape dough into a ball, making sure to fold in all the loose clumps.

When dough is well combined and sticks together in a large ball, turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Shape into a 7 inch circle, approximately 3/4 inch thick, and cut into 8 equal pieces.   With space between each triangle, place on a parchment covered (or silicone mat) baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden.   Allow scones to cool and prepare glaze.

Now, for the glaze... I never use exact measurements for things like this.. so I'm sorry to all of you who don't like to eyeball things.  Mix together milk and powdered sugar until it's at a glaze-like consistency.  Add about 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract.  Add in maple syrup, to taste.  Start with about 1 tbsp. and go from there.   Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones, and enjoy!