Mashed Potato Doughnuts

Doughnuts

2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup mashed potato

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 quarts (3 pounds) lard, shortening, or vegetable oil, for frying

Coating

granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar, for coating

Directions:

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs and mashed potatoes to the shortening mix.

Measure out the milk. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

The resulting dough will be quite soft, more like a drop-biscuit dough instead of a "rollable" dough. The dough can be covered and refrigerated overnight, if desired.

Turn the dough out onto a very well floured surface and knead a few times to make it stiff enough to roll with a rolling pin. Roll the dough using a well-floured rolling pin until it's about 1/2" thick. Dip a doughnut cutter in flour (each time you cut), and cut out the doughnuts. Save the holes; or re-roll them with leftover dough. Try to handle the dough as little as possible; the less you work the dough, the more tender the doughnuts will be.

Heat the fat to 365°F. Test the temperature with a thermometer; or with a slice of bread, as follows: lower half a slice of bread into the hot fat. If it takes 1 minute for the bottom side to brown nicely, the fat is at the best temperature for frying doughnuts.

Fry doughnuts about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on brown paper bags or paper towels. Check one of the fried donuts after it is cooled to be sure the center is cooked through.

While still warm, shake doughnuts in cinnamon-sugar or plain granulated sugar.

Yield: About 2 dozen doughnuts (plus holes), depending on the size of the cutter.

Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake

1 cup butter 1¾ cups sugar

1 tsp. strawberry extract 5 large eggs

3 cups flour 2 tsps. Baking powder

¼ tsp. salt ¾ cup milk

1 3oz. package strawberry gelatin

1 cup pureed, thawed frozen strawberries

Frosting

½ cup butter, softened

1 8oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup pureed, thawed frozen strawberries

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions: For cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13” x 9” baking pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and extract at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, gelatin, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine strawberry puree and milk.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with strawberry mixture, beginning and ending with flour and beating just until combined after each addition. Pour butter in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely on wire rack. Spread frosting. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.

For icing, in a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add strawberry puree, beating until combined. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth and right consistency.

Comment: Very dense and moist. Really good flavor! A Paula Deen recipe. Have made it without strawberry extract when I couldn’t find it, and it was still excellent.

4th of July Ice Cream

Directions:  Scald milk until bubbles form around edge.  Remove from heat.  Add sugar and salt.  Stir until dissolved.  Stir in Half and Half, vanilla and whipping cream. 

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.  Freeze as directed.

Variations:

• Strawberry:  Add pureed strawberries (1½ cups for 2 Qt./4cup for 4 Qt./6 cups for 6 Qt.)  Chill mixture before freezing.

• Peach:  Add pureed peaches (1½ cups for 2 Qt./4cup for 4 Qt./6 cups for 6 Qt.)  Chill mixture before freezing.

• Candy Supreme:  Add your favorite chocolate candy during the last 5 to 10 minutes of mixing.  (½ cup for 2 Qt./1cup for 4 Qt./2 cups for 6 Qt.)

Comment:  This is the delicious homemade ice cream that Doug and Lisa make for the family for our 4th of July celebration.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Bottom Layer:

3 cups crushed pretzels      1 stick butter, melted

3 T. sugar

Middle Layer:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened      1 cup sugar

Top Layer:

2 cups boiling water      6 oz. strawberry jello

2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed to slushy consistency

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9” x 11” baking dish.

For bottom layer, mix together ingredients, spread in pan, and bake for 8 minutes.  

Cool.

For middle layer, combine cream cheese and sugar.  Spread on top of cooled pretzels.

For top layer, add strawberry jello to boiling water.  Stir well.  Then add strawberries.  

Pour this mixture on top of the cream cheese.

Refrigerate one hour.

Comment:  A Lisa dessert so good that Grandma Romer eats it for breakfast!

Apple Dumplings

1 (8 oz) tube original-size crescent rolls

1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced into 8 pieces

1 stick butter, melted

½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

¾ cup Mountain Dew soda

Ground cinnamon

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-by- 8 inch baking dish with

nonstick spray.

Unroll crescent rolls. Wrap each apple slide with dough and place in the baking

dish; seam side down. Combine butter, sugar and vanilla until just combined (it

doesn’t have to be smooth). Pour over rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour

Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden

brown (you want them to get fairly golden so the bottoms cook through, but don’t let

them burn.) Cool briefly, remove rolls from syrup and then drizzle the syrup on top

when serving to prevent them from getting too soggy.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over

the top.

Comment: Mom and Dad enjoy this quick treat.