DONUTS

SHORT CUT DONUTS WITH GLAZES


1 package refrigerator biscuit (10 in pkg.)

Preheat oil in deep fryer. Cut centers out of biscuits with a 1 inch cutter. Fry 3 donuts at a time for 1 1/2 minutes; turn and fry 1 1/2 minutes more. Fry donut holes for about 2 minutes, turning once. Drain on absorbent paper. Makes 10 donuts and holes.

MAPLE GLAZE:
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
3 or 4 tbsp. maple syrup

Combine powdered sugar with maple syrup, stirring until smooth. Dip donuts and holes in glaze. Sit on rack to drain.

FRUIT GLAZE:
2 tbsp. grape, apricot or peach jam
1 c. powdered sugar
1 or 2 tsp. milk

Put jam in a glass jar and microwave on high for 15 seconds; stir to melt. Stir in powdered sugar, adding milk and stirring until smooth. Dip donuts and holes in glaze. Drain on rack.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. milk

Combine chocolate chips, syrup and milk in a 2 cup glass cup; microwave on high for 1 to 1 2/3 minutes; stir until melted. Dip donuts and holes in glaze.

Some other maple frosting recipes
Maple frosting4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons maple flavoring

or

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon maple flavoring

MAPLE FROSTING
1/4 c. Crisco
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. maple blend syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 c. milk

Combine Crisco, salt, syrup, vanilla and 1 cup of sugar. Add milk and remaining sugar alternately. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar to thicken or milk to thin, if needed for good spreading consistency.


DONUTS FROM SCRATCH

Ingredients for Doughnuts

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 1/4 cups 2% milk, warmed up to 105 °F
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large 1 large egg yolk
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Maple Cream Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Maple Glaze
1 cup sifted icing sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons milk

Directions for Doughnuts

1.For doughnuts, stir ¾ cup of flour, yeast and ¾ cup milk together until blended, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour.

2.In a large mixing bowl using electric beaters, or in a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle, add remaining 3 ¼ cups flour, butter, sugar salt and spices and blend for 1 minute on low speed. Combine the initial flour, milk and yeast mixture, with the remaining milk, egg and egg yolk and beat on medium-low speed until batter is smooth and thick. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let sit until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3.On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ½-inch thick. Cut doughnuts with a 3-inch cutter and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Cover with a tea towel and let doughnuts rest 15 minutes.

4.Heat oil in a deep pot to 365 °F. Set a doughnut onto a slotted spoon and set gently into oil. Let cook until brown on one side, then carefully turn over. Remove doughnut with slotted spoon and place on a plate with paper towel to cool. Make a few doughnuts at a time, but take care not to overcrowd the pot (to prevent oil from cooling, resulting in greasy doughnuts).

Maple Cream Filling

1.For cream, beat cream cheese until soft and beat in icing sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Spoon batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Insert tip into side of doughnut and pipe in cream filling. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

Maple Glaze

1.For glaze, beat all ingredients until smooth, adjusting consistency with milk, if needed. Dip each doughnut halfway into glaze and let dry for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before serving.

Vanilla Glaze

In a mug, microwave half of cup of milk with a teaspoon of butter (you'll use this later)

In a bowl mix:
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of the milk mixture
1/4 teaspoon of lemon
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
If you a really thin glaze, just add a little more of the milk mixture.


Chocolate Glaze

Use the milk mixture from above.
In a bowl mix:

1 cup of powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of Hershey Cocoa
3 Tablespoons of the milk mixture from above.

Put a slightly warm donut face down in the chocolate glaze, turn slightly and remove. Perfect!

Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse

Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse
This recipe yields a sweet and fluffy, light cream cheese flavored dessert.


1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed


orange and yellow food color
candy corn (for garnish)


Directions ~
Beat cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until fully smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar, then milk (or cream). Add vanilla. Continue mixing. Beat about 1 minute on medium to medium-high speed. Fold cool whip into cream cheese mixture, and stir until fully combined.


Scoop about 1/3 of the Cheesecake Mousse into a bowl, and color orange. Color another third of the mixture yellow. Leave the remaining third white. One color at a time (starting with yellow), scoop mixture into a piping bag or large ziplock bag, and squeeze a layer of the Cheesecake Mousse into small dessert dishes of your choice. Repeat with orange and then white Mousse.


Refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to 1 day) before serving. Garnish with candy corn if desired.


Recipe yields 4 moderate servings or 6-8 mini servings.


Recipe Source: Glorious Treats


Sugar Free Option: In the past, I have adjusted this recipe to be sugar free, with good results. Simply substitute 1/3 cup Splenda for the powdered sugar, and replace regular cool whip with sugar free cool whip. Omit candy corn garnish.


Recipe options: This general concept could be created using vanilla pudding or white chocolate mousse (from a mix or from scratch).

Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich

There are so many different ways to make Philly Cheese steak sandwiches.....

Ingredients

1 12-ounce boneless beef rib eye steak (thin sliced eye of round, rib eye, or sirloin tip roast)*

2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 medium red or green sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
4 French rolls or hogie buns, split
4 ounces thinly sliced cheddar cheese
optional
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Dill pickle spears

Directions

1. Partially freeze beef. Thinly slice beef across the grain into bite-size strips. In a 10-inch skillet melt margarine or butter; add onions and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove onion-pepper mixture from skillet with a slotted spoon. If necessary, add additional margarine to skillet. Add beef; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until done.
3. To serve, spread rolls open face on a baking sheet. Divide beef and onion-pepper mixture among rolls. Top with cheese. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

OR

Ingredients

2 fresh Italian sandwich rolls or Kaiser buns, split in half crosswise
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 pound rib-eye steak, very very thinly shaved or sliced
1/3 pound thinly sliced white American cheese, or Provolone cheese OR 4 ounces melted cheese whiz
Ketchup, optional topping
Italian pickled peppers, accompaniment

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When hot add the oil, onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Push off to 1 side of the griddle.

Add the meat to the hot pan and cook, stirring and breaking up with the back of 2 metal spatulas, until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Mix in the Sauteed vegetables. Top with cheese slices and melt. Spoon the cheesy meat mixture into the warm buns and serve immediately with condiments of choice or Put the meat in the bun and dip the spatula in the cheese whiz and then wipe the spatula down the inside of the bread.

Sloppy Chicken Joes

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
3 pounds uncooked ground chicken or uncooked ground turkey
2 14-oz. jars pizza sauce
2 cups frozen (yellow, green, and red) peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables, thawed and chopped
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
8 hoagie rolls, split
8 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese (8 ounces)

Directions

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to hot skillet; cook until chicken is no longer pink, stirring to break apart. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine chicken, pizza sauce, vegetables, and undrained tomatoes.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.

3. Arrange split rolls, cut sides up, on an unheated broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted. Spoon chicken mixture onto bottoms of toasted rolls. Top with cheese and roll tops. Makes 8 sandwiches.

Chicken-Parmesan Bundles

Chicken-Parmesan Bundles

Ingredients

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
6 tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1 egg
10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2cups spaghetti sauce, heated

Directions

HEAT oven to 375 degrees F.

MIX cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 tbsp. Parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired.

BEAT egg in shallow dish. Mix remaining Parmesan and cracker crumbs in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in crumb mixture to evenly coat. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done (165 degrees F). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve chicken topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella.

Make Ahead:
Assemble chicken bundles and place in baking dish as directed. Refrigerate up to 4 hours. When ready to serve, uncover and bake at 375 degrees F for 35 min. or until chicken is done.

Special Extra:
Stir chopped fresh basil and/or sliced black olives into spaghetti sauce before heating