Once Upon a Plate

Thursday

Mini Baked Doughnuts

First of all, thank you for all of the kind comments, emails, and beautiful cards regarding the passing of our dog Cinnie girl. You all touched my heart and your kindness has been overwhelming. Yes, 'just a dog' but never the less, a member of our family and daily life.

It has been a little difficult to get back into the kitchen . . .
she was a 'food-driven' dog, and always my companion while I prepped, cooked and baked.

But, there were boundaries. Our cooktop is on a center island, which opens to the great/family room. She was not allowed to come on "the working side" of the island counter, and she knew her boundaries well. However, she always kept me company on the 'other' side of the island. Nose and ears alert in case some 'goodie' happened to hit the floor.

Whenever I 'chop' on the cutting board I expect to see her sitting up attentively just waiting for me to say "Ooops", that was her signal to come and do 'floor duty" for some scrap that had gone astray.

Gosh I miss her. Thank you again friends, for your kind thoughts and compassion while we're healing.

Each day it becomes a little easier.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Like much of the Northwest coast of North America we received an unusual summer downpour a day or so ago. Instead of the usual light summer sprinkle, this storm brought over an inch of rain to our area. Yikes!

Sunny day gardening was put aside, and a little baking was on the agenda instead.

And to preface ~ I must say, doughnuts are a very rare indulgence around here these days. I do make old fashioned homemade fried doughnuts every couple of years on very, very special occasions, but they are not a regular indulgence at my house by any means. (Nor are store/bakery-bought doughnuts.)

So these seemed like a fair alternative, and it was the perfect opportunity to try out my new mini-doughnut pans.

Big plus... they are baked, not fried. :)

After comparing a bunch of "mini-size" doughnut baking pans I chose this one by NorPro®. Number one, because I've been pleased with their quality of baking pans in the past, plus these do not produce 'micro-mini' size doughnuts (1-inch to 1.5-inch in diameter) which I've seen elsewhere, these are 2-inches in diameter (similar to the mini-size made by Hostess, etc. as you'll likely find in the grocery store.)

Most mini-doughnut recipes yield between 24 to 48 mini-doughnuts, so I bought two pans and they have worked out perfectly.

I used the recipe that came with the package which I thought was 'okay'. . . but I noted a little too much baking soda aftertaste. There is also a recipe for chocolate doughnuts on the package which I haven't tried yet. Next time I'll try the recipe from Wilton Company*, which includes buttermilk, and a little less baking soda.

Each of the recipes come together very quickly and the little pans bake up in less than 10 minutes.

Hint, if you try these, use a piping bag or a zip-bag with a corner snipped to help fill the pans neatly, and only fill each mold 1/2 full.

I dipped the baked and cooled doughnuts with a simple confectioner's sugar glaze flavored with vanilla extract, then decorated with nonpareils. Decorate them any way you like! A dip in some dark, warm ganache, sprinkled with chopped toasted nuts, shredded coconut, or any frosting/icing you like. You can also shake them in a paper bag with confectioner's sugar, or cinnamon sugar while still warm.

Two-bite size, they are perfect with a spot of tea, or a cuppa joe (or a glass of icy cold milk.) And they take no more time to make than an average cookie recipe.

If you like cake stye doughnuts, I think you will like these and recommend that you give them a try.

* When I make these using the Wilton recipe I'll post a review about it.
Thanks for stopping by today and for any comments you would like to share. I appreciate each one so much.
~mari

I'm joining Yummy Mummy for her Yummy Friday Linky Party!
and

Michael Lee @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, too!

NOTE: For anyone interested in the pans with the smaller capacity (NOT the one I used for these donuts) you can find them by clicking the link: Nonstick 12-Cavity "1-3/4 inch" Mini Donut Pan

Retro 50's Luncheon on the Terrace ~ Revisited

Please join me for a 1950's Luncheon on the terrace,
as originally shared in August 2009.

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone as I usually set the table with more subdued colors and allow the food to make the statement. Not this time ~ for inspiration I drew upon memories of growing up in the 50's and 6o's. I hope you enjoy!

I used the bright, primary colors in the reproduction tablecloth to build the color scheme.

Yellow Bordallo Pinheiro (Portuguese) cabbage bowls from Sur La Table.

These are actually cotton dish towels, I chose them because they carry out the bright fruit theme of the table cloth ~ I love their generous size.

Lemons as the table "centerpiece" since we're having lemonade to drink.
(The pedestal bowl is from Crate & Barrel a couple of years ago.)

I used one of my French Vinegar jars to serve the chilled lemonade. (Emile Henry Pottery)

The stemware is by Tracy Porter, I found them on sale a couple of years ago at Target.

The yellow placemats are from Beds, Bath & Beyond. The casual blue flatware is from Macy's (over 20 years ago), little red butter knives/spreaders are French ~ I've had them for quite a while (forgot where they came from.)
The yellow chargers are actually "chop" platters ~ for serving meat ~ in the Fiesta pattern (Homer Laughlin) ~ it's the old mellow yellow color; the red plates are also by Fiesta ~ a few years old, but not vintage.

Vintage covered butter dish from the 60's ~ by 'Lotus'.

And a little peek of what was on the menu...

With sincere thanks to dear Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for so generously hosting us.

Please click on Susan's logo above to see

all of this weeks participants.

Thank you very much for stopping by today!

Wednesday

Happy Birthday Peter!

From a long time ago ~

Best wishes on your special day, son!

See you soon.

With much love, m & d

Monday

Forever in Our Hearts

We adopted Cinnamon from the Humane Society when she was about a year old. That was a little over 10 years ago.

Such a sweetie.

Relishing a favorite once-in-a-while treat.

As my family and some of you know, she passed away a week ago today after a rather sudden illness.

Her Vet suspected it was an auto-immune disease, so we had been treating her for that for a few weeks, that's why I've been away from the blog-world; for family time.

In spite of our best efforts, and her valiant fight, she succumbed at midnight on Monday June 13th.

We were fortunate to have spent all day on both Sunday and Monday with her while she was resting outdoors with us as we worked in her favorite flower garden.

'Cinnie's Garden'

We're thankful we were with her when she passed, and thankful that she was able to pass in the familiar surroundings and security of home.

She will be greatly missed as she was a family member to us, my constant companion, a very good dog who fit into our life and lifestyle like a glove.

Gone, but not forgotten.

Rest well Cinnie-girl, my pal.

To visit more of 'Cinnie's Garden' click here.

Hello Friends ~

I'll be taking a little break from blogging for some family time.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

I hope to be back very soon. ((Hugs)) ~mari

Tuesday

Homemade Bagels ~ Yes you can!

Homemade Bagels.

They are infinitely better than the grocery store variety, and you can eat them warm from the oven it you want to. :)

(The finished bagels freeze beautifully!)

Why make Bagels??

Well, if you live near a great bagel spot, you might not want to.

But since I (happily!) no longer live in, or near a big city . .

I make my own.

Yes, 'bagels' are available here ~

but most often they are soft, fluffy, "bready" and lifeless, they hardly measure up to honest-to-goodness real bagels.

If you've never tried making them at home, you might be surprised at how easy it is.

Just mix up and knead the dough (you can do this by hand, use your stand mixer, or bread machine.)

Allow it the dough to rise for 45 minutes to an hour or so.

Divide the dough, and form it into balls, then into a doughnut shape ~

Drop them into a pot of boiling water for a few seconds,

then place on a prepared baking sheet.

Brush with an egg wash

(sprinkle with toppings - optional) then bake.

About 20 to 25 minutes later . . . fresh BAGELS!

Of all the recipes I've tried through the years, my favorite by far is one that my friend Ann at Thibault's Table shared a few years ago.

It is definitely my "go to" bagel recipe.

You can shape them into any size you want ~

From very small hors d'oeuvre size, medium size, or jumbo "papa-size" bagels ~

You'll just adjust the boiling and baking times a bit, depending upon the size you make.

If you enjoy bagels, do you have a favorite, and how do you like to eat them?

My two favs are the "Everything" and Onion varieties.

Here's the 'Everything'.

Yum! (This time I didn't add minced, toasted onions to the sprinkle ~

I just used King Arthur Flour's Seed Sprinkle , on top of some good quality granulated onion, from Penzey's.

Usually I just split and toast my bagels and serve them spread with butter, cream cheese, or a flavorful "schmear".

But once in a while for a treat, it's good to indulge in a good old Lox (cured salmon) & Cream Cheese Bagel . . .

With a few thinly sliced red onion rings, some capers and a generous sprinkle of fresh chives.

Freshly cracked black pepper is a great addition, too.

If you want to give this recipe a try, I urge you to do it!

You can't go wrong if you follow the tutorial (with great step-by-step pictures) at Thibeault's Table.

(Click HERE to link to Ann's Tutorial at Thibeault's Table.)

Thank you Ann!

Have a great day everyone.

xo ~m.

P.S. Thank you so much for your good thoughts, prayers and great words of support for my dog Cinnie. She has made a small improvement with medication over the past week, for which we're thankful. Her future health still remains a question.

She goes in for another evaluation Wednesday (June 1) afternoon and we remain ever hopeful.

Thank you so very much for your kind words of support, they mean the world to us. ((hugs))

Asparagus-Cream Cheese Rolls in Prosciutto with Vinaigrette

Note: As of June 12, 2011

Our blog host "Blogger" by Google seems to be having ongoing problems with some of their blogging accounts
(Once Upon a Plate included).

This post was originally published in May, 2011 yet the post time-stamp is June 10, 2011. (?)

I apologize on behalf of 'Blogger.com' for the redundancy .

Blessings, and I hope you have a good week everyone.

~*~*~*~*~*~

We're blessed to have some of the best neighbors imaginable ~ and for Mother's Day I received a beautiful bouquet of asparagus, freshly cut from their garden, along with a Mother's Day note.

Thank you Paul and Jane!

If you grow your own you know that it tastes infinitely better than the grocery store stuff ~ it's the delicate freshness!

For our Mother's Day Luncheon for two I wanted to make something a little special and decided Asparagus rolls wrapped in cream cheese and Prosciutto and drizzled with a fresh vinaigrette would be perfect . . .

especially so with the addition of a little Bubbly from Italy.

If you prefer, you could substitute the Prosciutto with thinly sliced ham, turkey or roast beef from the delicatessen

Some little tulips from the garden. If you are familiar with tulips you know that generally after a few years the bulbs fade and eventually don't emerge in the spring ~ so I plant some new bulbs every fall.

These red tulips surprised me this year ~ the bulbs were planted in a basket outdoors several years ago. I suspected the bulbs were nearing the end of their cycle and didn't expect any blooms from the basket this spring.

But instead of not appearing at all, they bloomed in miniature. I've never experienced that before!

The vinaigrette is a classic one ~ olive oil, good quality red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. And a sprinkle of chives from the garden.