Fresh Hot Cake Donuts --- from Craving to Ymmmm in Minutes

We love donuts!

A real, great doughnut is getting harder and harder to find. 

Now, with the following recipe, you can satisfy your craving faster than you could grab your car keys and head for the nearest store.

These homemade donuts are the crispy-old-fashioned-kind
and--- for much less than 20 cents each

Just imagine, you can have 12 hot fresh cake donuts, simply and quickly made from things that are probably sitting right there in your cupboards, just waiting. . .

In a medium bowl, whisk together the following:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg

In small bowl combine
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
 2 Tablespoons melted butter

Combine with dry ingredients. Knead lightly and place on lightly floured surface. Roll or lightly press dough  to about 3/8 inch thickness. Cut into circles (I use a drinking glass and poke a hole in the middle with my finger since I don't have a doughnut cutter)

Heat oil, about two inches deep, to 375 degrees, using a heavy frying pan if you do not have a deep-fryer.

Carefully drop donuts into the oil, two or three at a time, not crowding them. Fry until bottom is golden, turn over with a long fork, and continue until down side is also golden --- about three minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Let cool slightly and then "top" them as desired.

We like ours drizzled with a glaze made from stirring a little milk and vanilla into powdered sugar.  I am going to try  orange or cherry icings because those are usually my favorites. They are also good when you shake them in a paper bag with powdered sugar or a cinnamon-white sugar mixture.

Recently screen-writer son Jeremy, who really, really loves donuts, told me about the latest craze in twinkle town --- faux donuts.  Ironically that seems like an appropriate name for the town's faux environment. He is planning on trying them out next week when he is in Hollywood.

I immediately searched the Internet to see what a faux donut was.  I learned they come in a variety of exotic flavors, are very expensive (one site listed them from $3.25 to $3.75 each) and they are not deep fried but rather baked --- thus to seem healthier than their traditional counterpart.

I further read their rich ingredients, including heavy cream, negated the "savings" from frying, they were time consuming, required special pans, and according to some reviews, had the taste and texture and look of "squatty" muffins.

When we crave muffins I'll bake big muffins. When we crave donuts I will make the real thing --- simply, cheaply, crunchy-fried, and fantastic.

A fresh batch will be ready when Jeremy walks through the door. I can hardly wait.

'til we eat again,

       Simply, Gail

It's Best to Tell the Truth and . . .

It has happened again! I have forgotten how to add the recipes from several posts to the cookbook list that runs down the side of my blog.

I have posted several GREAT recipes (at least I think they are and so do my tasters!) without being able to list them for your future reference.  I have spent hours going through my notes, digging through Google Blogger for Dummies, and experimenting --- unsuccessfully.

We have two grandchildren coming  through here in the next week or so on their way home from college. Hopefully they will be able to spend some time and will be willing to help me out.......again.

In the meantime---- please don't give up on me!

Fortunately, a few weeks ago when we were visiting, our daughter pointed out the little white search box at the top left hand side of my blog.  Can you believe ..... that's a dumb question ..... sure you can, that I didn't realize it was there.

Of course, you probably already knew about it.

Until help arrives I am going to list the recipes that don't appear in the sidebar and the wording to type in the little search box.

I am sorry for the extra work this will cause you but if you read one of the posts, wanted the recipe, and couldn't find it again, hopefully this will be worth your effort.

I have tried each of the "titles" I have put in bold, before the recipe descriptions and they will take you to the correct site.

• Chocolate "Shell" gives you the 2-ingredient recipe for the crackly chocolate topping that hardens when it hits ice cream (or frozen banana slices). 
• Blender Compost teaches you to turn your veggie and fruit trimmings into an instant compost smoothie for your garden.
• Artisan Bread reveals the simplicity to frugally making that expensive crusty-type European breads found in bakeries --- in minutes for pennies.
• Greek Yogurt shows you how to easily make this expensive yogurt  inexpensively without any special equipment.
• Donuts provides simple and simply delicious cake donuts in minutes --- Dave thinks they are the best he has ever tasted!
• Root Veggie Chips from my experimenting to create inexpensive and  healthy alternative to commercial ones.
• Zucchini Chips offers more in the dehydrating line of healthy snacks. They are so much better than they sound.
• Tartar Sauce quickly made from simple ingredients you probably already have on hand --- with none of the additives.
• Cole Slaw Dressing perfect for cabbage slaw (I am not sure where the name Cole came from) to mix up in a minute using simple ingredients.
• Microwave Potato Chips ---- to make, eat, and enjoy without any expensive specialty equipment.
• Coconut Cookies that require only one bowl and one fork to make.
• Barbecue Sauce that requires few ingredients, no cooking, and tops the most famous.
• Jello Milk Shake for a cool and colorful refreshing treat.
• Deodorant that does the job with natural, around the house, ingredients and no yucky, potentially harmful ones.

When I finally learn, I promise to

---fully write out the directions

---prominently post them in an obvious place

---immediately add the recipes to the cookbook list

Until that time, I will continue to add the search box headings to the bottom of each post.

And, I am thanking you in advance for what I hope is your patience with me.

I am Simply  Simple, Gail.

UPDATE!!!  My good friend Sandy talked me through how to put my recipes (including all of the above) in the Cook Book section.  Thanks, Sandy.

My next project will be how to make the Cook Book Section more user-friendly. In the meantime (which could be quite a long time) I hope you'll keep scrolling down to see what is there for you to make simply, cheaply, and without a bunch of added chemicals and other ingredients.