Weekend Cooking: Doughnuts

Disclaimer: This is not a real doughnut! It's a devil's food cake with chocolate butter cream frosting made in a doughnut cake pan that Santa brought me.

Maybe he's getting tired of cookies?

Let's talk doughnuts.

What is it that draws me to them? I love food and nutrition, fitness and exercise. So why doughnuts?

When I think of round circular treats, I think of Sunday mornings after church with my family. They served refreshments in the church hall following 9 o'clock mass, so as soon as we finished the final prayer, my sisters and I would book it down the aisle right after the priest to get first dibs. Cinnamon-sugar, glazed, chocolate headlights. The good ones always went first.

But on those mornings when our parents couldn't tear my sisters and me away from our Barbies, we went to 11 o'clock mass. No guitar group, no doughnuts, and crowded pews with sleepy high school students . . . we were always just outside of our element.

Or is it fond memories of time spent with my dad that makes me gravitate towards doughnuts? I think of long road trips through towns that time had forgotten to visit my great-great aunt in Vermont. Young Margaret would get restless and Dad would get sleepy. Nothing that a special sweet, sticky treat and a steaming cup of coffee couldn't fix. Or maybe it's the picture in my mind of my dad regularly bringing in boxes of doughnuts from a local bakery to his (most-of-the-time) grateful staff. He's a thoughtful guy, and I'd like to think I have a lot in common with him. Sometimes, it's easier to show people you care with an impressive three-layer cake, or a plate piled high with warm, soft cookies, or a box of fresh doughnuts.

It could be because doughnuts have always been seen as "the bad guy." And maybe I feel like I doing something a bit daring when I bite down on these circular desserts of apparent doom. Maybe it's the thrill of eating something we're always told to stay away from, to avoid like that kid in the sandbox who sneezes into his hands and doesn't give them a good scrub-down afterwards. Doughnuts are the most obvious of junk food, the option that wins the prize for the most I'm-trying-to-avoid-you effort during the morning coffee breaks.

But Margaret! Sugar! Fried! Calories! Trans fat! What are you doing? Relax guys, I got this.

Although doughnuts are meant to be a breakfast food, I classify them as a dessert, a splurge, or a treat. I try to eat a clean diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean (vegetarian) proteins, and healthy fats. I exercise five or six days a week and attend yoga classes whenever possible. Now what I'm about to tell you may or may not be flawed logic. But what good is leading a healthy lifestyle if one can't, well, be naughty every now and then? Take care of yourself, but don't deny yourself. If it's your great uncle's birthday party--have a small slice of cake. If your significant other gives you a box of fine chocolates--have a couple, but share with him or her! If you just finished a day of shopping that was brutal to your feet and your credit card, and you have a gal-pal who is eyeing the doughnuts and you're thinking you could deal with treat--go for it. Have the doughnut. When treats are just that--treats--I believe they're okay. Every now and then. Occasionally. When it's a full moon. Whatever--live a little, enjoy yourself, be bad. Have the doughnut!

National Doughnut Day, created in 1938, is celebrated annually on the first Friday in June.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.

Taste of Home Cookies

I've been busy so far this summer with my go-to cookie cookbook. Out of all the ones I've made over the past couple of weeks, these three are my favorites. The Frosted Cocoa Cookies have a little almond extract in the frosting. They're divine. Cool and refreshing, the Blueberry Squares are perfect to serve on a hot summer day. Be sure to store them in the refrigerator. Finally, the Pecan Metlaways are a classic true to its name! So go ahead, choose one or choose a couple. There's something here for everyone!

Frosted Cocoa Cookies

Blueberry Squares

Pecan Meltaways

Weekend Cooking: Greek Lentil Salad

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.

Before heading to the grocery store checkout, I like to make a quick pass through Wegmans book and magazine aisle. Their selection is second only to Barnes & Noble and I have been known to make an occasional impulse purchase - usually a cooking magazine.

It was Vegetarian Times that caught my eye last week. Since Margaret has become a vegetarian, I've been on a quest to expand my meatless recipe repertoire. The June 2011 issue has several interesting ideas, but with summer salad season just around the corner, I decided to try the Greek Lentil Salad first.

GREEK LENTIL SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup French green lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 small onion
2 bay leaves
1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 small cucumber, diced (1 cup)
2 medium tomatoes, diced (1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Place lentils, onion, bay leaves, and 6 cups water in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain, remove onion and bay leaves, and cool.

2. Stir together shallot and lemon juice in large bowl. Add lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill 1 hour, or overnight. Serve topped with feta.

Serves 4

My Notes:

• The organic green lentils (from Wegmans) cooked in just 20 minutes.
• I skipped the shallot.
• When served with lettuce and a tomato, this was perfect for lunch. 
• I'm sure it would also be a welcome addition to the potato or macaroni salads usually served at summer barbecues.

This is my May submission for the The Foodie Challenge.

Kale and White Bean Soup

This is my first week of summer vacation . . . and 65°F has been the highest temperature. And it has been raining. Wonderful.

When I think of summer foods, I think of fresh fruits and vegetables, bright salads, delicate cakes, and chilled smoothies. Kale and White Bean Soup doesn't really come to mind. However, if you're having a cold and rainy week like we are, this soup would make an excellent lunch. Pair it with some fresh whole-wheat bread and you have yourself a satisfying, nutritious lunch. I made two batches this week, and paired the second with King Arthur's No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread.

This recipe is from the Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook, which is filled with recipes that are "crazy delicious" and "good to the Earth and great for your bod." Yay for veganism!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 cup (130g) peeled and chopped carrots

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/2 cup (75g) peeled and cubed potatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 cups (1.4 l) water

2 tablespoons white miso paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (135g) chopped kale with the hard spine removed

1 (14 ounce/400g) can white beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Pinch of Pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown, about four minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and tomato paste until the ingredients are well combined. Add the water, white miso, cumin, coriander, and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add the kale, white beans and thyme and simmer another half hour. Garnish with basil and pepper before serving.

Cal: 150 Fat: 5g Sat Fat: 0g Carb: 21g Fib: 5g Pro: 5g

Notes:

• This recipe makes six servings.
• I chopped up everything at the beginning.

La compote de pommes et petits gâteaux à la cannelle

(Hey, guys! This is a project for my French class . . . don't mind me! Or the mistakes, if you speak French. ;D)

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Bonjour! Cherchez-vous un dessert délicat, doux et fruité ? Voila! Cette recette est rapide et délicieuse, et le nettoyage est facile. Ces petits gâteaux seraient bons pour un pique-nique d'été. Si sortir votre couverture et votre panier pendant que ceux-ci sont dans le four!

Ingrédients:

1 bâton beurre doux, ramollir

½ c. et 1 tbsp. sucre surfin

1 c. farine autolevantes

2 oeufs

¾ c. compote de pommes sans sucre

¾ tsp. cannelle

½ c. noix de pecan hachés

½ c. raisins dorés

1 petite pomme, mincement coupé en tranches

1 tbsp. sucre

Directions:

Préchauffer le four à 175. Mettre des papiers dans une casserole de muffin. (muffin pan?) Mettre le beurre, la sucre, la farine, et les oeufs dans dans un bol et mélange jusqu'à c'est lisse et pale. (Deux à trois minutes.) Remuer dans la compote de pommes, la cannelle, les noix de pecan, et les raisins.

Ajouter la pâte dans les tasses. Mettre les tranches de pomme sur le sommet et asperger avec un petit sucre.

Cuire pour 25 minutes.

Enlever la casserole du four et attendre cinq minutes. Après, enlever les petits gâteaux et les a mis sur une étagère. Servir les petits gâteaux quand ils sont chauds.

Celebrating Poetry: What's That Smell in the Kitchen?

by Marge Piercy

All over America women are burning dinners.
It's lambchops in Peoria: it's haddock
in Providence; it's steak in Chicago:
tofu delight in Big Sur; red rice and beans in Dallas.
All over America women are burning food they're supposed to bring with calico smile on
platters glittering like wax.
Anger sputters in her brainpan, confined but spewing out missiles of hot fat.
Carbonized despair presses like a clinker
from a barbecue against the back of her eyes.
If she wants to grill anything, it's
her husband spitted over a slow fire.
If she wants to serve him anything it's a dead rat with a bomb in its belly ticking like the
heart of an insomniac.
Her life is cooked and digested,
nothing but leftovers in Tupperware.
Look, she says, once I was roast duck
on your platter with parsley but now I am Spam.
Burning dinner is not incompetence but war.

from Circles on the Water: Selected Poems of Marge Piercy
photo credit

**************
I'm a poetry novice, and this one has left me speechless. Anger is not an emotion I tend to associate with poetry. But, why not?  Poetry gives voice to a wide range of feelings with keen and often profound insight.  When I read this to my husband, he responded "How about take-out tonight, dear?"

April is National Poetry Month. I'm posting a poem each week in celebration.
**Cross-posted from Lakeside Musing.

Cookbook Reviews at Lakeside Musing

Interested in cookbooks? Here are links to recent reviews at  Lakeside Musing.

Table of Contents by Judy Gelman &Vicki Levy Krupp 

(review here)

Party for Two by Bruce Cadle 

(review here)