Grandma's Secret Donut Recipe

Grandma’s Not-So-Secret Homemade Donuts

My paternal grandmother was an amazing woman, this post is in her memory. Not only did she raise 10 children when my grandfather died at an early age, but she was an awesome cook. We loved when she would come for visits (we lived on Oahu and she lived on Maui) as each family would get two bags of her deliciously time consuming sweets including: Grandma’s sesame seed donuts and kankanen made from mochi (glutinous) rice sweetened with coconut and brown sugar, wrapped in banana leaves.  

Whenever I saw my grandmother cooking, everything was home made. She lived a simple life coming from a remote island in the Philippines to the island of Maui (I’m guessing somewhere in the 1920s or earlier since my father was the seventh child born in 1931 on Maui) and she and my grandfather came to make a new life for themselves and work in the sugarcane plantations. But let’s get back to the food.

Grandma brings treats

I visited my grandmother at her home in Lahaina one day and she prepared some donuts. I saw her heat up a pan and preparing the dough, frying it in the oil and placing it on a paper towel – topping it with sugar. She served me and my siblings at the table, it was delicious. I don’t ever remember her making regular American donuts with holes in the middle and I asked her how she made it. She smiled at me and went into her refrigerator and brought out a blue roll of Pillsbury biscuit mix. I looked at her puzzled and said to her, “I don’t get it.” She said, “This is how I make those donuts.”

Grandma's Secret

She laughed and proceeded to tell me that she would shape each biscuit into the form of a hole and fry it – simple. I said, “But that can’t be?” She assured me that I could do it do when I went home and there was no secret. Well, I can tell you that I tried when I went home and I don’t know how my grandmother made them so perfect and also it didn’t taste the same. Maybe it was the mystique of anything that comes from grandma’s kitchen is made with love and experience that I won’t have until I’m a grandma, but I’m not ready for that just yet. I’ll keep trying as I have a lot to live up to in following my grandmother and my mother’s examples of putting love in the meals that they prepare. I guess that’s why I will always call myself a Foodie Forever.

Here’s the adapted recipe from Pillsbury that I’m sure is missing only one ingredient that can never be duplicated – Grandma’s love. Enjoy.

Homemade Doughnuts 

• 1 - Can (7.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (any type except flaky)
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Sugar
• Optional Glaze
• ½ container (16-oz size) chocolate creamy ready-to-spread frosting
• Candy sprinkles

1.       Separate dough into 10 biscuits; flatten each biscuit lightly with palm of hand. With 1-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut hole in center of each biscuit. Grandma shaped the biscuit with her hand and made a hole with her fingers; if you do this you won’t have donut holes but bigger donuts.

2.       In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 inches oil over medium-high heat to about 350ºF. Carefully fry biscuits about 30 seconds on each side or until golden brown. With slotted spoon, remove from oil; place on paper towels to cool. Grandma sprinkled the donuts with granule white sugar while hot or powdered sugar and serve. (Or see optional steps 3 & 4.)

3.       In microwavable bowl, microwave frosting on High 15 to 30 seconds. Stir; if frosting is not completely melted, microwave and stir in 10-second increments until smooth.

4.       Dip one side of each doughnut into chocolate glaze; sprinkle with candy sprinkles.

Doughnuts can also be coated with cinnamon-sugar when they come out of the oil. Just give them a shake in a paper bag filled with a little cinnamon and sugar.

You can also fry up the doughnut holes for fun snacks.

This post was originally posted for Orlando Cooking Examiner.

Mom's Hawaiian Style Sweet Pickle Onions, Cucumbers & Carrots

Here's some just bottledsweet pickled onions, carrots & cucumbers. (two quarts) The bottle on the far right is of sweet & spicy yellow daikon, I'll post that recipe soon.

Since moving from Hawaii to Orlando, there's been one familiar pattern I keep repeating to myself, "I miss the food back home."

Fortunately I inherited my mom's old cookbook collection and her love for cooking. When I lived in Hawaii I could go almost anywhere and buy food that filled the need.

Now that I'm in Orlando, where there's no Chinatown (just a small section of Asian markets and restaurants), and a city full of what we called, 'mainland food' - chain/franchise restaurants with little uniqueness to it.

I have finally been forced to think outside of the box and make some of the things that I could easily find in supermarkets back home. This is my mom's modified version (with not so local Hawaii ingredients), except the Hawaiian Sea salt. I do grow some of my own carrots, onions and cucumbers in my community garden so that's another reason to start pickling, however they are still growing as I write so the next batch will be totally homemade!

Pickling is basically salting a vegetable or fruit with rock salt overnight and then adding a pickling juice you create yourself. In this recipe, Hawaiian rock salt is excellent as it marinates well and draws out the water from the vegetable.

This is a simple pickling liquid recipe that my mom used and modified over the years, I love that hand writing is in the cookbooks on how she modified recipes. It can be used with any of your favorite vegetables. The pictures below are of cucumbers, carrots and sweet onions. You can use 3 lbs of one vegetable like cucumbers or all onions, or a combination of 1 lb each of cucumbers, carrots, onions as in this example.

Simple recipe for sweet pickled cucumbers, carrots, and onions

Sweet Pickled Vegetable Ingredients

• 1 lb sliced cucumber
• 1 lb sliced carrots
• 1 lb or 2 medium to large size sweet round onions
• ¼ cup Hawaiian salt (or any rock or sea salt)
• 1-2/3 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1-1/4 tsp. whole celery seed (optional)
• 1 tbsp. whole mustard seed
• ¼ tsp. paprika (optional)
• Season with fresh or dried Hawaiian red chilies – whole or chopped (hotter when cut)
• 2 quart glass mason jars with new sealing tops

How to slice the vegetables

See photos of how to slice the vegetables for pickling.

Cucumbers and carrots should be prepared by remove some or all of the skin, slice in half lengthwise than cut in bite size pieces.



Onions can be prepared the same way as bite size pieces by cutting the ends off, remove onion paper, cut in half and again into about eight sections, depending on how large or small your onion is. Because this is a sweet pickle, any variety of onion is fine but sweet onions were used in this recipe.








Directions on How to Make Your Own Sweet Pickled Onions, Carrots, and Cucumbers

1. Place the sliced vegetables in a colander and then another large bowl to catch any liquid. Place ¼ cup Hawaiian salt and mix into vegetables, let sit for 3 hrs (or overnight) in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.


2. Prepare the mason jars by following directions for sterilization in boiling water – right before you are ready to place vegetables into the bottles.


3. Remove the vegetable container from refrigerator and squeeze out any liquid from the vegetables, while still in the colander. Dump out the liquid from the bowl, place vegetables evenly into the two quart bottles, be sure to keep bottles and caps clean and sterilized. Its okay to press the vegetables down into the bottle but don’t fill it too full as you will need space for the pickling liquid.


4. In a pot add water, sugar, vinegar and bring to a boil, stir until the sugar dissolves. When it boils, add the paprika, celery seed and mustard seed.


5. Add the liquid mixture to the vegetables in the sterilized jars.


6. Place the sealing lid and cap on the bottle while hot, press down on the top to seal in the pickled vegetables and liquid.


7. Turn the jar upside down to be sure the liquid goes through all of the vegetables. Leave the bottles alone for at least two days before eating. You can turn the bottles upside down and right side up for the first two or three days to be sure all ingredients are marinated in the liquid. This pickled vegetable keeps well for several months in the refrigerator. Place a label with the date and type of pickles. Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from, “Our Favorite Recipes: Island of Maui”, published by the Maui Demonstration Council, Second Edition, 1959. *One of my mom's favorite cookbooks, you can tell from the food-stained pages and pages falling apart.

This recipe was originally posted in the Orlando Cooking Examiner by this writer.

Sus' Easy Crockpot Salmon Chowder

Here's a yummy looking dish from fellow techie, blogger and my guest contributor: Sus Schmitt

Sus: No, I don’t eat much fish. Even with my Norwegian background, I’m not much of a fish eater. Grandpa Nils would be in shock. (He was raised in a small fishing community.)  I love salmon recipes, though, especially this salmon chowder.

The original recipe is from Taste of Home. Here’s how I prepare it in a Crockpot (slow cooker) with slight variations to make the chowder lower fat, but just as tasty. Also, since this variation is cooked in a Crockpot, I cut back on the seasonings a bit.

Salmon Chowder, photo courtesy of Sus Schmitt

First, I plan to bake the salmon for dinner one night.  I just sprinkle 2/3 of a large filet with mesquite seasoning and bake it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the fish is no longer dark pink.  I save the unflavored 1/3 of the cooked salmon for chowder one or two days later.

Ingredients:

On your chowder-making day, turn your Crockpot to high and add:

• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 cup diced, raw, unpeeled red potatoes
• 1 cup shredded carrots (I use the store-bought shredded carrots and cut them up a little finer)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried dill weed

Sauté in a little olive oil:

• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped green bell pepper (you could try a red bell pepper)
• 1 minced large garlic clove

Add the vegetables to the Crockpot and cook at least 2 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, turn the Crockpot to low and add:

• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
• ½  cup half-and-half cream
• 1 ½ cups reduced-fat milk
• 1-3/4 to 2 cups fully cooked salmon chunks with fat and skin removed

Yields 8 servings. Serve with or without cheese crackers.

This chowder also is delicious as a leftover, so don’t worry about making 2 quarts of it. (I served it to a visiting friend several months ago. She was quietly worrying as I dished up “fish soup” for lunch, but one sip won her over.)

About Sus Schmitt

Sus Schmitt serves as a Technology Ministry Developer for Women’s Resources at Cru. Her goal is to equip Campus Crusade for Christ staff to have more effective ministries through learning technological skills. Her main medium to do this is through her blog, eQuipping for eMinistry.  Sus also maintains a personal site, Mike and Sus.org and an evangelistic site, The Sovereign.  You can find her on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Sus is enjoying her new role as a “nana” to a cute, little boy.

Julie's Blueberries. Pancakes. Maple Syrup oh my!

Here's a great breakfast surprise from fellow blogger and guest contributor: Julie Sanders

Photo by Julie Sanders

Last Sunday, sleepy-eyed Andrew followed his nose into the kitchen and asked, “How many are you making, Mom?”
“The whole batch.”
“Just for us?”
“Yep.”

His smiles and hugs expressed his delight.

Andrew’s my youngest, and is always ready to eat.  His older brothers were gone for the weekend, and Dad had already left for church.  It was just the two of us at table this morning.

We both ate till full, our taste buds tingling with a burst of blueberry tartness, mellowed by maple syrup warmth.

I delighted in Andrew’s enjoyment.  A simple offering, eagerly enjoyed.  This mama’s heart brimmed.

As a mom of three boys, I man the food-gates in our home.So in an attempt to find a nourishing, taste-appealing way to feed them – without going broke in the process – I discovered the treasure of Sue Gregg’s Blender Batter recipes.


These Sunday morning gems originated with her.

Blueberry Blender Pancakes

adapted from Sue Gregg’s  An Introduction to Whole Grain Baking

• 1½ cups cultured milk (buttermilk, thinned plain yogurt, or plain kefir)
• 2 T. melted butter or olive oil
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• ½ cup uncooked rolled oats

Place all the above ingredients in a blender; blend at highest speed for 3-5 minutes.  Cover the blender and let stand at room temperature for several hours or overnight.

• 2 t. baking powder
• ½ t. baking soda 1 t. salt, to taste

Sift the above ingredients through a small strainer into a small bowl.  Set aside.

In the morning, just before baking, add to the blender:

• 1 egg
• 1-2 T. coconut flour OR 3-4 T. all-purpose flour as needed to thicken. 

Blend on highest speed for 1-3 minutes. Then, briefly blend in leavening and salt.  Assist with rubber spatula if needed.  Do not over mix.

Photo by Julie Sanders

Rinse off a couple handfuls of fresh blueberries.  Set close by to where you will be cooking the pancakes.

Grease griddle or skillet if needed and heat till water sizzles when sprinkled.  Pour about ¼ cup batter on griddle and quickly drop 3-4 blueberries in each pancake.  With a spoon, lightly cover each berry with additional batter.  This keeps them from cooking too quickly and burning when you flip your pancakes.

When pancakes start to firm up and bubble in the middle (about 1-2 minutes), carefully flip to other side.  Cook on second side about 1 minute.  Transfer to a cookie sheet while you cook the rest of the batter.  I like to cover my cooked cakes with a hand towel to keep them warm.

Serve with butter, warm maple syrup and some bacon on the side. Enjoy!

Read more by Julie as she writes about learning,life, and love on her blog, Along the Way, at www.thesandersplanet.com

Tim's Place, a touching story about a special Olympian restaurateur

I have a brother who was born with cerebral palsy. He is physically and developmentally challenged. I often wish I could open a little cafe/meeting place where I could create great meals and have people come and sit, all day if they wanted. A place where my brother could get social interaction that he loves and take on a few simple tasks to give him a sense of worth, which we all desire. Our economy always has challenges and even able-bodied people have a hard time finding work. I've seen it over and over again where people with challenges want to make a difference, want to contribute, if only someone would let them. This video gives some a little hope and may be some ideas if anything it makes you smile.

My hubby shared this link with me, about an outgoing young man, Tim Harris, who runs a restaurant in Albuquerque, NM called simply, Tim's Place: serving breakfast, lunch, and hugs… oh and if that weren't enough, he was born with Down Syndrome.

Video: Be Our Guest - New restaurant at WDW New Fantasyland

I can't help it, I may not like the scary Disney movies but I do love the parks. Disney Imagineers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida provide an inside guide to the Magic Kingdom's newest themed restaurant, Be Our Guest, based on the award winning movie, 'Beauty and the Beast'. There's also a walk-up food area that is open at select times. Ask a cast member near the entrance of how to go in and see what's there and if you wish to dine there, make reservations well in advance of arriving.




For more food news, stories and recipes check out the rest of FoodieForever.com and follow the Orlando Cooking Examiner.

California's Gold: The story of In-N-Out Burger

Hubby talks about In-N-Out Burger all the time when he lived in California. I don't get it, isn't a hamburger a hamburger? But of course if I say that in front of diehard burger fans I would get stabbed by the glare I get from this obviously ignorant question. haha

I was fascinated with hearing the story of the heiress and youngest female billionaire when this story broke there was only one video clip of her. She seems to be the rare case in today's social media and hyped up rich-kid scenario that spends their families's wealth and good name into something good and doesn't like the limelight. It's funny, there's so much hype about the menu that's not on the menu that it makes this veggie burger, only fish, no meat-eater want to check it out if we're ever in the vicinity of one of these iconic burger joints.

This is a documentary of how American's youngest female billionaire, Lynsi Torres' grandparents began their family business in Baldwin Park, California, with one burger joint in 1948 to over 200 In-N-Out restaurants into a billion dollar business without franchising.



California's Gold: In-N-Out Burger from R J on Vimeo.


Check out more food articles, recipes, photos and stories on: Orlando Cooking Examiner

Read more: Lynsi Torres: is her recent celebrity good for business?

Watch video: Good Morning America Story of: Lynsi Torres

Hawaii's comfort food

Rice bowl, sometimes this is all you need...

Sticky rice, Aloha Shoyu (soy sauce) and Furikake (seaweed seasoning).

No matter where you go (live/visit) or what you do, no matter the country, the culture, the people - you always want your comfort food. Being from Hawaii, the main staple is rice, medium grain, sticky rice. Jasmine rice will do in a pinch. Top it with a little seasoning and definitely add some shoyu (aka soy sauce,) preferably Aloha brand and I'm home. How bout you?

Check out more food articles, recipes, photos and stories on: Orlando Cooking Examiner

Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Cleanse

Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse

New Year, holidays, family feasts, football - whatever your overindulgence is, at some point we all need to press reset on our bodies. With that bit of data I thought I'd post a link to my review of Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse. Here's a picture of how I began.

Eliminate harmful toxins, restore your system, and reset your body with this detox cleanse from Dr. Oz. All you need is 3 days and a blender. 

Although you could use any blender I find that the best blender to grind all the ingredients to be blended into a smooth smoothie is the Vitamix. Be sure to bookmark this page to take with you when you go shopping. If you live in Orlando, Florida, the best place to buy your fresh fruits and veggies at a great price is Freshfields Farms.

I posted my detailed experience with this detox drink at this link: Orlando Cooking Examiner - Dr. Oz Detox Cleanse - a review.

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Street Food: Thailand - Veggies in Broth

Street Food in Bangkok, Thailand - Veggie Soup?

I love to travel, no matter if we're in or out of the country, there's always something interesting to see, smell and taste. On a brief day stopover in Bangkok, Thailand we were able to see much of the people out and about, especially during lunch when the street food vendors were their busiest. The colors, sights and aromas of the area were alive and tingling to the senses.

I'm not quite sure what this woman was cooking in this large pot, but from the items on her table it seemed to be a vegetable broth soup. The food vendor added sprouts and other fresh veggies to a bowl and then topped it with the broth.