It's Halloween! Time to Make the Donuts!

As dawn breaks on this beautiful Halloween morning, I am up making the traditional Halloween donuts. What started as an envy my high school friend growing up as her mom always had cider and donut holes for Halloween, I decided to try my own hand at it my later years. I bought a can of refrigerator biscuits.

The cheap kind. The fancy big biscuits just don't work as well. I started out by quartering each biscuit and rolling it into balls. Then I'd drop them in a big pot of hot oil (not boiling). Once they were a golden brown, I'd roll them in cinnamon and sugar. Ta da!!! Now I have progress into full blown donuts. I take the whole biscuit, put my clean finger through the middle and shape it into a donut. A do as many as I'd like to make for the day and while my oil heats up. There is always that "tester donut" that has to go in first to no doubt tell you your oil isn't hot enough. But it will be. I keep it on med to med hi heat. Once its ready I drop them in one by one.

Let them cook on one side them flip them over until they are golden brown. Using a slotted spoon I carefully remove each one. Once they are cool, I roll them in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. In years past, I have also iced them with chocolate frosting and festive sprinkles. When I lived on a more populated area, my home was known for the donuts that I passed out on Halloween night. Now I share with family and close friends. Tradition in my home is a big pot of homemade spaghetti sauce and of course the donuts. Top that off with a simmering pot of cider complete with cinnamon sticks, a sliced orange and whole cloves and your home will also smell like Fall, tradition,  ghosts and goblins. Trick or Treat!

It's Great Intentions, Charlie Brown!

You know what they say the road to hell is paved with? Well it's not quite that bad. But in my grandiose dreams, I had had the vision of making my fresh pumpkin pie filling and canning it. Giving it as Christmas presents with the recipe to just add eggs and evaporated milk. I bought 6 of the prettiest little pie pumpkins. I cleaned them and halved them and put them in the boiling pot. While they are cooking, I reference a favorite site to see how long I should water bath or pressure can my magical mixture. And according to Living Home Grown, don't do it. Ever. For any reason. Something to do with PH but that was enough for me to abort my mission. Apparently canning pumpkin chunks is fine put puree' is a definite no no. So what do you do? You go to town and get pint sized freezer containers. Yep! Freezing is a go and I have done that before but not in bulk. So now I have 7 pretty little pint containers of mashed pumpkin just waiting to be pie, or cheesecake or muffins. My lesson that I am passing on to you today, my fellow canners is to research your project. Even if you are seasoned at preserving, check with a reputable site just as I did to know the right and safe way to process your food. I am disappointed that another Christmas gift is foiled. But I am very excited that I have this ready at my disposal anytime I want to bake a yummy pumpkin treat!

Mama C's Fabulous Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Every year I cook for 20 even if only we have 5. I don't know how to do it any different. A 22 lb. turkey. Four homemade pies and everything with fresh, real and whole ingredients. No scrimping of diet substitutes on this day. Actually ever. But especially not on Thanksgiving. This year will be a little bit different. Due to the schedules of my kids, it makes more sense for me to load up the kitchen and go to them. And that means, planning ahead and preparing what I can. Today, canned 10 half pints of my fantastic cranberry sauce! Now, I was a child of Thanksgiving out of the box. I think my mom just got tired or didn't know different herself. Therefore, my kids and I grew up with the jellied cranberry sauce. I do still like it and to be honest, my adult children, especially Amanda, still look forward to the canned shaped jellified thing that the knife slips right through. One year, I taught myself how to do what I think is better! I hope you do too. Now....you can make this on Thanksgiving day or make ahead and can. And as you know by now, my recipes are simply suggestions and trust your taste. I start with fresh cranberries.

Rinse them off and put them in a pot. Add sugar. I like my sauce slightly tart. Remember you can always add sugar but you can't take it back out. Put the heat on medium low and stir in your sugar. I like that when all is said and done that my cranberries still resemble cranberries and not jam so be careful not to over stir. Once they start producing their own juice, add a cinnamon stick or two. Next, zest one orange right over the pot. Of course do this to taste knowing you can add more. Once that's done, squeeze the juice of that orange into your sauce.

Be careful not to get seeds in your sauce. Now...add just bit of ground cloves. Again to taste. When I make this Thanksgiving day, I like to use whole cloves, careful to count and pick them out when finished. For my project today, that would have been too much. Bring to a nice slow simmer. Today, I thought I had my sauce slightly too sweet but as my cranberries cooked down and added their own beautiful tartness, it was almost perfect. Your mixture may be a little runny. If so, (and it likely will be) dissolve a little corn starch in water and add slowly. Keep it simmering and add slowly until you get the consistency you want.

Place in a pretty bowl and put it right on your table! If you are canning, water bath for ten minutes. It tastes so good and smells just as good when you are cooking it. Now, I have 3 for me and 7 for gifts. It's great on your baked brie, turkey and always fresh carved turkey sandwiches! Let me know how this works for you and tell me your own variations!

Sleeping Single? Not so much....

Facebook is filled with comics of couples and singles and their challenge of getting a good nights sleep. My bed consists of a snoring Corgi, a snuggling Siamese and my latest addition, Little Binks the Chihuahua. What does this mean? Well let me tell you! Isobel the Wonder Corgi likes her own pillow. Right beside mine. If you've ever owned a corgi, you know they don't sleep in tight little balls, the spread out...on their backs...butt in your face and snoring. Or....worse. Then there is Mooshu. The perfect Snowshoe Siamese cat who is....autistic. Yes, I do know he is autistic and if your spent any time around him, you would concur. Moo is a snuggle bug who likes one particular blanket that is between the comforter and the sheet.

He will tap my face and paw at the comforter until I wake up just enough to open the blankets enough to let him knead endlessly upon said blanket while purring loudly. Then he will eventually lay down but do not try to put the comforter over him. Oh no. He needs his air. But he will make sure he is pressed up at tightly against your throughout the night. Then there is Little Binks.

I acquired Binky last January. She is 5 lbs on a good day and rarely sleeps on top of the covers. She sits up and begs at the side of the bed until I open the sheets and she jumps in and snuggles at my feet. HOWEVER, she requires a lot of reassurance and will frequently surface for kisses throughout the night and then burrow back in. It is also worth mentioning that should Moo decide to join me past Binky's refuge is in place, he treads on the comforter as if it were a land mine, cautious not to set off Bink's ferocious growls should she be stepped on. Yes, this is my world. And I wouldn't change it. And this set up does keep me from getting further pets at this point because where would they sleep? More than once I have woke to find myself crosswise in my bed as to not have disturbed their slumber. My slumber on the other hand? Don't ask. Naps are great! Tell me your pet sleeping joys and challenges!