Time to Make the Doughnuts
Start by putting about 2” of cooking oil in a large saucepan and heat it to approximately 300 degrees.
On to doughnut construction..
I usually use 2 packages of buttermilk biscuit dough - the regular size, not the “grand”.
Take each biscuit and make a hole in the middle with your thumb. Work the dough into a general doughnut shape and set aside.
Put the dough in the pan one at a time and keep a close eye on it. These babies brown FAST. Flip as soon as you see the edge start to brown.
Rescue that little bit of brown yumminess from the oil and let recover on a nice towel (paper) - lined plate while you cook up his brothers and sisters.
In a bowl, mix together about a 1/4 cup of sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon. Swirl it together and get ready to make these doughnuts downright sinful.
MORE! MORE! MORE!
Dredge each of our little doughnut friends through the cinnamon sugar mix and then pop them in your mouth pass them out to the drooling children waiting on the side of the counter.
Oooooh - just begging to be dunked in a mug of steamin’ hot joe.
....or fed to 2 very hungry boys.
Menu Plan Monday - May 11th
This week I decided to plan out breakfasts as well as dinners. We will see how smoothly that goes since we are all on different morning schedules in the house - the husband and oldest are gone before the rest of us even wake up! 
Monday
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs & Fruit
Dinner - Potato Soup w/ Cheddar Chive Biscuits
Tuesday
Breakfast - Waffles & Yogurt
Dinner - Turkey Toms (our version of Sloppy Joes)
Wednesday
Breakfast - Cereal
Dinner - Crockpot Chicken
Thursday
Breakfast - Pancakes
Dinner - Grilled Ham & Cheese
Friday
Breakfast - Dippy Eggs & Toast
Dinner - Pizza Night!
Saturday
Breakfast - French Toast w/ Banana Brown Sugar Syrup
Dinner - GRILL NIGHT! (I’m so happy warm weather has returned!)
Menu Plan Monday - April 27th
So I succeeded! I definitely spent less than $20 at the store last week. This week will be more difficult since we are running low on staples. So *think* we’ll be spending more than $20.
Monday: Chicken Fried Steak w/ Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Veggies (new recipe)
Tuesday: Pasta Night
Wednesday: Ham & Cheddar Supper Waffles (new recipe)
Thursday: Pizza Night
Friday: Bratwurst & Waffle Fries
Saturday: Pea’s 1st Communion (dinner out)
Sunday: Cook-out at church
Check out Menu Planning Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie for more menus & recipes.
Menu Plan Monday - April 20th
It’s that time again! Time to figure out how to use up what’s left in the pantry & fridge before it goes bad. My goal is to spend less than $20 at the grocery store this week - only milk, bread and eggs are needed at this point. I think it’s attainable.
Monday: Chili Lime Chicken Burgers w/ Waffle Fries
Tuesday: Salisbury Steak w/ Smashed Potatoes & Soycutash
Wednesday: Naan Pizzas
Thursday: Tamale Pie
Friday: Out of Town - DH is on his own!
Saturday: Pizza Night
Sunday: Dinner at Church (last night of confirmation/youth group)
Check out Menu Planning Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie.
Pad Thai & Cucumber Salad
1/2 pound rice noodles
1/2 cup canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced)
2 teaspoons red chili paste
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup snow peas, strings removed and julienned (I add mine whole)
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped dry roasted peanuts (I leave these out)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the noodles, and cook just until the water returns to a boil. Remove the noodles immediately and drain them. Rinse in cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.
Heat the canola oil in a wok or large saute pan. Add the garlic, chili paste, fish sauce and water. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly, until the eggs are soft set.
Add the noodles to the pan with the chili paste mixture, toss and saute for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, snow peas, bean sprouts, red chili flakes and lime juice. Toss to mix well and heath through.
Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro and peanuts.
Cucumber Salad
3-4 Baby Cucumbers
1/2 medium Red Onion
3 Tablespoons grapefruit vinegar (bought at Trader Joe’s)
1 Tablespoon sugar
Slice the cucumbers and red onion and mix in a bowl. Whisk together the vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Toss the dressing with the veggies and cover. Let the salad rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend.
Kitchen of the Week
I’m very excited to be the guest blogger for Kitchen of the Week over at Happy to Be at Home!
Hi, my name is Erin. My blog, Life in a Blender, is my attempt at bringing people into the life of a blended family.
My husband, John, and I celebrated three years of marriage at the end of July. It has been an interesting road for us as we each came into our marriage with kids of our own. On July 9th of this year, we added one of our own. All together, we have four kids living in our little Cape Cod. Life can be interesting with three special needs kids, a husband whose job calls on him at all hours and a baby demanding center stage. But we love our crazy life, most of the time.
Our kitchen is the nerve center of our house. My laptop is there 80% of the time and it is where all papers/forms/notes end up. Someday I hope we get to make it big enough to handle all of us at once!
Because of the issues of our kids, along with our own health, we try to stay away from processed foods and eat natural/organic foods. Lots of fresh produce and whole foods in our kitchen. We also have some picky eaters including one with Sensory Processing Disorder who only eats a select few foods. I love to cook, though, so the challenge of making something we will all eat is fun.
I hope you enjoy this week in my kitchen. I’m looking forward to actually thinking about all I do in the kitchen. It should be…uhm…interesting.