Mini-Donut Muffins

I recently acquired a couple of mini-donut pans. I bought mine from Avon, but I've seen them online as well, so I know they're out there. The fun thing is that the recipe that came with the pans, (for "Old Fashioned Buttermilk Donuts") makes really delicious little cinnamon donuts that remind me of The Forks in Winnipeg and The Exhibition, where we used to buy little mini cinnamon donuts. I reasoned that this recipe should work with regular mini muffin tins, so I tweaked it a bit- cutting down the recipe for a start (the original makes about 6 dozen of the things), and have come up with this manageable facsimile. They are very quick to mix up, and can be baked and ready to serve in about 30 minutes. I hope you try them. Not just for little children.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ground cloves (optional) and ground cinnamon
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter or hard margarine melted

Topping:
2 Tablespoons butter or hard margarine, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325*F. Lightly grease 1 & 1/12 mini-muffin pans.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and first amount of cinnamon together.

Mix buttermilk, egg and first amount of melted margarine together in another bowl; stir into the dry ingredients.

Fill each greased muffin tin about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned and spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes, (until you can handle them) then remove from pan.

Topping:
Put butter (melted) in a small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in another bowl. Dip tops of slightly cooled muffins in the butter, and then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat the tops.

Makes about 18 mini-muffins.

Egg-In-A-Hole

This is just eggs and toast kicked up a notch. Good for the day after the toaster breaks,  for special breakfasts or just to mix it up a bit. 

You will need: an egg, a piece of bread, a cup or cookie cutter, soft (or softened) margarine or butter, oil/spray oil for the pan/griddle, salt and pepper.

What I do: Punch a hole in the middle of the bread. I use either a glass/cup that fits nicely within the parameters of the bread's crust OR a cookie cutter: heart shape for Valentine's Day, Tree for Christmas, Shamrock for St. Patrick's Day etc.

Heat your frying pan or griddle as for pancakes. Not too hot.

Butter both sides of the bread and the cut out piece.

For a soft yolk egg, place buttered bread (with the hole) and the cut out piece in/on your pan. Cook the bread with the hole until it's lightly browned- just lightly. Turn the bread over & spray the pan where it shows through the hole in the bread (or drop a small piece of margarine/butter in the hole) so the egg doesn't stick. Break the egg into the hole. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Cook this second side (with the egg in the middle now) until it's well browned. Flip the bread & egg, and cook the first side for a short time to cook the top of the egg and finish browning the bread. MEANWHILE, keep an eye on the toast/cut out piece. Cook both sides until nicely browned.

For a harder yolk egg, place buttered bread (with the hole) and the cut out piece in/on your pan. Spray the pan through the hole in the bread (or drop a small piece of margarine/butter in the hole) so the egg doesn't stick. Break the egg into the hole. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Cook the bread and egg until bread is nicely browned. Flip the bread and egg over, and cook the second side until the bread is toasted and the egg is cooked. If the bread is getting brown but the yolk is still too soft, lower the heat and/or cover the bread & egg with a pot lid. Remember to keep an eye on the cut out piece! Just toast it on each side until it's nicely browned.

Fun Sandwich Ideas

Whether it's for a picnic, a fun lunch at home or something to make that school lunch a little more exciting, try mixing it up with the sandwiches. Just a little extra time is well worth the smiles. 

COOKIE CUTTER SANDWICHES

 A simple way to make special days more special. Look for holiday shaped cookie cutters in the baking pan aisle at most department stores or at specialty shops like Nutters- hearts for Valentine's Day and "just because", a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day, a tree for Christmas... Little shaped sandwiches are an easy way to make lunch more fun. 

Several ways to make cookie cutter sandwiches: 

-make soft filling sandwiches (jam, honey, processed cheese spread, peanut butter, egg salad, etc.,) and then punch out shapes with the cookie cutters. Either discard the edges, save them for your lunch, or cut them into little "mini-sandwich bites" for a snack for the kids. 

-use the cookie cutter to punch the bread and the harder fillings (luncheon meat, cheese, etc.,) into shapes and then assemble them after the shapes are cut out.

-use the cookie cutter to punch the bread into shapes, and then spread the filling of your choice on the cut out shapes. This way saves on filling wastage. The bread edges can be used to make a bread pudding or to dry out for bread crumbs or croutons.

You can also try cookie cutter toast shapes for breakfast with the porridge, or fun-shaped "egg in a hole" to start the holiday off first thing! Use your imagination to turn any day into a celebration.

ROLLED OUT SANDWICHES

This was a favourite at our house. The kids used to like making their own. I also found that the kids ate more lunch when the sandwiches were rolled ones- the child who had a hard time eating a whole, two slices of bread sandwich could eat four or five rolled ones.

Simply take a slice of bread and trim off the outer crusts. Using a rolling pin, roll the bread flat. Now just spread the bread with your child's favourite filling, and roll the flattened bread into a "jelly-roll" sandwich.

Try: jam, peanut butter, cheese spread, honey, luncheon meat and cheese slices,  banana spears with peanut butter or pickle spears with cheese spread. 

Anything goes, really, as long as you can roll it up with the bread, and the filling's not too thick so it doesn't ooze out the ends.

For lunch boxes, I'd wrap each one in a bit of plastic wrap or put them tightly in a sandwich bag with the air carefully pressed out.

RIBBON SANDWICHES

These were my favourite Tupperware party leftovers when I was a kid. It's just a stacked sandwich cut into strips. For the more adventurous types.

Use a combination of white and brown bread to make more contrasting "ribbons" if you like. Basically make a 3-5 decker sandwich with different fillings for each layer. I always like a layer of egg salad, a layer of cheese spread and one of "flakes of ham" spread. You could turn peanut butter and jam into a ribbon sandwich, or make it peanut butter, honey and banana. 

Make your triple or quadruple decker sandwich, different fillings between each layer of bread. Trim off the crusts if you like. Cut the sandwich into three or four strips. That's it. Not for children who like all their flavours separate.

I would suggest filling combinations of jam, peanut butter and jam; peanut butter, banana and chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles; cheese spread, ham flakes (mixed with mayonnaise a bit of green relish and a squirt of mustard) or ham slices and bread and butter pickles; strawberry jam, strawberry cream cheese and strawberry jam; egg salad, cheese spread and bread and butter pickles.

Hot Cheesy-Salsa Dip

This has become an Open House staple. It wouldn't be Christmas Open House at the Friesen's without the Hot Cheesy-Salsa dip. People have asked, and although they seem to believe me when I say, "Cheez Whiz plus enough salsa to make it just a little runny", I thought it might be time to do some measuring and make it official.


2 cups Cheez Whiz (or store brand jar of processed cheese spread)
1/2- 2/3 cup Salsa (home made or your favourite store brand)

I melt them together in a small slow cooker, on low heat. It takes about half an hour to an hour to have the dip melted together. You can also make the dip in the microwave; use microwave safe dish and microwave at 50% power for 1 minute at a time until ingredients are blended and hot.

Makes 2 1/2- almost 3 cups of hot dip.

If this is for a party or family event, you may need to turn the slow cooker off for short periods of time, because the slow cooker, even on low heat, will make the cheese quite hot. Over time, with evaporation, the cheese mixture will thicken; just add a little more salsa to thin it out as needed.

Easter Egg Coloring

Having an Easter Egg emergency? Can't find a Coloring Kit? Don't sweat it. Make your own egg dyes with liquid food coloring and vinegar. Let the kids help, and turn it into a lesson on primary and secondary colors! Much more fun than a silly old box with tablets!


In coffee mugs, combine:

1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup boiling water
20 drops of food coloring

To make blended colors, start with the lighter color, and add the darker color one drop at a time until you achieve the desired shade.

For Orange, start with 20 drops of yellow, add red one drop at a time.
For Purple, start with 20 drops of red, add blue one drop at a time.
For bright, vibrantly colored eggs, leave eggs in dye for a long time.
To make pastel eggs, leave eggs in dye for a short amount of time.

Dried color should not rub off.

Cinnamon "Salt" Dough

This is a craft dough recipe that might have come home from school with one of the children. This oven- bake dough makes very cool Christmas tree ornaments, gift tags or "car fresheners" that the kids can roll and shape themselves. Does Grandma have a miniature tree? Make her a set of tiny gingerbread tree ornaments! They'll look great and smell good too. Specialty kitchen stores like "Nutters" often have cookie cutters in many sizes.

1/3 cup cinnamon (75 ml)
1/3 cup all purpose flour (75 ml)
2/3 cup applesauce (150 ml)

Mix cinnamon and flour together. Gradually mix applesauce into cinnamon/ flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Use cinnamon/ flour mixture (equal parts) to knead into dough if it's very sticky or gooey.

Roll dough out on an un-floured board (or waxed paper) 1/4 inch thick.

Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole with a straw to hang. Decorate with whole cloves or allspice (to make eyes or buttons on gingerbread men), or wait until your shapes are baked, and then decorate with craft supplies and glue.

Bake at 225 * F for 2 hours.

You can give them a quick spray with a sealant, if you like, and they'll have a shiny appearance.

Tie with a ribbon pushed through the hole in the top.

Sparkle Paints

A very cool crafting recipe that I picked up somewhere. Make some Sparkle Paints together with your children, and then let them go to town with it, creating amazing Sparkle pictures, signs or designs.


Empty squeezable bottles (old school glue bottles are perfect)
Flour
Salt
Water
Tempera Paint Powder
Paper

Mix equal amounts of flour, salt and water.

Divide mixture into the empty bottles.

Add a different color of tempera paint to each bottle, and shake them well.

To use:
Squeeze the paint onto paper, creating a design, word or picture. Let dry. When the paint is dry, the salt makes the picture sparkle.

Alternatively, you can brush the paints on instead of squeezing them.

Play Dough

1 cup (250 ml) all purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) salt
1 Tbsp (15 ml) cream of tartar
2 Tbsp (25 ml) vegetable oil
Food coloring or paste

Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium sauce pan. Add water and oil: cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms large ball, turn into small mixing bowl and let cool. Knead dough and add food coloring; (make one large, single colored ball, or several smaller balls of different colors). Store in air tight container(s).