Katie's Kitchen: Apple Cider Donuts

When I was a young child I use to spend hours running my restaurant in my parent's basement. 

I called it Katie's Kitchen and I was known house-wide for the tasty toy food dishes I cooked up in my pretend oven. I still enjoy playing in the kitchen, but now I actually cook some things you hopefully will find edible. Hence the title of a new blog series. 

We visited my brother and sister-in-law this weekend on our way to Clover Markets, which is fabulous and I totally recommend! Since we were spending the night I offered to make breakfast for everyone before we hit the road. I recently was on Pinterest and pinned every apple cider/pumpkin recipe I could find. I immediately knew I wanted to test out my brand new donut pan and make these delicious baked apple cider donuts. 

They look daunting, but I promise you they are easy to make and bonus, you can mix everything in one bowl! I used a heart-shaped donut pan I bought at Joann's when it went on clearance after Valentine's day. I am sure you can use any regular-ole donut pan, but I personally think heart-shaped anything tastes way better!
Happy Baking! 

Love, Katie

This recipe is from the blog: The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie. 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ tsp apple pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup apple cider
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a doughnut pan.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt. Stir in cider, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.

Fill each doughnut cup 3/4 full. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until doughnuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.

In a shallow bowl mix together white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Brush each doughnut with melted butter then toss in cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated.

Wedding Day: 6:00 pm

Good morning! 

I am already up and busy baking Apple Cider Donuts for this weekend!

In a heart-shaped pan of course, while listening to our wedding soundtrack. 

Therefore, time for more wedding pictures!

Wedding details.

Very important stuff here.

Skipping the traditional expenses of having a florist make your bouquets and decorations, I decided to make my own bouquet with fake flowers. No worries of wilting or missing petals. 

Less worries is most ideal.

I used white peonies with small pink roses. I finished my bouquet off with twine and suede ribbon.

Of course they ladies had to be a part of our wedding day. 

These are our two best girls, Carmella + Ronda.

The groomsmen were accessorized with twine and baby's breath. 

We borrowed globes and mason jars for our ceremony and reception. 

Our guest book was found at a yard sale brand new! 

We covered it with burlap to make it more fitting. 

We placed candles in the mason jars to add some whimsy to the aisle and coffee tables at the reception. 

The candles we got for free from another wedding before ours that had a lot left over.

For our programs I designed a boarding pass that had their assigned seating on the top portion. 

We gave each row of seats a letter for our guests to board our ceremony.

This allowed families to be seated together and near familiar faces, and prevented having empty spaces.

For coffee table decorations we arranged mixed flowers in mason jars and wrapped burlap around the base.

More wedding photos to come! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fall Fashion Favorites

This fall I am loving geometric/abstract prints and luxurious textures!

Here are a few things I am admiring this season: 

Gold Chevron Dress

Brown Diamond-Knit Sweater

Caramel Leather-look Skirt

Mustard-hue Heels

Monochromatic Brocade Dress

Aztec Print Dress

Wedding Day: 2:00 pm

Loving: Seattle Homes

While watching a marathon of House Hunters, I had to ask myself, what would my dream home really look like? Being from a small conservative town, everyone has almost the same house and when you go inside, they have the same decor too! 

If you have known me for any period of time, you know that I like to do things my own way!

This "normal" standard just kills me. 

Where is the creativity? Where is the fun? 

Who told you you have to have beige carpets and primitive decor!?

Is there a rule I missed about having a chicken-themed kitchen?! (end rant.)

So anyway. =]

When I was in Seattle I loved to look at the wonderful homes.

They just have so much class and an eye for art, yet are modest-sized homes.

Here are a few things I love about these homes: 

I love the look of this Wood siding! 

Huge Windows would be great! Of course you would have to live in an area that is not crowded and possibly a view so you have something to look at!
Imagine the natural light! 

I am crazy about the idea of adding a pop of Color to the exterior.
Maybe a royal blue rather than a yellow?

 Look at this Chartreuse Kitchen!
Fun colored room are a must! 

But sometimes a nice white room is nice! Especially when there is so much  Natural Light!

The idea of a Loft excites me! I think it would be a wonderful place for our office!

And of course I would need an adorable Sewing Studio!
I love this sewing table in the nook!

So basically, I want wood-grain, color, and windows!
Maybe an adorable loft and a balcony too.
Not too much to ask! =] 

At Home: Kitchen Sink

I finally tackled our dirty sink!

Boy! I tell ya!

This has been on my to-do list from the day we moved in! 

I tried cleaning the sink the before we finished moving in, but I could not get it clean!

I started doing some research for ways to make our stainless steel sink in our apartment shine again.

The sink was covered in water stains and grime.

But now it sparkles! 

 

It was shocking how clean it got with just ordinary kitchen ingredients! 

You will need: 

• White Vinegar - Apply this first, using a spray bottle. Spray all over sink.
• Baking Soda - Then sprinkle the powder over the vinegar. I then scrubbed the sink.
• Hot Water - Wait 10-15 mins and then Rinse the sink with HOT water. Spray with vinegar once more and then wipe clean with a paper towel.
• Lemon - Cut in half and scrub the sink, squeezing the lemon. I sprinkled baking soda on the lemon juice to help it remove the water stains. Rinse again with hot water. Then wipe clean with a paper towel.
• Cooking Oil - Using a paper towel to apply, rub some oil onto the sink to bring out the shine and help preserve your hard work! 

And tah-dah! 

Back to doing dishes in a CLEAN sink!