The Weekly

This past week was full of mini-adventures.
I tested some new recipes, new donuts, and even gave myself an artificial nail manicure.

Top left: I visited Shady Maple Farms Market on Monday and picked up a half dozen fun flavored donuts for Josh and I. We had s'more, caramel pretzel, cappuccino, blueberry filled, and my personal favorite, bacon and chocolate covered donuts. So now you know, I seriously love donuts.

Top right: My friend Courtney and I decided we were going to bake our way through the Hummingbird Bakery Book. So far we made the classics, Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes. Next up: Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chocolate Brownies! Yum! (And the work out plan starts again!)

Bottom left: I treated myself to some new nail polish while running some errands. I also decided to pick up a nail kit so I could do my own artificial nails. Going to the salon can add up! I bought the kit for about $5 and it comes with a dozen nails for each finger. So I can pamper myself or invite the girls over for a manicure and a movie. A quick tutorial will be coming soon!

Bottom right: I have been trying out a bunch of new dinner recipes lately, the most recent being Maple Salmon. It was a nice change of pace since I normally use some citrus and herbs to season my fish. This made the fish sweet. But really, how could you ever go wrong with adding maple syrup to anything?

This week I finished my cousin's wedding gown!
Her wedding is Saturday, so pictures will follow. 

I love the way it turned out and I think she will look stunning in the gown. It is so vintagey and romantic! 

I have no idea what I am going to wear, however!
Time to whip up something new!
Katie

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.