Tuesday Adventures

Sweet Pea and I spent the day at home today - the weather has been a bit brisk here (-32 with the windchill).  Since Denver Public Schools were closed, Sweet Pea's daycare was closed, too.  So I worked from home and Sweet Pea and I hung out...

Before I started making phone calls and responding to emails, I decided that today would be a home-made donut day.  A few weekends back I picked up some "donut pans" at Sur La Table and I've been itching to try them out...  today was the day.  Cold weather, hot coffee, and home-made donuts.  What could be more perfect? 

The recipe included called for cake flour, buttermilk, milk, butter, nutmeg, eggs, baking powder.  The donuts tasted OK... but I'm kindof feeling that they weren't much different from a muffin, save for the shape of the pan.  I guess I was hoping for.... more.

When I was a kid, my mom had this donut machine. A Mr. Donut machine - just plug it in and fill up the indentations with the batter... (sure wish I had THAT batter recipe).  One the machine was filled... just shut the lid and a few minutes later there were these warm, fabulous, donuts.  I can still smell and taste them... they were so... WONDERFUL.  I called my mom several days ago to see if she still had that machine - somewhere in the basement, perhaps stashed away up in the attic.  Unfortunately, she's not one to hang on to things - so someone else is the proud owner of my childhood donut machine.  Lucky Bastard. 

And I'm left with a buttermilk flavored, nutmeg infused muffin in the shape of a donut.  I kindof feel cheated.

I've got to find a better donut recipe.  Or track down one of those Mr. Donut machines.  Thing is - like all good things from my past - the donut machine doesn't seem to be in production any more.  Even trusty Amazon.com - the seller of all random things - does not seem to have anything even close... unless you want to count the machine that makes muffins in under 8 minutes... hey... wait a minute... that might work for the recipe I currently have in my hot little hands... but it's not. exactly. what I'm going for.

So... the quest continues... new recipe for donuts and/ or a donut machine that comes close to flavors and texture of my childhood memories.

Anyone have any leads?  In the meantime I guess I'll be snacking on some buttermilk flavored nutmeg infused donut shaped muffins.  Oh, yum.