Yeasted Donuts (Small Batch, Big Joy)

Yeasted Donuts (1 Dozen)
Sweet, soft, and fried to golden perfection

I’m heading back to the ship this week—where I made donuts for the first time! Honestly, it felt like a bit of a peak culinary moment. I’d always wanted to try making yeasted donuts, and when I saw they had a deep fryer onboard, I had to go for it. Being out at sea (I know—not ideal for frying, but still), cooking for a crowd, and having the right gear made it all come together.

That was months ago, and now after nearly five on land teaching spoon carving and focusing more on wood than flour, I’m shifting gears again. My carving workshops are on pause for a bit, and my kitchen life at sea is back in full swing. It’s a rhythm I’ve grown to appreciate—moving between land and water, carving and cooking.

This recipe makes just one dozen donuts. Perfect for a crew treat or a weekend splurge at home. Light, fluffy, and just sweet enough. Glaze them if you want, or roll them in cinnamon sugar while still warm. No deep fryer? A heavy pot and a candy thermometer will do just fine.

Ingredients (Makes 12 Donuts)

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) warm milk (about 110°F)

• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, room temp

• 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 1/2 cups (420g) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Oil for frying (vegetable or canola)

Optional glaze:

• 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Bloom the yeast: Stir the yeast into the warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Let it sit until foamy (5–10 minutes).

2. Mix it up: Beat together sugar, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Add in the yeast mixture.

3. Flour & salt: Mix in flour and salt until a soft dough forms.

4. Knead: Knead on a floured surface for 5–7 minutes until smooth.

5. First rise: Let the dough rise in a greased bowl, covered, until doubled—about 1 to 1.5 hours.

6. Shape: Roll out to 1/2" thick, cut your donuts, and lay them on parchment.

7. Second rise: Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.

8. Fry: Heat oil to 350°F (175°C). Fry donuts 1–2 minutes per side until golden brown.

9. Glaze: Dip warm donuts in glaze or toss in cinnamon sugar.

If you make them, let me know how they go. I’ll be somewhere off the coast again, likely flour-dusted and happy.

More wood and flour adventures to come soon.

Persimmon Whip Recipe

Tis the season for persimmons, and anyone out there a little suspicious on how to incorporate them into your comfort zone, this recipe is sure to help.  Hachiya persimmons, hailing from Asia but commonly found in the USA are chalk full of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and copper.  You might be curious about that copper bit but the good news is copper is a great anti-inflammatory.  Alzheimer's and dementia are associated with inflammation of the brain so any ingredients contributing to a reduction of inflammation is a good thing.  The same goes for anyone trying to manage symptoms of arthritis.  Seek-out foods with anti-inflammatory properties as a natural approach to assist relief.  Every little bit helps, right?

Ingredients

• 1 ripe Hachiya persimmon
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions

1. Cut the persimmon removing the stem and seeds
2. Place in a blender along the other three ingredients
3. Puree until smooth and well combined
4. Taste and adjust slightly if necessary

Persimmon whip with plain Greek yogurt on 7 seed crackers.

The great thing about this recipe is its versatility.  It makes a great spread for crackers or sandwiches and it can be thinned with more oil and converted into a salad dressing.  There is a lot of potential with this whip and the season won' last long. Pick up some persimmons while you have the chance!

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

This butternut squash soups is a bowl of comfort that is easily kept warm in a crock pot so you can keep hungry folks fed and out of your kitchen in the midst of all the holiday cooking chaos. You can make it a day or two in advance and then keep it in the fridge until you’re ready. Then, just pour it into a crock-pot set to low the morning you want to use it, and allow it to warm-up for a few hours…

Boom! You got a low maintenance, seasonal lunch and free kitchen space! Holiday cooking is rarely low maintenance so anything that pays back in both space and time is worth it when it comes to your sanity. You can be “fancy” with a tray of topping on the side so everyone can add their own. Again, low maintenance for the win! Cause you probably still have pies and sides to make with a bird or something in your oven. Who needs the added stress of hungry people getting in your way? Just make this soup. There is a reason it’s considered comfort food.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp oil

• 1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces (about 3 cups total)

• 1 onion chopped

• 3 garlic cloves chopped

• 1 tbsp of fresh ginger

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 2 2/3 cups of broth (chicken or veggie)

• 1/2 can of unsweetened coconut milk

• 2 tbsp of plain yogurt

• splash of half and half

• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro

• some chopped cashews for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute the onion in a pot with the oil over medium heat until soft
2. Add the garlic and fresh ginger and cook for another minute or so
3. Add the turmeric and the curry powder and mix well
4. As the spices start to stick to the bottom, add a little broth and deglaze the bottom of the pot bringing up all those caramelized bits which will enrich the final flavor of the soup.
5. After deglazing you can add in the rest of the broth and the squash
6. Bring it up to a boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 10 or 15 minutes uncovered until the squash is tender
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly and mix in the coconut milk. (If you have an immersion blender use that to puree the soup. If using a regular blender puree in batches but really allow the soup to cool).
8. When the soup is smooth, warm it back up, but be careful not to boil it because the coconut milk can curdle. Ladle into a bowl.
9. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt and a little cream or left over coconut milk and make a thin finishing sauce. Stir a spoonful into you soup and top with fresh cilantro and cashews.

What holiday cooking strategies do you try and employ? I’ve got the soup covered but when it comes to the other items I could use some tips. Tell me, tell me!