…from the Perspectives’ Kitchenow you doin’? Buckle your seatbelt, this is going to be a long one. Anybody that knows me, knows my love for doughnuts. It all started when I would collect on my paper route. There was a Winchell’s Doughnuts on Pico and La Cienega Boulevards in Los Angeles. That’s where I first met Vern Winchell who treated me to a box of a baker’s dozen. I think the intention was for me to take them home and I’m ashamed to say they never got there—I ate them all while pedaling my bike back home. The fact is I just love good doughnuts—there really is no such thing as bad doughnuts… some are just better than others. A few years back, Joan found donut pans on Amazon and gifted them to me. Since we both love doughnuts, we had a couple of sets delivered to the test kitchen. We set out to make all types of doughnuts and over the years, we have made some really good ones—all kinds of both plain and exotic flavors. I bake a batch of bran muffins weekly but realized I hadn’t made donuts for some time. I decided to make vanilla frosted cake doughnuts since they’re Joan’s favorite. I had them ready for the oven in no time and once baked, the donuts were incredibly moist and glazed to perfection. I only baked off half of the batter and had enough batter left to bake off the next morning. See the recipe toward the end of this post. But where did all these delicious pastries come from and why do some people consider them the best breakfast treat available? Well, here is the rest of the story I found in Eater Magazine authored by Claudia Geib. As she explained it, even during the worst of war, the ring-shaped confections offered a bite of joy and a much-needed morale boost to weary soldiers during World War I. Dough fried in oil is a delicacy found worldwide… in Italy it’s zeppole, from Greek loukoumades to Moroccan sfenj to jalebi in India and Pakistan. But in North America at the start of the 1900s, fried dough balls were a regional specialty mostly confined to New England, New York and a few places in the Midwest. Just 50 years later, doughnuts would be Americans’ treat of choice—ubiquitous in break rooms, beloved of cops and, more recently, made fancy by hipsters. But few people know that the doughnut might never have made it big without a world war or two. In a new episode of Gastropod, “Raised and Glazed,” co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley explore the evolution of the doughnut… where the name comes from, how it got a hole and how it became ubiquitous across the United States thanks to the efforts of a few female volunteers working on the front lines of global conflict. When the United States joined World War I, the Salvation Army sent women to the front in France with a few simple instructions: Lead the men in prayers; play music; comfort the wounded and the dying; and, most importantly, do whatever they could to keep up morale. Conditions on the Western Front were grim. As Salvation Army leader Evangeline Booth recalled in her memoirs of the war, the rain had combined with heavy bombing to turn the entire landscape into a swamp, and “depression like a great heavy blanket hung over the whole area.” The women made cocoa, fudge, and apple pies to lift men’s spirits. But pies were difficult to make — achieving a flaky crust was tricky in the trenches — and sometime in late September 1917, Salvation Army volunteer Helen Purviance suggested focusing on a simpler treat. She and her colleagues could combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, and milk to make doughnut dough. Then they could fry their creations in a steel soldier’s helmet filled with boiling lard. The front cover of the songbook for “My Doughnut Girl” displays a girl who appears to be in her mid-teens carrying the doughnuts that rose to fame during the war effort were originally made with one goal in mind: Maintaining morale. New York: The Salvation Army National Headquarters, [1919] /Library of Congress, Music Division. The women rolled the doughnuts out with a grape juice bottle, cut them out with a baking powder can, and poked a hole in the middle using a funnel. Dusted with powdered sugar and handed out hot by the thousands, the treats produced by the “doughnut Sallies,” as the women soon became known, instantly became a hit among the men. Even for men who hadn’t come from a doughnut-loving region of the States, the fried rings came to symbolize everything good and comforting. “Newspapers would describe the soldiers looking through the hole in the donut and seeing their mother on the other side,” Michael Krondl, author of The Donut, told Gastropod. “It was a beautiful thing.” Though the Salvation Army only sent 250 volunteers to the front, these women had a disproportionate impact on the soldier’s psyche; the treats “put pep in every doughboy,” Salvation Army Colonel William Barker told a reporter from the Boston Daily Globe. “Every doughboy felt his mother was somewhere just back of the lines in the midnight mists and damps, frying doughnuts for him just as she used to do.” (Incidentally, the “doughboy” moniker originated from the Mexican-American War, and it had nothing to do with doughnut consumption at all.) It got to the point that military command would pull strings to ensure that donut-making supplies made it through, despite the fact that the French were surviving on black bread. “The American soldiers take their hats off to the Salvation Army,” wrote a New York Times correspondent in 1918, “and when the memoirs of this war come to be written the doughnuts and apple pies of the Salvation Army are going to take their place in history.” Even men who didn’t come from doughnut-loving regions of the United States were willing to sing the praises of doughnut girls and their creations. Popular culture brought this newfound love of doughnuts back home. Songs like “My Doughnut Girl” and films like Fires of Faith, which featured scenes of a Salvation Army Sally distributing doughnuts to bedridden men, helped cement the doughnut’s new status as an American icon. Doughnut entrepreneurs popped up, ready to supply a nation suddenly hungry for the treats feeding the troops, and companies advertised mixes that allowed the home baker to make doughnuts themselves. When fighting ended, the Salvation Army continued to sell doughnuts to raise money through the 1920s and the Great Depression; and when war broke out again in Europe, volunteers from both the Salvation Army and the Red Cross once again brought doughnuts to the front. They were assisted by a newfangled invention: an automatic doughnut-making machine, which allowed doughnuts to be made faster and in greater quantities than ever before. Post-war, doughnuts continued their spread across the country, fitting perfectly with the newly industrialized landscape, the rise of the automobile, and the growth of women in the workforce. For a whole new class of car-based commuters, a doughnut shop became the perfect place to stop for coffee and a sweet circular cake for breakfast. If you like donuts as much as I do, try my recipe out. If you don’t have a donut pan, I highly recommend getting one, but you can also pipe the batter into circles on a sheet pan as a less-expensive substitute. Ingredients For the doughnuts 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 large egg 6 tablespoons sour cream 1/4 cup whole milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil For the vanilla glaze 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 6 tablespoons whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions To make the doughnuts
To make the glaze
ChefSecret: If you find yourself in the Las Vegas area the best and most creative doughnuts can be found at Pink Box. Be creative as they are and decorate your doughnuts with all kinds of goodies. Quip of the Day: Knock Knock. Who’s there? Donut. Donut who? Donut ask, it’s a secret! ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Baking #Treat #Dessert #Donut #PinkBox #BakedDonuts #FriedDonuts #GlazedDonuts #ChocolateDonuts #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024
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…from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? A couple of weeks ago we met a client at a new age Mexican restaurant called Borracha located at Green Valley in Henderson, NV. They have a diverse menu of delicious Mexican entrees, but at Borracha, queso is the star of the show! What is Queso Fundido (emphasis on FUN)? It is nothing less than fondue with a south-of-the-border accent! Queso Fundido is not only fun to eat but fun to make, too. Picture this… a pot of sharp and flavorful cheese that looks and smells so scrumptious melting on the stove. I thought about skipping the part where it gets bubbly in the oven and going straight for the chips. And yet, the real beauty of this dish is all the interesting stuff going on below the surface of the cheese—every bite is full of chewy, spicy chorizo, crunchy Anaheim peppers, and tangy onion—almost the same as Borracha. Crisp corn tortilla chips are the classic vehicle for scooping up Queso. That said, Queso also tastes amazing wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla—it’s like a super fancy quesadilla. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Bake time: 10 minutes Ingredients 4 ounces spicy ground chorizo 1 cup minced sweet yellow onion 1 Anaheim pepper, seeded with ribs removed and cut into long strips 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 2 thinly sliced radishes (optional top garnish) Warm salted corn tortilla chips for scooping Directions
ChefSecret: Queso Fundido is the perfect snack for a last-minute Friday Happy Hour or a March Madness watch party. It comes together in about 20 minutes and perhaps more importantly, it pairs remarkably well with a cerveza fria (cold beer). A crisp, clean Modelo Especial will cut right through all that gloriously salty cheese and leave your palate ready for the next bite! I personally like a Grit—a premium margarita made with Patron tequila—stirred and not shaken. Quip if the Day: Q: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? A: Nacho cheese! ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Entree #Appetizer #QuesoFundido #Queso #CheeseDip #Cheese #TortillaChips #MarchMadnessSnacks #Dinner #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenThis Valentine’s Surprise Brownie Kiss Truffles recipe is easy to make and easier to love. With fudgy brownie on the outside and Hershey’s Kisses Vanilla Frosting on the inside. The candy hidden on the inside will surprise your guests and even yourself with how delicious they are. Bookmark this recipe because you can customize every batch with your favorite toppings like seasonal sprinkles, coconut flakes or chopped nuts. You can also use another flavored Kiss to make every bite a surprise. Prep time: 25 minutes Bake time: 35 minutes Cool time: 2 hours Yield: 36 truffles Ingredients 1 pan fudgy brownie from mix or your favorite brownies recipe (13 x 9 x 2-inch) 36 Hershey's Kisses Vanilla Frosting Filled Milk Chocolates 1 cup roasted finely chopped nuts of your choice, lightly toasted sweetened coconut flakes, sprinkles or nonpareils for rolling. Directions
ChefSecret: You can mix up your flavor of Kisses and the crumbles coating the outside of your truffle to suit any holiday or celebration or just your own whims. Storage: Store truffles in a closed container in your refrigerator for up to 7 days. Quip of the Day: Let’s seal our love with a Hershey’s Kiss. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #ValentinesSurprise #BrownieKissTruffles #Hershey #BrownieTruffles #HappyValentinesDay #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? This is an incredibly fun, easy, rich and satisfying ice cream dessert. All your friends and family will be screaming about this after dinner surprise. “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream made with store-bought ice cream sandwiches and a jar of hot fudge sauce—well, maybe a few more ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen. I used to love to munch on ice cream sandwiches and, to this day I can’t resist a bowl of ice cream. It’s gotten so bad that I can’t keep a container of Ben & Jerry’s in my freezer—B&J’s being my favorite ice cream. I know they’ve gotten a little commercial being owned by Unilever (a British multi-national company), but they have kept the quality up on all their legacy flavors. When our R&D team was in South Burlington, VT we all went to the factory. While we missed the last tour, we did get a free triple scoop. Make this great dessert recipe a day or two before you need it and freeze it. No need to slack this out, it can be enjoyed immediately or devoured straight from the freezer if you really lack self-control! It's a perfect game-day dessert. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 2 minutes Freeze time: 1 hour 30 minutes or overnight Ingredients 16 ounces hot fudge topping, (I used Mrs. Richardson’s Hot Fudge for this recipe) 1/4 cup whipping cream 3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky) (I prefer Skippy) 19 ice cream sandwiches (store bought) 12 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed 4 ounces additional hot fudge for topping (optional) 1 cup chopped salted peanuts (I only use US-grown peanuts) Directions
ChefSecret: If you decide to use Hershey’s Hot Fudge, do not add the cream—use straight out of the container. Quip of the Day: A gorilla walks into a restaurant and sits down at a booth. A waitress comes over to take his order. He orders an ice cream sundae. The waitress goes back into the kitchen, gets an ice cream sundae and takes it to his table. The gorilla eats the whole sundae and then motions to the waitress for the check. The waitress comes over, gives him the bill and remarks “we don’t get a lot of gorillas coming in here”. The Gorilla replies “After charging $15 for an ice cream sundae, I’m not surprised.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a with our readers? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. Recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Dessert #HotFudgeIceCreamBar #HotFudge #IceCreamBars #Ben&Jerrys #MrsRichardsons #Peanuts #NPB #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives' Candy KitchenHow you doin’? There are just 13 days ‘till Christmas! I found out my good friend Linda is quite a holiday cook. She writes me quite often regarding some of the blog recipes that we send. This time she sent one to me… she told me that No-Cook M&M’s Christmas Casserole is quite popular this time of year. It can be ready in no time—just as long as it takes to open 4 bags of the beloved panned candy. Forrest Mars Sr., son of the Mars Company founder, Frank C. Mars, copied the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating British-made Smarties, chocolate pellets with a colored shell of what confectioners call hard panning (essentially hardened sugar syrup) surrounding the outside, preventing the sweets (candies) from melting. Mars received a patent for his own process on March 3, 1941. Production began in 1941 in a factory located at Clinton Hill, Newark, New Jersey. The company's first big customer was the U.S. Army, which saw the invention as a way to allow soldiers to carry chocolate in tropical climates without it melting. During World War II, the candies were exclusively sold to the military. The resulting demand for the candies caused an increase in production and the company moved its factory to bigger quarters. In 1949, the brand introduced the tagline "The milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” And now you know the rest of the story! Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 20 servings Ingredients 1 bag plain M&M’s 1 bag peanut M&M’s 1 bag almond M&M’s 1 bag peanut butter M&M’s Directions
ChefSecret: There are all sorts of different flavors these days—regular and holiday. Mix and match as you please. Quip of the Day: Why was the M&M staring at the computer? It wanted to learn how to be a “smartie!” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #M&MsCasserole #Smarties #Holidays2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 |
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