Doughnuts for Breakfast

Homemade doughnuts are amazingly tender and delicious. The dough itself isn't terribly sweet, so the coating of sugar doesn't make them cloying at all. A mix of cinnamon and sugar or your favorite frosting would be just as delicious.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of dry active yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating doughnuts
• 3 1/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling and shaping
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp. softened butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Vegetable oil, canola oil, or lard for frying

Preparation:

1. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Let sit about 5 minutes until the yeast foams a bit (so you know it's active).
2. Beat in 2 cups of the flour, sugar, egg, butter, and salt. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let sit in a warm place until the dough doubles in bulk, about 2 hours. Alternatively, you can chill the dough overnight.
3. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a floured surface. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick and use a large round biscuit cutter (a drinking glass works too) to cut circles and a smaller round cutter to cut out the holes. Obviously, if you are lucky enough to be in possession of a doughnut cutter, go ahead and use that!
4. Cover doughnuts (and holes) and let rise until puffy looking, about 2 hours. Alternatively, you can put the cut doughnuts on floured baking sheets, cover, and chill the cut dough overnight.
5. Heat an inch or two of oil or lard in a large heavy pot to 350 - 375 degrees. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and put them near the pot. Put about a cup of sugar in a medium bowl and have that handy as well.
6. Add 3 or 4 doughnuts (or 8 to 10 doughnut holes) to the oil. They should sizzle immediately as you add them to the fat. Cook doughnuts until light brown on one side. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to flip the doughnuts, cook until the second side is light brown. Transfer cooked doughnuts to cooling rack and let cool/drain for a few minutes. Dip doughnuts into sugar to coat. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. Serve warm if at all possible.

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush salad is a great mix of fresh vegetables, a bright dressing, and pieces of crisp pita bread. Add feta cheese, olives, pepperoncini, and other flavorful items at will. Easy, light, yet filling - it's a great addition to grilled dinners or as a light dinner all on its own.

Fattoush salad is endlessly flexible. Use the formula below (with its many options) as a starting point. Tweak, add, and subtract ingredients depending on that magical combination of your taste and what's in your kitchen.

I like to use Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette for this salad, but feel free to apply whatever lemony dressing you like.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 pita breads
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds (optional)
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1/2 red onion
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup mint leaves (optional)
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)
• 3 to 4 Tbsp. Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette or similar salad dressing
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• 12 to 24 Kalamata or similar black olives (optional)
• Tahini (sesame paste) for drizzling (optional)
• Garlic Yogurt Dressing for drizzling (optional)

Preparation:

1.   Toast pita breads, cool, and break into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

2.   If using cumin, heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat and toast cumin seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let seeds cool and crush lightly in a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a small frying pan. Set aside. (See How to Toast Cumin Seeds.)

3.   Tear or chop lettuce into bite-size pieces, wash and dry lettuce, put leaves in a very large bowl.

4.   Thinly slice red onion and add to lettuce.

5.   Chop tomatoes and add to lettuce.

6.   Peel cucumber, if you like. Cut in half lengthwise. Spoon out seeds, if you like, cut into thin half-moons, and add to lettuce.

7.   Cut mint into ribbons, chop cilantro and parsley, and add to lettuce.

8.   Add pita pieces to lettuce. Drizzle salad mixture with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.

9.   Divide salad between serving plates to arrange on a large platter. Top with crumbled feta cheese and olives, if you like. Drizzle with tahini and/or Garlic Yogurt Dressing, if you like. Sprinkle with reserved toasted, ground cumin seeds, if you like.

Makes 4 to 6 servings Fattoush Salad.

Cooking Fried Chicken Tips and Tricks

Cooking fried chicken is simple and when you haven't tried it before, there's nothing to bother with. If you wish to check out a Kentucky fried chicken copycat recipe, deep fried chicken recipe or southern fried chicken recipe, continue reading for many handy fried chicken tips and concepts.

•           If you need to make fried chicken, you will get great results utilizing a fryer, broiler, capon, youthful chicken, and roaster or game hen.

•           Soaking the chicken overnight in brine or buttermilk helps make the meat more tender and juicy.

•           Slice whole chicken breasts in two for additional even cooking. Additionally they prepare faster such as this.

•           Adding celery stays towards the baking oil improves the colour and flavor from the fried chicken.

•           Dry any wet items before they touch the oil to prevent the body fat spattering.

•           Use tongs rather than a fork to show the chicken. A fork might pierce your skin and also the chicken will forfeit juices.

•           If you want your chicken fried, try peanut oil. It provides the chicken an excellent flavor.

•           Drain fried chicken on the brown paper bag or metal rack. Draining it in writing towels will make it lose crispiness. Additionally, covering it'll make it lose all crispiness.

The above mentioned tips should make certain your fried chicken quality recipes are scrumptious. If you work with an entire chicken and you've got some remaining, place the these questions pot with celery, parsley, and water to pay for. Simmer before the liquid reduces by half, strain and refrigerate. Once the mixture is cold, skim from the body fat and employ it in sauces and sauces. You may also freeze it.