Lighten Up

Me - Grateful Grammy in my blue "Apple" apron

The events of the evening  didn't go as I had planned.  I was busying myself in the kitchen with writing a product review of the Wilton Mini Doughnut Pan.

  

We picked one up the other day while shopping at Sur la Table (pronounced, sur-lah-taub) in a fancy part of town.  My first thought when I saw this pan was "Oh, how cute!  Doll-sized doughnuts!"  I knew they would be the perfect treat for my crew at home.  The purchase was made and I set aside everything on Sunday evening to make a batch and then write the review.  My thought was that the doughnuts would make a fun breakfast for the morning of Halloween.

My readers know the feelings I have about this "holiday" (not positive).  If you missed out on that you can click here to read a post written a few days ago on the subject.   Admittedly, I can be a bit, how shall I phrase it, pharisaical, about the popular activities that take place on October 31st.  I could forget about the day without missing it at all.  But maybe I need to loosen up just a bit...

So, back to the product review.  I was following the instructions that came with the pan in perfect detail, filling each of the doughnut-shaped wells with the cake batter.  It doesn't take much!  I started out with 1 tablespoon of batter per doughnut.  You can see here how that turned out:

Out of the 12 doughnuts, only 1 had a hole at the end of the baking time!  In the second batch I used a rounded teaspoon and the result was a little better, although they still for the most part resembled tiny Bundt cakes instead of doughnuts.

Overall, I was not very impressed.  They were more labor-intensive than I liked.  If I am invited to a white elephant party any time soon, this pan will probably be my contribution.  

While they were cooling on a rack, I headed for the laundry room to take some towels out of the dryer.  Unbeknownst to me, a rebel uprising was brewing in there and apparently I surprised them when I came through the doorway.

The Boo Gang

A few of my assistants had decided that my views on October 31st were entirely too narrow and they wanted to have some fun.  They knew that I wouldn't finance any actual costumes for them, so they had to make do with what they could find -- a couple of bandanas, a strip of muslin, and a lunch sack.  They were determined to dress up and surprise Beloved and me with their antics.

Mandy Sue

Of course, I knew immediately who was the ring leader of this little escapade.  There's one in every crowd!  If it weren't for the thick glasses she needs to see past her nose, she might have been able to cover her face better.  

I had to smile and gather them all together for a group hug.  I will never win anybody over if I am harsh and unbending all the time.  They did not mean any harm -- they just wanted to have some good clean fun.  To demonstrate that I loved them and wanted there to be no hard feelings, I told them that some unfrosted doughnuts were cooling in the kitchen.  If they could play a game for a few minutes, long enough for Mrs Mertz to spread the frosting for my product review, then we would have a little party right then and there, and not have to wait for Halloween breakfast to eat them.

Left to right: Missy Bear, Lily, Mandy Sue, and Rowdy

Oh yes, I need to include a picture of Mrs Mertz, who is always at the ready to help me in the kitchen.  It was her idea to doll up the doughnuts with not only the orange frosting, but also a generous sprinkle of orange-colored sugar granules.

I'd be lost in the kitchen without the educated help of my personal chef with her tight bun and hair net!