Round and Round

I made doughnuts yesterday, which was a lot of fun in that "I AM NOT DOING THIS AGAIN FOR A YEAR" sort of way - I like rolling out the dough and cutting out the doughnuts and watching them puff up fat and golden in the bubbling oil and then dipping them in sugar afterward, hot and fragrant. It was a grand time, although I'm not exactly recommending you rush out and try making doughnuts since it's probably the most dangerous thing I do in my kitchen, what with the boiling oil and all.

My hands bear witness that I like to cook - my right hand is spotted with small red burns today, just one of the side effects of making doughnuts yesterday. (another one? Fatness.) Old small scars mark the many times I grated my knuckles absent-mindedly, mistook my thumb for an onion, bumped my hand against the top of the oven. And yet I DO love to cook most of the time, although right now I feel dried up and barren, out of ideas and out of hunger. I wake up from dreams of lemons, wanting something fresh and tart in my mouth while my hands ache with their reminders of the costs of winter's heavy food.

I'm making pierogies tonight - how's that for fresh and light? - and I love the soothing mindlessness of rolling out the big sheets of dough, filling them up with potatoes and onions and cheese. I flipped idly through a magazine article on dumplings last night, and was startled by how global they are, that every culture seems to have something women made from dough and modest fillings - although gluten-free pierogie-making has been a big failure so far. The little packages disintegrated as soon as they hit the water, which was also the fate with my experimental gluten-free doughnuts yesterday, too.

I did make a batch of baked gluten-free doughnuts last summer and they were happily received - look how little The Baby is there! Sheesh! - but I don't know, they don't feel like the REAL thing. And tonight, I'm just going to bake her a potato, these half-measures that are both enough and not enough, this once a year treat that I cannot give her, no matter how hard I try. 

Comments

[RachtheBach]

I have never attempted homemade doughnuts. I dislike making anything requiring large amounts of boiling oil. So that excludes some pretty darned tasty confections. But I'm okay with that. You're the bomb Beck!

[Marta]

I can't remember if I have ever had a homemade doughnut, but for sure, I have never eaten a homemade perogie. And since my hands don't have all the burn scars that yours have, it's obvious that I probably never will, unless you invite me for dinner! When should I come?

[nomotherearth]

Some gluten free things will never be the same. Does the Baby like meringue cookies? Those are my faves.

Found some good bagels here http://www.mollybglutenfree.com

[chelle]

Dude you make pierogies from scratch?!?! You are my hero. Wait you already were my hero, elevated to cooking goddess now.

[Omaha Mama]

My mom used to make doughnuts and funnel cakes. I don't remember her being fearful doing it. Any time I do anything that requires frying, I am fearful. I have to do it in a big skillet, I have no fry daddy. Maybe I need a fry daddy. Yeah, sure, that would fall right in with my weight loss goals!

Try not to measure the things you cannot give the baby. Think of all the things you do accomplish. Homemade marshmallows for dang sake! I know a mama whose gluten-intolerent child (older than your baby) lives on frozen enchilada meals. You have way more going for your baby than that!

[Fairly Odd Mother]

It must be in the air; I've been mulling writing an 'ode to the donut' post for quite a while! I admire you for making them yourself!

[amreen]

mmmm.homemade doughnuts. every time i read your post, i get so hungry!

[morning]

ah, yes, the wounds of baking. I currently have a scar about 5 inches in length, red and puckered and angry looking, sitting just above my right knee. Yes, I managed to wound my knees on a hot stove. And you think you're a klutz!

[Hetha]

My hang up is that I can't deal with disposing of a vat of oil when it's all said and done. Sad. Plus I don't have a vat to put the oil in.

The Baby is so sweet and pretty in that picture!

[Kyla]

I'm so sorry your wee girl can't enjoy all the wonderful things life at the Becks has to offer. I know that she does get plenty of wonderfulness though, just for her sorts of goodies that she will surely remember as she grows.

[Emily]

Shit. I am on the doughnut wagon. Now I really want to jump off.

[LoriD]

My great-aunt used to make the most delicious doughnuts. The boiling oil is enough of a reason for me to NEVER try it myself. I too have many war wounds from cooking and baking - mostly burns!

[Rosebud & Papoosie Girl]

I am still thinking about you MAKING pierogies - I honestly need to you to divide up my time so I can find the time to make things from scratch. As for homemade doughnuts? Not in my lifetime.

I did steam and puree some spinach today and froze up half cups in baggies. I toss it in all my sauces now and no one even notices. I have also been using lots of organic baby food and using it in pancakes and muffins. I figure we could all use a little more veggies.

I am a total klutz in the kitchen and it seems Papoosie Girl is following after me - she not only grated her finger making hash browns this weekend, she peeled herself as well.

[Cristan]

It's so interesting that you find kneading and rolling dough to be relaxing! I am totally stressed out when dough is involved (which is why I make canned biscuits!)

It's probably because you know what you're doing, and I, sadly, do not.

[Guinevere Meadow]

I haven't gotten many battle scars from cooking yet, but it's only been within the past year that I've started doing any SERIOUS cooking. And I'm terrified of pain, so I'm extremely cautious. Except for the time when I got burned while chopping jalapenos. Ouch.

[Peanut Butter and Jelly Boats]

First of all, how do you ever get anything done with those sweet cheeks around you all day? I'm sure they are very loaded with kisses.

Our little one has a dairy allergy. I so badly want to give him a glass of chocolate milk (soy is NOT the same) or a bowl full of ice cream. Sigh.

[Aliki]

Um...so where is that pierogie recipe, eh?

I have cooking scars, too, but mainly from being careless with an oven mitt!

[Kathryn]

Ok. Now I'm starving for donuts. Thanks alot!
Look at The Baby! Look at her beautiful glowing, golden locks! So cute!

[crazymumma]

mmmmmmelancholy donuts.

mmmmm'I'll eat em anyway.

[Pastormac's Ann]

Okay so now you have to post your donut recipe and your pierogie recipe. ;-)

Not that I'll probably use them. But hey, a girl can dream, right?

[Susanne]

Okay that would mean I've never tried MAKING doughnuts? Eating them? I'm an old pro from way back! Just thought I'd clarify.

Oh and homemade perogies are the best!

[Susanne]

I've never tried doughnuts. Probably never will. There has got to be a good gluten free doughnut recipe somewhere!

[heather]

We make donuts too often--in fact yesterday as well. :) Someplace I have a recipe I used that made a decent gluten free donut but I can't remember where. I will find it eventually. I also used to make something that tasted exactly like brown sugar poptarts--trying to think if the flour was gluten free or not, it seems to me it was mostly millet with tapioca but maybe it had barley. I wrote it down somewhere, will search for it.

My solution to the boiling oil is a deep fryer with the automatic lift (which I seldom actually use, instead I use only a little oil in the pan and a lid--that way it doesn't splatter though it means the donuts get dark on the sides and stay light in the middle.

I have also made my own pierogies/randomly filled dumplings. I also find it amazing how every culture has dumplings of sort and point it out to my kids each time I make dumplings. They are less impressed than I am. I am glad to find out that I am not alone in my fascination. :)

[christine]

my sister and her boyfriend are professional chefs and their hands and arms are spattered with burns and scars--it's crazy!

i know it must hurt that the baby can't have the regular donuts-0-but are you have pancakes for shrove tuesday? maybe she'd could have some gluten free ones.

[Janet]

Whew. My donut comment *was* relevant.

I have a donut recipe, which I have looked at time and again, but I never actually got around to trying it. I think it's the boiling oil. I must have been tortured in some medieval prior life because it scares me to no end. Instead, I go to the Farmer's Market and buy fresh apple fritters, still hot from their oil bath. Delish.

[Tracy]

I love pierogies, but have never made my own. Unless you count the time when I was say, oh, about 8, and helped the neighbor lady make them. But they weren't my "own".

Would you care to share your recipe? We made soft pretzels yesterday, and the recipe is on my blog. I THINK you could adapt it for the Baby.

And oh my, the battle scars I have from cooking! Red burn spots all down my right arm from a delicious eye of round roast, and a mark on my left hand from this past Christmas day when I touched the oven rack. We are tried, and true, aren't we?