Halloween Donuts

Although I am describing these donuts as "Halloween" donuts, they really are not exclusive to this time of year. As many of you have already discerned through my posts through the years, I am quite a connoisseur of fall and the colors and foods associated with this time of year. Donuts seem to be one of those treats that I associate with late fall. For the past few years, we have used the Halloween season as an opportunity to make them.
The origins of the modern donut (or doughnut) can be traced back to the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam, which is now New York. The American author Washington Irving, who is best known for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, described doughnuts as being present among the desserts being served at a Dutch gathering. He also noted that doughnuts were seldom seen anywhere other than in Dutch homes. On a seasonal side note, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in a Dutch settlement in New York. Perhaps Ichabod Crane ate a few too many doughnuts before setting off on his fateful ride.

So, back to the recipe for these donuts…

This recipe includes yeast, but you mix up the dough and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. You then can fry up the donuts at your leisure either the next morning or whenever it is convenient for you.

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees F) Note: if you are using rapid rise yeast, follow the package recommendations regarding water temperature.

3 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup softened butter

Canola oil for frying

Cinnamon and sugar mixture 

I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer for these but, you can also use a regular hand mixer and then a spoon.

1. In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp sugar. Let the mixture sit until the yeast starts to bloom. If it hasn't started "blooming" after a few minutes, discard and start over. Be careful to note the water temperature.

2. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, the 1/3 cup sugar, and the salt. You can use either an electric mixer or the mixing blade on a stand mixer. Mix in the egg and softened butter.

3. For this next step, use a wooden spoon or the dough hook for a stand mixer. Stir in 1 3/4 cup flour until the dough is smooth. 

4. Cover the ball of dough and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Now it's time to roll out the donuts. Roll the dough out on a generously floured board or countertop to approximately 1/2 inch. I like using a donut cutter (pictured below) for cutting the donuts and holes. Prior to acquiring this gadget, I would cut out the larger circle and then find a small object to cut out the hole.

Here are some rolled out and cut donuts and holes ready for frying

Heat the oil to 325 to 350 degrees F. Fry until golden brown, approximately 1 minute per side. When the donuts are adequately deep fried, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a wire cooling rack or to a large plate lined with paper towels to help absorb excess oil. 

While the donuts are still warm, dip them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

These donuts are best eaten fresh so they are a great treat for a gathering of people. Or, you can just have a good appetite on hand and be prepared to enjoy a bunch of them.

Halloween Cat

Halloween cat, Halloween cat

Why do you mew and mew like that?

Neither I nor the moon,

Like your tune 

So scat! Halloween cat!

At least that is how the preschool song goes. This was a favorite of my middle child who happened to be born in late October and always loved dressing up in his Halloween costumes.

Although I've created a number of fall-themed quilting projects through the years, this is the first distinctly Halloween quilt that I have made. The pattern is one that I picked up while quilt shop hopping in 2015. Although the example wasn't Halloween specific, I thought it would be a great project for using some of the Halloween prints that I had collected over the years. I also wanted to add a few embellishments of my own to give it a little more of a seasonal look. I do have to say that I was quite pleased with the end result. I hope you will enjoy a closer look at this creation as well.
I was able to find an outline of a bat that I could size down to fit the pattern. I made sure to include a purple cat and to find a way to use other fun prints such as the one with squiggly lines.

For the spider, I traced the oval and then used embroidery thread to free-hand the legs and silk strand. Note the plaid with bats and the polka dot print for the cats.

I borrowed the broom pattern from a snowman quilt pattern. Here the squiggle pattern is horizontal to add a little variety.

The pumpkin shapes are also borrowed from other appliqué patterns.

Picking out the quilting patterns was fun. Rather than a feather pattern for the border, I opted for this one called "Pumpkin Pie." I like the way it turned out.

For the middle, I opted for an edge-to-edge design that featured leaves and vines.

Here's another look at the quilting.

I know that among my readers there are likely to be multiple attitudes toward Halloween. This particular commentary is one that resonates with me and some of the attitudes I have toward this holiday: Signposts: How should Christians handle disagreement over Halloween? For someone like me who works in a pediatric hospital, Halloween is a fun day of dressing up and creating a fun atmosphere for celebrating our patients. Our day includes a parade around the unit with designated stops for trick-or-treating. At home, my husband and I enjoy using the evening as an opportunity to interact with our neighbors and to admire all of the great costumes that come to our door. We also enjoy the teenagers who come by later in the evening and make sure that we have some of the better treats on hand for them.

This particular October 31 happens to mark the 500th anniversary of what is regarded as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to the cathedral wall in Wittenberg, Germany. One of the books of the Bible that was particularly meaningful to Luther was the book of Galatians through which he came to understand the freedom that he had through the grace that had been extended to him through Christ's death and resurrection. I will close this post with Paul's instructions regarding this gift of freedom. 

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

Harvest Season

The project I am featuring in this blog post isn't new, but it is one that seemed fitting to close out September. I really did write this post in September, it took me until early October to get the pictures included. Throughout September and October our weekends tend to be filled with harvesting the produce from our garden. Here's a quick look at some of the tomatoes that became roasted tomato basil soup earlier this season. 

Last week I pulled some of the beets from our garden and chopped them to make borscht. In case you don't know what borscht is, it is a Russian beet soup, and it is very good despite what my daughter may say. You can also see some of the acorn squash from our garden behind the beets. We will be making them into stuffed squash with sausage and wild rice. 

So, let's get back to this project. This table runner is one that was included in a pattern published by Red Rooster Fabrics back in 2010 for use with their Harvest Town fabric line. Although the pattern is still available as a free download, the fabric is a little harder to find anymore. As August fades away, I'm one who is eager to bring out the fall decorations. That being said, the more overt Halloween items need to wait until October. For me, designs like this one are great for filling that gap during September and can continue to celebrate fall even through the Thanksgiving season.

This is also a project that features some of my attempts at machine quilting. I've shared some of the techniques for machine quilting using a walking foot, a machine quilting technique with which I am becoming more confident. I also used free motion machine quilting on this project, a technique with which I am much less confident. 

Free motion machine quilting can be thought of as drawing by having the pencil remain in place while the artist moves the paper around. The above picture illustrates the foot that is placed on the machine. Free motion quilting also requires that the feed dogs on the machine are lowered so that the quilt "sandwich" can be maneuvered more easily. Another challenge with this technique is keeping an even speed and motion so that the stitch lengths are equal. Let's just say that I am still developing with this technique. Here are a few close ups of my efforts. For some of the free motion work, I tried to trace along the print of the fabric. In other areas, I used more of a freestyle approach.

Over the past few weeks, I've become more convicted of a different type of harvest - this one involving people. Through some recent conversations, I've seen evidence of how God is at work in the lives of people, seeking them and drawing them to Himself. These encounters have reminded me of Paul's instruction to Timothy to "be ready in season and out of season." I've also been reminded of the need to pray for others to join in the work of the harvest and that the harvest is not mine, but God's. I will close with Jesus' instructions as he was sending out the seventy:

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Luke 10:2