The Easiest Semi-Homemade Donuts Ever!! {no, seriously!}

Ok, so you all know I’m big into confessions. Especially confessions about food. Dessert to be exact. I love to bake dessert. I love to eat dessert. However, I do not like to eat the desserts I bake {does that sound strange?}. Yeah, I’m one of those girls that looks at the dessert menu before the main menu at a restaurant. What can I say? I have a sweet-tooth. Maybe all I think about is sugar and butter and the heavenly connection that happens when the two come together. I promise you, I’m not that weird :)

So yeah, I’m obsessed with desserts. To be particular, I’m obsessed with donuts. I wish I could eat them everyday. For reals. And no, I’m not talking about the donuts that come in a box at the grocery store. I do not obsess over those donuts. No, I’m talking about the airy, fluffy donuts that are freshly made at a bakery. Or at Krispy Kreme. God, I love that place. If you don’t know about Krispy Kreme, get your butt to one right now and try their donuts. If you’ve had Krispy Kremes and you don’t like them, get out of my face. Kiiddddding. Only sort of. Because who doesn’t like Krispy Kremes? Duudes, they give you a free donut when you’re waiting in line. No, I’m not kidding.

But anywho, I don’t have time to go to Krispy Kreme, because there’s not one that’s super close to where I live. So you know what? I deal. And I make my own donuts. Ok, semi-homemade donuts, because like I said, my cravings can not wait for dough to rise. Darn homemade dough.

As long as you have pillsbury biscuits for this recipe, you’re golden. Oh, and you might need vegetable oil. And some powdered sugar and milk for a glaze. Why don’t I just give you the recipe?

These donuts taste very fluffy and light and tasty. Not at all like they were made with biscuit dough.

Here are the ingredients:

-1 can of Pillsbury biscuits

-some vegetable oil for frying

Yeah, so basically 1 ingredient, because everyone already has vegetable oil in their house. At least they should :)

Soo, this is awkward, but I didn’t take pictures of the frying process, just because snapping pictures while baking is already hard, and then when you add the difficulty of trying not to burn yourself on hot oil makes it 10 times worse. 

But I’m going to explain this step-by-step. No worries.

First, cut little holes into each donut, I don’t no what I used, just some circle kitchen utensil. A cap from a pop bottle could also work. Now don’t throw away those little balls. They are going to be donut holes :)

Pour your oil into a skillet or a pot or a wok if you have one. I used a wok. Pour in just enough oil to cover a donut. If you are using a skillet, heat the oil on medium to medium high for a few minutes. You can test your oil by dropping a donut hole in. It should sizzle and kind of float at the top.

It doesn’t take much time for these donuts to cook. You’ll probably want to try doing two at a time, cause you don’t want to risk burning any of these donuts. Believe me, you’ll want to eat all of them. Let them cook for a little on one side and then the other. Use tongs to pick up the donuts and place them on a plate covered with paper towels. Blot these babies so all the oil is removed.

Now make the glaze while the donuts and donut holes are still warm. You’ll need:

-1/4 cup milk
-1 1/2 to 2 cups of powdered sugar (depending on how you like your consistency)
-1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients until your glaze is completely smooth. Drop the donuts in the glaze and coat both sides. You may want to do this twice. I did :)

Eat the donuts while they are warm. Enjoy!

Seriously, that's one tasty looking donut :)

DIY: Fabric Button Earrings

So, I’ve been seeing these darling earrings on Pinterest {FYI, everybody, Pinterest is my life and my love <3}. And I really wanted to make them. Like really badly. But normally when I try DIY projects, they don’t turn out as planned. I won’t give you any scenarios, just because I’m too ashamed. But these earrings looked foolproof and I was determined to make them.

DIY Fabric Button Earrings

Supplies:

-a cover button kit (you can find this at craft stores, I used Dritz)

-fabric squares

-earring posts

-jewelry glue or any kind of strong glue (I used  E-6000)

-scissors and marker/pen

-pliers (or something to pry the hook off the back of the button)

Let’s get started!

The instructions are pretty basic and explained on the back of the cover button kit, but I’ll lead you through them anyways :)

So, begin with cutting a circle from your fabric swatch. There should be a circle template on the back of the button kit. You can buy some from the fabric store or use up some old swatches. I used some gorgeous, vintage-y {is that a word?} squares my Grandma gave me. I love floral patterns!

Pull all the hooks off your button backs with pliers. I had a lot of trouble with this and ended up getting help from the parentals.

Center the fabric over the mold and place the button shell over it. Gather all the fabric into the mold.

Push the button back on top and use the pusher to help you put it into place. I’M A PUSHER CADY, I PUSH PEOPLE! {sorry, Mean Girls spasm) Pop your button out of the mold. You’ve got a fabric covered button!

Now glue your earring posts onto the button backs and let dry for like 8 hours or so, or whatever your glue directions say. I used this little craft pack of glues and picked the E-6000. You don’t have to use it, some other strong glue/jewelry glue should work :)

You did it! You’ve got a fabric covered button earring!

I got a little carried away with this project and made 3 pairs of earrings. You should too. Enjoy!

Momofuku Milk Bar’s Crack Pie

Duudddes... I did it. I made the famed crack pie. I waited to make this for the longest time. But I was afraid that it would be really hard and not turn out good. Well, good news... the opposite happened. It turned out fabulous and was actually simple to make. Do not fear the crack pie. The whole zillion calories of it. Wow, that’s one robust pie.

Clearly there is a burglar in my house. One that loves sugary, sweet, fattening, melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Maybe it was me. Gasp.

And it’s not like I had two more slices that day {Please refrain from rude comments}. I'm training for a triathlon here.

 Don’t worry. If you’ve never heard of Momofuku Milk Bar, or Crack Pie, stay calm. There are no real drugs in this pie. Unless you want some. JK. For real.

But I would consider sugar and butter drugs. Because they seem to solve all problems :)

I found my recipe here, but I halved the recipe and changed it up a little to my needs. If you want to make 2 of these diet-crushing pies, go ahead. I don’t mind. The link is right above. 

Crack Pie Recipe

Adapted from AverieCooks/Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

Makes: One 9-inch pie

{Ok, I’m just gonna post the ingredients here. For the directions, head on over to Averie Cooks. The link is right up there}

For the pie:

-2 tbsp. butter, melted

-1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar, packed

-1 recipe Oat Cookie

-1/8 tsp. salt

-1 recipe Crack Pie

-powdered sugar for dusting

For the Oat Cookie:

-1/4 cup butter, softened

-2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. brown sugar

-1 tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar

-1/2 an egg yolk (just beat 1 egg yolk and pour in half of it)

-1/4 cup AP flour

-1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

-pinch baking powder

-1/2 a pinch baking soda

-1/4 tsp. salt

For the Pie Filling:

-1/2 cup butter, melted

-3/4 cup sugar

-1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. brown sugar

-3/4 tsp. salt

-2 tbsp. AP flour

-2 tbsp. milk powder

-1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. heavy cream

-1/4 tsp. vanilla

-4 large egg yolks

Notes:

*I’ve never been to Momofuku Milk Bar, or New York for that matter. So I’m not sure how close this pie tastes to the real thing. All I know is that it’s good. Real good.

**This pie tastes super similar to these No Name Bars. So if you want to skip the pie but get all the good gooey flavor, you can find the tasty recipe here.

***I swear I ate three slices of this pie the day I made it. I only gained 5 pounds, but my weight shifts a lot, and I lost the 5 pounds the next week while I was working out. Splurge a little and make this pie. I promise you... it’s worth it :)

Happy Saturday!

DIY: College Survival Kit

Wow, it’s been a long time since I last blogged. What was it, like six months? Sorry for the delay, if there are still any stragglers left. I sure hope there are, because I would certainly love it if people actually read my blog and enjoyed it. I really really truly hope that someone does. So if you do, you are awesome, and making my day a little better :)

Well, today I saw a robin’s egg on the driveway. You guys know what robin’s eggs look like, right? They are those tiny, Tiffany blue eggs that light up the sky. Yeah those. And when I saw it, I knew that it was going to be a good day. I mean come on. How perfect are those little eggs. They are so cute. And I don’t see them that often. I mean, you’d think I would, considering robins are Michigan’s state bird. How do they even determine state birds and flowers anyways? SO confused about that.

Sorry for the rambling, I do that a lot. Let’s get on to the tutorial.

DIY: College Survival Kit

I made a College Survival Kit. That’s right, the perfect gift for a graduate going off to school. And I see these $100 kits all around. Let’s be honest. Whatever people are putting in those kits... it does not cost $100 dollars. I mean, seriously?! Hands up if you agree. So I decided to make my own. Because for years I have wanted to give one of these things but have never had the time or motivation. This kit was for my brother’s girlfriend, who is also a crafter. Sometimes I don’t like making homemade gifts for people cause I know they won’t get it or appreciate it. You crafters out there catch my drift?

But I knew she would like it. So I researched a bunch and tried to figure out... what do college kids really need but won’t spend the money on?

I got some normal things people suggested, but also added my own twist, keeping the graduate’s interests in mind. Here is a list. It might not have everything because my picture doesn’t include everything and I already gave out the gift and can’t remember what I exactly put in it.

If you’d like a copy of my label and gift explanations, you can find a downloadable pdf here

 College Survival List:

-bandaids and ointment

-loose change (quarters for laundry)

-headbands

-nail polish

-kleenex

-hand sanitizer

-Q-tips, cotton pads

-lip balm

-a good-quality or cute pen

-sticky notes

Pretty sure I had more, but I don’t remember. Keep in mind that I made this 4 weeks ago. Cut me some slack guys!

Now, I went shopping at a few places to get these things. For example, you can go to a cheap place, like a dollar store or Christmas Tree Shops, and still get good items.

After I found my things, I had to look for the perfect bag. Something super cute, not super expensive, and thoughtful. Originally I was going to put the gifts in a sand bucket with a shovel attached given it’s summer... and how cute is that idea?! Until I found this adorable little bag at Christmas Tree Shops. It was super cheap (around $5) and looked very bookish {is that a word?}. With the leather looking straps, canvas lining, and plaid initial, to me, it indeed looked bookish. Aannnnd, I got the initial of the graduate’s last name, so bonus points for me :) If you find a mini suitcase or something similar, that would totally be adorable for this kit as well!

After I placed all the items in the bag, I created a little key that listed all the gifts and explained the reasons for them. If I do say so myself, I love the little emergency crosses that I included beside the title and in place of bulletpoints. 

I finished off my kit with an adorable label which I created on the computer, printed out on white cardstock, cut out, and attached with twine. Yesiree, that’s how it’s done in this house.

Dang, I am a master of labels. No, seriously, look for yourself.

After this, send the kit off to your favorite graduate.

Notes:
**Now that I think about it, I could have gone overboard and gotten some wicked things to put in there. It was just supposed to be little, but if you want to spend some more money, you could give a mini fan, a shower caddy, a ramen noodle book, or some fun chick flicks that every college girl needs (that means Mean Girls and John Tucker Must Die, BTW :)

**Some things I included were specific to the graduate’s needs. For example, she’s a runner, which is why I included headbands. Chiclets are her favorite gum. And nail polish... well everyone should have a fun color of nail polish!

Adapt this kit to your own likes and needs. I hope you enjoyed! Bye, bye!