Starting the new year must mean new things.
Lots of new things happening this week (or since the beginning of 2011) First was my new start date.... ever changing and ever being pushed back. But I sort of got used to it now... might be surprised when I actually walk through the door!
On the internet side, I just discovered the new Google Reader and it's absolutely great if you, like me follow a few blogs. You get the latest blog or website posts on one page and you can scroll down and choose which to read further. All you will need to do is to "follow" or "subscribe" to the blog or site and all your pages will be displayed on your reader front page.
Lots of new things happening this week (or since the beginning of 2011) First was my new start date.... ever changing and ever being pushed back. But I sort of got used to it now... might be surprised when I actually walk through the door!
On the internet side, I just discovered the new Google Reader and it's absolutely great if you, like me follow a few blogs. You get the latest blog or website posts on one page and you can scroll down and choose which to read further. All you will need to do is to "follow" or "subscribe" to the blog or site and all your pages will be displayed on your reader front page.
There was an interesting post on one of the blogs about Tiramisu which I must admit I have become a big fan of! Always liked the dessert but now (possibly due to an older age stated on my new ID card) I look for a hit of coffee in my sweets.
Another new gastro discovery this week was a chocolate truffle filled with pepper - absolutely divine. Even though I didn't know what I was eating at the time, the pepper just hits the sides of your mouth and turns a tiny truffle into a new experience.
Lomo - Spanish cold cut is yet another new discovery. There is a tiny market which sets up round the corner from my house which is now catering for it's new Spanish customers and this lomo is one of the new items on sale. Delicious and very low in fat, fit in perfectly with my spread of parma (specially dedicated to my foodie friend) and cooked hams.
Lomo - Spanish cold cut is yet another new discovery. There is a tiny market which sets up round the corner from my house which is now catering for it's new Spanish customers and this lomo is one of the new items on sale. Delicious and very low in fat, fit in perfectly with my spread of parma (specially dedicated to my foodie friend) and cooked hams.
But if you are reading this post for the recipe, click here for my Healthy Options if you are trying to curb the fats and move onto healthier meals. If you have decided that detox or January healthy eating is a thing of the past, why not try this super easy tea-time snack.Here are my baked doughnuts. They are delicious once filled with jam or nutella but sadly they will not keep for the following day. If you do have any left-overs, I suggest that you heat it in the micro-wave for about 15 seconds until they are softened slightly.
Here is what you need:
500g plain flour preferably 00
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp sunflower oil
300ml warm milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
11g dried yeast
Place the sifted flour and sugar in a large bowl and stir using a knife. Next add the salt on one side of the bowl and the yeast into the other corner of the bowl. In another bowl, place the warm milk and stir in the vanilla, oil and egg.
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and using the knife once again stir into a dough.
Leave the dough in the bowl and allow it to rise for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size. Once the hour is up, topple the dough over a floured surface and shape into tiny balls and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Next turn on the oven on to 200C and give the doughnuts another 30 minutes to settle into their shapes.
Once you are ready to bake, pop the tray into the oven and turn the heat down to 180C. Bake the doughnuts until they are a pale golden brown.
Take the doughnuts out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 10minutes before filling. To fill your doughnuts with jam or nutella, fill a piping bag with your choice and using the nozzle to pierce into the doughnut squeeze your sauce into the doughnut until the piping bags starts coming off the doughnut. This means that the doughnut is filled enough in the centre.
Serve immediately.
