Vanilla Creme Filled Doughnuts

I could definitely use some routine and regularity in my life. I am not one of those people who need to loosen up...

I am the person who is puzzled when her friends apologize for their messy house- they always look perfectly clean to me.

I am the person who will survive the blizzard stuck in her car on the side of the road, layering on the random bits of clothing in the back seat, eating granola bars and other bits of food that fell in the crack by the console and drinking from the countless water bottles littering the floor.

I am the person who doesn't know how to iron clothes properly, but it doesn't really matter, because I don't own any clothes that might require ironing.

Poor Eric didn't get much of a housewife out of this marriage deal.

In view of all this and certain New Years Resolutions involving productivity and organization, I, Mikaela of The Fox Fix, do impose a blogging schedule on herself for the year 2011. Hereafter, I promise you that you will find a post here every Tuesday and Friday, with the possibility of extra posts on special non-scheduled post days. If I fail, you can yell at me in the comments section. I hope this will encourage you to put your faith in The Fox Fix. Every Tuesday and Friday.

Phew, here it goes: the first Tuesday of the new regime.

Eric's brother Micah gave me a fantastic new baking book for Christmas. Flour, by Joanne Chang (who owns a bakery in Boston also called Flour), is a recipe-liscious, information-packed, picture-licking gem of a find. Not only are the American-classics-but-better recipes superb, but the book is full of tips and tricks and technical help. Its explains why over-beating egg whites is a problem. (desserts won't rise in the oven because the eggs' cell walls are already stretched to their limit) It finally made me care if my ingredients were all the correct temperature (for example, if the butter used for creaming is too warm, the sugar won't create the little holes in it that are necessary for a light cake. If the liquid is much colder than the creamed ingredients, it will create tunnels and holes and tough spots in the finished product.)

But mostly...Flour contains a recipe for Vanilla Creme Filled Doughnuts that made me melt into a puddle of delirious happiness on the floor. Whipped cream lightened pastry cream? Yes please. Preferably quickly and in large quantities.

It's a many-stepped recipe, so make sure to read the whole thing before you start, but if you've got a lazy weekend ahead and have a hoard of sweet tooths (teeth?) to satisfy, then step right up to the mixing bowl!

Naan

Gyros, Taziki sauce and pitas- these are a few of of favorite things. Sadly, Augusta is very much lacking in the Greek Restaurant Realm. I did just find out about one restaurant- Dino's Chicago Express with two locations in Evans and Martinez, and there is a Greek Festival in October, but for now, I'm filling our gyro needs on my own.

I wanted to make the soft pita bread often found at Greek Restaurants, not the pockety kind. The closest thing I could tell to make was Naan, a yeasted and grilled flatbread bread usually found at Indian restaurants. The flavor was wonderful, but the Naan ended up about twice as thick as I wanted it to be. Maybe I should have rolled it even thinner to account for the rising on the griddle. If anyone knows a solution, or has a recipe for gyro pitas, I'd love to hear from you.

In any case, the Naan was delicious and would make a great accompaniment to many, many meals. I ate one and a half straight up plain even before we sat down to our meal.

Naan Recipe, found on Allrecipes.com

Allow about 3 hours for the finished product, but only about 30 minutes hands on time.

1 (.25 oz) packet of active dry yeast (i used instant yeast)

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

3 T milk

1 egg, beaten

2 t salt

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 t minced garlic (optional)

1/4 cup butter, melted

If using active dry yeast, soak the yeast in the water for 10 minutes, until bubbly. If using instant yeast, don't wait the 10 minutes after adding the water, just plow ahead. Combine the yeast-water with the sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes on a floured surface, until smooth, adding flour as needed.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and allow to rise for about an hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down the dough and knead in the garlic, if using. Pull off pieces about the size of golf balls, roll into balls, and place on a tray to rise, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high. I used our pancake griddle.

Roll out a piece of dough into a thin circle. Lightly oil the grill. Grill 2-3 minutes, and brush the uncooked side before turning over and cooking an additional few minutes. Brush the cooked side with butter too because it is tasty stuff.

Continue the process with all your dough balls!

Our meal consisted of chicken cooked with oregano, thinly sliced red onions, tomatoes, bag cabbage mix and taziki sauce. And it was awesome.