Last week was made brighter by an overnight visit from my granddaughter Vivian, who is six years old going on 30. My son Jonathan brought her to my house on Wednesday evening; she was very excited about spending time with Grammie.
As bedtime neared, Vivian declared that she was going to sleep in the “guest bed.” She informed me that she kicked in her sleep and didn’t want to hurt anyone. When bedtime became a reality, her fear overcame her consideration; she slept in Grammie’s bed. We read a story, I read my Scripture selection for the evening, and all was well. Then I turned out the light.
“Grammie, I can’t see!” Vivian complained. I told her to let her eyes get adjusted to the dark and then she would be able to see better. She responded by turning on the lamp on her side of the bed. I turned it back off, as it was way too bright. I remembered that my iPad charging station had a dimmable nightlight, so I put it on the lowest setting. All seemed well until Vivian looked up at the ceiling.
“Look at the fan! With its shadow, it looks like an octopus!”
“Vivian, the fan has five blades. The shadow blades make ten arms, and an octopus only has eight.”
“It’s a tentapus! And it’s going to suck us up!”
“The problem could be solved if I turn off the light – then there won’t be any shadows.”
“Well, my bed has a canopy, and I can’t see shadows.”
I extinguished the light, told Vivian I was there to protect her, and she finally went to sleep.
The next morning, Vivian and I baked donuts. We tried two different varieties and couldn’t decide which ones were our favorites; they were both scrumptious.
Cherry-Almond Donuts
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup finely snipped dried cherries
1 teaspoon almond extract
Powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a standard-size (3-1/2-inch) donut pan or twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray.
In bowl, combine the next five ingredients. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. In another bowl combine the next four ingredients. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir just until combined (do not overmix).
Spoon batter into large resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, cut off a corner; squeeze batter into prepared pan, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Smooth tops.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until donuts are light golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Turn donuts out of pan. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
Mini Cinnamon-Sugar Donuts
Nonstick cooking spray
1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a mini (2-inch) donut pan with cooking spray. In bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl combine the next five ingredients, whisking until smooth. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture; whisk until combined and smooth.
Spoon batter into a large resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, cut off a corner; squeeze batter into prepared pan, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Smooth tops.
Bake about 8 minutes or until donuts are nearly firm when lightly pressed. Cool in pan on a wire rack 3 minutes. Turn donuts out of pan onto wire rack.
In a bowl stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Dip warm donuts into sugar mixture, turning to coat.
