Wow! I haven't been keeping up with my times! I've been timing myself pretty regularly and I have every intention of writing my reflections on the run when I get back. And then something happens, I get busy, something else comes up and pretty soon, it's getting to be dinner time and writing about my run slips my mind completely.
The good news is - I've been getting faster! Since I haven't kept my promise to myself and wrote my times down consistently, I'm not sure exactly sure how my progression looks. I do know that I've gotten my 3 mile runs from 30 minutes, on average, down to 28/ 29 minutes. My 2 miles are still around 20 minutes, kinda lingering at 20:08 - :05, which really doesn't make sense to me. I really feel like my shorter runs should be faster because I'm not running the same distance. And, as I'm running, I have less ground to cover and have to psych myself up less to conquer anything I have left to run. But, somehow, everyday, I end with ten minute miles on my 2 mile days. The only thing I can think of is that I slack on the shorter runs just because they're shorter. I'd hate it if that were true but, it seems like a pretty good explanation.
Since Halloween is around the corner, I've been thinking about some black and orange goodies! So far I've made Chocolate Donut Holes and I have plans for a chocolate carrot cake (it looks tastier than it sounds, and hopefully it's pretty yummy!) I think I've been having a little too much sugar lately.. I'm seeing a couple of spots occasionally. I'm too stubborn to give up sugar entirely so I'm gonna try to space out my intake a little...
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Chocolate Donut Holes
When I saw the cover of the Halloween issue of Food Network Magazine this year, I knew it was gonna be good - it had a cake on the cover! The cake, which is on the docket for later this week, is part of an orange and black themed section full of halloweeny sweet goodness. The first thing I decided to make were the donut holes.
I really hate frying things. Not really because of the fat and calories but because of the mess and the waste. Every time I fry things I end up with oil splattered everywhere! Also, in order to fry things, you have to use an insane amount oil. Then, when you're done, you have to through the oil away. That's a half to whole bottle of oil gone in one shot! Maybe because I don't have much practice with frying things, the stuff I make only turns out everyone once and a while. That also tends to make me stray away from frying foods. I don't know what came over me but I decided to take on those donuts, and I'm glad I did.
I won't go into all the details of how they're made but, I will say I was a little worried as I was making them. It seemed way too sticky and I thought there was no way I would be able to roll it out, or whatever it said. Instead, I took a melon baller to make balls about an inch in diameter (which I think is what the instructions call for). I loved how well that worked! Everything was uniform, I made way less dishes and my hands where far less of a mess. However, once I fried them they puffed up quite a bit. And, as I cooked them, the started to burn faster. I don't have a candy thermometer so, maybe the oil got too hot. But, I also noticed the oil getter really, really dark, which I think was because of the chocolate. I don't know if it's a thing but, maybe they started to burn faster because of the darkness of the oil.
My other cooking note-to-self would be to make more of the glaze. I was able to make it through half of the donut holes before I ran out of chocolate and had to make more. Immediately after I glazed them, I sprinkled them with black and orange nonpareils.
They were just as delicious as I expected (even if they didn't really end up looking like the picture...). Slightly crunchy from being fried, chocolaty, smooth glaze, and chocolaty, fluffy inside with a hint of orange zest. They're a nice little seasonal pick me up after my runs in the morning ;) and I will definitely be making this again next year for Halloween!
I really hate frying things. Not really because of the fat and calories but because of the mess and the waste. Every time I fry things I end up with oil splattered everywhere! Also, in order to fry things, you have to use an insane amount oil. Then, when you're done, you have to through the oil away. That's a half to whole bottle of oil gone in one shot! Maybe because I don't have much practice with frying things, the stuff I make only turns out everyone once and a while. That also tends to make me stray away from frying foods. I don't know what came over me but I decided to take on those donuts, and I'm glad I did.
I won't go into all the details of how they're made but, I will say I was a little worried as I was making them. It seemed way too sticky and I thought there was no way I would be able to roll it out, or whatever it said. Instead, I took a melon baller to make balls about an inch in diameter (which I think is what the instructions call for). I loved how well that worked! Everything was uniform, I made way less dishes and my hands where far less of a mess. However, once I fried them they puffed up quite a bit. And, as I cooked them, the started to burn faster. I don't have a candy thermometer so, maybe the oil got too hot. But, I also noticed the oil getter really, really dark, which I think was because of the chocolate. I don't know if it's a thing but, maybe they started to burn faster because of the darkness of the oil.
My other cooking note-to-self would be to make more of the glaze. I was able to make it through half of the donut holes before I ran out of chocolate and had to make more. Immediately after I glazed them, I sprinkled them with black and orange nonpareils.
They were just as delicious as I expected (even if they didn't really end up looking like the picture...). Slightly crunchy from being fried, chocolaty, smooth glaze, and chocolaty, fluffy inside with a hint of orange zest. They're a nice little seasonal pick me up after my runs in the morning ;) and I will definitely be making this again next year for Halloween!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)