Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts with an Apple Glaze

I've been finding it really hard to explain what I did this weekend. I'm not sure where to even begin. I guess that's why I'm posting this on Wednesday. See, I've been on the verge of an anxiety attack since last week... in a good way. But rather than throw all my news and stories in one huge blog post you won't even read (because let's be honest today's recipe is pretty awesome), I'm going to do something really mean and drag this out over several posts this week. Shall we begin?

These donuts - these mini pumpkin donuts* - were made for a lovely vegan baby shower brunch I went to on Saturday for the beautiful Leinana Two Moons. You might know her as the talented veganista behind Vegan Good Things. I know her as my friend. In a recent twitter conversation we discussed her love of pumpkin and my aversion to this classic autumn flavor since a childish incident with Dan's ex. It's a dumb story I won't bore you with, because to be honest this is a happy place where we don't bore each other with stories about jerk faces. Also, the story might make me sound like I keep crazy grudges**, but the truth is that pumpkin is delicious and the annual pumpkin treat flood is one of the best things about fall. I am adult enough to admit that.

This is a recipe I was saving for the donut section of our book, but there will be plenty of other unreleased recipes for that, and I really wanted to make something special for Leinana. I know I make jokes all the time about being socially awkward and shy, but it is real. Having Leinana include me in her circle of friends when we moved to NYC has meant the world to me. Also, I got to enjoy a huge plate of some of the best vegan food ever at her baby shower with some of the most amazing vegan ladies in the city: Marisa Miller Wolfson, the extraordinary activist and documentary film maker behind Vegucated; Hope Kandel, my nominee for a Nobel Prize in Super Awesome for being the food genius behind Foodswings; and the cruelty-free fashion maven behind Lifestyles of the Chic and Vegan (whose name I'm leaving out because I don't see it on her pages and I'm not one for outing folks)... just to name drop a little. Seriously though - you should check out these photos to be inspired to plan your own vegan brunch ASAP.

And when you do - include these prefect little buddies that are just the right amount of spicy and chewy and cakey and yummy. Yeah. I said "yummy" like a 4th grader and I sincerely meant that "yummy". These donuts will make you do and say all kinds of things. They're like little shots of Vegas. Enjoy!

Let Pumpkin Season Begin! 

These are the Mini Chocolate-Covered Coconut Doughnuts you're looking for.

We roasted our coconut but I think they would be just as good with raw coconut.

Please forgive me boring you with my 'I survived the NYC Earthquake of 2011' story, but I think that I might have learned something about myself that day. And don't worry, this isn't a story about surviving a traumatic event as much as a story that gives me a chance to laugh at myself.

There I was, typing away on the sofa. Our beloved Agatha was under the sofa, amateur kitten spelunking. Never heard of it? Oh, that's where your little buddy crawls around upside down on the lining of sofa - tearing it to shreds and growling at dust bunnies. It looks fun. Never tried it myself. Then I started to feel like there were 30 cats under the sofa. The screen on my laptop seemed to be swaying. My mind tried to figure out why I felt seasick, and then it hit me. I hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch... hadn't even finished my coffee that day. So like a good New Yorker, I began neurotically googling symptoms for low blood sugar, because I had this tiny fear I was going to pass out. I mean, what would happen if I passed out? Would the cats sit on me to keep me warm like they do when I'm sick... or take this opportunity to go after the catnip stash? Then I spotted a tweet about an Earthquake near DC. Yay! We're saved! Back to work!

Now the moral of this little tale is this, my friends - eat breakfast*! We just got a new mini doughnut pan and we've already started to tackle the doughnut section of our cookbook. Everyone should get one of these mini pans. They're like adorable little doll house donut pans. These doughnuts are faster to make than you think. With a little planning, you might be able to make these before work one day.

Now remember, these are mini cake doughnuts so they're heavier than raised doughnuts - if you want something like that, we have a Vegan Beignets recipe that makes me swoon. But let's not get off-topic. These are the doughnuts you were looking for.

The Betty Crocker Project : Masala Spiced Donut Bites

There is a time and place for every sad story. Since it's Monday, I won't break your heart with the story of how we missed yet another BBQ this weekend because of a kitchen emergency, or give you nightmares telling you about the corn fritter from Hell that did this to me... only on the top of my foot. I hadn't realized that corn fritters could become molten lava, but they can. I also won't bore you to death talking about how the ceiling in one of our rooms caved in from the rain. What a big huge annoying yawn. Yeah. Instead I'm going to tell you about an odd little donut miracle that we stumbled across while flipping through The Betty Site.

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you know since we moved to NYC we've been eating a lot of curry. To quote my handsome husband: "I am now more curry than man." I mean Thai, Indian, Chinese, Jamaican... you name a curry, and we've enjoyed it. So you can imagine what happened in The Shannon Homestead when I stumbled across donut "holes"/bites made in mini muffin pans and spiced with light, sweet & warm curry spice! I'm pretty sure something like this happened.

But that wasn't the only awesome thing to happen recently. Here are but a few!

• Compassionista Girlie Girl Army featured our Vegan Bacon & 3 Cheese Frittata of Your Dreams and included a Bloody Mary Recipe that I can't wait to try!
• Vegan Rock Star (& a bag of chips) Sarah Kramer opened her own Vegan Shop recently in Victoria, BC! I have just added a visit to this little shop of wonders to my bucket list... which I just started this weekend and only says : Visit Sarah's Place.
• Cookbook Author/Post Punk Kitchen Queen & Awesome-sauce Expert Isa Chandra Moskowitz & team launched their Teal Cat Project! Anyone who lived anywhere near Brooklyn knows that feral and homeless cats need our help now and this project is a clever and compassionate way to help cats and get an adorable tchotchkes in the process! We have already ordered ours! They already sold out of the first batch but more cats are promised and there are shirts to hold you over till then!
• We recently went on a doubles datesy thingy with the ladies over at Our Hen House and saw The Breakfast Club in the big screen! I'm still totally saying totally too much, but it makes me feel young again. Plus I work from home so who's it bother besides Dan who promised to love through better and worse. Totally.

There was more but I feel like I've kept you from the donut bites long enough...

Adventures in Brooklyn - Food & Friends during the Search for the Perfect Apartment! Episode II

Brooklyn - The land of breath taking vistas.

In Barcelona, one might expect to see the somewhat bizarre spires of Gaudi's unfinished cathedral Temple La Sagrada Familia reaching into the heavens. In Paris, there is nothing quite like the rush you get when you spot the Eiffel Tower for the first time. In London, you can't miss the world's largest Ferris wheel known as The Eye. But in Brooklyn, there are historic rusted water towers and industrial warehouses revamped in blue glass and colorful graffiti. I recently spent a week walking through Brooklyn looking for a future home for the Shannon brood.

To see photos from my journey and some cute cats click here. I know yesterday I promised to tell you all about my NYC abduction story but I haven't figured out yet how to make it funny or how it even happened. I will tell you this. I was mistaken for a Hasidic Jew twice last week. Which is cool because Hasidic Jewish women can be adorable with their cute hats and knee-length skirts but I admit it is having me rethink my new haircut a little. Also, and more importantly, make sure when you get into a strange car in Brooklyn that you think is part of some legitimate car service... that it is and not some kind of Jewish intervention program. I might be able to talk about it more later but for now - let's talk food.

The adventure continues...

Apple Churros to the Rescue!

Is there anything in the world as lovely as celebrating St.Patrick's Day with a treat of traditional Spanish-style fried dough?

According to Wikipedia (which as we know from watching Eddie Izzard stand-up, is extremely reliable):

Churros are often sold by street vendors, who will often fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them hot. In Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, they are available in cafes for breakfast, although they may be eaten throughout the day as a snack as evident in Nicaragua. Specialized churrerías can be found in the form of a shop or a trailer during the holiday period. In Colombia they can be found in the streets but they are thin and shaped like a ring.

But our buddies over at "The Free Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit" (no, seriously, that's their tagline - check it out) forgot to mention that the origins of churros is one of mystery and controversy. There are some who feel adamantly that they were developed by Spanish shepherds, and that recipes were developed and handed down from generation to generation. Others claim to have proof that this delicious treat was first made by monks in the 13th century, and then shared with the people in an act of great charity. We may never know the truth without the plot to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure coming true. What we can do is make a batch of these historically enjoyable little guys to enjoy over the weekend.

So let's fry some dough!