Baked Blueberry Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

 

Looking for something special for your holiday weekend breakfast, with all the flavors of summer?   I spotted this recipe on Half Baked Harvest’s feed and knew it was one that I wanted to try.  It has been awhile since I have used my doughnut pan, but baked doughnuts are such a delicious way to enjoy fresh doughnuts at home without making a morning run to the doughnut shop.

This is a really simple and quick recipe and has a great technique for amplifying the flavor of any fruit based baked doughnut.  The secret is to swirl jam in the batter as a last step.  This compliments the fresh berries and keeps the batter moist.   And, I can’t begin to describe how heavenly my kitchen smelled while these were baking.

These are best fresh from the oven and freshly dipped in the cinnamon and sugar. But, don’t worry - they are so delicious your family won’t leave many for later.

Happy beginning of summer, Happy Memorial Day weekend and God Bless America!

Day Tripping

 

Now that the tourist and snowbird crowds have left Florida, I have made a list of day trips we will take  to places we have not yet been in the four years we have lived here.  First up was less than an hour south to Ft.Myers and the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  Since my husband worked for Ford Motor Company in Detroit, the ties are strong and we throughly enjoyed it.

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were friends and two brilliant minds who got away from the rat race and spent time together in Ft. Myers every winter.  The two homes are side by side on beautiful grounds.  There is a water view and both have big porches that you could imagine the families sitting on to enjoy the shade and escape the Florida heat. Both Edison and Ford, along with their wives were avid gardeners, so there is an amazing variety of tropical plants.  Ford’s house was called The Mangoes in honor of the many mango trees.

We strolled around the grounds, listening to a guided tour on an app and it was a great way to spend a morning.  We even continued the Ford theme with lunch at the original Ford’s Garage in downtown Ft. Myers.  

Looking forward to taking you along when we decide where to go next.

Mother’s Day Weekend in Key West

 

What a wonderful and much anticipated Mother’s Day weekend I had with my daughters.  It was one year delayed due to Covid, but that made it all the more special.  When my mother passed away last February, I was determined to honor her by planning a mother daughter trip.  My mother lived with Alzheimers for eleven years and if nothing else, those lost years with her taught me to never take the time ahead for granted.  So, I picked one of my favorite spots, that I knew my daughters would love too and decided Mother’s Day weekend was appropriate and a date on the calendar that would work for all.

Key West is a unique place.  Part tropical Florida, part New Orleans/Bourbon Street and part that fun Caribbean style laid back attitude.  We stayed right in the heart of Duval Street, within walking distance to most shopping, bars and restaurants.  We discovered some great restaurants and bars too, in the Old Town section of the city.  In fact, we all agreed that we preferred that quieter area to the constant activity on Duval Street. 

Some of our favorite spots were Bagatelle, Blue Heaven (a must for brunch), First Flight (get the Key Lime Martini), Moondog Cafe, Firefly, Santiago’s Bodega (for the sangria) Ocean Key Sunset Pier and Sloppy Joe’s (Hemingway’s famous hang out).  

I have been to Key West a few times, but there is always something new to do and see.  New to me this trip was the experience of going by boat on the Key West Express from Ft. Myers, which cuts out 2 1/2 hours of driving time.  It was very efficient and I would go that way again.  We also rented a golf cart the 2nd day to explore the neighborhoods (so many pretty homes) and beaches and to keep us a bit cooler rather than walking in the heat of the day. Golf carts, scooters and bicycles easily travel on all the roads in Key West. 

It was a whirlwind, but so much fun and we even managed to squeeze in a couple pool days here at home.  It was all exactly as I hoped with quality time and that all important reconnection achieved.  And, as I have said many times, adult daughters are truly a gift.

Happy Wednesday!