Krispy Kreme-ish, sorta

the donuts i just made with super cool son

So, the super cool son and I just made some hella good doughnuts. We found a recipe that looked pretty interesting and we decided that with a few modifications (i.e. substituting things we didn’t already have in our pantry for things that we did), the Doughnut Experiment would be our randomness activity of the day.

I must admit, we didn’t expect much. Making doughnuts at home just doesn’t really seem the move. I mean there’s no way they could come out as good as the store-bought kind right? WRONG. These doughnuts are awesome! Not quite the texture of a Krispy Kreme (ours are a bit denser, despite my efforts to make them light and fluffy) but certainly a comparable flavor. The glaze is almost spot on.

So the verdict: Not as good as Krispy Kreme. But let’s face it–if you could make doughnuts at home as good as Krispy Kreme, people wouldn’t swerve across 8 lanes of rush hour traffic to get one when they see the “HOT” sign flashing in the window. Other verdict: BETTER than Dunkin Donuts. Seriously. No. For realz.

Crispy Creamy Doughnuts

Prep Time: 2 hrs 10 Min Cook Time: 30 Min Ready In: 2 Hrs 40 Min

Original Recipe Yield 18 doughnuts

Ingredients

• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast or 4 1/2 tsps
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cups milk (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 5 1/2 cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
• a quart of vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Glaze Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

Directions

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour with a wooden spoon.  Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl, adding more flour if necessary a tablespoon at a time. Dough should remain sticky to the touch but again, should not not stick to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until stretchy and elastic. Place the dough into large, greased bowl, and cover with a towel. Let set for about 2 hours to rise until it doubles in size. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (until a few drops of water sprinked into the pot dance and crackle in a lively fashion). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

You can find the original recipe at http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/crispy-and-creamy-doughnuts/Detail.aspx. Thanks Kelly! Whoever you are!

10 Things I’m Excited About Right Now

Thing 1 – Me and Diva77 becoming blog sisters. YAY!

Thing 2 – Me and Diva77 hooking up tomorrow for long overdue craziness and debauchery. YAY!

Thing 3 – The resurrection of my work in progress and the completion of chapter 1. YAY!

Thing 4 – There is no Thing 4.

Thing 5 – Kroger has Gatorade for $0.49 each. YAY!

Thing 6 – I actually have $0.49. YAY!

Thing 7 – After tomorrow, I don’t have to go to work anymore until next week. YAY!

Thing 8 – Going bowling with the kid this weekend. YAY!

Thing 9 – Going to Savannah and hitting the open road with Lysh on Thursday (see Thing 2). YAY!

Thing 10 – Feeling sometimes that life is good. Because it is. 🙂 YAAAAAAAY!!!!!

Note to self: Check e-mail more often

On April 30th I did something that I never do. I sent an email to the author of an article from a national publication to state my utter disgust and disbelief in regard to the writer’s personal opinion. This is important for two reasons: A) I generally feel that people are entitled to their own opinions no matter how stupid they are and B) if crazy writers gave a rat’s ass about what people thought of their craziness they wouldn’t write crazy crap and publish it in a national publication. Having said that I’d like to draw your attention to this http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/28/AR2010042804156.html 

It’s an article by the Washington Post’s Beth Chang from April 29 in which she states why she believes that President Obama was wrong for checking ‘black’ on his census form. I found it to be utterly ridiculous. Whether or not you support the president you have to admit that some of the allegations being hurled at him are completely asinine. I simply had to respond. Here is a copy of my exchange with Ms. Chang.

To changb@washpost.com
SubjectMessage via washingtonpost.com: Prez’s census choice

 Yume Katoya sent the following message:

The irony of your piece on Obama checking “black” on his census form is that you seem really opposed to people allowing “society” to dictate to them who or what they are. But isn’t that precisely what you’re doing by being peeved at the president for exercising his right to check that box in the way that he saw fit? He says he identifies as black. That’s his business. And his right. Just as it’s your right to allow your children to identify as Hawaiian when they clearly are not. Perhaps by statehood, but not nationality. Whether you realize it or not, your take on this helps to widen the gap in the racial divide rather than close it. Saying race is mostly irrelevant and then taking a stance as to whioh race(s) someone should choose to be completely negates any rational viewpoint that you could have on this subject. It’s both inflammatory and contradictory. Wish I could have agreed with you.

Beth Chang to me
Re: Message via washingtonpost.com: Prez’s census choice

I thought that if Obama identified as biracial it might be a sign of progress. Instead, he identified as black. He said he does so because that is how he is seen and looks. *That’s* what I meant when I said I didn’t think we should allow society to tell us what we are. I’m not exactly society.
It is his business, but I don’t think that means it can’t be commented on. After all, the White House released his census choices, and the president has made race an issue by talking openly about it.  I know there are reasons for Obama to identify as black, and good ones. But as the mom of biracial kids, I was uncomfortable that he chose not to identify as both. I worry that it sends a signal that people have to choose one side or the other.

Thanks for writing.

Elizabeth Chang
The Washington Post Magazine
1150 15th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20071
Phone: 202-334-4249
Cell: 202-689-9944
Fax: 202-334-5693

 I don’t know about you, but I know double-talk when I hear it. I really wanted to keep this argument going but the problem is, I just got the e-mail today. And by now, Ms. Chang has no doubt said something far sillier that would render this point irrelevant and make revving the argument back up again a huge waste of time. PLUS, responding to her AGAIN would totally negate my “let-people-think-what-they-want-even-if-its-stupid” rule; although I probably wouldn’t have felt that way if I had gotten it the day it was sent. *sigh* Alas, a missed opportunity to win an argument that really needed to happen. Sorry Mr. President.

The fact is (I’m not sure)

It has been brought to my attention that from time to time people actually stop by and read this blog. So I thought I’d do the three of you a courtesy by actually posting something. It will not be particularly interesting I’m afraid. Only new. I hope that for now ‘new’ is good enough.

I had the genius idea of starting this blog as a way to jumpstart my creativity which in recent weeks has been severely waning. I thought if I could start each writing day by composing a blog post it would get the juices flowing and be a warm-up for what I imagined would be vigorous daily literary exercise. Instead I have merely found another form of writing that causes me to experience total brain freeze when I sit in front of my computer.

It’s disheartening and discouraging, this seemed lack of things to say. After all, that’s the whole PURPOSE of what I do. When I feel this way I read instead of write and consider myself a scholar of the craft. But inevitably, one of two things will happen. Either I’ll be stupid enough to read something by, oh I don’t know–say Zora Neale Hurston–and then I think there is no way in hell this is what I should be doing. Or I’ll read something… else…and think that there is no way that (insert author of said “else”) should be published (a New York Times Bestseller, no less) and I shouldn’t. Moral of the story: It’s damn hard being a schizophrenic writer.

Will say more things as I think of them.

10 Things I Must Do With a Fair Amount of Immediacy

Thing 1 – Lose 10 pounds
Thing 2 – Write things
Thing 3 – Get things published
Thng 4 – Get paid to write/publish things
Thing 5 – Get paid
Thing 6- Check the mailbox
Thing 7 – Watch the US Open SemiFinals
Thing 8 – Check lit mag deadlines
Thing 9 – Comb my hair
Thing 10 – WRITE THINGS

10 Things I Am (Right Now)

Thing 1 – A lecture-giving mommy

Thing 2 – An angry dieter

Thing 3 – Loving (and beloved) friend

Thing 4 – Obsessive Tweeter

Thing 5 – Monopoly opponent

Thing 6 – LIFE defending champion

Thing 7 – Supporter of Health Care Reform

Thing 8 – Non-supporter of Tyler Perry directing For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf

Thing 9 – Non-supporter of Chris Brown

Thing 10 – Thirsty

myku #1

said sky
on sunny days i
still can’t help but be blue.

10 Things That My Exes Taught Me

Thing 1 –  That my ability to love unconditionally is questionable.

Thing 2  –  To never sit with your back to a door.

Thing 3 –  What a “pick and roll” is.

Thing 4 –  To never say never.

Thing 5 –  That love is not enough.

Thing 6 –  That you can love someone that you do not trust and vice versa.

Thing 7 –  To keep receipts.

Thing 8 –  That life goes on.

Thing 9 –  That I am powerful and that I should use my powers for good rather than evil.

Thing 10 – That you can’t make someone love you (or make yourself love someone else). Nor should you try.

10 Things I Like 8.29.09

Thing 1 – Tiger Woods

Thing 2 – Honey Buns

Thing 3 – Michael Moore documentaries.

Thing 4 – Michael Moore

Thing 5 – Sweet Tea with Lemon

Thing 6 – Twitter

Thing 7 – SoundCloud for WordPress

Thing 8 – Lies by the Black Keys

Thing 9 – Flight of the Conchords

Thing 10 – Saturdays

Problems Writing “The Other”

I take issue with the phrase “writing the other”. I write author Elizabeth Bear a probationary pass for using it because she is a sci-fi/fantasy writer who, for all intents and purposes, really does write the “other”–other galaxies, other dimensions. other kinds of creatures, real otherness. I bring her up because she caught some flack a few months back when, arguably, the characters of color in one of her stories (she’s white) could be said to feed into racial stereotypes, at least in terms literature. But Mandingos and Tragic Mulattos aside, I personally find that it really can be difficult to write characters of another race; and especially to do so with dignity, sensitivity, and credibility.

I don’t write this as a chastisement of authors who have either actually or by accusation, dropped the ball while “writing the other”. I have never even read Elizabeth Bear and take no position at all on the credibility of her characters of color. But hers was an interesting and timely dilemma that prompted me to write a study into my own difficulties writing characters of other races. I recently finished a short story (no small feat for me) and I absolutely love every word. It’s no Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Sweat’ but it was fun to write and it’s fun to read and the words on the paper serve the purpose that I intended for them to serve. Here’s where things get tricky: One of my main characters is Chinese.

Big deal you say. And you’re right. You will remember me saying (in fact, the first line of this post was) I take issue with the phrase “writing the other”. Mostly because, the phrase infers that someone outside of your race is “other” than you; as if you’re the default and they’re another kind of being altogether. The simple solution would be to write characters that are of a different race the same way you write characters of your own race–like people. Fact. BUT in writing a character of a different race,  you have second-hand, limited or no knowledge about these “others'” personal or cultural experiences and are therefore out of bounds if you try to personify them employing said knowledge limitations. Right? Well, yes and no.

See, I love my Chinese character. She actually steals the show from my main character. She’s cute and funny. She’s not a foil for my protag, she’s a very important part of the story. It wouldn’t even matter that she was Chinese except that it’s kind of the whole point. The story is called “How I Learned Chinese” and the main character is taught Chinese by another character who happens to be Chinese. Sounds simple enough, right? But here’s where it gets trickier.

My Chinese character doesn’t speak great English. And when I went back and read the story, I felt like a bit of a jerk. I knew there would be people who would not be able to read between the lines. These people would not understand my intentions or feel tenderly about the bond that is formed between the two women despite a language barrier. They would instead, read a story where the author is making fun of Chinese people or showing ignorance about Chinese Americans through the broken English of a Chinese character. And while I know in my heart of hearts that the story was written with the best of intentions, I can’t help but think about how I cringe when I read stories that are padded with Black stock characters: the Mandingo, the tragic mulatto, the hustler, the mammy: used by authors, sometimes even Black ones because it’s all they know or care to portray about the Black experience.

 And so, I wonder, while literature would be an awfully boring and segregated place if no one race could write about the other, what precautions must an author take to ensure that no one is hurt or offended by the words they have written to describe another person and that person’s culture and heritage. Can it even be done? Thoughts?