Halloween Dinner

We had our Halloween dinner early this year so that we could do it with our friends Morty and Angie. It is just so much more fun to do it with people. Plus, even by halving the donuts, there are TOO many! I ended up giving a bunch to the neighborhood kids playing night games. We always love having Pumpkin Stew and homemade donuts!

I also made some variations to my recipe this year that seemed to make them better. It was basically the same recipe with a few hints.

2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening (do not use butter)
1 & 1/2 cups cold instant mashed potatoes
3 eggs well beaten
2 cups scalded milk (cooled to luke warm)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon extract
6 to 8 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Cream the sugar and shortening and beat in the cold potatoes, eggs, cooled milk, yeast water, salt and lemon extract. Gradually add the flour to make a soft dough, knead well. The dough will be quite sticky, but holds together well.

Cover dough with plastic and let it raise in a warm place until doubled in size (this takes a huge bowl and about an hour). After an hour, pull dough out of bowl and onto the counter. Sprinkle with flour and knead it a little to get most of the air out of it. If dough seems really sticky, just flour your board.

Roll the dough out to a half inch thickness. Cut with well-floured cutter. I dipped the cutter in flour between every cut!

Let the doughnuts raise until they get nice and puffy, then deep fry the donuts in 375 degree vegetable oil until they are deep golden. Only fry two or three donuts at a time. Drain on paper towels. Glaze while still warm.