Audible vs Kindle

 

I have to say that one of my favorite activities is reading. I enjoy reading so much that whenever I had a few minutes I would read a book. However, since having kids, my free time has disappeared. Before my kids were born, according to Goodreads, I was reading between 80-100 books per year. Now after having kids, I haven't read more than 50 books in year. 

However, after a recommendation from a co-worker, I decided to try audible. Audible does makes things easier to complete other tasks while I get to listen to a book. So, when I'm tending to a flower bed, going for a walk or cleaning up the house, I can still listen and escape to a different world. So, I have to say it is being able to multitask and enjoy a story at the time. 

So, while I was taking care of things this year, I was able to listen to 41 audio books versus reading 19 kindle books. There are a couple of things that I don't like about audible. One thing that I really don't like about audible is that you can't automatically add your audio books to your good reads account. So, it is harder to keep track of your reading challenge progress. So, I have to manually go back and mark each book as read in the system. I really wish they could be connected. The next issue that I have is that the audible site only tracks your listen history for the current year. So, I'm unable to see when the last time I listen to a particular book or how many books I read the previous year. I wish there was a better way for tracking. If you know of a way, please let me know.

So, that brings up the question, what method do you prefer to enjoy your literacy? Do you prefer to enjoy a good audio book, read from a table/phone, or cozy up to a good book?

Bike Riding

Last year, I decided to invest in a new hobby by purchasing a bike for my birthday. I went to Erik’s bike shop in South Lansing. I have to say the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. With a few questions, they were able to help me decide on a Comfort 3 Reid. 

I have to say I was impressed by the bike. The seat was extremely comfortable, and it was easy for to get comfortable. It has a step through bike frame, so it is easy for me to mount. I have to say last year, I spent quite a bit of time riding my bike. I only ran into one issue with the bike. At the end of last year, I was on a bike ride with my file. When suddenly, my youngest daughter cut in front of me, and I slammed on my bikes. Thankfully, I stopped in time to avoid crashing into my daughter. However, I blew out my front brake line. 

The good news is when I purchased my bike, it came with a one-year warranty and a free tune up at Erik’s bike shop. Last winter, I took my bike into the shop, and they were able to fix the line and tune it up with no issues. We had such a great experience that if someone wants a great experience purchasing a bike that they should go to Erik’s Bike Shop

Chocolate Ganache Donuts

 

Honestly, my favorite donut was a nice classic yeast glaze donut. I haven’t found a recipe that sounds like it would work. However, my kids love everything chocolate and they love it when I make a chocolate ganache chocolate donut. The recipe that I used is a basic chocolate donut recipe for six donuts and they last about two days before they are too dried out. The advantage to this recipe when compared to the cinnamon sugar donut, the top layer of the donut is harder.

The biggest difference between the two recipes is the brown sugar versus the cocoa powder. I figure it’s probably the molasses contained in the brown sugar that prevented the top of the donut from hardening. I honestly think it is something much simpler. While I received my donut pans, I thought it came with 2 six-donut pain. However, after looking around, I believe that it is just one pain with a cover. So, when I was supposed to be baking the donuts, the other pan was supposed to be on top to help evenly cook the donut. I think I’ll have to try that next time.

Ingredients

For the donuts:

• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend(I use King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free mix)
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
•  ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
•  ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon salted butter melted

For the Chocolate Ganache

•   ⅔cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
•   ½ cup of milk

Instructions

1. For the donuts- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the donut baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk till combined. Add milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Whisk until smooth. Instead of whisk, you can use a hand mixture to create a smoother texture which is easier for pipping into the pans.
3. Fill each donut cup in the donut pan until the top of the middle. You can use a spoon or spatula to fill the pan. For a smoother texture donut, I recommend using a pipping bag,
4.  Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the chocolate Ganache    

Put the chocolate chips and milk into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds  Use a spatula to folder the chocolate chips in the milk until they are melted and the chocolate is smooth. You may have to heat it again for 30 seconds to further melt it.

Now, my kids loved this batch of donuts but I always think there can be room for improvements. However, an interesting is since I made these two batches of donuts, I’ve been getting ads for a commercial electric donut maker. It makes me wonder how much our listens to us when we are not using them. Till next time.

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

 

So, it has been a busy time, and I haven’t had much time to develop or practice any hobbies. My interests in smoking meats have waned and it has become difficult to find the time to spend hours preparing and cooking the meat. I have to say that while smoked meat is delicious, I honestly don’t have the time to pursue it.  As time has passed, my interests and needs have changed. While I still desire to find a good hobby for my spare time, I must change my focus. So, I’ve started to look into hobbies that I can pick up and put down as I can. The other issue is my family had some life changes come up and we now pursue a completely gluten free lifestyle.

                Now, I know there are tons of gluten free options offered out there. The problem really is cross contamination. You would be surprised by how places say their chips or fries are gluten free when they are cooked in the same oil as breaded food like chicken tenders or nuggets. Now, while that wouldn’t bother some people, it does for us. So, it really restricts what and where we can eat.

                One of the things that I have missed most from this change is donuts. Without wheat flour, it is hard to make a nice fluffy yeast donut. So, I have been focusing on making a nice cake donut. If you look at it, it is easy to do but getting the texture right has been difficult. I started attempting to make two types of donuts, a gluten-free cinnamon sugar donut and a chocolate ganache donut. Right now, I prefer to focus on the cinnamon sugar donut to go with the apple cider available this fall.

Ingredients

For the donuts:

• 1 cup gluten-free flour blend (I use King Arthur Gluten free flour)
• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup dairy-free milk (or regular milk)

For the coating:

·      ¼ cup granulated sugar

·      1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. For the donuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one six-serving donut pan; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, oil, dairy-free milk, and vinegar and stir until combined.
4. Optional-Spray the donut baking pan with oil. It will allow for easier removal of the donuts.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan (Or use a piping bag for a smoother finish - filling each donut until the top of the center. The batter should not cover the center of the donut well where the hole will go.
6. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the donuts rise and set.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
8. Place a wire rack over a cookie sheet or piece of parchment paper.
9. Carefully remove the donut from the pan. You may need to use a spoon or a rubber spatula to loosen them if they stick. The other option is hit the back of the pan to remove the donut.
10. For the coating: In a separate small mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. One at a time, dip the tops of your donuts into the coating, then flip them to coat the bottoms.
11. Place your cinnamon sugar donut on the rack and repeat until all donuts have been coated.

Now, as for the results, the donuts didn’t get burnt and for me, the donut was pretty good. My wife on the other hand thought it could use more cinnamon. 

However, the biggest issue I discovered is have the donut didn’t get a firm crust. Without the firm crust, it made it difficult to coat the donut evenly. I think the next time, I may cook it at a higher temperature or finish it in the air fryer for a few minutes before coating it.

I think next time I will try cooking at 425°F and using two teaspoon in the donut. I'll update the results the next time I make some. Till next time.