DoNot Fear the Fastnaught

Decades of parenting and crazy memories. We went to recall only the good ones. When my husband and son woke up today, I was sore from shoveling yet another snow, you'd think my body would have been used to that, but I hurt all over. BUT when my daughter woke up she descended the stairs with high hopes, which she realized when she turned the corner into the kitchen, Yes I made them Fastnaughts! Pronounced Fosh-not, and spelled like fast-naught. It is the last day to eat like a hog if you practice 6 weeks of self-denial during the season of Lent, leading toward Easter. I delighted to hear her thanks, and see her go for her fair share.

Many years I forgot what day it was, what week it was, because I was experiencing season depression of wither and dark. Sometimes I would make them the next day, or skip it altogether. Some years it was a double fail of them falling all apart making greasy slop. But one year, I was attempting to use a pastry bag to make doughnuts, in circles, not blobs, and at the same time, I was trying to get more protein into our carbs, and funnel cakes came out. No easy task for the egg-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free. My secret ingredient? Raw sesame seeds ground in a coffee grinder until a fine powder.

The last installment to my success was being in an antique market one day and coming across a doughnut dropper, in mint condition, in the original box. It could drop perfect circles and perfect amounts...well my batter thickens as it sits, so the first few are perfect, and then the rest look like onion rings, but hey! They are yummy! and that is all that matters! My recipes are all dump and throw, so I'm estimating, but here is today's recipe, the final after over 30 years of hit or miss homemade annual doughnut-making.

3/4 cup millet, 3/4 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup of arborio rice, into the grain mill
1/4 cup of raw sesame seeds into the handheld electric coffee grinder...
add 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp cinnamon....combine all of this in a separate bowl
(add a 1/4 tsp of stevia powder -optional)

wet ingredients: mash one or two very ripe bananas with an electric mixer, and add slowly about 1/2 cup of milk substitute, like rice milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla then prep your doughnut dropper, or pastry bag for making a pain-full of funnel cake...

I use the smallest cast iron pan I own, and corral extra virgin coconut oil, making small batches.

I took a picture of the most perfect version all by itself, and then of all of them as they became smaller and like onion rings.
I took a picture of frying, in my pretty kitchen installed by my 20 yr old son. Enjoy!

Fat Tuesday! What might you be setting aside for the next 6 weeks, starting tomorrow?