the best of pa dutch dancing at roots country market

Ever since my reemergence into Lancaster, via my lovely cousin, I have developed a knack for scooting up that way more than that I would have assumed. Although I equally appreciate urban and country settings, there is no reason for me to deny that I am slightly obsessed with comfort food, and it is obvious that that county is booming with some of the finest, country-inspired cozy cuisine.

On this recent excursion, we hit up Roots Country Market, popping by on a weekend that they were celebrating their arts and crafts' festival. While artisans flooded their outdoor space premiering everything from paintings, woodwork, old beer bottle crafts, and much more, what we found most enjoyable were the classic supply of whoopie pies, selecting a java-infused variety, as well as a pumpkin (thank god for fall flavors!).

 But, what we found best throughout the fair-like sights was an adorable dog treat setup, made available from the pup treat barkery, Pooch 'n Purr Pantry of Elizabethtown. With an adorable and humorous roundup of nutritious cake cones, poopie pies (think carob powder and cream cheese), couch potato sticks and brightly colored lollipops, how could you not want to snag these sweet treats that are so pup-appropriate. Better yet, as seen above, one of the men helping with the stand was also a pure ham, posing for a giggle-worthy muscle shot.

More information about the classic Roots Country Market, based in Manheim, may be found by clicking here.

photographs of fasnacht day from this full-blown pa dutchy

With a sigh of relief and an upward puff to brush the remaining flour off my forehead, I completed my second year of whipping up over a hundred fasnachts for my family and friends. As I previously wrote about here, the recipe is one of my grandmother's, a woman who wowed the Strausses' tastebuds day in and out with the best of her Pennsylvania Dutch cooking.

However, adamant about good-health, Fasnacht Day is one of my only baking days that I shy away from my recipes pumped with nutrition-hidden ingredients like whole-grain flour, raw sugar, soy milk and agave nectar syrup. So, in honor of doughnut lovers who have recently scarified their sugary addictions and also, being that the fattest day of the year has passed, I've decided to offer you a much simpler and healthier version of browned rounds that sing victory for your lent-crazed ways and also assist in dejellying your belly.

Doughnut Muffins

makes 10 regular muffins

(also published here and adapted from here.)

3/4 cup raw sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup soy or rice milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour (whole-grain, spelt or flaxseed meal)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

blueberries or strawberries (optional for fruity doughnuts)

Coating

2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter, melted (optional)

1/2 cup superfine sugar (or raw sugar pulsed for 30 seconds in your blender)

Lightly grease a muffin tin with vegetable oil or spray.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla to sugar mixture and combine.· In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Then pour into liquid mixture and stir to combine.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until nicely browned and when the center is poked, it comes out clean.

And, only after you enjoyed the nutrition of the healthy-version of the above-mentioned doughnut bites, I leave you with photographs of my escapades of Fat Tuesday.

Roughing the doughnut dough the night prior to frying, quite a pleasant experience.
Although traditional fasnachts are cut rectangular or just circular, minus the hole, the Strauss way was to use a round dough cutter and then, cut the center out with the thimble. I still have my grandmother's cutter and I most definitely use it every year.
The most time consuming part of the doughnut making, but possibly only because I can only fit 10-12 rounds in my fryer at a time.

Being a local reporter at a nearby newspaper group that has a coverage area that spreads to Lancaster County, I was in pure, traditional bliss pitching that I journey through the land of Dutchies finding the best bakers around.

Laura Jenkins of Eliza's Bakery of Phoenixville offered the sale of lard-ridden doughnuts all last week. Just entering into her shop left me intoxicated by the fresh smell of sugary sweets.
Closeup of Eliza's decadent offering of granulated and powdered sugar fasnachts.

Jim Chudnovsky of Bird-in-Hand's Bakery and Creamery cheerily continued throughout the day of Fat Tuesday whipping up the bake shop's distinct version of the Dutch doughnut. Hundreds stopped in the Lancaster County sweet spot to celebrate the tradition of the fasnacht.

boosting on lancaster brewery's beers

I used to consider myself a wine snob.

I swirled and sniffed as if it was my job (well, sometimes it was). By nature, I then would turn my tarty snout to anything hop-related. A tan pint of anything foamy was never a request, and thinking back now, what was I thinking?!

A few months back, B and I attended a beer-tasting shindigg in a friend's backyard. Cases and coolers of microbrewed specialities filled a substantial part of their grassy parts, and sips of Miller Light and Yuengling were satisfyingly scarce. We guzzled Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss and Sunset Wheat, Dogfish Head's Festina Peche, Old Rasputin's Imperial Stoudt, Shipyard Brewery's Pumpkinhead Ale, and my favorite, Lancaster Brewing Company's Strawberry Wheat.

With such an extreme introduction to what the brewing world had to offer, I was automatically hooked into the hoppy world and had decided that I am far from ever escaping. Thus, paying a visit to the brewhouse of my [one of] favorite fruity beer was obviously, a no-brainer.

B and I, with the accompaniment of his dad, journeyed to Lancaster to scope out what really makes this local brewery top-notch. Setting up a private tour with their welcoming brewmaster Bill, and making sure we each had a brew in hand, we sampled pre-beer malted barley in all-of-its forms, had sneak peeks inside their stainless-steel brewing tanks, smelt the bittery potentness of their award-winning hops, punched the mashed spent-grain post-fermentation that's housed in barrels for area farmers, and most importantly, filled our bellies with the freshest and tastiest gulps any girl (plus boys) could wish for!

malted barley one-hand, brewski the other

brewing tanks

hoppity-jarred hops

mashed spent grain

processing Strawberry Wheat

And, while I am already obsessed with the Strawberry Wheat, and now, the Country Cream Ale, I think the upcoming September-release of the Shoo-Fly Porter may just have this Pennsylvania Dutch girl gushing!