Fantastic Performance Pumpkin Fritters

Today as I was chauffeuring my youngest to her swimming lesson, all the while feeling very proud that I had managed to feed the troops, get the laundry started, change the bed sheets, shower and get us out of the door by 9:20 am with minimal stress, I began to think about the Olympics. Tell me what you think of this. They should have an Olympic category for moms (and dads) to demonstrate how to manage a household and not, you know, go crazy. Moms from all over the world could demonstrate their multitasking skills of feeding, bathing, diapering, clothing, cooking, cleaning, laundering, improvising, budgeting, bandaging, refereeing, coaching, chauffeuring, and carpooling all within say ... a tidy 5 minute time frame. Can you just see a row of mom’s at the ready ... and then with lightning speed completing their task, hitting the buzzer, and throwing both arms up in the air shouting, “Done”!! Yes, it would be quite the event and one where every participant wins a gold medal just for taking on the challenge.

There is a beautiful young woman from South Africa who has taken on quite a challenge, and is the type of athlete who inspires everyone ... not just athletes. Have you heard of Natalie du Toit? She’s an Olympic swimmer from South Africa, and she carried in her nation’s flag at the opening ceremonies. I hadn’t heard of her until today, and her story is one of such great personal triumph that I just had to share her with you. Check out the link and be prepared to be inspired. Folks like Natalie encourage me to persevere and not let roadblocks break my stride. In simpler terms, she embodies the phrase, “when the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’”. In Natalie’s honor, tonight’s Olympic culinary adventure recognizes the cuisine of South Africa.

South African cuisine is a mixture of many cultures. I found recipes for stews and curries that made my mouth water. Some recipes contained ingredients I never heard of, and others contained familiar ingredients used in new ways. Based on my recent dessert making success, I thought I’d try out a sweet treat recipe called quite simply Pumpkin Fritters that I found on the good ol’ World Wide Web at 3men.com.

Pumpkin Fritters remind me of a warm, fancy donut that you’d find in a fine bakery. Covered in cinnamon sugar, these little fried fritters are considered a side dish; however, I think they would make a lovely breakfast pastry or after school snack. I did change the recipe a tad based on my cupboard contents. Plus, I altered the ingredients to make it gluten free. I’ll post the regular recipe as well as the gluten free changes.

These were good! You should have seen my littlest pumpkin’s eyes light up when she realized that there are foods like this that she can enjoy. Hubbyman snarfed down several in one-bite increments, and my older girl chowed down as well. I liked them, but one was enough for me as I’m not a big sweet eater. My son thought they were ok, but ate all of his anyway. I mean, come on, it was coated with cinnamon sugar! I think these would be great additions to breakfast trays at Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, I’ve filed away the recipe to use again when the holidays roll around. See how pretty they are on the inside? They are heartier than a donut, but not heavy. Uh, if they do add a mother venue to the Olympics, I'm really going to have to do something about those fingernails.

Pumpkin Fritters

- 2 cups cooked pumpkin, mashed (I used canned sweet potatoes and they were a terrific substitute).
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/2 cup flour* (See below)
- pinch of salt* (See below)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder* (See below)

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons sugar

Combine pumpkin, egg, sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl, making a soft batter. Fry spoonfuls in shallow oil till both sides are lightly browned. I just used a regular sized skillet, and a slotted spoon to turn them. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly. And, boy oh boy, if you aren't used to frying in oil, be careful not to burn yourself when you turn them over. Drain on paper towels. By the way, they weren't greasy at all.

In a plastic baggy, combine cinnamon and sugar. Gently toss each fritter with the mixture. Serve warm.

*Gluten Free Changes: I substituted a Gluten Free Baking Mix for the flour, salt, and baking powder. It worked beautifully.