Weekends frequently mean doughnuts. Someone who has dieted all week long will succumb to the sight and smell of a doughnut. My husband loves doughnuts, so he is a bad influence on me.

I did a little research this week and learned that doughnuts were brought to America by Dutch settlers. The center of the fried dough goodies didn’t get done, so nuts or dried fruit were put in the center to solve the problem. A 16 year old named Hanson Gregory said he punched a hole in the cake with a tin box in 1847 while steering a trading ship. He later showed his mother how to eliminate the gooey center and the doughnut was born!

Doughnuts didn’t become popular in the United States until after WWI. Soldiers had been given them while overseas, and when they came home they wanted doughnuts. Shops began selling them, but it wasn’t until 1920 that a doughnut machine was invented. Adolph Levitt owned a pastry shop in New York City and had difficulty keeping up with the theater goers desire for doughnuts. So out of necessity, Levitt invented a machine that would speed up the process.

If I’ve made you want a doughnut, remember to buy extra because they freeze really well. Glazed are my favorite and I heat them for ten seconds in the microwave. For me, a doughnut is worth the calories!