Making Doughnuts "Donuts" from a Japanese DIY Candy Kit

Last week I was grocery shopping at Walmart when I found this DIY candy kit by Kracie from Tokyo Japan.  These DIY candy kits have shown up on shows I've seen, and I've always been curious about them.  For a few bucks I thought it was worth the whirl to try it out once.  These mini doughnuts look so cute!  It was worth a try.

 The back of the box has clear directions in English with pictures.

 There were so many scissor cut marks I wasn't sure if I was doing it right.

 Powder packs for the dough and sauce with sprinkles and crumbles.

 Separating the plastic tray.

 So I probably made a mistake on this step by using cold water from the water filter.  I didn't want to use tap water, but the purified water comes out quite cold.  Mixing it together was so weird!  It was a powdery, cold, dough like sensation in my hands as I kneaded and rolled this substance, which wasn't the least bit appetizing.  I was questioning life choices by this point.  Did I really want to eat it?

 Putting it in the mold.

 Now for the sauce.

 There was a little bag I could have used to pipe the sauce with, but just didn't bother using, because by this point I wanted to throw it all together before I lost my will to try them.

The mini doughnuts turned out looking cute!

I'm clearly not good at decorating said doughnuts.  What a mess. :P

Final verdict:

I'm glad I tried this once.  They didn't taste great.  The texture was really weird.  But kids would probably love doing this, as it is a fun process.  A messy, fun process.  Telling myself I was doing an experiment made it more enjoyable.  So, yeah.  Fun once.  Definitely more for kids.  I'll stick with full size warm doughnuts.  And if you want to try this, use warmer water!  It might have made a difference, I don't know.  What was I thinking?

Going to My Favorite Place in Japan: Enoshima

Granted, I've only been to Japan twice, and with both ventures I've only seen Tokyo.  A narrow scope, barely much at all, and yet with these tiny experiences I'm finding special places that feel like homes away from home.  Enoshima is such a place.  A small island in the Kanagawa Prefecture, a close distance from Tokyo.  About an hour transport from Tsurukawa, where I stayed in 2015, and two or so hours from the Tokyo Disney Resorts, where I stayed last April.  This time, coming from the Disney direction, we got to travel on the Shonan Monorail, which is like a reverse monorail, car hanging below the track, and is a really a nice little trip.

The first time I visited Enoshima with Michael and Krista we loved it so much we visited twice during our short six day trip.  It was worth it both times.  Out of all the things I could have done on this last trip in April with my Mom and brothers there was no question Enoshima had to make the list, despite the travel time, and sure enough this proved to be one of everyone's favorite days.

Tokyo is fun, granted, and a must see, but there's a certain up-tightness amongst the chaos.  Crowded.  Over stimulation.  Yet as soon as you set foot in Fujisawa, where Enoshima and Kamakura lay, there's an instant feeling of chill.  Laid back.  Calm.  The little street leading from the Shonan Monorail exit to the bridge that connects to the island has a cool beachy vibe.  And the island itself is a joy.  There's a little of everything: a shopping street with restaurants with a step-back-in-time feel, amazing sights from various vintage points, temples and shrines, a tower, gardens, and caves (though they were shut down for repairs).

For this post I'm showing just the first part of this journey, as doing a complete review of this island would not give ample attention to all that can be experienced.

And thus I end this post, still at the beginning with adventure lurking in the distance.  This entry would be too long if I were to venture further on this topic, so here I leave you, Enoshima still waiting, until more can be discovered and explored.

Photos by Sarah, Robin, Steven and Ty