Do you even remember the last time you made your own donuts or fritters? There isn't anything like a gooey, warm Apple Fritter sticky with sugar to give you that warm, fulfilling feeling before you begin your day. Make these the night before if you want that little boost the next day. They truly are better the second day around.

Every once in a while I like taking time to honor a business or individual in the Bangor area who exemplifies what it means to be a Yankee. I am forgoing this week's column on food to tell you about a man I have known for a number of years, a man my dad considered one of his closest friends. Eric Furry, owner of Pro Libris Bookstore in Bangor, has been in business since 1980. His is a small business, with books lined up wherever you aren't standing. It's a monotone place, with his cat quietly perched in its own little spot. Sound inviting? Maybe not, but there's something that keeps his clientele coming back year after year.

It happened one day when my daughter wanted a candied apple at the fair. I bought her one. Five minutes later, after walking around the fairgrounds, she said, "Here, Dad, I'm done!" It was the same red, shiny orb I had just bought her, except with an abundance of gnaw marks up one side and down the other. Although a 10 year old with strong teeth, she couldn't penetrate the sweet, hardened glaze. After fretting and fuming to myself for wasted money, I decided to take a stab at it. She was right! Hard as nails, just the way I remembered it as a kid, but lacking one prized, distinctive quality: the bite. I mean the bite of real candied apple. You remember, you get that sweetly hot taste that made this confection true from the melted cinnamon candies that made the thought of a chipped tooth irrelevant. Yup, another shortcut by someone who obviously is out for the money rather than sticking with tradition.

Now The Yankee Chef is all about saving money, but not at the expense of keeping a tradition alive and allowing my children enjoy what we did growing up. So for posterity's sake, here's how to make a great, hard, shiny, sweet, hot, mouth-watering...

I was watching a program the other day about how people perceive these rail thin models as beautiful. Now, I have to be politically and morally correct here, so instead of demeaning anyone who chooses to be rail thin for modeling purposes, let me just say one thing. They sure didn't look like that when I was a kid (well, besides Ziggy, Iggy, Twiggy or Figgy - whatever that Swedish models name was). But regardless of your intent, I do believe we should balance our food intake with much more fruits and vegetables. I am a staunch advocate of all things fruit and vegetables, as well as substituting low-fat products for full-fat items. For example, the recipe below. You will not taste any difference at all if you chose to use full fat ingredients rather than those listed. With all this said, try...