REFLECTIONS

Have you ever dreamed that you were being attacked by a huge glazed donut?
It was more than a dream for the many customers of Amish Annie's Donut stand last week at the Steele County Free Fair in Owatonna. Amish Annie's Donuts were one of four new vendors at the Steele County fair.
Laced with strawberries, blueberries and a generous serving of whipped cream, the featured item just begs someone to take it to a safe place on the fair grounds, and devour it.
Karen Olson and daughter Madison of Andover were the creators of this magnificent, 9-inch around donut. Many said the two bakers could be mistaken for sisters.
Amish Annie's also offers specialty donuts featuring a variety of fresh fruit and a covering of maple bacon.
The donut recipe came from an Amish family upon invite. Karen tasted something similar to her popular donut when she attended a craft fair in Chippewa Falls, Wis. "We wanted an authentic Amish recipe and found it with this Amish woman in southern Iowa," Karen said.
Amish Annie's has been in existence for the past three years and it was recently a Blue Ribbon winner at the North Dakota State Fair with a specialty creation called "Smore the Merrier."
She met Annie at the craft fair and by the end of the day, Karen had an agreement with Amish Annie to produce the fair food. Annie owned a bakery and was thrilled that someone was using her recipe for the delight of many people.
"She (Annie) checks in with us often to see how that food business is going," remarked Karen.
Karen takes the huge food wagon to county fairs, state fairs and festivals during a busy summer.
Why did Karen decide to bring her food business to the Steele County Free Fair? "Because it is the largest county fair in Minnesota," replied Karen.
The Olsons have worked the Red River Valley Fair in Minot, N.D., and they also have shown up at the Washington County Fair in Lake Elmo, WeFest and Rock Fest.
Karen and her husband Tom also have a food truck. On the weekend of the Steele County Free Fair, Tom had the food truck at the Brainerd International Speedway.