Fleeting thought

I was in the kitchen, greasing a large glass pan with butter, thinking to myself, "Hmm, a little too much butter.  That can't be good for us."  You know what I was getting ready to put in the pan?  Fudge.  Yep, fudge.  And for a few fleeting seconds, I was worried about the teaspoon of butter that will keep it from sticking to the pan. Never mind the half cup of butter, or ridiculous quantities of sugar, that were already mixed into the fudge.  Sometimes my thoughts just don't make any sense.  Makes them more amusing I suppose.

On that note... sugar is not good for us.  I know it.  But I keep eating it.  Why do I do that?  I'm going to share a recipe with you.  Whatever you do, don't make it!  Don't eat fudge; it is very bad for you!  Go eat some vegetables instead.

Million Dollar Fudge

Combine and bring to a boil:

4 1/2 cups sugar
1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
1 pinch of salt

Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add:

1 7 oz jar of marshmallow creme
1 8 oz bar Hershey milk chocolate (I used two 4 oz bars)
1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of butter
2 cups of nuts, if desired (chopped almonds are good)

Stir until everything is completely melted and mixed together.  Spread mixture in a greased pan (9x13 inch works well).  Cool the fudge in the refrigerator.

There you go.  But don't make this recipe, and certainly don't eat it or feed it to anyone you love.  If you do make this fudge, please be sure to watch how much butter you use while greasing the pan.  I wouldn't want you to make it any less healthy, you know.

On a more serious note, at the beginning of 2012 I will begin my second annual "No Sugar January." Hopefully it will extend into February as well.  Care to join me?  It is a great post-holiday detox.

"Healthy" Brownies

I made these brownies today.  They were super good and about as healthy as brownies can get.  It has been a rainy day, perfect for staying inside, playing board games with the kids, baking and eating warm, gooey brownies.

Pancakes

I grew up eating pancakes and waffles made from a mix, the sort where you just add water or just add milk and eggs.  For a long time, that is what I used in my own home.  That is, until I read the ingredients list on the mixes and also started thinking about how simple, affordable, and how much healthier it would be to make my own.  For a while I made pancakes using a basic recipe from The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  Then I started to experiment and find ways to make that much healthier for my family.  I have adjusted the recipe quite a bit and found a combination of ingredients that tastes great!

Shauna's Pancake Recipe

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or use 1 cup and omit the white flour)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
 Mix these dry ingredients together.

1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)
Mix these wet ingredients together, then combine and stir the wet and dry mixtures.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt a tiny bit of butter in it.  Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot pan, turn them when you begin to see the first tiny bubbles of air coming up and/or edges look slightly dry.

And that is it!  Sometimes I add a mashed banana and/or blueberries to them.  They are sweet and flavorful enough from the whole wheat flour, flax seed, and applesauce (and other fruit) that I eat mine without adding any syrup, etc.   Leftovers are good if you warm them up in the oven or toaster oven.

There is a fun book written and illustrated by Eric Carle that would be perfect reading material if you make and/or eat these pancakes with your kids.  The book is titled "Pancakes, Pancakes!"