This is one of my favorite recipes from Cooking Light Magazine.  It’s from their April 2002 issue and you can find on their website right here.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 cups sugar 
3/4 cup butter, softened 
1 1/3 cups egg substitute 
1 1/2 cups low-fat sour cream 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
4 1/2 cups sifted cake flour 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
Cooking spray 
Fresh blackberries (optional) 
Mint sprigs (optional) 

Last night Nathan wanted to make hummus. We had a nearly full jar of tahini in our fridge left over from a batch of black bean hummus he made a couple of weeks ago. The label on the jar of tahini said it had to be used within a week, but since we had no uses for the tahini other than making hummus, we decided to tempt fate and keep it around awhile longer.

Nathan’s trip to the grocery store to buy some roasted red peppers resulted in him returning with roasted red peppers, two half gallons of light ice cream and a bag of Krunchers. I have to admit to requesting the ice cream to salve the wounds inflicted by my orthopedists needle, but the Krunchers were Nathan’s idea. He wanted to dip them in his hummus, but he didn’t buy just some ordinary Kurnchers. Oh no. He bought the Sweet Hawaiian Onion Krunchers in the pretty orange bag. So now two of my favorite treats are in the house; ice cream and chips. The only topper to this would have been if he had also brought home Christian Bale to scoop the ice cream out for me.

The hummus turned out great. He actually made three kinds; roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato (made with a recently expired jar of tapenade purchased at Trader Joe’s last year) and a traditional hummus with huge kick of garlic. I think he said he used seven whole cloves and I could still taste the garlic in my mouth when I woke up this morning. My man. He knows what I like.

I was a light glutton last night and indulged in all the treats Nathan brought home without going overboard. I even got me some Christian Bale in the form of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the three movies Blockbuster delivered yesterday.

A dream, indeed.

All the Linens ‘N Things stores in our area are closing. Nathan and I were lured to our local store by strategically placed signs promising 10-30% discounts on everything. A 10% discount was still not enough to get me to buy the mango corer I’ve coveted since witnessing Bobby Flay use one on Food Network.

We’re trying to curb our random impulse buys and limited our purchases to things we actually thought we needed; a pasta pot with a built-in colander, a shower head and some Rocket Pop molds. The pasta pot turned out to be a flimsy molded piece of tin that might last us a year, if even. It came with a few accessories that made the purchase worthwhile and I guess we’ll be able to easily drain our spaghetti until we burn a hole through the bottom of the pot.

The Rocket Pop molds are great. If you’ll recall, last year Autumn had an allergic reaction to a store-bought popsicle in a tube. At the time we weren’t sure if the popsicle was the culprit, but a couple of weeks ago the girl came home from daycare with a splotchy face that only worsened as the evening progressed. By morning she had some visible puffiness around her eyes and a quick inquiry at Carole’s confirmed my suspicion; she had been given a popsicle.

Seeing as we only have about three months of popsicle worthy weather around here, the ensuing popsicle ban did not seem like a huge loss for the Noahs. But then I found these molds and a slew of popsicle possibilities presented themselves. So far we’ve only made treats out of Crystal Light which, if you ask me, is not ideal frozen pop material. The result was more of a strawberry kiwi-flavored iced dildo than a tasty frozen novelty. Autumn liked it though. “Mmm. Thank you, mamma,” she said.

Since I’m kind of a freak about laundry stains, I imagine I’ll stick to the pale-to-clear spectrum of flavors for the time being. Autumn isn’t mature enough to manage a quickly melting frozen treat like that and my bed sheets have the strawberry kiwi stains to prove it.

I’m on vacation y’all. Well, not really a vacation vacation, but I’m not at work which is vacation enough. I’m actually taking a break so I can wrap things up for this Shakespeare class. I have a 12-20 page paper due on Monday and have yet to crack open a book for research. I have the books though. That’s what’s important.

Nathan is home with me this morning because he brought his car in to fix a busted mirror. As we were pulling back into the driveway after dropping the car off, I told him French toast sounded good. He said, “Stuffed French toast down at IHop” and I said, “No, I’ll make French toast. The IHop idea got to me though and I decided to make really great French toast. So there you are. Eat your heart out IHop.

And I’m pretty sure that’s the first time we’ve actually put the Reddi-Whip on top of something rather than just squirting it into our mouths.

Mom: I just love Chinese food. I could eat Chinese food every day. I love Chinese food so much I’d move to China.

Me: Oh really?

Mom: Yes.

Me: You do realize people in China don’t eat the Chinese food we eat here in America, right?

Mom: I know.

Me: They eat much better than we do. What we eat is Chinese-flavored crap. Still good, but not really something you should eat every day.

So there I was this morning at Walgreens, looking for something that used to be there and not finding it, when I happened upon their very long Easter candy aisle and laid my eyes upon these gems:

Anyone who knows me knows I love anything with vanilla flavoring. Snackwell’s sandwich cookies with the vanilla filling, vanilla Coke or Pepsi and, especially, vanilla ice cream. It probably wasn’t a good idea to go down the Easter candy aisle before having eaten breakfast, but I was actually looking for the egg-shaped vanilla Peeps that only pop up just before Easter. Walgreens didn’t have them, but they did have this:

Sugar-free Peeps! I found these especially appealing because they’re made with Splenda. Usually I don’t get sugar-free candy because I can’t digest it well. The sorbitol or malitol or whateveritol turns my colon into a high-pressure garden hose and all sorts of unpleasantness ensues, canceling out any good intentions for attempting to save a few calories. These are only 60 calories, however they did cost twice as much as their real sugar counterparts. The injustice of it all…

The ladies in my office are big on candy, and I’m fairly sure I’ve had every incarnation of the Hershey Kiss there is except for this one:

My vanilla radar spiked when I picked these up, and I was expecting something fabulous when I bit into one, but they were just so-so. Not bad, but not something I’d seek out again like the egg-shaped vanilla Peeps.

These, however, are worth their weight in gold:

At the beginning of every semester, my office distributes pounds and pounds of candy to returning students. The booty usually includes a variety of flavored Toostie rolls. I fell in love with the vanilla ones when I was pregnant and always wished I could find a bag of them somewhere. I’ll have to try to make these last for awhile.

Another great tried and true recipe today. This one I’ve been making for ten years and is about the only dessert I won’t eat because I’ve made it so much. Both sides of the family love it and it was devoured when I brought it in for a work potluck yesterday. My sister-in-law has tried variations with different kinds of pie filling and you have the option to make this as rich as you want or absolutely fat free. The best part is nearly all these ingredients are probably on sale at your local supermarket this week.

Cherries in the Snow

1 (8-ounce) tub fat-free cream cheese
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 (12-ounce) carton frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
8 cups (1-inch) cubed angel food cake
1 (20-ounce) can light cherry pie filling

Beat cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, beating until blended. Gently fold in whipped topping.Place half of cake cubes in a large glass bowl; top with half of cheese mixture. Spread half of cherry filling over cheese mixture. Repeat layers with remaining cake cubes, cheese mixture, and cherry filling. Cover and chill.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 212 (17% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 2.5g,mono 0.0g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 5.5g; CHOLESTEROL 4mg; CALCIUM 100mg; SODIUM 279mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1997

I decided to take a break from whining and share my favorite turkey recipe. I took over turkey duty for my family about five years ago after my grandmother swore she had roasted her last. The recipe calls for a 10-12 pound bird, which is actually perfect for my small family, but you can adjust it for a bigger bird and still get excellent results.

What I like most about this recipe is you don’t have to worry about basting the turkey every 30 minutes once it’s in the oven. The prep work can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but the end result is well worth it. While this recipe doesn’t provide the golden, crispy skin of a traditionally roasted bird, the meat is succulent and delicious. I’ve received rave reviews, and friends I’ve given the recipe to have gone on to impress others.

I found this gem in 2002 in Weight Watchers magazine, of all places. If you’re counting POINTS, three ounces of the turkey is 3 POINTS and 3/4 cup of the stuffing is 3 POINTS. I’m not counting right now. I should be, but…oh hell. Let’s not get into that right now.

Enjoy!

Brined Roast Turkey

2 gallons water (that’s 32 cups for those of you lacking gallon-size measuring cups)
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 medium carrots — peeled and thinly sliced (I cheat and use baby carrots)
1 large onion — thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peppercorns — coarsley cracked
6 bay leaves
1 10-12 lb turkey — thawed
Simply Delicious Bread Stuffing (See recipe below)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — melted

To brine the turkey (up to 2 days ahead). Heat 4 cups of the water in a saucepan; stir in the salt and sugar until dissolved. Pour into a large stockpot or clean bucket (large enough to hold the turkey), and stir in the remaining water and the carrots, onion, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Remove the giblets, neck, and any other packets from the turkey’s neck and body cavities; reserve for another use. Rinse the turkey under cold running water. Immerse the turkey completely in the brine solution and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Remove the turkey from the brine solution, and discard the brine and vegetables (just peel off any onions or carrots that may have stuck to the skin). Rinse well, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate, uncovered until ready to use (up to 24 hours ahead).

To roast the turkey: Arrange the oven racks to accommodate the turkey and a small baking dish (for the extra stuffing); preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray the baking dish with nonstick spray. Lightly spoon the stuffing into the body and neck cavities, making sure not to pack it in too tightly. Spread the remaining stuffing in the baking dish, sprinkle it with the apple juice or water, and cover with foil.

Place the stuffed turkey, breast-side up, on a flat rack in a open roasting pan. Rush all over with the melted butter to prevent the skin from drying. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F and the temperature in the center of the stuffing in the bird’s cavity is 160°F, about 2 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, add the dish with the stuffing during the last 45-60 minutes of the turkey’s roasting time; uncover for the last 15 minutes to give it a crisp surface.

Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a warmed platter; cover loosely with foil and let stand 15-20 minutes (you can prepare gravy as it stands.) Remove the stuffing and transfer to a serving dish with the additional stuffing, then carve the turkey. Remove the skin before eating. Serving Size: 3 oz turkey without skin.

Simply Delicious Bread Stuffing

1 14 oz bag seasoned cubed bread stuffing mix
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 large celery stalks — finely chopped
1 large onion — finely chopped
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Combine the stuffing mix, poultry seasoning, celery, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the broth, 1 cup at a time, until well moistened. Let stand at least 10 minutes at room temperature before using.

To stuff into a turkey, see the Brined Roast Turkey recipe. You can also bake the stuffing separately in a covered 2 quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray, in a 325°F oven until cooked through, 45-60 minutes. Serving size: 3/4 cup

I really miss my camera phone sometimes because some things you have to see to believe. There I was at the Lobby Shop waiting to pay for my Pepsi Jazz when I looked down to see a Reeses display sporting an image of a rhinestone-clad Vegas era Elvis.

Luckily the internet makes up for my lack of a camera phone so you can see for yourself that Reeses has indeed developed a Banana Creme peanut butter cup.

Get me a bucket because I want to yak.

A banana creme Reeses. That’s just all kinds of wrong. Don’t those people at Hersey know that folks don’t like banana-flavored anything unless its a…well a BANANA? There’s a reason the banana Runts are the last ones left in the bag.

Caramel Reeses? That’s ok. White chocolate Reeses? Ditto. Banana Reeses? That’s like saying, “Paris Hilton, Nobel Laureate.” Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Dr. Moreau, you can go back to your island now.