Cooking strike!

Well, not so much of a cooking strike, as I just haven't had any time whatsoever to cook something yummy! We have been busy around here as usual. Nevertheless, I *have* been trying to plan my Easter Menu. Holiday menu's are some of my favorite meals to cook so I will definitely keep you posted on that. The only thing that is for SURE is the bunny cake (which we make every year....have since I was little), and an Italian Creme Cake. I'm sure everyone reading this blog has had a piece of Italian Creme Cake, so I need not go into detail about what it is. My mouth is watering thinking about it though. It has been a long time since I have had one and there is no better time for coconut than Easter. Why? I'm not sure, but I'll say because it is white and spring-y.

Other posts to look out for besides Holiday meals, are our monthly/bi-monthly (when we can squeeze it in) Dinner Clubs. Not only do we have a BLAST at Dinner Club, but the food is always delicious. There are 9 couples and we each bring one dish, anything from pre-dinner drinks to dessert. You can rest assured that the meals are always delicious and recipes are shared. As long as no one objects, I will be posting all of the recipes from our Dinner Club on K is for Kitchen. Lucky for you (and me), Dinner Club is next weekend! I have appetizer this time. I still haven't decided what to make, but I will keep you posted.....

For now I will leave you with this....


I found it in the baking aisle yesterday. Or was it the canned fruit aisle? Can't remember. Anyway, it said it was a '"Lighter Bake" Butter or Oil Substitute'. I was curious, so I read further. The back said

Try Sunsweet's 100% fat- and cholesterol-free baking ingredient — perfect for your favorite heart-healthy recipes! Lighter Bake is a great-tasting substitute for butter, margarine, oil and shortening, made from a blend of dried plums and apples. It makes fabulous moist and chewy baked goods that are healthy, too.

Although Mike turned green right there in the aisle, I knew I had to get it. Before he could beg me not to, I quickly let him know that he would get brownies more often if they didn't call for a 1/2 cup of oil. To which he replied, "Oh, OK then."

So I tried them tonight. The verdict is: it really wasn't bad! The consistency of the brownie was a little more spongy that I would like on the ouside pieces, but when I got to the inside (Yes, I ate more than a row. Shut up.), it was moist and gooey, just like I like them. And there was no difference in taste whatsoever. Now stirring them prior to putting them in the pan did give me quite the bicept work out, but thats no biggie.

Now I cant wait to try them cold. That's the true test! It's an Ashley McCool secret that I have to let you in on. Cold brownies = HEAVEN.