Category Archives: food

the 100 calorie pack

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There are two main problems that we Americans face in our battle against the bulge according to Obesity in America (and common sense):

“Weight gain and obesity are caused by consuming more calories than the body needs – most commonly by eating a diet high in fat and calories, being sedentary or both.”

Duh.

So, for those of us who do not have internal mechanisms to tell us to stop stuffing our faces, or who have emotional needs that are often soothed through the consumption of food (I fall into both of thoee categories), portion control and exercise are key.

I can generally get the exercise in. It’s the sweets I cannot give up. I was made to consume chocolate. My mom used to call me her little chocoholic. I have tried and inevitably, I end up returning to the treats I love so much. And, after a period of deprivation, I will admit that I have been known to eat an entire pan of brownies in one day (no, not one sitting). I cannot give up my sweets. I know people who just say, “So, just practice moderation. Eat one brownie, instead of the whole pan.” Yeah, well try being me.

I have a brother (not the funny one who comments on my blog) who just gives up sugar anytime he wants to lose weight. He will just not eat any bread, sugar, whatever…except for the occasional handful of chocolate chips. If only I had that kind of control. If only I could stop at a handful of chocolate chips without returning to the bag over and over again until I’m frustrated with myself and angry at my lack of control.

Enter the 100 Calorie Packs! These are my control. These are treats with limits. These are my little two point wonders that satisfy my sugar needs and keep me sane. Sure, I could eat a lot of them, thereby negating their benefits, but that requires opening a new package…a process that requires thought and gives me time for reflection, “Do I really want this?”

And, as Nabisco has begun the trend, many other companies are following suit. My current favorite (satisfying both my ice-cream and chocolate needs) are chocolate enrobed vanilla ice-cream bars by Klondike (they don’t have a name). They give me what I need in 100 calories. I love them!

alsatian apple tart

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Or…Tarte aux Pommes a l’Alsacienne

When I lived in Europe as a missionary, another missionary and I were visiting a family that belonged to our church. As we sat and visited, Soeur Perrier threw together (and baked) this amazing tart. As Sunday was going to be my holiday dinner with my friends, but it was also Sarah’s birthday, I had planned on making a red velvet cake (birthday cake for Sarah)…but to no avail. Harmon’s was all out of red velvet mix and, while I do love baking from scratch, I have yet to find a recipe that is as good as Duncan Hines box mix.

I had a dilemma. It was 1 am Saturday night (Sunday morning…whatever). I love Sarah dearly, but I had no desire to spend more time out in the snowy streets, driving to another store, at 1 in the morning. What’s a girl to do? Well, I decided that, since dinner was a traditional Swiss meal (December 9th is both Sarah’s birthday and Raclette Day), I would bake a delicious tarte aux pommes to go with it. I had a rough idea of what ingredients I needed, added them to my cart full of potatoes and cheese, and headed home.

I’m sure many of you have had an apple tart. It’s pretty basic. Pastry, apples, some sugar, maybe butter and glaze (usually strained apricot jam). But this is a little different. So, without further ado…here’s the recipe.

Basic dough (because there is quite a bit more sugar in this recipe, I didn’t use a sugared shell)

  • 1 1/4 c. flour
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c. cold, unsalted butter
  • 3 Tbsp ice water

Stir together dry ingredients. Cut in butter – use a pastry cutter for a truly flaky crust. Add water until the dough just pulls together. Do not chill. Roll out in a 13 inch circle for a 10 inch tart pan (the dough should be about 1/8 inch thick). Fork the bottom of the shell (this allows air and steam to escape without destroying your tart).Filling

  • 2 lbs of apples (I used about 6 large Jonagold apples)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 c. sugar (plus a little for sprinkling)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 F with rack in lower 1/3 of oven. Peel, core and slice the apples. Place apples in the tart shell in some kind of layered pattern. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes (until apples are tender and barely golden).While baking, combine eggs and sugar. Mix until light yellow. Add vanilla and cream. Stir to combine.
When apples are tender, remove tart and pour custard mixture over apples. Return to oven and bake another 10 – 15 minutes, until custard is set. Serve warm or chilled.

Christmas is not "clothing optional" this year – we have a guest.

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  1. I am grateful for new traditions…specifically the 5k Justin and I ran this morning. And I have to say, while I don’t love the way I look, it’s not bad for 6:30 am with no makeup.

  1. I am grateful for yummy, yummy Thanksgiving dinner.

  1. I am grateful for old traditions…specifically orange rolls.

  1. I am grateful that my brother also worked at Williams-Sonoma, meaning his kitchen is outfitted as well as (if not better than) my own.

  2. I am grateful that, even though I have not run since the marathon due to injury and illness, my body complied as I forced it to run 3.1 miles this morning…a little faster than I ever have before.

Forever on Thanksgiving Day, The heart will find the pathway home.

Wilbur D. Nesbit

Stand up, on this Thanksgiving Day, stand upon your feet. Believe in man. Soberly and with clear eyes, believe in your own time and place. There is not, and there never has been a better time, or a better place to live in.

Phillips Brooks

fabulous fall dinner

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So, I’m posting some pictures as a break from the essay monotony. This was from our fall dinner last Sunday. And in case you’re wondering; no, I didn’t take a single picture of people.

Emily brought yummy potato soup. Bread bowls provided by Sarah. And Kelly brought salad that I neglected to photograph.

Tuscan Bean Soup
Brought by Candice
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 cups low fat low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup canned tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cup Kidney beans
  • 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
  • 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  • 1 cup seashell pasta
  • black pepper

Combine oil, onion, garlic saute for five mins. Add bell pepper and saute. Add broth, tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 mins. Add thyme, spinach and pasta. Cook until pasta is soft. Serve.

In case you’re wondering, while I did over bake them, the brown on top is actually caramelized sugar. Some of it is more caramelized than the rest.

Miniature Pumpkin Cheesecakes (brulee)
with Cinnamon Crust
stolen from the Williams-Sonoma website

These fanciful little desserts are perfect for entertaining and are ideal for an autumn buffet. The graham cracker crust is seasoned with a touch of cinnamon, echoing the warm spices in the pumpkin filling.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 Tbs. sugar

For the filling:

  • 1 cup pecan pumpkin butter
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  • 14 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

  • Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly butter the wells of a miniature pumpkin cheesecake pan.
  • To make the crusts, in a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, butter and sugar and stir until blended. Divide the mixture among the prepared wells. Using a shot glass or other small glass, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the wells.
  • Bake until the crusts are set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
  • To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin butter, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the vanilla. Add the pumpkin mixture and beat until completely blended, about 1 minute. Pour the batter into the crusts, dividing it evenly among the wells.
  • Bake until the filling is set and puffed but not cracked, 23 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before unmolding.
  • To unmold, press an index finger through the hole in the base of each well and push up to remove the cheesecake and the metal disk. Carefully slide a small spatula underneath the cheesecake to remove it from the disk, then transfer to a platter. Makes 12 miniature cheesecakes.
  • If you are feeling a little ambitious and own a torch, I recommend adding a little brulee topping to the cheesecake. It gives this great little crunch and a bit of a caramel flavor!

random thoughts at 3 am

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Really, I have 25 posts floating in my head…but I don’t have time to fully develop any of them, so here are some random thoughts.

  1. I am pretty direct and sometimes I don’t think people know how to deal with it. I don’t believe in agreeing with someone just to be agreeable. I don’t believe in telling someone that something is “fine” if it isn’t. I don’t believe that I “have” to be friends with anyone. And I think if people are going to ask how I’m doing, they should actually want to know because I am actually going to tell them. What it boils down to is sincerity. I try to be sincere. And sometimes, I sincerely offend people.
  2. Writing essays for grad school makes me feel totally inadequate and relatively stupid…not something I’m used to. Yes, the truth is, I generally think I’m not just adequate, but quite accomplished, and I rarely feel stupid. Oh, back to number 1, I don’t believe in false modesty.
  3. I love meeting new people…in small groups. I love getting to know them. I love learning about them. And I love when I get to do this while eating delicious food at a restaurant I’ve never been to. That was my evening tonight. I went to The Dodo with Laralee, Dana, and Denise. The company and food were fantastic.
  4. I don’t love most things about snow, but there is one thing I do love. I love how, at night, the world is so quiet. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the chance to stand outside at night in the snow, but I love it. I could stand for hours just listening to the silence.
  5. While I understand the economics of a dollar movie, I cannot understand the disgustingness (yes, it’s not a word) of the dollar theater. So gross. The thing is, being economical (or poor enough that you can’t afford normal movies…which is about where I am these days) is no excuse for throwing your popcorn on the ground, or letting your children run around barefoot, or not flushing a toilet. And do they pay their employees way less, so they don’t expect them to wipe off counters, clean bathrooms, and sweep the theater. I just don’t understand.
  6. Sarah and I met Dan Keys last night. If you have no idea who that is, he is the lead singer of Young Love. I love YL and I love Dan Keys. Young Love was the opener for the opener for Say Anything. We pretty much just went to hear Young Love. We left right after they played, but not before heading to the merch table to say hi (and swoon just a little). I’m sorry, but he is just super sexy. And tall. And his voice makes me melt. Here are my two favorite songs (in acoustic form) off of their self-titled album.
  7. I talk a lot. Sometimes I feel like I totally monopolize conversations. And sometimes I know I’m doing it and just can’t seem to stop myself. Why is that? Why can’t I shut up?
  8. Sarah and I will be singing at Big Shot Karaoke on Thursday. This should be a good time.
  9. Sometimes, I worry about things over which I have no control. Well, maybe not worry, but I definitely think about them. A lot. And often. I wish I could stop doing that.
  10. I have really, really weird dreams when I take naps. I think that’s part of the reason I don’t really like taking naps. And often, those weird dreams involve scenarios that allow me to act out my deep seeded, almost subconscious, desires to tell someone off. They make me feel like a bad person.
  11. Even though, colloquially, it’s common to end a sentence with a preposition, I have a really hard time doing it, even when not doing it means that I sound super formal and kind of geeky.
  12. I should really go to bed because I really am tired. I just don’t want to. And do you know why I don’t want to? Because I don’t want to wash and moisturize my face or brush and floss my teeth or brush my retainer and put it in my mouth. (Yes, I still wear a retainer at 29…my dad paid good money for my teeth, I’m not about to let them move.) I hate getting ready for bed. Hate it. But I can’t sleep if I don’t do the full routine…except the retainer part. This is a struggle every night. How dumb is that?
  13. On Wednesday, I was supposed to take my French midterm. I didn’t feel ready, so I asked for extra time. Ask me how much I’ve studied? I bet you can guess.
  14. I love Christmas music. My favorite to listen to is David Lanz’s album, Christmas Eve. However, I also love singing Christmas music. I know it’s only October, but in preparation for the season, here’s my favorite David Lanz song, Angels We Have Heard on High, and here I am singing (along with 350 other people) The First Noel and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.
  15. Just about the only thing I miss about my undergrad experience…singing. There is nothing like singing in a huge choir, especially a capella . And it’s something that you can’t just throw together, you know, huge numbers of people who can sing in tune. I still sing, but it is not the same. I wish I could explain it. But, since I can’t, I’ll just share one more song with you. Since it’s Sunday, here’s one of my most favorite hymns, Where Can I Turn for Peace?
  16. Tomorrow (well, today) we are having a little friends’ dinner. Soup in bread bowls, salad and miniature pumpkin cheesecakes with cinnamon crusts. I’m so excited. ETA – in case anyone thinks I never mess up cooking, I totally over baked both the crust and the cheesecake. I’ll take some pictures so you can see what happens if you over bake cheesecake. It’s ugly. The good news is, neither event has ruined the taste (perhaps the texture is a little off, but not horrible).
  17. Okay…it’s time to get ready for bed. Oh the pain! It’s funny how easy it is to whine about getting ready for bed when there are so many people who don’t have the luxury of a) getting ready for bed or b) having a bed to sleep in. I hate that my mind works this way. I can never just feel sorry for myself and sometimes, I really want to.