SASM
10-25-2003, 10:19 AM
Hi girls,
Okay...I HAVE TO share this because it is HYSTERICAL (or at least to me!)!! :)
Last weekend my diet went out the window as soon as I stepped off the plane (Ian and I went to DC to visit friends). We ate Chinese food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the entire weekend :) Okay...I am exaggerating but it really does feel like it. Anyway, I was in heaven...Bye-bye, Diet!!! Yeah!!! So, naturally as soon as I came home I knew that I needed to crack down and get back into the swing of things ~ throw out all of the junk food in the pantry and freezer and start anew, etc., etc. Well, today all DH was talking about was apple cider donuts and, naturally, all I could think of was chocolate chip cookies...namely my GF Lori's chocolate chip cookies :) I look at the back of the Tollhouse bag and mentally check off all of the ingredients before we make a quick trip to the grocery store. I had everything. Well, this evening, as I took everything out in preparation to bake (Side note...I HATE baking!! I have numerous smoke alarm stories!) after Ian was asleep, I noticed that I didn't have any applesauce (I was planning on TRYING to make them a little healthier without sacrificing my diet or sweet tooth ~ if they turned out bad they'd still have chocolate in them, right?). I figured that wasn't a problem. I REALLY wanted the cookies so I WOULD sacrifice the diet and go for the butter and make them like Lori :) YEAH! I open the refrigerator...no butter. I open the freezer...no butter (mind you...as of last month we had two boxes of butter ~ where did they go???). UGH!!! Then, I start thinking of alternatives (I REALLY want these cookies!!). I am sitting in front of the open refrigerator thinking, "Okay, mayonnaise! I have a recipe for chocolate cake using mayo. Mayo couldn't be all that bad in cookies, right? OH...Prune juice! I have seen prune stuff in a jar in the baking aisle that is supposed to be okay for baking. Maybe I can do something with this prune juice!!! :) Oh...wait...Here is Crisco! Oh...I want it to be healthy." Hello...Shar!!!!! Prune juice is a possibility but Crisco is veto'd????? Then, I start thinking of my poor Ian's baby food! OH...I can defrost his pureed apples!!!!! YEAH...instant applesauce!!!! Wait...I am actually thinking of taking food out of my baby's mouth for some, most likely, disgusting cookies...I don't think so. Then, I turn to my cooking reference books for guidance. Unfortunately, no such luck ~ they suggest oil ~ don't think so!! So, I am ready to cave and use the Crisco when I remember that my weight management program from the YMCA gave me info on using healthier cooking alternatives the other night. So, I find the info and flip to "butter alternatives". Nothing useful to me. Then, I look at "Margarine alternatives" and...whoa...pureed Great Northern beans!! I DO NOT THINK SO!!!! And then I think "Wait...I actually have those!" Well...believe it or not, I tried the recipe with pureed Great Northern beans and it actually turned out quite yummy!! YEAH!! I am going to make more "Chocolate Chip and Great Northern Bean Cookies" tomorrow :) They turned out more like muffin tops (you know...from Seinfeld). :) I actually ate three of them at 11.00pm when they were finished ~ such a no-no for me!! If you want to try them, follow the Tollhouse recipe but use 1.25 c. (or more) of beans instead of butter. I used foil on the cookie sheets but if your don't you will definitely need to grease the pan with cooking spray because there isn't any fat in the cookies to keep them from sticking to the pan. :)
HAVE FUN!!! Sorry about the rambling...I HAD to share :) Hey...it's a good way to get your children to eat beans ~ who woulda thought?? :)
Okay...I HAVE TO share this because it is HYSTERICAL (or at least to me!)!! :)
Last weekend my diet went out the window as soon as I stepped off the plane (Ian and I went to DC to visit friends). We ate Chinese food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the entire weekend :) Okay...I am exaggerating but it really does feel like it. Anyway, I was in heaven...Bye-bye, Diet!!! Yeah!!! So, naturally as soon as I came home I knew that I needed to crack down and get back into the swing of things ~ throw out all of the junk food in the pantry and freezer and start anew, etc., etc. Well, today all DH was talking about was apple cider donuts and, naturally, all I could think of was chocolate chip cookies...namely my GF Lori's chocolate chip cookies :) I look at the back of the Tollhouse bag and mentally check off all of the ingredients before we make a quick trip to the grocery store. I had everything. Well, this evening, as I took everything out in preparation to bake (Side note...I HATE baking!! I have numerous smoke alarm stories!) after Ian was asleep, I noticed that I didn't have any applesauce (I was planning on TRYING to make them a little healthier without sacrificing my diet or sweet tooth ~ if they turned out bad they'd still have chocolate in them, right?). I figured that wasn't a problem. I REALLY wanted the cookies so I WOULD sacrifice the diet and go for the butter and make them like Lori :) YEAH! I open the refrigerator...no butter. I open the freezer...no butter (mind you...as of last month we had two boxes of butter ~ where did they go???). UGH!!! Then, I start thinking of alternatives (I REALLY want these cookies!!). I am sitting in front of the open refrigerator thinking, "Okay, mayonnaise! I have a recipe for chocolate cake using mayo. Mayo couldn't be all that bad in cookies, right? OH...Prune juice! I have seen prune stuff in a jar in the baking aisle that is supposed to be okay for baking. Maybe I can do something with this prune juice!!! :) Oh...wait...Here is Crisco! Oh...I want it to be healthy." Hello...Shar!!!!! Prune juice is a possibility but Crisco is veto'd????? Then, I start thinking of my poor Ian's baby food! OH...I can defrost his pureed apples!!!!! YEAH...instant applesauce!!!! Wait...I am actually thinking of taking food out of my baby's mouth for some, most likely, disgusting cookies...I don't think so. Then, I turn to my cooking reference books for guidance. Unfortunately, no such luck ~ they suggest oil ~ don't think so!! So, I am ready to cave and use the Crisco when I remember that my weight management program from the YMCA gave me info on using healthier cooking alternatives the other night. So, I find the info and flip to "butter alternatives". Nothing useful to me. Then, I look at "Margarine alternatives" and...whoa...pureed Great Northern beans!! I DO NOT THINK SO!!!! And then I think "Wait...I actually have those!" Well...believe it or not, I tried the recipe with pureed Great Northern beans and it actually turned out quite yummy!! YEAH!! I am going to make more "Chocolate Chip and Great Northern Bean Cookies" tomorrow :) They turned out more like muffin tops (you know...from Seinfeld). :) I actually ate three of them at 11.00pm when they were finished ~ such a no-no for me!! If you want to try them, follow the Tollhouse recipe but use 1.25 c. (or more) of beans instead of butter. I used foil on the cookie sheets but if your don't you will definitely need to grease the pan with cooking spray because there isn't any fat in the cookies to keep them from sticking to the pan. :)
HAVE FUN!!! Sorry about the rambling...I HAD to share :) Hey...it's a good way to get your children to eat beans ~ who woulda thought?? :)