ALL I WANT IS A LITTLE SWEETNESS

 

OKAY, NOT A LITTLE, A LOT!

Baking shows are my guilty pleasure. Friends call these my porn. My current favorite is The Great Chocolate Showdown. What I wouldn't give to be a judge on that program and have the privilege of tasting all of those deliciously tantalizing concoctions. M-M-M!!!

Many of the cakes on these shows are unbelievable. I've never understood that old saying: "You can't have your cake and eat it too." -- What else can you do with a cake??? You can't bowl with it, display it as a lawn ornament, or wear it on your head like a hat!

Cake is a marvelous dessert! One of the great mysteries of life is how a vegetable as odious and repugnant as the carrot is miraculously transformed into a cake that tastes as if it fell from the higher reaches of heaven. But I'm sure the raisins, walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, & other spices, along with the cream cheese frosting have something to do with it.

As much as I love desserts, I've never cared much for pie. Cake is similar to a lovely and elegant lady with whom you are instantly intrigued and find yourself fantasizing. Pie is like her squat dumpy cousin tarted up beyond her beauty.

To my taste buds, crust and sweetness rarely go together well. Pie bakers should forget the crust altogether. Save it for quiche where it works perfectly! Serve the filling in goblets topped with tasty & decorative flourishes. That would make for a truly special dessert!

However I do enjoy Key Lime pie (Our official Florida dessert!) but the cake version is even better! And I made a fabulous one! I'd start with vanilla cake batter & add 2 packets of lime jello. If I couldn't find a lime frosting, lemon worked just as well. Pillsbury sold the best one! Sometimes I'd add shredded coconut. For the finishing touch I'd sprinkle green-tinted sugar on top. It tasted every bit as delicious as it looked, plus it was simple & easy to make!

When my father was alive, I did lots of baking. He was also a voracious dessert lover. There were two of us to eat everything. After he passed it became too much. And nowadays I'm trying to cut back for health reasons, plus weight gain accelerates with age.

I'm incorporating lots of fresh vegetables & fruit into my diet now. -- However the pleasures of the palate must not be denied. Ah, I still have my cheat days! Eating dessert is one of the few creature comforts I can still afford.