This month I’ve started a new and exciting pursuit…Studying. It’s been a long time since I darkened the door of a classroom…about 8 years to be exact. I decided to take advantage of the best of all benefits at UBC: Tuition Credits. I’m taking a class in creative writing for the pre school set. In the coming weeks, I could be resorting to monosyllabics, but I’m not yet fully immersed in the genre of children’s literature.
I think engaging that muscle between my ears is important to health and well being. Current research (http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/ADPrevented/) points to the advantages of keeping cognitively active. One of the best ways I know to use my head, so to speak, is to try something entirely new. That led me to creative writing. I haven’t written children’s stories since I was a child. I do have a good built in “focus group” with my two sons. I’ve been passing my story ideas by them for the thumb up or thumbs down. I also spent an afternoon recently in the children’s book store to scope the latest trends in books for post millennium cohort. The conclusion: not much has changed. I will take this chance to shamelessly plug my former school mate Sherri Finch. Her books are rhymingly hilarious with great graphics. After a Gov Gen or two, I guess she knows what she’s doing with a pen and a blank page. Oh sigh, “If only I could aspire to such heights”.
The goal of the course I am taking is to have a completed book to send to a publisher by the end of the term. Wish me luck, and kindly accept my apology if I start to speak in limericks.
Finally, I have an astounding recipe to share with you for (get this) low fat brownies that you can actually eat and enjoy!!! They are an incredible 58 calories each (per 1 ½ inch square, not per pan). As usual, I leave out the salt and use 50-50 unbleached white flour and whole wheat flour. My children don’t like walnuts, so I leave those out, too. I’ll share this now because the season of over indulgence is creeping up (67 sleeps, 2 hours, 46 minutes & 18 seconds at the time of this writing). This recipe will definitely satisfy your chocolate craving and your sweet tooth at the same time. I’ve tried many variations of brownies over the years, but this one is the best (well, second best compared to the sublime Hershey’s Brownie recipe http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,156180-237196,00.html).
LOWFAT FUDGY BROWNIES
From COOKS.COM
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. prune puree or prepared prune butter
3 lg. egg whites
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable cooking spray; set aside. Cut chocolate into 1 inch pieces and place in heat-proof bowl. Set over low heat in small skillet containing 1/2 inch simmering water. Stir occasionally just until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat; set aside.
In mixer bowl combine all ingredients except flour and walnuts; beat to blend thoroughly. Mix in flour. Spread batter in prepared pan; sprinkle with walnuts. Bake about 30 minutes until springy to the touch about 2 inches around edges. Cool on rack. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Makes 3 dozen brownies.
To make 1 cup of puree: Combine 1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) pitted prunes and 6 tablespoons water in container of a food processor. Pulse on and off until prunes are finely chopped. Makes 1 cup. (I used pureed prunes found in the baby food section of the grocery store.)
Nutrition per serving: 58 calories; 2 g fat; 10 g carbohydrate; 70 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 30 percent of total calories comes from fat.
