HAPPY THANKSGIVING

“What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye!
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie.”
—John Greenleaf Whittier, The Pumpkin, 1844

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"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues." Cicero
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I'll be making some of our old favorites today and trying out a few new recipes if I have time. I want to try a new pie crust using the vodka trick developed by the America's Test Kitchen folks after I get the necessary holiday dishes done. I've already got cranberry sauce in the fridge, and I plan to make my sugar-free faux sweet potatoes for the two of us and a regular batch for my daughter. I'll make pumpkin pies, hopefully in the new crust, and low-carb dressing to go with the turkey. My husband has requested a mincemeat pie too, but he will probably have to wait until Christmas for that. If anybody needs me, I'll be in the kitchen.

Have a happy and healthful Thanksgiving!

(C) 2008, Judy Barnes Baker

HALF PRICE SALE ON COOKBOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

Here’s a great deal on cookbooks for Christmas giving. FRP is the publisher for many, many popular cookbooks. They did not publish Carb Wars, but they do distribute it, so my book is available at their special discount. Just type the title in the search bar and it will come up.

Enjoy 50% off any orders placed on the FRP website

starting this Friday, November 28th!

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Simply visit us online at www.cookbookmarketplace.com

and enter promo code 08HolWeb

when checking out to receive 50% off your entire order!

(Excludes applicable state sales taxes and shipping. Shipping rates are $7.95 for the first book, $1 for each additional book.)

Place your order by December 12, 2008 to guarantee shipping by Christmas.
Offer good until December 31, 2008.

© 2008, Judy Barnes Baker

VANILLA

“Plain vanilla” is a very misleading description of the world’s most popular flavor. Most kids think “vanilla” means unflavored, but just try making a pudding or a custard without this aromatic, mellow ingredient, and you will discover how important it is. And just think what it would have been like to live in a plain gray world before the discovery of the Americas—with no vanilla anything (or chocolate!). However, most vanilla extracts contain corn syrup, even when the label says “pure vanilla extract.” I’ve found several brands that contain no sugar. You can also make your own extract quite easily. Here’s how I do it:

Split a vanilla bean lengthwise, being careful to retain all the tiny seeds, and place it in a small glass bottle. Cover with brandy, rum, or vodka and cap the bottle. Give the bottle a shake occasionally. It will be usable in about 4 weeks. Replenish the liquor in the bottle as it is used. When the vanilla bean loses its scent, replace it with a fresh one. The strength of the extract will vary with time, so taste it and use more or less if necessary.

More recipes for homemade vanilla extract can be found here: http://tipnut.com/homemade-vanilla-extract/.

I’ve listed a few brands of vanilla extract without corn syrup or sugar below. Most of these companies also sell vanilla beans. (If you are willing to buy vanilla beans in bulk, you may find a better price from a bakery supplier.)

Spice Islands vanilla, distributed by World Finer Foods, Inc., Bloomfield NJ 07003, available at grocery stores and from http://www.spiceadvice.com/.

Simply Organic vanilla, distributed by Frontier National Brands, Inc., Boulder CO 80301, available at http://www.frontiercoop.com/.

Cook’s Choice vanilla extract is widely available and can be ordered from http://www.cooksvanilla.com/

Trader Joe’s Tahitian Blend vanilla extract is sugar-free. (Trader Joe’s sells several kinds of vanilla, so be sure to get the one that lists only “bourbon, Tahitian vanilla beans, alcohol, and water” as ingredients.)

Singing Dog, all natural, fair trade, organic, and sugar-free vanilla is available in natural food stores nationwide and online from http://www.singingdogvanilla.com/index.html. They even have a couple of yummy, sugar-free, low carb recipes on their site, one for a Flourless, Sugar-free Chocolate Cake and one for a Sugar-free Chocolate Mousse.

What’s a singing dog? Singing Dog vanilla is made from vanilla beans grown in Papua New Guinea, home of a wild dog that does not bark but “sings” like a whale. There is a link from this page http://www.singingdogvanilla.com/dog.html on the Singing Dog Website to a recording if you want to hear the dog’s song.

(C) 2008, Judy Barnes Baker

NEW SUGAR-FREE ICE CREAM!

Well, this is refreshing news! After watching so many low-carb products disappear in the past few years, finally there is a new one. Hopefully this is the vanguard of a new low-carb trend.

After his doctor warned him to cut down on sugar or face Type 2 diabetes, Jon Gordon invented Clemmy's ice cream in his kitchen in Palm Springs, CA and named it after his cat. Clemmy's is said to reproduce the taste and texture of the super-premium ice creams with 25 percent fewer calories, less fat (??), zero sugar, only 1 Net carb per serving, and a glycemic index of 5.5. The press release says it is the world's first all-natural, super-premium, sugar-free and preservative-free ice cream and that it is sweetened with xylitol. It comes in vanilla, coffee, chocolate, toasted almond, and chocolate mint swirl and is carried by over 1,000 stores including Albertsons, Stater Bros., Gelson's, Jenson's, Harris Teeter, MDI/Lowes, and Bristol Farms. Here's the link to read about it: http://www.clemmysicecream.com/

The first ingredient in Clemmy's is cream (real cream!) so that's a good start. Unfortunately, the second ingredient is maltitol syrup, and the label carries the usual warning about its side effects, so it's not perfect. Never-the-less, I'm thrilled to have another option for tasty, sugar-free ice cream, and I'll certainly give it a try if I can find it at my local stores!

(C) 2008 Judy Barnes Baker

Here's Something You've Got To See!!

Check out this picture from the Eli cooks blog: http://elicooks.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/bacon-really-does-make-everything-better/#comment-92.

Why didn't I think of that? An apple pie with a lattice top made of bacon! Now, if only he'll try it with my sugar-free apple pie recipe, he'll get my unanimous endorsement!