Things aren’t always as they seem. Uh-huh, I’m pretty sure you already know that, but in the last few days I’ve been remembering times when I’ve learned that lesson in a personal way. Sometimes in life things can turn out to be pretty scary when we find out it is not what we thought it was. Other times, we can just find it humorous and get a good laugh.
Yesterday, as our little Selah was spending the day with us, she wanted to help me make a peach pie. She drug her stool up by the cupboard where I was rolling out the pie crust. After I had trimmed the bottom crust, she picked up some of the leftover dough. She tasted it, and made a face at me. Then she tried to use it as play-doh, but it would not stick together enough for her interest. I explained it would be better after we baked it, but I’m not sure she agreed.
As she and I added sugar and cinnamon to the peaches in the bowl, ready to put on top of the crust, her little finger quickly poked into the mixture. As she put it into her mouth, she smiled and told me it was good! After I scraped the bowl, she immediately wanted the rubber scraper to finish the job herself…by enjoying the sweet peach juice that was left in the bowl.
After we got the pie in the oven, and the counter top cleaned off, she spied a little piece of cardboard off in the corner. It held a golden yellow drop of liquid. She began to reach for it, and at the same time asked me if it was honey. I hurriedly pulled her hand back, and told her it was not honey, and it was not anything we could eat. She loves honey, especially “honey toast”, but I had to explain that what she was eyeing was poison, to help get rid of some pesky grease ants.
Watching Selah find out new tastes and information, reminded me of a time when I was about ten. It was my first trip to California with my family, and we got to eat breakfast in a restaurant. That was a special treat for us, as it didn’t happen very often. When my pancakes came there was a small white ball sitting on top. I had never seen that before, and I thought it was ice cream. After putting most of it in my mouth, I suddenly realized that it was butter! Ugh..I love butter, but not a whole lump of it at once! My dad found it pretty funny and teased me about it for a long while, but I never did that again.
One time, at a buffet meal in Worthington, my mom took a little saucer full of dark brown gravy with her meal. She liked gravy, but when we watched her put her spoon in it and take a big bite of it, we began to wonder. She instantly made a horrific face, and struggled to swallow it down. She had thought it was chocolate pudding, and was ready for a treat. Oops…mistaken!! Another time my dad chuckled…but mom wasn’t too happy!
For about a year now a magazine has been appearing in our mailbox entitled Family Circle. I have no idea how it gets to us, as it is a mystery who pays for it. But I really enjoy its contents. This last one is called the wellness issue. It covers all kinds of things for the home and family, and this time especially focused on nutritious food and good snacks. I thought about this idea of things not being exactly what you think it is when I saw this title: “ Seriously Sneaky Chocolate Cake”. I am a committed chocolate lover, and I just had to give this a try. For fun, if nothing else. If you are brave enough, go ahead. See what you think!
Seriously Sneaky Chocolate Cake
Cake: Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9 by 9 square pan or a 7 by 11 pan. Line with parchment and spray again.
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
Mix this altogether and set aside.
One 15 oz. can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
Process this in a food processor until smooth and blended.
4 large eggs
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Add to the liquid mixture and process until smooth. Add the dry
ingredients and process again until well blended. Pour into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Loosen with a knife between pan and cake. Flip over, remove parchment and cool completely. Add frosting.
Frosting:
Bake one medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces) until well done.
Cool 10 minutes. Slice in half and scoop out the flesh. You will need 1 cup.
Place in food processor and blend until smooth.
Add 1 cup chocolate chips ( any kind you prefer) and process until smooth.
Scrape sides occasionally; the warm sweet potato will melt the chocolate.
Cool 10 minutes and spread on the cake. (Makes 1 1/2 cups frosting)
This recipe has less sugar, fat and calories than “normal” chocolate cake, but more fiber. Crazy delicious and moist!
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