Friday, August 26, 2011

Easy and Smart Cupcakes

Nothing reminds me more of mom than chocolate cake baking in the oven!  Usually I don't bake cakes or desserts for just the three of us, but today's cupcakes are different.  Here's why.....

They are waist-friendly.  I took a box of chocolate Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix, added a can of diet Sierra Mist soda, stirred it up like a regular cake, put it in paper cupcake cups, and baked them for 20 minutes. 

We couldn't wait to taste a warm cupcake, and it was over-the-top good.  Not only did I save 3 eggs and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, but our arteries won't suffer with clogging cholesterol.  The reason I made cupcakes instead of a 9 x 13 cake is to limit the portion size.  My eyesight can get pretty skewed when it comes to cutting a piece of cake!

There's room here for lots of experimenting with different cake mixes and flavors of soda.  Strawberry and orange soda comes to mind with a white cake mix.  Top that with sugar-free pudding and fruit, and wouldn't that be a healthy dessert.  I wonder what diet root beer would taste like with a yellow cake mix?  Lots of combinations to play around with.

When I  see a place to save......whether it be money, time, or calories......I'm johnny on the spot.  It's the wise thing to do these days when prices are going higher and obesity is getting to be a national worry.

If anyone comes up with a really yummy cake-soda combo, please feel free to leave a comment for the rest of us!



On a totally unrelated subject, I'm adding a very special post-script to today's blog.  On July 12th I asked my readers to pray for our dear friend who suffered complications during surgery that left him in critical condition.  Thank you all for praying, because our prayers worked a miracle.  We are going to visit this guy and his wife at their home and even go for a special outing that we had planned prior to his surgery.  The doctors call him their "miracle patient," and maybe it was your prayer that turned the tide for him.  All I say is, thank you from my heart, because this friend is ever so special to us.  Life without him would be unthinkable.  God bless you all.