I had plans of reduxing an ooey-gooey chocolate dessert for this month’s Recipe ReDux post. But when we ran out of milk last week and my kids instead drank just-as-much-calcium-and-protein-as-milk hot cocoa for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I knew I just had to share the versatile recipe. And when I say versatile, I mean I use it in cooking, in smoothies and to successfully bribe my kids to go outside to run off pent-up energy in the dead of winter.

Most homemade hot cocoa mixes contain dry non-dairy creamer. Of course these creamers contain all sorts of chemicals and fillers which are completely unnecessary for a cup of rich hot cocoa. My recipe contains only powdered milk, baking cocoa and just a little sugar. So kids (or anyone) get the goodness of milk, antioxidants from the dark cocoa, and a little sweetness to make the powdered milk go down. (I was the child of a very frugal mother who at one point in my childhood provided my sisters and I with the dreadful experience of drinking plain reconstituted powdered milk “to save a little milk money.”)

The Cranberry Quinoa Breakfast Cookies are an example of how I use the mix to add some chocolate goodness to recipes. I added 2 tablespoons of mix to the recipe and used dried cherries instead of cranberries. And if you don’t have quinoa, Deanna made the recipe using cooked whole wheat couscous instead (see photo below!) The cookies are a perfect breakfast or snack along side a cup of the cocoa reconstituted with water, or with milk for extra creaminess and double the calcium and protein.

I’ve often declared my love for all things Southern, like here and here. Heck, I even have a “Southern Wannabe” board on Pinterest. And while I adore New Orleans and can’t wait to get back, I can’t say I have a burning desire to be there on Mardi Gras (ok, maybe if I was 10 -15 years younger.) I’m happy to keep my visits to Jazz Fest, half marathons and random weekends and will celebrating from afar come Tuesday with these beignets.

Now I have no illusion that baked beignets can even possibly compare to the fried deliciousness you get in NOLA (I made a daily trek to Cafe Beignet during my last visit – dare I say better than Cafe du Monde?) but I was intrigued to make them after reading the post & recipe from  Jenna @ Eat Live Run, which she adapted from Good Housekeeping. After baking and tasting – I agree with her, when doused in powdered sugar, their yeasty, sweet goodness certainly hit the spot.

So laissez les bon temps rouler and here’s the link again to Oven Baked Beignets (my only tweek was to add some freshly grated nutmeg to the batter.)

Have you ever been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras? Do you have a favorite spot for beignets?

On the eve of President’s Day weekend, I must share my Aunt Sandy recipe for cherry pie. It’s not your typical cherry pie. It’s Banana Cherry Pie flavored with cinnamon and almond extract and (besides Huckleberry Pie) it was my very favorite pie as a child. I even occasionally asked for it for my birthday, instead of cake.

Aunt Sandy was an amazing cook. Her homemade chocolate bonbons were memorable – and so was her spaghetti with meat sauce, her elaborate birthday cakes for my cousin and her repertoire of delicious hamburger casseroles recipes. (Since she and her family lived on the cattle ranch with us – there was always a need for another variation on the hamburger casserole.)

My aunt also had diabetes. She managed it very well. But I’ve never forgotten what she told me when I announced I was going to be a dietitian; she said “I don’t like dietitians.” When I got over the initial shock, I found her to be an inspiration to always, always think about the feelings of person on the other end of diet advice I was dispensing – and to make sure that guidance was realistic.

And in the end, it turns out Aunt Sandy may have known more than a few of her dietitians back in the day. She was able to manage her diabetes well by eating a fairly ‘normal’ – but healthfully home-cooked diet, and made sure she had protein at every meal. That’s pretty near where recommendations for people with diabetes stand now: Eat the same healthful diet as the rest of the family – just monitor carbohydrates, fats and protein more carefully.

This pie is certainly not a low-carb pie. But it is chocked full of fruit and a moderate piece can obviously be worked into a healthful diet. I like to serve it as an afternoon snack to my kids along with a glass of protein-packed milk which this weekend we will raise to our Presidents Washington and Lincoln.