After another week of making desserts for events, I’ve decided pies are a good thing.
I’m a baker at heart. I love spending the afternoon making cookies, cakes, bierocks, pies and the like. But I also cook by taste and texture. Sure I follow recipes…kind of…most of the time…well, maybe loosely. But I always have to make certain the end product is going to turn out okay by tasting it during the mixing process, it’s only natural.
Although I know it’s “risky,” I’ve never gotten sick from sampling a chocolate chip cookie batter or even a meatloaf.  Now, of course, it’s not a matter of getting food poisoning, it’s a matter of the ingredients not being on my diet.
Pie filling, now that’s a little bit different. Due to my aversion to fruit, I’m not usually tempted to sample my work and I don’t think you can taste a pecan pie filling to determine how it will end up—not even chocolate pecan  or maple pecan pie. So, pie is okay for the most part. Just don’t ask me to make a triple chocolate brownie pie or a French silk pie. That would be a different ball game altogether.
Therefore, be forewarned. If you ask me to bring a dessert, you will probably get pie… or a cheesecake dessert of some sort. Not a big fan of cheesecake either, so no temptation there.
I did make my first attempt at a Paleo cookie. I tried to use a trusted shortbread recipe and substitute coconut sugar, almond flour and tapioca flour instead of the banned ingredients. They turned out okay; they tasted fine, but were a little too crumbly. Maybe I will try it again but instead of tapioca flour use coconut flour. My understanding is that coconut flour absorbs more liquids so maybe it will hold everything together better. If it works, I will share the recipe. If not, I think as is, it would make a pretty good pie or cheesecake crust, whether you are following Paleo or not.
Speaking of recipes, I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their soup recipes with me. Variety is the spice of life and I look forward to trying some new recipes.
I’m down another two pounds this week and hope to keep shedding a few every week. That makes my total down seven pounds in three weeks—and I’m still eating a good bit, maybe not in volume, but definitely in calories.
Don’t forget that a healthier you doesn’t mean you have to do something drastic—walk instead of drive; take the stairs instead of the elevator; grab a handful of nuts instead of M&Ms. Often times, it’s the little stuff that can make a big difference.

Mary Hoisington