i have a confession

i am a diabetic. i have been for years. i tell folks that i have denyabetes. well, truth is i can not deny it any longer. it is ugly and things are going to have to change including this blog. i still plan on baking and cooking, but attempting to switch up my recipes to healthier ones, not only for me, but for the family, too. i am trying to get motivated, but truly am devastated. it is my own fault. i know better and knew better. my family history of diabetes and heart disease is overwhelming, so i can no longer turn a blind eye. i have to get real, real serious that is, about doing the right things for me and my family, especially my children. i have struggled with my weight for life, failure after failure, up and down, but i can not fail here. failure will result in limb loss, kidney failure or even death. wake up beth!

i am now in the process of scouring for diabetic and heart healthy recipes to share. i am just so depressed that something that i enjoyed so much, reading cookbooks, is torture. the recipes just make my gag reflex kick in. i want sweet, salty and fatty foods. you know the "good" bad stuff. those days are over, now it is time to trick, i mean retrain, my brain and taste buds! it is time to break old habits and start new healthy ones! it is time to embrace a new beginning! it is time to...

oh crap, who am i fooling. this sucks.

i am still here

for the moment anyway. i have not been making or baking anything lately that was worthy of a post in my humble opinion. don't leave me, okay? luv ya!

here is a little pic from all the snow we have had. it's the redneck saucer cross, hold on while daddy pulls you with the lawnmower!

there's a snake in my boot!

my woody sock cupcake, not quite done. the ribbon is actually a bandana which comes a to a point in the back. now, to infinity and beyond!

valentine's cupcakes, sorta

sockcake #1

sockcake #2

whadda ya think about these? do you think people would pay money for one? they come with their own cute little box and topper. i would love to make sock cakes for all occasions, boy or girl. if not, i am having fun playing. once again, be honest, brutally honest!!

p.s.-any ideas as to what to call them! how about sock-it-to-me cupcakes? lol!

babysocks cupcakes

i am not crafty, at all, but i am trying to make some cupcake decorations for an upcoming baby shower. this is my first attempt. whaddaya think? be honest, brutally honest.

me? i am just not feeling them, yet.

blackberry bars

recipe #2 using the betty crocker cake mix that i won! this is a recipe that i originally found on recipezarr, but changed it up quite a bit. i just call them, plain ol'blackberry bars, but you can call them strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, even grape, whatever flavor bars you would like. they are very versatile, super simple, super crumbly, but super delicious. in hindsight i would have let them go another five minutes or so in the oven to brown a tad more. also, let them cool completely before cutting or you will end up with blackberry crumble, although equally delicious, just more messy. top with a scoop of your favorite ice cream and no one is none the wiser. enjoy.

beth's blackberry bars

preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit, grease a 9x13 pan

in a large bowl mix the following:
1 box of yellow cake mix
2.5 cups of quick cooking oats( i used old fashioned pulsed in the food processor a few times)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil or melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
the dough will be crumbly. i found mixing with my hands the easiest, squeezing the mixture as i go to help moisten it all. now, pat firmly half the cake/oat mixture onto the bottom of your pan.

next, you will need one 18 oz (about two cups) jar of preserves, your choice, warmed in microwave briefly(25 seconds or so) to aid in spreading. spoon the warmed preserves evenly on top. finally, top the preserves with the remaining cake/oat mixture once again pressing firmly.

bake for 25 minutes(i am including the extra five minutes i should have done mine). cool completely and cut into squares.

cake mix chocolate chip cookies

i was lucky enough to win a betty crocker gift pack the other week from real mom kitchen, a fantastic blog with fantastic recipes and ideas. the gift pack included cake mix, icing, a decorator's kit, pot holder, spoon, cake server and an icing spatula. it is really awesome, but i was not in the mood to make a cake, so i searched the betty crocker web site and found this recipe for cake mix chocolate chip cookies. they are a mix and drop style, in other words, quick and easy!


i whipped them up for the family and well, they are not bad. definitely not your typical chocolate chip cookie, more cake-y with a strong vanilla flavor. everyone seems to be enjoying them based on the consumption rate. i think this recipe would be a great kid's project or a throw together cookie, but it won't ever replace the tried and true made from scratch chocolate chip cookie. enjoy.

p.s. i received two boxes of cake mix, so another cake mix recipe that is not cake, is on the way!