Sugar fix...

In the stress of the last few weeks of school I've been craving a lot of sugar. Here are three recipes that I've recently tried and would like to share with you.

Sugar in the main course:

Apricot Sauce (I've used this with both pork chops and meatballs):

1/4 cup chopped onion.
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt

Saute onion in a bit of oil. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thickened and sauce-like. Add cooked pork chops/meatballs to sauce and heat through. Really good served with rice.


Sugar in the dessert (well, duh):

Chocolate Fudge Pudding
(like a pudding cake)

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water

Place first 5 ingredients in bowl. Stir.
Add milk, cooking oil and vanilla. Stir well. Turn into a 3 1/2 quart (I used a 4 quart) slow cooker.

Stir second amount of brown sugar and second amount of cocoa together well in bowl. Add hot water. Mix. Pour carefully over batter in slow cooker. DO NOT STIR. Cover. Cook on High for about 2 hours until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.


Sugar in the snacks:

I was first introduced to peanut butter popcorn at a professor's house. Apparently it's a Swiss Mennonite tradition to have apples and popcorn on Sunday evenings.

Peanut Buttered Popcorn

3 quarts popped corn (keep warm)
1 1/2 cups nuts (opt.) - I used walnuts, but I've also had it with peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter

Put sugar, honey and syrup in heavy, greased pot (greased pot not necessary if using non-stick cookware, but I've learned that greasing the popcorn bowl would probably be a good idea). Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. While stirring, add peanut butter. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Immediately pour over warm popcorn. Stir until well coated.

If this recipe makes more than you are able to eat in one sitting, it works to roll the extra into popcorn balls while it is still warm.


Well, I've just finished a handful of raisins and chocolate chips while writing out these recipes, but now it's time to get back to the books. It's exactly two weeks until the end of the semester so the pressure is on!

Happy eating!