Today as I was cooking I started thinking about sweet rice, which led to me thinking about my great aunt Edda and her all-time best sweet rice in the world.  Every time we would have a get-together, we knew what Edda would bring, and there would never be any leftovers of the creamy dessert-like delicacy. 

I remember one time my mom got the recipe from her (I need to get a copy).  I think it has rice, milk, salt, and sugar in it, sprinkled with cinnamon when its done.  Well, my mom made it one time, but it just wasn't the same.   Now that I am older I know why. 

When it comes to those "unhealthy" dishes, my mom never follows the recipe.  If it calls for one cup of sugar, she thinks, "that's too much sugar", and puts in 1/2 cup.  If it calls for cream, she puts in milk.  Yogurt substitutes for sour cream, whole wheat for white flour, olive oil for butter, or applesauce for oil.  By the time its cooked and out of the oven, it doesn't resemble the original at all.  Now I can poke fun of my mom like this, because I have teased her about this in the past, and she knows its true .  And I do think she is a good cook.  I'll take her potato salad and beans anyday over Bill Miller's.

I won't mention any names, but there is another person who has these healthy tendencies too.  My husband tells tales of how a certain pecan pie (with the sugar/karo substituted with black strap molasses) sent his young nephew scurrying to the bathroom. 

Occasionally, I find myself doing this same thing.  My husband is doing a low-carb diet right now, so I made some brownies for him.  The flour I used was Bob's Red Mill low carb baking mix.  I substituted splenda for the sugar.   The result?  They were awful, hard little black shapes that looked like they were displaced from the kitty box.  They tasted even worse.  Nathan thought they were ok, but he had been deprived of sugar for a month, so what do you expect?

Nothing can compare to a creamy rich creme brulee, or a slice of homemade sour cream cake.  I think its better to starve yourself all day and eat one really yummy, good, rich, lusious dessert once a week than indulge in dessert wanna-be's that leave your tongue and tummy feeling cheated.  So from now on, I vow to always follow the recipe, unless Nathan specifically requests kitty droppings of course.