Maple Roasted Chickpeas

The holiday is over, the food has been eaten, and I feel like I need to detox. Every year I vow never to eat as much as the year before and every year I fail to do so. After laying on the couch in a food-induced daze for much of yesterday, I'm ready to eat my greens. As much as I swear off food the day of a big meal, repeating I'm never going to eat again! in a woeful voice to anyone who will listen, the next evening I still find myself craving something sweet.

Perhaps this is the curse of having a sweet tooth.

I've only gone early morning Black Friday shopping once. Since I'm a solid believer in giving homemade gifts, any supplies I buy aren't typically listed as doorbusters. I much prefer the warmth of my bed and waking up with the sun, enjoying a small breakfast before I head out shopping. I'm constantly amazed at how few people are left in the stores by nine in the morning. I get sleep, avoid crowds, and still manage to pick up a few things for myself.

This is my version of Black Friday shopping.

To satisfy my sweet tooth after a big holiday, I like to make simple, healthy snacks that will not make me feel like I need to spend another hour at the gym. Ideally I would like to avoid all sweets, but it is just not in my nature. Turning healthy food that is typically served savory, like chickpeas, into a snack food makes me feel good about my sweet tooth. If I happen to eat the entire batch (as it has been known to happen), there is really no harm done. I already have a batch of these Maple Roasted Chickpeas stored away.

I hope you enjoy this detoxing snack as much as I do!

Maple Roasted Chickpeas are easy to make and easier to make disappear. Chickpeas are coated with a little oil, cinnamon, and brown sugar before roasting in the oven. Roasting transforms the chickpeas from soft beans into crunchy nuts. A little drizzle of maple syrup after baking adds sweetness and flavor (but not stickiness) to the final product. Roasted chickpeas make for a quick snack that is is healthy for you too!

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Hot Bourbon Apple Cider

We are constantly told to obey the law of moderation. Everyone from doctors and scientists to advertisements on television give us subtle, but constant reminders on what we should (and should not) be doing with our minds and our bodies. They warn us that we should be practicing moderation in everything from the way we eat to our activity levels or else. This idea of moderation pervades every aspect of our lives, spreading the belief that we may have a taste, but never take a bite. They tell us that if we practice moderation we will be healthier and happier, more wholesome and financially secure.

I disagree with the idea of moderating all of the elements of our lives. The rules governing moderation are strict and unforgiving. There is no room for error, for spontaneity, for the variety in life that only midnight snacks and staying up too late can bring. I want to replace the notion of moderation with one of balance. Life doesn't have to mean a eating a bowl of oatmeal every morning. It can (and should) mean the occasional hot fudge brownie sundae, too.

I'm happy to see that Julia Child feels the same way.

One glance at the three hundred sweet recipes on this blog and it's easy to come to the conclusion that my counter tops are lined with as many sweets as a bakery shelf. The reality is far from that truth. While I do eat my fair share of baked goods, the food on these pages often finds its way into friends' stomachs and onto coworkers' plates. I try to eat healthy outside of baking and, for the most part, I succeed. I try to make it to the gym for a couple hours a few times a week. I drink eight glasses of water and eat fruit and vegetables every single day. In many regards, I am the model of someone trying to practice moderation. However, as anyone could tell you, a dessert blogger is never going to achieve the ideals of moderation.

While there is a place for moderation in balance, there isn't necessarily a place for balance in moderation.

Last night I threw moderation to the wind. While watching my latest guilty pleasure, I sat down on the couch with a jar of peanut butter, a spoon, and a handful of toffee. I nibbled the toffee and ate spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar. By the end of the show, the toffee had disappeared along with half of the jar. After a week of eating well and exercising regularly, a little indulgence just felt right. The truth is that I need small indulgences here or there to help me stay on a healthier (and happier) path. While moderation may frown at my indulgences, shaking its head in disappoint, balance embraces me for them, telling me to lick the spoon clean.

Good or bad, right or wrong, this is how I maintain the balance in my life. This is what works just right for me.

Hot Bourbon Apple Cider is a hot drink for cozy evenings. The ingredients are few, but the taste will bring warmth back into chilled limbs. Spiced apple cider is heated before combining with a shot of bourbon and a splash of orange juice. A cinnamon stick to stir the concoction together adds a hint of extra flavor. While drinking only one of these Hot Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktails would be practicing moderation, drinking two might just maintain the balance in your life.

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Marbled Butternut Squash Bread

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to put pen to paper and release a story from somewhere deep within me. To give the mumbled, uncertain emotions swirling in my head a channel with which to escape. I wanted to release words from my fingertips with as much energy as the release of balloons into a deep blue sky.

Perhaps it may come as a surprise to you, but I've always been a little reserved. My tongue holds my thoughts prisoner, fighting against the rattling brain in my head that is eager to share them with the world. It's a personal, quiet battle I struggle with in slowly conquering that stubborn tongue of mine. In a way, writing has become an outlet to free the thoughts in my head. To give a voice to the words I cannot seem to speak aloud.

Even so, some days I have a love-hate relationship with writing. Writing is hard. More often than not, I end up staring at a blank computer screen when I sit down to write, the blinking of the cursor reminding me how much time is passing, my mind seeming to wipe itself clean. Though I love the process of writing once I begin, the process can be difficult to start. I have been known to avoid writing like it is a chore, pandering myself by visiting webpages or taking care of household business instead, trying to ignore the call of the white blank screen.

Yet, I cannot ignore the call forever. I eventually find myself in front of that same blank screen, discovering the determination to cover it with black ink. The need to write outweighs whatever feelings I may have about it. Perhaps, in many ways, that is the true mark of writer.

Even though I love sharing my thoughts and stories with you, I have always written for myself. I struggle to write for anyone else. When I settle down in front of the computer screen, I must forget that thousands of you may stumble across my words and read them—the thought is enough to stop even the bravest of writers mid-sentence. I can't write while I feel like someone is watching me; I'm afraid that person will read my words and find a way to judge me for them.

Even so, I wonder if I can truly be called a writer. The term is enigmatic, ascribing a certain measure of success and failure. If I am to be called a writer, I like to imagine that any eight year old girl with a head full of ideas and dull pencil in hand can be called by the same name too.

Writer or not, the need to write never changes. I plan on slicing myself another piece of this bread for inspiration when I find myself facing the next blank screen.

Marbled Butternut Squash Bread has a subtle sweetness with striking tones of color. Butternut squash meets the classic fall spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves—creating a moist and pleasantly dense loaf of bread. A third of the batter is mixed with cocoa before swirling into the rest, creating not only a marbled appearance, but a marbled flavor. The bread works well served with a simple butter spread but, if you are feeling a little adventurous, a bit of chocolate spread certainly wouldn't be amiss.

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