Posted by Mundelien Review, IL on May 29, 2009 at 13:48:14:
Aging Well Bakes! Simple, healthy substitutes score in local bake-off
May 28, 2009
by VERONICA HINKE Contributor
"I'm so shocked! I didn't think a sugar-free recipe would win," said Sue Kadison. But it did. The 91-year old broke a hair-splitting tie in the Aging Well Bakes! contest of original recipes to win a $500 Williams Sonoma gift certificate.
The competition, for seniors over 55, was hosted by Mather LifeWays, an Evanston-based not-for-profit that supports senior residences and community initiatives.
Sue Kadison's Easy Sugar Free Crescent Cookies were top prize-winner at the Aging Well Bakes! competition on April 29 at Mather Place of Wilmette.
Five finalists were judged on April 29 from dozens of recipes submitted from across the country at Mather Place of Wilmette, where Kadison is a resident.
She has been researching healthy baking options since her late husband had a heart attack and became a diabetic some 20 years ago.
"I began reading labels and discovered that most frozen pie crusts have very little sugar, sodium and carbohydrates," she explained. So Kadison uses store-bought crusts instead of traditional baking dough to create many sweets, including her winning Easy Sugar Free Crescent Cookies.
Tweaking recipes
Competition runner-up Patsy Mariani presented her Patsy Brownie Squares to the judges, cleverly adjusting the recipe to accommodate family health concerns. Mariani and her husband love peanuts, but they have diverticulitis, a digestive disease that causes seeds and nuts to collect in the colon, sometimes creating infection.
"We can eat peanut butter, but not nuts," Mariani explained. Instead of ground peanuts on top, Mariani uses rice cereal to keep the crunchiness. "But you have to have peanut butter for the taste," she said. So, she mixes the cereal with peanut butter and melted chocolate to make a flavorful topping, bursting with good fats and nutrition.
The perennial cookie
One of the competition's grading criteria -- besides taste, texture, appearance and ease of preparation -- stood out boldly apart from the others: How the baked item celebrates growing older as a fun, sweet and positive experience.
Can a cookie do that?
"Yes, along with a lot of other little things," said Wilmette resident Ed Menaker, who works with Chicago's Terra Nova Films, Inc., a company that uses film and video to foster understanding of life in later years.
"Older individuals aren't looking for big, overloading experiences," he explained. "They begin to see life in a different way, with experienced eyes. Young people can learn a lot from them, especially now as we scale back."
Adapt the contestant's techniques to your own baking, or try these health-winning recipes:
Easy Sugar Free Crescent Cookies
Frozen pie crust
1 jar sugar-free jelly or jam
Raisins and nuts (optional)
1/4 C cinnamon mixed with sugar-free sugar
Roll out pie crust on floured board. Dot pie crust with margarine or butter. Spread jelly over pie crust (raisins and nuts optional). Cut pie crust into triangles. Roll up triangles into small crescents. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture over cookies.
Place on buttered cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes until light brown at 325 degrees.
Patsy Brownie Squares
1 (20 oz.) box of brownie mix
1 jar of marshmallow fluff
1 C creamy peanut butter
1 (12 oz.) bag of chocolate chips
3 C rice cereal
Grease a 9- by13-inch pan.
Prepare the brownie mix. Bake and let cool in pan.
Spread marshmallow fluff on top.
Mix peanut butter with chocolate chips. Melt in microwave.
Add rice cereal to peanut butter and chocolate chips. Mix well. Spread on top of the brownies.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
FOLLOW UP POSTS ARE NOT PERMITTED - DO NOT COMPLETE & SUBMIT FORM