Do I look as old as they do?

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can’t look that old?

Well…. You’ll love this one.

My name is Cathy and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist.  I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago.  Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?  Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought.  This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face as way too old to have been my classmate.

After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School .

‘Yes. Yes, I did. I’m a mustang,’ he gleamed with pride.

‘When did you graduate?

He answered, in 1975. Why do you ask?’

‘You were in my class!’, I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely.

Then, that ugly,

old,

bald,

wrinkled,

fat ass,

gray-haired

decrepit

son-of-a-biscuit asked,

‘What did you teach ???’

Blueberry & White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cookies

NGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup oats, quick-cooking or old-fashioned (not instant)
• 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries, (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped (see Tip)

PREPARATION

1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°F.
2. Whisk flour, wheat germ, baking soda, salt and ground ginger in a small bowl. Whisk egg, brown sugar, oil and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; stir to combine. Add oats, chocolate, blueberries and crystallized ginger; stir just to combine. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart.
3. Bake the cookies until puffed and barely golden around the edges, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

• Tip: Dried cranberries or cherries will also work in place of blueberries; all can be found, along with crystallized ginger, in the baking, dried fruit or produce sections of many supermarkets and natural-foods stores.

NUTRITION

Per cookie: 115 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 84 mg sodium; 38 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

Sweet Breakfast Bread Pudding

Sweet fruit-full breakfast bread pudding

The sweet fruit-full breakfast bread pudding brings a dessert-like dish into brunch. (Juli Leonard, MCT)

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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Ingredients:
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 cups half-and-half
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 loaf country Italian or French bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes or 6 cups any stale bread, biscuits or cake
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit
(such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pitted cherries, sliced peaches or plums) or 1 cup good-quality semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

1. Combine buttermilk, half-and-half, eggs and vanilla. Add bread cubes. Let them stand 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread absorbs most of the liquid. Add fruit or chocolate and stir to combine. Pour bread mixture into prepared pan, making sure to get all the liquid out of the bowl. 

. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil large to cover the pan and grease one side of it with butter. Place buttered side down over the baking dish and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer, until the top is golden brown and crispy.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the butter and cream together. Slowly add the sifted confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the warm pudding. Serve warm; leftovers can be reheated in a 300-degree oven. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 249 calories, 47 percent calories from fat, 13 grams total fat, 136 milligrams cholesterol, 24 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total fiber, 8 grams protein, 242 milligrams sodium.

Gooey Caramel-Chocolate Bars

Crust
1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® chocolate fudge cake mix
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
3	eggs
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
Filling
1	bag (14 oz) caramels, unwrapped
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
Topping
1/2	cup reserved cake mix
1/2	cup quick-cooking oats
3	tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

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1.	Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Reserve 1/2 cup cake mix for topping. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, 1/2 cup butter and the eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until set.
2.	Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat caramels, 1/4 cup butter and the milk over medium heat about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.
3.	Spread caramel filling evenly over partially baked crust. In small bowl, mix reserved 1/2 cup cake mix, the oats and 3 tablespoons butter with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over caramel filling.
4.	Bake 18 to 22 minutes longer or until top is set. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 1, bake 16 to 20 minutes.

Kitchen Tips

Get your kids involved in making these bars by letting them unwrap the caramels. Just make sure the caramels don't disappear!

Kitchen Tips

Be sure to purchase sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. They are used very differently in recipes.

Nutrition Information:

1 Bar: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol25mg; Sodium 150mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 15g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.