Cognac-Laced Truffles

Here is a yummy treat for the (diabetic) adult(s).

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cognac
• 1/2 heavy cream
• 11 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 squares (1 ounce each) white baking chocolate, chopped
• 1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

  Coating:

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper. Heat cognac in a small saucepan just to simmering. Remove from heat. Add cream. Bring to simmering.
2. Place all the chocolate and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar in a food processor and whirl 1 to 2 minutes or until finely chopped. With machine running, add cream mixture in a steady stream. Process until smooth. Scrape into a medium-size bowl. Refrigerate just until thick enough to hold shape, about 1 hour.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. With your hands, quickly shape into balls. (Refrigerate to firm while working if necessary.) Place in freezer 30 minutes.
4. Prepare coating: Sift cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Add truffles, 3 at a time; toss to coat. Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 1 month. Serve at room temperature.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving) Calories: 76 Protein: 1 g Fat: 5 g Carbohydrates: 8 g Exchanges: 1/2 Starch/Bread, 1 Fat

Source: Family Circle's All Time Favorite Recipes

3 Sweet Diabetic Treat Recipes

One of the worries for many people that are diagnosed with diabetes is that they will have to give up their favourite sugary treats. Whilst it is true that you should moderate your sugar intake as a diabetic, by being a little creative you can come up with some sweet treats for yourself. In this article I will be providing you with three diabetic recipes for; chocolate cheesecake, diabetic double chocolate cookies and fruit and bread pudding.

1) CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

You will need:
- Margarine for pan
- 15 oz. part skim milk Ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 c. (12 oz.) light cream cheese, softened
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 c. unsweetened apple juice concentrate
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa (for topping)

To prepare preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring-form pan. Next wrap the outside of the pan with aluminium foil. Then place the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and puree them all till smooth. Next use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Then put the pan in the oven on a baking sheet for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven with door closed for 1 hour. Once the hour is up remove the cake and refrigerate. Before unmolding and serving, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then sift 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa over the top and slice the cheesecake with a knife that has been warmed in hot water. The finished cake should serve 12 people.

2) DIABETIC DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

You will need:
- 2 c. 100% Bran or Bran Buds, All Bran or Fiber One
- 2/3 c. water
- 1 c. egg (5-6 med.)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsp. chocolate extract
- 2/3 c. vegetable oil
- Liquid sugar substitute - equal to 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 3/4 c. flour
- 1/2 c. cocoa
- 1/4 c. dry milk (instant)
- 1 tsp. soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder

To prepare mix the ingredients well and drop the mixture onto a cookie sheet using a teaspoon. Then place the cookie tray in the oven and bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

3) FRUIT N BREAD PUDDING

You will need:
- 3 slices enriched white bread
- 1 1/2 med. bananas, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 c. sliced peaches with juice
- 1/2 c. cranberries
- 1/2 c. brown sugar replacement
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/3 c. water
- 1/2 tsp. banana extract
- 1/2 tsp. brandy extract
- Grated nutmeg (optional)

To prepare toast the bread on a baking at 325 degrees until dry. Then cut the toast into cubes. Next combine the toast cubes with the fruits. Then dissolve the brown sugar replacement and cinnamon in water. Next add the extracts to the water and pour this over the fruit/toast mixture. Then turn it with a spatula until well coated. Next let it stand for 5 minutes. Then turn it again, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Next place the mixture in a one-quart size oven-proof casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes serve the pudding warm with a dusting of grated nutmeg. The finished pudding should serve 3 people.

As you can see from these tasty recipes diabetes does not have to spoil your fun. You can still sample the sweet stuff. I hope you enjoy the recipes.

About the Author

Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. If you visit his fitness websites today you can download over 500 delicious diabetic recipes and sign up for a daily Free Fitness Tip

Santa Is Alive & Well - And We Are On His Team

I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.

As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.

"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill , wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about though, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's second grade class.

Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie.

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

Author Unknown