 I baked a big batch of fudge nut brownies yesterday and we had them
for dessert last night. There were still some left over this
morning. When my children woke up and made their way to the kitchen,
yawning, the first thing they saw was the brownies. Everybody knows
it's going to be a good day if there's going to be fudge nut
brownies in it. Consequently, their eyes brightened and I could see
the wheels start turning: "How can we negotiate one of those
brownies?""Mom, can we have a brownie?" they asked hopefully.
"Brownies are not breakfast," I said like a good mommy, as if my
mouth wasn't watering at the sight of them. I thought to myself,
"When they leave for school, I'm going to snag a nice hefty one for
myself." Yeah, so I'm a hypocrite.
My daughter tried one more time, "We'll eat our breakfast right
after we eat our brownie." I said no, as she knew I would.
Faces falling, they scuffled to the cupboard and brought out the
cereal. Same old thing: colorful fruity rings with marshmallows and
chocolate-flavored sugar balls...
Wait just a minute! I read the labels, as I should have done
before I bought them, and found sugar, sugar, high fructose corn
syrup (whatever that is) and more stuff I couldn't pronounce. It
read like a recipe for spontaneous combustion!
Why would they put all that bad stuff in breakfast cereals for
kids? I think I may have discovered the origin of ADHD! Or then
again, maybe it's the only way parents can get their kids to drink
milk, which is good for them. Hmmm.
I thought, "What do fudge nut brownies have in them?" Sugar, yes,
but not as much as the cereal. Flour, certainly. Nuts have protein
and fiber. Eggs -- that's a great breakfast food. Why? I don't know.
Someone declared eggs a breakfast item and the rest of us agreed
with him, I suppose. It seems just that random, this categorizing of
breakfast, lunch and dinner foods, doesn't it?
Why don't we eat a salad for breakfast? Or roast beef and mashed
potatoes? Or how about a nice big plate of liver and onions? Why do
we only eat certain foods for breakfast and everything else is
off-limits? Doughnuts and muffins aren't so different from fudge nut
brownies. So, why are they considered breakfast foods? It doesn't
seem fair that fudge nut brownies should be blackballed from the
breakfast list.
[to top of second column]
 |
 Well, so far, fudge nut brownies were beating the pants off the
cereal for the "Breakfast of Champions" title. However, a brownie
doesn't do very well in the milk category. But... what if... we
drank a glass of milk with it?
Bingo! Here is where I sprout wings and become my children's
fairy godmother. I wave my magic wand and say, "You guys can have a
fudge nut brownie for breakfast if you drink a glass of milk with
it." Woo-hoo, that felt good!
My 9-year-old yells, "Dad! There's an alien taking over Mom's
body!"
I frown at him and say, "OK, but if you tell your dad I'm an
alien, you're never getting brownies for breakfast again, because
your mom won't allow it."
"Never mind, Dad! Just kidding. Can I have the piece in the
middle?"
So, OK, we have established that I have no discipline whatsoever,
but these are fudge nut brownies we're talking about, after all.
Manna from heaven. Ambrosia.
My children and I are all devouring brownies and gulping milk
when my husband comes into the kitchen.
"Fudge nut brownies for breakfast?" he questions me. "Who are
you, and what have you done with my wife?"
One of my children whispers, "He knows!"
With my mouth full, I answer him, "You want your wife or a
brownie?"
"That's a no-brainer," he says, pulling up a chair and helping
himself to the unexpected treat.
I know I should be insulted, but I'm eating fudge nut brownies.
All is well in my world today.
Laura Snyder may be reached at lsnyder@lauraonlife.com. Or check
www.lauraonlife.com for more columns and information about her
books.
[By LAURA SNYDER]
Laura Snyder may be reached at
lsnyder@lauraonlife.com. Or visit
www.lauraonlife.com for
more columns and information about her books.
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