Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sweets

Chatta-Nougat Chew Chew

smoke — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:40:06 -0800

A big block of nougat, and no rice paper - what do I wrap it in? So I made some delicious (looking) nougat tonight as part of my xmas cooking, but I've not been able to find any rice paper for love or money. Getting it out of its container won't be a problem, but dear mefites what can wrap it in that won't stick too much, but still protect the nougat from itself and the world at large??

What am I eating?

Jaie — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:20:02 -0800

A coworker brought us two boxes of sweet-ish treats from China. She doesn't know what they are either. We're not overly worried about the ingredients, we just want to know a little bit about what we're putting in our mouths. Traditional Chinese foods? New-fangled stuff they only sell to tourists? How are they made? What are they called, are they meant to be part of any special meal/holiday/celebration, etc.

The first box (although I may have inadvertently switched the boxes and their original contents) are little (maybe 1" square?) white things that look like unbaked biscuits, although they are hard and have a texture like shredded wheat. Or maybe it's something spun? Very little flavor, very slightly sweet. Front of box here. Back of box here.

The second box held numerous rolled treats, some coated in sesame seeds. No filling. Hard, but not really crunchy. Too sticky to be crunchy. More flavorful than the others. Most of them have been eaten, but you can see one still in there. Front of box here. Back of box here.

Turn my plain-jane banana bread into a bombshell dessert thingy.

wowbobwow — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:56:38 -0800

Turn my plain-jane banana bread into a bombshell dessert thingy. I am attending a party tonight and underestimated how much cake to bring. I made a 9 inch red velvet cake but it won't be nearly enough, it turns out.

I do have a loaf of banana bread, which is I think decent enough to be transformed into a dessert. It's your standard rectangular loaf, unsliced. It should be something simple to do (aka not hollowed out and filled with truffles, etc). I'm a fairly experienced pastry cook, but I'm stalling out on how to repurpose this.

I'm eager for your ideas!

there is no more forbidden. why can't i understand this?

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:06:49 -0800

Raised in a super-strict, health-conscious household - I never learned "moderation" with not-so-healthy foods. Can I, as an adult, re-train good eating habits that do not include restriction, and do not include binging? My father was a biochemist/nutritionist. During my birth, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. As a result, food and healthy eating was a constant subject in our house, and I had little freedom to come to decisions on my own.

"junk" food was kept in a locked filing cabinet, to which only my father had the key. Our rations would include anywhere from 1-4 cookies a day, depending on our ranking from youngest to oldest (I am the youngest of four). Additionally, prior to my birth and my mom's cancer, food was less of a issue. It's normal for older siblings to pick on the younger ones; in my case, I was picked on because of the change in eating habits that merged birth and sickness. "We could always eat (x, y, and z) before you were born" was something I heard for many years.

Brown rice, tofu, steamed veggies, lean meats, low sodium, no-soda (and so on) was the diet of our household. As a result of this, I actually do sincerely enjoy eating "healthy" foods - they taste great to me. My favorite snack as a kid? Seaweed.

We were allowed to go go trick or treating as kids - but never allowed to keep the candy. Our rooms were searched for storing snacks we might have smuggled from school. This, in addition to keeping cookies under lock and key. Learning to develop a moderate diet, inclusive of everything with no restrictions, but knowing how to moderate foods, was something I don't think I ever developped.

Beginning in middle school when we had a little more freedom, I'd buy snacks at school, and hide them in places my dad would never look.

When I got my license and began earning my own money, this habit magnified - sneaking in the bad foods, hiding them, scarfing them down before I'd be found out.

I feel like I've carried these unhealthy habits into adulthood. I feel like if I get junk, it's not going to stay around. And so I must eat it quickly, in private, before it's found out and condemned. And I hate this condemnation. Even living on my own now, it's hard for me to rectify this ingrained reaction to junk or indulgent food - nothing lasts for long, because nothing ever lasted for long when we were growing up. In my mind I know no one is going to steal my hershey's kisses in the cupboard - but I feel like I've deeply internalized that if I have 3 now, I can't count on them being there tomorrow.

My problem is not that I dislike good-for-you-foods - I love them, actually. But I also feel like I don't know how to moderate my eating, and re-train my mind when it comes to developing good eating habits, where nothing is off limits - and find a balance between restriction and binging.

Can I change the way I think about food?

A dessert to remember

rachaelfaith — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:54:20 -0800

What is the best dessert you have ever created? This applies to cakes, pies, cookies, et cetera. I would like to blow my family's socks off this holiday season, by way of dessert. I am pretty proficient in the kitchen, so anything ranging from easy to difficult is welcome.

I just want it to be damn good- hopefully memorable enough to be requested in the future.

Please share any recipes you are willing to fork over and why they are superb. I plan on making at least three of the suggestions I get. Thank you in advance!

Sweet, sweet candy

mjao — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:49:38 -0800

What are some (at least slightly) healthy alternatives to muffins, pudding, cupcakes and chocolate? Everybody I know favours savoury -- but I favour the sweet stuff! My attempts to eat well eventually derail because while I have lots of healthy savoury options, I've got no healthy sweet options. NB: Fruit doesn't count, I already eat it and it doesn't seem to satisfy my cravings.

My diet consists of salads, sushi, nuts, rice, white meats (and sometimes bacon and sausages), soups, fruit, pulses, wholegrains, cereals, yogurt, etc.

I can go fine for a while but, especially when I have PMS, I need sweet stuff. And I am now on birth control that makes me hungry all the time.

So what do you think? Are there substitutes that are healthier than what I crave? You can be as wacky or creative as possible! I'll try anything.

Or should I just accept that I have a sweet tooth and not try to fight it? After all, the rest of my diet is okay. I don't really need to lose weight or anything (although I'd like to, I'm at the low end of healthy in terms of BMI so that's not really necessary, just superficial!)

How can I control my sweet tooth?

rybreadmed — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:08:51 -0800

I want to eat healthy, but have an almost uncontrollable sweet-tooth. What can I do to control myself? I eat pretty healthy. I try to keep processed foods to a minimum, eat well balanced meals, and brown bag it most days of the week. When I go to fast food places, I almost always look at the nutritional information and try to get the healthiest items (baked chicken rather than fried, for instance). I take fruits and yogurts with me to work and school with my lunches (well balanced, whole grains, etc.). I drink diet sodas and rarely put sugar in my coffee. I eat a big heaping bowl of oatmeal for breakfast every morning. I even go to the gym multiple times per week, and always opt for stairs rather than elevators or escalators.

However, I love sugar. I love M&Ms, malted milk balls, and pretty much anything with a chocolate coating. The HR director at work keeps bowls and bowls of this stuff on her shelf. It's like a candy buffet, and I'm quite literally the proverbial kid in a candy store. So through the day, I snack on these candies. I tell myself the occasional two or three M&Ms don't hurt, and I'm going to the gym after anyway...but I'll eat something closer to 30 M&Ms and 15 malted milk balls. Even if I'm being good and stay away from the HR office, someone might bring in cookies, and I may partake. Or birthday cake. Or donuts.

I'm not fat, but know I could be in better shape without the huge intake of this crap (and perhaps I'll live longer). I've tried many things to try taking my mind off the candy. I've tried keeping healthier snacks at my desk--rice cakes, raisins, instant oatmeal, nuts. I've tried avoiding the HR director's office. I've tried bringing bags of fruit, eating graham crackers instead, and drinking sugar free hot cocoa. But 95% of the time, I end up giving in. I crave the stuff.

So what can I do? What tips do you have to keep myself in control? Should I consider hypnotherapy? Is there anything that I can do to reduce my cravings for sweets?

Pop quiz for the hivemind

reformedjerk — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:49:19 -0800

How can I make Kernels popcorn at home? I'm a big fan of Kernels, a Canadian popcorn chain with stores in most of the major malls. Is there anyway I can make this stuff (especially the air caramel and creamy caramel flavors) at home? I've read questions about how to make salty buttery popcorn, but what's the secret for sweet popcorn?

Where to order cheap bulk candy online?

ThePinkSuperhero — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:25:14 -0800

I need cheap bulk candy (preferably of a mixed variety). The cheaper, the better. What's the best place online to order it? I ordered some cheap candy from Oriental Trading, but I feel like there must be cheaper options out there.

International Candy Exchange

arcticwoman — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:57:04 -0800

What chocolate, candy, sweets, etc, from Canada should I send to my friend in Germany? What do I have here that she would never have tried there?

Stove top cupcakes?

teststrip — Tue, 08 May 2007 20:57:01 -0800

It's Mother's Day soon... And I want to cook/bake my mum something - but I've got no oven! Suggestions? I'd rather make her something for this day, however I'm not so good at the arts and crafts and she's probably had enough special drawings and cards from me over the years. I have 1 x microwave, and 4 x ceramic hobs. Plus the usual bowls and blenders and stuff. I can go out and buy ingredients. The only thing I've thought of so far is making some truffles. Do you guys have any other tasty suggestions/recipes based on my oven-less state?

What does this phrase make you think of?

dobbs — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 21:26:46 -0800

What the Buddha Craves. What does this phrase mean to you or how does it make you feel or what does it make you think of? I'm still trying to come up with a name for my catering company. I've tried numerous names (single words like Zest, Flavour, Crave, Exquisite, and many others, including my faves from this thread), but they're all taken by other companies so I can't register them or operate under the names.

I have to decide on a name by Friday due to my company being written up in a third-party brochure.

Today, the above phrase came to me. I like it because:

- it's different
- implies something really good
- it couldn't possibly be the name of another food related place here in Canada
- its initials are available as a TLD

However, I don't know if it'll make sense to people. What does it make you think of? Is it too much of a mouthful? General thoughts?

Also, is it insulting to Buddhists?

Without trying to trivialize Taṇhā, for those not in the know, craving is a big no-no in Buddhism.

turkish delight please

stray — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 20:44:36 -0800

Where can I find nice Turkish Delight? When I was a kid, I LOVED St. Micheal's Turkish Delight from Marks and Spencers. It was nice and moist and looked just like the stuff in the Narnia movie. I believe it was discontinued, because after that we could only find second rate turkish delight--dry little chunks in a bunch of nasty flavours.

Do any of you have a secret turkish delight source? Rose flavour is a MUST. Other flavours, I can do without.