"The Case of the Missing Brown Betty"

I have been gifted with children who do not like to eat breakfast. They never have. But I guess I can identify because I am not a breafast food eater either most of the time. They would rather wait until lunch to eat. However, when they don't eat, they - the Prince especially - become evil, growling, snapping turtle beings from another world in another galaxy. Always. So the beginning of the school year presents a challenge in planning to get something into their tummies before the bell rings. The Princess will eat cold cereal....but she likes it dry...in a baggie. Eeew. On rare occasions - when I don't have the time really - I can talk them into poached egg on toast or a scrambled egg sandwich. Oatmeal with a scoop of ice cream (it's just frozen milk and sugar...right?) usually lasts well into October. We had a run on cheese quesadillas once....for about a week. My own personal junior high favorite, bologna and mustard on toast, is always a standby and not necessarily that healthy. So I try to get creative. Every summer.

Today I wandered over to one of my favorite blogs - The Pioneer Woman - where there is an outstanding collection of picture perfect (and not so perfect) recipes. Looking for something fruity and different to use for breakfast this fall, I happened upon this recipe for Apple Brown Betty. I love the Pioneer Woman. She makes me want to cook butter for my family....and if you have ever tagged through her recipes you know that 'butter' is not a typo for 'better'. Heh.

Anyway, I made some changes to the recipe based on what I have in my kitchen. I cut the brown sugar in half...well way more than half. I dutifully cut seven slices of fat free, whole wheat bread into tiny cubes. I peeled and thin sliced 4 Granny Smith apples. I added a handful of soaked dates - just because I had some leftover in the cupboard from HRH's chocolate chip date birthday cake. I watered the layered fruit, sugar and bread layers with 4 tablespoons of water and covered it all with slices from a stick of my favorite 'not really butter'. Wrapped it all in foil and baked that baby. It was out in time for the kiddos to try for.....lunch. Taste tested it with a warm healthy sized serving and it was deeelicious. The Prince wouldn't touch it. The cooked apples were too brown for him. And he is also suspicious of anything with apples and cinnamon because I have a tendency to toss some hideous raisins in with it too.....or dates. Princess liked it. She likes anything with fruit and can over look the hideous raisins...and dates. She ate a healthy serving. Had another healthy serving myself. Yum. Saved the rest for HRH's dinner treat.

And then while I was working on a cold tuna salad thing to stick in the fridge for dinner because we have soccer practice and a soccer game in two different directions tonight, I had another spoonful...right from the pan. The not-butter and brown sugar carmelized with the bread cubes quite nicely. So I had another spoonful to celebrate my good cooking skills. Stepped away for a while to check my e-mail and wandered back to stir the cooking macaroni...and took another bite. One wasn't enough, so I took a second. Or was it a third? Anyway, HRH's serving kept getting smaller and smaller. Sigh.

So now the pan sits in the sink filled with hot water and soap, soaking all that stuck on carmelized sugar away. And HRH is wondering why there are so many spoons in the sink. Heh. Next time I will save my spoon.