Last night we wanted something sweet. The problem was we felt guilty (ok, I did) because of the holiday bingfest that took place the last couple weeks. The solution was to open one of our cookbooks and find a recipe that doesn't play on my guilt. I found this one. A fruit crisp. Fruit, cinnamon, a little flour and I cut down on the quantity of brown sugar and butter. If I had it I would have even took a step further and substituted for whole wheat or rice flour. Either way this was so delicious. I got my antioxidant boost, my sweet cravings were settled, and there wasn't an ounce of chocolate in this dessert. whaaaat!

Food network chef Micheal Smith has a great cookbook, The best of Chef at Home. Here is a modification to his fruit crisp recipe:

• Cut up any fruit you desire (or have) and toss them with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange on a baking dish. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 stick melted butter. This is where I cut down to about 3/4 cup each. Sprinkle on top of fruit and bake at 350 until sides are bubbly and top is crisp brown. Cool a bit, and enjoy. Hey. Be bad and add icecream, or be better and add a bit of frozen yogurt, I won't tell anyone.

Another good cookbook? Alton Brown's Good Eats 2. My husband is a huge fan. He is a little whack but I must admit his recipes always hit a home run. We made his hollandaise sauce on boxing day and it's not only an easy way to make it it was better than anything I have had in restaurants on my eggs benny. Thanks Alton. You are fantastic.

links: http://www.chefmichaelsmith.ca/en/home/default.aspx
http://www.altonbrown.com/adventure/press_pages/press_bio.html