Why mess with something so Absolutely Fabulous?!

Eddie: Well, I don't have to go to a plastic surgeon to keep my body together, do I. No, no, no. Because I want to tell ya, I've got my fantastic bone structure. I am thin and gorgeous!
Penny: Thin? Ha!

Apparently, Fox is working on a U.S. remake of "Absolutely Fabulous," a '90s-era British comedy that remains one of my favorite all-time shows. And part of me wants to be excited about this, especially since it seems that Jennifer Saunders will actually be involved with the project. On the other hand, how can you even attempt to replace the irreplaceable original cast?!

According to news sources, the new Ab Fab would be set in L.A. but retain the basic template of the original, revolving around the friendship of two boozy, over-40 best friends who are desperate to stay hip and youthful. A show brilliant in its uncensored bad behavior and satirical humor, the series featured the amazing Saunders and Joanne Lumley as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone, two hard-drinking, substance-abusing, selfish and immature Londoners. Their cruel humor served as a relection of the hypocrisy of current society, and often came at the chagrin of Edina's more moral and conservative daughter, Saffron.

There was also a running gag about weight. Edina, for example, would often embark on various diets of water and meat in an effort to shed a few pounds. Patsy, on the other hand, was seldom seen consuming anything other than a cigarette or cocktail. Irreverant and hilarious - that was Ab Fab.

So to honor our favorite misbehavin' Brits, I've included a few sugar-free cocktail recipes (courtesy of Hungry Girl) to get you through the week. If those don't interest you, simply raise a flute of Patsy and Eddy's favorite drinks, Bolly Stolly (Bollinger champagne and Stoli vodka) or Dom & Bom (Dom Perignon champagne and Bombay Sapphire gin) in the hopes that Fox gets this one right.

Kickin' Key Lime Pie Martini
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. lime-flavored vodka (like Finlandia Lime or Smirnoff Twist of Lime)
1 oz. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
2 tbsp. pineapple juice
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. Cool Whip Free

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a martini shaker with 1 cup ice (crushed ice works best). Cover the top of the shaker, and shake thoroughly. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy!

Black Cherry Mamba Mojito
Ingredients:
3/4 cup diet lemon-lime soda
1 shot (1 1/2 oz.) light rum
1/8 tsp. Kool-Aid Black Cherry Unsweetened Soft Drink Mix
12 mint leaves
4 dark sweet cherries (fresh and pitted or thawed from frozen)
1/4 lime, cut into slices
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (we like Splenda!)
5 - 8 ice cubes

Directions:
Remove seeds from lime slices. Then muddle (aka pulverize) the mint, lime and cherries in a glass. Add the soda, rum, Kool-Aid, and sweetener. Stir well. Add ice and enjoy!

Finally, here's a hilarious clip showing one of the few times Patsy is ever seen consuming actual food. Enjoy!

That's just nuts!

So I just had some friends in Houston call up, asking advice on how to weather (tee hee) the upcoming hurricane. You see, I was one of the unfortunate souls living in Florida during the insane 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. And because I was a reporter at the time, I couldn't just pack up my car and flee to a less dangerous region, like all of the sane people. Noooooo, I had to stick around and actually, you know, report on it. Thankfully, though, I was in newspapers and not broadcast. I'd hate to have been one of those TV types who had to basically chain themselves to a tree to get the "real" effect. Back to the point...I told my friends to board up their home, fuel up the car and stock up on water, booze and dry foods. Which means LOTS of junky snack items and PB&J sandwiches. The funny thing is, I LOVE peanut butter...and the junky snack food items. But after the first wave of storms in 2004, I actually got to the point where I couldn't even look at a peanut butter and jelly sandiwch, bag of cheetos or sleeve of cookies (I KNOW!!) because I got so tired of eating them. But, what else can you do? We essentially had no power for a month. Plus, even when the stores and restaurants reopened, the fresh food items were quickly bought out - meaning lots of bare shelves in the dairy and produce sections. Sigh.
But luckily, my love for peanut butter has since been restored. You just know I've been celebrating National Peanut Day today!!! I've already had a PB&J sandwich and just might have to get a spicy Asian peanut dish tonight.
What?? It's not like it's not good for you. Peanuts and peanut butter contain more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients ― like protein, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese ― and have zero cholesterol and no transfats.

Want more? Here are some nutty fun facts for ya.

* Peanuts are not actually nuts at all! They are legumes, like beans, peas and lentils.
* Americans eat 3 pounds of peanut butter per person every year. That's about 700 million pounds, or enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon!
* Peanuts may be a favorite food, but we've found many uses for their shells too! You might find peanut shells in kitty litter, wallboard, fireplace logs, paper, animal feed and sometimes as fuel for power plants!
* Two peanut farmers have been elected President of the United States: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
* One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

Finally, because I'm such a nice person, here are a few low-calorie, sucralose-sweetened peanut-based recipes to try out. Hope you love them. And good luck to anyone out in the Texas area. BE SAFE AND STAY DRY!!

Sticky Sweet Peanut Brittle

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bites

Thank you for being a friend

Sophia: Let me tell you girls the three most important things I learned about life: number one, hold fast to your friends; number two, there's no such thing as security; and number three, don't go see "Ishtar." Woof.

In case you hadn't heard, Estelle Getty, aka Sophia "Ma" Petrillo from The Golden Girls passed away today. I can't help but feel a little bit like I lost a friend or family member. Like The Cosby Show and Family Ties, The Golden Girls was one program I tuned into religiously, season after season. There was just something so comforting and endearing about watching such a close-knit group of women live, love, cry and laugh together while sharing a house in Miami.
While I certainly had a soft spot for the scatter-brained Rose and man-hungry Blanche, I particularly adored Sophia, the feisty, acid-tongued mother of Dorothy - the show's main protagonist. She always reminded me a bit of my own grandmother, who was quite the queen of sarcasm herself. (And folks wonder where my snarky side comes from.) Also, despite the fact that The Golden Girls was a comedy, I think the show sensitively tackled controversial topics - including homosexuality, interracial marriage, menopause, suicide and HIV - that really weren't discussed much in that era. Perhaps that's why it continues to have such a devoted fan base.
Anyhow, I wanted to dedicate some sweet recipes to my favorite golden girls. For those that forgot, each episode typically featured a scene where the gals gathered in the kitchen to discuss a particular issue, often over a plate of cheesecake. So here are two low-calorie, sucralose-sweetened dessert recipes - one even featuring an Italian-theme to honor Sophia's proud Sicilian roots.

Italian Cream Pie with Strawberry Sauce

Marvelous Mocha Cheesecake


I'm also including a video clip that shows just why Estelle Getty was so amazing. We'll miss ya, Sophe!

That's all 300 calories will get me?!?

A friend directed me to this site and, well, I'm not sure if I find it enlightening or depressing. Unfortunately, it seems to be a combination of the two.

Anyway, the author of this entry decided to calculate the weight of various foods and beverages adding up to 300 calories and then photograph it for the visual impact: 300 calories, for example, will get you about two pounds of watermelon but only two ounces of milk chocolate. In some of the pictures, 300 calories looks surprisingly generous, like the heaping pile of cooked spaghetti and the deep bowl brimming with chocolate corn cereal. Others, however, made me a bit blue, such as the wee portion of almonds. The gouda cheese image particularly bummed me out - because as I mentioned in my last entry, I love me some cheese. And I've been known to eat that 300-calorie amount on a single, solitary cracker. Okay, okay...I exaggerate. But you get the idea! Thanks to today's super-sized meals and steadily growing plates, I think many of us have lost sight of what a portion should really look like. I read once that many restaurants will quadruple portion sizes, just so consumers feel they're getting their money's worth. And we wonder why there is an obesity epidemic in this country??
At least I can squeeze three glasses of red wine out of 300 calories. Sigh.

I assume it goes without saying that you have to pay attention to more than just a meal's calorie count? Don't forget to check out fat grams and carbs and dietary fiber, for example. But obviously, the less calories you consume, the less weight you'll carry.

To wrap up the week, and this particular entry, I'm attaching a few recipes hovering around the 300-calorie mark that I found on www.Splenda.com. Later skaters!

Thai Grilled Chicken with Chile Dipping Sauce

Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

Homemade Risotto Topped with Caramelized Apricots

Top o' the evening to ya!

May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead. Irish Toast

Happy St. Patty's Day! I know, bummer it's on a Monday this year...but hey, any excuse to grab a pint of Guiness - regardless of the day of the week - is fine by me. Growing up in Chicago, St. Pat's was right up there with the Fourth of July when it came to citywide celebrations. We're talking parades on both the North side and South side of the city - drawing hundreds of thousands of people apiece - along with the dying of the river and all sorts of other crazy traditions. According to many of my native Irish friends, Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day even more than the Irish do...and let me tell ya, having worked in a popular Irish bar on St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, I don't doubt that at all. It's sheer insanity!
This past weekend, I went to a party at a friend's house and it was all sorts of awesome. All of the food was green - celery, edamame, guacamole, green grapes, green M&Ms, green cupcakes - along with Irish beer (DUH!), green Jello shots and martinis and a fabulous boozy beverage made with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Wowza. I was impressed. While I'm not nearly motivated enough to put together that kind of an array, I did want to give all of you faithful readers a few Irish food and drink recipes should you decide to honor old St. Patrick tonight.

Irish Coffee
2/3 cup freshly brewed coffee
1/3 cup Irish whiskey
2 tsp Splenda brown sugar blend
Top with whipped cream

Irish Eyes
1 oz. Irish whiskey
1/4 oz. green creme de menthe
2 oz. heavy cream
Shake well with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and top with cherry.

Nutty Irishman
1/2 shot Irish cream liqueur
1/2 shot Frangelico

Pistachio Cake

I also suggest getting some Dreyer's Slow Churned Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream made with sucralose. It's dee-lish!

Finally, for any of you who grew up watching classic Disney flicks, here's a blast from the past. Does Darby O'Gill and the Little People ring any bells? I HEART this movie. After all, it features a very young - very handsome - Sean Connery. Hoorah!

Everyone have a fabulous - and safe - night.

Fever and congestion and laryngitis, oh my!

Hey gang. Sorry I've been MIA this week. I've actually got the flu. And although I've been dragging myself to work each day, I feel like I've been hit by a mack truck. It started over the weekend (of course!) with the fever and chills and has since transformed into wicked congestion and laryngitis. Yes, indeed - I've literally been using hand signals to communicate with co-workers today. And even better? I'm hopping on a plane tomorrow for a long weekend out-o-town...I apologize to my seatmates on the plane in advance.
Ugh. What a way to spend a vacation - speechless and sniffly - even if said vacation involves time spent with family in a cold weather environment, rather than chillaxing on a sunny beach with a Mai Tai in hand. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....oops, sorry about that. I started to daydream about my perfect getaway.
Anyhoodle, to try to nip this bug in the bud so to speak, I've been downing quarts of OJ and bowls of chicken or veggie soup all week, along with a ridiculous amount of tea, water, vitamins, cold meds and emergen-C. Good times. Tonight, when I get home, I'm whipping up some hot tea with cayenne pepper, honey, lemon juice, garlic and ginger. Sounds horrendous - but I'm told it's actually an effective remedy. Whatever works!
Since the flu seems to be knocking people out left and right these days (my office is filled with sneezing, hacking people) I figured I'd pass along a few preventative measures designed to keep the flu bug at bay, along with some feel-good recipes.

1. Eat a well-balanced and healthy diet - complete with several portions of fresh fruit and vegetables every day - to keep your immune system strong.
2. Regularly take a multivitamin or antioxidant supplement such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, etc.
3. Drink plenty of fluids, including eight to 10 glasses of water each day. Herbal teas can also help.
4. Reduce the amount of sugar you eat.
5. Exercise regularly, whether it's a brisk walk around the block at lunch or an hour of cardio kickbox at the gym. Movement does your body good.
6. Sanitize your office/work area, kitchen and bathroom. Bacteria tends to blossom in these environments, helping generate the viruses that cause the common cold and flu. If you clean a lot of dishes by hand, stick the sponge in the microwave for a bit or toss it in the dishwasher to help cut down on germs.
7. Use a humidifier. It can help thin the mucus in the nasal membranes that causes stuffiness or postnasal drip.
8. All those handshakes, hugs and kisses that you regularly dole out may be friendly gestures, but you could also be spreading - or receiving - bacteria. Also try to avoid grasping too many doorknobs, escalator handles, subway rails and elevator buttons - all of which are teeming with germs.
9. Get plenty of sleep.
10. Wash your hands frequently!

While none of these are a silver bullet when it comes to prevention, they can certainly help reduce the chances of catching or spreading the flu.

Now, for those in the same miserable sick boat as me, here are a few meals designed to ease a sore, tickling throat or stuffy head.

Pho Bo soup (aka Vietnamese beef and noodle soup)


Tuscan tomato soup


Plum tomato cabbage soup


Chicken soup (aka, Jewish penicillin)

And a merry Mardi Gras to you too!

Happy almost Fat Tuesday, y'all!

I imagine at least a few of you are brushing off your Super Bowl-related hangovers and preparing to rip it up again in honor of Mardi Gras. I understand...Mind over matter. I used to be able to do that too when I was in my early to mid 20s. Not so much anymore. Moving on...With the bulk of my extended family hailing from Louisiana - New Orleans and Lake Charles to be precise - I've always been a sucker for a good Mardi Gras party. And while I'm sad I can't be in NOLA this week, celebrating in style, I plan to entertain a few friends post-elections tomorrow evening with a "King Cake" and some seasonal cocktails. Hand grenade anyone?

Seriously, though, I've found the sugar-free variations of a few Carnival-related treats and I'm eager to try them out. Take the "King Cake," for example, a popular Mardi Gras dessert that features colorful icing and a plastic baby. Seriously. The traditional version is a braided coffee cake decorated in purple, green and gold sugar. Each one contains a hidden plastic baby - with custom dictating that whoever finds the toy must buy the next cake or throw the next party. Hundreds upon hundreds of "King Cake" parties are thrown every year. Growing up in the Midwest, however, my reference to King Cake often generated raised eyebrows, blank stares or questions. It's not a huge tradition up North, ya hey.

I know it's hard to believe that a sugar-free, lower-calorie version can exist, but here ya go!
MARDI GRAS KING CAKE
Cake Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) pkg. Fat Free Cream Cheese
2/3 cup granular Splenda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 cup no sugar added apple pie filling
2 pkg. Crescent Rolls
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine cream cheese, 2/3 cup Splenda, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
3. Unroll crescent rolls and place on cookie sheet with points towards the center, overlapping as needed. Try to make a circle.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture over the dough leaving 1/2-inch from edges.
5. Mix the apple filling with 1 tsp. of Splenda and mash until slightly lumpy. Spread the filling on top of the cream cheese and then fold the outside edges over the filling to prevent leaking.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool and glaze.

Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup granular Splenda
1 to 2 tsp. fat-free milk
Food coloring
Directions:
1. Mix Splenda with milk.
2. When desired thickness, add food coloring to create three different toppings.
3. Spread with ease and let sit for a few minutes.

Adding to the festivities, if you can't make it to Pat O's in the French Quarter this week for their world-famous hurricane cocktail, here's a version you can make from home!

HURRICANE
Ingredients:
2 oz light rum
2 oz dark rum
* 2 oz passion fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
* 1 tbsp simple syrup
1 tbsp grenadine

* For a healthier recipe, use some V8 Splash Guava Passion and make sugar-free simple syrup combining 1 cup of sucralose with 1 cup of boiling water. Once it has cooled, strain the sucralose and water through a coffee filter.

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, pour into a hurricane glass and garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Finally, if you've been jonesing for a Cafe Du Monde beignet (and some coffee and chicory...yum!) check out this tasty treat.

BEIGNETS
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons granulated Splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, combine Splenda, salt, butter, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil.
2. Add flour and cook over medium heat, beating with spoon until dough forms a ball and leaves side of pan. Remove from heat.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating with electric mixer at medium speed after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth.
4. Mix in vanilla.
5. Roll dough on a floured surface and cut into 2-inch squares.
6. In skillet, heat 1 to 2-inches of oil. Then fry dough (three or four pieces at a time) until puffy and golden brown on both sides.
8. Remove beignets and drain on paper towels. While hot, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Don't forget. Tomorrow is Election Day in many states so, if at all possible, please get out and vote.

Couldn't come up with a non-corny title...

"Yes, there are thousands and thousands of uses for corn, all of which I'm going to tell you about right now!" Tina, the Alamo Tour Guide in Pee Wee's Big Adventure

To me, nothing spells summer like roasted, butter-drenched corn on the cob. Yes, folks, corn tops my favorite vegetables list. And while I tend to eat more of it in the warm months than the wintry ones, I'm certainly not one to turn up my nose should someone make a corn-based recipe in January.

This afternoon, I was fortunate enough to enjoy some leftover Southern-style cornbread made by a co-worker. Topped with jalapenos and cheese, it was a delicious treat on a gray day. And it reminded me how much I love corny snacks! Wocka Wocka Wocka. I know, I know. Lame joke. But it's Friday and I'm ready to go home, so bear with me.

Anyhoo, I don't know about you, faithful readers, but whenever I think about corn, I still have flashbacks to the hilarious Alamo scene in Pee Wee's Big Adventure - one of the best 1980s movies. Right before the infamous, "There's no basement at the Alamo!" line, Jan (of SNL fame) Hooks' character talks about how the mainstay of the Alamo diet was corn: "Corn can be prepared many ways. It can be boiled, shucked, creamed, or in this case, dried. Corn can also be used to make...tortillas."

Definitely watch the clip below for the full belly-laugh.



Here are two lower-calorie corn recipes utilizing sucralose. Thanks to Hungry Girl for the first and www.Splenda.com for the second.

Cheesy-Good Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup canned cream-style corn
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Optional: 1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flour, cornmeal, Splenda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix together all other ingredients - then add the contents of the small bowl to the large one, and stir until well mixed.
3. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or line it with baking cups. Evenly distribute muffin batter among the cups. Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes (until muffins are firm and a light golden brown). Allow to cool and then enjoy!


Corn Tomalito

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/4 cup masa harina
1/3 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1/2 cup water
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons milk

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the margarine, masa flour, and SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener until light and fluffy. In a food processor or blender, blend one cup of the corn kernels with the water and cornmeal just until smooth. Stir into the masa mixture. Mix in the remaining corn, baking powder, salt, and milk until the batter is smooth. Pour into an 8x8 inch glass baking dish.
2. Place the baking dish over a large saucepan of simmering water. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, and steam for 50 to 60 minutes, or until firm. Check water occasionally, and refill if necessary. Stir pudding before serving to give it a consistent texture. Serve in small scoops.

Heavenly Hummus

Quote: I was thinking, you know Paul Newman's got his salad dressing and that? So why not Frankie Wilde Hummus? People come see the gigs and they say, "That was a great set, Frankie," and I say, "Cheers, mate, want some hummus?" Frankie Wilde in 'It's All Gone Pete Tong'

Thanks to the commenter on my previous post for providing the idea to write this entry. (And don't worry Anonymous...After I ramble on for a bit, I will answer your question!)

One of the first restaurants I went to last month while home for Christmas was Pita Inn. Located in the Chicago burbs, this fabulous (and insanely cheap) Middle Eastern fast-food joint has been one of my favorite dining spots since I was a little girl. To this day, I haven't found better falafel, kifta kabob, jerusalem salad and shawarma anywhere - and believe me, I've tried many a different Middle Eastern restaurant in my time. Pita Inn also operates a market and bakery next door, where we buy tubs of the restaurant's delicious hummus and baba ghanoush and nibble on sweet treats like baklava and kinafa. Hummus, by the way, is one of my favorite snack foods. It just pairs up so perfectly with pita, bread, crackers and veggies.

For those unfamiliar with hummus, it's a veggie spread made with ground chickpeas, tahini (or sesame seed paste), lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Sometimes it's spiced up with roasted garlic, red peppers, or scallions and garnished with parsley, pine nuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and other vegetables. As hummus grows in popularity, an increasing number of people are finding less traditional uses for it, such as a chip dip, sandwich spread or topping on poultry, fish and beef.

So let's start with the good news. Hummus is, well, good for you, high in both protein and fiber and lacking cholesterol and sugar. The garbanzo beans are also a great source of complex carbohydrates and help lower the risk of heart attacks. At the same time, the tahini is rich in minerals, fatty acids like Omega-3 and amino acids.

That being said, hummus is also high in fat, predominantly due to the tahini. Nutritionists warn a half-cup could cost you more than 200 calories and 12 grams of fat. Ouch. Still, you can certainly create your own lower-fat version by reducing the amount of oil and tahini.

Here is a Splenda-based recipe for Sweet Red Pepper Hummus that only has 60 calories and 1 gram of fat. It's certainly an improvement over the alternative. So grab some low-fat crackers or whole wheat pita or spread the dip on your sandwich. The moral of the story is, eat hummus in moderation to avoid racking up the calories.

One other note, Anonymous. If you're looking for more healthy sandwich options, try smearing low-fat cream cheese on whole wheat bread and topping it off with sliced cucumber and ground pepper. It tastes great and is easy to whip up.

Enjoy!

Sensational Splenda Recipes

I'm hearing good things about "375 Sensational Splenda Recipes: Recipes Low in Sugar, Fat and Calories." Written by Marlene Koch, a culinary nutritionist and registered dietitian, the book features hundreds of sucralose-based recipes catering to both diabetics and people watching their calorie intake. Recipes range from rotisserie chicken and avocado salad, cheesy jalapeno cornbread and a soba noodle bowl with peanut garlic sauce to buttermilk boysenberry sherbet and pumpkin mousse with gingersnaps. Um...yum!
Here is a lemon meringue pie recipe from the book to whet your appetite.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pre-baked single-crust pie pastry, or prepared single pie crust
FILLING
1/4 cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
3/4 cup Splenda Granular
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 Pinch salt
3 large egg yolks (may use additional yolk if desired
1 tablespoon butter
TOPPING
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup Splenda Granular
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

STEPS:
1. FILLING: Whisk Splenda Sugar Blend, Splenda Granular, lemon juice, and conrstarch together in a medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in water, zest, salt, and egg yolks until there are no pieces of egg yolk visible. Place pan over medium heat and cook, striring until mixture reaches a full boil. Simmer 1 minute, while stirring. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Pour into prepared pie crust and cover with plastic wrap.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
3. TOPPING: Immediately whisk together water, cornstarch, and Splenda Sugar Blend in a small sauce pan. Place on medium heat and cook, while whisking, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 15 seconds until a thick, smooth, translucent paste forms. Cover. In a medium (grease-free) bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar. Beat in Splenda Granular until soft peaks form. Beat in cornstarch gel, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove plastic wrap from pie and cover with meringue topping. Be sure to cover all the way to the edges of the crust. Bake for 10 minutes until meringue lightly browns. Cool on rack; then refrigerate.

Serves Eight

Per serving:
Calories 220 Fat 10 grams (4 saturated)
Carbohydrate 29 grams Fiber 0 grams
Protein 4 grams Sodium 145 milligrams
Diabetic exchange = 2 Carbohydrate, 2 Fat
WW point comparison = 5 points