Party of the First Part

So Kevin and I went to a party Friday night. My friend Shanna celebrates her friends twice a year with a chili night and a spaghetti dinner. Last night was the long overdue spaghetti dinner. A vegetarian with fabulous recipes, her food is always so good that the carnivores in the bunch are convinced from the first bite (myself included). But still, as we all know, party food can be a horrific experience. The snacking, the desserts everywhere, the "when exactly is the food going to be ready and how long ago did I take my insulin?" questions we diabetics have to deal with. I've always left parties with sugars in the 300s.

When I spoke to her on the phone last week and asked if I could bring anything, she answered "dessert." I had to laugh. Yeah, sure, the diabetic on Weight Watchers. Which sinful thing I shouldn't be eating should I stress about preparing for next Friday night? But I knew I could do something inventive and tasty. After all, my cooking skills get better all the time. So I found a recipe on dLife for Mexican Chocolate Cake. The ingredients, though odd, all happened to be lurking in my pantry Friday morning. And I had new silicone cupcake cups I hadn't opened (another wedding gift I'd yet to use). So what was supposed to be a cake that served 8 could become 12 smallish cupcakes. I had enough to make two batches.

I have an off-limits shelf at the top of our small pantry. No, this is not where I keep Hostess and her friend Little Debbie. It's where I keep baking powder, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, cocoa, etc. That way when you want something that's bad for you, you really really have to mean it. Besides the expected ingredients for a chocolate cake recipe, it called for egg beaters, toasted almond slices, lowfat buttermilk, and the unexpected kick of ground chili pepper (I had some ground chipotle chili pepper, thanks to my husband's love of spicy foods) - all of which I happened to have and needed a use for.

Well, as you can see, they turned out cute as a bug and they were a huge hit among her health-conscious, risk-taking party guests. Everyone commented on the unexpected spicy aftertaste that the chili pepper and cinnamon brought out. I think they have a more muffin consistency than cupcake, but they're good.

As for dinner, I was a little high before things even began, so I took insulin and the food was ready in time for my bolus to kick in. I had a couple bites of a veggie lasagna roll and a bell pepper stuffed with orzo and artichoke hearts. Very reasonable. Where I failed as both a weight watcher and a diabetic was in these amazing little finger sandwiches - cheese, pesto, and roasted pear on tiny crispy rolls. I had four. I probably ate triple the points I arrived at the party with. But all in all, the party was a success. Bedtime BG: 110.