After having made it so many times, I’ve come up with a few tweaks: upping the amount of bourbon (I prefer Maker’s Mark), and doing the first step in a smaller bowl to save space in the fridge (when necessary). Here is my version:

Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream (modified from Cook’s Illustrated, Nov 2003)

Yield: about 3 cups (sixteen 3-tablespoon servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons Maker’s Mark (I’ve tried other bourbons, but prefer the sweetness of Maker’s)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk heavy cream, sour cream, brown sugar, and salt until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours to give the sugar time to dissolve.

When ready to serve, transfer the contents to a standing mixer bowl, add bourbon and beat mixture with whisk attachment at medium speed until small bubbles form around edges, about 40 seconds; increase speed to high and continue to beat until fluffy and doubled in volume, about 1 minute longer.

Note: If you have room to spare in your fridge, you can do the whole thing in the stand mixer bowl.

Per serving: 72 Cal, 4.3g Fat, 0.4g Protein, 7.2g Carbs

So what was it that compelled me to reach for a three-pack of a new aerosol-propelled food product at my neighborhood Costco? The attractive packaging? The promise of quick and easy waffles and pancakes? Maybe I simply needed more stuff in the door of my refrigerator. In any case, I came home with over three pounds of Batter Blaster.

Let me tell you: This stuff is great. It’s real pancake batter–in a can. It’s not a simulation or an approximation. The resulting pancakes and waffles are light and tasty, and the only cleanup (besides the cooking implement) is rinsing off the tip of the can.

Of course it is consistent with the rest of their advice, especially:

• (# 59) Choose activities you enjoy & you’ll be more likely to stick with them.

They even offer trouble-shooting advice:

• (# 49) If you find it difficult to be active after work, try it before work.

According to Glee Magazine, this effect with food can sabotage your carefully-crafted weight maintenace plan and cause you to gain 20 lbs every year.

I see that as glass-half-full thinking. Another way to look at this is that cutting minor portions out of your daily consumption will add up over time and make it easier for you to maintain or even lose weight. Every sacrifice, regardless of how minor, counts. Skipping those last few bites on your plate, having one cookie instead of two, or even forgoing sugar in your coffee all add up over time. This way, when you share a dessert you would normally eat on your own, you get to feel proud of your self-restraint rather than guilty over your lack of control.

(via That’s Fit)

That sucks.

Then I found some encouraging news in this study:

“The odds of obesity among current drinkers were 0.73 times lower than the odds among non-drinkers.”

Using a little arithmetic, I can reduce my obesity risk to about 15.4% by pouring a little bourbon in my soda. I suppose I could reduce it a bit more by going out and exercising.

Maybe after this buzz wears off.

I don’t snack because I am hungry. I snack to keep my mouth entertained. This is the same reason I consume way too much Diet Coke. I find the slightly irritating taste and high acidity keeps me from getting bored while I sit in front of the computer all day. This has lead me to develop an unusual form of snacking: snacking on things with high-intensity flavors. Examples:

• One square of good, very dark chocolate (30-50 calories)
• One pimento olive (10 calories)
• One slice of very sharp cheddar cheese (100 calories)
• Two 1/8″ slices of high-quality salami (60 calories)
• 1 big piece of beef jerky — good because it is hard to eat quickly (80 calories)

I have found that a little of any of these are satisfying enough to make me not crave more. How many pimento olives can you eat in one sitting anyway?