Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Originally published October 2016

Eating is a funny endeavor these days. Whatever method or approach you take for choosing your ingredients, or meal, there seems to be an article or new research to discredit it all. When did eating become so complicated? Or rather, why has eating become so complicated? And why does anyone who disagrees with the way you eat feel the need to right your perceived wrongs.

Of course, this is not new to just food. This habit of criticizing others to justify one's own lifestyle has been brewing for some time. Food is so personal, and the act of eating feeds more than just your physical need. Cooking and eating is steeped in family history, culture, body image, and so much more. Is it possible that perhaps we're suffering from information overload? How does one tune out the noise, and finely tune into what their body actually needs?

Let me tell you, folks, it takes work. Here's what I can tell you about myself. I've learned a lot about what my body likes and doesn't like over the last six weeks. Much as I wish it was aligned with what my tastebuds, and taste memories love, it is not always a harmonious affair. While I took a radical approach for the first few weeks it was necessary for me, personally, to understand what works now vs. what worked then. It was also incredibly valuable to get back to eating proper portion sizes.

Now that I'm six weeks into mindful eating, I'm more inclined to turn my attention back to dessert. Having stripped my diet of most sugars (refined and unrefined), I was able to recalibrate my sweet tooth. When I went out for a friend's birthday recently, one bite of peanut butter pie was all I needed to end the evening. I also knew that we had an amazing chocolate cake waiting at home to surprise her with, so there was that.

Still, I opted for a sliver of cake because it was late, and I knew that anything more than that would leave me feeling eh, even if it tasted divine going down. Cause and effect. A reaction for every action.

Now when I eat pasta, I thoroughly enjoy it, and some times have a little more than what a typical serving should be because I only eat it once a week. I'm exploring so many other foods that I've known about but never paid much attention to because I was stuck in a food rut. Mostly importantly, I'm learning how to nourish my heart and stomach instead of eating my feelings.

And so here I am, sharing a new recipe for Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, because my love of baking champions everything.

This is a nice alternative to overly sweet frosting, laced with confectioner's sugar, and instead sweetened with just a bit of maple syrup. I wasn't sure it would be sweet enough for the kids' tastes, but they loved it. Feel free to adjust the syrup as you like, and I bet agave would work, too, if that's what you prefer. I used this to frost a pumpkin layer cake that still needs some work before I can share it here. Stay tuned for more on that soon.

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