Twinkies and Trilogies

Today is National Twinkie Day!

I haven't eaten a Twinkie in forever, but I remember what a treat it was to find one in my brown bag lunch that I would take to school. That tasty sponge cake and the luscious creamy vanilla filling! YUM! Who doesn't like Twinkies?

Maybe like me, you haven't really given much thought to Twinkies but I uncovered some Twinkie Trivia that might interest you...

• Twinkies were invented in River Forest, Illinois in 1930 by James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental Baking Compan


• Several machines used for making cream-filled strawberry shortcake, sat idle when berries weren’t in season so he conceived a snack cake filled with banana cream and dubbed them “Twinkies”.


• During WWII bananas were rationed and company substituted vanilla cream


• In 1988 fruit and cream filling (strawberry & vanilla swirl) introduced but was not very well received and soon was dropped


• Deep-fried Twinkie debuted at Texas State Fair and now fried Twinkies are sold throughout the US at fairs as well as ball games

Did you also buy into the urban legend regarding the "shelf life" of a Twinkie? It was said that Twinkies could last 20,50, even 100 years due to chemicals used is. NOT TRUE!

They will last at least 25 days or more, because they are made without unstabilized dairy products or eggs and thus spoil slower than most bakery items, however, don't tuck some away to eat 2o years from now!

Upon realizing that this was a day to celebrate that great American snack cake, I remembered a recipe that I haven't made for many, many years: The Twinkie Dessert. (see below)

Twinkie Dessert 11-12 Twinkies

1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

5 Tbsp. water

5 Tbsp. sugar

6 eggs, divided

1 container Cool Whip

Cut Twinkies in half, lengthwise and lay cream side up in 9x13” pan. Melt chocolate chips, water & sugar in saucepan stirring occasionally until dissolved. Set aside to cool. Add egg yolks, one at a time; beating well after each addition. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Pour over Twinkies. Cover with Cool Whip and refrigerate before serving.

All this talk about Twinkies is making me hungry!

In my Book Nook segment today, I spoke with Sherryl Woods about her newest novel, "DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE". It is the first of three (trilogy) novels set on the beautiful, fictional shores of Chesapeake Shores. The story centers around the relationship between Heather Donovan and Connor O'Brien. Connor's parents' divorce and his career as a high powered divorce attorney has left him jaded about marriage. Sherryl believes that women gravitate to these kinds of stories because they have issues that matter to them and that they can relate to; and sometimes readers are disconnected from their families and by following a "series" they can connect with characters that can help them relate to things going on in their own lives. Sherryl also believes in happy endings and this story is a heartwarming account of love, marriage, relationships and all that goes with it.

(The next novel in the series: "MOONLIGHT COVE" will be released at the end of April and the third one, "BEACH LANE", will be available sometime in May.) You can check out her website at http://www.sherrylwoods.com/