Food rule number 39 in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=food+rules">Michael Pollan's new manual for the eater </a>summarizes a great deal of what we are trying to accomplish with this blog.  He writes, <strong>"Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself."</strong>  The idea behind this is that if you are forced to make the cookie from scratch, get out the deep fryer, locate the long forgotten ice cream maker you received as a wedding gift, and then clean up the mess following the whole project, you will embark on the endeavors less often.  Putting in the time and effort to make treats for yourself means that you will only indulge occasionally - a perfectly healthy way to live.  When you don't feel like cranking out a layer cake, snack on an apple, dried fruits, nuts, or dark chocolate.  It's not quite the same, but your body becomes accustomed to the more subtle sweetness found in nature.  After a while, you really do want only a mouth full.