Let me explain...

First of all I'd like to thank my sweet friend Laura for helping me set up this blog.  Not only is she responsible for spending hours explaining the ins and outs of blogger to me but she is also responsible for the title 'Toss Out the Cool Whip.' 

So what is the meaning behind this phrase?  Healthy eating has always been a distinctive part of my upbringing.  I'm pretty sure I learned to count calories and read food labels before I could read books.  (Not that I always follow a particular diet, a girl's got to have her ice cream and chocolate!)  But alas as I've dabbled in the culinary arts over recent years I've been reassured of the need to use fresh and non-processed ingredients whenever possible. 

Have you ever read the label on a Cool Whip container?  Water, corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, and an assortment of chemicals.  No thank you Kraft!! If I want to eat waxy plastic I'd rather gnaw on the Cool Whip container itself.  And as far as I'm concerned that is the best use of this product.  Throw away the contents and use the container as Tupperware.

Now to the naysayers out there...I realize that many recipes list Cool Whip as an ingredient.  For instance I love to make banana pudding, strawberry shortcake and snowball cake (a delightful creation of chocolate cake with a scrumptious cream cheese, whipped cream and Hershey bar icing).  So when faced with this whipped dilema...MAKE YOUR OWN WHIPPED CREAM!  It's easy and sooooo delicious.  Here is a basic recipe to follow:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla
Beat all 3 ingredients until hard peaks form.  To rush the process chill your bowl and beaters in the freezer before whipping.  I am yet to find a recipe that won't allow for a direct substitution between Cool Whip and real whipped cream. 

So please America, go to your refrigerator or freezer and "Toss Out the Cool Whip!"