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Twinkies celebrate 70 years of temptation I'd forgotten what a sore spot the whole Twinkie issue is with my teenagers, or I never would have mentioned the cream-filled snack cakes at all. But I'm the kind of mom who believes her kids should stay abreast of significant world events, so when the dinner conversation hit a lull the other night, I just blurted it out. "Hey, guys, I heard something interesting today," I said. "Did you know the Hostess Twinkie is turning 70?" In tandem, my kids' forks clattered to their plates and they turned two sets of baleful eyes upon me. I winced, finally remembering the Twinkie trauma. By then, though, it was too late. "YOU never let us have Twinkies," my 16-year-old began accusingly. "In my whole life, when I was little, I never ate a Twinkie." "Yeah," added her 13-year-old brother. "Or Ding Dongs or Ho-Hos, either." "Everybody ELSE got to eat Twinkies," the girl continued. "Everybody else got to eat those cupcakes with the little curlicues on top." The conversation deteriorated from there and there was nothing I could do to stop it. After all, I was guilty as charged. As tots, my children were indeed deprived of Ding-Dongs, hidden from Ho-Hos, restricted from those loop-de-loop cupcakes and the fluorescent blobs called Snow Balls. Back then, I would have gargled glass rather than feed my toddlers Twinkies, the dessert invented by Jimmy Dewar in 1930. When Dewar, manager of the Continental Baking Company in Chicago, created Twinkies, he thought he was doing a good thing. The little cakes sold two for a nickel, and their popularity soon skyrocketed. Even when I was a kid in the 1970s, Twinkies and other rubbery desserts were standard lunchbox fare. I can still remember the thrill of dissecting a Ding Dong from the foil wrap to the creamy center, the pleasure of skewering a Twinkie on my finger and eating it off. But by the time I had babies in the 1980s, no self-respecting yuppie mom would be caught with a cupboard full of Twinkies. Our tables were set with natural applesauce and steamed carrots, thank you very much. Our babies teethed on organic Zwieback biscuits. Our play-time snack-packs were nothing less than 100 percent pure juice. There were exceptions, of course. There were the moms who let their kids eat Trix cereal and Jell-O powder for breakfast, mystery meat hot dogs and Twinkies for lunch. My kids loved those moms; heck, they love them still. "Why can't you be a fun mom?" my daughter asked when she was eight. At 16, I don't think she's changed her mind. The difference, of course, is that now it matters little whether I think my kids should eat Twinkies or not. I make a good show of it, fussing over broccoli and whether they drank milk with lunch. I cook balanced meals even when they'd rather just have Ramen. My kids know my feelings about Ding Dongs. But the truth is, if they want to buy a box of Twinkies and gorge themselves on every last one, they will. We're not just talking Twinkies, here, obviously. The little cakes are only one of several evils I worried about as a hyper-vigilant young mom, only one of many enticements I thought I could keep away from my children through smart shopping and sheer force of will. Now that they're old enough to face temptation themselves, I guess my best hope is that the lessons sank in, that my kids have learned to seek sustenance where they can. At the same time, I've mellowed, too. I know now there are worse things than a kid who eats an occasional Twinkie, that along with sustenance, we all just want to have fun. In that vein, you'll find two recipes on Page 2B for Twinkie concoctions that would have stopped my heart a decade ago. They're from the Hostess web site: www.twinkies.com Reach JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465 or by e-mail at [email protected] Twinkie Shortcake 1 multi-pack of Hostess Twinkies 1 jar strawberry pie glaze 1 pint fresh strawberries 1 container nondairy whipped topping 1 can or bottle of chocolate syrup Mix glaze and fresh strawberries. Place Twinkies in dessert dish. Cover Twinkies with glaze mixture. Top with nondairy whipped topping and chocolate syrup. Enjoy. Tropical Twinkie Lasagna 12 Hostess Twinkies (cut in half lengthwise) 2 boxes of instant Tapioca pudding mix 1 can pineapple chunks 1 jar marshmallow fluff Shredded coconut (optional) Make pudding according to instructions on package. After pudding sets, fold in drained pineapple. Place a layer of Twinkies on a greased baking dish and cover with pudding. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven. After pie has cooled, garnish with marshmallow fluff and shredded coconut. Send questions to A la carte, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501. Reach JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465 or by e-mail at [email protected] Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA