Delayed Gratification

Delayed gratification has never been a strength, especially when food is involved.  When I would visit friends’ houses as a kid I remember being genuinely shocked to find that there were unopened bags of cookies or chips in the pantry.  We were always lucky if the bag made it out of the car unscathed. 

I come by the character flaw honestly, though.  One year the Easter bunny left me a fabulous chocolate Easter bunny in my basket.  It wasn’t one of the cheap hollow rabbits.  This guy was solid.  Much to my mother’s dismay I decided to eat all of my other candy before touching my prized Easter bunny.  Finally, around day three I came into the dining room to find Easter basket torn to pieces and mother slowly peeling back the aluminum foil bunny skin.  I cried out, “Mommy! Mommy!  Don’t eat my chocolate Easter bunny.”  But it was too late.  In one quick move she bit off the head.  She always swore it was only an ear.  But I was there.  It was the entire head.

I understood the way my mother felt last night.  As part of my experiment with the cakes in a jar I placed one simple chocolate cake aside.  My goal was to wait an entire week before eating it.  In theory, because the cakes are “canned” they will stay fresh and moist for up to 6 months.  I knew that six months was ambitious, so I settled for 1 week.  Unfortunately, after a particularly exhausting day I snapped.  I unscrewed the top and smiled as I heard the vacuum seal “pop”.  In dipped the spoon, and out came a mouthful of moist, chocolaty goodness.

Perhaps, the next experiment should be to bake a batch, opening one a week until we reach “maximum shelf life”.  I don’t know if they will last any longer than the one I sacrificed last night.  That’s the great thing about the cake in a jar.  They are great to have on hand for weak moments like mine.