STRESSED spelled backwards is... well, you know

I recently ran across a list of “The Best Dessert In Every State,” and I thought it very interesting, but now I think a National Dessert Tour is in order! These winners were somehow determined by editorial staff at “Taste of Home” magazine. I sure wish they would have called me to help decide. They wouldn’t even need to pay me, except in sweets!

ALABAMA: Lane Cake. This is a cake that’s filled with dried fruit, ie. raisins, and soaked in whiskey or bourbon.

ALASKA: Akutaq, aka Eskimo ice cream. Here’s the ingredients: reindeer fat, seal oil, berries and snow. Whip by hand until it becomes “airy.” You go first.

ARIZONA: Cactus Candies, aka dessert gumdrops. Made with the bright pink juice of the prickly pear cactus. I’ll try it!

ARKANSAS: Chocolate Rolls. You had me at chocolate... these are pastries that look like flat croissants or fried burritos.

CALIFORNIA: Frozen Yogurt. Some call it “frogurt,” but the Valley girls of California rebranded it “froyo.”

COLORADO: Root Beer Float. Yes, please! No explanation needed!

CONNECTICUT: Snickerdoodles. Sugar-and-spice cookies from the Nutmeg State.

DELAWARE: Strawberry Pretzel Salad. It’s not considered a salad at our house, and who cares anyway! It’s certainly one of our family favorites!

FLORIDA: Key Lime Pie. It’s not truly Key Lime Pie if it’s not made with the tart-sweet limes famously grown in the Keys.

GEORGIA: Peach Cobbler. Ahhh... say no more! When do we leave for Georgia?

HAWAII: Haupia. A pudding pronounced HOW-pee-ah, made with coconut milk and ground pia, which is a member of the yam family.

IDAHO: Huckleberry Pie. Made with their native wild blueberry-like fruit mixed with nutmeg and cinnamon. They’ll give you the recipe, but they won’t share where they harvest the berries.

ILLINOIS: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries. Now you’re talking my language! And I even know how to make them!

INDIANA: Hoosier Pie, aka “Sugar Cream Pie.” Loaded with enough sugar to put you into a coma even if you’re not diabetic!

IOWA: Scotcheroos. Some call them “Rice Krispies Treats on steroids.” You start with Rice Krispies Treats and then layer on peanut butter, melted chocolate and butterscotch. The next time we travel through Iowa, I must look for these!

KANSAS: Pfeffernuesse, aka Peppernuts. I’m a Russian/German Mennonite, and we love our peppernuts. But I don’t know anyone in my plautdietsch circles who would consider peppernuts a dessert! But thanks, anyway, for mentioning the Mennonites!

KENTUCKY: Derby Pie. It has chocolate chips in it, so it has to be good. And they say it “pairs well with bourbon.” Hello... doesn’t everything pair well with bourbon?

LOUISIANA: Beignets. Would a doughnut by any other name taste as sweet? Absolutely! These are a New Orleans specialty; French-inspired, totally sweet with a generous dusting of powdered sugar! Come back next week for a second helping of the “Best Desserts in Every State!”