Katie S

I know I could go to any one of a zillion websites and get any one of a zillion cake recipes where you use Splenda instead of sugar. That's not what concerns me. I'd like to know which recipes people here have PERSONALLY tried, swapping out Splenda for sugar, that turned out okay. Especially with respect to texture.

If possible, I would like to avoid using the Splenda Blend for Baking, since the whole point is the person I'm baking for cannot have sugar and the Blend contains sugar.

Blah blah Splenda sucks blah blah Stevia blah blah...I work with what I have on hand, and what I know the person will eat. Don't even bother.

I'm looking for some new things to try this year, and holiday meals are just more fun when there's a story behind each dish. In return, feel free to try out one of my family heirloom recipes:

___SAUCY BEANS___

2 cans green beans (1 drained, 1 not)

2 half-inch thick slices of onion, diced up

2 pieces of thick-cut bacon, raw, cut into squares

2 small cans of tomato sauce

If you have a Crock-Pot, that's perfect - just dump everything into the Crock-Pot, turn it to low, and let it cook away. Otherwise, you can put it all into a covered saucepan and cook over low heat for a few hours.

My mom gave me this recipe after I moved to Texas, and said that both she and her brother have tried making changes to the recipe and have always been disappointed - the original is still the best.

Bon Appetit!

Let's say I befriend a law enforcement official, and during some off-duty time the two of us go clubbing. And during that off-duty time, s/he sees a fight break out or notices somebody smoking pot or whatever. Is s/he obligated to act, and if so, how? Is s/he required to step in on the situation, like paramedics are required to stop and render aid, even when not on duty? Is s/he merely required to report the incident via phone so a co-worker can handle it? In the case of a fight, is s/he allowed to just blow it off as drunk people getting stupid? (I don't expect s/he would be allowed to just "blow off" possession of an illegal substance.)

Answers based off direct personal experience (from either end! ;) are preferred, but anything reasonably intelligent is welcome.

Please bear in mind that I am thinking only about accidental obscenities. For example, when playing "the Name Game" with someone named "Chuck" (y'know, banana fana fo-...).

What's the best course of action in such a situation? If the child is not *aware* that she said a naughty word, how grave is the risk that calling attention to the fact will encourage her to repeat the word in the future?

I mean, if she were to start using obscenities in context, where it's clear she heard someone else saying it and is parroting them, I'd have to step in on that. But telling her "don't sing that song using the name Chuck" just seems like it would be inviting trouble, because then she'd want to know why. Wouldn't it be better in such a case to shrug it off and just try to distract her away from that name when singing that song in the future?

(Note: This isn't actually an issue yet. I just watched the "South Park" movie again last night and had this come to mind.)