Goldfish? Or not.

This month’s #letslunch theme is our secret guilty pleasures. Foods we love but are embarrassed to admit loving.I thought about this one a lot. There really aren’t many foods I eat that I am ashamed to admit to. I’m not a huge junk food eater nor candy, though I NEVER pass up black licorice but that’s nothing to be embarrassed over. So I will admit to one treat that is so tasty and appealing to me that I have a hard time walking by it in the supermarket. Though fortunately, I rarely walk down the cookie/cracker aisle so I don’t get tempted too often. But when I am…it’s Goldfish from Pepperidge Farms…



























I know, crazy right? You’d think I was a five year old. Every toddler loves these cheesy, salty snack crackers but usually by adulthood we’ve grown out of the craving. Nope, not me. When I succumb to temptation, I glance in either direction down the cracker aisle to ensure know one is watching, fake a reach for the Breton crackers with one hand and grab the bag of Original Goldfish and quickly shove it into my cart under the prosciutto and provolone (mature purchases). At the checkout line, I hide the bag under the produce so the other shoppers are none the wiser and then sheepishly tell the grocery store checker, in a hushed tone, that I’m babysitting my niece. Of course my niece is 30 years old, but she doesn’t know that. I breathe a sigh of relief when my orange buddies are safely out of sight in my grocery sack.

 I’ll nosh them all down, straight from the bag late at night after hubby has gone to bed, while watching some sappy movie like Steel Magnolias. I would never besmirch a great film like “Big Night” or “Babette’s Feast” with such a lowly snack.

I have, however, found a perfectly suitable adult alternative in the form of Cheese Sables. I love these crackers and it had never occurred to me that they are the grown up version of Goldfish, until a guest pointed it out at a dinner party. Of course I was outwardly offended at the comparison but my inner Goldfish-craving kid, rejoiced at having an alternative that I could actually eat in front of other adults!


























I won’t post the recipe here, because I used the one I found on Fine Cooking, exactly as published except that I use a leaf shaped cookie cutter and add i some pretty veins to make them look adult and further conceal my Goldfish addiction. Find the recipe here:

Mrs. Lenkh's Cheese Sablés

I dare you to make these and not think about Goldfish now. Go on, I dare you!