Mardy's Munchies Review and Giveaway!

As you all know, I love cupcakes. They are my favorite dessert. Not all cupcakes are created equal. I have had some not so good cupcakes in my life. Recently I had one from the store when I was visiting my sister. It was from the grocery store bakery. I decided to put a banana nut muffin in the container that Noah wanted to finish later. Big Mistake, my chocolate cupcake became banana flavored. I am not a huge banana fan. So, it was a huge disappointment. The worst part was I wanted cupcakes for weeks before that. I was so excited when I got one and I was crushed when it tasted awful.

Thankfully my cupcake guardian angels emailed me. My cupcake guardian angels were none other than Steve and Jana of Mardy’s Munchies. They wanted to send me cupcakes and other goodies. I was so excited and waited for my special delivery of goodies to arrive all the way from their bakery in Los Angeles. Mardy’s Munchies is a mom and pop bakery, they make everything themselves and they use no preservatives. Mardy’s Munchies is named after Steven’s late mother Mardy, who instilled a love of baking and inspired him to create delicious treats for over 20 years. They are a fixture at local farmers markets and often attend local festivals. Steven and Jana are both really nice and they even subscribe to my blog! I follow them on Twitter at @Mardysmunchies and I am so jealous of those of you that can constantly get goodies from Mardy’s Munchies. They are someone you must follow if you live in the LA area.

When I received my treats, I couldn’t wait to dig right in. They were packed perfectly; they weren’t crumbled or smashed at all. I was a little concerned about receiving baked goods like that. I was confident that Mardy’s Munchies would make it work. The first thing I tried was the Double Trouble Cupcake. It was hands down the best cupcake that I can ever remember eating. It was chocolate with chocolate cream cheese frosting. It would only be fitting that my cupcake guardian angels would send me such a heavenly cupcake. I savored every single bite. They were perfectly moist and the frosting was amazing. I love cream cheese frosting but I had never had chocolate cream cheese frosting. Oh man, I am drooling thinking about it.

I also received a Punk Mama’s Red Velvet cupcake that I shared with my mom. She thought it was amazing and so moist and delicious. It had normal cream cheese frosting on it. My mom loved it. She is not a cupcake fan but she really enjoyed eating the Punk Mama’s Red Velvet cupcake. I had a lot of goodies to try and the only right thing to do was to share with my family. I mean it would be rude of me to stuff my face with delicious treats and not offer them to others right?



I decided Noah would like the Coomer cookie they sent us. Noah is a cookie monster. The Coomer cookie is a Vegan cookie that is a Delicious Oatmeal mixed with bananas and vegan-approved chocolate chips. It also comes with pecans. Noah is not a vegan but he sure did love his Coomer Cookie. He kept asking for more cookies. I thought this is a healthier version of some of the cookies that I could get for him because it also contains no preservatives.

Another goodie I received was the Georgia White Brownie. They are rich, chocolate brownies with white chocolate chips dancing throughout. Covered with our chocolate frosting and then we drizzle white chocolate all over these and then for fun throw on some chunky chopped pecans- from the website. It was a nice big brownie and it was so moist and fudgy. I prefer fudgy brownies to cake like brownies. My favorite part was the chunks of pecans and the white chocolate on the top. I thoroughly enjoyed the brownie and Noah did too. So am I making you hungry yet? I know I am definitely craving some Mardy’s Munchies.

The next item I tried was the Triple Shazam Baby Bundt Cake. mini chocolate bundt cake is smothered with a dark chocolate glaze and then showered with white and dark chocolate chips. It was so cute. It was also very delicious. There is just something festive about a bundt cake. I think it is because my grandma used to make them all the time. Most bundt cakes are kind of tough on the outside, not the baby bundt cake I received. It was so moist and there is even a surprise when you eat it. I won’t ruin it for you though. You will just have to wait and see!

The last but not least goodie was the Raspberry Crumble Tart. Delicious Organic Raspberry fruit surrounded by buttery shortbread crust and streusel topping all nestled inside a gorgeous tart. I decided I should also share this one with my mom. She really enjoyed it too. She doesn’t really like tart shells but she said that the shell was perfect and the raspberry filling was not too sweet and not to tart just right. She said the best part was the crumb topping. I really enjoyed all the treats I received from Mardy’s Munchies. The only thing I didn’t like about the goodies I received was that when they were all gone, I didn’t have any more. I will have to visit them the next time I am in LA and bring home treats with me.

If you live in Los Angeles or traveling there, you can visit Steve and Jana every Tuesday at the Old L.A. Farmer’s Market located in historic Highland Park. Or if you want to end the week on a sweet note, then come on over to the El Sereno Farmer’s Market, an exciting, supportive community gathering with music, food and art that happens every Friday afternoon. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, then stop on by the famous Antigua Coffee Shop on Figueroa in Cypress Park or Casa Princessa on York Blvd for a varietal look at Mardy’s Munchies goodies. I know there are a lot of bakeries in LA but they are a dime a dozen compared to Mardy’s Munchies. Please keep them in mind if you want delicious homemade desserts that contain no preservatives.

For more information please check out Mardy’s Munchies

Thanks to Steve and Jana at Mardy’s Munchies for sending me some yummy desserts to try out and review and providing the giveaway prize.

I have a giveaway for you. One lucky winner will win a dozen gourmet cupcakes your choice of flavor!

Mandatory Entry: Go to the Mardy’s Munchies website and tell me what looks good. Please tell me the exact name of the item and what it is. They have such cute names for everything.

You must do the main entry for the bonus entries to count.

Bonus Entries:

Subscribe to my blog via email

Follow my blog

Follow @Sheilacakes7 and @Mardysmunchies and tweet about this giveaway including the link. This can be done once a day

Like Mardy’s Munchies on Facebook

This giveaway is open to US Residents ONLY

This giveaway will end on June 21, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST.

Learn Business on the Sea

I love to go on cruises. You can go on cruises for just about anything. There are singles cruises, theme cruises and even a cruise where you learn about business. Talk about one heck of a business meeting! Zenith Training is offering a unique opportunity right now for you to go on a cruise and learn about business. This 7 day cruise to the Caribbean called Dare to Dream Dare to be Great is edutainment, meaning you will be educated and entertained all in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Some of the things you will learn during this world class cruise are:

Work with business development trainers

Network with other business owners

Attend personal development sessions

Learn from life mastery specialists

Not to mention the chance to network with other business professional and make some new friends with the 150 people onboard. When you are not attending the workshops you will have plenty of relaxing and fun activities to do on board. I am sure you are wondering how much will it cost? It is only $127 a day per person. That includes your accommodations on the ship with activities such as miniature golf so you can go golfing with your new business associates. There is also an ice rink and rock climbing. You can relax after your workshops with a dip in the luxurious pools while you get some sun or if you are feeling adventurous you can even try out the onboard surfing. You will dine on great food and ALL of your entertainment, the “Dare to Dream… Dare To Be Great” Seminars and Business Tradeshow, your Welcome Party, AND exciting ports of call on sunny, exotic Caribbean Islands! You will wake up in a new and exciting place every day. Don’t miss the sunrise on the deck. It is really an amazing site to see while you look out to sea.

There are also many things you can do on the islands you visit from snorkeling to learning about other cultures. You can experience the country first hand by taking a walk around and shopping. There are amazing golf courses and beautiful beaches. It will definitely be an experience that you will remember. It is not just a business cruise it is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Please check out http://www.mlmzenithtraining.com/seminarsatsea/ for more information (and follow @MLM_Zenith on Twitter). I am sure the tickets will go quickly, so don't delay and secure your spot today!

Cyber Safety Tips

Everything we do these days is on computers; we get a great deal of our information from the internet. Growing up we were one of the few families that had the internet I knew of. I remember being in the basement when I was in 5th grade sitting on the internet message boards, back before chat rooms, talking to strangers about different things. Not everything I came across was appropriate for my age but I was naïve and I didn’t even know what they were talking about. It wasn’t really crude but it was like what is your bra size. I was definitely not sure how to answer it. The internet was newer back then, there wasn’t as many things going on as there is now.

I think that it is important to teach your children about cybersafety. I think it is as important as teaching them not to talk to strangers in real life. I think that the internet is a very valuable tool if it is used properly. I thought I would share with you some tips I have learned throughout the years of being on the internet and keeping our kids safe. As you all know I am big on safety and protecting kids from the dangers in the world.

Tip #1 Place your computer in a common area so you can know what is going on at all times with your child. That is really important to know who your child is talking to.

Tip #2 Teach your children to not talk to strangers online no matter how nice they sound. Kids are extremely trusting and it is important that you limit their buddy lists, friends lists etc, and NEVER meet someone they talk to on the internet.

Tip #3 Use Parental Controls and monitor what your kids do online. Some people would think that is invading their child’s privacy but I feel that the internet is a privilege that needs to be earned.

Tip #4 Be open with your child about the internet. If they seem to become upset or withdrawn after spending time on the computer, make it a point to find out what happen. They could be the victim of cyber bullying or have some other problem going on.

I think with these 4 tips you can make the internet a safer place for your children. There are many wonderful websites out there where you can learn anything at your fingertips. Just think of all the libraries you would have to visit to have the access to all the knowledge of the internet. I hope you all share these tips with your family and if you have any to add please comment.