No Bake Cookies Recipe

One of my favorite types of cookies is called No Bake Cookies. I have been eating them for as long as I can remember and probably even before I can I remember. They are so delicious. There are two ways of making them, one with peanut butter and one without, I have always had the kind with peanut butter, because I personally love peanut butter.  If you have never had a no bake cookie, you are seriously missing out on something amazing.  I used to say they should sell them in the store. It took them many years but sometimes you can find them in the bakery section.  I refuse to eat a prepackaged no bake cookie because they are really easy to make and I am sure mine tastes better. I have probably made thousands of no bake cookies so far in my life, so I have it perfected and could probably do it in my sleep. I don’t think I should use the stove in my sleep though.   One of my ex boyfriend’s favorite cookie was no bake cookies so I would make them for him every other week or so.  My no bake cookies are always really liked.

There have been a few mishaps in my no bake cookie career. I remember when I was babysitting, we made no bake cookies and they looked pretty gross and kind of slimy. I am not sure if was the milk being non skim milk, but they still tasted pretty good. A few times I get a little oatmeal happy or I get distracted, so the cookies are really crumbly.

no bake cookies
 Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
3   cups oats

Melt Butter in a big sauce pan. Put in Sugar, Milk and Cocoa. Then Bring to a Boil, continue to boil for one minute, stirring constantly.   Remove from head and add the peanut butter. Stir and then add in oatmeal, blending well. Quickly drop mixture by the spoonful on wax paper. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Do you enjoy No Bake cookies? I can’t wait to see what you think of my recipe. 

I Smell Chocolate!

I am sure most parents are guilty of this. I know I am. What is the charge? Sneaking treats and candy behind your child’s back. It is not that you don’t want to share, well maybe sometimes you don’t but usually it is you don’t want your child to have anymore treats. You might hide in your bedroom, your closet, or maybe the car to enjoy a little treat without little hands and faces begging for some. I am somewhat of a pushover when it comes to treats. I don’t go overboard though. I feed my son very healthy foods but I am a firm believer that everyone needs a treat sometimes. Most of the time, I am eating something sweet around Noah I will share a little bit. Sharing is important after all. I don’t let him eat a lot of candy or treats. I make sure he has had a meal first or if it is the middle of the afternoon it is a small amount. I am teaching him about healthy eating because it is best for his growing little body and it is my job to make sure he gets the nutrients that he needs. Thankfully, for snacks he is happy with something healthy versus having a bowl of candy or chips.

When I was little, I loved treats and candy. That has not changed much. I don’t think I eat nearly as much as I used to. My cousins used to tease me about how I would buy pounds of candy but I would always share with them. My mom would used to have a little treat when I was little, she knew that as any child would I wanted some. Occasionally she would wait until I was upstairs or in another room. Her plan would fail because I would come running yelling I smell chocolate! It wouldn’t matter where I was in the house I would always smell it. We have always lived in nice sized houses too. I just had the scent for chocolate.

Do you have me time when it comes to treats? Do you have any good hiding places?

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.

Skinny Cow Review

I love ice cream, but I don’t love all the fat it can have. If only there was great line of ice cream products that were good for you but didn’t taste like it. Luckily for me, there is. It is called Skinny Cow. Skinny Cow is delicious ice cream treats that are not only delicious but good for you too. All of the Skinny Cow products are between 100 to 150 calories which is significantly less than non Skinny Cow products. All of the Skinny Cow treats are trans fat free!

The Skinny Cow Website is full of fun ideas how to lose weight and live a Skinny lifestyle. I can’t forget to mention how cool Skinny is. Skinny is the mascot of Skinny Cow, she is a lipstick wearing fun and flirty cow who loves to wear green eye shadow and lose weight. I had the opportunity to try the Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches, Chocolate with Fudge Ice Cream Cones and the Chocolate Truffle bars.



The Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches were the best mint ice cream sandwiches I have ever had. I used to buy the store brand because I love mint and that was the only kind I could find before. They were good but they were full of fat and calories. I had to enjoy them in strict moderation. Skinny Cow Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches on the other hand are better. They are so full of mint flavor and the chocolate cookies are the perfect mixture of softness and chocolate. The chocolate cookies hold up well and don’t make a huge mess like some ice cream sandwiches can. They are only 140 calories too!



The Chocolate with Fudge Ice Cream cones were mostly eaten by my son Noah. You know how kids are with their cones. I managed to try a couple after he was in bed. I am not a huge cone person but these were good. Noah thought so too. I liked how they weren’t a huge mess when he was done. We spent our afternoons eating icy creamy ice cream as he would call it. He loves ice cream. Not that he understands calories or fat but I knew I was giving him something that was better for him than some of those other ice cream treats that are in shapes of cartoon characters that have way more than 100 calories like these do.



Last but not least the Chocolate Truffle Bars. These were so rich and creamy and tasted like I was eating a box of frozen truffles. I shared a couple with my mom who loves to eat truffles and chocolate and she loved them as well. They are such a classy ice cream treat. Move over Bon-Bons there is a new decadent ice cream treat in town. Chocolate Truffle Bars are only 100 calories too.

Noah and I enjoyed eating the ice cream treats we picked out at the store. They went fast. Noah’s favorite was the Chocolate with Fudge Ice Cream cones. I specifically picked those out for him because I thought he would enjoy them. I also liked them. My favorite if I had to pick one was the Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches. I have always enjoyed ice cream sandwiches for as long as I can remember and you all know I am a mint girl. Both of the other treats were a stiff competition though. They were all so creamy and if I hadn’t picked them out, I wouldn’t have any idea that they are actually good for you. Honestly some of those other healthy ice cream and ice cream treats are not very good. Skinny Cow was a hit in our house.

The people at Skinny Cow wanted me to share a photo with you all. This would be a great idea for an alternate dessert at a baby shower. It was created by someone at the Skinny Cow office and it looks so good. I love the colors and the presentation is just gorgeous. It would definitely impress the party guests and please the mother to be.




Look for Skinny Cow Products in your Grocery store freezer section. Check out the Flavor Finder to find products at stores near you HERE. You can also download a form to request other flavors from your store's manager.

For more information on Skinny Cow and to read some of Skinny’s humorous Skinnyisms and to send your friends Skinny Cards to help spread the love for Skinny Cow Please visit the Skinny Cow Website.

Thank you to Skinny Cow for providing me with some coupons to try out a few Skinny Cow Products for my review.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Duncan Hines

It is almost St. Patrick’s Day, growing up we celebrated it with wearing green so I wouldn’t get pinched at school. We also received a small little treat because I am extremely Irish. I remember looking for rainbows on St. Patrick’s Day and looking for pots of gold when I was little. I am Irish from both sides of my family. My mom’s parents are both of Irish decent. My Grandma Rose’s family came over from Ireland on a ship called the Spotted Cow.

On my dad’s side is where I get most of my Irish heritage. My Grandpa Bill was born in Ireland and all his family is from Ireland. My dad was also born in Ireland. So, I am more Irish than I am anything else. I am first generation American. I am the second person in my dad’s entire family to be born in America with my sister being the first. So, to me St. Patrick’s Day is not just an excuse to get drunk but it reminds me of my heritage and family.

I thought it would be fun to share some recipes for some delicious St. Patrick’s Day treats from Duncan Hines with you guys. You all know how much Noah and I like to cook. I have two recipes to share with you that Duncan Hines has developed in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The recipes are Leprechaun Key Lime Cake and Clover Patch Brownies.

Leprechaun Key Lime Cake


Try your luck with our cool, creamy, refreshing Leprechaun Key Lime Cake. There's a splash of lemon-lime in every bite thanks to Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, lemon pudding, lime slices and Key lime juice.

Ingredients:

Cake:
• 1 pkg Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe® Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) pkg lemon instant pudding and pie filling
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup Key lime juice

Glaze:
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup Key lime juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Garnish:
• additional confectioners' sugar, lime slices and fresh strawberry slices

Baking Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
2. For cake, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup Key lime juice in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes.
3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Remove cake from pan onto cooling rack. Return cake to pan. Poke holes in top of warm cake with toothpick or long-tined fork.
4. For glaze, combine 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1/3 cup Key lime juice, 2 tablespoons water and melted butter in medium bowl. Pour slowly over top of warm cake. Cool completely. Invert onto serving plate. Dust with additional confectioner's sugar. Garnish with lime slices and strawberry slices, if desired

Clover Patch Brownies
Bring a bit-o-luck to the kitchen by creating these shamrock-covered Clover Patch Brownies using our Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix.


Ingredients:
• 1 pkg Duncan Hines Family Style Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
• 1 pkg pre-made marzipan or fondant
• green food coloring
• green toothpicks

Baking Instructions:
1. Bake brownies according to instructions on box. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut brownies into squares.
2. Meanwhile, knead green food coloring into marzipan or fondant until desired shade of green is achieved.
3. Form small (1-inch) 3-leaf and 4-leaf clover shapes out of fondant or marzipan. Be realistic and make a lot more 3-leaf clovers than 4-leaf clovers.
4. Stick clover shapes on top of green toothpicks.
5. Insert little bunches of clovers onto each brownie.

Duncan Hines is available in your local store's baking aisle.

I hope you try out one or both of these recipes with your little leprechauns. It will definitely add some Irish fun to your day and maybe bring you some good luck too. I wish everyone a Happy and Safe St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to wear green or you might be pinched by a mischievous little leprechaun.

Thank you to Duncan Hines for providing me with a couple mixes to try out these recipes with my son.

Sheila's Fruit Pizza Recipe

I thought I would share my favorite non cupcake dessert with you all. It is called Fruit Pizza. No, you don't use cheese or sauce. It is delicious. There are many recipes out there for Fruit pizza but I think mine is the best, because it calls for POWDERED SUGAR instead of granulated sugar.

This would be a great Valentine treat for your loved ones!


You will need:

1 package of Pilsbury sugar cookie dough

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese softened!

1 pound of strawberries (maybe less if you have big ones)

1 tsp of vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups of Powdered sugar I eye balled it Just until it tastes good you don't want it to be too sugary but not to cream cheesy.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F

Take the cookie dough and cut it in to pieces in a pizza pan and smoosh them all together until it covers the pan. Then bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool completely this is important

Then combine the cream cheese the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix (mixer works the best) until creamy

Then spread the icing on the cookie crust

Take the strawberries and remove the green top and slice the strawberries in to slices and cover the pizza with the strawberries
You can also use other fruits like kiwis or whatever you like. I use only strawberries.
REFRIGERATE and ENJOY!