While we have been visiting/ living in Lake Martin, we have had been blessed with some tasty treats.

These brownies were made by Fuller and me soon after our visit began. Grandma Linda was given a Perfect Brownie Pan as a Christmas gift, so we thought it the perfect time to try it out! It really did make brownies well. (There is an entire flickr set of the process, in case you want to see how the pan really works.)

These funny looking things are “squid” in the making. We went into Montgomery to visit a friend and she was so clever to make this fun lunch for the kiddos. You cut up hot dogs, stick in pieces of spaghetti, then boil them until the spaghetti is cooked al dente. When you pull it out of the water, you have squid!

Last Friday I went to a gourmet grocery store with Linda and came home with a few delicacies such as microbrewed rootbeer. I thought it would be fun to introduce Fuller to rootbeer floats. (Sidenote: a freezer without ice cream at Grandpa Albert’s must be a broken freezer.) Fuller liked it, and since a full bottle was too much for Fuller, I got to have some too.

It was during the root beer float fun that Grandpa Albert taught Fuller how to say, “Over the lips, past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes!” Fuller worked so hard to learn it and say it right. Now, if only he would finally remember the days of the week.

I’ve been making a lot of pancakes lately, since Tebow can eat them. He only really eats one or less. The rest go to Fuller and myself.

The other morning I attempted to use a cookie cutter to make a pancake in the shape of a house. I put the cutter in the pan, poured in the batter, and let it cook. However, when I picked up the cutter to hopefully let the half-cooked pancake slide out so I could flip it, it didn’t slide. I had to push it out with a knife and it stuck to the side and it wasn’t pretty.

So, my question is this. How do you make pancakes in the shapes of other things?

Technorati Tags: Wordless Wednesday, baby food, avocado

So, the sweet tooth beckons while the heat keeps going up. And this means more no bake treats!

Today we have the first cookie I think of when I think “no bake.” However, you must note that this is a no bake treat, but we do have to use some heat. In this case, the stove. So, before we even get into how to make these treats (really easy!) I’ll just go ahead and apologize.

I’m sorry you have to turn on the stove and maybe get a little warm while making these treats. If you forgive me, then please leave a comment and I’ll do another drawing for a Little Debbie 100 Calorie Snack Sampler Gift Pack. The winner will be posted tomorrow evening, after 9 p.m. EST. And, like last time, this is open to US residents only.

Whew, glad I got that off my chest.

So, no bake cookies.

Ingredients:
4 ounces butter (I think you can use margarine, but Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential said to always use butter, so I do)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter, optional (but really, when it is peanut butter and chocolate, peanut butter isn’t optional)
3 cups oats, quick or old-fashioned
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place chocolate chips, peanut butter (if used), oats, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Combine the margarine, milk, and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute (very important, or else it all crumbles). Combine the hot mixture with the oatmeal and chocolate chip mixture; stir well. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

While yesterday’s no-bake treat was my own creation, these are pretty standard no-bake treats that will still keep you from turning on the oven.

First: Snack Mix

This is pretty easy because all you do is mix together sweet and salty items in a bag.

We used fruit flavored marshmallows, Joe’s O’s, raisins, and peanuts.

Some people might add chocolate chips, M&M’s, dried fruit, or pretzels. It is really up to you. And it is a great treat to have on hand because it meets both the sweet and the salty requirements.

Second: Puffed Rice Treats (you might know it as something that rhymes with Vice Brispies)

Now, thank you for all the comments from yesterday. I used random.org and the number came back 4, which means the winner is Carrie!

If you didn’t win tonight, don’t worry. We will have two other chances during this series. Thank you, Little Debbie!

Technorati Tags: no-bake treats, Little Debbie, Rice Crispies

I’ve been bit by a desire to bake and or create treats lately. Last time I got the bug, I ended up with interesting looking cakepops and an overheated kitchen due to using the oven. It is kind of rough wanting to be creative in the kitchen and feeling too hot to do anything about it.

I don’t know exactly what thought process led me to this, but I started thinking about no-bake treats. I was able to list more than five, so I thought I would share them here. One recipe a day!

Today, it is Ready to Go Sundaes. This is inspired by the Ben and Jerry Flipped Outs. I figured I could make the same thing in muffin tins and have ready made sundaes to pop out when the fancy struck.

Now, since it is sooooo hot out, I want to help you out and not let you lift a finger to make treats for your family. The nice folks at Little Debbie (she’s a hometown girl!) sent our family a gift pack of Little Debbie 100 Calorie Packs. Six boxes of treats (chocolate, yellow, and new flavors lemon and cookies & creme) were all ours for consumption. Fuller was thrilled.

Little Debbie sent them to me with no strings attached (I didn’t even have to blog about it), but they did offer to help me give away the same sampler boxes to lucky readers. If you leave a comment on this blog post (with a valid email address) you will automatically be entered to win your own sampler box. One comment per reader, and unfortunately, this is for readers in the United States only.

I’ll do the drawing via random.org and announce the winner tomorrow when I post a new no-bake treat recipe.

Technorati Tags: little debbie, no-bake treat, ice cream sundae