No-Bake Cookies

My Mom came down for a visit the past few days. The main reason was, of course, her grandbaby :o) But her and I spent time together and we made cookies! Well... I got out the recipe and measured out a few of the ingredients... the rest she did. I've made this particular recipe once before and I think I will keep it as my no-bake cookie recipe. They are quite tasty!



This recipe is from the cookbook, 'The Great American Cookie Cookbook'

Fudgey Cocoa No-Bake Treats

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. Hershey's Cocoa
2/3 c. crunchy peanut butter
3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 c. chopped peanuts (optional)
2 t. vanilla

1. Place piece of wax paper or foil on tray or cookie sheet. Combine sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil.



3. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute.
4. Add peanut butter, oats, peanuts, if desired, and vanilla; stir to mix well. Quickly drop mixture by heaping teaspoons onto wax paper or foil. Cool completely. Store in cool, dry place. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.


We used creamy pb (because that's all I had on hand) and decided to add in peanuts. We also only used 1 teaspoon of vanilla instead of two. Thirdly, I didn't have quite enough quick-cooking oats, so I used some old fashioned oats as well and I think they tasted just as good with that substitution. These cookies are great, especially for the summer time when you don't want to turn on the oven! One last note, we put them in the freezer to make them last longer. I think I actually almost like them better very cold. For one, they don't melt all over your hand as easy and, two, they don't seem to crumble quite as much. Just my couple of little tips/insights. Hope you have a chance to make them now that the weather is heating up!

To life... full of grandmas and cookies!

MMM: Baby Love

The other night, I was rocking Zeke to sleep and he burped right in my face... and, in all seriousness, I loved the smell. It was almost euphoric. And I thought to myself, how can this be? How can I love such a small, tiny person who cries and burps in my face ... how can I love him SO MUCH? It's almost surreal and my heart sometimes hurts from loving him so much. I had ideas of what motherhood might be like. I knew my life would be changed. I knew it would be difficult. I knew we'd be waking up in the night and not getting enough sleep (some people claim for the rest of your lives!). But yet people do it... we have kids. We raise them and love them and take care of them despite of all the work. How do we do it? Because of this deep, intense love for them. It's really inexplainable... at least at this point I don't think I fully understand it. It just is. A fact. I love my baby boy.


Since I can't give a better explanation, I'm going to list some of the things I love about him.

I love that he spends time in his bouncer, just cooing and being happy. Sometimes it's not just too long, but he's been in there for nearly an hour before! It is so nice to have him awake, happy, and entertaining himself because I can get some things done.

I love when he smiles. Whether he's awake or it's in his sleep, it is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

He seems to really enjoy the outdoors. I take him out for walks in the Baby B'Jorn and nearly every time he enjoys it. Sometimes if he's been crying it will calm him down. He likes to look around and I like to believe he's taking in all the sights of his new surroundings.

His poop face. I know, it sounds weird, and, sadly, it's disappearing already. But when he was first born, he made the absolute CUTEST face when he was pooping. I wish I had been able to capture it on camera.

His curly hair. It's not showing up all the time yet, but after his bath he has curls and I am believing that one day they will decide to stay around even when his hair's dry. His hair also has a red tint in some light!

His eyes. They're really starting to focus on my face (and others) now. They are deeply blue and beautiful. I could stare into them for a long time.

He is doing a great job when we go out and about. Nearly every time I'm afraid that the lights will be too bright or it will be too noisy in the restaurant or store, he plumb falls asleep! I'm grateful he seems to adapt to his surroundings so well. He's doing better and better riding in his car seat too!

I love just sitting and rocking him. I love holding him and feeling him snuggle into my neck. Or when his little hands grab onto my neck or stomach. It is such a precious feeling knowing he wants to be near me.


This guy's changing our lives, and I couldn't be happier.

To life... full of sweet baby burps.

Happy Pi Day

Pi(e) Day was Wednesday -- 3.14! My sister was here so we made a Blueberry Cream Pie to celebrate. Really she did all the work, but I have made it once before :o) It turned out great!



I found this recipe from the blog, A Cozy Kitchen.

1 baked pie shell
1/2 c. whipping cream
3 T. sugar, divided
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. fresh blueberries

In a bowl, beat the whipping cream and 1 T. of sugar until stiff peaks form.

In a larger bowl beat together the rest of the sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Once everything is well combined and the cream cheese is smooth and creamy, slowly fold in the whipping cream. Once everything is combined gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour the filling into a prepared pie shell and chill for at least an hour to allow the pie to set up.

By the time I finally took a picture, this is all that was left. Enjoy!


To life... full of Blueberry Cream Pie!

MMM: Trip to the Zoo!

We went to the Zoo!


You know they say everything takes longer when you have a kid... it's so true. This morning we decided to head down to the zoo because it was such a nice day... still is! It's beautiful, warm, and sunny! There was a ton of traffic because it's pretty much everyone's Spring Break, so it took a little extra time finding parking and then walking all the way in to the zoo. We finally found a spot to park and I decided to change Zeke's diaper. Opened it up... big mess! He had pooped out the side of his diaper, so I changed his diaper and his clothes. Fortunately we did have an extra onesie in his diaper bag, but had forgotten to put any extra pants in. I also forgot a hat... and baby sunscreen, so we put him in the baby b'jorn and then covered him with a light blanket to keep the sun off his sensitive skin. As we walked inside he fell asleep almost immediately and stayed that way for nearly the whole time we were at the zoo. We didn't stay long because it was crowded and we knew he wouldn't last long. But that's the beauty of a zoo pass, you can go as long or as short as you want because you can go as many times as you want. It was a great morning!


Our first excursion to the zoo was a success. And I hope for many more!


To life... full of beautiful, warm days at the Zoo!

Time to Bake! : Hershey's Chocolate Cake

It's been a while... a loooong while since I've made anything! I mean, you have a baby and *bam!* time goes out the window. Instead of checking out food blogs, you're nursing. Instead of trying out new recipes, you're reading books about reasons babies cry. Instead of cooking food, you're rocking baby to sleep. But you know what's so neat? When people find out you had a baby, they bring you food! We had great meals brought to us for almost 3 weeks! Besides that when our family was here they would make us food AND make extra for us to freeze for easy heat up meals. So for nearly 6 weeks I haven't had to make ANY meals! It's been amazing! I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I go to the fridge and there's not something to just heat up and eat... but I'm sure I'll figure something out. But this Monday, hubby was home and it always makes such a difference in my ability to get things done.

I started off easy on Monday morning... strawberry jell-o!


Then a bit later on while hubby was holding the baby, I endeavored on... Hershey's Chocolate Cake! It's the recipe on the back of the hershey's cocoa container. I had read on other food blogs about it being people's favorite chocolate cake and frosting. It seemed easy and I had all the ingredients (plus, I was in the mood for chocolate) so I went for it.

The recipe...


Melted butter for the frosting...


Mix it up!


I halved the recipe so I would have just enough batter for one 9" round cake pan. When I took it out of the oven, I let it cool a bit and then put it on a wire rack to finish cooling before frosting. The problem came when I flipped it over, part of it went over the edge of the wire rack. It was quite a mess! But, I thought it was cool... when I pieced it back together and frosted it, it ended up looking a little like a heart!


This was a tasty cake! I will definitely make it again. I had made the frosting before for dipping with graham crackers (a weakness of mine), but when combined with the cake, I think it's even better. If you haven't tried it before and are looking for a chocolate cake recipe, I'd recommend this one.

One last thing... just for something fun: when I write up my baking posts from now on, I'm going to try to include at least one picture that has something baby related in it. Can you find the baby item in the pictures above?

To life... full of delicious chocolate cake!

Monday's Motherhood Musing: Bath Time

Much to my delight, Zeke is loving his bath time!

I had been a little nervous about giving him baths because he was not a fan of the sponge bath which was required until his umbilical cord/stump fell off. But the first night I put him down into his little tub, I held my breath as I lowered him in... actually, I'd read it's a good idea to talk and let them know what's going on... so I was actually narrating his journey into the tub -- I was metaphorically holding my breath, make sense? As I eased him in, he just kind of laid there and looked around. I was so proud! He seemed fairly content in the water and I was so glad. The first time, the happiness didn't last too long. But we've taken a few baths now and he really loves to lay there in the warm water. I love our time together too!

One time I had finished soaping him up and rinsing him off and he was still a happy camper. I considered leaving him in the water, but decided to take him out since he was done. Since then though I've let him just lay there for awhile. I mean, if he's a happy baby, why end what makes him happy?

I love our tub. It is a baby tub to begin with, but it has a suspended mesh area for him to lay in right now when he's still little and his head is floppy. It was a wonderful purchase! He's comfortable and it makes me feel much more at ease giving him a bath. I don't have to worry as much about him slipping into the water, especially when I give him baths by myself. It's like having a third arm. And I can imagine the mesh is much more comfortable for him to lay in rather than the hard plastic of the tub. Right now, he's the perfect length for the tub, so he likes to push up with his feet and stretch out. It's funny, occasionally his little foot hangs over into the water below.



I had a hard time whittling out pictures...just too cute! I'm sleepy, Mom...





When bath time is over you can see the start of some curly hair...



To life...full of many baths for this little boy!

P.S. I clipped Zeke's nails while he was sleeping -- success!

Our growing boy

I should have done this on Monday, but it slipped my mind. One of my friends does this and I really liked the idea. Here goes...

Zeke, you are one month old.


- You weigh 8 1/2 lbs. and are 21 inches long (according to Mommy's scale and measuring tape)

- You are still wearing newborn clothes and diapers, but that will probably be changing before long.

- You enjoy taking walks with Mommy while being carried in the Baby B'Jorn. You are usually calm and just look around at all the new things there are to see in your new world.


- You do not have a sleep schedule yet, but you have given us a couple 4 and 5 hour nights and even one 6 hour stretch!

- You are a good baby and usually only cry when you are hungry or are about to pass gas.


- You have started focusing on faces and will follow us with your eyes.

- You don't seem to mind tummy time too much.

- You are enjoying your baths!

- You have started making more noises -- cooing, grunting. We love to hear you develop your voice!

- You like to stretch your legs out when I change your diaper.

-Sometimes you sleep with your arms above your head.

Daddy and I love you so much! We are enjoying getting to know you and look forward to each day you develop and grow into the man you're going to be.

To life... changed forever.