Reese's Pieces No Bake Cookies

In case you were wondering, it's still summer, and it's still hot! It has cooled down a bit, but I still am in no mood for firing up the old oven.  So next up to bat in my line up of summer recipes are these amazing Reese's Pieces no-bake cookies.  I saw these on Pinterest and immediately knew I would be making them. No second thoughts. No questions asked. Yum! 

The heart of these cookies is Special K with a sugar/corn syrup/peanut butter. I discussed this with some of my coworkers, and these cookies are what I would call “camp cookies.” I think that's because they were served at my school, and that's what they were called. I think they are traditionally made with Corn Flakes, and might also go by the alias of “Corn Flake cookies.” Call them what you want. They are delicious.

The flare is the Reese's Pieces. I love cookies with some good flair! The Reese's give these a nice presentation, and would actually make them perfect for fall. So if you don't get around to making them this summer, keep this recipe in your back pocket for October! But most importantly, the Reese's Pieces give these cookies a chocolate/peanut butter boost. You have to try these to believe how good they are!

Easy Macaroni & Cheese

Until last winter, I had never made macaroni and cheese from scratch.  I have always loved boxed macaroni and cheese.  And when I say I love boxed macaroni and cheese, I mean that I could probably eat it every day.  That's how much I love boxed macaroni and cheese.  And not only is it scrumptious, it takes almost not time to make, and it is cheap!  So why would I bother to take the time to make macaroni and cheese from scratch?  

Well, after seeing several awesome looking recipes online, curiosity finally got the best of me and I gave homemade macaroni a shot.  I guess it was just another step in my journey to start making real food!  The first two macaroni recipes I made were both makeover recipes.  And they are both quite tasty, if I don't say so myself.  But unlike my secret ingredient baked mac & cheese and my stovetop guacamole mac & cheese, the stand out feature of my latest elbow pasta adventure is simplicity.  Macaroni and cheese from scratch is fairly easy, but making it usually involves preparing a cheese sauce, and therefore is a little more time consuming then stirring a package of space cheese into cooked noodles, milk, and butter.  But hold onto your hats, folks.  I am about to introduce you to a homemade macaroni and cheese recipe that doesn't require making a cheese sauce!

Banana Chocolate Cheesecake Mini Trifles

I guess I can almost officially declare chocolate banana as my flavor of the month.  I am following up last week's wonderful chocolate banana milkshake with this reduced fat, reduced sugar, full flavor trifle, that also happens to feature chocolate and bananas.  This recipe does mix it up a little bit by including some cheesecake flavor.  I guess I just can't get past the cheesecake either!  I would apologize for the lack of variety, but these are both fantastic, so I'm not sorry.  Not even a little bit!  

I have confessed before to being a recipe hoarder.  I have a nasty habit of saving every recipe that I see that I think looks good.  I always tell myself I might possibly, someday, maybe, in the future, when I get around to it, make it.  And I store it away.  And I have so many yummy sounding recipes that just haven't had their day in the sun yet.  But when I saw this recipe I jumped off the couch and made it immediately!  And I recommend that you do the same.  I hope you have some bananas around!

Makeover Monday: Chocolate Banana Shake

Like every good red blooded American, I adore milkshakes.  The only thing better than cold, creamy, smooth, delicious ice cream on a hot summer day is ice cream you can drink with a straw.  And if a good milkshake takes you back to a simpler time when kids went to the soda fountain after school and danced to jukebox music in poodle skirts, then you are going to want to find some Happy Days reruns and whip up this awesome chocolate banana shake.


Personally, milkshakes remind me of going to the drive-thru of our local, small town burger place, The Banner, with my grandma after school and getting a strawberry milkshake that was probably about as big as I was.  Fortunately, I guess I worked off all those milkshake calories by riding my bike around the neighborhood.  But if you aren't planning on riding a bike around for hours, I've got great news for you.  This milkshake is a fake.  Even better, it doesn't taste like a fake.  You have to try it to believe it!

Makeover Monday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

As it continues to be 100 degrees or more outside every day, my oven continues to be on strike.  And in this time, no bake pies are becoming a good friend of mine.  Not just the kind of friend that you add on Facebook and tolerate obnoxious status updates from.  I'm talking about the kind of friend that takes you out to dinner just because and calls you on your birthday.  I am tight with these summer-friendly pies!  They are very versatile, easy, quick, and most importantly, delicious.  


And my latest no-bake pie creation also has the distinction of being low in fat and sugar.  I would like to introduce you to my new BFF, chocolate peanut butter pie.  Who wouldn't want to befriend a pie with chocolate pudding over a chocolate graham cracker crust and a light peanut buttery cheese cake-ish topping, garnished with peanuts and chocolate syrup?