Magic Cookie Bars

I have to admit I have a very soft spot for Brownies - being the easiest to bake, these are one of my cherished desserts, especially when you need something quick and satisfying to uplift your mood or indulge your sweet tooth. Plus, they are a hit with my toddler too, though I try to restrict indulging her!

The Magic Cookie Bars, or Blondies, as I would call them, are a lovely variation from the traditional brownie recipe. It does not use any flour, just graham cracker crumbs, condensed milk and your favorite toppings. Plus, it is so versatile, you can easily swap toppings with your favorite ones, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate, pecans, pistachios, almonds - throw in everything and you'll still end up with one perfect recipe!


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Mix well with your fingers so everything is evenly buttered. Then press gently into bottom of prepared pan, evening out the layer with your palms.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Then take a serrated knife and cut into bars or diamonds.

The magical Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

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Mango & Coconut Snack Cakes
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Mattitos Restaurant Review - Uptown Dallas

After living in Dallas for around 2 years, you get to know the good and bad about restaurants pretty soon, because unlike the Bay Area, there aren't too many good choices out there. So if you are in or around the area, and are craving for Mexican food, then check out Mattitos, a fun and friendly Mexican restaurant Dallas that will satiate your cravings for authentic Tex-Mex food.

Like any other food lover, I turned to Yelp to look for better-than-average Mexican restaurants in Dallas, and Mattitos indeed had some rave reviews. As we visited their Uptown Dallas location, we found that their decor is warm and colorful, just how you'd expect a Mexican restaurant to be, and you'll be greeted by nice and friendly staff who will answer your queries without rush. The food is totally another story. Their Menu is large and extensive, especially their Lunch specials. They have a large variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options; no wonder they are a favorite party caterer Dallas. And don't forget to order something from their Drinks Menu - their award-winning Cocktails are out-of-this world, and your visit would be incomplete without trying one of them.

Their Sunday Brunch menu is another good choice, from appetizers to main course as well as a dessert, you'll get to taste everything, so it is perfect for family brunches. Mattitos also provides affordable and cheap banquet halls, so check them out if you are planning an event around the area.

With good food, lots of options, affordable prices, and a family-friendly environment, there are a lot of things that work in favor of this authentic Tex-Mex eating harbor. We enjoyed our visit, and I am sure you will too - after all Yelpers can be trusted for their reviews most of the time!

Mattitos Tex-Mex Restaurant
3011 Routh Street (At Cedar Springs)
Dallas, Texas 75201
(P) 214-526-8181

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Linguine Pasta in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

When you are looking for a fuss-free, stress-free dinner recipe that will put your appetite at ease after a long and tiring day at work, more often than not, a simple Pasta creation comes to your rescue. The versatility of Pasta makes it easy to create interesting variations, both in texture, taste and presentation, without enrolling in any culinary schools! Like this bowl of linguine tossed in roasted red pepper sauce, drenched in olive oil, parsley, and topped with cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Serve it with some french bread or salad and you can sit back, enjoy the food and relax in some engaging conversation with your family, just how Dinner is meant to be!

Ingredients
Photo & recipe courtesy of Fine Cooking

1 medium clove garlic
12-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1 cup small grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4-1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. black olives, rinsed and chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat
12 oz. dried linguine or spaghetti
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + more for serving

Method
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic. Sprinkle it with 1/2 tsp. salt and using the flat side of a chef's knife mash it to a paste.

In a large bowl, stir the garlic paste, roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, 3 Tbs. of the oil, the olives, and the pepper flakes.

Heat the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring frequently, until the smaller crumbs are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt.

Cook the linguine in the boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta in a colander. Add the hot pasta to the red pepper mixture, toss to combine, and add just enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten the pasta dish. Add the cheese, toss well, and season to taste with salt.

Finally, add the breadcrumbs and additional cheese, if you like. Serve the Linguine with some Homemade Garlic Bread for a lovely and filling meal.


When you have more time on hand, you can add some chopped and pre-cooked vegetables to the sauce, like carrots, peas, chickpeas, maybe some broccoli and/or avocado. Non-vegetarians can take it one step higher by adding chicken or sauteed shrimp, if you like. Be creative and add ingredients that will enhance the flavor as well as the nutrition aspect of the recipe!

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Triage - Healthcare App for Smartphones!

These days, everyone carries a smartphone with them, irrespective of age and sex. Some carry it just to impress friends, while most of the others actually use it as a mini device. If you are a firm believer of technology, you would know that by introducing Apps in the mobile world, Apple has indeed transported all of us to a new age - as they say, there is an APP for everything, so how can you miss on one of the most important Apps in your life. Managing your health has never been easier, thanks to iTriage, the latest health-care app available on all smartphones, including iPhone and Android devices.

iTriage is a medical reference application for Smartphones, that was created by Healthagen. iTriage is currently available on the iPhone and iPod Touch, Android, and Palm app. The application lets you search and browse hundreds of symptoms, diseases, and procedures and provides useful descriptions of the conditions, treatments, and medical tests, the app also offers support links to your insurer’s advice line.

In addition, iTriage can use the iPhone’s GPS to help you find nearby pharmacies, hospitals, and other treatment centers. In some states it gives ER wait times so you can choose which one to go to!

Managing Healthcare with your Fingertips
iTriage—the first healthcare information software product introduced by Healthagen, LLC is the brainchild of two emergency room physicians. After seeing a growing need for patients to have more actionable healthcare information in their hands, Dr. Peter Hudson and Dr.Wayne Guerra introduced iTriage to give healthcare consumers crucial information in acute care settings. The key information highlights include:

* Information on more than 300 symptoms, 1000 diseases and 350 medical procedure
* A nationwide directory of hospitals, urgent cares, retail clinics, pharmacies and physicians
* Turn-by-turn facility directions from GPS, IP address or zip code locations
* Nurse advice lines
* Detailed quality reports from HealthGrades on hospitals and physicians
* Help negotiating medical bills through an iTriage partnership with one of the most respected claims adjudication organizations
* Emergency Room Wait Times for hospitals in select parts of the country

And these are just a few. Pretty neat, huh! But the best part it is a FREE APP. This leaves no reason for you not to have this app on your phone. If you don't believe me, or would like to test it for yourself, go ahead and search for iTraiage from your Smartphone's app store, download it for free, and start monitoring your health in the best possible way.

Note: This post is sponsored by the Mom Bloggers Club member program.

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