Cooking with Sheila

Val's Amazing Peanut Butter Cup Bars

These peanut butter cup bars are a dream come true. I dare anyone to eat just one!

"Anything is good if it's made of chocolate." ~Jo Brand Last weekend I got together with some of my favorite girls for a little chat, a lot of chow and a ton of laughs. We try to meet up every couple of months on a Saturday afternoon for a few hours and reconnect over good food and a tasty cocktail. Val brought a dessert that was absolutely delicious...peanut butter cup bars. They were sweet and light and almost too good to be true. Almost. Since they were very real and I really enjoyed the one I had. Ok, the two I had. Oh alright what is this, the Spanish Inquisition? I had three. Sheesh! Val sent us the recipe, which she found on browneyedbaker.com. It is a must try. Val's Amazing Peanut Butter Cup Bars Ingredients: Directions: Enjoy! 

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Cooking with Sheila

French Onion Soup - Slow Cooker Style

French Onion Soup is delicious and easy when you make it in the slow cooker.

“You will find this to be a more oniony soup than the usual kind but, as the cross old lady said when a stranger told her that her slip was showing, "I like it that way.” ~Margaret Yardley Potter I think of French Onion Soup as the Rocky Balboa of soups. It is an enduring favorite, it has bite and it may be basic, but it definitely has depth. You can envision it going a few rounds with Apollo Creed's Beef Stew. But seriously, French Onion Soup is that perennial favorite that we love to order in restaurants as an appetizer but seldom actually try to make at home. In all the years that I have been cooking the first time I tried to make it was last weekend, when I decided to try my hand at a slow cooker version. I have just one thing to say. …

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Cooking with Sheila

Succulent Shrimp Stir Fry

Here is a recipe for a tasty stir fry that not only tastes good but leaves you with only one pan to wash. Bonus!

"The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her." ~Marcelene Cox I can often be found browsing the aisles of the T.J. Maxx in town. This is mostly because I like to support businesses in town. And other towns too, I suppose, since I do frequent quite a few T.J. Maxx stores in the area. Ok if I'm being honest that may not be my number one reason...I mean, they have such great stuff! My favorite section is Housewares (which then also leads me to frequent their sister store, Homegoods, but that's another story) and during one of my wanderings through the store I found a wok-pan for a really good price. My husband and I have used it many times for different stir fry dishes but this one is my go-to stir fry recipe. I even picked up…

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Cooking with Sheila

Fall in Love with This Luscious Lemon Tart

Looking for a new dessert to try? Here is a recipe for an easy tangy tart.

"Someone has stolen three of my tarts!" ~The Red Queen (Alice in Wonderland) While thumbing through my People magazine last week I came upon a recipe for a lemon tart. Having never made a tart before, and therefore not realizing how easy it would be, I skipped right over it. The following day the magazine was laying on the coffee table and after a gust of wind blew through the window, the magazine opened to what else...the lemon tart recipe.  My dessert destiny was calling to me. Clearly I needed to embrace it. And as luck would have it, I had all the ingredients right in the kitchen. This recipe calls for no baking and the whole process takes about fifteen minutes from beginning to end. It tastes so fresh and tangy and is such a beautiful…

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Chat Transcript: Bistro 5 Owner Gives Thanksgiving Cooking Tips

Vittorio Ettore talks about cooking and his new restaurant in Winchester.

The owner of Bistro 5 Restaurant will answer your holiday cooking questions and more from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. this Tuesday. Vittorio Ettore's Bistro 5, in West Medford, is highly frequented by Arlington residents. He's also just opened a new restaurant, A Tavola, in Winchester. To participate in the chat, just type a question into the text box. And don't forget to use your name to help us distinguish who's talking during this dialogue. Patch will moderate the conversation. If you can't stay for the whole chat or would like to go over the dialogue again, a transcript will be posted. Sign up for an email reminder (above) and submit a question early for the chat by emailing Medford editor Jarret Bencks. (This chat is being shared on Arlington …

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Play Date

Lainey Chefs It Up

Encouraging culinary curiosity, and an imaginary TV cooking show from our kitchen.

My Daughter Lainey is four years old and I love her. She occasionally gets sucked into television and once she tires of cartoons she absorbs Create. Create is the travel, crafts, and cooking network of PBS, WGBH Boston, channel 44.3. Now, every time I cook, Lainey thinks we’re on TV. I was in the kitchen washing dishes one day and getting ready to make some banana bread. Soon Lainey wanted in. “Tell them that your kid is here and is going to help cook,” Lainey directed from the doorway. “My daughter Lainey is here,” I said in my best chef voice. Lainey sauntered into the room with her chin held high, and shook her hips a bit. “Hello,” Lainey said in a shy voice and looked toward the fridge where, apparently, the camera crew was hidden. She…

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