No Cake Birthday Recipe with Rice Krispy Treats!

My best friend growing up hated cake, but loved rice krispy treats! This recipe is sure to please your child’s sweet tooth and birthday cake needs! It is made of all cereal (who doesn’t love children’s cereal).

SERVINGS:  Makes one 8-inch, 2-layer cake; serves 8

OVERALL INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• Rice Krispies recipe (see below)
• Frosting (pre-made is fine such as Pillsbury)
• Flower-or ball-shaped cereal pieces (Trix are good to use!)

Rice Krispies Ingredients:

• 16 cups crisp rice cereal
• 12 cups mini marshmallows
• 10 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• Assorted colorful cereal and candies for decorating

Directions to make krisp-rice mixture:

• Melt 10 tablespoons unsalted butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add 12 cups mini marshmallows; stir until melted, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in 16 cups (a 13 1/2-ounce box) crisp rice cereal.

Directions to make the cake:

1. Coat two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Prepare crisp-rice mixture; before pouring into pan, reserve 2 tablespoons for patching cake, and set aside, covered. Divide remaining crisp-rice mixture among prepared cake pans. Press into pans with greased fingers to level. Let cool until set, at least 30 minutes.
2. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen; unmold onto parchment paper.
3. Warm frosting and pour onto center of 1 cake layer, and spread evenly to edges. Let stand 10 minutes. Place second cake layer on top; press down gently. Using reserved crisp-rice mixture, patch edges where frosting is visible.
4. Decorate with cereal, arranging pieces around top, middle, and bottom edges. Let cake stand until firm enough to slice, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. After 2 hours, wrap cake in plastic wrap to prevent it from getting too hard to slice.

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Mouthwash as a preventative for pre-mature births?

I was surfing the internet yesterday and read about a very interesting new study about pre-mature births and how something as simple as swishing your teeth with mouthwash can help prevent pre-mature births and cut the risk of giving birth to low birth-weight babies. I found this very intriguing and thought I would share it with you…when I first read the article, I thought it was an old wives tale, but the study seems to have some very interesting and relevant evidence to back up this new belief.

The study, presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting, suggests that mothers at high risk for an early birth can cut the risk by about 2/3 simply by using of an alcohol-free antibacterial mouthwash.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat, a professor of periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania stated, “Preterm birth is the major cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide and still difficult to predict and prevent. So, when we found that something as simple as mouthwash could change the outcomes, we were very excited.”

A scary fact is that each year, about 13 million babies around the world are born prematurely, leading to death in some, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, and breathing an developmental difficulties in others.

What is the cause of pre-mature births?
A number of factors can increase the risk of preterm birth, such as a mother’s low weight, smoking and drug abuse, but oral infections can also raise the risk.

The Study:
Researchers enrolled 204 pregnant women at 6-20 weeks gestation. All of them had periodontal disease which can cause the gums and the bone around the teeth to decay. None of them were receiving dental care. A group of 49 women were given a antimicrobial, alcohol-free mouthwash containing cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC), to be used twice daily.

The rates of preterm birth were two thirds lower in this group than in the control group of 155 women.

The Studies Findings:

• It was noted that only 6.1 percent of the women who used a mouthwash had a premature delivery as opposed to 21.9 percent of those who did not use the rinse.
• Even after factoring age, smoking, and alcohol consumption, women adopting oral hygiene exhibited a two-third reduction in premature deliveries.
• Only 6.1 percent of the mouthwash using women had premature deliveries, compared to 21.9 percent of those who didn’t rinse.

Jeffcoat stated, “These results were so dramatic. There is a public health responsibility, in fact, to know what we found, to repeat it, to find out who should get it.”

So what’s the overall importance? Pregnant women have an extra susceptibility to bacterial infections– if the gums become severely affected, the infection could possibly trigger labor. This study also adds to evidence that dental care in pregnancy is very important! So brush and floss those pearly whites! 🙂

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Cake Boss Buddy Valastro Welcomes Son on Valentine’s Day!

Photo by: TLC

His wife’s bun in the oven is out and so sweet! Cake Boss star, Buddy Valastro, is a dad for the 4th time and welcomed son Carlo Salvatore Valastro yesterday on Valentine’s Day! Wife Lisa is on the show and both are thrilled about their new bundle of joy. Carlo weighed in at 7 lbs., 3 oz. and measured 20 inches long. We think this adorable Le Top Baby “Playtime Pups” gown with mitten cuffs will keep son Carlo warm in the New Jersey cold. The easy convertible closure transforms the ensemble from a coverall to a casual gown with elasticized hem and snaps for easy closing. Makes changing your little pup a walk in the park. Soft cotton and mitten cuffs keep your babe safe and snug.

Le Top Baby Playful Pups gown

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