Bella's Cookies Family Shares Recipes In Southern Living

Milton, DE. - January 9th 2007 - You won't find a mention of Bella's Cookies in Southern Living magazine this month... but you will find owner Kelly Leishear and her family (Mark, Bella & Liam) sharing 3 healthy recipes for families to try in the New Year.

Planning over a year in advance, then arriving in May of this past year, Southern Living magazine visited the Leishear family home in Milton, DE. Their purpose: to spotlight healthy vegetarian fare (a first for the magazine's annual January "Healthy Living" section) and test some quick & easy power meals for families. During their 4 day visit, a crew consisting of a writer, photographer, chef & stylist re-arranged the Leishear household into "a place that we had to clean up and re-arrange every night after they left" (said Mark Leishear, laughing). "They focused on exercise & how our family exercises, what we eat, how our children eat" (said Mark) "a lot of material didn't make the magazine, but it's fantastic." There are 3 recipes profiled in the magazine; a Vegetarian Chili, Tomato-Spinach Penne, and a Peanut-Broccoli Stir Fry. "The Tomato-Spinach Penne is my personal favorite" said Leishear "in fact, we just recently made this dish for a Holiday dinner party." The recipes are available at Southern Living magazine's website to print and review.

Southern Living's January 2008 issue is currently on newsstands in area supermarkets & bookstores.

Southern Living is a national, monthly publication from the Southern Progress Corporation, a subsidiary of Time, Inc.

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Holiday Offerings Released By Bella's Cookies

Milton, DE - Bakers of Bella's Cookies are announcing a new line of Holiday offerings available now through December 31st at both their online store and through select natural food store retailers. Several new types of cookies, candies and desserts are making the list this year, with a special focus on varieties to suit those with certain food allergies or intolerances.

"Holidays treats, especially those baked during December, always hold a special appeal to just about everyone" says Mark Leishear (Director of Sales & Marketing for Bella's Cookies) "as Bella's has become a staple for those looking for cleaner ingredients in their baked goods, our growth has also increased by those with food intolerances or allergies." Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Vegan, and Nut-Free are some of the leading food allergies found among people of all ages and Bella's is making a large selection of this year's holiday offerings available to cater to those needs. Gluten-Free and Vegan pies such as pumpkin & sweet potato are available this year as well as a selection of cakes from their dessert collection. Candy from their Verdi Good line is naturally gluten-free, with some of the most popular selections being English Toffee (Dinosaur Crunch), Fudge (Peanut Butter, Chocolate & Coconut Crème), and Chocolate Peanut Brittle. In addition to these offerings, customers can find new sweet breads, muffins, tortes, and cookies.

Cookies are the mainstay product for Bella's and varieties include their Signature Collection (natural & organic), Vegan, Gluten-Free, Agave Sweetened (suitable for Diabetics), and a new line of Gluten-Free/Casein Free cookies. Holiday cookies return in the form of their Silver Lake shortbread (a chocolate caramel creation), Jam shortbread (made with locally produced jam), Snowballs (Russian tea cakes), and many others. "The Holiday Tin is one of our most popular items during the season" says Leishear "it's filled with an assortment of cookies, candy and other treats". Customers across the country seek out Bella's during the Holiday season specifically for this item and ship tins to places as far away as the Middle East, Europe and Canada.

Bella's has also partnered with Good News Natural Foods in Dover and Milford to make ordering and picking up these selections easier for those living north of the Delaware Beaches. "We will have order forms, from which customers can choose a variety of selections, and then have them delivered fresh to our store" said Sharon Fields (co-owner of Good News Natural Foods). Holiday offerings vary in price by the type of product ordered; most items range from $4 - $40. Bella's online store is open 24 hours a day, and the bakery 6 days a week during the month of December.

Questions about products or ordering can be answered by calling 302-684-8152 or through the website at www.bellascookies.com.

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Cookies & Fudge Celebrate National Peanut Month

Cookies and Fudge celebrate National Peanut Month

Milton, DE - March 10 2008 - In celebration of National Peanut Month (March), Bella's Cookies & Verdi Good (natural/organic cookie and candy companies) are releasing two, new peanut themed creations; "Peanut Butter Power" & "Python Peanut Butter Fudge." March is coincidentally National Nutrition month, with the peanut known for its many health benefits.

"Peanut Butter Power" is new cookie creation promoting the powerful health benefits of peanut butter, with Bella Leishear resembling Super Girl on the cookie's tag. "Creating a great peanut butter cookie recipe takes as much effort as creating a great chocolate chunk," said Mark Leishear (Director of Sales & Marketing) "there are many different types and tastes of peanut butter cookies; you have to experiment with each." Throughout last summer, test recipes of peanut butter cookies would be brought to various farmer's markets and data collected on each cookie variety. In the end, the winner was a crunchy peanut butter cookie with a sugary top, named "Peanut Butter Power" and is available in Bella's traditional double pack (2 - 3.25 oz cookies) for $3.99 and Baby Bella's (dozen .5 oz bite-size cookies) for $5.99.

Liam Leishear's candy company, Verdi Good, gives exotic animal names to each of their available products. Crocodile Chews, Great White Fudge, and Dinosaur Crunch are a current few. On the Bella's website, visitors can follow links to educational sites such as the National Geographic Society and learn in-depth facts about each of these animals. "Python Peanut Butter Fudge" is their newest named creation, and features a Burmese Python (among the largest snakes on earth, with adults capable of reaching 23 ft). Thick with organic peanut butter, this python fudge retails for $10.99 a pound.

Peanuts and peanut butter are smart options for consumers because they contribute more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients (like protein, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese) and have zero cholesterol and no transfats. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) an ounce of peanuts provides more than 10% of the Daily Reference Value (DV) for protein and Niacin, while peanut butter is an excellent source of Niacin, containing 20% DV. Peanuts are also included on a list of recommended nuts that are lower in saturated fat & cholesterol, which may lower your chance of heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, the best way to accomplish this is to eat less saturated fat, trans fats and cholesterol, control your weight, and participate in physical activity for at least 30 minutes each day.

More information about Verdi Good or Bella's Cookies can be found by calling 302-684-8152 or visiting www.BellasCookies.com.