Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I made these for Father's Day/Chad's Birthday and they were a hit! Best "from scratch" chocolate cake I've had.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes: 24 Cupcakes

For the Filling:
2/3 Cup Confectioners' Sugar
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla

For the Cupcakes:
8 Tablespoons Butter (1 Stick)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 2/3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs

For the Frosting - Peanut Butter Buttercream:
1/2 Cup Butter, Softened
2/3 Cup Peanut Butter
3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1-2 Tablespoons Milk

1. Prepare Filling: In bowl, with mixer on medium speed, mix confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until blended. Shape mixture into 24 balls using heaping measuring teaspoons. (Balls will be sticky and don't need to be perfectly shaped.) Place balls on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line 24 standard muffin-pan cups with fluted paper liners.

3. Prepare Cupcakes: On waxed paper, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In 2-cup liquid measuring cup, mix sour cream, milk, and remaining vanilla; set aside. In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat granulated sugar and 8 tablespoons butter just until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 1 to 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture. Beat just until ingredients are combined, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

4. Spoon 1 heaping measuring tablespoon into each muffin-pan cup. Drop 1 peanut butter ball in center of each cup and top with another heaping tablespoon batter. Bake cupcakes 25 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cupcake comes out clean. (I baked for 26 minutes I believe.) Immediately remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

5. When cupcakes are cool, prepare frosting.

Making the Frosting:
Cream butter and peanut butter together in a bowl. Add powdered sugar with mixer on low speed and gradually add milk and vanilla. Mix until frosting is smooth. If too thick, add more milk; if too thin, add more sugar. Frost cupcakes as desired.


** I don't ever mix my dry ingredients in one bowl and liquid ingredients in another one. I just mix my liquid ingredients in a bowl and then add all the dry ingredients individually to the liquid ones. I've never had any issues doing it this way. **

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I made these for our family beach trip and they were gone REALLY quickly! Very yummy and easy to make.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Makes 40 brownies (mine didn't make 40)

1 Box of your Favorite Brownie Mix (I used Ghiradelli Chocolate Brownie Mix)
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter Chips
1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.

Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

Ground Turkey and Hominy

So I needed a new recipe that used ground turkey meat. I used my allrecipes.com app on my iPad and found this recipe. However, I didn't have hominy and I didn't know what it was so I looked it up and it's sort of like corn kernals but not haha. Anyways, I just used frozen corn instead and added black beans.

I've made this twice now the first time I added rice to Chad's bowl and noodles to mine. Last night when I made it we ate it in burrito shells.

Ground Turkey and Hominy
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Servings: 8

1 1/2 LBS Ground Turkey - I just use two packages of Foster Farms Ground Turkey Breast
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
2 Cans Diced Tomatoes, undrained - I skipped this one.
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Mustard
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Large Onion, Chopped - I skipped this too
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
2 Cans Hominy - I subbed with a bag of frozen corn
2 Cans Black Beans (drained and rinsed) - The original recipe doesn't call for this but I add black beans whenever I can.

In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes and seasonings; heat through. Add hominy and heat through.

I don't drain mine and I add the seasonings while the meat is still raw so the seasonings cook into the meat. Once the meat is no longer pink I add the frozen corn and drained and rinsed black beans; cover and heat until corn is no longer frozen. Roughly 5 minutes.

Dr. Oz's Green Drink

We make this a lot - it makes a big jar of smoothie. It will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days.

This "green drink" is high in fiber, low-calorie and rich in vitamins. Dr. Oz swears by this "breakfast" smoothie.

Dr. Oz's Green Drink
Makes approx. 3-4 Servings

2 Cups Spinach
2 Cups Cucumber (I just do one large cucumber)
1 Head of Celery
1/2 inch Ginger Root
1 Bunch Parsley
2 Apples
Juice of one Lime
Juice of one Lemon

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix.

I don't measure the spinach but am sure that I'm putting more like 3 cups into the blender. We always add filtered water - we fill the blender about half way or less.

Blueberry Buckle Smoothie

We haven't made this in awhile so I don't have any pictures but Chad used to make this every morning.

Blueberry Buckle Smoothie

2 oz Coconut, Almond or Rice Milk, unsweetened
Handful of fresh or frozen Blueberries
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
10-15 Drops Liquid Stevia
1 Tablespoon Flaxseed Oil
2 Scoops of Jay Robb Protein Powder
Handful of Walnuts
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Put everything into the blender and mix. Chad always adds water and 3 ice cubes - it's up to you if you'd like to add the water and ice.