Chocolate Cupcakes with PB icing

A co worker had a birthday a week after mine and her favorite treat is chocolate and peanut butter.  I was going to make a pb chocolate pie but we were  having a Thanksgiving lunch that same week, so thought these would be a better option.  Also she could take the leftovers home.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons coconut OR canola oil
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, not packed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
1/2 cup hot coffee OR hot water
18 peanut butter cups (mini)

icing:

1/2 cup creamy pb

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 stick butter soft

2-3 cup confectionery sugar 

** optional 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 12-cup cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake liners and lightly spray the liners with non-stick spray (optional but it does help them peel right off). Set aside.
2. Melt the oil, butter, and chocolate together in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments, stirring between. *You can also melt the oil, butter, and chocolate over very low heat on the stove top, but I find the microwave to be much easier. Whisk mixture completely smooth and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt; stir together until thoroughly combined and set aside.
4. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, yolk, sugar and vanilla together; beat until smooth. Add the cooled oil/butter/chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the sour cream. Repeat the process until everything is added, and be sure to mix until JUST combined. Quickly stir in the hot coffee/water. It's important not to over mix, here! Just stir until evenly combined.
5. Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter into the bottom of each cupcake tin, press a peanut butter cup into the batter, then top with another 3 tablespoons of batter; each cupcake mold should be 3/4 full. You will have leftover batter (enough to make another 6 cupcakes).
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Icing:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter on medium-speed until completely smooth. Beat in vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add in the remaining ingredients, beating until fully incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
2. Once the cupcakes are cooled, spread or pipe the frosting on top then press half of a peanut butter cup on top.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.

Donna

Chocolate Banana Muffins

It's always great to have banana's on hand.  Our local grocer has them on special every Tuesday and Thursday for 19 cents a pound.  Yup, believe that!  So on occasion I will buy a bunch, eat some and then put the rest in the freezer for future baking.  There are so many different things you can make with bananas and adding chocolate can never be a bad thing.  Give these a try, they are great and easy to make too, just uses one bowl to prepare so easy clean up too.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium bananas (about 1 cup), over-ripe
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or sub 2% dairy milk)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp (packed) light brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (look for dutch-processed)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-1/8 tsp baking soda
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips (bittersweet or semisweet)
1/3 up chopped walnuts *optional*

• INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use the back of a fork to mash the banana until only very small lumps remain. Add the vanilla and the egg and use the fork to whisk the mixture together until completely combined. Add the oil and milk and stir to combine. Add the sugars and stir again.
3. Using a spatula, stir in the cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix until the cocoa is completely incorporated. Stir in the salt and baking soda, then gently fold in the flour, until just combined.
4. Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups, about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating once, until the muffin tops look set, and a cake-tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, before removing and cooling completely on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room-temperature.

Thanks for stopping by, have great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.

Donna

Taco Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS:

adapted from here

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 1-1/4 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 (1-oz) package taco seasoning
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 can (10.75-oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (10-oz) can R-otel diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (8-oz) package Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet cook ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat. Return meat to skillet. Add taco seasoning and water. Stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in soup, Velveeta and Rotel tomatoes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in cooked spaghetti and pour into prepared dish. Top with cheddar cheese.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Read more at http://www.plainchicken.com/2017/01/taco-spaghetti.html#pFxbvTrUZ9cvM7PS.99

Chicken Thighs Marinated in Yogurt

It's been very cold here in KS so I've been looking for some easy healthy recipes.  I stumbled upon this one on Pinterest, sorry I forgot to get the blog it came from.  I like dishes that you don't have to fuss much with and can just pop in the oven.  I may make some sort of potato to pop in the oven to go with this....or may just have a salad. 

Ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced
½ Tbsp dried oregano
1 medium lemon
½ tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper
¼ bunch fresh parsley
4-6 chicken thighs

Instructions

1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Put lemon zest in bowl  . Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
2. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
3. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.
4. To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9x13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and always remember To Find the Time to Do all the Things YOU  L♥ve.

Donna

Super Loaded Baked Potato

I made this for dinner one Sunday night.  Sure was yummy and fairly quick to make.You don't need a lot of ingredients and would guess you could put whatever you like in it.  I followed the post I saw the only change I made was that I added red sweet pepper and 3 oz of cream cheese too.  (I also made a much larger batch  - cooked 9 potatoes.  But the ingredients below are for the 4 potatoes

Ingredient:
4 large russet potatoes (cleaned and poked)
6 oz steak sliced or chopped into bite size peices
3 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 large green pepper - diced
1/2 large red sweet pepper - diced
1 large diced onion
salt and pepper
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 oz cream cheese **optional**

Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes at 400 °.  Let cool the cut in 1/2 and scoop out insides
Place skins back on baking sheet and bake for another 8-10 minutes.  In a skillet heat 1 TBL oil,  add
steak, cook until almost done, add peppers, onions, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, don't overcook because they will cook a bit more when you put them back in the oven.  Fill potato skins, top with cheese and return to oven for about 10 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and green onions.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and always remember to Find the Time To Do All the Things You L♥ve.
Donna

Chocolate Silk Pie

I made this as going away treat for a co worker.  This is his favorite dessert.  I have never made this before...imagine that!!!  I must say it came out really good and was a HUGE it not only with him but the entire staff.  I will make this again I'm sure.  Would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving dessert list. 

I

1 Ready pie crust, baked and cooled.  (I use Pillsbury)

 filling

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly 

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 TBSP cocoa powder (optional, but intensifies the chocolate flavor and color)(Did use this)

1/4 tsp instant espresso powder (optional, but intensifies the chocolate flavor)(I didn't use this)

4 large eggs

whipped cream for topping

chocolate shavings or curls

Instructions

for the crust
1. Preheat oven to 450ºF.  Follow directions on box
2. Gently roll out the crust and place it in a pie plate. Crimp edges as desired. Dock the dough by piercing with a fork several times around the bottom and sides.
3. Lay parchment paper into the crust and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights.
4. Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and place back in the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
5. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
for the filling
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
7. With the mixer still running, pour the cooled melted chocolate into the butter/sugar mixture. Add the vanilla, cocoa powder, and espresso powder if using. Scrape down the bowl.
8. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 5 full minutes in between each addition
9. (20 minutes total) at a medium-high speed. The full mixing time of 5 minutes for EACH egg is necessary to get the silky texture and for the pie to set.
10. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before serving.
11. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or curls.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things You L♥ve.

Donna

For valentine's day

I made these for my daughter to give to 4 kids that help her at school.  I also made a couple to give to a friend and her boys.  They are so easy to make (if you have the envelope maker).  The larger on is called a diaper fold and that one is easy to make also.  You put a candy bar in the first ones and the diaper fold you could put a candy bar, or a small bad with some sort of small candy...m&M's, skittles, the little heart candies.  i.e.  You get the idea!

Here are the directions if you have one

cut double sided paper 5 1/2 x 5 1/2.   Score and punch at 2 and then score at 2 5/8.  Turn counter clock wise and punch and score at each line.  Do that 2 more times.  The last turn only punch do not score.   Fold your paper on the score lines, you'll see two small squares at the bottom, but those out so folding is easier.  glue or tape the folder over parts to make the little box.  Easy peasy...all done.  Decorate as you wish.  

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.

Donna