Reese's Inspired Cupcake Heaven

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling and Peanut Butter Frosting

1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix
1 c. sour cream
1 /2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 /4 c. water
1 /2 c. buttermilk

Filling:
1 /2  bag semi sweet chocolate chips
2 T heavy cream
1/3 peanut butter (more or less to taste)
2-4 T powdered sugar (use to control consistency)

Frosting:
1 /2  c. butter, room temperature
1 c. peanut butter, creamy
2-3 c. powdered sugar (add in a little at a time)
Milk or cream (add a bit at a time to reach desired consistency)

1)    Preheat oven to 350*. Line cupcake tin with liners; set aside

2)    In a bowl, mix together sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, mix thoroughly.

3)    In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and water. Alternating between the cake mix and the liquid, add to mixing bowl with egg mixture. (start and end with adding the cake)

4)   Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until done.

5)    To make the filling: add chocolate chips, peanut butter and cream to a double boiler and stir to avoid burning. Keep stirring until the chocolate is silky. Add in powdered sugar to turn it into a consistency similar to ranch dressing. Not too runny but not too thick.

6)    Pour into a squeeze bottle or allow to cool a bit and put into a piping bag.

7)    When cupcakes are done, pull them out of the oven. Insert the end of the squeeze bottle or piping bag with small tip on it into the center of the cupcake and squeeze a filling into each. I usually count to two seconds.

8)    For the frosting, cream together butter and peanut butter until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and add milk/cream until desired consistency is achieved.

Pipe onto cupcake and garnish with chopped reese cup’s and drizzle with chocolate/peanut butter filing!

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Drunken Italian Confetti Noodles

Wow...I feel like I haven't posted anything for quite some time. I almost feel like I have abandoned the blog. It's been a pretty busy past couple of weeks, so I do apologize for the silence.

Two weeks ago, my local grocery store had their super meat sale that they do twice a year. Our tax return came in and we decided to buy a chest freezer and load up on meat products we eat on a regular basis to take advantage of the deep discounts. We stocked our new freezer with chicken, beef, sausage, frozen vegetables and much more!!! So excited!! (Does that age me? lol)

I stumbled across some inspiration on Pinterest for this recipe. I tweaked it to make it my own but didn't drift too far away from the original. I can't tell you how many times I've attempted to jazz up some noodles by adding vegetables or something else that sounded good and it just fell flat of the promise I thought the dish had. I was a little nervous that this recipe would do that too but there's not a recipe on my epic fail list that included wine. So I thought it was worth a shot. And I am so glad that I tried it because this dish was nothing short of delicious!! It was pretty easy to make, all the ingredients are something you should have on hand, and it didn't take all that long to come together! I encourage you to give it a whirl. On the site that I pulled the original recipe off of, the blogger said "Out with the “eh”, the “OK” and the “so-so”, and in with the “WOW!” and the vibrancy that is all around." This recipe embodies this quote!!

Drunken Italian Confetti Noodles

4 spicy italian sausage links, casings removed

1/2 medium sized white onion, sliced thinly

1 small red bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 small orange bell pepper, sliced thinly

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine (chardonnay)

1-28 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice (diced is fine too)

3-4 T flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 C fresh basil, confetti

8 oz Pappardelle noodles (or any other thick ribbon style noodle)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

3 tsp. dried oregano

1) Heat skillet on medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan and brown it. I like to leave mine in small to medium sized chunks, but this is a preference thing. Remove from the pan and let rest in a covered bowel.In the meantime, cook noodles according to package to al dente.

2) Reserve some drippings and return to heat. Add onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes. You want them to sautee and really start to become transparent.

3) Add salt, pepper and oregano to the onions. Add in the peppers and continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

4) Add in garlic and sautee for 3-4 minutes. Once it becomes aromatic, add in white wine to the pan. Allow to burn off, then add tomatoes to the pan. Add parsley and half the basil to the sauce.
5) Add sausage back to the pan to finish the cooking process. Cook for 4-6 minutes to blend all the flavors. Add a nice drizzle of olive oil to finish it off.

6) Drain your noodles once they are done cooking and return them to the large pot and reduce heat to medium.

7) When your sauce is done, pour it on top of the noodles in the large pot, gently toss with a pair of tongs.

8) To serve, garnish with a sprinkle of fresh basil.



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