Dark Chocolate Reese's Cupcakes w/ Peanut Butter Frosting

Since it's like the tail-end of February I couldn't let myself go into March without posting at least one super delicious chocolaty concoction. These cupcakes are A-mazing. They come from a box of course, we all know my baking doesn't really go past that. But I'm really good at coming up with different ways to have things. I mean, chocolate cupcakes are always good as is. But add in something extra special... It just speaks for itself.

You will need:
1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix, I prefer Duncan Hines
3 large eggs
1/2 cup veggie oil
1 1/3 cups cold water
1 1/2 bag Reese's Cup Miniatures


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the first 4 ingredients according to the directions on the box. Set aside for a moment. Unwrap all the reese's cups into a small bowl. Put them into a food processor, one handful at a time and chop until just broken up. Fold chopped reese's into cake batter. Line muffin pan with liners and fill 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 22 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

 

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

1 2/3 pounds confectioners sugar

Cream peanut butter in a large bowl. Adding 1/2 cup at a time, slowly add the powdered sugar. Gradually add milk to keep a smooth consistency. This will always help it from flying out of the bowl and covering you and your kitchen. The end result should be creamy but firm. Fill a plastic sandwich bag with the frosting cutting off a small part of one end. Close the bag and pipe frosting onto cupcakes!

Salmon w/ Lemon and Parsley, Parmesan Potatoes

I can't believe I've gone pretty much the whole month of February without posting something. I guess I fell off the wagon. Well I'd like to think I'm back up there and I have a few recipes that I'll be sharing over the next few days. The first one, mentioned above, was dinner tonight. Really delicious and really healthy. Well, maybe not the potatoes. But still, delish.

For the salmon you will need:
2 - 6-8 oz. salmon fillets
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp fresh dill
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put zest, garlic, dill and parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until just combined, streaming in oil. Put the salmon into a greased glass oven safe dish. Spread the mixture from the food processor into the salmon. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cook the fish in a preheated 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. The fish will flake easily when done.

For the potatoes you will need:
1 pound red potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/4 milk, warmed
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste


Cook the potatoes in boiling water until fork tender. Drain off the water.  Add the butter and milk and mash with a hand smasher to desired texture. Stir in the cheese and cover with aluminum foil until ready to eat. Season to taste.