Hello again! :)

Let's get back into the swing of things, shall we? My writer and I had all intentions of starting this up two years ago when we created this blog, but as you can see that did not happen. But we're back! :) And this time we are ready to go. I'll start us off this time with a yummy pasta dish and some delicious cupcakes.

This past weekend, I met up with my best friend (the writer ;) ) on Friday night and made dinner for her, as well as her mom and stepdad. We're both a bit busy during the week, so nearly all of our posts will come early in the week (hopefully Monday or Tuesday) and will be about something we created over the weekend. 

Don't lie to yourselves. You all know you want to hear about dessert first. So, enjoy :) 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

These sound delish, right? They tasted even better than they look. And in my opinion, they look pretty gosh darn good. 

{Please excuse the quality of these pictures. The camera I used for these was not the greatest}

What you need: 

• For the inside:
• About 1 & 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• For the cake:
• I just used a box of devil's food cake mix, but feel free to make your own batter at home if you would like! :)
• For the frosting: 
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
• 3 & 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. Cool Whip, thawed*

*I used an entire 16 oz. container. The icing was delicious, and I probably had enough for 48 cupcakes. (However, we only had 24 and so we ate the frosting on its own, or scooped more on top of the cupcake after we licked off the icing once :) )

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350*.

• Combine filling ingredients (powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla) in a medium bowl. Beat on medium until the mixture is dry, but holds together. Roll into approximately 1 inch balls. Place in freezer or refrigerator while making cake batter. 

• Make batter according to box (or your own recipe :) )

• For the frosting, mix the cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar (little bits at a time). Fold in the Cool whip. 

• Scoop about a tablespoon of batter into the cupcake paper. 
• Place 1 peanut butter ball into the batter and lightly press down. 
• Fill cups with remaining batter 2/3 of the way up. 
• Use a spoon (or your finger :) ) to completely cover the ball. 
• Bake according to the cake mix. 
• Icing and enjoy! 

**I also bought a bag of the mini Reece's peanut butter cups and used them as cute little decorations on top :) 

Well, now that dessert is over with, let's start dinner ;)

We started off with some Bruschetta, then moved on to chicken and pasta. 

Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes (about 3 medium to large ones, seeded and chopped)
• Parsley (2 tablespoons)
• Chives (2 tablespoons)
• Garlic (about 2 cloves, minced)
• Basil (4 tablespoons)
• 1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO, thanks Rachel Ray :))
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• Bread

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except the bread) in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Scoop onto slices of bread and serve.  

*Note: This makes enough for 4 people, with about 2-3 pieces each. 

And finally, the chicken and pasta! :) 

Pasta

Ingredients: 

• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (*Note: I used approximately 4 fresh, large tomatoes instead, diced)
•  1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
•  1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
•  2 teaspoons garlic powder (or a clove or so of fresh garlic :))
•  2 teaspoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Italian Seasoning
•  1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
•  1 pound zucchini and/or yellow squash, sliced (I also diced this for easier bites and a faster cooking time)
•  1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms (or a package of mushrooms, sliced and diced :))
•  1 small onion, chopped
•  6 ounces pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine (or penne :)) 
•  Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional, but absolutely delish.)

Directions:

1. Mix the tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and seasonings in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms and onion; cook and stir 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir tomato sauce into vegetables.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package. Drain well. Place pasta in serving bowl. Add vegetable mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

This is step 1 :) Then I started slacking on the pictures until the end result..sorry about that. 

For the chicken I just made a sort of rub with the same herbs as in the pasta and bruschetta to tie everything together. A little salt, pepper, garlic, some of the Italian seasoning from McCormick. Then just grilled it on the stove top. :) 

And so you have the end result: 

Enjoy!