Tri-Level Brownies ... aka the best brownie you'll ever eat

It's no secret that I LOVE CHOCOLATE.

And I LOVE THESE BROWNIES!

Ha! This is another one of my moms recipes that I'm stealing to post here. I have such a great mom and I'm so glad she lets me share her recipes whenever I want to! I made one, teeny, tiny addition to her recipe which is to add peanut butter. You'll see where it comes into play below.

PS - does the icing layer of this sound familiar? It should! It's from my mom's Best Ever Chocolate Sheet Cake. If you haven't tried it, you have got to add it to your list.

Tri-Level Brownies
Source: JennaBlogs.com
Yield: 9*13 pan of brownies...enough for a large group!

1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box fudge brownie mix, prepared to package directions (eggs, oil, water)
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1/2 stick margarine
2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 a lb of powdered sugar (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, melted butter, baking soda and salt. Press into the bottom of a greased 9*13 pan. Bake about 5-7 minutes or until you see it begin to bubble up a little bit.

Mix brownie mix according to package directions and stir in peanut butter. Pour over oat crust and put it back in the oven, baking according to package time (subtracting about 5 minutes). Cook until just done!

Remove from the oven and begin making the icing layer.

Combine margarine, cocoa and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until mixed well and then add the powdered sugar. Stir until well combined.

Pour over brownies. Serve once cooled.

Slavery. Our Girls Are Not For Sale.

Sometimes I sit down to write something only to realize that it's just going to be too hard to put into words.

I'm a busy mom...we just moved, Brayden had an accident and we landed in the ER, then our new house flooded, we moved out, our home was repaired and we moved back in. All that is coming in another post. I barely have found the time to post my recipes lately, let alone anything that requires actual writing.

Does something ever start popping up in your life to the point that you realize its no longer a coincidence? A few weeks ago I heard about a book (through Goodreads) called Sempre. I love to read, as you probably already know. I have particular genres that I prefer and this book, a book about modern day slavery in the US did not fit that bill, yet I decided to read it anyway.

In my head, this was all fiction. There isn't slavery in the US! I did a little research on the author and found some disturbing information. I was wrong. There is slavery in our country. Today. Now. I had no idea. I visited the author's website (you can find it here) and read some statistics and then visited the links on her page. What I read was shocking.

A couple of weeks later I caught an episode of Our America with Lisa Ling...a show I never watch. It was called 3am Girls. It was actually a followup to an episode she did a year ago about child exploitation in Washington DC. I learned something I had never even considered...some of those girls, faces on milk cartons and on bulletin boards in Wal-Mart with the words MISSING in all caps above their faces, some of them are now slaves. They've been taken, usually lured in by men promising to help them out of their abusive homes or other sad situations only to be forced into the human trafficking industry.

The episode I watched followed up with a girl who had been rescued from that life. She had been taken  into foster care and her life had done a 180. How did she end up in modern day slavery? Her dad was never in her life, it sounded like no one knew who he even was, and then her mom died. She ended up with her cousin who forced her into this so called industry. She was ultimately rescued and is now a happy, high school graduate with a boyfriend who loves her.

Why am I telling you this? Well, for one, I doubt I'm the only person out there who had no idea that this was happening in our country, our states and maybe even in this very city. One thing I do know is that there can be a lot of power in the written word. This issue does not receive the attention it deserves. I'm sickened to know that when these girls are arrested for prostitution - keep in mind I'm talking about young girls...12, 13, 14 year old girls - they are jailed. Not helped. Not rescued. Jailed and then released back into the life of slavery.

In 2008, New York developed the Safe Harbor law and eventually 9 states followed suit. But in the rest of this country, minors who are exploited are jailed for prostitution. Never mind the fact that a minor cannot give consent, making any act with an adult one of statutory rape. They are jailed like criminals. You can find more information on that in this article.

I'm sharing this with you because we need to raise awareness in this country about human trafficking. We need to change the laws so that these innocent victims aren't jailed and then turned back over to their captors. I also want to let you know of a couple of resources where you can learn more and also help - you can donate and volunteer your time to these organizations:

Courtney's House provides a safe haven for girls and boys between the ages of 12-18 who are survivors of human sex trafficking. You can find volunteer opportunities as well as ways to help/donate on their website.

FAIR Girls is another great organization.  In their own words:

FAIR Girls prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education. Through prevention education, compassionate care, and survivor inclusive advocacy, FAIR Girls creates opportunities for girls to become confident, happy, healthy young women.

Founded by Andrea Powell and Caroline Tower Morris in 2003, FAIR Fund was created to empower girls in the U.S. and around the world who have been forgotten, exploited or otherwise are at-risk of not reaching their potential. FAIR Fund is now FAIR Girls. FAIR stands for Free, Aware, Inspired, Restored – this is exactly what we hope the girls we work with will become. It is a name that reflects our ongoing commitment to providing girls around the world the chance to live happy, healthy, empowered lives.

You can donate, volunteer and find other ways to help out and support the cause on their website.


You can find some of the clips from the Our America episode here.



So, sometimes sitting down to write something is much, much harder than I want it to be. I struggle with whether or not it's worth it, to take the time and express my feelings and thoughts about a particular issue.

And in certain instances, God continues to reveal something to you so powerfully that you can't ignore it, as is the case here. I hope that reading this will encourage you to get involved with this issue and help me raise awareness. Simply by encouraging others to read this post you are helping bring light to an issue that many don't even know exists. Donating of your time and money are wonderful gifts too.

I wish I had some great call to action about getting the Safe Harbor law enacted in all states but I don't...I don't know the first thing about politics and getting laws passed but maybe some of you do.

In any case, I know that I had to say something.

I hope you will too.





Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a politician. I'm just a mom who heard about this issue and did my own research. All of the information and statistics can be traced back to their original articles. The information in this post is accurate to the best of my knowledge. 

Quick Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ahhh, side dishes. 

When it comes to cooking, side dishes are often a thorn in ones side. I often know exactly what I want to fix for a main course and then sit around debating over side dishes. I either don't have all the ingredients on hand for whatever I dream up or I don't want to spend a long time working on whatever it is.

I think it's a good idea to have some quick and easy side dish recipes in your arsenal. For this one, all you have to have are the potatoes. Everything else can be switched around based off what you have on hand (though I always have these ingredients in my pantry/fridge). 

Quick & Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
Source: JennaBlogs.com
Yield: 4-6 servings

6 medium sized red potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into sixths
5 Tablespoons EVOO
1.5 Tablespoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425.

Clean and cut your potatoes. Make sure to pat them dry after cleaning them.

In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Toss potatoes well, being sure to coat each one.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and then spread the potatoes out in one even layer.

Bake at 425 - - If using a convection setting on your oven, you will only need to bake them for about 20 minutes. If baking on the regular setting, bake about 40 minutes, or until just cooked and golden brown.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I'm really super excited about this recipe. After I posted my Garlic Parmesan Quinoa I received lots of emails asking for more quinoa recipes! I'm finally getting around to posting this one, which is my very, very favorite quinoa recipe!

I want to be sure to point out a great tip I've learned - RINSE your quinoa! It really takes away some of that bitterness.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad
Source: JennaBlogs.com adapted from About.com
Yield: About 4 - 6 people
Total time: about 20 minutes

2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can of sweet corn kernels, rinsed
1/2 a red onion, minced OR 1 yellow onion, chopped and sautéed in olive oil until browned
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
1 jalepeno, minus seeds and ribs, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
1/3 cup lime juice
1.5 Tablespoons evoo
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of salt and pepper

Rinse quinoa and place in a saucepan with stock. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse beans and corn, and place in a large bowl. Add minced onion, garlic, jalepeno and cilantro.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, evoo, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.

Once quinoa is cooked, add it to the large bowl of veggies. Mix well. Add vinaigrette and mix well. Serve warm or cold.

Who Wants to Win Another $100 CVS Gift Card?!

Hi again! I hope you all had a chance to check out my first post about Children's Mucinex - but if you haven't you can find it here.

The last time we talked,  I shared some of my thoughts about Children's Mucinex with you. And, as parents, we of course never want our kiddos to get sick, but sadly, that's inevitable.

So today I'd like to talk about what we, as parents, do for our little ones when they are sick. As a lover of all things food, you have to know that one of my tricks is comfort food. What's more comforting than soup? I'm not a fan of the canned variety and much prefer to make my littles something home cooked. Here are two of our favorites:

 Creamy Tomato Soup

 Chicken and Rice Soup

Basically anything that you can top with some shredded cheddar gets my kids attention...and if you tell them there is more cheese mixed in, they are sure to eat it!

My kids are also big cuddlers when they get sick. I shouldn't admit this, but I secretly love it. I'll gladly accept their sickie snuggles! We like to curl up on the couch together and watch a movie or two. Occasionally they'll even fall asleep on me which is the sweetest thing in the world!

Sometimes kids need a little something special when they are under the weather, and my kids favorite treat is a chocolate milkshake. I know it makes their sore throat feel better and chocolate is a necessity when sick...at least in our family. We just can't help ourselves!

Now that Brayden is in school, I find myself cherishing those sick days even more than I did before. I'm so lucky that when he's sick he gets impossibly sweeter and is so content to just be right where I am. I'm also glad that my boys are great medicine takers. I love using Children's Mucinex because it really helps to relieve their cough, stuffy noses and congestion, and just plain makes them feel more like themselves!

The next time your little one comes down with the inevitable cold, give Children’s Mucinex a try! And go here to print a $2 off coupon!

Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold 
When your child has a bad cold, you both can feel miserable. Children's Mucinex is the #1 children's brand for relieving congestion* and provides fast acting relief from your child's worst cold symptoms. Try Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold if your child needs relief from stuffy nose and chest congestion. Always use Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold as directed. (*Based on IRI unit share data for the 52 weeks ending November 2012) 

  What activity makes your child smile when they are under the weather? Leave me a comment for a chance to win a $100 CVS gift card!

No duplicate comments.
You may receive 1 total entry by leaving a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/6/2013 – 3/31/2013

Be sure to visit the Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

PANTRY STAPLES: A look at what I always have on hand.

I've been asked several times to write this post and had every intention of getting around to it but I'm just now finding the time! 

I think it's important to figure out what you use most often and always keep a stock of those items. It will mean that on any given day, you're able to whip up dinner without tons of forethought or special shopping trips to pick up one or two things.

I decided to take a peek in my refrigerator first.  

You will always find low sodium soy sauce in my fridge, and several extra bottles in my pantry. I use it all the time in every season. I only buy low sodium - I prefer to be in control of the amount of salt I put in my dishes.

Here are some recipes that I love that have soy sauce in them:

The Best Pot Roast & Carrots Ever!

Kung POW! Chicken

Drip Beef

Easy Soy Marinated Flank Steak

Mom's Chicken & Rice

Sriracha! I'm posting this one with a picture because I've received several questions about it. I LOVE SRIRACHA! It adds an awesome kick to whatever you're making. It's a Thai style hot sauce made from chili peppers. I throw this in lots of things - including some of the recipes I linked to above like the Kung POW! Chicken and Soy Flank Steak. I also throw it into my Beef Stir Fry.

 I know what you're thinking...Dijon? Really? Yes, really. I love anything that stays good for a long time and adds a punch of flavor. Its also in my Soy Flank Steak marinade and sometimes I'll add it to random dishes, like Chicken Parmesan. I'll mix it in with my eggs and water (usually about 1T).

Well, this should come as a surprise. Not! I LOVE low-fat cream cheese. I even keep extras in my freezer so that I am never without it. I use this all the time! I like to use it instead of heavy cream in pasta dishes and to bump up the creaminess in desserts.

{Lighter} Cajun Chicken Pasta
Oreo Balls
Chicken & Artichoke Pasta
White Chicken Chili
Creamy Tomato Soup
Baked Chicken Taquitos
Creamy Mexican Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Bites

Vanilla!!! I love vanilla. I love good vanilla. Do you watch Barefoot Contessa? She cracks me up. She's constantly saying, "Be sure you buy good {fill in the blank with your ingredient}." Good peanut butter, good butter, good milk for crying out loud. 

One ingredient that I heartily agree with her on is buying good vanilla. I buy mine at Williams-Sonoma.  Make sure that whatever you buy it pure vanilla extract - it really makes a huge difference. I also buy whole vanilla beans and sometimes I'll strip the seeds out of them add add it to whatever I'm making for extra flavor, as is the case with my Sugar Cookie Bars.  If you click the Desserts tab at the top of this page, you'll see that pretty much everything I bake gets vanilla in it. I just love the stuff!

From sweet to tart...I keep vinegar on hand at all times. I love it in marinades because it helps break down the connective tissues of the meat making it easier to cut and chew. The apple cider vinegar is for Chris - he is a BBQ and meat smoking fanatic. The white vinegar is mine, and it's used in several dishes you'll find here, but I also use it for cleaning!

I mix a little vinegar with baking soda to clean my washing machine, take the smell out of mildewy towels and get stuck on grime off the side of my sink. It's very multi-purpose!

Spices galore! this a very small sampling of what's in my spice cabinet. Here is a list of what I would consider "Spice Staples:"

Cinnamon
Allspice
Cloves
Nutmeg
Paprika
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Chili powder
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Chili flakes
Cajun seasoning
Ginger
Peppercorns
Salt

Pastas & Beans...of course. I bet you didn't see this one coming. ;-) I keep a variety of pastas on hand all the time. Angel hair, fettucini, rotini...I like different shapes and sizes. I usually keep pinto beans on hand too.

Bacon Pasta Salad

Orzo Salad

Mom's Pasta Salad

Pasta Vodka

Lasagna Soup

Canned goods...this drawer is ONLY tomato products. I keep tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, fire roasted, rotel, tomato paste, San Marzano tomatoes...and you know what's funny? I don't EAT tomatoes. Give me a slice of tomato on a sandwich and I will pick it off. Make me tomato soup and I'm a happy girl. Go figure. Check out my Creamy Tomato Soup and my Spicy Tomato Soup in 30 minutes.

I also have a drawer dedicated to beans...I keep black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and great northern beans on hand all the time, as well as green beans and (not a bean) corn. It's great for chili (check out Sara's Turkey Chili and my White Chicken Chili).

Stock! Lots and lots of stock! I keep chicken and beef broth in my panty all the time. I need to replenish my beef broth supply...I'm down to 2 boxes!

Lots of my soups and stews and even pasta dishes use stock or broth. To name a few...

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup

Five Star Pasta 

Chicken Piccata 

Other regular staples include:

Flour
Sugar
Wheat flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Brown sugar
Powdered sugar
Chocolate chip
William's Chili Seasoning
Buttermilk ranch seasoning
Fresh fruits and veggies
A stocked freezer - chicken, chunk roasts, steaks, flank steak, pork tenderloins, frozen corn, frozen fruit (for smoothies), extra cream cheese etc.

Kung POW! Chicken in your CROCKPOT!

I guess I should preface this by saying that I know this dish is actually spelled Kung Pao Chicken, but I couldn't resist having a little fun. And since this is a punch to your tastebuds (in a good way) I changed it to "Pow!".

The one thing I am continually asked for is crockpot recipes. Since I stay at home I don't cook in my crockpot a lot - I prefer doing things on the stove. However, this is one of those awesome recipes that can be made in the crockpot. In fact the batch pictured below was made in my crockpot. Also, you'll see below that I like peanuts in this. I left them out because all I had at the time I photographed this was honey roasted which would not do well with this dish. It's great with or without them!

Kung POW! Chicken {in the crockpot}
Source: JennaBlogs.com

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 cup water
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup apple juice
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 Tablespoons sriracha
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons jarred, pre-minced garlic (or fresh, but pre-minced adds more flavor to this dish)

Optional: 1/2 cup salted peanuts, sliced green onions

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot EXCEPT the peanuts and onions. Cook on medium for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Ten minutes before serving, add peanuts. Serve over white or brown rice and top with green onions if desired.

2 Ingredient Hot Oil Treatment for Shiny, Healthy Hair

I've been wanting to do a hot oil treatment on my hair for a long time now. I kept hearing about using coconut oil for it, but I didn't have any. Yesterday, while at the grocery store I noticed this on the shelves:

Image Credit: Louana.com

And I decided to bring it home with me. By the way, if the store I was shopping at had it, then yours probably will too! 

What I ended up doing was taking a quarter cup of the oil, which by the way, didn't look anything like what I was expecting - it's almost like paraffin or something, and added one tablespoon of EVOO to it. I put it in a glass cup and then set the cup inside of a small pot with about 2" of water. Over medium heat, I melted the oils together. As soon as they were melted I used a potholder to remove the glass cup of oil and let it cool down a little bit.

Meanwhile, I got my hair wet - not soaking, but more than damp, and I threw a towel into the dryer to heat up.

I took the oil into the shower and coated my hair with it. I worked in sections until my hair was completely coated and then wrapped it all up in the warm towel.

Then I read a book.

Twenty-five minutes later, I went and washed my hair using shampoo and conditioner. You might need to shampoo twice, especially if your hair is really long. Oh, and be careful! Your shower will be slippery. The first thing I did was clean the floor because I'm an accident looking for a place to happen and that one was just too obvious.

And, ta-da! Thats it! My hair is SO much softer! Let me know if you give it a try!

My life in pictures...AKA, All Things Random.

I have quite the combination of pictures coming your way...basically with no real rhyme or reason. But here was this past week, in iPhone pictures!

My boys were all dressed up for the Superbowl! Brayden, Brody, my parents and I were rooting for our home team, the Niners while Chris, who was a little confused about who was playing was wearing a Cowboys shirt. Just kidding, of course he knew who was playing. He was rooting for the Ravens but doesn't own any of their gear. ;-) Personally, I was really happy for Michael Oher. 

Was it me or were the commercials not up to par this year? That's really the only reason I endure a whole football game...for the commercials. 

We had a family friend who was in town from California over for dinner this week. I made my Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake. 

I would say it was a hit! ;-)

While I'm being random, here's a question for you. I love these converse. Chris hates them. I want them. He thinks I'm crazy. What do you think? Love them or hate them? I would probably get them in my favorite color if I bought them (gray). 

Here's my newest favorite nail polish. It's called Beyond Cozy by Essie. Also, after years of scrubbing of nail polish with non-acetone nail polish remover, I accidentally bought the real deal, acetone full stuff at the store. Ohmyword. I can take my nail polish off in seconds now. Because of this wonderful, accidental purchase, I've started doing my nails every Friday night. 

Last but not least, to round this random post out, I purchased the 6 hour, BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I love P&P. It's one of my all time favorite classic novels. I also really love the movie version with Keira Knightly. Everyone I know that's a fan of P&P has told me, "you have to buy the Colin Firth version!" so I did. Hmmm. It's certainly...detailed. The jury is still sort of out for me. Which version do you prefer?

Enter to win a $100 CVS Gift Card!

Hi friends! I am so excited to be partnering with BlogHer and Children’s Mucinex and over the next few weeks, I will be bringing you three posts centering around children’s health! Be sure to check out this post as well as my future posts on how to keep you little munchkins happy and entertained while they’ve got the sickies!

 Today's topic is dealing with the nastiness that is cold and flu season. It’s unavoidable, isn’t it? It seems like every year my kids come down with nasty colds at the exact.same.time! Of course, we do our best to prevent the unpreventable, but unless you live in a bubble 24/7, you will inevitably get a cold!

As someone who has always had a rather crummy immune system, I do what I can to boost my kids immunities. We eat healthy (most of the time) get plenty of vitamins through their daily gummies as well as from fruits, veggies and natural fruit juices, and make sure to get plenty of rest. I’m even the crazy lady that uses antibacterial wipes on the grocery cart, and we wash our hands after outings.

 But, even with all of that, catching something is unavoidable. This year some of my awesome twitter friends reached out to me while I was sick and encouraged me to try Mucinex. I have never had an over the counter product work so well! So when my oldest, Brayden, caught a particularly bad cold this winter, I ran to the store and picked up Children’s Mucinex. I knew that I could trust this product to work and work it did! He started feel better the day he started on Children’s Mucinex and we enjoyed a fun day together watching Bubble Guppies and Mighty Machines. He is the sweetest kid in the world, but when he’s sick he’s even sweeter, if that’s possible! Even though I absolutely hate that he was ill, I enjoyed our cuddle time SO much.

 Here is my favorite product – Children’s Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold.

It helps relieve a stuffy nose, controls their cough, relieves chest congestion and thins and loosens mucus. And the best part? It really works!
The next time your little one comes down with the inevitable cold, give Children’s Mucinex a try! And go here to print a $2 off coupon!

Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold 
When your child has a bad cold, you both can feel miserable. Children's Mucinex is the #1 children's brand for relieving congestion* and provides fast acting relief from your child's worst cold symptoms. Try Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold if your child needs relief from stuffy nose and chest congestion. Always use Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold as directed. (*Based on IRI unit share data for the 52 weeks ending November 2012) 

  What activity makes your child smile when they are under the weather? Leave me a comment for a chance to win a $100 CVS gift card!

No duplicate comments.
You may receive 1 total entry by leaving a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/6/2013 – 3/31/2013

Be sure to visit the Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

I was going to post this one later on this week but I can't wait any longer. My parents were over earlier and my dad bit into one of these cupcakes and told me that I am forever banned from buying store bought cupcakes for my kids birthday parties ever again. If that's not a glowing review for these then I don't know what is. =)

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

Source: JennaBlogs.com adapted from yourcupofcake.com

Makes about 18 cupcakes

For the Cupcake:

1 box Devil’s food cake mix

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

½ cup light sour cream

1 cup 2% milk

3 eggs

For the Frosting:

1 lb powdered sugar

¾ cup smooth peanut butter

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and sour cream, whisking until smooth. Drizzle in butter while continuing to whisk. Next, mix in the cake mix until just combined. Do not over mix!

Line muffin pans with liners. Using a ice cream scooper, fill each a little more than ¾ full. Bake until just done, about 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

About 30 minutes after you’ve removed the cupcakes from the oven, begin the frosting. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or hand mixer with whisk attachments) beat butter, peanut butter and cocoa powder together until well combined. Add in the milk. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. If needed, add more milk until you achieve your desired consistency. Frost cupcakes.