Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Muffins

Chocolate and peanut butter are one of my favorite combinations. I mean, really...how can you go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter?!?! I made these muffins the week before I gave birth to Cooper in hopes that some baking would jump start labor, well, that didn't happen; but we all were ready to indulge in these muffins.

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the peanut butter swirl:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, combine the butter and 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Set over a pot of simmering water and heat through, stirring occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix briefly to combine. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. With the mixer on low, blend in the wet ingredients just until combined. Blend in the melted chocolate. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips with a spatula. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Do not fill more than 2/3 full as the muffins will rise a lot.

To make the peanut butter swirl, combine the the peanut butter and butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave until smooth. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Drop a teaspoon full of the peanut butter mixture on top of each muffin. Swirl together using a skewer or a butter knife.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin pans for 10 minutes and then remove and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.

Source: Annie's Eats

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Living near Philadelphia, we're big fans of the cheesesteak! Ironically, I've never had an authentic cheesesteak from either Pat or Geno's - but that doesn't stop me from making them at home or enjoying them from local restaurants. The key to the Philly cheesteak is all about the bread and the thin sliced steak.

Now that I'm no longer pregnant and shouldn't be eating whatever I want (LOL!), I'm trying to add healthier foods back into our weekly menus. This was a great recipe to start with! It's a quick meal and if you don't want to heat up your kitchen using an oven, you can easily make them in a toaster oven. I posted this picture on Instagram last night and had so many comments about how delicious they looked, I knew I had to the post the recipe first thing this morning. :)

1/2 lb thinly sliced steak (usually called chipped steak)
4 slices provolone cheese
2 large green peppers, cut in half and ribs and seeds removed
1 medium onion, sliced
6 oz sliced button mushrooms
1 Tbsp butter
salt & pepper
minced garlic

In a medium saute pan, melt butter. Add the sliced mushrooms, onions and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are caramelized. Remove from pan and place in a bowl.

In the same pan, add the chipped steak. Season with salt and pepper. While it's cooking, shred the steak into thin pieces. Once it's completely cooked, add the in the sauteed onions and mushrooms. Stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line each pepper with a 1/2 slice of provolone. Fill each pepper with the meat mixture until they are full. Top each pepper with the remaining 1/2 slice of provolone.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown and the pepper is fork tender.

Slightly adapted from: Peace, Love & Low Carb

Where I've been...

I'm sure you noticed things have been a little quiet around here lately. The end of my pregnancy was really rough and I was very uncomfortable and pretty much did nothing except lay on the couch and try to relax. But I have exciting news! My little guy was born on Tuesday, June 12th!

I was scheduled for an induction for the 13th, but Cooper had other plans! I woke up to my water breaking at 2:30 am on Tuesday morning. OMG...totally not what I expected. My husband and I rushed to the hospital since we live about 45 minutes away. When we got there, things were moving very slowly and the nurses weren't sure my water really broke. All the tests were coming up negative, but I was sure it really did break. Finally my doctor arrived and she had me admitted around 7 am. My contractions weren't getting much stronger and closer, so I opted to start pitocin. It was started around 8 am and things started moving really quickly. By 11 am, my contractions were one on top of another and I wanted an epidural (I had planned to try to go without drugs)....but the anethesologist was busy with another patient and didn't get to me in time before I had to push.

Cooper Owen was born at 11:49 am on Tuesday, June 12th. We've been home for a week now and adjusting to life with 2 kids and trying to get back into the swing of things. Recipes will be coming back soon! I'm ready to get back in the kitchen after this heatwave ends! :)

And here's our little guy!

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