Archive for June, 2009

**you should know I am NOT a baker.  NOTHING I make is pretty.. but this tastes SO GOOD..

This recipe is really about the frosting.  The cake was made from a mix (Devils Food s the best).  I take 2 cake mixes and put them in 3 round cake pans to make them thick.

Peanut Butter Frosting

2C Chunky Peanut Butter (you can use smooth if you'd like)

3-5 C Powdered Sugar (you may need more or less depending upon the consistency.

1 C        Melted Butter

1/2 C     Milk

1 Bag (minus 5)  Reece's Bite Size Peanut butter cups

Dark Chocolate Frosting

2 sticks    Butter

2-3 C        Confectioners Sugar

1/4 C Milk

1/2 C         Hershey's Dark Chocolate  Cocoa (you can use regular.. it just won't be as good)

I used a cake slicer to slice all 3 of the cakes in half.

add 2 cups of peanut butter & start mixing

I like the chunky peanut butter.. but you can use creamy if you want…

Add the butter and mix again

Start adding powdered sugar…

And the bag of Reeces peanut butter cups, less 5 (because I ate the 5)

add the milk

I don't smash my peanut butter cups up, I let my mixer do it.

Now it's time to make the Dark Chocolate Buttercream

(side note.. I did not clean my mixer or my paddle between frostings.  Please don't turn me into the frosting police)

I add both sticks of butter (not softened) and beat it.. until smooth.

Add Powdered Sugar

Add the milk

It should look something like this. (except yours will have a clean paddle)

Add the cocoa and mix.. (look at that mess.. I'm a real slob!)

I like to scrap down my frosting.. and continue mixing.

Until it looks like this…

Put your first slice of cake on the cake plate, and frost it with the

dark chocolate.

Add the peanut butter frosting to the next layer.

Then Chocolate to the next.. and alternate until you are done.

This one is ready for peanut butter frosting..

The 5th layer going on.. waiting for chocolate…

It's ready for the Peanut Butter.

Make sure your kitchen isn't too warm.. the peanut butter frosting slumps in the heat.

This cake needs to be stored in the fridge because of the frosting.

The brown you see is the chunks from the Reeces that did not break up.

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This is one of my families favorite side dishes. There are 2 ways to have this: with the bacon & the cheese or without.  Both are really good.

Here’s what you need:

• Red Potatoes (we use a 5lb bag)
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tastefully Simple Green Tea Seasoning or Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning
• Ground Red Pepper
• Shredded Cheese
• cooked crumbled bacon.

Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender.

Brush olive oil on a baking sheet with sides. (I hope yours looks better than mine)

I place the potatoes on the cookie sheet and score the potatoes

Smash them with a potato masher.

Sprinkle with the seasonings of your choice. I like the Tastefully Simple Green Tea and Weber Grill Chicago Steak Seasoning.

Drizzle Olive Oil over the potatoes and seasoning.

Because my family likes BOTH seasoned and cheese and bacon I do half and half. Bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  If you don’t put the cheese and bacon on.. I like to put the seasoned potatoes under the broiler after I bake them to give them crispy brown edges.  So Good and Cheesy. Or crisp and seasoned.