Spiced Peaches and Chicken

This is definitely one of my very favorite dishes, both to make and to eat. One of my roommates at BYU gave me the recipe (Cara Powers, now Vivian, for anyone wondering) before my mission, and it's been a favorite ever since. I make it a lot of times when I take dinner to other people because it's so great. It's easy, fast, inexpensive, kid friendly, and has a totally different sort of taste that is exciting and lovable. Might as well rename it Mary Poppins. Practically prefect in every way.

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Ingredients:

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2 lb chicken

1/2 C flour

salt and pepper

3 Tbsp cooking oil

1 C orange juice

1 1/2 C diced peaches

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp vinegar

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp basil

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Directions:

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1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Combine the flour and salt and pepper in a bowl and coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture.

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2. Warm the oil in a frying pan, and fry the chicken until nicely golden (add more oil if needed).

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3. While the chicken is cooking, combine the orange juice, peaches, brown sugar, vinegar, nutmeg, and basil in a very large frying pan and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

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4. When chicken is done, pour off the oil and add the chicken to the sauce mixture. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the pan - there's a lot of goodness in those brown bits stuck on there.

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5. Stir it all together, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

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6. Serve with rice. Yum!

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Substitution Tips:

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You can make this gluten-free by not breading the chicken at the beginning, just salt and pepper it and fry it up. Then add some cornstarch or other thickening agent to the sauce after adding the chicken.

If you don't have orange juice, you can use the juice from a can of mandarin oranges, just measure it out and make up the difference with juice from the peach jar.

I generally use regular white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar works well too.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I remember in one of my BYU wards we had a Relief Society activity where one of the girls showed us some nicer recipes. She demonstrated stuffed chicken breasts, which I thought were a nice idea and then promptly forgot about. I recently rediscovered this little wonder, and have developed a very handy little method that makes it a cinch. This can be a really gourmet-looking and -tasting dish, but it is actually very quick. Plus, you can put pretty much anything you want in the stuffing and/or sauce, so let your creativity go wild.

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Here's a picture tutorial:

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1. Put your boneless skinless chicken breast in a ziplock bag. I usually don't like the extra-large size chicken breast -- something about walking down the aisle and noticing that the chicken breasts are larger than mine (did I just type that?) is rather disconcerting, but when they are on fire sale, I'll buy a pack and put them individually in the freezer. Then this step is easy, I just take the bag out of the freezer and defrost in the microwave. I usually use a large breast like this (a little less than a pound) for two servings. If you need more, just use more individually bagged chicken.

2. Using a handy mallet like this one (or a frying pan or even a can of vegetables), pound your chicken out flat until it fills the bag.

3. Carefully slide the chicken out of the bag, cut it in half, and reshape it with your fingers if needed. Then spread the filling in the center of each piece.

4. Roll the pieces up with the filling in the middle, secure with toothpicks, and if necessary, shape with your fingers. Rub generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (chicken is done when juices run clear or it reaches an internal temp of 160).

6. When done, remove the toothpicks and serve.

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Alternate serving methods:

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A. After baking, grill the outside. I love my handy over-the-stove griddle for this. The grilling is just a nice finishing touch, as shown here.

B. Ryan suggested this idea - if the filling isn't too runny, slice it width-wise this and serve with garnish or drizzle your choice of sauce over it. This would be really fun for an appetizer or party serving.

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Some filling ideas:

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A. Lemon (keep the rind, but use just one thin round per serving and slice it lengthwise) and garlic slices with an herb like tarragon (or I love herbs de provence). Drizzle lemon juice on top, and add a few thin rounds to the pan for added lemon-y goodness.

B. A nice garlic basil pesto.

C. Cream cheese, chopped kalamata olives, and garlic (a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette drizzled on top is delicious).

D. Ham and swiss cheese with a honey-mustard glaze (extra for dipping at the table).

**Just remember that chicken breast is generally rather dry so if you don't have much juice in your filling, try topping it with some kind of sauce to add moisture, and don't be stingy with cheese in the filling.

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If you come up with other great fillings, please share!

Homemade Potato Gnocchi

Adapted from this recipe.

1 pound Russet Potatoes

3-4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup flour, plus more for dusting

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake potatoes approximately 45 minutes or until soft. Bake them directly on the oven rack, piercing them with a knife or fork prior to baking. Cut in half and scoop out flesh. Pass potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them. You should have about 2 cups. Make a mound of potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle. Add 3 of the egg yolks, the cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mix well with your hands.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour over the potato mixture and press it in well with your hands. Gently work it in to the dough. Gradually add more flour, folding and pressing the dough together just until it holds (try not to knead it). If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a little water. It should feel firm but yielding to the touch. Test the consistency by forming a rope half an inch in diameter. If it holds together well, it is ready. (I ended up adding a lot more flour than the recipe called for.)

Keeping your dough and your work surface lightly floured, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2 an inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2 inch long pieces. Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them. (This step is important if you want the gnocchi to dry and not stick together into a huge mess! Not that I know from personal experience... :) You can cook these as is or try to form them into a classic gnocchi shape by following the directions given at the above link.

My gnocchi didn't look so good:

But they tasted great!

Scatter gnocchi on a cookie sheet. Set cookie sheet in front of a fan on low for half an hour, turning after 15 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop in the gnocchi. Cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. This is obviously hard to time since they all pop up at different times, but they will take on a different texture-kind of bumpy and white-when they are done. If you are unsure, just taste one and see if it's done. Remove cooked gnocchi from water and serve as desired.

Note: I thought this was yummy, but unless you are a huge fan of gnocchi, probably only worth the work occasionally.

Apple Pancake Dutch Baby

I found this recipe here the day we got back from Utah last December. I made it that night, and we have loved it ever since!

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Thinly sliced apples (I use one medium apple)

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. milk

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter, apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in pie pan and bake until apples are soft (3-5 min.). Beat together flour, milk, and eggs until smooth. Add to pie pan and bake 12-15 minutes.

Tips: You can put the butter in the pie plate and put it in the oven while it's preheating to melt it. Also, I typically double this recipe for Sam and I and bake it in two pie plates. Sam easily eats one and a half (or more) himself.

Roasted Red Pepper Rotini Caesar

This pasta dish is so quick and easy, but the taste is kind of complex...a really good combination of flavors. This is Sam's favorite kind of pasta he's ever had...and I got the recipe off of the back of the Ronzoni rotini box! He was eating it for lunch at his lab one day, and the lab manager asked him for the recipe because she thought it looked/smelled so good. It's great for those nights when you need something quick to throw together!

1 13.25 oz. pkg. rotini noodles (I typically use whole wheat, although white is pictured above)

1 12 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, diced

4 cups of fresh or frozen spinach, chard, sugar peas, basil leaves, arugula, pesto, artichoke hearts, or broccoli florets

1 cup Caesar dressing

shredded parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat a large saute pan with a light film of oil, toss in red peppers and spinach; heat until warmed (about 1 minute). In the large saute pan, toss cooked pasta with spinach and peppers. Add Caesar dressing, stirrin frequently until heated through (approximately 3-5 minutes). Top pasta with desired amount of parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, and salt (the cheese, salt, and pepper really do make a big difference).

To make things even faster, you can toss the dressing, spinach, and peppers in with the pasta without sauteing them. I've done it that way and it works beautifully.

Whole Wheat Batter Bread

I dug this recipe out of some papers I had from my college cooking class. I had no idea how good it would be! But wow. Sam and I were both amazed by this bread. And seriously, please don't give up the honey butter. It makes this bread incredible! It's very fast, easy, and nutritious, and it has the consistency of a sweet bread. It is really dense with a very soft crust. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

2 1/2 cups hot water

1 tablespoon yeast

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in hot water. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Add oil, honey, salt, and half of flour to yeast and water. Mix with flat beater attachment. Switch to dough hook (if using a KitchenAid stand mixer, or switch to your hands if you're not) and add enough of the remaining flour to make a thick, sticky batter. This dough is very sticky. Knead well (at least 5 minutes in the mixer), place dough in two well-greased loaf pans, put pans in warm oven, and TURN OVEN OFF. Let loaves sit in warm oven for 20 minutes. With loaves still in oven, turn oven to 350 degrees. Set timer for 30 minutes. Remove bread from oven when timer goes off. If loaves aren't nicely browned, bake for an additional 3-5 minutes. Brush with butter and remove from pans to cool. Eat warm with honey butter spread on top. (To make honey butter, simply whip equal parts butter and honey until light and fluffy.)

NOTE: My bread pans are the larger size, so I put all the dough in one pan. I still only let it sit in the oven for 20 minutes before baking. I'm not sure if the consistency would turn out the same if it is cooked in two pans, like the recipe says. Maybe you can try it and let me know!

White Chip Mint Chocolate Cookies

These cookies were inspired by Great Harvest Bread's "Mint Blarneys." Mom and I decided to combine the recipe on the back of Nestle White "Morsels" (Sam pointed out that they don't even have chocolate in them!) with the Mint Blarney idea, and this is what we came up with. This recipe makes a double batch, so don't be too alarmed when you see a whole pound of butter on the list of ingredients!

1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. mint extract

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/3 cups cocoa

4 1/2 cups flour

12 oz. pkg. white "chocolate" chips

12 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips

Cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and mint extract (to taste). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add salt, baking soda, and cocoa. Mix well. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in both packages chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour. Shape into balls and cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until centers are just set. Cool on pans for about 5 minutes or until cookies are easily transferred to cooling racks with a spatula.

Falafel

Here is a picture of a perfect falafel. Well, falafel balls, with hummus and a pita on the side. But not everyone can make a perfect falafel ball, and today I came as close as I ever have with this: You might not be able to see the similarities, but if you had seen my previous attempts at falafel you would be shocked at how well these turned out. So I thought I would share the secrets with all of you. - Falafel Balls: 1 16oz can chickpeas 1/2 onion, chopped into small pieces 2 cloves of garlic, chopped into small pieces 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 1 egg 2 Tbsp-1/2 cup flour Salt Pepper Oil for frying (I like to use olive oil) - Mash drained chickpeas (I used a blender) to a thick paste and add garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, and salt and pepper (to taste). Add egg and make sure all is mixed/mashed together. - This next part is the key. I had never used flour before and my falafel balls always fell apart. Add enough flour to make the chickpea substance thick enough to be able to roll a ball (but ball will still be slimy). My recipe called for 2 Tbsp but I used at least a half a cup. Add enough that you can make ball-like shapes. - Next, fry the falafel balls in about 2 inches of oil. Before I always boiled them in oil, but that was also a big disaster. Today I fried them in much less oil and it worked out much better. - These are beautiful pitas. And delicious. - Pita: - 1 package yeast 1/2 cup warm water 3 cups white flour 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp granulated sugar 1 cup lukewarm water - Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy. - Combine flour and salt in large bowl, make a small depression in middle, and pour yeast water into it. - Slowly add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir until elastic. - Knead for 10-15 minutes, then place in a bowl after coating outside (of dough) with vegetable oil. - Let rise for 3 hours or until doubled in size. - Preheat oven to 500 degrees. - Pinch off small balls and roll into a pita shape (about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick). - Bake each circle (I put 4 on a baking sheet) 4 minutes, then turn over and bake for 2 minutes. - I would NOT suggest using wheat flour. I used wheat flour today and they came out looking like this: Round two was much better: - Hummus: - 1 16 oz can chickpeas 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas 3-5 Tbsp lemon juice 1 1/2 Tbsp tahini (optional--I like it better without) 2 cloves crushed garlic 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp olive oil - Drain chickpeas and set 1/4 cup liquid aside. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth. My blender didn't get it quite as smooth as I would have liked. But it was still good. I personally like it better without the tahini paste, but it is good either way. - Cucumber Dill Sauce: - 1 6oz container plain yogurt 1/2 cucumber-peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 1 tsp dried dill weed salt and pepper to taste 1 Tbsp mayonnaise - Combine all ingredients. This is good to use in your falafel or just as a dip for your pita (or mix in with your tomato cucumber salad). - Cucumber Tomato Salad: - 3 tomatoes, chopped/cubed 1 large cucumber, chopped/cubed 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 Tbsp lemon juice to taste 1/4 cup olive oil (1/2 cup feta cheese--optional) - Mix all ingredients together and put on your falafel. If you want to eat the salad plain, I would suggest adding the crumbled/cubed feta cheese, but not if you put it on your falafel. - If you've never eaten a falafel before, what you do is rip a small section off the top of the pita and then open it. Put in hummus, salad, lettuce (optional), cucumber dip, and falafel balls. And then eat. You can also dip your pitas in the hummus or cucumber dip or any other combination. Although they aren't like what you can buy in the Middle East, they are still pretty good! :)

Thai Massaman Curry

While Sam and I were still dating, I asked him one day what his top 10 favorite foods were. Thai Curry made the list. I had never really heard of it before, let alone tasted it. So when he requested Thai Curry for his birthday dinner a few months after we were married, I went to an Asian Market in Provo to get the ingredients and the instructions on how to make it. I actually ended up getting a small recipe booklet from the market with several Thai recipes in it. This dish is simple, flavorful, and fairly inexpensive to make. Both of us love it! If you can't find the needed ingredients, see if there is an Asian market somewhere nearby--not only will they most likely have what you are looking for, but their prices will probably be significantly lower as well.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3 Tbsp. massaman curry paste

1 can coconut milk

1-1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-size chunks

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

3 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. tamarind liquid

1/3-1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews

5-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into stew-size chunks

On medium heat, put vegetable oil in a pot, then add masaman curry paste. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 can of coconut milk, stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until red bubbles appear. Add chicken and stir-fry for about 5-8 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk and 3/4 can of water (using coconut milk can). Add potatoes, fish sauce, tamarind liquid, and nuts. Simmer 30 minutes.

If it's too thick, add a little water. If it's too runny, simmer longer to thicken it. Remove from heat and serve over prepared jasmine rice (this is sticky rice). Jasmine rice tastes way better than regular rice, but regular rice will work in a pinch. If it's too spicy/not spicy enough for your liking, adjust the amount of curry paste.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I normally refer to sweet breads as cake. All that oil, sugar, and white flour can make even the most hardened zucchini-hater appreciate a little "zucchini bread." And there's nothing wrong with that. I enjoy a good squishy cake-bread slice sometimes. In fact, I generally prefer that to supposed health food recipes. I like to eat what tastes good, what can I say? But when I found this banana bread recipe on my ward's recipe blog, I knew we had a winner. Just try it and decide for yourself.

(See the original recipe by Charity James here.)

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Mix well:

2 C whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

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Mix then add to dry ingredients

1 1/2 C mashed bananas (don't skimp here; if you don't have quite enough, you can make up the difference with applesauce)

1/4 C plain yogurt

1 egg

1/3 C honey

3 Tbsp oil

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Beat until smooth. Bake in greased pan at 350 for 50-60 min.

Delicious hot or cold!

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Substitution tip: If you don't have plain yogurt, you can add a tsp of lemon juice to milk and let it sit for 10 min.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

These are the perfect summer food. About the time bell peppers go on sale, you can also get sausage for pretty cheap, and this dish just begs to be made. Ryan and I love this, and Peter munched his down as well.

(Just a note about the picture - the lettuce, all varieties, is from our own garden {yummy!}, and I'll post the banana bread recipe next. It's the same one a few of you tried this week.)

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Stuffed Bell Peppers

original recipe from Utah Deal Diva here; I made several adjustments

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Ingredients (to make 6)

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Variety of Bell Peppers (I like to choose colors to contrast with the tomatoes - yellow, green, or orange are good, but get what's on sale)

1 C quinoa, measured dry

1 lb sausage

2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded

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Directions

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1. Cut a thin slice off the top of each pepper and clean out the seeds and membranes (save the flesh from the slice and chop it up). Then cover the peppers with water and gently boil for 5-10 minutes until soft.

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2. Cook the quinoa according to directions. I like to cook it in broth - just mix a beef bouillon cube in with the water.

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3. Brown the sausage with the chopped onions and pepper slices. Then stir in garlic, salt, tomatoes, and cooked quinoa and continue cooking until it's all warm.

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4. Stuff the mixture into the softened peppers and place in a casserole dish. If you can stand them up - great, but most of the time I end up just laying mine down carefully. Cover and cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

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5. Remove cover, sprinkle on cheese, and cook an additional 15 minutes.

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Quick tip: If you're short on time, you can reduce the baking time to 30 minutes total, just take the cover off and sprinkle on the cheese for the last 10 minutes. If you're going to do this, let the peppers blanch a little longer in step one to make sure they're nice and tender.

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Substitution tip: You can, of course, use ground beef or turkey in place of the sausage, and rice instead of quinoa (like Jessica did in the original linked above). It will have less flavor then, so I suggest adding a little more salt and garlic, and maybe a shake of crushed red peppers and some italian seasonings like basil and/or oregano.

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Toddler Variation

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I believe in helping my kids "grow up with respect to eating," so I don't like to make a completely separate dish for Peter. Still, there are some things that I don't feel comfortable plopping down on his high chair tray as is quite yet. In an effort to help him get accustomed to "grown-up food" without giving him a tummy ache, I occasionally make minor adjustments to his serving. If I do this, I'll make a note at the end of the recipe for the benefit of other toddler moms. (Yes, I know Peter is not technically a toddler yet, but he eats more like one than an infant.)

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Spoon some extra stuffing (make sure the sausage is well broken up) into the casserole dish along with the peppers and cook like normal (don't forget the cheese!). Then stuff it in potatoes - for this dinner I just made a small serving of instant mashed potatoes in the microwave, made a "volcano," and filled it with the stuffing. If you have leftover mashed or baked potatoes, use those instead. Peter munched it down with gusto.

Baklava

I found this recipe online here and changed it a little. It is really good, quite easy, and looks and tastes like you spent hours on it. :) - 1 pound chopped mixed nuts (you can combine or use a single kind of nuts) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough 1 cup butter, melted 1 cup white sugar 1 cup water 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (lemon juice will also work) - 1. Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack to fit the dish (if necessary). 2. Place three sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle several handfuls the nut mixture on top (nut mixture should completely cover the phyllo dough and be about 1/4 inch thick). Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes. (If you put butter on the top layer-especially on the edges-the corners don't poke up so much when it is cooked.) 3. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden and crisp. 4. While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon zest, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. 5. Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.

Banana Muffins

These muffins are from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook. They are so quick and easy, and they have the most moist, dense texture, which we love.

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3 bananas, mashed

1 cube butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

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Combine and spoon into a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Gingerbread Breakfast Bars

(original recipe from Vocalpoint, greatly adapted to be my own)

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Preheat oven to 350, spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

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Sift together:

1 3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12/ tsp ground allspice

1/2 c packed brown sugar

(you could also use a packaged gingerbread mix)

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Beat together:

1 large egg

1 1/4 c lukewarm water

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Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened, then add:

3 c granola cereal (buy it or make your own)

dried fruit (I like currants, but raisins, craisins, or other small, soft fruit will work)

chopped nuts (optional - my granola already had some)

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Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until bars spring back when pressed with fingertips. Cool, then cut and serve.

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They store great in the fridge for several days. This works great as a hearty addition to breakfast, or they are perfect for a grab and run snack to tide you over. I keep them in the fridge and eat one for my mid-morning re-fueling. Ryan calls them super oatmeal cookies. Whatever you like.

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Tip: I like to double the dry ingredients at the top and save half to make it quicker to put these together next time. Just store in an air-tight container in your pantry.

Peanut Butter Cup Layered Cake

This cake was an experiment. I had the idea one day and decided I simply must make it for Sam's birthday. The last layered cake I tried had...some issues, to say the least. This attempt was far more successful, but I still learned some valuable lessons along the way (through mistakes, of course!). It's really rich, so it goes a long way. With just the two of us, we ended up freezing most of it! But it freezes amazingly well and even tastes good before it is thawed out. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Layered Cake

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Mix together:

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

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Bring to a boil:

2 cubes butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup water

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Pour over flour mixture and add:

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

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Liberally grease and flour 2 8-inch round pans. Pour half of the batter into each pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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Mix together:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 cube butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

enough milk to make a good frosting consistency

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Set aside approximately 1/2 cup of frosting and thin it down with more milk so it is quite runny. Level both cakes with a long, serrated knife. Coat cakes with a thin layer of the thinned down frosting to "glue" the crumbs to the cake. Chill until icing sets up. Spread 1/2-1 inch of frosting over the top of one cake. Stack the other cake on top and cover completely with frosting.

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Heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes:

1/2 c. heavy cream

4 oz. weight semi-sweet chocolate chips (or about 1/3 bag)

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Stir together. Microwave for additional 30 second intervals if necessary, until it reaches a glossy texture. Let cool until it has thickened, but is still pourable. Pour over cake.

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Top with:

1 bag Great Value peanut butter cups

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I cut enough in half to circle the top of the cake, then surrounded the bottom with quartered ones and sprinkled the rest on top.