Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes!!!

Ok so I made these quite a while ago but I still really wanted to share the recipe (especially since I promised to). They are SOOOO good! Oh my gosh!!!!

If you like peanut butter and chocolate combined, you'll LOVE these!!
I found the recipe on one of the many cooking/baking blogs I follow and decided to give them a try, on an impulse. SO glad I did!!

Now, something to think about:

The main thing about these cupcakes is the frosting and the candy on top; the chocolate cupcakes are pretty basic and you could probably use any recipe you want or have. My opinion was two fold. The recipe is definitely different than I am used to, and it wound up not being very sweet on it's own so 1) First I thought it as a good thing because the frosting is so sweet, and add candy on top, it's a good balance; and 2) they aren't really "chocolatey" and don't satisfy that craving and need us girls have for chocolate. SO knowing that, use your best judgment and go off your own preference. If you'd prefer the balance, this recipe is definitely tasty. But if you want a real CHOCOLATE cupcake, I would probably try something else. I think next time I'll try something else, just to compare.

But anyway, here is the recipe!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

makes 24 cupcakes

2 1/4 cups organic all-purpose flour

2 cups organic cane sugar

1 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract

2/3 cup organic canola oil

2 teaspoons organic white vinegar

2 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.

Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix. The mixture will be quite wet, but that's ok.

Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cup comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

enough to frost 24 cupcakes

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on your desired consistency)

1 tablespoon milk (or water will do too)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy and virtually no butter lumps remain. Scrape down the bowl. Add three cups of powdered sugar and beat on low for 1 minute. Add milk and beat on medium high for 1 minute. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar if you'd like your frosting a bit thicker.

Slather frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with coarsely chopped peanut butter cups.

Again, if you lie the PB&C combo, you'll love these, so try them!! Oh my gosh, I just might go make some more right now!! I love having a husband for my excuse to bake fun and yummy things!

I Love Lucas!!

Lucas Brian Dagsland was born on June 22, 2010!!!! My newest nephew!!
When I married KR, I instantly became an aunt of like 27 nieces and nephews (all of whom I have not even met yet, I don't think)! As most of you know, I am the oldest in my family so of course, none of my sisters have children yet and I have never been an aunt.

But as of May, I am now an Aunt!!

But I have to say Lucas has a special place in my heart. I love all the nieces and nephews and I've loved getting to know them on a more personal level, like Calene and Michelle's kids. Calene's are still pretty young, the oldest being 10 (I think! I am pretty sure she's already ten but maybe she's turning ten? Sorry Anna!) and the youngest being 4 or 5. They are so cute and so smart!! I've loved getting together with them every month or so while we were living in Utah. I am sincerely going to miss them! I hope they don't forget about me!
Michelle's kids are 4 boys, the oldest being 16 and the youngest 8. We don't get to see them quite as often but it's been so fun getting to know them too! They seemed to take to me right away and it's fun when the two oldest text me! I feel like they really like me! haha.

But we are probably the closest with Catherine and Brian because they A) have lived the closest, so B) we see them the most and C) they are the closest to our age (only a year older than us). So if you're an avid follower or have been my roommate, you know how frequently we've gone to their house (sometimes every weekend for a few weeks consecutively!). So when Catherine found out she was pregnant (and I finally figured it out) I feel like I have been there almost every step of the way (I am not trying to overstep my boundaries; I know there are plenty who have been much closer, but it's the closest I've ever been personally. I was too young to remember much from my sisters being born).
It's been so fun to hear how things have been going every step, and just sit and talk to Catherine and Brian and learn what they learned that week. We really learned right along with them (well not quite as much. We didn't watch the Business of Being Born, although we were invited to several times. I think we'll wait until it's too late to turn back or change our minds. . . ) It was so fun and exciting and just real. I got to feel him kick when he first started. I got to see Catherine and Brian's excitement when he first started kicking transform in to comfort and habit as they got used to it and got more and more ready for him to come out.

And now he made his debut in the world!!!

I feel like I know him already and I can't wait to meet him in person!

I just wish we were closer for his life outside the tummy. I don't want him to forget who we are! We are going to be his favorite aunt and uncle!!

All joking aside, we really do wish we could be apart of this very special time for the little Dagsland family, but it's not about us; it's about them. We are so happy for them and even more, we are so grateful they are sealed together for eternity. How blessed we are to have temples where we can seal our families forever?!
It makes me so extremely grateful that I am sealed to KR for time and all eternity, not only because I get to be with him, but because our children will be sealed to us and kept safe (when we do have kids, which don't get your hopes up for being anytime TOO soon in the near future. But someday we will. :) haha)
AND! Since I am sealed to KR and Catherine and KR are sealed through their parents, and Lucas and Brian are sealed to Catherine, I am indirectly sealed to them all and it just makes me smile!! I am so grateful!!

We love you guys and could not be any happier for you! We can't wait to meet baby Lucas "Diego" Brian Daglsand and to see you again too!!

Ahh Married Life!

I have a lot to catch up on so I decided to just go for it, bits and pieces. Someday I will catch up again. But for now, I'll accept a random order and not let myself be OCD about it.



My birthday started out with my cute and wonderful husband making me breakfast!! Look! He even made poppy seed pancakes!! He is so thoughtful!! I am the luckiest girl!

We were going to go to the Rose Festival, but OH! They are conveniently closed monday June 7th and Tuesday June 8th. So....We just went for a nice walk along the waterfront and it still turned out great.

For dinner, KR's mom made a wonderful family dinner and invited KR's grandparents and his brother Jon, his wife Joy and their ADORABLE little boy Jones. Oh my gosh he is just the cutest thing! And I felt so special when the table was set so fancy and beautiful! Just for me?! It was so sweet!

My delicious birthday brownie and ice cream surprise! YUM!!

Because my birthday was sort of a busy day (the day before moving) we celebrated it a few days later. KR took me to downtown Portland to eat in a high-energy Pub that had delicious food and a fun atmosphere! It was so good to get out! We hadn't done that in a while and it was nice to feel like normal people again haha.

Then, to top the night off, we had cake and martinelli's. But it wasn't just any cake. This was the top layer from our wedding cake!! See, we decided to eat it on our one month anniversary, which doubled as my birthday, so the cake would still taste good. Waiting a whole year, it doesn't sound as appetizing. And our wedding cake was good so we didn't want to wait a year and let it go to waste. Boy, am I glad! It was so delicious and we had more time to savor each bite and appreciate the moist chocolate cake and the divine banana buttercream frosting. Ahh. Heavenly!

After finally getting a little more settled in, we were able to make a real dinner and use some of our fun kitchen things! The meal itself wasn't that impressive, but we had fun and enjoyed making it special!

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Here is King R, amongst the masses of stuff we have. I took this right when he finished carrying everything up from the car and van (yes, that's right, he carried it all himself. He's such a stud! I was busy cleaning so we could put things away in a clean house, but that left him with all the heavy lifting. I'm so grateful for him)

After a lot of work and a few days, we were able to find spots for some things and then we sorted the rest into "departments", I.E. sporting goods department, home decor department, etc.

So because our kitchen is SO tiny, we have placed all our appliances and a few more items along the top of the cabinets. I was selective when placing them, making sure they were as aesthetically pleasing as possible. . .

After quite a few days of returning things, we were finally able to go use some of our gift cards!!
We got a bunch of fun kitchen things (like springform pans and mini muffin pans) and we got some decor items (frames which I am DYING to order some prints and hang them!! So excited!!) and we got a microwave!! (Although we have noooo place for it. . . it's sitting on the floor of our kitchen for now. . .)

This is our cute front door!
AH! I love our new little door mat!! Come visit!!

The first room of the house to be done was the bathroom! Everything has a place, I was able to decorate and KR even hanged the cute decorations on the wall! I love it! It's all cutely decorated and it's CLEAN! No clutter!! I am dying for someone to come over and admire it!

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Probably my favorite purchase was our vacuum!!! We wanted to get a really nice one, because we see it as something we'll use a lot and won't want to keep dumping money in to cheap ones. So, we budgeted our gift money and researched it and found it for about $150 less than regular price!! We loooove it!! I especially love it because vacuuming is my favorite!!
(oh and notice how much space we have in our living room! We've made progress and it's pretty much wide open.)

I was laying on the newly vacuumed carpet and saw this. Ahhh

KR's sister, Cindy was in town for a weekend and I got to meet two more of my nieces. They are SO adorable! (More pictures to come later so you can see for your self!).
While she was in town, her youngest daughter, Danika, had a doctor's appointment at OHSU and so we came along. It was neat to see the OHSU hospitals and a little of the campus. Cindy had gone to school there and knew a few great connections for KR (fingers crossed for some sort of research position). The architecture is really neat and the entire campus and all the hospitals are all up on a hill over looking the river. This was a really neat sky bridge.

Then, while walking around, I randomly look at the wall and see this! NBD. . .

(That's KR's dad on the far right, FYI)

Life as a Wife!

Well, I have to say, being a wife isn't a whole lot different. . . yet.

We've been blessed to be able to live with KR's parents for a little bit while we find an apartment (and now we found one!! Look here for pictures!!)

As a result, we've had most meals prepared for us, which we are so grateful for.

But I've tried a few times to "practice" a little more before my training wheels are taken off (June 9th!).

I made dinner one night, and I wore one of my super cute aprons (which I struggled to make myself do because I keep saying how I want to wait until we are in our own little place and I am officially cooking or baking in my own kitchen)!!

KOOZA!!

As soon as we got back to Oregon, KR's parents took us and his grandparents to Cirque Du Soleil!!!
It was flat out amazing!! If you ever get a chance to go to a show, go!! The one we went to was titled Kooza! But I am confident they are all incredible!!


It's hard to explain how good it was but just know, we had a great time and we loved it!!

Memorial Day!!

Ah Memorial Day! The first sign of Summer! If you're still in school, it's a sneak preview of the 3 month vacation soon to come. If you're a homeless newlywed out of a job, it's another day with nothing on your agenda.

Or is it?

I love America and I love celebrating America.

Where I am from, it's tradition to go to the beach, spend time with family and of course, have a barbecue.

In Oregon, it's been raining prettttty much since I got here. I didn't get my hopes up for a traditional holiday celebration.

BUT! Oh my goodness it was the most beautiful weather! The sun was out and shining brightly! The temperature was a perfect 70 degrees! We even had steaks to barbecue!

After making a few exchanges and running a few errands, KR and I spent as much time outside in the afternoon sun as we could.
We most certainly barbecued and even listened to a little Lee Greenwood. It was a wonderful day, with the exception of missing my family. And the beach. :)

For family home evening, KR's mom had us read some quotes about America and I loved it. I always love to reflect on the lives of those who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom. 4th of July by far one of my favorite holidays. KR's grandpa served in WW2 and went to the line of fire to protect America from the Japanese. He had shrapnel in his shoulder still today. It was touching when KR's mom, Peggy made a point to call her father and thank him for his service. She passed the phone to her husband, KR's dad, Ken and then to KR. I told KR to pass along my thanks. Part of me was too shy because although I know him and he's such a sweet man, I was still a little shy to talk on the phone. But most of me did not want to talk to him personally because I already felt the lump in my throat.
We had watched a slideshow made for Grandpa Marchant's 80th birthday, which was a compilation of pictures of his full life he's had so far (with plenty left to go!). There were pictures of him preparing to go to war, during and after. Again, I've loved reflecting on the lives of those who fought. But to see actual images taken during that time of someone I know was powerful. Combine that with thanking him personally for sacrificing so much? I wouldn't have been able to hold back my tears.

Earlier in the weekend, KR and I were driving and along the river, we saw this:

1000 flags.

I shrieked and begged KR to pull over so we could take some pictures.


Well there was a detour and we wound up across the bridge (which I am told happens a lot. Peggy had just been telling me earlier that sometimes you'll be driving and then say, "Ooops, well I guess I'm crossing the river." There are a lot of freeways and bridges and sometimes you find yourself crossing them without intending to). But on while we were driving, it gave us a different angle of the flags. I know the pictures aren't great; in fact, they are horrible. But look between the railing and look at the effect those 1000 flags have from a distance. They are so neat up close, but look how many there really are.

Anyway, we made it back and parked and I was able to take some pictures. But while I was pretending to be a photographer, I started realizing this was more than just a "photo-op".

Each flag had a name on it. Each flag represents a person who gave their life or other sacrifices so we can live freely and safely.
A whole new level of beauty comes in to these pictures when you think of all the symbolism and patriotism involved.

I have to say, I am so grateful for those who have fought for me and my family. Those who are fighting today. Those who live without loved ones close so I can live with my loved ones. Those who fight for America.
Thank you.

I want to leave you with my favorite picture of the day. I didn't do a drop of editing to it (not that I edit my pictures much anyway). I love it. It has so much emotion. Look how all the color is almost completely washed out, and the clouds around are gray and grim. And yet the flag still waves and the sun still shines through.

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!