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As a rule, one of the best was to distract myself from stress is to bake something (this does not apply to obligatory holiday baking). The key is to find a baked good that is chocolate and not too challenging. Last week I stumbled up on the perfect (easy and impressive) recipe in my new cupcake book:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients: 3 eggs, vegetable oil (see cake mix package for specific amount), 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 package of Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix, 1 container of creamy vanilla frosting, (optional) Reese's Pieces
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in muffin cups.
2. Prepare, bake and cool cupcakes following package directions for basic recipe. (Be sure to only fill muffin cups 3/4 full, otherwise you get jumbo cupcakes.)
3. Combine vanilla frosting and peanut butter in medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Frost cupcakes (and add Reese's Pieces if desired). This was the biggest challenge. As I spread the icing, some of the cupcakes started to tear apart (this was particularly true of the mutant jumbo cupcakes). Maybe a different chocolate cake mix would work better, or maybe I need one of those frosting bags. (Clearly I am new to the pastry making world - I have no idea what the plastic icing bag things are called or where I could find them.) The Final Result
Even though the recipe was ridiculously easy, I got tons of complements on these cupcakes, especially the frosting.
Earlier this month I visited Charleston, SC with my friend Val. Since we tried the amazing Magnolia's Restaurant on our previous trip, we decided to try some lesser known restaurants:
Mercato
This Italian restaurant had a comfortable atmosphere and reasonable prices. It had a great wine list and our server made a good recommendation. My linguini scampi with local shrimp sauteed with fresh chilis and parsley was incredible. Unfortunately the service was terrible. The low point was when we waited forever to get refills - we actually stopped eating, stared down each passing waiter (and even a manager) and none one noticed! And it wasn't as if they were packed either.
Charleston Candy Kitchen
We stopped in here to try their free samples of fresh pralines. Needless to say, I walked out with a half pound of pralines to share with friends.
AW Shucks Seafood Restaurant
The food and service were very good here, though it was much more casual atmosphere than Mercato. I had the crab cake with their award-winning stuffed shrimp (plump shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with Carolina deviled crab, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried to perfection), it was fantastic. Of course my favorite part of the meal was their delicious pecan pie:
My friend Mina brought chocolate back from Munich! It was exquisite and made me nostalgic for my Christmas in Germany. I'm not sure how certain foods can transport you to another place and make you feel at home at the same time, but the Edel-Doppelnuss has that power.
As for the Nutella, I'm pretty sure I could eat it on almost anything (minus obviously uncomplimentary things like chicken or veggies). So far I've tried it on the following:
1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Graham Crackers
4. Crepes
5. Saulsalito Cookies (This is probably one of the saddest things I've ever tried, but I love Saulsalito cookies and I love Nutella, why not try combining them?)
Things I want to try with Nutella:
1. Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting
2. Peanut Butter and Nutella Sandwich (Preferably a panini.)
3. Nilla Wafers
4. Waffles
Any other ideas?
Even though the recipe was ridiculously easy, I got tons of complements on these cupcakes, especially the frosting. 
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