Me vs. Him

Evidently I toss and turn a lot when I sleep. Also, I'm pretty sure my engagement ring got snagged on it. Regardless of the reasons, our sheet has slowly been disintegrating this week. This leaves us with only one other set of sheets. Luckily it's our flannel set and it's cold out.

 I love switching the sheets with the seasons! Flannel, turning the comforter from the light blue side to the dark blue, the plaid! Eek, I love it. Mr. Lawyer doesn't love it but he humors me and helped me change the sheets tonight.

Then he said we would have to go shopping for sheets this weekend. Wait what? Why shop for sheets when you can put them on your Christmas list?! He declared that I was insane for getting excited over the prospect of getting sheets for Christmas. I can't help it, I'm weird like that. I think getting video games is boring so there. We agreed to disagree over what makes an exciting Christmas present (sheets > video games). FYI Parental Units: queen size, blue/tan/brown is our color scheme, open to patterns and designs.

Butternut Sauce

Need a change of pace from traditional tomato pasta sauce? Then this is your recipe! This butternut sauce was rich and delicious. It was definitely a heavier dish than I expected, it was very filling. I found several different versions of this recipe: some used onion or leeks, more or less butter, boil or saute squash, etc. One even sautéed the squash in half a cup of butter! Sounds amazing but I went with the more healthy recipe form skinnytaste.com.

Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce

(Pinterest find! Adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon butter
8 oz spaghetti
1 cup leek, white part only, sliced and diced (about 1 large leek)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 sage leaves, sliced thin (I only used two)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup pasta water, reserved
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.
2. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
3. In a large deep non-stick skillet, melt the butter, sauté the leeks and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and the reserved pasta water, little bits at a time, to thin out the sauce. Stir in parmesan cheese and sage and mix in pasta until well coated.

Best Drunk Food...

You know what happens when there is a huge hurricane in your city? You drink too much rum and wake up with all of your hurricane food cooked and this on your hand:

Behold a recipe for delicious heaven! It was also declared as "wonderful drunk food" by Mr. Lawer.

I was in love with this spicy-sweet sticky chicken finger wrap and have made it two nights in a row. The first night it might have been after midnight when we were both intoxicated. It's perfect, easy, and quick. I highly recommend it and will be adding it to my arsenal. 

Sticky-Finger Wraps

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup water
Wraps:
8 Breaded Chicken Fingers (cooked according to directions...or homemade)
4 Flour Tortillas (burrito size)
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup Tomatoes, chopped
2 cups Lettuce, chopped
Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan heat the hot sauce, brown sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce is heated thoroughly. About 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes to thicken.
2. For the wraps: if using frozen chicken fingers, bake according to package directions. Place cooked chicken fingers in a large tupperware. Pour in the sauce. Seal shut with the lid and shake to coat all chicken fingers.
3. Place two sauce-coated chicken fingers onto one tortilla. Add desired amount of cheese, lettuce and tomato. Wrap up and serve!

Yum.

The Tale of Two Hurricanes

I'm not going to lie: we have gone through an embarrassing amount of rum this weekend and the hurricane isn't even over. We've killed half a bottle of Kraken Rum (my fav), two-thirds of Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and half of Barcardi 151. Not to mention I'm almost out of juice for mixing. Mr. Lawyer started to drink orange juice this morning (straight out of the jug by the way, gross.) and I quickly admonished him. That juice is for mixing and now I'm almost out of mixing juice. Now he can't have his yummy Lapu Lapu drinks. Lesson learned.

This is what a well stocked storm fridge looks like:

Milk, several bottles of Ommegang, Simple Syrup/Grenadine/Key Lime Juice/Dirty Martini Mix, Multiple Ginger Beers, three types of juice (Orange, Pineapple, and Passion Fruit), and Sweet & Sour Mix. Plus there's a full wine rack in the apartment.

In addition to the Lapu Lapu and Dark & Stormy cocktails we've tried out some Hurricane recipes. Now I'm sure that professionally made Hurricane's are delicous. The two we made were totally drinkable but I'd rather make a Lapu Lapu than a Hurricane. The first, made with passion fruit, was very sweet. The second, a slushy beverage, was not as sweet but the ice got in the way (plus it separated). I would definitely omit the blender part and just serve it over ice.

Hurricane #1

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:

1 ounces light rum

1 ounces dark rum

2 ounces passion fruit juice

1 ounce orange juice

Juice of half a lime

1 tablespoon simple syrup

1 tablespoon grenadine

Orange slice and cherry for garnish

Directions:

1. Squeeze juice from half a lime into a cocktail shaker over ice.

2. Pour the remaning ingredients into the cocktail shaker.

3. Shake, shake, shake!

4. Strain into a hurrican glass.

5. Garnish with a cherry and orange slice.

You can see the ice separating from the alcohol.

Hurricane #2

Frozen Hurricane, N'Awlins Style!

(recommended by my friend Nyk, a Tulane graduate) 

Ingredients:

1 ounce light rum

1 ounce dark rum

1 ounce Bacardi 151

3 ounces orange juice

3 ounces pineapple juice

1/2 ounce grenadine

2.5 cups ice

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender.

2. Add ice and blend until slushy.

3. Pour into a tall high-ball or large margarita glass.

Dark & Stormy

Oh my god ya'll, it's dark and stormy out. I'm trying to think of a time I dealt with crazier winds but I can't. The rain hasn't really been that bad, and has stopped for now, I know I've been in worse rain/flooding storms but this wind is off the hook or "out of pocket" as my students would say. I should probably find a different place to sit as the sliding glass doors by our couch is flexing and moving like crazy with each gust. The wind has opened the dumpsters at the college across from us and stuff is swirling around. The chinese restaurant's sign has been dashed to pieces and is strewn down 18th street. There have been several blueish flashes that I'm pretty sure were transformers and not lightning. We're keeping out fingers crossed that only the garage in the shore house is flooded and the upper level remains untouched. And as the news has pointed out, it smells like the ocean. I hope it's over soon and every one stays safe.
To get through the storm we have been making yummy drinks. Saturday night we made delicious Lapu Lapus, not going to lie I've switched over to them tonight. Last night we made Dark & Stormy cocktails! Because it's dark and stormy out. They were good, had a very molasses taste to them. I think it was a combination of the ginger beer and the type of rum we had. It looks pretty when you float the rum but I had to mix it in order to drink it. If you don't it's straight rum followed by ginger beer....blerg. Also, look at nicely I rimmed the glasses! Score.

Dark & Stormy Cocktail

(Pinterest find! From the framedtable.com)

Ingredients:
2 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum (or any dark rum)
4 oz ginger beer
lime wedge
Directions:
1. Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the Ginger Beer, then pour in the Dark Rum over the back of a spoon to help keep the darker layer floating on top. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

2. For the optional sugar garnish shown in the photo, rub a lime wedge or some simple syrup around the rim of an empty glass, and then tip the glass over into a plate of raw sugar and proceed with assembling the drink as noted above.

Ginger-Spice Cookies

Evidently all I need is a weekend at home with no social obligations and a hurricane to get my kitchen/blogging groove back! I wasn't a huge fan of these cookies. They are good but I don't think I like the chocolate-ginger combination.  I was drawn to this recipe because of the spices! I've never seen cookies with fresh ginger in them. Mr. Lawyer was intrigued as well and requested this recipe when I changed my mind and was leaning towards my brown sugar blueberry cookies. Good thing he likes them because he's getting them all! Give these bad boys a try if you're adventurous and think you might like the chocolate-ginger combination....I will be sticking to my traditional gingersnap cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Ginger-Spice Cookies

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh, grated ginger
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground, dried ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Sugar for rolling
Directions:
1. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter with the brown sugar until creamy and combined well. Add the fresh ginger, molasses, and vanilla, mix to combine. 

2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, cocoa, ground ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salt. 

3.  Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and pulse until just combined. 

4. Fold in chopped chocolate. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours, or until very firm.
5. Preheat oven to 325*F and line baking sheets. Scoop dough into rounds and roll into a ball. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar and place on baking sheets. Flatten cookies before baking for 15-18 minutes. 

Hurricane Chili!

In August 2011 during Hurricane Irene I made some fabulous Hurricane Potato Soup. This time around I went with some Hurricane Chicken Taco Chili and it was a hit. I will definitely be adding this to my chili recipe rotation. It was chock full of beans, the corn was a nice touch, and the spice was spot on. It's from a healthy recipe site and was created with weight watchers in mind so it's super healthy! 

I also made my own taco seasoning. So fancy! I loved it so much that I will be making a larger batch to keep on hand. It's easy to customize if you want more or less spice and if you're concerned about sodium you can tweak the amount of salt (or completely omit it), something you can't do with pre-packaged taco seasoning!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (some versions use cayenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

(adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 16-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (I used Hunts diced tomatoes with zesty jalapenos!)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used two tablespoons homemade seasoning)
1 tbsp cumin (I only used 1 teaspoon)
1 tbsp chili powder
24 oz. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts (I only used two and it was fine)
chili peppers, chopped (optional)
chopped fresh cilantro, cheese, sour cream for serving
Directions:
1. Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (**I sliced my chicken breasts into smaller strips to reduce the cooking time**)

2. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream.

Baked Edamame

I've been looking for some healthy snacks and this pinterest find fit the bill. I would make them again with some adjustments. First, garlic powder is a must! The original recipe was just salt, pepper, and parm. I guess I wasn't heavy enough with the salt/pepper because they weren't that flavorful. We sprinkled on some garlic powder and voila! Amazing. Definitely cook them a little longer, more like 20. If the edamame isn't cooked all the way it's a tad on the gummy side. Not all of mine were truly crispy so I changed the name from "crispy edamame" to "baked". I'm not sure there is a way to fix the coating because not all the beans were well coated with cheese. The ones that did have little bits of browned parm on them were to die for!

Baked Edamame

(Pinterest find, adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder!
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the edamame into a colander and rinse under cold water to thaw. Drain.
2. Spread the edamame beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle cheese over the top and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is crispy and golden, 15-20 minutes.

Lapu Lapu

Yesterday I received a concerned text message from the Mother Unit asking if we were prepared for the oncoming "Frankenstorm". I informed her that yes, we had a nice stock pile of non-perishables including cereal and many cans of beans. Her exact response was "Uhm...beans? CNN says the city of brotherly love could be a direct hit. More important...got liquor?" Well, at least I know where I get it now. Thanks for your concern mom!

I have incorporated a cocktail a day into our storm meal planning for the next couple days. In honor of this insane storm we now have the ingredients to Hurricanes and Dark & Stormy cocktails. However today we pre-gamed the storm with happy memories of tropical Disney World where we sampled the wonderful Lapu Lapu.

The Lapu Lapu was a wonderful Hawaiian style cocktail we had in Ohana, the Polynesian Resort's restaurant. The drinks were amazing and the food delicious. The Lapu Lapu is heavy on rum and fruit juices and comes in a pineapple. It was the best drink I had in Disney, hands down. Also, it's dangerous. You could probably leave out the Bacardi 151.

The Lapu Lapu

(inspired by the Polynesian Resort, Disney World)

Ingredients:

2 parts Myers's Dark Rum

2 parts pineapple juice 

3 parts orange juice

1 part sweet and sour mix

1 part Bacardi 151 rum, floated on the top.

Directions:

1. Mix the dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and sweet and sour mix. 

2. Float the Bacardi 151 on the top.

3. Serve with ice, preferably in a hollow pineapple.

Sadly I did not have a pineapple but I did have an umbrella!

Luckiest Girl Ever

I'm almost over my cold and have some late school nights this week so Mr. Lawyer made some of his famous lasagna. This time he made it spicy! A little bit of red pepper flakes made it a zinger.

I'm one lucky girl.

Maple-Brined Pork

Tonight was my turn to say "mmmm...I'll keep you!" Mr. Lawyer made an amazing maple-brined pork loin and it was well worth the wait! We had never brined anything before and it was amazing. So soft, tender, and moist. The flavors were amazing: rosemary, sweet maple, dijon. Yum. Definitely a keeper recipe! I also recommend deglazing the bottom of the pan and adding that yummy dijon-maple glaze to your finished dish.

Maple-Brined Pork Loin

(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 quart cold water
1/4 cup salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless pork loin roast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions:
1. Mix water, salt, 1/3 cup maple syrup, garlic, ginger, rosemary, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Place pork loin in brine mixture and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
2. Remove pork from brine, pat dry, and season all sides with salt and black pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
4. Heat vegetable oil in an oven-proof skillet over high heat. Cook pork, turning to brown each side, about 10 minutes total.
5. Transfer skillet to the oven and roast until pork is browned, about 40 minutes.
6. Mix 2 tablespoons maple syrup and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl.
7. Remove pork roast from the oven and spread maple syrup mixture on all sides. Cook for an additional 15 minutes, until the pork is no longer pink in the center. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C)

Hot Buttered Rum!

"I know it's bad because you're not complaining" says my darling Mr. Lawyer who surprised me with better cold medicine (where is the theraflu people?!) and pitas last night. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and powered through many sickness adventures which resulted in me winning the perfect attendance award every year for grades 6 through 12 and never missing a college class. Nerd. However, that doesn't mean that I don't dramatically and loudly announce my slow death when I come down with a cold....much to Mr. Lawyer's delight. This better be my body getting everything out of the way for this winter because between the bug I had the other week and this miserable cold I am done being sick. Plus I'm almost out of tea! On the upside Mr. Lawyer has been making me delicious warm drinks and is making dinner for me tonight!

Hot Buttered Rum

(from The Ultimate Bar Book)

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 ounces hot water or milk
2 ounces dark rum
1 tablespoon butter
Freshly grated or ground nutmeg
Directions:
1. In a warmed heat-resistant mug, combine brown sugar and hot water, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the rum, and float the butter on top.
3. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top.

Hot Toddy!

We survived Disney! But now I'm coming down with a cold which I will blame on our hellacious airplane ride home. Nothing like being stuck in a holding pattern above Philly for 30 minutes after the bumpiest flight I have ever been on. Luckily Mr. Lawyer whipped me up this Hot Toddy to help with my throat....and by help I mean burn with both temperature and whiskey. Whiskey is not my favorite liquor so the first few sips made me make a face and go yiiiiiikes! But it will definitely help me sleep! We're going to get my penguin humidifier out too!

Whiskey Hot Toddy

(from the Ultimate Bar Book)

Ingredients:
Lemon slice studded with 3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon granulated or brown sugar
Pinch of grated or ground nutmeg
1.5 ounces bourbon
6 ounces boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
Directions:
1. Drop the clove-studded lemon slice into a warmed heat-resitant mug.
2. Add sugar, nutmeg, and bourbon.
3. Pour in the boiling water, and stir with the cinnamon stick.

Happy Fall!

Tomorrow morning we're off to Disney for the Food & Wine Festival! There will be plenty of yummy food, drink and fun times with our three friends (plus one baby). We even have a Patron tasting...I sense that night will not end well, but someone needs to watch the baby! I'm loving this weather and decorated for fall the other week. Here is our spooky bar.

 More decorations after the jump!

Comfort Food Monday

Man oh man. Nothing like some nice warm and spicy mexican food on a chilly day.

I used a sweet corn salsa (from the Fly Creek Cider Mill), cheddar cheese and black beans for the quesadilla. I popped them in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. They were served up with some spicy guacamole, cool sour cream, refried beans and brown rice. Plus some chips and salsa on the side. All washed down with some Ommegang Witte in the proper glass because that's how I roll. 

There was something very comforting about this meal.

Coffee Heaven!

Oh my god Philly what did you do with my Fall?! One nice week of proper fall weather and now it's all high 70s hello humidity. Blerg. At least the gray skies is working in your favor but it's like a bright gray, I still wore my sunglasses. So on this not so fine, oddly hot and humid, cloudy afternoon I found myself falling asleep while lesson planning. Pinterest to the rescue!

I love yummy flavored coffee drinks from coffee shops. It's how I survived grad school/student teaching, never underestimate the power of a well placed white chocolate mocha during a 3 hour night class. I do not love how much sugar/calories each glorious cup contains and the price tag that is attached to it! Needless to say I rarely get yummy coffee treats anymore unless we're traveling. This recipe is going to change that! It was delicious, tasted like the real deal, and you can control the sugar/calorie amount! Plus I had all the ingredients so my immediate out of pocket cost was zero. Winner. Whipped cream is never optional and don't skip the salt! Just a pinch makes a nice flavor contrast.

Salted Caramel Mocha

(Pinterest find! From 52 Kitchen Adventures)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup coffee
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
1-2 tablespoons hot chocolate powder
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup milk
Whipped cream
Extra caramel sauce and sea salt to drizzle/sprinkle on top
Directions:
1. Prepare coffee. 

2. Place caramel sauce, cocoa powder and sea salt in a mug. 

3. Pour coffee into mug, stirring to combine everything. 

4. Heat milk in microwave or on the stove and add to mug, stirring everything to combine. 

5. Taste and add more caramel, cocoa and/or salt to taste. 

6. Top with whipped cream, caramel sauce and a tiny pinch of sea salt.

Crock Pot Meatloaf?!

Mr. Lawyer made this meatloaf in Law School and really liked it so I decided to give it a go when he requested meatloaf. The flavor was nothing special, regular meatloaf taste, but it was so moist! Definitely an interesting spin to cook it in the crock pot. Plus it made the apartment smell so good!

On the other hand the picture is horrible! Apologies. In order to get through the gross meatloaf picture (can you ever make meatloaf look pretty?!) I'll start with some yummy chinese food on Fiesta! I was finally able to eat real food yesterday (I had been sticking to cereal since Saturday) so we decided to celebrate by ordering out. Yum yum.

 Gross looking but yummy tasting!

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

(from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground chuck or meatloaf mix
2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion or shallot
3 tablespoons grated carrot
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato chili sauce for topping
Directions:
1. Place ground meat, oats, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper. Mix together gently but thoroughly. Shape the meat into a mounded oval or loaf.
2. Make a foil cradle to help remove the cooked meatloaf. Take a 14 inch strip of foil, fold it in half lengthwise, and fold again to form a 3 inch strip. Repeat with a second piece. Place both strips in the crock pot in the shape of an X.
3. Place the meat mound in the crock pot and slather on the 1/2 cup ketchup. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
4. To remove grasp the foil handles and lift the meatloaf up and out onto a platter.

September Round Up!

I made chili while it was still 85 degrees out. It was delicious but not as spicy as I wanted it. Also, I love my soup and sandwich tray.

 Sometimes on a gloomy rainy day (and when your uterus is trying to kill you), you just need some mac 'n cheese and garlic bread. Mmmmmm carb comfort food.

 This cupcake had a giant air bubble and was hollow!

 We made Grandma's Strata again for breakfast all week. This time we sauteed up some onions and peppers to add some delicious flavor. Make sure to bake it a couple extra minutes.

 Pudding Fiesta!

 I've been making some luscious iced coffee with the leftover sweetened condensed milk from somebody's birthday cake...

 Nothing like seeing a flying hvac unit outside your window. It was like a fever induced dream.

Oreo Cupcakes!

Before I got sick and died Friday night, which has subsequently ruined my weekend and Monday, I went over to Jackie's to bake some cupcakes with her. We decided on Oreo Cupcakes. I must admit that I have been spoiled by my homemade cupcake. All I could think about when I ate one was "this tastes like cake mix". But they were so easy and tasted fine, if you're not a cupcake snob, it's totally worth keeping the recipe for school parties. We used white cake mix so it wasn't too chocolately and I loved adding the cookie in the bottom! The frosting was a bit of a mess. It was too runny (we should have chilled it) and we didn't crush up the cookies enough and they kept getting stuck in our cake decorating tips!

Oreo Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 package Oreo Cookies, regular size
1 package Mini Oreo Cookies, for decoration (optional)
1 package chocolate or white cake mix (mix according to directions on box)
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cupcake liners
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix packaged cake mix according to directions (do not bake). Line cupcake tins with liner, place a regular size Oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner. Take 1/2 of remaining cookies and chop coarsely and add to cake mix. Fill the cupcake tins. Bake for 15 minutes (or according to box directions). While cupcakes are baking make the frosting.
2. Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla, then add powdered sugar slowly until blended well. Chop remaining regular-sized Oreos very fine. Add to frosting. After cupcakes have cooled frost and decorate with Mini Oreos.