A Chocolatey Peanut Butter Valentine

February 14--that wonderful day overly commercialized, over hyped and dreaded by men everywhere. One of my favorite parts of Valentine's Day is seeing all those guys in the grocery store, Target, etc, etc buying flowers, chocolates, searching for the card expressing an appropriate level of affection. They all just look so out of their element. It's great. I also love watching and listening to the elementary school kids picking out the box of Valentine's cards to give to their classmates. Those were the days, weren't they? Finding a box that had a really great card for the guy/gal you had a crush on but with appropriately banal comments for everyone else, making your little "mail box", having the class party where everyone delivers their cards to everyone else. I don't think I understood how great it was as a kid.

My usual message I like to remind people on Valentine's Day is to not forget all the other people you love besides your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/significant other/etc. I love sending cards to my family and friends just to say hello, hopefully induce a smile (and some endorphins), and to tell them they are important to me.  This Valentine's Day, however, warrants some extra praise for the Husband Unit.

A year ago yesterday, my best friend asked me to be his BFF, or wife if you prefer. Not only did he give me exactly what I wanted for my birthday and Valentine's Day last year, he also did it on a private boat in the "happiest place on earth" (and also a super crowded place) with a fireworks show right after I accepted. This took some planning and preparation, which can not have been easy given the stressful nature of February of someone's 2nd year in med school (it's just not a fun time in the life of a med student). As an added bonus, he understood that I am a very private person and spared me the extreme embarrassment and discomfort of asking me amidst a huge crowd of people. It was quite perfect....right up until there was a Disney employee who rang an extremely loud hand bell as soon as we got off the boat, which prompted passersby to stop, look & applaud. I swear I've never been so red nor walked away so fast in my life!!!

It's important to find someone who you can be completely yourself around and who loves you despite your faults--someone who understands and accepts that sometimes not taking yourself seriously is a necessary respite. Who thinks it's cute instead of weird when you motivate yourself to study like this:

 

Tigger won, in case you were wondering

And who equally enjoys some of your more lame hobbies (for a 20 something, anyway)

Jigsaw puzzles - the epitome of nerdy coupledom

Given all of my quirks that he lovingly accepts and my extreme inability to keep my desk/the kitchen/the apartment neat & organized for more than two minutes, I wanted to make something extra special for this Valentine's Day. As soon as I saw this Reese's Pieces Cake Bar Recipe, I knew I had to make it for the Husband Unit ASAP. Homeboy loves him some Reese's so why not make Reese's in cake form and mix in some actual Reese's throughout? Perfect! As an added bonus for those short on time, you can make it from a box mix. Sometimes using some shortcuts are acceptable. 

Here's what you do: get your favorite chocolate cake mix and prepare it as directed replacing the oil with an equivalent amount of peanut butter (so if it calls for 1/4 cup oil, use 1/4 cup peanut butter) and mix in some Reese's minis or chopped up Reese's. If you like, you can top it off with a peanut butter frosting.

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 - 1 cup powdered sugar (to taste)

Cream the butter then add the peanut butter and mix until well combined. Mix in the powdered sugar. Start with 1/2 cup and adjust to taste/consistency. 

(Recipe from Keep It Sweet)

Personally, I thought the peanut butter frosting was a bit too much peanut butter, but the Husband Unit loved it. To each his own.

Lastly, if you are looking for an excellent romantic comedy to complete your Valentine's Day, I highly recommend Leap Year. It's even more appropriate because this is a leap year!!

If you're just looking for a soundtrack while you are whipping up this cake in 5 minutes flat, might I suggest Mama Cass's Dream a Little Dream of Me