Having a husband who works roughly 74 hours a week during football season leaves few opportunities for me to do anything on my own.  Sure, she goes to preschool three days a week but cleaning toilets & grocery shopping by myself hardly counts as “me time”.

That being said, it’s so important as moms that we take time for ourselves — even if it’s just a moment.  My moment came yesterday when Ellie finally gave in, climbed in her fort, & fell fast asleep.  All moms know, there’s really nothing more beautiful than naptime.

I love to let Ellie help me in the kitchen, but after two rounds of cooking with kids in one day, I waited until she was fast asleep to work on a new recipe for peach filled cupcakes.

To make this simple recipe, you can use any flavor of cake mix.  I chose this Classic White {because it was already in the pantry}, but a Spiced Cake Mix would taste amazing.  You will need:

• Cake Mix
• Cupcake papers
• #DelMonte Diced Peaches w/Cinnamon & Brown Sugar
• 2 cups of sour creme
• 2 eggs

My suggested bake time is anywhere between 20-30 minutes, depending upon the depth of your muffin tins.  I used a vintage pan {shallow}, so our cupcakes were done in just 23 minutes.  Instead of icing, we sprinkled a bit of cinnamon to the top — a perfect fall treat for Mommy Snacktime.

While Ellie worked her puzzles, I was able to steal a moment with a peach cupcake, a cup of coffee, & a favorite book.  I encourage you all to each take a guilt-free moment for yourself.  Sit down, put your feet up, nurture yourself… even if it’s just for ten minutes.  Moms deserve it!

{This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  #CBias  All opinions are my own.}

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If you walk into my kitchen at any point, you will notice at least two kitchen chairs pushed to the countertop.  Someone once suggested that perhaps I had a poltergeist, but fortunately for me… it’s just a two-year-old.  A two-year-old who loves to cook!

Her favorite thing is baking, so we decided to whip up a little Death by Chocolate to share with some kids at a local high school.  Their semester is coming to an end and their teacher, our good friend, thought they deserved a treat.  You’ll love how *easy* this is.

You will need:

• Brownie Mix {Betty Crocker is just $1.38 at Walmart}
• Chocolate Pudding
• Reddi-Wip
• Chocolate Candy {since we’re peanut-free, we used a Hershey kiss!}

Next, prepare the Brownie Mix as directed using:

• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup Wesson oil
• 2 eggs
• Bake as directed depending on which size pan you use {24 minutes for a 13 x 9 inch pan}

It took a Denzel Washington hostage negotiation strategy to get that egg back…

Then, prepare the chocolate pudding:

• You’ll need at least 3 cups of milk
• Stir for two minutes then let it set up in the refrigerator

When the brownies are cool & the pudding is set, cut the brownies into small bite size pieces and just start layering the dessert in your favorite clear dish.  If you want to make sure you have enough servings, you can make small parfaits using single serving plastic cups like this:

On a disappointing note, we are trapped under a layer of ice in the Carolinas… and schools are CLOSED!  Delivering our chocolate deliciousness will just have to wait until the roads are clear.  Though we may need to have another baking session… I can’t seem to keep the chairs away from the counter and little fingers out of the brownies! 

*I was compensated by Collective Bias to shop for some of the ingredients for this recipe.  It’s a great gig.* 

Here is a simple recipe for delicious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies.  It’s so simple that a borrowed 5 year-old did most of this work at the Football House. 

The secret to a good cookie is

butter.

You will need:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter  (that’s 2 sticks) softened
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 and 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 oz. chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugars, softened butter, egg, & vanilla.  I like to mix it with an electric mixer.  Then I add the baking soda & salt and give it another good stir with my electric mixer.  No one wants to find a hunk of baking soda in their cookie.  Am I right?  Add the flour bit by bit & after sneaking a few chocolate chips, pour the bag in! 

Now it’s ready to be spooned onto a cookie sheet.  Baking times will vary between 8-10 minutes.  If you’re using stoneware, it will take about 12 minutes. 

Pour a glass of milk, insert cookie, & enjoy!