Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

-2 cups of flour

-1½ cups of milk

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-¼ teaspoon of baking soda

-1 tablespoon of baking powder

-1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (ie: I used Hershey's Chocolate)

-¼ teaspoon of butter (add more if you think the sugar and butter is not mixing enough)

-2¼ cups of sugar

-3 eggs

Directions:

-warm oven at 350℉ and line cupcake pan 

-mix separately flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa powder and set aside

-cream butter and sugar until fluffy

-add eggs one at a time and add vanilla extract

-add flour mix alternating with milk

-fill each up ¾ full and back for about 15mins 

Frosting

Ingredients:

-¾ cups of butter

-1½ cups of peanut butter (preferably creamy)

-6 cups of confectioner's sugar

-½ cup of cream (or more, if desired)

Directions:

-cream butter and peanut butter until fluffy

-add 3 cups of the confectioner's sugar and ¼ cup of cream

-once well mixed, add remaining sugar and cream (if frosting still feels too thick, add little by little more cream)

GOT MY DIPLOMA!!!...finally

I officially have a Master's in Theory and Practice of Human Rights...WOOT WOOT!

Human Rights & the Military

Here's an article I wrote for a blog that me and my friends are doing from grad school: essexjusticeleague.blogspot.com. Thought it would be an interest to all who are not confident that there is a good strong link between human rights and the military.

I recently got married to a US Marine. Me, on the other hand, have lived around the world and have been able to experience as much as the world has offered me and I just received my masters in human rights, just like Tara and Jo. Yes, you read right...my husband is in the military and I am a human rights...enthusiast. When I introduce myself to people this is the part when I get a confused look followed by a clarification of my statement. Is it so absurd to be a human rights fanatic and be married to someone in the military?

A lot of people have forgotten that the military defended and still defends human rights. How is that you might ask? Well, military was created to defend a country from the enemy entering and attacking its citizens. We can go look back into history and see exactly that the military defends and see its pros and cons, but we are not going to do that because I do not want to talk about the pros and cons and I don't want to discus it due to me being "married to the military" and just out of respect for my husband.

I'm a very proud Marine wife and I'm also a huge fan of human rights and they have worked, until now, very peacefully in my life. I'm not saying my husband and I will always look eye-to-eye about both subjects because not everyone is perfect.

I will like to give you an example of how the military, in general, and human rights have worked together. Of course I know Tara can name a dozen out of the top of her head, but I will like to talk about one that I know of first hand, somewhat. Namibia gained independence in a somewhat remarkable way. In 1989, after years of battling to gain independence from South Africa, the UN implemented UNSCR 435 to go forth and begin road to the independence of Namibia. Let it be known that UNSCR 435 was "pending" for years due to the unstable decision-making government of South Africa. In 1978, when the UNSCR 435 was presented South Africa agreed to held election, but to much disbelief of the Namibians and the UN it held unilateral elections which where then boycotted by SWAPO (South West African People's Organization) and other Namibian political parties. Obviously due to the boycott of the elections Namibia stayed under administration of South Africa. The issue of the South Africa and Namibia was constantly thrown around the UN until 1989. At this point the UN set up UNTAG, headed by Martti Ahtisaari, to allow Namibia a safe transition to independence. UNTAG was composed by many militaries around the world and diplomats. An example: Spain's Air Force was deployed to Namibia along with two Spanish diplomats, one which eventually stayed to be Namibia's first Spanish Ambassador. It was noted that Namibia's transition to independence on March 21st, 1990 was one of the most peaceful transitions that the UN had seen to that day.

There was a clear example of how human rights and the military can work together. I would suggest if would like to know more of Namibia's road to independence check this out: "National Liberation Movements in Office: Forging Democracy with African Adjectives in Namibia".

I am the new Master Chef...or so I think :)

(image credit: Tuscon Citizen)

So ever since I got married I have been experimenting on new dishes. For those who don't know me know that I don't like to cook, or so I thought. I'm a neat, organizing freak and now I can add cooking to my list. I'm actually pretty good at it, if I may say. I thought I would be horrible and DH would have to end up going out to get Mc D's and what not but its turning out to be a mouth watering experience for the both of us. I'm just amazed that I haven't burned the kitchen down. Its not that I didn't like to cook its just that I din't like to cook for just one person. Aside from cooking you can add baking. I love to bake too, always have, but I lack the creativity side of it (ie: the decorating part of it). I have become one of those people that when they go to the supermarket they buy cooking magazines and not InStyle or People or Cosmopolitan, I just simply walk by that area and don't even glance at it...oh and organizing magazines (I know, how lame am I...lol).

Here a few of the successful recipes I have accomplished:

- Gnocchi ai Quattro Formaggi
- Penne alla Vodka
- Meatloaf, my mom's recipe, and Mashed-Potatoes
(I know its not anything extravagant, but I never made it on my own)
- Lasagna
- Spiral Beefy Casserole
- cupcakes from scratch (something I never thought I could and would be able to do)

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Commercial

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to this summer is the World Cup. Avid football fans(soccer for others) are preparing themselves to for this event that comes up every 4 years. 32 countries, one winner.
Here's a Pepsi commercial that will amaze you:

Meet Brownie

I'm not talking about those delicious moist chocolate squares that you can't just eat one, I'm talking about the new addition to our family...our puppy, Brownie (mini-Schnauzer). We got her last Thursday and she's a non-stop playful machine. She's just 11 weeks old and teething, so basically she gnaws and bites on anything that catches her eyes. We can't stop spoiling her, we've bought her toys, snacks, a nice bed, a travel bag (DH carries her in that, makes him feel more manly..lol). The only trouble I'm having right now, like most puppy owners, is potty training her. Man, she poops and pees EVERYWHERE. I think I should buy Febreeze and paper towels by the bulk, seriously! I have bought those training pads and I constantly keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't pee or poop on the carpet...but man oh man, its tough. A few days after we got her and I was complaining about how I'm going to potty train her, DH tells me "You've had dogs all your life, don't you know how to potty train them?". I looked and smiled, "Oh no no no, my dad always trained them." So here I am stuck at zero and trying to figure out how to potty train her, its going to be tough! Wish us luck!
The funny thing was that this weekend DH and I went to San Diego and brought the pup along with us. We couldn't stop laughing at how she was such a guy/girl magnet. I mean seriously, when I was carrying her guys swarmed me to see her, when DH was carrying her girls swarmed to see her. At that moment we pictured a few of our close friends wanting to take her for a walk...lol.


Here are some pictures of her: