17 Tasty Ways to Enjoy a PB+J Beyond Lunch

Red Wine Pear Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This chocolate cake has a tinge of red wine to really complement all the flavors. It's the perfect delicacy for dinner parties or even a lil' Valentine's celebration! (via Sarah Anderson for Brit + Co)

Miso Chocolate Cake

The umami notes of miso work surprisingly well with chocolate. Bake up the power duo in this delicious (and easy!) sheet cake. (via Brit + Co)

Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pretzel Cake

When you get a bite of both the creamy ice cream and fudgy chocolate layers in this cake, you will experience absolute heaven. (via Half Baked Harvest for Brit + Co)

Star-Studded Dark Chocolate Cake Bites

You need to make these festive chocolate-covered cake bites adorned with adorable star sprinkles. Since no slicing is involved, this is a great dessert to serve at parties or picnics. (via Brit + Co)

Black & White Tuxedo Cake

Get pumped for Halloween with our beautiful, bugged out chocolate cake recipe! (via Brit + Co)

Vegan Chocolate Guinness Cake

Guinness cake?! Oh, we're so in. (via A Virtual Vegan)

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

This chocolate cake is made with sour cream, which transforms each bite to be super tender and soft. (via Completely Delicious)

Personal Chocolate Olive Oil Cakes

These single-serve chocolate cakes are topped with cinnamon-espresso whipped cream and cayenne dust to create an otherworldly tasting experience. You'll be surprised at just how well the spice works with this recipe's sweetness. (via No Eggs Or Ham)

Single Layer Blueberry Chocolate Cake

Just look at that beautiful blueberry icing! (via Earthly Provisions)

Chocolate Cake Truffles

Once a chocolate cake recipe turns bite-sized, our cravings run wild. These truffles are easy to make and even easier to customize with toppings of your choice depending on the occasion! (via Vikalinka)

Peppermint Flourless Chocolate Cake

Your next Christmas dessert awaits! (via Two Peas & Their Pod)

Chocolate Mug Cake

We are absolute fiends for mug cakes! This one is nothing but chocolatey, thanks to the easy chocolate batter dotted with many more chocolate chips. (via Feel Good Foodie)

Vegan Chocolate Orange Cakes

These rich mini cakes combine orange juice and orange zest to provide a little bit of a lighter end note to the dark chocolate glaze. (via The First Mess)

Midnight Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This chocolate cake slathered in peanut butter frosting earns its "midnight" nickname from the rich black cocoa powder that's worked into the decadent batter. (via Pink Owl Kitchen)

Molten Chocolate Cakes with Coffee & Rose

Coffee and rose are a match made in heaven when you add in a bit of chocolate. (via The Original Dish)

Dark Chocolate Waffle Cake

The perfect excuse to break out that waffle maker — and eat cake for breakfast. This pick layers dark chocolate waffles with a mascarpone filling for a unique twist on layer cake. (via Foolproof Living)

Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts

Homemade cake donuts – chocolate-frosted and sprinkled to perfection – are what we dream about before that alarm goes off in the AM. (via How Sweet Eats)

Paleo Zucchini Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake recipe is packed with healthy goodness, but trust: you won’t miss any of the decadence. Zucchini, coconut oil and avocado stand in for unhealthy fats to give this recipe its richness. (via The Healthy Foodie)

Chocolate Cake Batter Milkshake

Sometimes a girl just needs a giant bowl of cake batter all to herself. This batter-inspired smoothie recipe has all the chocolate flavor you crave. (via Averie Cooks)

Six-Layer Malted Chocolate Toasted Marshmallow Cake

Stacks of rich chocolate cake layered between malted Belgian-chocolate frosting and toasted marshmallow filling, this sky-scraping piece of campfire-inspired heaven is truly a masterpiece. (via Sweetapolita)

Chocolate Pansy Cake

With beauty and braun, this pansy-covered chocolate layer cake would be absolutely precious at a tea party or ladies’ lunch. (via Style Me Pretty)

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Since it has “banana bread” in the title, you have full permission to have this one for breakfast. (via Smitten Kitchen)

Banana Almond Chocolate Cake

This simple, wholesome bundt cake has less than 10 ingredients. It’s naturally gluten-free, with no refined sugar or dairy. (via Green Kitchen Stories)

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

This pick shares the secret to a perfectly pink, fluffy raspberry buttercream to slather on your cake (and eat by the spoonful). (via My Baking Addiction)

Spicy Watermelon Margaritas

Watermelon is just the refreshing flavor note you need to balance out the jalapeño in these spicy cocktails. (via Cozy Cravings)

Pickle & Jalapeño TitoRita

Pickles and jalapeños go surprisingly well together in this delightfully briny concoction. (via Tito's Vodka)

Spicy Micheladas

You haven't lived until you've tried a michelada. This iteration works in some extra spice to get the party goin'! (via A Spicy Perspective)

Jade Mezcal Margarita

These spicy cocktails are like a hybrid between your favorite green juice and a classic marg. Packed with kale, ginger, and orange juice, they're an equally healthy and boozy sip! (via Gastroplant)

Mango Habanero Margaritas

Mango and habanero will always be a match made in heaven. You'll get a swig of spicy, fruity, sweet, and sour with these gorgeous spicy cocktails! (via Mixop)

Spicy BLT Green Bloody Marys

There’s a good chance you’ll never buy store-bought Bloody Mary mix ever again after having these spicy sips. Plus, bacon as a garnish? Yes, please! (via Heather Christo)

Spicy Tomato Gin + Tonics

Put that cocktail muddler to work with this serrano and tomato-infused gin and tonic. Serve 'em ice-cold with cucumber and a salt, pepper, and cayenne-dipped rim. (via Jonathan Melendez)

Hibiscus Cocktail with Mint & Jalapeño

You may not be surprised to see hibiscus in a cocktail, but you might be shocked to drink it with jalapeño. Don’t knock it ’til you try it, because the flavor is *fire.* (via Nerds With Knives)

Sweet Heat

If you’re intimidated by adding peppers to your spicy cocktails, try adding a small amount to a sweet drink to balance it out. This one has jalapeño suspended in a mixture of vodka, pineapple juice, and simple syrup. (via Inspired by Charm)

Mango & Serrano Chili Daiquiris

Take your stay-cation seriously by lounging outside with a pitcher of these spicy mango daiquiris. You might want to have a glass of water nearby, because these puppies pack a punch. (via Cooking For Keeps)

Pineapple Cilantro Serrano Cocktails

Make these spicy cocktails at home to serve a whole crowd of happy tequila drinkers. (via Cookie + Kate)

Pineapple Jalapeño Sangria

Your sangria isn’t immune to the power of peppers. Go for a ripe Chardonnay with tropical flavors to best match up with the pineapple juice and jalapeño! (via Best Friends for Frosting)

Spicy Jalapeño Gimlet

You don’t need a ton of frills to enjoy a zesty, spicy cocktail. This gimlet requires only good quality vodka, lime juice, and jalapeño simple syrup to create a strong sip. (via Cake ‘n Knife)

Cilantro-Infused Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas

This little number is not for the faint of heart. Thankfully, the sweet and sour flavor of the margarita mix and the cooling effect of cilantro diffuse the spiciness, so it doesn’t totally overwhelm the palate. (via Foolproof Living)

Spicy Grapefruit Paloma

If you’re over the classic margarita, a paloma is a great tequila cocktail to take its place! (via Hello Little Home)

Spicy Thai Basil Cucumber Cocktail

Use cucumber and basil to create a cooling base to saturate this bev with spicy flavor. (via Vintage Kitty)

​We're Back On The Outer Banks!

FINALLY! After a couple of seasons in the Caribbean and South America, Outer Banks is back, well, on the Outer Banks. Honestly, this automatically makes the season better because it provides a ton of familiarity, nostalgia, and comfort for readers. And it also provides a realistic, grounded aspect to the adventure. Because let's be honest, a group of teens hopping on a tiny plane and taking part in a jungle treasure hunt requires a little too much suspension of disbelief for me. Plus, just like Gossip Girl wouldn't be the same without Blair and Serena hitting up Bergdorf's, a Pogue beach & surfing day just feels right.

​The Pogues Open Their Own Shop

The first episode of Outer Banks season 4 catches us up on that season 3 time jump. After learning how much money they actually have their hands on, the Pogues move into JJ's old house (renaming it "Poguelandia 2.0"), and open a bait, tackle, and charter shop. While I have a few questions about how six teens literally built a business without the help of a contractor, I love seeing this group lead regular lives. The shop plays into their strengths and allows them to cultivate their relationships in normal settings instead of life-or-death ones. Friendships are made in those boring moments, IMO.

​The Pogues And Kooks Are Fighting Again

Because so much of Outer Banks season 4 takes place on the OBX, it means John B., Sarah, JJ, Kie, Pope, and Cleo are once again clashing with Topper, Rafe, and the rest of the Kooks. Despite the fact this season features plenty of death-defying stunts, the scene that will stick with me the most is when the Pogues and Kooks wind up at the same beach access.

I audibly gasped when Ruthie, Topper's new girlfriend, plays chicken with the Pogues on the beach, almost hitting Kiara with her Jeep and running over a turtle hatch in the process. (IRL, protecting endangered sea turtles & their hatches are a big deal on the Outer Banks, so this definitely got a visceral reaction from me).

At the end of the day, the major (and arguably, the most painful) conflict of this teen drama is how the Kooks make the Pogues feel like they don't belong anywhere. And if you ask me, exploring this tension and these relationships is where the show truly shines.

​The Villains Are Actually Scary

That being said, I found the villains this season, Lightner and Dalia, to be way scarier than I expected — especially once Lightner killed Terrance and almost killed Cleo. Every time he showed up onscreen, my heart started pounding like he was chasing me! The thought of being stuck in my bait shop alone with a creepy guy, especially one brandishing a knife? Thank you, next.

​The Pogues Are Searching For More Than Blackbeard's Treasure

After Outer Banks season 3, the one thing I said I didn't want the show to do was go into supernatural, ghost territory. Turns out, that's exactly where we're going. Wes Genrette and his son-in-law Chandler Groff hire the Pogues to find Blackbeard's treasure, but it doesn't take long for them to realize they're once again in over their heads.

Wes is a direct descendent of Francis Genrette, the man responsible for killing Blackbeard and his wife Elizabeth. Now, Elizabeth haunts every generation of the Genrette family, and once she appears, you don't have long to live. Wes reveals his daughter Larissa (Chandler's late wife) saw Elizabeth a week before she died, and Wes himself has seen her, which means his days are numbered.

Now the Pogues have to find Elizabeth's amulet to break the curse. Their race against Lightner and Dalia brings Pope, Cleo, Sarah, and John B. to Charleston — and leavesPope and Sarah trapped in a crypt as it slowly floods.

​Powers At Be Want To Bulldoze The Cut

If this show has proven anything, it's that the OBX is far from paradise. This season, some big names are trying to turn The Cut — including Poguelandia 2.0 — into an extension of the wealthier Figure Eight. Things get even more complicated when Hollis, who worked with Ward before he died, wants Rafe to be her financial partner...and then gets his girlfriend Sofia to convince him to sign her contract.

​Rafe Could Actually Be Getting A Redemption Arc

Drew Starkey admitted after season 1 that he didn't care whether Rafe got a redemption arc, and I agreed at the time. I found the idea of Rafe, who was so driven to please his father he'd literally murder for him, incredibly compelling. Plus, he's been the ringleader of the War on Pogues this whole time, so suddenly making him sympathetic towards them felt like backtracking on his character.

But now that I've seen him with Sofia, the romantic in me is kicking her feet and giggling.

Rafe still has his moments (like saying he'd never date a Pogue after finding out Sofia was from The Cut), but for better or worse, Sofia brings out the best in him. And in the aftermath of Ward's death, and his ultimate wish that Sarah and Rafe would make up, feeling sympathy for the Pogues might be Rafe's way of staying loyal to his dad.

I just want to know how Rafe is going to respond when he finds out Sofia overheard his comments about never dating a Pogue...and then tricked him into signing Hollis' contract. Messy, messy.

​Luke Is Back

After JJ & Kiara said goodbye to JJ's dad Luke in Outer Banks season 2, he's been totally off the grid. Except, apparently, he hasn't? JJ learns Luke is back when he visits Barracuda Mike, but the father-son bonding quickly takes a turn for the crazy when Luke drops a piece of news that changes everything: he isn't JJ's biological father. Chandler Groff is.

JJ Has Actually Been A Kook This Whole Time

JJ's entire character is based around the fact he's proud to be a Pogue. He hates the Kooks and everything they stand for, which is why when Luke reveals he isn't JJ's biological father, and that JJ is related to the Groff/Genrette clan, it totally sends JJ into orbit.

This Kook identity is something he's been running from the entire series — even before Kie had to reassure him that finding the gold didn't make them Kooks — and he's going to have to do some serious soul searching to figure out who he actually is now.

I was wholly sold on the theory Outer Banks 4 would reveal JJ and Sarah were siblings, but this is a pretty good alternative. And who knows? Maybe they're cousins. Fingers crossed JJ doesn't get a deadly visit from Elizabeth's ghost in part 2...