BROWNIE BITES:

Here's the scoop .  . . . Pre-heat oven at 375 and butter a 9x9 inch pan.

Ingredients:

12 Tb unsalted butter

8 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 large eggs

1.5 cups of sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp salt

Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir until melted and then remove from heat, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla. Then, slowly add the melted chocolate and butter to the egg mixture. Fold in flour and salt. Spread evenly on a buttered 9x9 pan and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan half way through. Enjoy! 

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups AP flour 

3 T sugar 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

4 T Kerrygold Unsalted Irish Butter, cold

2 C buttermilk

1 large egg 

1 C golden raisins 

3 T caraway seeds 

Pre-heat oven at 425. Sift together dry ingredients in food processor. Add in butter and pulse until cornmeal consistency. Add buttermilk and egg. Turn dough on well floured work surface. Fold in golden raisins and caraway seeds. Form large round. Transfer to baking sheet and bake 40-45 minutes. 

Allie & Drew's 4th Year Anniversary

Happy Holidays everyone! My younger sister, Allie and her chef/hubby Drew agreed to do a photoshoot during our stay in Idaho this Christmas. Here a few few outtakes . . . Oh, and it also happened to be their 4th year Anniversary! Forever in-depted to them for spending time with us on their special day. Luckily we managed to snap a few lovebird moments.  

Handful of spinach or greens 

Slice of red onion 

1 or 2 eggs cooked over easy 

1 T Avocado oil

1 T Apple cider vinegar  

Pinch of kosher salt & pepper

Mimi's Christmas Cake 

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups butter

3/4 cup water 

1 (4 oz) bar white chocolate

1.5 cups buttermilk 

4 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3.5 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted 

2.25 cups sugar 

1.5 teaspoons baking soda 

White Chocolate- Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below) 

Combine water and butter in medium saucepan; bring to boil, remove from heat and add white chocolate, stirring until melted. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Set aside. 

Combine 1/2 cup of all purpose flour with toasted pecans, toss to coat and set aside. 

Combine dry ingredients, whisk to remove clumps. Pour white chocolate mixture with dry ingredients and mix. Add in coated pecans, stir, don't over mix. 

Pour into three 8" round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Check halfway through and rotate pans. 

Let cake cool for 10 minutes in pans, remove from pans and let cool completely before frosting. 

White Chocolate - Cream Cheese Frosting: 

1 (4 oz) bar of white chocolate 

11 oz of softened cream cheese 

1/3 butter softened 

6.5 cups sifted powdered sugar 

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Melt chocolate in saucepan over medium heat. Beat cream cheese and butter, add in melted white chocolate. Gradually add in powdered sugar until combined. Add in vanilla extract. 

Sun Valley apron made from American canvas in railroad stripe. 

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." -John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America 

A copy of the original Rafter T brand, signed by my great-grandfather Walter E. Talboy in 1939.