Happy Hump Day!

It's been a while since a happy hump day post! And it's clearly well over due!



"I think you're 14 and you're an idiot and you took a roofy from a Priest!" ahaha kills me!

See you tomorrow pretties!
xox tash

happy dance!

If you're looking for a fool proof brownie recipe that will quite simply change your life, this my dear friends, is it! Although this chocolate square may look like you're typical brownie, you'd be mistaken for thinking so! You see, this lil' treat has made best friends with some wild cherries, raspberries and blackberries. As you bite into this dense chocolate mixture, you'll find slightly tart cherries and juicy berries popping in your mouth. Oh yeah, get ready for your taste buds to do a little happy dance!

The Chirpy Birds Black Forest Brownie

1 lb of unsalted butter

1 lb plus 12 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips - save 12 oz for later {I always prefer Ghiradelli}

6oz of bittersweet chocolate

6 extra large eggs

3 tablespoons of dried instant coffee

2 tablespoons of Vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups of granulated sugar {I like to use my vanilla sugar, shown here}

1 cups and 1/4 cup of all purpose flour - save this 1/4 cup for later use

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of chopped wild cherries and berries {you can use organic frozen if they're not in season}

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter a 12 x 18 inch sheet pan

Melt together butter, 1lb of semi sweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler. Make sure that the chocolate and butter mixture never get too hot, continually stirring. Take off of the heat before the entire mixture is melted, the warmth from the bowl should be enough to heat the remaining few unmelted chips. Allow to cool slightly.

Bring together eggs coffee, vanilla and sugar. Be sure not too beat, the secret to keeping this recipe so dense and delicious, is by minimizing the amount of air that gets into the batter. Once chocolate mixture is almost room temperature add to egg mixture! But remember, if chocolate butter mixture is too hot, it will scramble the eggs and give you a lumpy mixture!

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt and then fold into chocolate mixture.  Chop berries and cherries together, leaving some pieces larger than others and incorporate fruit mixture with juice into batter. Toss 12oz of batter with 1/4 cup of flour and add to brownie mixture. {This will stop the chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan}  Fold mixture together but keep mixing to an absolute minimum! You want it to be JUST incorporated not fully mixed!

Bake for 20 minutes and then take out brownies and rap the baking sheet to bring any air bubbles to the surface.  Bake for another 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. This is one of the most important parts of baking these brownies - you can't let them over bake so keep your eye on them and test them frequently! As soon as that toothpick come out clean then they're ready!

Allow to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Once completely cooled cut into desired squares!

Then invite your pretty girlfriends over, share some red wine and a sweet treat.  There's no better accompaniment! 

xo tash

Boo!

Evil Crow

Well last night was officially Halloween, even though the entire weekend was spent celebrating!

Vintage Pin Up Girl

All I know is that although I had the time of my life, I'm well and truly warn out and ready for the quiet week ahead!

Last night was all about walking through the closed streets of West Hollywood admiring the amazing costumes.  A few street vendor hot dogs were had but mostly lots of dancing and Halloween treats!

How was your weekend my loves?

xo tash

it's magic!

Jeanne Lavin 1907

With Halloween literally around the corner, it has me thinking of all things magical and cooking and baking to me is exactly that.  There's something so exciting about being surrounded by 1000's of recipes that have travelled the world and have been lovingly perfected over generations.

Nigella Lawson in her personal library {my dream}

The sound and smell of something bubbling away on the stove or in the oven is like a spellbinding concoction that can alter moods and turn strangers into friends.  Especially if you're using an old family recipe, it's like being immediately transported to another time with an old loved one. Call me crazy but I truly believe cooking is magic!

Jeanne Lanvin {via}

When I saw pictures of Jeanne Lanvin's private collection in Paris, I immediately understood what her magic was - fashion.

Her personal library filled with sketches and pictures from her collections are covered in hand crocheted book covers and photo albums.

If you could have one room filled with things that inspire you, what would it be? What's your magic?

xo tash

oh so romantical!

When I was younger I used to dream of my big day being some ridiculously perfect lavish affair that would give Princess Diana's wedding a run for its money {eeek}! Now that I'm older, I've done a complete 180 and nothing about that sounds remotely appealing or enjoyable!  When I think about it, my change in perspective really comes from a desire to keep everything much simpler. I truly believe the less drama you have in your life, the less "stuff" you focus on, which in turn creates the space needed to cherish the people and moments we value. There's something so heartfelt about keeping the big moments in your life about the 'big moment'.  So when I saw Molly and Bo's Idaho wedding from Grey Likes Weddings,  it stands to reason that my jaw dropped and my heart went all a flutter...



Ummm, hello ridiculously gorgeous barn and breathtaking Idaho country side!







Can't you just feel the love?!

Have you had your dream day? What was your favorite part and if like me it hasn't happened yet, what do you dream about when you think of it?

xo tash

Baking for Baker

Fellow Aussie and actor Simon Baker requested some sweet treats today for the cast and crew of his show, The Mentalist.  I concocted a delicious array of desserts that will keep everyone on set charged for the late night shoot they have ahead of them! After the success of my Pumpkin Spice and Cream Cheese mini cupcakes, you know I had to include a large batch of those babies!

I also had a special request for an Australian treat that you can't find over here in the States and for the life of me, I don't know why! Caramel Slice is like a homemade gourmet twix and believe me if I had my way, I'd be sending sweet samples to all of you!

Not only does it have a crispy graham cracker crust, the center is a smooth caramel topped with a layer of chocolate... it really is heaven and here's how it's done! {note that I've added a couple of short cuts to make it a little faster and easier}

the chirpy birds caramel slice
1 cup of Graham Cracker Crumbs
6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
1 1/2 small cans of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of Golden Syrup
2 tablespoons of butter
6oz of good Semi Sweet Chocolate
2 tablespoons of butter

Preheat Oven to 350F.
Add melted butter to Graham Cracker crumbs and make sure that mixture is even.  Press down firmly into a 11'' x 7'' baking dish ensuring that the base is nice and compressed. Put into oven for approximately 10 minutes so that crust is golden brown and set aside.

Put condensed milk into a medium sized saucepan over medium heat and add butter and golden syrup.

Golden Syrup is an English malted type corn syrup and if you have any trouble finding it, you can just leave it out!

Continue to whisk mixture for around 12 minutes until it begins to darken and become thick.  Be sure to keep your eye on the caramel and continue to whisk! We want a smooth even toned caramel :)

Transfer Caramel into crusted baking dish and ensure that it is evenly coating the base.  Place back into the oven for around 15 minutes keeping an eye on the caramel as is begins to darken and thicken.  Remove from oven once caramel is set and allow to cool for around 20 minutes. Put into the refrigerator for around two hours so that it completely cools.

Melt chocolate and butter over double boiler and continue to stir until smooth and shiny.  Cover the Caramel with chocolate ensuring that the chocolate coating is even.  Place back into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.  You want to cut the slice into bars while the chocolate is still malleable otherwise it will crack! Cut into desired squares {remember it's rich so keep it small} and return back to the refrigerator to set completely.

Then, as always, watch them disappear before your very eyes!!

xo tash

my sweets

This weekend was all about my sweet girlfriends. A rainy weekend complete with wine {on more than one night and more than one bottle...whoops!}, Sex and The City re-runs, sleepovers in my new place, weekend flea markets, Charades and more.  All this sweet girl time needed the perfect sweet treat - Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Yep you heard right!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter room temperature 

1 cup of packed golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

2 eggs

1 2/3 all purpose flour 

2 teaspoons of of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon of ground Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 cup of Pumpkin from can

Preheat Oven to 350F. Line Muffin tins of use 2oz paper Souffle cups. 

Whip together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add one egg at a time and beat until incorporated. Add Vanilla and Pumpkin and mix until mixture is even. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients {flour and spices} into a separate bowl.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated {over beating will result in heavier cupcakes}. Fill your cupcake carriage of choice a little over half way and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes {depending on size}.

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz of room temperature Cream Cheese

1 stick of room temperature unsalted butter

2 cups of powdered sugar 

1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla extract

Whip room temperature Cream Cheese and Unsalted butter together until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed of your mixer and slowly add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Add Vanilla and turn up speed and continue to whip for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.  Icing can be stored in an air tight container for up to three days! Wait a good 30 minutes or until cupcakes are completely cooled before icing and Voila!

It's the perfect treat on a cool Autumnal night with a cup of tea and some sweet company. Enjoy my pretties!

xo tash