The Family Flavor Brownies

aka the Worlds Best Brownies. 

really. 

I know because I have probably made them 497 times since Whitney first came up with this recipe.

I know brownies. I love brownies. 

I like to try new brownie recipes, 

and see what different bakeries have to offer in the brownie department.

brownies brownies brownies.

So you MUST believe me when I say these are goooooooood.

So why are they so good?

It's a combination of the the perfect ingredients (the usual.....butter, sugar, eggs....and then the extras like two kinds of chocolate and just the right amount cake flour).

Everything is mixed just right........

and then they bake. 

and bake and bake. 

and you lick and lick.

and then you have to wait for them to cool. 

you will try (every time) to sneak a taste too early, and burn the roof of your mouth. 

you will never learn. 

then you will marvel at these thick and perfect brownies, and wonder how you ever lived without them. 

So where is the recipe for these fat beauties?

Oh boy. 

I am so sorry for what I am about to do. 

I am usually a really lousy sales lady. 

In college I worked at a music store. We were never ever ever supposed to let a customer leave with just one thing. Always suggest an add on. An upgrade. Something useless that they don't need, but they simply MUST buy. 

I never did it. I didn't care. I was terrible. 

But today, I am going to sell you. 

I'm not going to give you the recipe for these rich and chocolaty and absolutely perfect confections. 

I'm going to make you buy The Book.

Buy it today (for the low! low! price of $15.49!) and in just a couple days the smell of these brownies will be floating through your kitchen. 

(hey! I sounded like a real live sales lady!)

You won't regret it. 

These will make you the talk of the party. 

Ladies these will make that really terrible time of the month about 200 times better. 

Scientists have been studying these very brownies to see they could hold the secret cure for cancer*

In a rough patch? For less than $16 for The Family Flavor you can have a pan of brownies and a good cry and save yourself HUNDREDS on therapy. 

*probably not true. all this sales lady stuff just got away with me. but I'm sure scientists like them too.

You guys, these are good brownies.

Buy the Family Flavor HERE and get the recipe for Whitney's brownies 

(+124 other mouth watering recipes that you are sure to love too)

I'm sorry. This is torture.....but you will thank me when you have The Book in your hands.
 I promise to give you guys a FULL recipe tomorrow.....

all about whitney

It's cookbook week!

Yesterday we got to take a look inside this beautiful book.....and now I think you should get to know Whitney Ingram--the genius mind behind the The Family Flavor.
(also take a look at the page layouts. Easy to read recipes and GIANT photos)

When did you know you loved to cook?

All of my memories from childhood involve food. I have always been fascinated by it! Cuisines, tools, traditions, methods, ingredients. All of it. I would say that actual cooking became big for me when I was in high school. I had an awesome foods teacher, Mrs. Cluff, and her class was my favorite. But it wasn't until years later that I was married and a mom and my first baby started eating solid foods that I got serious. I wanted his eating habits to start off on the good foot and no one else was going to make that happen but me! 

Why did you want to write a cookbook?

I wanted to write a cookbook because I knew it would be a challenge and I wanted a challenge. I like writing recipes, but they needed to go somewhere. And I knew a book would be a great way to showcase them. I also wanted to write a book because I wanted it to get into the hands of people who are daunted by cooking. Cooking and feeding my family bring me the greatest joy. 
I want everyone to feel that way! 

What is your favorite recipe in the book?

How can I possibly name just one?! All of these recipes are a piece of my heart. Each one was given so much tender love and care. So much making and remaking and making again and remaking again. They are like my babies! But which ones do I enjoy making and eating the most? I love the rotini pasta salad with summer veggies and red wine vinaigrette. I love standing at the cutting board and chopping a pile of fresh veggies. It's so therapeutic for me. The chocolate-swirl pumpkin gingerbread also has my heart. It's so fun to swirl the chocolate in before it goes into the oven. And the warm spices transport me to autumn. And the grilled ribs with homemade BBQ sauce are unreal. This recipe was a collaboration with my husband. Food is a big part of our relationship, so this recipe is special to me. And what about the chocolate cream pie?! My kind of dessert is creamy chocolate and this pie fits the bill entirely. Gosh, I could name favorite recipes all day. I should stop now. 

What recipe did you work the hardest on?

There are a couple of recipes that I made so many times, trying to get it just right. The brownies were made maybe 9 times. And so were the Korean beef lettuce wraps. Trying to tweak it just right to get the right amount of sauce that wasn't too thick or too thin was tricky. Would you be surprised if I said the toasted garlic bread was a hard one too? I wanted just the right crispness. After a bunch of mediocre results, I finally got the garlickiest, toastiest bread of my dreams. Oh! And I almost forgot! The cheesy chicken and rice! Who knew simple comfort food could be so hard to achieve! After so many failed attempts, I finally nailed it. And now it is my 8 year old's favorite dinner. 

What is your favorite photograph in the book?

It's hard to pick just one when the great and wonderful Sheena is your photographer. Truly guys, you will die when you see the work she has done. But I will say that the dessert ones are my favorites. The picture from the buttermilk cake with strawberries and whipped cream is perfection. I just want to swipe my finger over the image, hoping that my finger hops through the page and gets a big swoop of the whipped cream. 

How did you find Sheena?

I get asked this question all the time! A long time ago, I had a food blog and Sheena was one of my nicest readers. She had emailed me once, maybe 4+ years ago, and said how much she liked my blog. She wrote a p.s. and said, "And hey, if you ever want to photograph a cookbook, I am your gal!" Well, poor girl. Little did she know I never forgot that. About 2 years later, I emailed her and said, "Hey, remember that one time you said you wanted to photograph a cookbook? How 'bout it?" Lucky for me, she gleefully answered and she was onboard. We met up at a Barnes and Noble one snowy January night and got to know each other face to face and then we were go for launch! Sheena has been a dream to work with. So easy-going, fun and creative. She has such a natural gift and I feel so blessed to get to take advantage of it!

What would you make for dinner 
when you have guests coming over?

I love a big Sunday dinner. It's my favorite day of the week to feed my people. I always start with planning out the dessert, because weall know that is the most important part. And I love making chocolate cake. So I would do Elma's double chocolate cake. For dinner, I have to think about what season it is! Since it's summer, I would grill. Maybe my husband's orange and herb marinated tri-tip steak. So good! For sides, I am partial to potatoes with meat, so the roasted garlic mashed potatoes for sure. Another good veggie side is the walnut green beans. Don't know about walnut oil yet? Get to know it! It's delicious. And I think some frozen lemonade would be delightful to round it all out. 

What is your "I'm in a hurry" go-to meal?

The black beans and rice are a simple, cheap and easy one. My kids always go for that. The fettuccine with tomato cream sauce is my 5 year old's favorite and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. Potato pancakes are always great because all you need are potatoes, an egg and some flour. And chicken noodle soup. Anytime I am sauteing onion, carrots and celery, my kids ask if we are having chicken noodle soup. 

What advice would you give to someone who says 
"I can't cook" ?

YES YOU CAN! I wish I could bring anyone that says that into my kitchen for an afternoon and work together to make a delicious meal. If you want to cook, but are nervous, I would say to start with one dish that you want to get just right and make it over and over until it's perfect and your signature dish. I did that with lasagna years ago. When you can build your confidence with getting a certain dish right, you will be ready to branch out. Practice makes perfect. 

What is your favorite kitchen gadget?

My precious knife. My husband is a chef and we own a catering company. He has a big fancy tool box full of all kinds of fun cooking stuff and a beautiful set of knives. After stealing his santoku knife out of his tool box at least 10 times, he finally stopped stealing it back. I use it for everything. 

Who is your cooking inspiration?

There are lots of people. Bobby Flay, Ina Garten and Anne Burrell on the Food Network are faves. Ruth Reichl, Jeff Henderson and Julia Child's books are books I wished would have never ended. Rick Bayless is the master of Mexican food and I could eat Mexican food all the live long day. As for people in my own life, there have been many, but the one who tops the list would be my mother. My mom cooked healthful and diverse meals when I was growing up. She instilled my food foundation and a lot of thanks goes to her. 

Want more Whitney?

Whitney will soon have a blog for you to drool over, but in the meantime go follow her on Instagram-- @whitneyingram. She posts all kinds of easy recipes right there on her feed....find her!

Get your copy of The Family Flavor 
(still on sale!!!) HERE

up next: the world's best (I'm serious) brownies!

A Peek Inside The Family Flavor

our baby

 Almost three years ago, my little family and I were headed out to find our Christmas tree (it was actually the evening of THIS post. I remember it so clearly because I was ridiculously excited). I got an email from the famous Whitney Ingram. You see, Whitney was a celebrity food blogger in those days. I had stumbled upon her blog somehow and immediately became a fan. Not only were her recipes easy and delicious, but the girl could turn a basic recipe blog post into the most entertaining story. She was well written and funny, and I was immediately drawn to her little corner of the web. I commented a few times and about died when she left a few comments on MY blog. I mean, this was famous Whitney.

She emailed me that chilly December night with an idea.
A cookbook idea.
And she wanted little ol' me to photograph her book.

done. deal.

A few months later we made it official. We met (uh yeah.....we'd never met. I had to make sure that she actually existed, and was not a crazy basement living internet weirdo). We chose a well lit, well populated location in case she was an ax murderer--Barnes and Noble--and hugged and laughed and poured over cookbooks together.

And so it began.

We started meeting up at her house. She cooked, I styled and shot, and our 5 kids wrestled in the background. We took the process slow. We had busy lives and never wanted The Book to feel like a chore. She cooked and cooked and cooked until each and every recipe was perfected.
There was a great question last week:
"how many test runs does it take before [the recipe] is cookbook quality and ready to be seen by the world?"
Not only did Whitney work each recipe over and over herself, she actually sent her recipes OUT to multiple testers. This not only ensured that the recipes tasted great, but it made sure that the recipes were easy to follow were written perfectly. The internet is full of fantastic recipes, but I guarantee most bloggers (myself included) don't make and remake (and remake!) their recipes (and send them out to others) to make sure they are exact.
Recipe writing is tough stuff, and Whitney wanted to make sure it was done right.

So many questions about what is IN The Family Flavor. 

It's a little bit of everything.....really. 

From the back of the book

"With 125 recipes of new family favorites like Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Rosemary Gorgonzola Butter, Shredded Sweet Pork Tacos, Baked Eggs with Chard and Feta Cheese and Orange Cream Cake, "The Family Flavor" will delight and satisfy the people you love most. It's an answer for busy parents wanting to enliven meals and give their families the gift of diverse flavors without having to hunt down obscure ingredients and sacrifice family time. Featuring stunning photographs of each recipe, "The Family Flavor" serves up food that's simple and utterly delicious."

There is truly something here for everyone.

I wanted you to be able to take a peak INSIDE the book, just to see how much there really is....here are all of Whitney's different sections (and just a tiny taste at what you will find in there)

Chicken and Turkey- you have to try the Sun-Dried Tomato & Pine Nut Stuffed Chicken

Beef-we LOVE the Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps! A definite favorite in our house.

 Pork-we ate the Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Coleslaw at our cover shoot and they were a HUGE hit 

 Seafood- BAKED HALIBUT FISH STICKS!

 Vegetarian-I am craving the Grilled Flatbread with Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers & Fennel

Pasta and Polenta- the Farfalle with Pumpkin Cream Sauce and & Bacon is perfect for fall

Soups- the Red Curry Carrot Soup is a great new recipe to add to your soup list this fall and winter

Salads and Dressings-the first thing you should try is the Orzo Shrimp with Creamy Dijon Dressing

Sides-Baked Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Mayo....I will never eat artichokes any other way.

 Breads-never open up a can of biscuits again--you have to make the Buttermilk Biscuits

 Desserts- Hands down the BEST brownies I have ever had. no joke.

Drinks- Dark Hot Chocolate with Ice Cream anyone?

125 Recipes!

And before each recipe Whitney takes the time to introduce you to what you are about to make. You get to know more about Whitney--her childhood and her family traditions. She uses this little space to teach you about food and cooking methods--you will love reading this book as much as you will love cooking from it.

You can pick up The Family Flavor on Amazon (HERE) !!!

Right now they have the book at a fantastic sale price 

of $15.49--more than 1/2 off!
(Amazon controls their own sales so I have no idea how long they will keep it so low--grab a few for gifts!)

I want to thank you ALL so much for your support over these past few days! Whitney and I have felt so overwhelmed with how wonderful everyone has been. We appreciate all of your kind words about our book that we have worked so hard on. If you have an extra minute, would you leave us a review on Amazon? We would love your feedback, and it helps spread the word. 

And thank you for all of your reposts and pins and photos on Instagram! Please keep it up and make sure to tag your photos of your shiny new cookbook and your Family Flavor adventures #thefamilyflavor so we can see what you are up to. 

ps. for those that have asked--the table on the cover is made by Ivory Bill!

up next: All about Whitney!

last hurrah

oh summer.

it's that time of year again, isn't it?

the time we have to say goodbye.

siiiiiiigghhhhh.

goodbyes are so hard sometimes. 

Monday we loaded up the packs with snacks and swimsuits and headed for the hills.

Fall will bring us all kinds of adventures, but I knew this would be our last one that felt like summer....

....and summer adventures are my favorite.

I felt like we needed to give summer a proper send off.....

mountain air, soft pine trails, and freeeeeeeeeezing cold lakes. 

we finished off the evening with burgers and called it a pretty good day.

goodbye summer......until next year.

pssssst......did you get your copy of  The Family Flavor??? 

It's 1/2 price right now!

 Check it out HERE. 

more book talk next week!
also: many of you that ordered the first day will be getting your copy today!! We hope you love it (we think you will), and if you do could you take a minute to leave us a review on Amazon? It will help spread the word. Thanks so much xoxo

SALE!!!

Amazon likes our book so much they 
have already given us a sale price!!
We set our own price ($35.99) and then Amazon is in charge of special sales.
Today you can pick it up for $16.93--I'm not sure how long this will last (really, I have no clue) so grab a couple for Christmas gifts!
Sisters, teachers, neighbors, friends....they would all love a copy.

Sesame Ginger Turkey Sliders from The Family Flavor. 

The book has it all--burgers, sides, vegetarian dishes and the BEST desserts you have ever tasted. Whole fish, pork tacos, and quick and easy pasta dishes for nights when you are in a hurry.
125 recipes, ALL photographed....such a great deal.

LOTS more details starting Monday!

Thank you so much for your support! So many of you are already getting your copies in the mail TOMORROW! So exciting! Thank you.

Buy your copy of The Family Flavor for $16.93 HERE

IT'S HERE!!!

It's official......you can order your copy of 

The Family Flavor right NOW!!!

Order HERE on Amazon

We have worked so hard on this project and are beyond excited to share it with you! 

Lots of cookbook goodness, fun facts, photos, and all kinds of great Family Flavor stuff coming next week. If you have any questions for Whitney and I about the book, ask them here and we will have a little Q&A next week. 

thank you thank you thank you!

weekend things

Now that school is back in, weekends mean soooooooo much more! 

We have to cram in as many good things as we can. 

First things first.

I forgot to tell you guys--my chickies have started to lay! I'm guessing the eggs are coming from Wilma and Fanny....and I think the teeny tiny one was Goldie's first. It has been so much fun checking (over and over) all day long to see if there is a tiny adorable gift for us. 

Swiss Days! 

Our little valley celebrates it's Swiss heritage each year, and I helped out with the Swiss Children's Chorus (kind of funny, since I don't sing OR dance).

 The kids sang their little hearts out and got to ride in the parade. 

Swiss looks good on them.

Our sunsets these past few weeks have been incredible. Starting around 6 o'clock we like to guess what colors the sky is going to turn. Saturday night we sat on a hill and watched the sun sink. 

Homeschooling last spring made me realize there are so many teaching opportunities throughout the day. My kids don't have to be officially "homeschooled" for me to attempt to cram knowledge into their growing brains. So we talked about the sunset. The mountains. The clouds. They drew the earth and colored the sky as we watched the big show. 

I watched them work, and listened, and felt so lucky to call them mine.

*******

And then we ate some pizza. 

Pizza is so easy to make in the summer--there is an abundance of ingredients just begging to be thrown on top. 

Prosciutto and Blackberry Pizza

inspired by one of my favorites at Pizzeria Limone

Your favorite crust topped with:

-olive oil

-mozzarella

-prosciutto

-red onion

-pine nuts

-fresh black berries

-fresh grated parmesan cheese 

Margherita Pizza with Goat Cheese

Your favorite crust topped with

-a simple tomato sauce (like THIS  easy one)

-mozzarella cheese

-your favorite kind of cherry tomatoes, halved (I like to use little ones because they are so sweet)

-pine nuts

-basil

-goat cheese

Lately I have been loving Whole Foods whole grain pizza dough. I always keep some in the freezer so I can pull it out for a quick dinner. I cook it on the grill just a few minutes, then put the toppings on, and then cook it a few minutes more until the cheese is nice and melty. 

How was your weekend?

oh--and we also hiked! and ate pie! more of that coming soon.