Monday Munchies: Raspberry and White Chocolate Fudge Brownies

I've been trying some new recipes that I really love.  I've also been struggling to make my blog more regular and easier to manage.  Enter Monday Munchies.  Each Monday I'm going to share a recipe that I've made and enjoyed.  Chances are these won't be totally original recipes nor will the pictures be mine but I'll link you up to my source so you can check it out for yourself.  I will be adding my version of each recipe because I can't follow directions when it comes to cooking no matter how hard I try.  I hope you find something here that inspires you to munch.

For the first Monday Munchies I'm sharing a recipe for Raspberry and White Chocolate Fudge Brownies.  I found this recipe while searching for a way to use some raspberries frozen from our garden.  My children aren't particularly fond of raspberries and I didn't want to waste them but really didn't have any go-to recipes for raspberries. 

The first recipe that caught my eye was for Raspberry White Chocolate Scones.  The pictures are amazing and they look delicious but the recipe called for grating frozen butter.  I'm a lazy, impulsive cook and this seemed like something I'd never get coordinated.  Honestly, the only reason I can make things that call for softened butter is because I can do that in the microwave.  So my search continued.  The other challenge is that this is the end of the month and I overspent my grocery budget so whatever I make must come from the ingredients on hand.

This is the recipe I'm sharing and it's a keeper.



Raspberry and White Chocolate Fudge Brownies

½ c white chocolate chips
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar
¼ c unsalted butter
1 t vanilla
2/3 c white chocolate chips
1 c raspberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 8 inch pan. Heat 1/2 c white chocolate chips in microwave 30 seconds, stir and heat at 30 second increments until melted and smooth.
With mixer cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Add melted white chocolate. Stir in flour until just blended. Fold in white chocolate chips. Gently fold in raspberries. Spread evenly in baking pan. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Now, this really is a fool proof recipe because H12 made it for us and she added the melted white chocolate chips to the butter, eggs and vanilla before she added sugar.  The recipe also called for softened butter but H12 went straight for melted butter and that worked fine.  After I watched her scraping white chocolate and egg gunk off the inside of the mixer bowl I did an eye roll and a huffy breath and she kicked me out of the kitchen. Like I said, this is a 12 year old master cook proof recipe.



Weekly Recap: January 23-27, 2012

Another busy week.  On track in all subjects.  Even got a few chemistry lessons in this week.
Co-op was gym and swim.  M7 started reading Beatrix Potter.  S9 found a new hero in Lafayette.  H12 made a cheesecake from scratch.

Here are our highs and lows:

M7
High - My favorite thing about school is that math is awesome.  I love math.  It is really easy.  I like counting by 2s and 5s.
Low - I don't have a low this week.

S9
High - Learning about Lafayette.  I liked that he was French and became one of the most important men in America.
Low - Latin.  Just the same old battle of Latin.

H12
I just had a medium week, not really high or low.
High - I enjoyed math this week.  It was easy.  That's different for me.
Low - Outlines for history.  I don't like outlines.

Me
High - Finding joy with each of my children in moments of learning and sharing.
Low - Forgetting those moments of joy when things aren't going quite so smoothly.

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Margaret, amateur biographer, is hired to write the biography of one of the greatest and most illusive novelists of all time, Vida Winter.  As Margaret begins her task she asks to be reassured that the story she is being told is the truth.  The remainder of the book is Vida's truth and Margaret's effort to untangle it and find her own.

This story is a well-written mash up of Flowers in the Attic and Rebecca or perhaps Jane Eyre.  If you are a fan of Gothic romances this book is one that you will probably enjoy.  In the spirit of the Gothic romances of the past you'll find a heroine with her own mystery, intrigue and even a bit of danger.  Setterfield uses all the expected twists and turns, mistaken identity, ghosts, the moors, a special garden and an imposing house to weave her tale.  This is not normally a genre that I read but I found the characters and plot enough to hold my attention and pull me through to the end even if only to confirm my own guesses for the ending.

Weekly Recap: January 16-20, 2012

Our week has flown by.  Monday was a holiday for K15 so that made a light day for the rest of us.  We spent much of the afternoon watching Liberty Kids.  It's nice when something like that can be a treat and help us learn a little more about the founding of our country.  We've done enough reading that most of the stories and characters where easy to recognize. 

Tuesday we had an afternoon of bowling with co-op.  It's been nice to get out of the house and do something fun on these cold days.  On the way there we began listening to Mr. Revere and I.  So far we are enjoying it much more than Ben and Me.

Wednesday and Thursday were normal days.  We got everything done that needed to be done.  Yeah us!  Friday was a two hour delay for K15.  Dad decided to work from home.  We've gotten the necessary things done but chemistry will be waiting until next week.

Here are the highs and lows:

M7
High - I love multiplication and division.  It's very easy.  It's exciting that I'm learning that.
Low -  Reading takes up too much time.
I loved having dad home today. We made cookies together and ran errands.


S9
High - The United States has finally gotten away from England.
Low - Latin makes me learn grammar and I've already gone through three books for that.
My birthday is coming up real quick. I'm really excited!


H12
High - I had a very good week.  I did a good job and I worked hard.
Low - Math.  I just hate math.

Me
High - Getting almost all the things done that I had planned for the week and feeling satisfied on Friday. 
Low - Not getting chemistry done.
I am pleased that I intentionally let something go rather than trying to stuff something else into a busy schedule and causing stress for all. 

Book Review: Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel

Through seven short stories, we learn some of what goes on during the re-opening night of Finbar's Hotel.  The stories overlap every now and then but also stand on their own.  The cast of characters is varied and the stories are entertaining.  The hotel itself serves as a back drop but the action could just as easily take place at the local Mariott in any city USA.  If you are looking for some quick stories to entertain, this certainly fills the bill.  If you are looking for definitive Irish literature you'd probably better look elsewhere.

Book Review: How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill

In his book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill combines narrative and literary analysis with a comprehensive knowledge of history and historical figures to weave a tale of devotion and heroism.  Cahill does a convincing job of tracing the survival of civilization's literary history to the Irish monks.  Not only does Cahill discuss the social and political situation throughout Europe during the Fall of Rome he also shows the growth and development of Ireland at a time when the rest of the world was in decline. 

I love it when I read a book that makes me feel smarter.  This is one of those books.  Over the past two years I've learned a lot about ancient and medieval civilization.  Teaching those time periods has forced me to read more and find interests in time periods that, to be honest, I thought were kind of boring.  As a result, I discovered that I really like history and that the story of people is as interesting in the past as it is in the present.  Reading this book added another perspective and gave me a clearer understanding of the transition between the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun with the New Webcam