i have to say 2012 was pretty good to us. camden and i celebrated our third anniversary, kramer had his third doggy birthday, this blog turned a whole year old, we moved for our fourth, yes fourth, time in four years, and of course took a trip to my very favorite city, new york.

while i was thinking about this blog post, i realized we did have a few goals i think we could work on this up coming year. staying put for more than one year to start. i’m just saying it would be nice to celebrate christmas more than once in the same home. saving more and spending less, though this may be a life goal if i’m honest. making our lives more simple and concentrating on the important things in life. taking more family walks, which we have already started getting better at. and eating more home cooked meals at the dinner table and less meals out at the restaurant table.

i do have a few goals for this blog as well, although they seem harder to put down on paper (or computer screen) than the others. however, i do want to thank all of you for helping make our 2012 so awesome. i’m so thankful for all you readers who come back everyday and share your sweet comments and help brighten my day. you have made this blog worth it and i thank you.

so here is to you 2012, may 2013 be just as great. happy new year!!

ingredients:
8 tbs. of  unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
3 oz. of unsweetened chocolate 
1 cup of sugar
a pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temp. 
1 tsp. of vanilla 
1 tsp. of peppermint extract (optional)
3/4 cup of cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips

preheat your oven to 350 degrees. lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish (i usually use a glass one) or a 9×13 inch baking dish if doubling the recipe.

in a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and the unsweetened chocolate (finely chopped). remove from the heat and slowly stir in the sugar and salt. add the vanilla and eggs and stir until well blended. sprinkle in the sifted flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. stir in the chips.

pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out almost completely clean, about 30 minutes. do not over-bake. transfer pan to a metal rack and let cool completely.

ingredients – for the frosting (optional):
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
3/4 tbs spoons of chocolate powder, unsweetened 
2-3 tbs of milk
3 tbs of unsalted butter, room temperature 
large pinch of salt
tsp. of peppermint extract (optional)
tsp. of vanilla extract 

in a large mixing bowl combine the powdered sugar, chocolate powered, milk, and butter. stir until well combined. add the salt, vanilla and peppermint extract until well combined. test for taste, frost when brownies are completely cool.

enjoy!