Epic Camping Post, Part 2

The first time that I had a tin foil dinner was when I went camping with Brett.  I followed his instructions on how to put it together - ground beef, potatoes, carrots - and then I added a bunch of seasoning.  It tasted horrible.  I asked Brett if that was what they usually tasted like, and he said, "Yeah.  Just put a bunch of ketchup on it."  Great.  So now I was eating textured ketchup.  Not my idea of a camping meal.  So this time, I took it upon myself to create a tin foil dinner that actually tasted good.  I'm not one to eat things just for tradition - it needs to taste good too.  They turned out absolutely perfectly.

If you want the recipe (and trust me, you do) you can get it by clicking here.  Of course, we topped the dinner off with some Reese's smore's.  Brett is the master marshmallow roaster, and they were sticky gooey deliciousness.

Kennedy learned how to roast marshmallows (with Brett's help of course) and also how to skip rocks while we were there.  I discovered that I'm about as good at skipping rocks as Kennedy is.  But even though my rocks sank to the bottom of the river, I had fun eating smores with Kennedy all the same.

And she enjoyed her crackers, Reese's and marshamallows separately.  Once they were cooked and all together, she wasn't so sure about how she felt about the hot gooey marshmallow.  She didn't like how it stuck to her fingers.

My least favorite part of camping has always been the sleeping part.  Ugh.  I'm almost always so uncomfortable and I can hear the wildlife which usually freaks me out.  This time was no different, but there were some additions to the misery.  Kennedy decided not to sleep in the bed we brought her in favor of sleeping on the air mattress with us.  Or more specifically, on me on the air mattress.  And I was essentially sleeping on Brett because Kennedy kept squishing us over.  We were all sleeping on one half of the bed.  And to make matters worse, the campers next to us (they were actually quite a ways away, but it sure didn't sound like it) decided to have a dance party right when we wanted to go to sleep.  In the middle of the night I woke up to the Backstreet Boys.  And it continued for the next hour or so.  All Backstreet Boys.  But, in the morning we had a delicious breakfast and two happy kids, so all in all, it was a successful trip.

Pink Pie

As you probably know, Kennedy has been potty training for the last few weeks.  When she has a big success or several in a row, we have been giving her treats - usually just a very small candy or toy.  The other day she asked if she could have a treat after going potty, so I asked her if she wanted some raspberry cream pie.  She said no.  I was sure that that was not what she really meant, so I changed tactics.  I got the pie out of the freezer and asked, "Do you want some pink pie?"  The reaction was immediate.  "Yes!"

In fact, her reaction was so strong that we fought with her for about 20 minutes to get her to take two more bites of corn chowder so that she could have a piece of this pink pie.  Literally.  20 minutes.  And a couple of trips to time out due to severe demands and tantrums.  She tried to convince us that the pink pie was the corn chowder.  Nice try.  Once she finally got her pie though, she was in heaven.  This is what the pie looked like before:

And this is what it looked like once Kennedy started digging in:

As you can see, she was a very big fan of the crust.  I'm sure that it was because it was made of Oreos.  I don't blame her - the pie was absolutely divine (incidentally, if you want the recipe, click over to my food blog on the side bar).  I even caught a yum face.

She devoured this thing!  And the next day I let her have another small piece and she did the exact same thing.  The mess she made was worth the clean up to see her loving this pie so much.  It was adorable.

So pink pie it was.  It became a mess of crumbs and stickiness on Kennedy's face, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Convinced that you want some?  You can make a trip up to Brookings and we will gladly have some waiting for you, or you can just click here for the recipe.

Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me

Last Saturday we made the 2.5 hour trek to Medford, the closest big city to us. We needed to go to Costco to get some supplies, so we made the most of our trip. First off, here is the bathroom that we stopped at on the way there.

Why they thought a gigantic fly on the top of it would actually entice people to want to go in I will never know. Brett went in, but I was saved because the women's door was locked and there was no way I was going in the men's. I just held it all the way there. We went to Ashland first so that we could go to an interactive science museum for kids. Kennedy had a blast. There were all kinds of things for her to play with, including a bubble room.

She wasn't too sure about standing inside the bubble, but she did it anyway. We had a lot of fun in the bubble room too.

We also found a room with a wall that would hold the image of your body as a shadow when a light flashed. Brett and I had way too much fun with that one. Kennedy was even getting bored and trying to leave while we were playing. Afterward we headed to downtown Ashland (which was absolutely darling) to a florist/chocolatier. I bought some drinking chocolate (the house blend) which was hot,thick, and absolutely delicious.

Kennedy kept stealing drinks at every opportunity and making a huge mess of it.

I also got two truffles. One was Ylang Ylang Citrus, which was just plain nasty, and one was Chivas which was made with goat cheese and was wonderful. Then we headed to Costco and spent way too much money, and then headed to Olive Garden. The drive to and from Medford is absolutely gorgeous, so we really enjoyed our time in the car as well. The next morning we had a family party in our bedroom and Kennedy wanted to hold Noah.

After a while, Noah wasn't too sure about the whole arrangement.

On a good note, Noah slept 8 hours last night! He slept 7 the night before, so it looks like he might be lengthening his sleep out, which is fantastic. Hopefully he'll be getting on a schedule in the next few weeks!

Shrove Tuesday = Mardi Gras = Pancake Day

Today is Shrove Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras.  But did you know that it is also Pancake Day?  And this isn't some random holiday - it's a tradition to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.  I found a few interesting tidbits on Baking and Books that I thought I would share with you.

• The pancakes we know today were invented in Medieval Europe with the first pancake recipe appearing in a 1430 AD manuscript.
• National Pancake Day is based on the tradition of Shrove Tuesday.  It is the day before the Catholic season of Lent begins and in the Middle Ages it was common to prepare for the austerity of Lent by using up all the eggs, butter and milk in your pantry.  Considered luxuries, these ingredients were forbidden during Lent so they were often made into huge batches of pancakes.
• In the small town of Olney, England there is an annual Pancake Race that's been a tradition since the year 1445.  According to legend, it all began when an Olney housewife heard the church bells begin to ring one morning, summoning everyone to service.  She was so anxious to get there that she ran outside with her skillet and pancakes.  Nowadays this story is reenacted when contestants line up, skillets in hand, waiting for the "pancake bell" to ring.  Once it does they begin tossing their pancakes in the air - and catching them too - as they race 400 yards to the church.  When the race is over, everyone enjoys a community pancake party.
• The world record for pancake tossing is 416 flips in 2 minutes.

Who knew?  Happy Pancake Day and Mardi Gras to everyone!!

Blood Oranges

This may seem like a really random post, and I guess it is.  I just get so excited when I find produce that isn't completely "normal" in Provo.  Yesterday I found blood oranges at Target.  I bought 4 and am enjoying one for breakfast as we speak.  I started thinking about all of the varieties of oranges and orange-like fruits.  Did you know that oranges are a member of the berry family?  There are 4 varieties of oranges, which doesn't include pomelos, tangerines, etc.  I just think that the variety of plants (especially edible ones) that have been put on the earth for our use is incredible!  I can't wait until I have access to more of these wonderful foods.  I don't think that I appreciate these things as much as I should, and I think that I will need to start looking for recipes to use and try all of the awesome foods that God has given us.  Our diet would be so varied, healthy, and delicious if we take advantage of these things!

One Week 'Til Christmas

And the baking extravaganza is coming to a close.  I am going to make the Chocolate Oat Toffee Bars in the next couple of days, Cardamom Cookies early next week, and the Sugar Cookie Cutouts for Christmas Eve.  I'm going to round it all out with the only two recipes that actually taste like Christmas to me, Coffee Cake and Yorkshire Pudding.  But in the meantime, here are the Peppermint Snowballs.

Yes, they are pink.  The crushed up peppermint pieces mixed with white stuff like cream cheese and sugar made pink snowballs.  They are actually really pretty.  They aren't overwhelmingly minty, which is nice.

Other than baking, we have been having fun around here trying to keep our new crawler out of her Christmas presents.  She actually ripped off a big chunk of the wrapping paper on one of them today.  So Brett had to keep her entertained by reading her Pat the Bunny.

We are going to see the lights at Temple Square tonight, which I'm really excited about!  Brett and I went to see them on our first date.  We were at a Jazz game, and the arena isn't far from the temple.  Brett wasn't going to take me because he thought it was a little bit presumptuous for a first date, but since I'd never seen them I asked if we could walk over there.  We did, and then we got stuck right before getting on the highway for an hour because his truck broke down.  It was the best date I had ever been on, and Brett must have felt the same way since he kissed me when we got home.

Potato Chip Crunchies

Here are the dreaded Potato Chip Crunchies that everyone was too scared of to vote for.  I didn't have the stuff for the Peppermint Snowballs until yesterday, and they were a little bit too labor intensive to make last night, so I went with these.  I was just so curious to see what they would taste like.

Don't look too bad, do they?  They taste like little shortbreads with pecans.  Sometimes you can feel the texture of the potato chips, but they don't taste gross at all, and pretty much they just add a tiny bit of salt to the recipe.  If you didn't know there were potato chips in this cookie, you would never guess.

Aren't they beautiful?  Just goes to show that you should try new things sometimes, even if they sound a little weird.  Once in a while you find something really worth it, and you expand your horizons.  I will post the recipes for these, as well as some other favorites of ours from this month after Christmas.  They are certainly worth a try, and Brett says that they fall 3rd in his order of the things I've made this month.

PS - Vote in my new cookie poll!  I will be making Peppermint Snowballs today or tomorrow, but what should I make next?  You tell me!

BYA: Because You Asked

There was a high demand (ok, 2 people, but that's high demand in my book) for pictures of my cookies, so here they are!  These are the Frosted Cocoa Cookies that I made today.  They turned out really well.  Brett says that they tie in his book for first place with the Cranberry Bread.  They have almond extract in the frosting which gives it a nice little something extra.

They really turned out beautifully.  I was really excited about that since I have issues when baking with shortening.  I don't know what my problem is, but nothing I have ever made with shortening instead of butter has ever turned out.  Except these.

They are quite delicious, and I wish that I could send some to all of you!  And thank you so much for voting in my poll!  There was an overwhelming response to the Peppermint Snowballs, so that is what I will be making next.  I have noticed that the Potato Chip Crunchies haven't been very popular in the last two weeks, but they sound so interesting that I will be making them.  I'll let you know how they turn out.  And yes!  I will continue the baking mania all the way up until Christmas, so look for a new poll in the next couple of days and help me out again!  For your information, Brett's two favorites so far have been the Cranberry Bread and these cookies.  Mine have been these and the Chocolate Snowballs.  So we are well on our way to finding some traditions!

Cuisinart Food Processor

I just ordered a 7-cup Cuisinart food processor from Williams Sonoma. It's my first Christmas present from my mom. I have been drooling over this thing for years, as Brett can attest. It chops, slices, dices, makes pie dough, and does a million other little chores that I am going to love.

I have several recipes that can only be made in a food processor, including Swedish Almond Cardamom Stars, a kind of cookie that I am planning on making for the holiday season. I am thrilled that this is coming soon!

I will post pictures of Texas when we get back, and Kennedy's first visit to Santa!

Complete and Total Plagiarism of Ideas

My friend Noelle keeps up a fantastic blog that I look at everyday to see if there are updates.  She is so creative with her posts, and they are always interesting.  She sometimes does posts in which she writes letters to random people and things, and I am totally stealing her creativeness and doing this myself today.  So thank you to Noelle for her creative spark...I have stolen ideas from you before, and I'm sure I will do so again.

Dear Kennedy,

Please get better.  It breaks my heart to see you sick and sneezing, and to be honest, sucking snot out of your nose is not on my favorites list.  I wish so much that I could explain to you that sleep helps you get better.

Your Mommy

Dear American Visions book,

How I wish that I didn't have to open you yet again to write a paper on Edward Hopper.  At least you have pretty pictures.

A Disgruntled, Ungraduated Student

Dear Lucy,

When are you going to understand that in order for me to throw your foil ball you have to bring it all the way back?  Half way is not going to cut it.  Even if you say please.

Lazy Girl

Dear chocolate cheesecake,

You were so yummy, but now you are gone.  I really don't want to wash that pan.

Chef in the Kitchen

Dear Costco,

I am so excited to go shopping today!  There are some items that we desperately need, and once we buy them from you, it will feel like we will never run out again.  Hallelujah.

Bulk Buyer

Dear Thanksgiving,

I wish you would come sooner.  I want to eat yummy food, make a pumpkin pie, and have people who want to play with Kennedy all the time around.  I want to meet Wyatt and see my family.  Come fast!

Impatient Eater

Christmas Candies

Ok, I know it's a little preemptive, but there weren't any Thanksgiving molds.  I started thinking that I wanted to try making some candies on Friday.  Brett's mom makes candies and he loves them, so I thought I would try my hand at it.  Considering that this was my first time doing it, I'm pretty proud of how they turned out.

They were a little bit time consuming, but I had a great time with them!  That detail work is what I'm good at.  I really needed a more precise brush because the one that came with the pack was a cheap plastic one and the bristles wouldn't stay together.  Some more colors would have been nice, but I made do with what I had.

I got all of the equipment from Michael's, and on recommendation from Maria Manitoken I am going to take the cake decorating class there in December or January.  I'm really excited for that because then I'll be able to make Kennedy an awesome cake for her birthday!

PS - Go vote tomorrow!  I am going early tomorrow morning.  If you are in California or are registered there, vote YES on Proposition 8!

"Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out"

Now that we have church at 1:00 we have been able to spend some leisurely mornings getting ready, which makes us way less stressed now that we have a baby.  I put Kennedy in a dress that I bought her in Hawaii almost a year ago.  I have been waiting a long time to see her in it, and I wasn't disappointed.  Here are some pictures from our family morning.

I love this picture.  I think it is just darling.  She has the cutest faces and the cutest cheeks!  It's hard not to kiss her face when I'm around her.

Here she is enjoying Music and the Spoken Word which we watch every Sunday morning.  Today she took a really big interest in it.  She's watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing.  She loved it and watched for a good 10 minutes.

The last couple of Sundays Kennedy and I have had unintentionally matching outfits at church.  It was red and black plaid last week, and here we are in dark pink and white.  I have to say that Kennedy resembles her mom quite a bit!

After church and choir we came home to some butternut squash soup that was cooking in the slow cooker.  At the moment Kennedy is getting ready for bed while I'm finishing up a batch of pumpkin cranberry cookies for our friends who are coming over to play games.  We love Sundays!

PS - 10 points to anyone who can tell me what movie the title is from.  (Hint: It's not Wall-E)

The Omnivore's Top 100

I was clicking on links to different food blogs this morning, and many of them had recent posts about this Omnivore's Top 100.  So I went to the original site, and I found that this British blogger had made a list of 100 things he thinks that everyone should try at least once in their life.  The rules are to copy this list to your blog, bold the things you've tried, and cross out the things that you would never consider.  I did this and then realized how long a list of 100 things really is on a blog, so I will give you the link to his blog, Very Good Taste, so that you can look at them yourself.  I have only tasted 28 of these things, so I have some work to do!  There are several that I will not try, so at least it's not 73 things I have to find and try!

On a food note, I put some of the better blogs in my Cooking Blogs section so you should check them out!  Also, if you enjoy cooking and food, check out Share Our Strength.  There are so many ways, through food, to get involved in educating the public and help alleviate children's hunger in America.  Hold a bake sale!  Go out to eat (this campaign is going on this week!  Check out what restaurants are participating in your area)!  Volunteer or teach!  Eat great food!

UPDATE:  Brett kicked my butt on the omnivore's top 100.  He's tried 44!  Can anyone beat that?

Pike Place Market: My Mecca

Yes, it's true. The other day Brett mentioned that he may want to live in Seattle when we are done with school, so I started doing some research. First of all, I found out that the University of Washington has the number 4 program in the nation for what Brett wants to do, which is awesome. After I found that out I started looking for some more information about the city itself. I started with weather, and it turns out that the average temperature in June and July is 75 degrees. 75! That is so amazing. But the best was yet to come. I found Pike Place Market. Brace yourself.

I love food and I love to cook, so naturally Farmer's Markets and exotic and fresh ingredients are some of my favorite things. I could not believe how amazing this market is! They have all kinds of produce, meats, and anything else you could possibly imagine needing. They have a whole store dedicated to spices, and another completely for products made from blueberries.
They also have a ton of pastry shops (including French and Russian), more than 50 restaurants, and a ton of other kinds of shops of random stuff (not food). I am so excited to take a trip out there so that I can go to this market.
I am sure that Brett will be horrified when we go, because he hates shopping for long periods of time, and I have an inkling that this place could take a whole day for me. I don't think I have ever heard of a place as cool as this before as far as food goes. I can't wait to delve in and see what I find! It may be a while yet, but I'm sold on the idea of Seattle.

My friend Noelle is currently having fun in Costa Rica, but since she grew up in Seattle, maybe she'll be able to tell me a little bit more about it (as well as the city itself)!