National Pancake Day

Shrove Tuesday is a day observed by millions of Christians around the world. It's the Tuesday right before Ash Wednesday when people indulge in richer, fattier foods and celebrate in over the top ways to get ready for their 40 days of Lent.  Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Carnival whatever you want to call it, it all boils down to the philosophy of "Live it up before you let it go." In Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand the day is also known as "Pancake Day" and it is as common a custom to eat pancakes just as it is in America to eat Turkey on Thanksgiving. 

It's just what you do. 

So in the spirit of tradition (because I'm not personally a religious person), I whipped up my own original recipe for the very best pancakes on the planet. They turned out so ridiculously delicious, I figured I'd share. After all, I haven't posted a recipe on this blog since the day after Halloween. 

It's about that time. 

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Directions:

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk to combine.  

In large glass measure, add 1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla.  Whisk to combine.  

Add the wet ingredients into the center of the dry and whisk to combine.  If the batter seems to thick, add more buttermilk until it is pouring consistency.  Set aside.

Heat griddle/skillet which has been lightly oiled with either the canola/butter mixture or sprayed with cooking spray to med-high.  

When griddle/skillet is hot enough, stir the batter and pour by 1/4 cup to form pancakes.  Cook until the edges begin to look dry and small bubbles form on the batter surface.  Flip and cook on the other side for a minute or so, until pancake is done. 

Remove to platter in warm oven, and repeat with remainder of batter.  

And off the subject of pancakes, we've got an under the weather kiddo yet again. She's sick, but still smiling which warms my heart more than pancakes ever could. So send some quick recovering love our way if you think about it and Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

The Day After Halloween

Success!
We had a few melt downs due to lack of sleep and a constant stream of sugar, but for the most part, Halloween went off without a hitch again this year!

Kalynn revived the late, great "Mean Queen" Marie Antoinette with the props I brought back from Paris this last Summer.

I dreamed about taking back the streets of Manhattan from Slimer with my homemade Proton Pack and hugging up on Venkman:

Jason channeled his inner 80's electric unicorn loving self and rocked the neighborhoods of Fort Collins with his tight rolled jeans.

Just like last year, Kalynn racked up a pile of candy that is going to take us months to consume. We got more Kit Kats and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups than anything else so it's time to put them to good use and make another few cheesecakes!

The thing I love about this recipe is that it doesn't have to be Reese's. Last year Kalynn came home with a bucket full of Butterfingers, Heath Bars, and Snickers to use for cheesecake. They all work for this recipe. 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup finely crushed chocolate graham crackers

1/2 cup butter, melted

13 individual Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup milk

Normally when you make a graham crust, you combine the butter and the crushed graham cracker, press it to the bottom of your pan and bake it. However, with this recipe you skip the baking step because when the chocolate in the Reese's (or whatever) melts, it solidifies the crust on it's own. So all you need to do press the crumb mixture to the bottom of your pie pan or spring form pan or whatever you're using. I happened to use a rocks glass because that's what I had handy, but you can use a spoon or a measuring cup or basically anything with a flat bottom. 

(or just buy a pre-made crust from the store)

Next, chop up your candy and make a layer directly on top of your crust. I used 8 individual Reese's Cups for the layer on the bottom of the crust but if you have more to use, then use them!

Cheesecake filling:

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese (make sure your cream cheese is softened! I blew out the motor of one of my hand mixers trying to do this step with freshly refrigerated cream cheese) sugar, flour, and vanilla until combined. Add eggs and egg yolk all at once, beating on low speed just until combined. Stir in milk. 

Pour filling into crust and candy lined pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes for the 8-inch pan, 40-45 minutes for the 9-inch pan, or til center appears nearly set when shaken.

Cool  cheesecake completely and chill at least 4 hours. 

Chop and sprinkle your remaining candy cups on top of cheesecake. We had Reese's Pieces, Reese's Fast Breaks, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. It really doesn't matter. You can also add chocolate syrup for garnish. 

Now that Halloween has come and gone, it's time to pack up the creepy crawlies and bust out the Thanksgiving decor. I've come to the realization that countdown calendars are the way to go with a little one running around the house. I don't have to tell her every single morning how many days are left until the next holiday. Plus taking a ring off the chain, or opening a door from the house (or whatever your countdown) gives her something to look forward to. This year I made a felt tree. Felt is great because it's super cheap and it sticks to itself. Perfect for a 3 year old. 

I used whatever colors of felt I had around the house, cut out 30 little leaves and stuck them on the branches. Each day she takes a leaf off, tells me something she's thankful for, and puts it in the "Give Thanks" pouch.

When I was at the Home Depot yesterday buying potting soil I made a stop by the paint department and grabbed a couple of paint samples. They make great turkey tails!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! Don't forget to brush your teeth!

Hermit Park: Bobcat Campground

Hooray for our 2nd camping trip of the season!

We made it both nights and all three days which is a first for our family. Bobcat campground in Hermit Park Open Space is absolutely amazing and I can't imagine camping anywhere else now. 

But before we get into that,  

Lets chit chat about these Hobo Meatloaf Bombs I made for the grill:

They're super duper simple to make:

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (or hamburger, whatever is your preference)

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 package meatloaf seasoning by McCormicks

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 small onion

1/4 chopped bell pepper

Combine it all together, roll into balls, slap some onion around the outside of each one, wrap in tinfoil and grill. The best ever.

Then for the cheesy bacon sourdough loaf:

Buy a loaf, slice it up, stuff with chopped bacon and cheddar jack blended cheese, wrap in foil, grill until cheese melts and then eat the whole thing in under 3 minutes because you can't stop stuffing your face.

These little Coleman one burner stoves are amazing and inexpensive. We used ours to make my famous camp veggies and again for coffee in the morning.

Because my sister's family was on a train ride across the country for a visit in San Francisco, she spent the weekend with us in the mountains and made it one of my very favorite camping trips of all time.

While Jason stayed with Kalynn back at camp, we hiked up Kruger Rock Trail and had an incredible view of Estes Park. You could see the entire valley from where we stood.

Meanwhile back at camp, Kalynn decided to use her paints to pretty-up this bush which is now a blueish hue...

And Guacamole hog tied herself for the millionth time.

I hadn't played Apples to Apples in years so when I saw the to-go version was on clearance at Target I picked it up. So much fun. Just add Smirnoff!

I swear Moles didn't move for 3 days.

So the morning after our Apples to Apples game, we needed coffee. We needed a lot of coffee. We had no instant crystals and the coffee machine wasn't working so I was forced to put normal coffee grounds in a coffee filter, use a zip tie to keep it closed and I seeped it like it was tea. It actually worked really well and in a bind, it does the job.

I bring whatever I can to keep our 3 year old happy and occupied while we camp. We have a long list of camping things to pick up at our local dollar store that are made for one time use. One of those things is glue and a package of google eyes. Kalynn LOVES to glue eyes on anything she can get her tiny little fingers on. Give her a pile of small rocks and she stays busy for hours. Honestly, kids love glue for whatever reason.

We made a rock concert with all her little creatures.

When it's time to clean up, this little portable sink comes in really handy for dishes. We found ours for $9.99 at a local camping store.

One of the things that is so great about Hermit Park is that they have gatherings for all campers to join. We were able to meet up and listen to a world renowned story teller tell Native American tales around the campfire. It's a great place to meet your neighbors and socialize if you're into that sort of thing.

So with Kalynn's ballet class, gymnastics class, preschool, Jason's work schedule, my work schedule, and my upcoming trip to Paris, it's proving very difficult to find time to do another camping trip. Although we originally wanted to camp 3 times this season, it unfortunately looks as though we'll be cutting our camping vacations short this year. I'm optimistic that they'll just get better with time because this last couple were so much fun, but until then we'll just have to pack away all our new stuff for summer I suppose.

Its been a great season!

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

I've been experimenting with our new dutch oven pretty much nonstop since getting it. I had a friend at work give me this great recipe for dutch oven peach cobbler and tried it out last night to see what was up. Turns out, it was total perfection. Absolutely delicious and super easy.

Ingredients:

* 2 cans (21oz each) peach pie filling

* 1 stick butter

*1 box yellow cake mix

* Ground cinnamon

First, empty the 2 cans of pie filling and evenly spread on the bottom of your dutch oven.

Next, empty the entire box of dry cake mix on top and spread evenly.

Finally, slice butter in small pieces and distribute evenly over top of dry cake mix then top with cinnamon.

With 15(ish) coals on bottom and 10(ish) coals on top, cook for 45-60 minutes. Check every few minutes after 40, you don't want it to burn.

If you have a freezer in your camper, it goes insanely well with snickerdoodle ice cream!
If you don't have a freezer handy, these little paper plate bowls are really easy to make!

Supplies:

*white paper plate

*scissors

*craft paper edge scissors

*ruler

*pretty tape, rubber bands or sticky ribbon

*4 paper clips

Cut about 1/4 inch (o whatever height you'd like it) off the top of your circumference on your paper plate using your craft edging scissors.

Flip your paper over so the front side is facing down and use your pencil and ruler to mark a 9 section grid. You can measure if you're a perfectionist like me.

Use your straight scissors to cut a slit along every other line but don't cut the center square.

Fold up one side at a time to form your basket using a paper clip to hold the sides together as you go.

Wrap your rubber bands, tape or sticky ribbon around your basket to hold in place and you're finished!

You can line these with wax paper if you have a food that might leak through. Enjoy!

A Glamping We Went!: The Finale

We survived!

Our campsite was booked Friday through Sunday and we made it until 9pm Saturday. This is half a day longer than our trip last Summer so I'm going to clock it as a win. Kalynn cooperated a thousand times better, however the weather did not. We were rained out. But the 24 hours that our hot sun showed it's steaming head, we did some pretty good quality time.

I didn't mean that to sound like we were in jail. 

Anyway.

First thing first, we go snoop on everyone else's campsites to see if they have better stuff than we do. It gives us a good idea of all the things we need to buy for next time. In the process of doing this, it's a good time to grab the campground map and go check out the actual campsites. We circle and rate the best sites so that next time we visit, we have notes on which sites to book or not book. Depending on the amount of beer we've consumed, our notes and judgings keep us pretty entertained the next time we bust out the book. It's a very detailed 5-star rating. I keep all the maps in our camping notebook at home. Of course.

To keep the little one busy, I staple her scavenger hunt list to a bag and she's on a mission in her own little world of outdoor adventures and treasure hunts. Binoculars get involved, butterfly nets are a must, and we don't even think about forgetting the magnifying glass.  Tiny things are important to see.

Here's the jpg in case anyone wants to use our list:

By now, we're hungry. So in addition to our bacon wrapped hot dogs, I make a side of camp veggies.

*5-6 cups cut up bite size pieces broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, onions, squash, green beans and red bell pepper.

*1/4-1/2 cup butter

*1 envelope dry onion soup mix

*4-6oz grated Kraft Parmesan cheese 

Add veggies and butter to dutch oven and place on top of 20(ish) coals for 10-15 minutes. You want veggies to be tender but not over cooked so check often. When veggies are ready, add packet of dry onion soup mix and stir. Remove desired excess liquid and then sprinkle on cheese and mix. The veggie water, onion soup mix, and cheese make a very tasty sauce

We tried to hit the lake but it was short lived and started pouring rain in about 10 minutes so we headed back to camp.

When the storm blew over, we brought out the s'mores and I ended up setting every single marshmallow aflame but whatever.

The following day it rained almost all morning. While Kalynn napped, Jason and I sat under the rain tarp and ate everything in the cooler.

I don't think Guacamole left the front seat of the car more than 3 times the whole trip. Camping isn't her thing. Neither is energy or caring. Clearly.

I don't know if you've seen these mesh pop-up food tents, but you can find them at the Dollar Tree or Target or wherever and they really come in handy when you're trying to keep the flies away.

Our hand washing station:

Jason made a friend.

I learned a couple of great tricks from a lady at work. 1: Buy cheap shower caps to put dirty camping shoes inside of when packing up. This way it keeps the rest of the things in my travel bag relatively clean.

2: Use an old CD stacker case for toilet paper storage. It makes a handy travel case and keeps it from getting wet and dirty from morning dew/ spilt beer/ dog slobber. Genius.

So we'll try again in a couple weeks and until then there's more planning to be done! Does anyone have any great camping recipes for our dutch oven? Leave them in the comments!

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