Chocolate Revel Bars (#21 TYSC)

Chocolate Revel Bars
#21 of the Treat Yo' Self Challenge
bars chapter

So I ended up taking a little break from trying new recipes... First I was traumatized by Mike's shop accident that almost resulted in the loss of his dominant thumb. So I just baked some old standards to cope with the stress. ("old standards" also included the cherry bars and the 5-spice rolls from this book!!)  Then the global coronavirus pandemic hit, and I craved comfort baking even more.  (I may have made yet another batch of 5-spice rolls...)  Then I got really sick (probably "just" the flu, because I didn't have a fever, cough, or SOB, which seem to be the hallmarks of covid19) and didn't want any desserts.

But now that I'm feeling a little better, I'm ready to start baking again.

To get back in the saddle again, I succumbed to the call of chocolate, of course.

I didn't have any heavy cream in the house (and certainly wasn't about to run out to the grocery store to pick some up!) so I made do with some half-and-half.  But even with that substitution, these were still deliciously decadent!

Verdict:  Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorites, and these are basically like a giant pan of delicious cookies topped with dark chocolate ganache. Heavenly!! Technically the recipe says the bars should cool in the pan for at least two hours before serving, but I'm happy to report that they still taste delicious even when still hot from the oven. (Aren't you glad I test things like this for you?)  ;)

52 hike challenge #11-ish

I know I've done at least a few hikes in the last month, but since I didn't keep track (ugh) I'm just going to pick up here where I left off.

Given the current global pandemic, we've been limiting ourselves to work and to staying in our neighborhood. We might cave and pick up some fresh fruits and veggies later this week, but otherwise it's been several weeks since we last went to a grocery store or anywhere else that's "optional." So our hikes have all been in our neighborhood! Today we went up to the highest peak that's close to us.

Mike really hates selfies, so he grudgingly allows ONE per hike.

He wasn't feeling great so he stopped about halfway up.
Do you see him here in his red sweatshirt?

Rose and I made it to the summit!

I LOVE our views!

Rose and Doug are more tolerant of my selfie attempts.

It was SO incredibly steep that we ended up "sledding" back down to Mike.

Hope you're all staying safe and healthy. Hopefully I'll remember to log my future hikes...

52 hike challenge 2020
1. 1/1/20 - 2 mi - out and back
2. 1/5/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
3. 1/11/20 - 2 mi - out and back
4. 1/19/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
5. 1/26/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
6. 2/1/20 - 4.5 mi neighborhood loop
7. 2/2/20 - 2 mi - out and back
8. 2/9/20 - 2 mi? - sledding, and to/from the neighbors
9. 2/15/20 - 4.5 mi neighborhood loop
10. 2/22/20 - 1 mi? -  Lincoln Sculpture in the Wild
(there were at least a few more in here that I, alas, forgot to record)
11. 4/5/20 - 2 mi? - up to the highest peak in our neighborhood

Five Spice Sweet Rolls (#20 TYSC)

Five Spice Sweet Rolls
#20 of the Treat Yo' Self Challenge
sweet doughs chapter

I'm a sucker for caramel rolls (but only with walnuts) and for cinnamon rolls (only if they aren't sickeningly sweet), so I was cautiously optimistic about this recipe. We don't normally have cream cheese in the house, so there have been a few weekends I would have already made this one except for that missing key ingredient.  But I got my act together this week, put the necessary ingredients on the grocery list, and last night I was finally ready!

Not too long ago I bought a small container of Chinese five-spice (along with a whole bunch of other spices that we were running low on and actually do use on a regular basis) from Penzey's because I had some sort of pork dinner I wanted to try out. As you may have guessed, I keep forgetting to put the correct cut of pork on the grocery list, so the five spice has been just languishing in our spice cabinet. Since I've never used it before, I really had no idea what to expect as far as having this be the flavoring in what otherwise looks like a standard cinnamon roll recipe.

I prepped everything the night before so I could just toss it all in the oven first thing this morning. Doing so extends the  baking time, but still is faster than having to do both rises in the morning.

Verdict:  OMG, Chinese five-spice is AMAZING!! This brings a depth of flavor that no cinnamon roll I've ever had previously has ever come close to touching. Now I don't even want to buy that cut of pork, because all I want to do is save the five-spice for making this recipe. This is a hands-down winner of a recipe!!!

52 hike challenge #10

After last weekend's miserable hike, plus a week of LONG work hours, I needed both some family time and some gentle time outdoors. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to convince my family that we should take the mini day trip to Lincoln, MT (only about 75 minutes away) to see the Sculpture Park! 

Having never been there before, and knowing that Lincoln has gotten a ton more snow (being on the other side of the continental divide and all), we weren't quite sure what to expect. I brought our snowshoes just in case, but it turned out that they have a snowmobile-maintained walking path. As long as we didn't step off the path - and into knee-deep snow - we were fine!

Technically you're allowed to touch the art but not climb on it, so we did break the rules on this one!

The art was spread out on the 26 acres of lodgepole pine forest, which made finding the pieces a bit of a fun scavenger hunt.

This "castle" was Rose's favorite!

This zigzag "tunnel" was mine.

Obviously I'm using a very loose definition to count this as a "hike," but it got us outside and wandering around the forest so I'm going to count it!  It was a lot of fun, and we all want to go back in the summer and see how it compares.

BTW, if you go, I highly recommend stopping at the Lincoln Pit Stop for lunch! Delicious burgers, fries, pizzas and shakes :)


52 hike challenge 2020
1. 1/1/20 - 2 mi - out and back
2. 1/5/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
3. 1/11/20 - 2 mi - out and back
4. 1/19/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
5. 1/26/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
6. 2/1/20 - 4.5 mi neighborhood loop
7. 2/2/20 - 2 mi - out and back
8. 2/9/20 - 2 mi? - sledding, and to/from the neighbors
9. 2/15/20 - 4.5 mi neighborhood loop
10. 2/22/20 - 1 mi? -  Lincoln Sculpture in the Wild

Mrs Braun's Oatmeal Cookies (#19 TYSC)

Mrs Braun's Oatmeal Cookies
#19 of the Treat Yo' Self Challenge
Cookie Jar Contenders chapter

I have pretty strong feelings about baking(as which most things), and I firmly believe that shortening should never be used for anything and that raisins are a prank you pull when you want to mess with your anyone who would always logically be expecting chocolate chips instead. So I basically just refused to follow this recipe exactly and planned to modify it from the get-go.

Once I made the necessary modifications, this was a very straight-forward cookie recipe. No fancy techniques or anything, just standard oatmeal cookie prep.

Verdict: Very good, standard oatmeal chocolate chip (never raisin!) cookie recipe. My coworkers all loved them. Next time I think I would stick with my "everything" recipe instead (which includes oatmeal, chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut and candied ginger), but if you want a classic combo, this one was good!

Montana Runza (#18 TYSC)

Montana Runza
#18 of the Treat Yo Self Challenge
Savories Chapter

I've never been to Nebraska, and I've never heard of a Runza. I've also never tasted a pasty, nor heard of a bierock or a krautburger. But I was in the mood to try something new for dinner, and I think these are all variations on the same theme of a savory, meat-filled hand pie. So I put the ingredients on the grocery list and looked forward to trying them this chilly Saturday!

While the recipe is technically for Nebraskan Runzas filled with ground beef and cabbage, we have lots of ground venison in the freezer and I wanted to supplement the cabbage with some shredded carrots. Thus I decided these would be called Montana Runzas!

It was a super easy recipe to make, especially since I had lots of family teamwork:  while I got to do everything related to the dough, Mike made the filling for me (since seeing raw ground venison makes me lose my appetite), and Rose brushed the finished product with some melted butter.

Yay for team Burcusa!

Verdict:  These were delicious, especially hot out of the oven! Mike was suspicious since he's apparently had some very bad, greasy pasties in the past, but he said these were quite good! I also liked them since I didn't have to deal with the raw ground venison. And Rose, sick with the flu, even liked the bread (although she refused to try the filling). Overall, this was a great dinner! We're planning to reheat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, so we'll see if they hold up as well as the cookbook author says they should.  And now I want to plan a trip to Nebraska, not only so I can check the state off my list (trying to reach all 50 before I die) but also so I can try a genuine Runza and see how it compares!

52 hike challenge #9

Warning! Whiny post ahead!

Today's hike was pretty miserable. It was really, really hard, for several reasons.

#1: I was feeling under the weather on Thursday. Not bad enough to stay home, but every movement exhausted me and my muscles felt super tired. So when Rose's school called mid-morning to say she was sick and needed to be picked up, I only had a split second hesitation before cancellation my day and taking her home so we could both take a nap. But that was only Thursday, and I think my body wasn't 100% back to full strength yet today.

#2: When Rose and I were snuggling on the couch and watching a movie (after our nap), I managed to lay in a way that totally tweaked my lower back. I basically hobbled around all day yesterday (Friday) because I was in such bad pain, and it wasn't totally gone today.

#3: As I was hobbling around protecting my low back yesterday, I managed to strain my back around my shoulder blades. So this morning I was pretty stiff in my mid/upper back.

#4: I'm losing the traction on my hiking shoes, so I was slipping and sliding on the snowy/icy parts of my walk. Which was especially scary because I didn't want to fall and tweak my back even worse!

#5: I was walking with Doug, our doofus of a dog, who is a great companion when he is off-leash, but not always the best listener and tends to pull when he has to be on-leash. There are only three short parts of the hike that he needs to be on-leash due to neighbors or their livestock, and he just about pulled me over each time. Which definitely did not feel great on any part of my back.

#6 : I ran into a neighbor in the early part of my walk, and even though I wasn't feeling particularly social, I did stop and talk to him for awhile. But when I made my move to depart, he also turned and followed me. Ugh. He was clearly enjoying the conversation much more than I was, and he didn't seem to pick up on my subtle cues that I wanted to be alone. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so thankfully he eventually turned back to his house. But it was annoying to have unwanted company for such a long time.

#7: Have I mentioned yet that my muscles were tired and strained most of the time?

Such a long shadow for being approximately high noon!

I really wasn't feeling the love on this hike, but I am glad that I got through it. Cheers to perseverance! Hopefully the next one will be easier.

52 hike challenge 2020
1. 1/1/20 - 2 mi - out and back
2. 1/5/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
3. 1/11/20 - 2 mi - out and back
4. 1/19/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
5. 1/26/20 - 4.5 mi - neighborhood loop
6. 2/1/20 - 4.5 mi neighborhood loop
7. 2/2/20 - 2 mi - out and back
8. 2/9/20 - 2 mi? - sledding, and to/from the neighbors
9. 2/15/20 - 4.5 mi neighborhood loop