Adventure Weekend:who- Kaleb, Ashley, & Kaleb's lab buddies
what- 2.25mi snowy hike to a yurt
when- last weekend
where- Idaho
why- WHY NOT!
<--Here is a pic of our hike up there. Hannah was a champ and (with some team work from the others) hauled the heavy ice chest most of the way up!
Our instructions were to:
--hike to the orange gate
--turn right and hike through the conifers
--yurt will be on left
--hike to the orange gate
--turn right and hike through the conifers
--yurt will be on left
SO... what in the WORLD is a YURT? (you can read about them here)
<- exhibit A-- Kaleb with Yurt
exhibit B-- Ashley with Yurt ->
The black pole sticking up through the right side of the 'roof' is part of the wood burning stove that, not only kept us nice and toasty all night long (thanks to Ryan & Matt-- our fire tenders), but also boiled snow so that Hannah and Ryan could make a very tasty dinner!
What was on the menu?
Cheese and Crackers (appetizer)
Salad with Vinaigrette dressing (and tons of veggies)
Goat Cheese Pasta with olives and garlic
Grilled Chicken
Buttered Baguettes
Angela made some AWESOME "Brookies" for dessert
(which we actually ate before our cheese and crackers).
which leads me into my next segment:
Kitchen Adventures:
Last night's food coma, along with the delay of this blog entry, was due to a ton of leftovers from previous successful dinners... and these delectable, and very rich, Brownie+Cookies! They are delicious and easy... however I still desire to make them healthier... Anyone have experience with oil in place of butter/shortening... coconut oil perhaps?
Other successful dinners you ask? AH you must be shocked after reading my last blog of unsuccessful baking-- however my m&m cookies at 375 actually were a HIT!
Our two favs right now are both crock-pot chicken dishes:
We like to call them "Salsa Chicken":
--thawed chicken breasts
--1 jar salsa
--cilantro
--lime juice
after 4 hrs on low, shred the chicken. add 1 can drained/rinsed black beans & 1 bag frz corn
& "Buffalo Chicken" (creative huh?)
Both super easy, but in a crock pot, in order to maintain a safe temperature on your poultry use thawed chicken!
Jukebox Jams:
This little band they like to call The Civil Wars are pretty sweet. Even cooler, Joy Williams is a believer and has won a ton of awards in the Christian music industry. What's even COOLER is they won, not one, but TWO GRAMMY'S!If y'all have never checked out NPR's tiny desk concerts, then you should. Start with Joy & John Paul, and then try out Ivan & Alyosha.
Oh by the way, did i mention this was our potty??
until next time, with love - Kaleb, Ashley, & Grandpa Ron
