Spring Break

This year over spring break my family took a trip up to a cabin in Idllywild that belongs to one of my Dad's work friends. We did this maybe 2 spring breaks ago, and it was lots of fun, we had about two feet of snow and Kyle and my Mom and I went sledding and such. This year, it was tad different - Kyle wasn't there, but Scott was, so it was me, my Mom and Dad, my older brother Christopher, and Scott. On Saturday during the day it wasn't snowing yet, so Scott and my Mom and I went for a hike up some big mountain. Here are some pictures from that:





That last one is my favorite - Scott is helping my Mom up the trail...so cute :)

Anyways, the cabin was fun, we got about a foot of snow the last night and so my Mom and Christopher and I went sledding the next day. Scott wouldn't have it - he kept saying how dangerous it was and looking freaked out everytime my Mom or I went hurtling down the hill headfirst. It was strange, really, considering how risky he usually is. But the sledding was definitely fun, although a little bumpier than last time as there wasn't as much snow.

The other fun part of my spring break was trying out two new recipes from my British baking book. I got this baking cookbook at Borders about a year ago for like $10, and it is so awesome! Sometimes I have to look up definitions for the ingredients that the recipes call for (for example: caster sugar = extra fine granulated sugar), but the recipes are very different and the ones I've tried have all been good. So over break I made I a Hazelnut Torte:

And a Linzertorte, which I got to use my cool new zigzag pastry cutter to make:

Overall I guess it was a pretty good break, though it was way too busy and I didn't have enough time to see everyone I wanted to...although that seems to be the case almost every trip. Only about a month until my Mom comes out to Bloomington and then we both fly home to SD a week later :)

Baking

So last night at bible study Christina asked me what I like to bake. Her question motivated me to think about the many things I have made over the last few years, and I decided I should start a list of all my attempts - and catalogue which ones turned out well and which ones turned out not so well. So here is the first draft, a list of baked goods that I have made at some point, broken down into three groups: yummy, ok, and ehh.

Things that turned out yummy:

Pumpkin-ginger scones w/white choc. chips
Almond biscotti
Coconut walnut biscotti
Chocolate cherry biscotti
Peppermint biscotti
Strawberry muffins
Banana walnut muffins
Banana bread
Pumpkin bread
Peanut Butter M&M cookies
Gingersnaps
White Choc. Macadamia nut cookies
Sugar cookies
Chocolate layer cake w/fudge frosting
Cherry Cheese Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Cocoa Rum Balls
Butterscotch brownies
Lemon bars
Bagels (blueberry, choc. chip, cranberry, plain)

Things that turned out OK:

Pumpkin-apple streusel muffins
Peanut Butter reindeer (aka PB bugs)

Things that turned out ehh:

Pumpkin muffins w/orange glaze
Lowfat blueberry scones
Chocolate crinkles

It may seem that I have excellent baking skills, since my yummy list is so much longer than the other two. In reality, I think I just tend to remember the yummy things a lot better than I remember the failures. Anyways, one more list I'm starting is the list of things I'd like to try in the near future:

Blueberry pie
Peach pie
Apple-cranberry pie
Banana pancakes
Apple spice muffins
Blueberry scones
Coffee cake
Banana cream pie
Chocolate mousse pie
German chocolate cake

Maybe next year in my new kitchen I can start to make some progress on this list. If anyone who possibly may be helping me eat any of these attempts has any suggestions for add-ons to the list, let me know :)

My Pink Mixer & the Joy of the Lord

First of all, I can't express myself any better than the words of this song do, so I'll just copy them here:

I'm trading my sorrows
i'm trading my shame
i'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness
i'm trading my pain
i'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord

And we say yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord
yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord
yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord, amen

I'm pressed but not crushed
persecuted, not abandoned
struck down, but not destroyed
I am blessed beyond the curse,
for His promise will endure
and His joy's gonna be my strength

though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning.

I'm trading my sorrows
i'm trading my shame
i'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness
i'm trading my pain
i'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord

Love that song. I also love my pink mixer, which is an extremely effective conduit of joy from the Lord. Seriously, everytime I see it I think, "oh yeah, God loves me...a lot". It also reminds me that my Mom (and Dad), who gave me the mixer, love me too. Oh, and I can bake delicious treats, as in this picture featuring my very first items created with the mixer's help, Gingersnaps and Lemon Bars:

I can't wait to display it my lovely new kitchen.

So here it is, the countdown until my summer begins, leading to a most glorious August the 1st.