Busy Days

I haven't been posting as frequently because I've been busy for the last few days. Weeks, really.

Here's some highlights of what I've been up to:

Celebrating at Ashley's bridal shower! Congrats Ash! <3

Eating lots of guacamole. Mmmmm...

Making lots of cake pops!

These were one of many trial runs (yellow cake + pb icing + milk choc coating). The real deal comes this week - we have to make sure they're sale ready!

Eating this pizza...

...and this pizza. It was tough to decide which was best, but the winner was the white asparagus version. Must be spring!

Dealing with a seriously out-of-control garden. The strawberries are finally turning red!

Spending as much time as possible with him. <3

Celebrating Tiffany's birthday with food, drinks, & fire! Happy birthday Tiffy, we love you!

And last but not least, drinking these bursts of sunshine!

*2 parts OJ, 1 part Orange Vodka, 1 part Triple Sec, 1 orange*

Blue-barb Crisp

I got the idea for this from a lady at church who was talking about blue-barb syrup that she saw on a TV show. I went home and told the Bup who wanted to know why I wasn't making blue-barb crisp.

My go to recipe for Rhubarb Crisp is from Eating Well. It doesn't make enough (is it ever enough when it comes to dessert?), and it needs a few substitutions, but it's delicious.

I used that recipe and tweaked it to make it with frozen blueberries from last year's harvest.

The Bup was very happy. Crisps are one of his favorite foods.

After we finished our bowls (he literally licked his clean and then wanted to know why I hadn't given him any), he started a conversation that went something like this:

"Hey Babe?"

"Huh?"

"I have 2 words for you. Blue-barb. Crisp."

"Mmmmm!"

"Hey Babe?"

"Huh?"

"I have 1 word for you. Fantastic!"

Blue-barb Crisp

Adapted from Eating Well

Serves 6

4 c rhubarb, chopped

2 c frozen blueberries

1/2 c organic sugar

2 T finely shredded coconut

1 T cinnamon

1/3 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c old-fashioned oats

1/4 c light brown sugar

3 T butter, melted

1 T pure maple syrup

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly spray a 9"x9" pan with cooking spray. Combine rhubarb, blueberries, organic sugar, coconut and cinnamon. Spread evenly in pan. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, maple syrup and salt. Once crumbly, sprinkle over rhubarb mixture. Bake until the edges start to bubble, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly before dishing. Serve warm. Crisp will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Heat in microwave before serving.

Rhubarb Crisp

Rock Movers

Last weekend we went up to my parents' cabin and helped build a rock wall.

As you can see, there are a lot of rock walls already up there. Really, there are a lot of rocks and making walls is the best way to keep them in line. It seems like everywhere you turn another rock is popping up.

Before my parents even bought the property, there used to be a barn yard that had a rock fence around it. It had already fallen down before they got to it, and it was in a field that was rarely used. Since they built the new cabin, it's now in the backyard.

We cut away the weeds and worked on moving the rocks to re-form the wall.

I was in charge of hauling the cart of weeds and brush down to the opposite end of the yard. I can't even describe to you how wet my feet got. It wasn't raining while we were working, but it had rained that morning and the ground up there is perpetually wet anyway. The water from the grass seeped up my pants all the way to my knees.

I love seeing my dad and husband work together. It makes me so happy to see them getting along and growing closer. They really do work well together.

I helped line up the front stones and keep everything interlocking. There were a few times when Dad said that Grandpap and Uncle Sisto were probably rolling over in their graves. They were both very particular about building with stones and taught Dad and his brothers a lot about it.

We made it to the end of one side and stopped for the day. After moving rocks for 4 1/2 hours, it was time for beer!

The cornerstone.

Can we go back again soon?