Blondies, NOT brownies

So believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of chocolate.  I'd prefer vanilla ice cream over chocolate, starburst over a candy bar and blondies over brownies.  Maybe because I'm blonde, maybe because chocolate gives me a headache, I don't know.
Do you ever have one of those days where you just want something sweet!?!? So bad that you're eating Honey Nut Cheerios out of the box, brown sugar out of the bag or whatever your vice it.  Well today is one of those days and I wanted to share a simple, delicious recipe that is my go-to if I'm having "one of those days"
This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, she calls them butterscotch brownies, but I call them "Blondies."  My mom had this cookbook when I was a kid and when I graduated high school, she gave me my very own.  It's an old-fashioned dream.  I love it.

So to start off, preheat your oven @ 350.
I wanted to share the tools I need to get my oven going in the trailer: a flashlight, a lighter and a little flexibility.  I have to crunch down on my hands and knees, hang my head upside down while balancing the flashlight on the oven door.  Meanwhile, with one hand holding the gas knob on the top of the stove and lighter in other hand, I have to reach to back of the oven and hold the flame under the sweet spot.  Then hold this position for ten  l.. o.. n.. g.. seconds, while the stove lights.  I just wanted to paint a picture for you.  Everytime you see an oven temperature, this is the cramping, acrobatics that I do.

Moving on.
And here is your ingredients (note: my lovely, hand-me-down retro  flour/sugar containers (thanks mom!)

You can use butter, margarine, shortening or oil for your fat in this recipe.  I chose canola oil, since it's the healthiest and it still tastes amazing.  Your choice.  If you use a solid fat, melt before using. Blend your fat of choice and 1 cup of brown sugar.  (num, num, num)
 Fat + sugar = the best start to a recipe

 Give that a good stir with your favorite utensil, mine is a wooden spoon (also useful for punishing naughty children :)
Then add an egg and give a stir until smooth.  As you saw in the ingredient pic, I used liquid eggs since space is limited in my little fridge (1/4c = 1 egg).  But when I was making this I realized that liquid eggs are pasteurized, so that gave me the go ahead to test the batter.  Not like I wouldn't have anyway, but it was just a little safer.

Add your odds and ends: baking powder, salt, vanilla.

Then add 3/4c flour and combine.

Now awkwardly spread into a greased 8x8 pan (trust me it's awkward).  Place in preheated oven and don't forget to lick the spoon! But only if you used pasteurized eggs ... seriously, come on! Eating raw dough kills people everyday, duh.

 Bake 25 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE!

Remove and cool about 10 minutes and cut into bars while warm.

They are oh, so gooey and butterscotchy.  Pure yumminess. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.  But be cautious, it's quite possible to eat half the pan before coming up for air.

 Full recipe is as follows:

1/4 c butter, margarine, shortening or vegetable oil

1 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 c flour

1/2 chopped nut optional (I don't usually do this because they are amaaazing just plain)

Preheat oven 350. Grease 8x8 baking dish

Combine fat and sugar.  Add egg and stir until smooth.  Combine baking powder, salt and vanilla.  Lastly, add flour and stir until blended. Spread into well-greased pan. Bake 25 minutes. Do not over bake.  Cut into bars while still warm.

Recipe courtesy of Better Crocker Cooky Book, 1963.

BBQ Salmon with Nectarine Salsa and Grilled Sweet Corn

My two favorite protein sources are beef and salmon.  Here is a new salmon recipe I tried out last night.  It's always nice to BBQ in the summer when it's hot.  So this entire meal is cooked outside on the grill.
Since salmon is one of my favorite foods, I try to have it at least once a week.  As you know, fish can be expensive and often in too big of portions for just 1-2 people.  I found the perfect solution for this!  Check out your freezer section at the grocery store and you'll find bags of small fillets that are individually packaged.  It's the perfect amount for 2-3 small servings, or 1 huge serving.  If you're cooking for yourself, it's just the right amount for a serving at dinner and for lunch the next day, you can put the rest over a salad.
Salmon is a great source of vitamin D (especially if it's wild!), omega-3 fatty acids and protein!

Here's what you'll need for the Nectarine Salsa:

You could also use peaches, but I like to use nectarines and leave the skin on.

 Chop up those veggies and fruits nicely, and depending on your spice preference, either remove all of the seeds from the jalapeno, or choose to leave some in.  I left about one little row and my salsa was medium spicy.

 Add the fresh cilantro, honey, oil, and salt/pepper.

 Give it a good stir and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours if you have time ... if not, dig in!

Next, brush your salmon with your favorite BBQ sause (Sweet Baby Rays is mine) and either place directly on grill or make a foil pouch like I did.  Grill 15-25 minutes or until it flakes when stabbed with a fork.

 Now here comes the corn.  This is my favorite way to cook and eat corn.  It's pretty darn easy, too.  No waiting for years for a big pot of water to boil.  You simply slap those puppies right on the grill until they are brown all over, turning them as needed.

 Then, just shuck it.

 Spoon that beautiful salsa over your grilled salmon beside the sweet corn and there you have it.

 YUM.  We had ours with a chilled Sauv Blanc since it was toasty outside, but Pinot Noir would be really good, too.

Complete recipe below:

2-3 nectarines, chopped (skin on!)

2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped 

1 lime, squeezed

1 small sweet onion (or 1/2 of a larger one), chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped, seeds removed depending on your spice preference

1 handful of cilantro, chopped

1 TB honey

1 tsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for a couple hours or serve immediately. Spoon over your favorite grilled fish, chicken or pork.  Makes about 4-5 serving.

Home is Where you Park your Trailer ...

So this last week has been a whirlwind.  We spent the week in Rexburg, ID and it was awesome summer weather ... a combination of hot, sunny days and thunderstorms.  I hiked the Menan Butte in that area, it's actually a volcano formation from fresh water that happened ages ago.  They are all over that area.

Top of Menan 5619'

During this hike, I was a bit worried about Rattlesnakes, but I didn't see anything but cactus, sagebrush and lizards. Whew!  But I did fall on my butt on the way down. ... But I'd take that over a rattler anyday.
Here's the sign at the trailhead on the scary snakes:  The take home message is that rattlesnakes are fatter and have big bugged out eyes.  Gross.

Oh and I also taught my dog to drink out of a water bottle.  It reminds me of a hamster...

Greg got sent home early one day due to the severe thunderstorms, so we decided to go check out some nearby sights.

The beautiful Teton Range below...

Also went to Upper and Lower Mesa Falls:

And finally, we had to make a trip to Helena, MT for Greg's school this weekend.  To keep myself busy, I hiked Mt. Helena on Saturday and Sunday.  It's an awesome hike and Helena is actually a pretty cool town.

Mt Helena 5468'

I thought I'd throw a balancing tree yoga pose in there!

The Helena valley below

So we drove over 700 miles this weekend and ended up in Heyburn, ID in an RV park right on the mighty Snake River.  Since last week was a little crazy, I didn't get to post much for recipes and fitness stuff, so I'll try to do that this week.  I have some fun ideas for dinner this week. Oh if you click on any picture, it will show you a larger more blown up version.  Be sure to do this on the view pictures to get the full effect!   Until next time...

Here goes nothing...

So this is my first post on this crazy new journey of traveling and blogging.  Greg has about 1 year left of his apprenticeship and we were sick and tired of doing long distance, so I'm taking the year off and traveling with him.  For the next year, I am going to be living in a 5th wheel camper, cooking some amazing food for my man, getting in tip-top shape and planning a wedding.  I wanted to start this blog for a little "project" to keep me busy, but also for friends and family to see what we are up to. Plus, I plan to post recipes, as well as fitness and nutrition stuff.

Here's what our travels look like so far:

Ellensburg  --> Boise --> Salt Lake City --> Rexburg, ID

We set up shop in Rexburg, ID, which is a small town about 15-20,000 and about 95% Mormon.  As you can imagine, we fit in perfectly (cough, wink...)  But that's besides the point, we are staying in a lovely RV park that's right on a little lake.  I get to walk to dog around the lake and enjoy the view.  Rexburg is also very close to the Teton mountain range which is stellar to look at and I hope to find a hiking buddy to go exploring with.

Here's what I've been doing to stay busy:

 Of course we had to stop in Drummond, ID (population 15, people not thousand!).  We had a beer at the biker bar on Sunday, since this was this only thing open!

Nice patio with a view of the Grand Tetons and the power substation that Greg will be working at.

I also decided that I'm going to master the art of homemade bread while I have this time, so below is my first loaf of bread made in the trailer.  The Idaho sunshine made for a perfect rising/proofing oven

It didn't brown the way I wanted it to, but it tasted delicious.  Here is the link for the Honey Oat Bread recipe I used. 

Stay tuned for more travel, cuisine and other random stuff.  Cheers! D