Edible Chocolate and Peanut Butter Play Dough!

Today I’d like to introduce you to the silliest member of our family: meet Clancey!  He joined our family just a few months before our eldest was born.  You  could say I was in baby mode.  I also got six chicks at that time.  Life was a little crazy for a while, to put it lightly!  Anyway, Clancey has had a bit of a rough life with us thus far, having been attacked by moose twice and nearly fatally hit by a truck on the highway.  He loved the Alaskan winters, though, being half Malamute.  In fact, he was born at the beginning of winter, so by the time the spring came (at least six months later) he had such a hard time knowing where to go to the bathroom once all the patches of snow had melted!

I was just going back through photos last night and came across this video, taken exactly one year ago Saturday.  He loved cracking through those first layers of ice to catch the bubbles. And to think this year they’ve already been having snow on the ground for a couple weeks!  This makes me smile every time:

Clancey does the Fox Hop

Sometimes just going into a new season triggers fond memories.  For whatever reason, as the air began to get crisp and breezy, our little one (who’s only experienced four autumns) began to remember making edible play dough.  Although this is probably true to some extent anywhere, a lot of outdoor life is crammed in to the summer in Fairbanks, then we did all our fun indoor activities when the cold weather hit.  So he thought of this recipe and started reminding me about every other hour that we needed to make a batch.  And I’m so glad he did because it’s fun and simple, we can make it together, play with it together, and enjoy eating it together!  So yummy!  Really chocolate and peanut butter are always good together!  I remember this Reese’s commercial from TV Land when I was growing up!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crash

SO cheesy!  But memorable, I guess.  Digging up the recipe reminded me of how Mom would make it growing up.  In fact, she would get groups of our friends together and make huge batches of it at a time and everyone always loved it.  Except when my buddies of the time decided to eat the evaporated milk by itself.   That didn’t go over too well…

Anyway, I only had a little honey left so I just made a half batch of the recipe below, then split that and added a little cocoa powder to one to have the chocolate along with the peanut butter.  Yum!  It was hard to convince the little hooligans to play with it they were so busy just gobbling it down!  I love how quick this is too!  Super fast, no baking, 3-4 ingredients, and minimal dishes!  A delicious consumable that’s okay to play with.  That’s my kind of activity!

2 cups evaporated milk

2 cups peanut butter

1 cup honey

2 TBSP cocoa powder (optional)

Mix them together.  Enjoy!  Yup, that’s it!  Add more evaporated milk or peanut butter as needed to achieve the perfect consistency.  It will be a little more grainy than regular playdough, you’re just looking for a moldable texture.

 

Hope you’re enjoying this autumn-time and can make some new pleasant memories with your family this season!

Technically Spring and Turkish Kebabs

Happy spring!  Well, officially I guess.  It was still 12 below zero when I got up this morning, but it is bright and sunshiny out!  I am so ready for break up (Fairbanks version of spring.  Not very pretty, but it means summer is on its way!)  I got my seeds in the mail this week and I am so excited to get them started!  There were a couple drops of melting ice from our roof yesterday that Clancey started barking at incessantly.  I could tell that Fynn could feel the heat from the sun on his back because he kept reaching back to try to touch it.  Oh, promises of spring!

We had a pretty mellow St. Patrick's day.  I pinned a felt four leafed clover I hastily made on to Fynn's cap and we went into town for the trapper's fur auction and to see the dogs before the race.  After that we came home and made Guinness brownies for Josh's poker night.  I think they turned out great (really dark and rich).  You can find the recipe here.) 

Here's our trek into town and a little people watching: 

My weekdays have been a lovely blend of trying to keep the house in some semblance of order, playing with Fynn, errands in town, quick spurts of working on any of the gazillion projects I have going on right now, and visiting with friends.  Fynn has transitioned to only needs one long nap a day rather than two, and is adjusting quite nicely.  He also has learned to climb on top of things: boxes, the dishwasher door, the dog, and all the way up the stairs!  Crazy boy!

Last night, Josh requested one of his latest favorite dinners:  Turkish Kebabs.   So I thought all kebabs were little bits of meat and veggies and what-have-you skewered on a little stick, right?  Well apparently not.  I've been working off this slow cooker recipe for a bit, but since I'm not often one to plan my meals ahead of time (though I'd like to improve on that), I've tweaked the recipe a bit for our life.  It goes a little like this:

1/2 lb. moose steak, cut into thin slices
1/2 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 pinch curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 pita loaves

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Then add meat, lemon juice, and spices and cook until meat is done. 

Tzatziki Sauce:

1.5 c. sour cream

3/4 c. plain yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl.  It makes a lot, but don't fret!  We just finish up ours the next couple days as a chip/cracker dip!

Heat pita for 15 seconds to soften.  Top with meat, tzatziki, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and feta or goats cheese and enjoy!

Sprinkled White Fudge

Listening to Cumberland Christmas music and shopping for gifts online!  I love this time of year, but it has a whole new sense of wonder now  Well, I did it!  I called the rescue mission to see if there was any need there.  I had to just leave a message, but the ball is in their court now.  Really having a lot of pain in my wrist.  I got a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, but so far, I've just been leaving him messages...

Here's the recipe for the white fudge.  Sort of a different take on the Christmas favorite.  Great texture!

·         ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

·         1 12 oz. package white chocolate chips

·         3 tsp Vanilla Extract

·         1 tsp Almond Extract

·         Sprinkles

Pour milk and white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2-3 minutes, or until white chocolate is almost completely melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Stir until completely blended, melted, and smooth.  Immediately add vanilla and almond and combine thoroughly. Add a handful or so of rainbow sprinkles and fold in quickly, because they will melt (and if they are stirred for too long they’ll turn the fudge an ugly muddy color).  Transfer to an aluminum-foil lined 8×8 inch baking pan. Let cool.  Once set, cut into cubes. Store in a cool place.