Colorado Trip Post

My family just got back from a trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Can I just tell you it might be my new favorite place? Lists are the best things ever, so I am going to list my favorite things about Pagosa Springs. Then I'll show you a few AMAZING photos of Colorado along with a twist on the normal recipe post. Instead of a normal recipe, I am including the "recipe for a great hiking lunch". There may be a few more vacation themed posts later (like some outstanding restaurants we dined at), so hopefully this won't bore you at all!

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10 AMAZING THINGS ABOUT PAGOSA SPRINGS

1. The Hot Springs. They are wonderful, rejuvenating and simply amazing! We went twice. Also, a great place to take the kids for an entire day of fun. We visited The Springs Hotel Hot Springs.
2. The San Juan River. We tubed down it, which sounds super relaxing, but it was not. It was basically a sport complete with myself, my sister-in-law and my husband flipping off our tubes into waterfalls.
3. The cool mountain air in the evening. It is refreshing.
4. Hiking. We did the Piedra Falls hike and the Fourmile falls hike, which was really hard (with two kids, lunch for 6 and gallons of water). The mountain views, waterfalls and wildlife were awesome.
5. The laid-back atmosphere that is Pagosa Springs. Most things are closed after 6 pm, which is fine because it's time to enjoy family and friends!
6. Mesa Verde. It is a 1.5 hour drive from Pagosa, but it is AMAZING. 
7. The evening sunsets over the San Juan Mountains. 
8. The horses. We rented a house and the neighborhood our house was in had tons of horses! It was fun to look out the window with my toddler and see the horses. We didn't go horseback riding, but we will when the girls are older. 
9. Durango, Colorado is very close and has a ton of great options for eating, shopping and adventures. The town has been devastated by the mining spill into the Animas River, but there was still a lot to do there.
10. The drive through Colorado to get to Pagosa. Pagosa Springs is in the Southwest corner of the state, therefore you get to drive through most of the state to get there. You can choose your route and enjoy the gorgeous views!

Here are a few photos!

Property of Thyme for Grace | Please do not distribute.

Property of Thyme for Grace | Please do not distribute.

"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

- Matthew 12:20 (NIV)

Property of Thyme for Grace | Please do not distribute.

HIKING PICNIC LUNCH

Prep time: 20-30 minutes plus time the night before to make chicken salad
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients

• 6-8 turkey, ham or roast beef sandwiches
• 8-10 Granola Bars
• 1 watermelon (cut up and ready to serve)
• 3-4 bananas
• 3 small bags of pretzels
• 3 small bags of trail mix
• 1 block of brie cheese
• 1 sleeve of crackers for the brie cheese
• 1 large tupperware of Spring's chicken salad without the buns
• lots of water
• lots of Gatorade

Cooking Directions

1. Hike to your location
2. Eat this yummy lunch in a stunning setting
3. Regain your energy to hike back to your car
4. Take MANY photos and enjoy the fresh air!

Property of Thyme for Grace | Please do not distribute.

Note: I realize the "hiking lunch" is basically an excuse to call this post "good" for a food blog! :) Thanks for letting me share my vacation adventures with you!

Dare to Bake: Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes

Mention cupcakes in conversation and you'll take me to a table with a beautifully plated cupcake (for some reason it's always chocolate). I'll literally taste it as I imagine the fork in my mouth, delivering fluffy sweetness to my anxious taste buds. It's easy to imagine then how pumped I was to get the Dare to Bake cookbook. Why? 'Cause it's...

ALL. About. Cupcakes.

And I'll just say, I'm a HUGE fan of Cupcake Wars. I've watched every episode available on Netflix. The gal who wrote this cookbook was on Cupcake Wars and defeated her competitors. That fact alone made it 10x more appealing to me; I remember that episode! And if she won, she's gotta know something about cupcakes, right?

This book is fun because it has unique cupcake recipes - not your typical stuff. I baked the Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes (recipe below) and they were excellent. I really want to (and will) try the Pistachio Cardamom Cupcakes and the Pomegranate Ginger Cupcakes. I intended to make the Mango Saffron Cupcakes (I'm crazy about mangos) but our local grocery store doesn't carry cardamom or saffron - boo. Another day!

This cookbook is broken down into 4 parts: Daring Creations, Crowd Favorites, Vegetable/Savory, and Cocktail Inspired. The sections I'll get the most happiness from are Daring Creations and Crowd Favorites. I s'pose you don't need this random fact, but I'll throw it in, I didn't know that amazing cupcakes require so much butter! Too bad, really, but I'll pretend I don't know the quantity. And, there are recipes (like the one below) that don't require boatloads of butter.

To answer our cookbook review questions:

1. How easy are the recipes to follow? Super easy. She's extremely thorough and descriptive.
2. Is the cookbook worth the investment? It's $19.99 on Schiffer Publishing. I do think it's worth that dough based on it's content. It'd be an excellent gift for someone who enjoys baking.
3. Are the pictures amazing? Incredibly better than the ones I take.
4. Would I recommend it? Definitely. Keep in mind I've only tried one recipe from this book. Maybe once I get more under my belt I'll update this post.

A note on the recipe below: I made the cupcake batter for 24 cupcakes. But I baked 12 at a time (a few days apart) since we couldn't consume 24 fast enough. Because I did this I halved the meringue and ganache recipes. It turned out that I only needed half of each for all 24 cupcakes!

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord.' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21

SPICED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs

Meringue Filling

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6 large egg whites at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cayenne Pepper Ganache

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Cupcake Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and almond extracts in another bowl and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix eggs and sugar, until the eggs are fully incorporated, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Turn the mixer to a lower speed, then add the flour mixture and the liquids, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour.
3. Fill the 24 cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter and bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cupcakes are baked through. Cool cupcakes completely.

Filling Instructions       

1. Before using the stand mixer, make sure it is completely clean and clear of greasy residue, because grease will ruin the filling. To do so, wipe the inside of the bowl with a paper kitchen towel dampened in white vinegar.
2. In a small saucepan combine sugar and water and cook at medium heat, stirring slowly until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup cook until it begins to boil; it will become clear in color.
3. While the syrup is cooking, place egg whites in a stand mixer fitting with the whisk attachment and beat at high speed. The egg whites will become frothy; continue to beat until they have a thick and foamy consistency. Make sure the egg whites are beaten well throughout the bowl, continuing to beat until the mixture becomes stiff enough to hold peaks.
4. Once the syrup is boiling and clear (no grains of sugar in sight!), let it cook for about 2 minutes, making sure it doesn't turn brown. Remove the sugar syrup from the heat. Immediately start beating the egg whites again at high speed, and very slowly start adding the syrup a little at a time, continuing this process until you pour all the syrup. Add the corn syrup and continue to beat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the meringue gets thick. Finally, add the vanilla extract. Beat for a few extra minutes until you see stiff peaks and the meringue is thick and smooth.

Ganache Instructions       

1. Combine semisweet chocolate chips, heavy cream and butter in a heatproof glass bowl and cook on top of a double boiler, stirring constantly until all the chocolate has melted. (You can also combine the chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted. Then stir in the butter until completely melted.)
2. Stir in cayenne pepper.               

 

To assemble: Allow the cupcakes to fully cool. Using an apple corer, remove a piece of each cupcake from the center, fill the cupcakes with the meringue filling and finally, dip each cupcake individually in the lukewarm ganache.         

Makes 24 cupcakes.       

Peanut Butter Chocolate Road Trip Balls

I am eating one right now, which is bad. Why? All the delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Road Trip Balls are supposed to be for my vacation that starts in a few hours. Actually, it will be over by the time you read this, boo!

Summer Vacations truly are the BEST. I mean, Spring Break is supreme in the fact that you get to leave the frigid north (if you live up north) and bask in the sun, but really nothing beats summer. A summer road trip is kind of a new thing for me. Growing up I lived in five states (Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Illinois), none of which were where my extended family lived. So, our summer road trips were always to the Upper Midwest. Now, I love the Upper Midwest so much that I decided to go to college there, marry a man who will never leave and raise my little family there. However, coming here every single summer as a kid is not quite the same as a typical family summer road trip.

Now that I live by most of my amazing family I get the privilege of going on a few summer road trip vacations to cool new places!! Yeah! This year my husband and our two daughters are going to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We are headed there with my husband's parents and his sister. Wahoo! After I get back I plan to do one or maybe two posts about the trip so you can hear about the place, but for now I am going to tell you about the delicious snacks I made for the ride through Iowa and Nebraska.

I call these Peanut Butter Chocolate Road Trip Balls. They were inspired by a search on Pinterest that lead to these Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls from Carrie This Home, but I changed a few things in the recipe and doubled it because the original recipe made only a few energy balls. Feel free to make either recipe, as I deserve no credit for the yummy idea!

What I love about these is that they taste like a delicious candy bar, but I think they may actually be healthy (ish). They have oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and flax seed, which I hear is all the rage in the health food world. In any case, they are yummy and SO easy to make. If you want to serve them for dessert, just add some chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. Also, I ate them with a banana, because I was feeling really healthy.

I took some pictures of them, but in all honesty I found it hard to portray their amazing taste through photos, so just make them even if they are not pretty.

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power." 

- 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE ROAD TRIP BALLS

Prep time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes 10-15 balls
Ingredients

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup flaxseed
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 4 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
2. Stir together and then use a knife to cut through the peanut butter
3. Continue to stir until all ingredients are even throughout mixture
4. Roll into 1 inch balls and store in road trip appropriate container
5. Place container in freezer until road trip begins
6. Keep road trip balls in car cooler or eat before they melt on road trip

Note: If you need to eat a low fiber diet, be careful with this recipe. These snacks contain a lot of fiber.

Heavenly Cake

I have a wicked sweet tooth... I actually have a mouthful of them. I was born to eat dessert. I'm usually game for a couple bites of the main dish before jumping right to the after-party. So, I reeaally have to practice self discipline.

I must say though, things have drastically improved. I used to down Little Debbie cakes like water. My bedtime routine would perpetually include a heaping bowl of ice cream. I frequented Perkins throughout my first 3 years of college, arriving between midnight and 4am and ordering their chocolate chip cookie sunday - no small thing. Dairy Queen and McDonalds saw me often, exiting their building proudly toting my banana split or McFlurry. My college roommates remember me whipping up a batch of homemade frosting and eating it like popcorn during movies.

(To my credit, though, I've always hated candy and soda - yay me!)

Thinking of how I used to indulge on sugar makes me wonder how I wasn't huge. I sure wasn't picky about my desserts. But things have changed a bit, I'm more particular now. I will never digest a Little Debbie cake again. Ice cream is okay, but there are better things out there. Just any old chocolate chip cookie won't get the privilege of my consumption - only the ooey, gooey ones. Homemade yummies get TOTAL preference while pre-made or store-bought stuff only happens in moments of pure desperation.

Being more particular has definitely benefited my health. If I primarily eat homemade desserts, I have to work to enjoy them, which means I don't eat sweets every day (... just most days). Problem helped. Boxed cake mixes are my friend though. Making homemade cake is just more time consuming and often doesn't turn out as well for me. So I'm in the business of enhancing boxed cake mixes.

And that's kind of what Heavenly Cake is... a cake on steroids. It's so light tasting, fluffy and refreshing. Few things disappoint me more than dry foods, but this recipe doesn't disappoint. Vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple, whipped cream, cream cheese and blueberries deliver a moist cake that will have you begging for more. Eat away!

HEAVENLY CAKE

Prep time: 15-20 min.

Bake time: 25-30 min.

Serves: About 10-12

 

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix (plus ingredients for preparation)
• 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
• 1 box (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 1/4 cups cold milk
• 8 oz Philidelphia cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1.5 cup fresh blueberries

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare and bake the cake for a 9x13 dish, according to package directions. When the cake is done and still warm, pierce it all over with a fork and pour the crushed pineapple (with the juice) evenly over it.        
2. Whisk the pudding mix and milk in a bowl. After mixing it well, beat in the softened cream cheese and pure vanilla extract until smooth. Spread over the pineapple.        
3. Make the whipped cream by beating the heavy whipping cream and adding 2-3 tbsp. powdered sugar. If you prefer, you can use Cool Whip instead for ease. Spread over cake.
4. Garnish with blueberries or coconut. Enjoy!