Bucket List Item! Making snow!

It can be hard to find the upside to such frigid temperatures this weekend - If you're not me. LOL. I was looking forward to dinner made with something melty-cheese-ish, sparkly snow and the best excuse ever to stay home. 

And then I woke in the wee hours thinking:

1. Gosh, I hope the chickens are ok. It was -4°F and with just the two of them now, I worried they couldn't stay warm enough, even with the heating pad I had installed. 

2. Then I turned my thoughts to the golden opportunity that something south of 0°F was going to present me... Making snow out of boiling water!

FYI, it turned out the chickens were just fine. The roost stayed fairly warm and the heating pad didn't fail us. Just be sure, I covered the coop with a comforter and tarp and I'll check them again later. 

As for snow from boiling water; I had seen it on YouTube and long ago, put it on my Bucket List.  All I needed was a nice, but freezing day and that day had arrived. -9°F baby! Game time!

Special thanks to Mark, my videographer. 

Blossoms of Light

Because everyone needs a little magic. We all need the holiday season to last a bit longer in those cold and dark winter months...   

So they created it. Let there be light...  "Blossoms of Light". 

Festive, colorful light installations that bring the Denver Botanic Gardens to life at a time of year its mainly dead! :-)

To be sure, this is not something you can get tix for, last minute. I got lucky when I booked 2 weeks ago because most dates were sold out or only had late night entrance times left. 

At 7pm on Jan 7th - the last night of the show - it was cold. 25°F. 

Using all the gear I typically reserve for Arctic/Antarctic voyages, I entered wearing ski pants, a down jacket, wool layers, hat, scarf and gloves. Inside my pockets... those handy-dandy electric pocket warmers. And (no Im not embarrassed) I sported electric socks too! I was warm and wonderful but my phone drained its battery fairly quickly and I know that would have been ME if I wasn't dressed like this! I'd recommend a battery pack for phone longevity next time.

Chocolate Bread

 A.K.A my latest baking (and eating) compulsion. 

Like all good things... and some not so good ones... this little inkling originated from Tiktok, via Facebook of course. I made it the first time and while good, I felt it needed more hydration. This "newly tweaked" version was the bees knees though! Best we write this down - lest it get forgotten. 

Recipe: 

100g starter

360g water (90-100 F)

9g salt

50g cocoa powder + warm water

50g brown sugar

500g flour

115g chocolate chips

In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder with enough warm water to make a thick paste. 

Set it aside for 5 mins.

In a large bowl, mix the starter with water, salt, sugar. Add the cocoa paste and mix well.

Add the flour and mix to a shaggy dough. Let it autolyze for an hour or so.

Add chocolate chips to the dough during first two stretch and folds, 30 mins apart. 

Do another two stretch and folds. 

Sit at room temp until at least 50-75% risen. (IMHO about 4-6 hours)

Shape and place in cold proofing bowl lined with cotton napkin. Rest 30 mins.

Put in fridge for 16+ hours then remove and sit on counter for an hour.

Turn out onto parchment, shape a bit more, dust with rice flour and score.

Add to the Dutch oven with 2 ice cubes under the parchment. 

Cook 30 mins at 450F. Uncover and cook another 20 mins at 430F. 

Remove to cooling rack and DO NOT cut for at least 2 hours. 

We like it with a thin spread of butter, but LOVE it with a schmear of Nutella too!

Gosh I hope that when I repeat the heck out of this, the result is equally delicious. Every. Single. Time.

Words to live by

Let's go 2024. I have high hopes for you... and ME!  

I'm so glad you are here.  :-)

 

Three Simple Rules in Life

If you do not GO after what you want,

you'll never have it.

If you do not ASK 

the answer will always be no.

If you do not step FORWARD

you will always be in the same place. 

Let Me Always Remember the Miracles and Goodness of 2023

 They say that you can wake up each day and choose one of two mindsets; Either everything is a miracle or nothing is a miracle.

I'm in the everything is a miracle, camp... most days... at least I'd like to be!  So that is what this post is focusing on. All the things that made 2023 miraculous. What I'm grateful for and wish to remember 2023 by.

We started the year on the Antarctic Peninsula, winding our way north from the Antarctic Circle, back to Ushuaia, Argentina. New friends, thousands of photos, the trip of a lifetime.

Coming home to these guys and spending the entire year watching them play, bond and entertain us was priceless.

The seasons really turned it on for us this year. Spring was wet and wild... lots of standing water, flowing water and well-watered plants! The open space flourished and we flourished in it.

Fall was the most colorful I've seen and the snow came early in October. The changing seasons were the perfect backdrop for dog walks and cellphone photography.

Around the house there was growing, learning and us experimenting with healthier choices. We embraced a vegetarian lifestyle, began bottling our own ginger beer, have an ongoing sour dough starter and bread to "prove" it's alive! Yogurt making is the latest achievement... if you don't count the plethora of holiday baking that emerged from the oven.

And outside the house there were trips to NZ and WI to see family and friends...

And what year would be complete without a tip of the hat to bucket items ticket off?

We went panning for gold in Georgetown, attended a murder mystery dinner and I flew Business Class to NZ. 

In between, there were a multitude of gatherings and moments cherished with friends.

We ended the year with a hike near home. Breathing in 2024 and all its possibilities... breathing out 2023 with all it's surprises, gifts and things to be grateful for. 

Then there was a discussion about wishes and goals for 2024 and my annual review of "the bucket list".

I added the following to it:

- Photograph the monkeys in hot springs in Japan

-Visit Uyumi salt flats in Bolivia

-Climb Kelimutu volcano in Indonesia