Tahoe 2011 Part 4

To continue our traditions, we went to Truckee to visit The Squeeze Inn and do some shopping. We always LOVE the food and the stores.

As the week went on, I got lazier with my camera. We had a wonderful trip and continued keeping our traditions alive. Here is what we do every year in Tahoe:

A Day in South Shore - usually a movie, this year- the Gondola ride! Amazing!!!

A Day in Tahoe City - Fanny Bridge and the Chocolate Store

Eating at Jason's restaurant in King's Beach

A day at Truckee- The Squeeze in and Hobby Store (Nicole LOVES the Kitchen Store!)

Pee Wee golf and The Char-Pit at King's Beach

A day hiking - this year was Vikingsholm...who knows what next year holds!

Lots of movies, games, reading, puzzles, tennis, scooters, etc...

We had a great trip and will try to recover for our next adventure in a couple of weeks.

Stay tuned...

Tahoe 2011 Part 3

On another day in Tahoe, we went on an "adventure" to see "Vikingsholm". It was an adventure because the trail we intended to take down to the "castle" ended up not existing. So, as Ben found a way down a cliff, the kids followed and I held my tongue. It ended up being really fun. We took the actual, easier path, on the way up.

Vikingsholm is a "castle", or a large house, that was built to look like a Scandinavian design. It is on the edge of Emerald Bay and is beautiful. We were able to take a tour in side and we all really enjoyed it.

Tahoe 2011 Part 2

On Memorial Day at Tahoe, we went to the South Shore and did the Gondola at the Heavenly Resort. It was so beautiful with all the snow and the kids LOVED the ride!

Tahoe 2011 Part 1

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted! May was a crazy month for the Brown Family. Madison, Ben and Ainsley all had their birthdays and the girls finished school! To celebrate, we headed up to Tahoe for our annual trip. We were greeted with snow everywhere! The kids were so excited and it made for a fun, "cozy" atmosphere in the condo.

We arrived on Ainsley's birthday and she asked for Smores for her birthday dessert. We roasted marshmellows over the stove and sang to her. She loved it!

My Ben

This evening, Ben and I went with the kids to Costco. I thought it would be nice to look around and have Ben with me to help. Unfortunately, everyone and their mother was at Costco at the same time. Ben, being the patient person he is, manuevered the cart through the people (who were stopped at every sample table, blocking the isles). His frustration grew as I went through my shopping list. As I was checking out, he went to use the restroom. While he was there, a 3 year old (with his father) was also there. The 3 year old looked at Ben and then said to his father, "He looks Angry!" Too funny. What a very perceptive 3 year old. We had a good laugh.

Orange Marmalade Muffin

My sister-in-law, Chrissie, gave me the Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook. I have loved what I have tried so far. These muffins were very yummy! I think I would also like them without the glaze and with cranberries in them. The kids loved them and the batter tasted like cake batter! Yum.

Ingredients
■2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
■1 cup White Sugar
■2 cups Flour
■2 whole Eggs
■1 cup Buttermilk
■1 teaspoon Baking Soda
■2 whole Oranges, Juiced And Zested
■1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
Preparation Instructions
Cream together butter and white sugar in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, beat well, and mix in flour. Dissolve baking soda into buttermilk, then add to the rest of the batter along with the zest from both oranges. Mix well.

Grease and flour mini muffin pans (or spray with nonstick spray with flour). Fill cups 2/3 full. (This recipe yields 36 mini-muffins, or 3 tins.)

Bake at 375ºF for 12 to 17 minutes (or 20 to 25 minutes for regular-sized muffins), or until lightly browned.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and juice from the freshly zested oranges. You should have about ½ cup. Mix well. Drizzle this glaze over the warm muffins. Remove muffins from the pan while still warm.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to just under 1 cup of milk.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

I was craving oatmeal cookies today and decided to do some research online. I wanted ones that were soft and chewy and not flat and crunchy. I wanted ones that I did not need raisins in them (not a raisin fan). You can add chocolate chips in these or raisins but they were so good without them. They turned out really good!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
Directions
1.In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.