Roche Lake

After planting some trials up in beautiful British Columbia Brian and some of the guys from his work got to go to Roche Lake in Kamloops for a day of fishing!  He actually took pictures this time...maybe my nagging is paying off.  Haha!!  It looked like a very cool place!  Nice catch dude!

Out Roaming Around

Last night Brian and I decided to go on a little 4 wheeler ride since it was such a nice night.  We explored place around our house we haven't been, it was kinda fun!  

In Bloom

I think I have decided Spring is really my favorite season...the blooms around here are just too pretty not to take pictures of!

Granola Bars

Granola BARS!

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup rice bran or oat bran

1 cup of nuts, crushed (pecan, walnut, cashew, macadamia, almond, etc.)

3/4 cup seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame, etc.)

2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup honey (or 1/4 cup honey, plus 1/4 cup maple, agave, or brown rice syrup)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, blueberries, apricots, coconut, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Mix together all dry ingredients (oats, bran, seeds & nuts) on the baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven and toast the dry ingredients for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from burning. As soon as the ingredients are toasted, remove the pan from the oven.
3. While the dry ingredients are toasting, line a 9x13-inch rimmed pan with waxed paper and spray it lightly with cooking oil.
4. Next, place a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add in the brown sugar, honey, butter, cinnamon and salt. Bring the mixture to a strong boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Place the toasted ingredients in a large bowl, and stir in the dried fruit. Pour the hot liquids into the bowl and stir aggressively until all the ingredients are moist and well combined.
6. Using a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared baking sheet, pressing down to evenly spread out the mixture. I found wetting a rubber spatula with water helped to keep the granola from sticking, but still allowed me to press the mixture down hard enough. Set the baking sheet aside and let the bars cool for 2-3 hours until they are hardened. Cut into bars or square and ENJOY! 

I made these and they were awesome.  One mistake I made....don't add chocolate chips...in my head I figured I would have nice chocolate chunks to bite into...well I forgot to factor in that chocolate chips melt when boiling hot liquids are poured over them!  Stick with dried fruits!

 

I love crunchy flax seeds!

 Don't over toast your dry stuff either, another mistake of mine.

 TA-DA.  Crunchy, chewy, and delicious!  

Asparagus Picklin'

It's that time o year again. Asparagus picklin' time. It's a great time of year!

 Amber came over and we pickled a few batches.

 This picture is an example of what happens when Brian's hat covers the flash...he does this often...

 Shelley came over the next day and did some more picklin' 

 The final product...oh so tasty!

Spring is Here!

I love spring...I love the warm days and the crisp nights!  The blossoms are on the trees and its beautiful!  

green thumb

It has been a fairly uneventful week..but this weekend Brian built a boom sprayer for his 4wheeler to make spraying the pasture faster and easier.

I tried my hand at gardening, and I use the term gardening loosely...as my garden consists of a potted garden.  I planted tomatoes, herbs, and a few flowers in my fun pots and gonna see if I can't keep them alive before I go for an all out garden. 

Here I am taking a moment to stop and smell the flowers.

Mad-dog is shedding like crazy and loves to have her bum scratched!

I planted these little poppy's can't wait to see how big they get.