Super fast, super healthy cookies for a crazy woman

The always cheerful and weirdly calm little fifties housewife alter ego in me says, with a sparkling smile:

"If you don't buy crap, you won't eat crap"

Some kind of healthy resolution I no doubtly picked up from hours on Pinterest.

What a stupid saying I thought as I stare blankly at the bag of spinach, farm fresh eggs and slow cooker chicken left overs.

I WANT CRAP! I want to stuff copious amounts of cookies and everything in my face. Rage.

There are only two options:

Run frantically to nearest bakery and try to explain over short breaths that you'll take the table in the corner, a 12oz coffee with room for cream and more seriously, explain with earnest that you don't want to see the bottom of a cookie plate, keep em coming, understand?

or,

You can bake something

But if you're annoyingly "health minded" or something stupid like that, this will be a challenge.

This post on 'Story of my life' saved the day.

The perfect answer to: I only have healthy stuff, but want cookies NOW dilemmas. That doesn't just happen to me right?

Her recipe calls for 1 cup oats, half a cup peanut butter, half a cup ground flax, half a cup chocolate chips, 1/3 cup honey and one teaspoon vanilla.

I had oats, so I knew this was going to be the answer to my mad woman cookie craving needs.

I used almond butter instead of peanut butter. Making me feel like the healthiest, smartest person around, because eating healthier makes you feel better than other people makes you feel healthy or something.  

I wasn't sure what ground flax was and had no time to Google that sort of minor detail. I figured, sounds healthy, you know what I have that's healthy? Coconut oil. Basically the answer to everything forever. So I added that.

I also didn't have chocolate chips, because, well see above stupid notion of not buying stuff 'that's bad for you'. I did however have a whole slab of Trader Joe's organic dark chocolate, it's so healthy that I don't even consider it a treat, more like a salad if you will. So I chopped that up and used that.

I had honey, organic, local free trade, conflict free, happy, made in the USA honey. Obviously. (Well my parent's in law have bees so there's the reason for that)

And vanilla, yes check.

I mixed it all together, used my bare hands to roll each spoonfull into little balls and placed them on some wax paper.

The recipe then suggests to cool the mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours.

COUPLE OF HOURS!

No time for that. That mixture went straight to the freezer. For about as long as it takes the lick the mixing bowl out and make a cup of tea.

Finally! Cookies, basically the healthiest yummy snack I could make. Win!

All is well with the world again. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sweet potato wedges and spinach salad to go with the slow cooked chicken for dinner.

A small announcement

Admit it. You're here because whenever a newlywed says they have an announcement you think it's to do with a stork!

Well sorry to disappoint, no babies here. Only some wonderful other news:

We booked our tickets and we'll be in South Africa in 53 days! Well 53 days and 42 hours of flying.

It's for a visit. A.MONTH.LONG.VISIT!

I know I'm slightly over dramatic to announce it in this way, but it's cold and boring and we're on the tightest budget ever (see above reason), so it sure is big news to me, and my momma I guess.

To celebrate this South African news I'll share with you my fail proof recipe for making amazing South African Fudge. Or as I used to call it 'fudge'.

South African Fudge is American Fudge's hard core little sister, hard core because it's harder, coarser and chocolate-less, pretty bad ass if you ask me.

I promise you this, I'll not be making this for at least another few years. Not because it's bad, but because I made a zillion batches as Christmas gifts this past month. It's the perfect 'made with love', 'I'm playing up my exotic South Africaness' and budget gift (again, see above reasons). 

Zillionsof batches surely establishes my authority on the subject don't you agree?

Okay, let's get to work.

My secret weapon is:

A candy thermometer. As a first time fudge attempter you will not, I repeat, you will not know what the elusive 'soft ball stage' looks like. With this magic wand you'll know, and you'll fudge will turn out perfectly.
 
So there's that, get one! Or don't and end up with a soft mushy sugary mess that you'll eat with your bare hands as you wade back in forth in a dark corner, or what ever.

Next, find Golden Syrup. If you're in the US then go to your nearest World Market, that's where I found mine or some Trader Joe stores claim to have it, but not around my neck of the woods.

Ingredients:

-2 cups sugar
-5 Table spoons water
-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (half a stick)
-2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Step one:
Heat the water in a medium sized pot on medium heat, add sugar and stir occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Take care not to burn the sugar, except if you're going for the 'smoky burny' taste.

Step two:
Add the butter and G Syrup and stir until butter is completely melted, keeping this up at medium heat.

Step three:
Add the condensed milk and salt and stir until everything is combined well. Scrapping off any build up that forms around the edges.

Step four:
Wait till mixture is starting to boil, place your 'must have' candy thermometer to the side and give it roughly twenty minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping your eye on the thermometer, soft ball stage = 240 F/ 116 C. Important: Temperature must reach this in order for the recipe to be a success. Don't be a hero, trust the temperature!

Step five:
 Once you've reached the soft ball stage, remove pot from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Now, this is the fun part, add the vanilla extract and stir in like a mad woman (or man) for about 5 minutes straight, this will ensure a pretty texture at the end. Pour mixture in a container about 7" x 11" more or less, can be bigger can be smaller. I placed aluminum foil in my container (wax paper doesn't really work so well).

Step six:
Allow to cool for a few hours, but don't wait too long before you take the fudge out of the container and cut up into little squares. Trust me, on the 'little' part, these are crazy sweet! Allow to harden for a few more hours.

Step seven:
Store in an air tight container and share with friends and family. Or don't, return to dark corner and eat it all yourself, what ever, I won't judge.

 

The Artist's Way. Living a creative life

To read more books and exercise. To cut out the sugar and eat more kale. Spending more time outdoors and letting go of that Netflix subscription. These are the general hopes that come with a New Year and it's optimistic resolutions.

I'm  not one for resolutions, mostly to do with the fact that I'm not one for keeping resolutions, but I am ready to set some serious goals this year.

A word for 2014? I don't really have a word this year, some years I do and some years I don't, but I do get the feeling that this year will be about:

Working hard,
Learning hard,
and Trusting even harder.

I know I'm still young, although 22 year old me would think otherwise. I know that there's still time to be exactly who it is I want to be, and to do exactly what it is my silly ol heart yearns for me to do. Why didn't I feel this gracious time before.

On the other hand I feel as though as if time is running out. Running out for what I'm not sure. I have a sense of urgency I've obviously not felt before. This is not a bad thing.

A now or never kind of mentality if you will. The time to strive and achieve the creative life is now.

That's my hope for this year. To live a creative life.

To unblock these weird dreams of actually making a living off of my creativity.

For now my purpose is to be vague, I'm even too nervous now to say my dreams out loud. (but in time I will)

Have you heard of a book called 'The Artist's Way'? It's a 12 week course on the spiritual path to recovering the creative life you've always known you should be living. Having this book on hand fits in well with my 'use what you have' motto.
It's a little too weird for the normals, too normals for the weirds. Too New Age-y for the Christians, too Christian for the New Agers (that's a thing right?). I'll admit to you now that I'm committing to this 12 week course with some hesitations.

I've started and not completed this book maybe twice now, but I don't think I had the need to get over my artistic blocks like I do now.

I wouldn't call myself a struggling, suffering artist, but I do know that if I want to have the career I've always dreamed of I need to start taking this title way more seriously, just the artist part, not the suffering part.

I'll leave you with this: I'm committing to 12 weeks of intensive creative healing. 12 weeks is way easier for me to deal with than all this 12 months commitments I read about. I'll be sure to post about my progress here, maybe it can be a weekly thing.

Already I've started on writing morning pages and I'm almost done reading the tasks for the week one "Recovering a sense of Safety". My insides tighten as I read and write about this, my heart starts racing at the thought of sharing all of this with you. Guess those are indicators that I'm on the right path here. 

If this works for me then it will work for anybody. I'm a stubborn, impatient person with high ideals and big dreams, so if that sounds like you too then stick around.

I'll make 2014 count by giving my dreams a run for their money. Working hard at making my business work, learning even harder to get the skills I don't yet have and yes, copious amounts of trust in God. He did after all command me to not be afraid, because He is with me. So I'll be holding on to that for like ever. 
 

 Linking up with some inspirational ladies today, all of us sharing our hearts on how to make 2014 count. I'm excited.

2013: A year in thanks

I'm a big fan of New Years Day, it's basically my favorite day of the year. This of course helps me get the year started off right if I'm like 'hey day! I freaking love you!' so it sets a good tone.

Right now I'm planning out some goals for 2014, not something I've always done, but something I desperately need now, being a self employed gal and all.

While I'm doing that,  I thought to take a quick break and look back on 2013 and thank God for His epic Grace in my life and take a moment to be thankful for a good year. (Every year above ground is a good year hey?)

January:  Starting of a new year as a new wife in a new country, snow, fireworks, Manito Park discoveries, First Friday art walks, brand new gifted sewing machine.

February:  Short winter month, first sign of Daffodils in the store, Princess Bride at Bing Crosby theatre for the first time, 3 years with my favorite person romantically, home made chicken tikka masala, Tulips appearing in stores.

March: 28 years alive, hiking, the immediate outdoors in my back yard, befriending Willful/Joyful, downtown parades, more Manito Park discoveries

April: 6 months of wedded bliss, longer days, cabin fever lifting, more hiking, internship that averted crazy housewife meltdowns, GREEN CARD APPROVED, running

May: Completing Bloomsday, Spring whispers, longer day trips, waterfalls, yellow fields, blogging, Turnbull wildlife refuge, not wearing winter jackets

June: Yellowstone camping, bears and majestic mountains, a patient husband, free camping sites, fires and yes... more hiking, more outdoors, more roadtrips

July: Glorious summer, long days, shorts and sandals, long weekends, North Cascades camping, best hike ever, yard sales, my parents visiting, Spokane, getting my USA drivers license.

August: The Olympic peninsula camping, the humor of Forks WA, farmer's markets, picnics in the park, ice cream walks, an understanding husband.

September:  Camping with Chestnut Mocha, the county fair, last days of summer, roses, free concerts in the park, pumpkin patches and pick your own flowers for $5, surviving and learning from a depressing office job, starting the whole 30 and loving it.

October: one year of marriage to the best man in the world, ending the whole 30 challenge, Fall colors, fall anniversary camping in Washington, basically fall everything.

November: Survived and loved my first year in the USA, self employment, a supportive husband, thanksgiving like in the movies, heat included in the rent, in laws that live don't far away, Ben's promotion, free Gonzaga basketball games.

December: Another hot springs trip with friends, knowing that we'll book our tickets to South Africa soon, Christmas parties, Christmas with Ben's family, new Christmas traditions, Love Actually, snow tubing again, Christmas eve church service, Photoshop, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Christmas gift, Ben's time off, discovering snow shoeing, snow, a general good feeling about 2014.

We're richly blessed beyond what we deserve, for that I'm so thankful.

What were you most thankful for this year?

These are the days

It was December 2011, the year I would leave teaching in Vietnam, bring my ‘life partner’ Ben with me to South Africa and visit the US for the first time. This visit had my first American Christmas in store, an engagement and a trip to these hot springs in middle of nowhere Idaho. So saying I have a sentimental attachment to visiting these hot springs would be true. What makes this place even more special is that we were able to bring myparents here in the summer. 

I thought about all these things on our short trip there with our relatively new and special friends. Then I thought about how I was thinking about that. I thought about that because I didn’t want to get too caught up in the past, memories and the general melancholy that is time flying by at an uncontrollable speed. Here I am, two days later, fondly looking at these pictures, thinking about that rustic cabin, the forehead game and the ‘had to be there’ moments shared with amazing people… Now I simply think and believe that ‘these are the days’. 

Aren’t they just? 

Check out this post by Katie of Chestnut Mocha about our trip there for beautiful pictures and stories of our trip. Also, keep your eye on Amanda's blog Willful/Joyful for post on our trip, another talented writer and photographer. My oh my I adore the company of inspiring people. 

P.S. - Did you know that I met Amanda on Instagram and Katie via our blogs! I'll never stop thinking that's cool.

P.P.S- I'm rather proud of my Instagram posts from our trip, so hey, follow me, it's fun there. 

Dear South Africa

Dear South Africa,

It's - 9 outside, the sun pretends to be shining but it's kind of sucking at it, and I'm cold. Even inside my 'heat included in the rent' apartment. I'm trying my very best not to think of you, you with your 'Skool vakanie is hier' summer vibe going on. Then I read this article about moving back to SA and my best intentions of embracing yet another Christmas without my family and this stupid cold went out the window (which you must know, is impossible because all my windows are double glass and shut super tight).

I also just had a nice long chat with my parents on Viber, about the places we'll go and the meat we'll eat once we do come visit you, hopefully early next year. My goodness do I need you, I need your affordable lamb chops and wine, your beaches, your lions, Woolworths! I need Woolworths!

It feels necessary somehow, to write this letter to you. It's after a year of leaving you that I need to say, it wasn't you, it was me. I didn't leave because I thought you were going to the dogs, or because of that awkward 'held at gunpoint' incident of early 2012. I left due to meeting this super hot guy while cheating on you with Vietnam, sorry about that by the way. So, yeah, something about leaving for love.

Don't be too concerned about me though, I don't hate it here in this strange land,  I will even miss this place once I leave some day. Isn't that just the lot of an expat? Your heart get's left in all these places and you wonder if you'll ever totally feel at home in one place again. Might just be me. Maybe home is not about a place?

I just wanted to write to you and say I'm totally rooting for you. You're one of kind. I know you have problems, turns out, so does every other country. Despite the etolls and that clown of a current  president, I still think you're the best country on earth and I still can't imagine saying that we'll never move back. I don't know if and when, but I also don't know a ton of other things. Like the rules of rugby (still) and what the hell EFF stands for, because surely it can't actually stand for Economic Freedom Fighters can it?

This letter isn't really about me being homesick for you, or about listing the 204 things I miss about you, I just thought we should, you know, touch base. Let you know that I'm thinking about you and that despite not hanging out for a while I'm still totally crazy about you.

Love,

'n boeremeisie x

2 hours after I first posted this: I just learned that Madiba has passed away. I've typed out at least 7 different sentences here and I keep deleting them, I guess nothing can really be said other than rest in peace great man. We love you. 

10 things that I am used to: one year anniversary special

Do you recall this little post of mine? I was lamenting the strange things about living in the US that I just wasn't getting used to.


Well today, I've been here a year!


A whole year that I've lived here. (year,here, year, here- say it fast)

I have such mixed feeling about this fact. I think it's not the being here that's hard on me today, but rather that I haven't giggled with my sister in person, had cheap sushi with Belinda, shopped at Woolworths, frantically checked my surroundings as I was entering our property late at night, in a year. So there's that.


Hold on. I feel this post turning it self heavy, and really, I'm here to celebrate the things that I have gotten used to so far...

So make some joyful noise as I present to you these minor victories.


1) Ordering breakfast.

Weird one right. I'm from a world where the options were choosing white or brown toast.  Ordering breakfast for the first time was more intense than passing airport security.
 If you're not used to making choices fast then

"how would like your eggs? Cheese on your hash-browns? Rye, wheat, sourdough, English muffin, English man making your muffin?  More coffee? Cream and sugar with that? Extra bacon with that?"

might be as overwhelming for you as it was for me. Not anymore though, I have mastered the fine art of ordering my eggs finally.

2) Spelling color without the 'u'.

But let's be honest, things are just more colourful  with 'u'.

3) Stopping for pedestrians.

LOL no, I keep forgetting to do so and that's really frowned upon around here.  Let's all hope I get used to this one faster.

4) The responses to "I'm from South Africa"

Some of the responses I've had after answering where I was from have included:

"Oh cool, I've always wanted to go to the Giraffe museum in Nairobi."
"Our uncle lived in Madagascar 4 years ago."
"My sister once went to Africa to build houses for them."
"My son just moved to Australia."

I know I sound like a bit of jerk here, because really, I love that people ask me where I'm from and then try to find a way for us to connect. You, America, would however be perplexed too if you told someone "I'm from the US" (Although, I've noticed most Americans, even while traveling abroad, will answer with their State when asked where they're from) and their response to you is "Oh wow, my cousin once worked in a tourist cocktail bar in Peru".

As I said, I'm used to this and kind of love the strange responses I've had over the last year.

5) Drive Thru's.


Fast food is one thing, but...

Banks, dry cleaning, charitable donations stores, pharmacies.

Amazing.

6) Expensive stuff,

I've gotten better at not working everything back to South African Rand. I still do it sometimes, "did I really just spend R45 on a coffee, I wonder how many tubes of toothpast I could buy for R37 and so on.

Stuff here is more expensive, I'm used it now. In fact I really look forward to my next South African visit, BUY ALL THE THINGS! Drink all the wine! Eat all the Sushi.. ALL OF IT.


7) Driving on the "right" side of the road.

Thankfully.

8) Fast and unlimited internet.

How oh how did I live without you. While we're here celebrating internet things: Netflix, I'm very much used to watching my TV and movies on demand by now. I remember in the good ol days when 2 Gigs was all our family had for a whole month.

Disclaimer: It's not like South Africa doesn't have unlimited internet, it's just that it was too expensive while I was still living there, and now I have it, so this is more a 'me' thing than a SA thing. 

9) Converting C to F temperatures.

From all the conversions I've had to learn this one has been the easiest. Probably because I talk about weather so much. People ask me a lot about weather in South Africa and I also give a daily report on the weather to my family in SA. So that has helped.

Although, 1 Degree in Celsius still seems much colder to me than 34 degrees in Fahrenheit.


10) I got used to those long days of summer way to fast, now I'm screwed with these dark at 4:30pm days. dammit.



I wonder if I'll be used to everything by the time I write the 'Two years and loving it' post. Probably not.


Hey, here's a fun idea, how about we follow each other on Twitter and you'll get see what else I'm getting used to in this fabulous country. Follow here.  

Also! This is my 200th post, yay for me.