Holiday Ranch Trip

We made a holiday pilgrimage to the Huebel Ranch for a couple days before Christmas. This time the Aldrich family made the trip, a first visit for both Mom and Jeff. We had gorgeous weather- the nights were chilly, but thankfully we had a bunkhouse to stay in. With real beds!! The ranch has come a long long way in a couple years time and there are still many changes to come :) We have had some dedicated folks taking care of the ranch while we live so far away...

Dad and Ross getting ready for an evening hunt

Brother!

Heading to the deer blind

Sitting with Ross for his hunt, being very quiet :)

Ross checking out the action at the feeder

Jeff, Mom, Dad, & Ross

Old Barn

The creepy old ranch house on our property.

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Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Love,
The Huebel Family

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Bump at 27 Weeks

It's week 27 and Sprout is the size of a head of cauliflower. Sprout weighs about 2 lbs and is so active inside my belly. I actually let out a noise at work because a little punch caught be so off guard. What? You didn't feel that too??! :)

27 weeks also marks the beginning of the third trimester!! I'm having more trouble bending down and getting up off the couch. Bye bye ab muscles. I've had to really scale back my workouts because I get round ligament pain (ie what supports the belly). I've also had insomnia, which apparently is a common side effect of pregnancy. I wonder when my next decent nights sleep will be?

Feeling full and fat. It happens.

A couple more months until we get to meet Sprout!

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What's missing?

You know what the blog has been missing these days??

Grey.

A certain grey pestie... Miss Roma.

There may be a baby on the way, but Roma's not too worried... she knows she's still going to have a special place in our house. 6 years old and she's ready to be a big sis :)

Love her.

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Carseats and Strollers

Seemingly overnight, we became proud owners of a carseat and a stroller. Hmmm, now we've never done that before. Seeing these baby items in your living room suddenly makes things much more REAL.

Daddy was in charge of putting together the new BOB running stroller.

Chaos in the living room

Roma's doing the final inspection.

Big changes in our house!

(Special thanks to Adam and Danielle for getting us a carseat, the first item purchased from the Sprout registry!!) 

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Dicken's Village

One of my favorite Christmas decorations to put up every year is my Department 56 Dicken's Village. The Village hasn't grown much over the years, except for the accessories: trees, people, lamps, walls, etc. It's amazing what a difference accessories can make.

There's a lady selling pies...

Sleigh Rides.

There's some guys unloading kegs...

... probably for these guys :)

What's your favorite Christmas decoration??

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Bump at 26 weeks

It's week 26 and Sprout is the length of a zucchini. I guess the pregnancy tracker couldn't come up with a fruit or veggie the size of Sprout so they went with length instead. I've really been feeling baby move around, especially at bedtime. Sometimes the "thumps" are so big that I look around thinking, "Did anyone else feel that??" It's kinda like a little earthquake tremor... that only you feel and other people look at you like you're crazy.

I'm going to have a cold belly this winter because none of my jackets will close now!

On another note, Ross and I just passed our "Living in Alaska 3 year Anniversary." Time flies!

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Grasshopper Brownies

My childhood friend Julia had a pretty fun house to play when we were young. There was a basement (with a crawlspace!) and she had allllll the Disney movies. From slumber parties over at the Dambaugh's, I realized I didn't like maple syrup and that I absolutely loved grasshopper bars. I looked online for a suitable replica and I found this recipe. Now, it's not going to be the easiest thing that you bake, but it'll be worth it in the end. The key is waiting for the bottom brownie layer to cool adequately before topping with the Creme de Menthe Buttercream and then waiting for that layer to chill before adding the top ganache layer.

Look how pretty!

Oh and yes, Sprout likes Creme de Menthe.

Here's the Blog I got the recipe: The Great Cake Company
GRASSHOPPER BARS   
Recipe adapted from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito 
Makes 12 large or 24 small brownies
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FOR THE BROWNIE BASE
3/4 cus all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa powder
5 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60 - 72%), coarsely chopped
1/2 cu (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 
3 large eggs, room temperature 
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method 

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9-by-13-inch pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder. 

Configure a large size double boiler. Place the chocolate and the butter in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined. Remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.

Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey. 

Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (do not use a whisk) fold the dry ingredients into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with an offset spatula, and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. The brownies should be just a tad underdone (not too gooey, but ideally, just 1 minute from being cooked through completely). A toothpick inserted into the brownies at an angle should contain a few loose crumbs. Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool completely while you make the creme de menthe filling.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM 
3/4 cups sugar 
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup whole milk 
2 tablespoons heavy cream 
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubes 
3 tablespoons Creme de Menthe 
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Method 

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until filling is light and fluffy.

Add the Creme de Menthe and peppermint extract and mix until combined. If the filling is too soft, chill slightly in the refrigerator and then mix again until it is the proper consistency.

If the filling is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and re-mix to proper consistency. Spread the filling evenly across the top of the brownie layer and place the pan in the refrigerator, for a minimum of 45 minutes, while you make the chocolate glaze.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE  
6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped 
1 teaspoon light corn syrup 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes  

Method 

In a large non-reactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir vigorously for 1 minute to release excess heat.  

Pour the mixture over the chilled Creme de Menthe layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Place the pan back in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the glaze hardens. 

Remove the pan from the refrigerator, wait about 15 minutes for the glaze to soften slightly, and cut the bars with a warm knife. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

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Thanksgiving Pictures

We went over to our neighbors house for a lively Thanksgiving Day meal. There were 4 fried turkeys, cornbread stuffing, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, 2 mac & cheese, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, delicious rolls, and lots of pies. Delicious!

The turkey legs were my Sprouts' fav

Ross's smorgasbord 

Our neighbor, Darren, used to play ice hockey in college. So naturally he had to build his kiddos a huge ice rink in the backyard. Pretty impressive and so popular with the kids!

I made sweet potato pie for the first time after hearing an NPR sweet potato pie story. I used the NPR recipe and it was a hit. Move over pumpkin pie, sweet potato is the new IT pie :)

So much to be thankful for this year!

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Just Because Flowers

Ross surprised me last week with "Just Because" flowers...

From a florist, already arranged, in a vase!!

It was such a nice, unexpected treat :)

I wonder if his book, "Daddy's Pregnant Too", told him to do something nice for me? I'm not complaining either way, I'm just happy to be the recipient!! Something bright a cheery is especially nice when the weather outside is foggy, cold, and wet.

I'm ready for this winter solstice business to be over and we start getting more light again. Come on December 21st!!

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Mom's here!

Mom just arrived!

Too much talking, no blog tonight :)

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Bump at 24 & 25 weeks

I'm 6+ months pregnant now and sprout is really growing. I frequently feel baby moving around in my belly (aka "dance parties").  There are good days where I almost forget about the belly, but there are bad days where I can't comfortably work out and I have lots of cramps. I think that's about standard, but it's a scary new world for a first time momma.

Week 24: Sprout is the size of a corn on the cob

Week 25: Sprout is the size of a acorn squash

Sprout weighs over a pound now and my uterus is the size of a soccer ball. It all sounds crazy, I'm with you!

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