Simple Syrup Mistake

So... I decided to make some simple syrup, just equal parts sugar and water that you dissolve on the stove and chill to add to drinks later... you know so I could make some old school amaretto sours and stuff and not use nasty sour mix. So I put my sugar water on the stove on low... forgot about it... and went to bed. This is what I woke up to the next day!

I cant believe I didn't burn the house down! I cracked and popped for like two hours after I pulled it off the stove. But I just soaked it all day and it came right off when I got home from work... CRAZY!

Crisp and Chewy Whole Wheat and Honey Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crisp and Chewy Whole Wheat and Honey Sweetened Cookies

(adapted from a Martha Stuart Recipe)

Makes 20

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/2 cups honey (I prefer raw)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (I do half chunks and half mini chips)

1. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

2. Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter and honey with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

3. Using a 2 1/4 inch ice cream scoop (about 3 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden around edges but soft in middle, about 13-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Make Ahead Dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Shipwreck Beach

So I went to Shipwreck Beach... leaving the base at 6 am, knowing the big storm was coming in because I was hoping to find a float... of course I didnt... I am so unlucky when it comes to that... but it was cold, wind, and absolutely beautiful and breath taking... one because the wind was so strong it sucked the air out of my lungs and two... well just see for yourself.

Kona had a great time as well... as always!
Rusty box on the beach... so many textures on this trip
the seagulls were riding the wind currents like crazy... as you can see from the waves the bay was all worked up! it is normally really flat out there and only a tiny break on the shore, sometimes not even braking at all, like the shore of a calm lake...
It felt so epic
Setting the camera down hoping it wouldn't blow away to get a picture of myself!
I. LOVE. JAPAN.

Hakkoda Snowshoe Hike

So we wanted to take out new friends Chris & Kendall to Hakkoda because... well... that place just rocks, but the weather didn't look great for skiing so we decided to snowshoe. We had a great time and snowshoeing ROCKS! and I am glad we did snowshoe because the snow was so bad for skiing, it was crusty up top and slushy down bottom.

The sky was looking kinda intense at the top but it did not phase us!
Chris & Kendall
Derick & I... and his nasty stach... click on the picture... I dare you... its SO gross!
the guys waiting for us... they kept running down the mountain, which is fine, and actually really fun, but whenever Kendall and I tried to run we would get going pretty good and then just fall on our faces...

Of course... right when I put away my camera I found this awesome tree and had to whip it back out!

Self-Portraits

This is what happens when I have a new mirror, a new tri-pod and I am bored!

Bottle Hunting

Once again Kona and I headed up to Rokkasho to look for treasure! This time I was specifically looking for some cool glass bottles for my sisters wedding. She is wanting to put them in groups in the middle of the tables with a few flowers in each to create unique, simple, and interesting centerpieces!

The waves were pretty big and the tide was out! In the first 5 min I found a small glass float which was just the icing on the cake!

Kona was having a great time as always... you can see some snow covered mountains in the background, it was pretty cold, but once I was walking back with all that glass I got pretty sweaty!
Brand new tire with rims... how in the world did that get here? Oh and see that dark patch of sand behind the tire, that is all snow that is covered in sand, so you are just walking honkey dori and all of the sudden you sink into a giant snow patch!
One of the glass bottles in its natural habitat

And here is a picture of all the glass bottles I found on this trip... I carried those all off the beach for three miles by myself! And in the background you can see the sweet mirror I pulled out of the trash! I will post a better picture of the mirror later!

I hope you like them Becca, I will start shipping them home soon!

24 Inches in 24 Hours

Well we had a blizzard and got 24 inches of snow in 24 hours! So after the whole thing I tromped out in nearly waist deep drifts and took nighttime photos with my new tripod!
This is the little car I have been using (belongs to our deployed friend, THANKS MIKE!) buried in snow!
Looking down the street that our street runs into

Night time lamppost
The snow piled up on everything! even the tinyest branches
and Kona pooping in the middle of the street! HA HA HA you go girl!