Peppermint Blondie Brownies

It's no secret that I looooove peppermint. It's pretty much my favorite sweet flavor, next to chocolate (after that comes caramel...just in case you were wondering, which I'm sure you were.).  York peppermint patties, white chocolate peppermint anything, candy canes, Grasshopper Pie, and peppermint salt water taffy...mmmm, yes...come to Mama.

So great is my love for peppermint, that as child I'm pretty sure I wanted to marry Mr. Mint from Candyland and live with him in the Peppermint Forest. 

When Hershey's introduced their Candy Cane Kisses, "At Last" by Etta James played and I went weak in the knees at my first bite.

You get the picture. I love me some Mint!

So when I saw these lovely creatures flirting up at me from holiday baking section at my grocery store, I knew that I had to take them home and make something yummy out of them.

I started brainstorming and suddenly remembered that when I was a mini baker in the making my mom and I would occasionally whip up a batch of Zebra Bars. Zebra Bars are basically blondies and a brownies layered on top of each other.

Light bulbs started flashing! Why not take that combo and, if you'll pardon the old Emeril Lagasse expression, kick it up a notch?!

Just like that, Blam! Peppermint Blondie Brownies were born.

Just looking those baby blondies in the making!

A vaquero on a vanilla bottle?! Oh Mexican Vanilla, you're too awesome! Also you know that you're a foodie when a friend bring you back a bottle of vanilla as a souvenir from their recent trip to Mexico.

After much deliberation I decided to add the regular Andes bits to the blondie batter. My reasoning was I thought it would be a better contrast. I was afraid that since they're mostly chocolate, they would melt into the brownie batter and you wouldn't be able to see them.

First layer done...boom.

Now we have baby brownies in the making!

Mmmm...homemade brownie batter...do you know how much self control it takes not to attack this bowl of amazing-ness with a spoon?! 

Adding the peppermint bits...Must. Control. Inner. Cookie. Monster.

Houston, we have the second layer on.

Baked! Look at that prettiness.

Just look at that cross section! 

These little guys turned out to be all I hoped and dreamed. Soft, slightly gooey, chocolaty and oh so minty. They made me a very happy Manda, indeed.

Peppermint Blondie Brownies

Makes (2) 13x9 pans. Perfect for taking one pan to a cookie exchange, and keeping the other one all to yourself...not that I did that.

Blondie Layer

1c. butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bag of Andes baking bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 13x9 baking pans. Cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in Andes bits until well combined. Divide dough in half and spread each half into the prepared pans.

Brownie Layer (adapted from Nestle's Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe)

1 2/3 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. water

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips

With a whisk, combine butter, sugar and water. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt over butter mixture. Mix together until all ingredients are well combined.

Using a spatula fold in peppermint chips. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Spread brownie batter over blondie dough. 

Bake each pan for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares. 

Each pan should make about 24 bars.

Apple Butterscotch Bars

Fall is the official start to baking season in my book. It's finally cool enough to start up the oven, and some of the best ingredients are back in season. Apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon, oh my! Not to mention all the yummy Halloween candy on the shelves!

To commemorate, I'm sharing with you this tasty little treat I made up today.

I had a few leftover apples from my parents apple trees that needed to be used up. There weren't really enough to make a pie (nor was I really in the mood to put forth the effort to make a pie) so I thought "Hmm, maybe I'll try to make some bar cookies with them..."

Of course, simply throwing some chopped apples into the batter was a little too Plain Jane for me. So I decided to add some cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and butterscotch chips.

To finish it off, I sprinkled on some sliced almonds and fall decorating sugar for a little crunch.

The result? A buttery, cinnamon-y bar cookie loaded with chunks of apple and creamy, butterscotch-ie goodness. They're perfect with a cup of chai, mug of coffee, or all by themselves as you run out the door for work... What? Like you've never eaten cookies for breakfast... ;)

Apple Butterscotch Bars

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. apples, finely chopped
1 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. sliced almonds
Decorating sugar, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13 x 9 baking pan. In a medium bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture until all the flour is combined. Fold in apples and butterscotch chips. Spread dough evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with almonds and sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Thankful Thursdays... Summer Edition

Music:

 Slumber by Needtobreathe

  Hoity Toity by Flatfoot 56

Never Be The Same by Red

Summer is over, so that means I'm back!

And hopefully, back to blogging a bit more consistently.

To celebrate, I thought I would kick it off with a Thankful Thursday.

Why?

Well, this past weekend I attended a ladies retreat, and there we talked about how joy and thankfulness go hand in hand. This got me thinking about all the "thankful" posts I have written, and how I've neglected writing any for a while.

I said to myself "Manda Rae (yes, I call myself by my middle name sometimes), you need to start those posts up again, and pronto, missy!"

So thanks to internal pep talk, here you are, a summer themed Thankful Thursday post.

1. My Tumblr Twin Matty and her friend (now my friend) Sarah drove 10 hours and across the Canadian/US border just so we could meet face to face. We laughed. We stayed up until 2:00 am fangirling over Doctor Who, Marvel, the Whedonverse, and Tom Hiddleston. We trecked across snow fields in Glacier. We drank coffee and ate way too much. It. Was. Awesome. 

(A Captivating Canadian and a Miniature Montanan Moose) 

Photo credit: Matty 

  (Dean and Cas)

(Moose Girls)

Photo credit: Sarah

2. I had the chance to hike three new trails.

 (Howe Lake)

 (John's Lake)

(Red Rock Falls)

3. I GOT TO SEE NEEDTOBREATHE AGAIN AFTER 7 YEARS. I KNOW THAT I'M SHOUTING, BUT I CAN'T HELP SHOUTING ABOUT MY BOYS.

 (My boys!!!)

 (So amazing...)

 (No really, seriously amazing...)

(Just...gaaaaahh!! There are no words to describe how amazing they are.)

4. Camping at Dickey Lake with my second family.

5. A fast and furious road trip to Wyoming with Chelsey to see Miss Hannah become Mrs. Hannah.

These are just a few of the wonderful things things that happened over the summer, but rather than bore you to tears, I thought I would just stop at five. You are welcome.

It was a fantastic summer filled with adventure, friends (both old and new), quiet moments, and musical greatness.

 .

I can honestly say that I'm thankful for every minute of it.

- Manda

A Sweet Fragrance...

I love smelling stuff.

Does that seem weird?

Maybe, but as my eighth grade self would say under her breath, constantly,"Whatever."

I love the fragrance of changing seasons.

The scent of something that reminds me of a loved one.

Smells are extremely personal. What smells lovely to one person, might seem mundane to another.

Why? Because scents are tied to our memories. Linked to wonderful times spent with certain people.

Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden and CK One whiplash me right back junior high and high school.

(Source: Me!)

Freshly split larch, Old Spice deodorant, and 2-Stroke oil make me smile and feel safe because they remind me of my Dad.

Source: Betty Crocker

Vanilla perfume, eucalyptus leaves, and gooey chocolate chip cookies remind me of my Mom and hugs before bedtime.

Source: Parade Magazine

Huckleberry baked goods and white chocolate lattes say my bestie and Saturday coffee dates.

SciFi books (I don't know why, but they smell the best), and the ocean say my Little Brother, nerdy chats and crazy roadtrips.

Source: elorablue.tumblr.com

Pine needles and hazelnut flavored coffee say my Middle Brother and helping me to learn to enjoy the great outdoors.

Source: Bart Ceuppens

Baby poplar leaves, wet bark, wildflowers, rain, Cadbury eggs, and mud puddles sing out Spring.

Source: plumdeluxe.com

Wild roses, sulfur from fireworks, fresh cut grass, lake water, raspberries, cold brewed coffee, and campfires shout Summer.

Source: seasonal-love.tumblr.com

Dying leaves, Oregon Grape berries, cinnamon, apples, wood stove smoke, the Halloween candy aisle at Target, and damp cedar sigh Autumn.

Source: seasonal-love.tumblr.com

Balsam branches, peppermint extract, the grey scent of fresh snow, nutmeg kissed egg nog, the wet dog smell coming from soaked mittens, and the air surrounding cold, rosy cheeks that have been out building a snow castle whisper Winter.

All these scents never fail to bring a grin to my face and a well worn, well loved memory to my mind.

What about you? 

What are some of your favorite smells?

Losing Weight is Weird... Part 2

As I said repeatedly in my last post, losing weight is a strange thing that I wasn't really prepared to deal with emotionally. Please, know that I'm not in mental anguish or I'm ready to throw in the towel. No ma'am/sir! I'm now officially over halfway done with my goal to lose 100 pounds. It may take the rest of this year and part of next, but I'm pushing forward!

It's just that turning around my eating and physical activity habits is a huge life event. It's like any major life event like college, starting a new relationship, marriage, having a child, or moving out of state. You can do all the mental preparation, read all the latest articles, and have all the peer advice jam sessions you want, but until that event actually happens, you have no idea what it's really like.

Another strange thing, but a very good strange (well, for the most part) is the sheer number of people I've had cheering me on. My nearest and dearest have been there for me every step of the way (sometimes literally). They're my very own cheer squad. I love these crazies.

Even curiouser is people I know, but don't interact with much, or the people I only see on a professional basis coming up to me saying "You look great!" "I saw you out walking on the bike path! Good for you!"

It's crazy! I had somebody tell me the other day that I've inspired them...

Me?! Inspiring?! Really? I don't think so...

Sometimes...okay a lot of the time I struggle with what to say in response because it takes me by surprise. I don't want to seem full of myself (Yeaaaaahhh, I am pretty great. No big deal. *Wink, wink, finger guns* Go me! Wanna join Team Manda? We're on the path to amazingness!)

So my response is typically sheepish laughter followed a lame "Oh...thanks! Uuumm, yep, I'm working on it..."

The only not so positive, but not necessarily bad reaction is from what I like to call the "non-believers". Here's a typical conversation with a "non-believer" (NB)

NB: "Hey! Look at you! You look great. You've lost some weight... a lot of weight!"

Me: *cue nervous laughter* "Hahahahaha...uuumm, yeah."

NB: "Well, what's your secret? What are you doing? Are you on a diet plan? Taking any supplements?"

Me: "Nope, just eating less/better and moving more." *sheepish grin*

NB:  *crickets*

Me: *more sheepish grins*

NB: *blank stare* "Really?"

Me: "Yep!"

NB: "Really?"

Me: "Yeah!"

NB: *confusion/skepticism creeping across face* "That's it?"

Me: "Yep. I'm taking it slow and steady, but it's working for me."

NB: "Huh."

Me: (needing to wrap this convo up cuz we've officially entered Awkward Town) "Okay, well good seeing you! Take luck! Bu-bye!" (high tales it out of there.)

(Oh haaaiii, Tom!)

NB: *still standing there* "Huh."

I think the NB is so confused because as a society we're always looking for the new, the interesting, the exotic, the edgy, or the instant. We love things that promise us "Lose 5 inches and 5 pounds in 5 days. Just samba the pounds away with our dance videos and take these cucumboji berry leaf tincture supplements." or "GET RIPPED IN 90 DAYS WITH THIS NEW 'CRAY CRAY TOWN MAKE YOU REGRET THAT CALZONE YOU HAD FOR LUNCH BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT TO COME BACK UP' WORKOUT REGIME!!!! YEAH!!!" *cue guitar shredding, orange, greasy abs, and pyrotechnics*

I get it. It's exciting. We like trying new things, but when it comes to sustaining that latest workout craze, it gets "real hard, real fast". So we find the next new fad, the next weight loss tea, the next ex-Marine drill sergeant turned fitness guru to scream at us, and on and on it goes.

I think that's why when you tell someone, "Yes, I'm taking it slow. Yes, I'm steadily building up my tolerance. Yes, it's taken me a year to get to this point, but it's working." it kinda baffles the heck out of them.

Now, I'll stop for here for a quick sec. I know everyone is different, and if you've found something that works for you, something that gets you excited for healthy living, as long as it's it truly safe (no living on 500 calories a day, please. That is not safe.), and is good for your body, you do you. If you love to dance when working out, you embrace that little inner salsa queen and samba your heart out (yes, I get those are two different dances. Just roll with me.). I have friends that thrive on fitness boot camps. Those intense workouts work for them. They're rock stars in my book. If juicing or herbal supplements are your thing, get it, guuuurrlll/boooooyyy. Again, as long as it's safe. Please check with your doctor/healthcare professional.

So gain, for me, "everything in moderation" is what's working. Slow and steady is what's winning my fitness race. As most of you know, I started out with very short distances (less than half a mile), and have worked up to being able to walk 3 miles 4-5 times a week. Two years ago, a hike in Glacier would have been out of question. I seriously would not have been able to do it. Today, a friend and I are looking at doing 10 different ones this summer. I'm actually thinking about buying shorts for summer. I haven't worn shorts since... maybe 10th grade. That was 16 years ago! I'm planning on doing another 5k, and I'm going to try to run (!) part of it . I've cut out soda. I've cut out a lot of mindless snacking. I've limited my lattes to one a week. I've cut down on processed foods.

Most importantly though, I give myself grace and forgiveness if I slip up. If I miss a work out, I try not to berate myself, and resolve to do it tomorrow.  I let myself have little treats.

Next week, I'll be on vacation, and you can bet your sweet bibby that I'm going to let myself have ice cream at least once. I will be buying a few pieces chocolate at the Lindt outlet. I may have fries with a meal, but I'm also bringing my walking shoes because my peeps and I are going to walk around some of Minnesota's famous lakes.

Guys, losing weight has been weird. It's been weird because it's turned my world on it's head, forced me out of some very comfortable, but unhealthy safety zones, changed me and quite possibly saved my life.

Manda

P.S. If I could give every single person who've encouraged me a high five and a hug, I would. You're all amazing.

Losing Weight Is Weird... Part 1

 Losing weight is weird. Now, don't get me wrong. It's awesome, but it's weird! My reactions and emotions to it are weird, and other peoples reactions can be strange too. First, we'll get me out of the way (Me, me, me. I sound like Marcia Brady).

I'm going through this crazy mixed bag of emotions right now. Before I started on this journey, I had always imagined that I would be in a constant state of delight and vigilance. There would be no room for anything else. Uuummm...no. It's like crazy town of emotions up in here.

There's sadness. Sadness that I let my health decline for so long.

There's excitement. Excitement that comes from stepping on my ol' frenemy, The Scale, and seeing that my hard work for the week paid off, even if it's just half a pound.

There's fear. Fear of giving up. Fear of gaining back a pound, and oddly enough a bit of fear of my different body.

There's newly discovered confidence. Confidence that yes, I can do this. I can go hiking. I can run for short distances. I can treat myself to a piece or two of chocolate.

There's happiness. Happiness that I can finally fit into that pair of pants that I've been hanging onto for-ever (the only downside is that I no longer like them, but still...).

There's anger. Anger at myself for not starting sooner.

There's astonishment. Astonishment that something as simple as eating better/a little bit less and moving more actually works. Those dang healthcare people actually know what they're talking about!

There's frustration. Frustration when all week I eat really well, workout really hard, and then step onto Monsieur Scale, see that I haven't dropped a single ounce, and in fact have GAINED A POUND.

On and on it goes, and it's just weird. Up and down. Up and down.

Happy/Scared/Motivated/Couch is My Best Friend/Soda is the Devil/Why, yes! I will have whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on that latte!

Emotional roller coaster much? Yeesh. See what I mean? It's so strange...


Next up. Other people's reactions to someone they know losing weight. Stay tuned!

F-book Snark aka "How To Offend At Least One Person"

Hello there!
It's been a few weeks since I've posted. I wish I had some fantastic excuse as to why I haven't posted in a while...

So sorry I've been away, dear chums. Tom, yes, the Tom Hiddleston, invited me to his movie premier, and I just couldn't turn the darling boy down! 

Siiiggghh... Oh! Sorry. Got lost in a day dream there...

All right. I've been thinking. Today is a good day for a bit of snark, and my lucky target for the snark machine is... drum roll, please... Facebook!

Oh, Facebook. I have such a like/hate relationship with you. I like you because you give me the chance see pictures of faraway family and friends. You give me another way to connect with people, and you give me an opportunity for a bit of attention to my little blog.

Lately though, Facebook, you annoy me. Which is why for the month of January, I took a semi-sabbatical from you. I can honestly say that I didn't miss you all that much.

So why the Facebook annoyance? Why the snark towards Facebook? Honestly, it's not Facebook the website's fault. The problem is how people use it.

WARNING. From here on out, I'm pretty sure there's a good chance that I'm going to offend someone. I'm truly sorry, but not sorry enough to stop.

1. "2 Million Likes" posts or as I like to call them the "I Miss Being As Popular As I Was In High School" posts. These post may seem innocent, but they're not. You know the ones. The "If We Get 1 Million Likes Our Parents Will Get Us A Puppy." posts.  No. You should get a puppy because your parents think you're responsible enough to take care of a puppy, not if you get enough "likes". What's really going on is your mom and dad are dying for some attention and fame, and are using their darling children to get it. Which is immature and more than a little disturbing, in my opinion.

2. "Share if (fill in the blank)" posts. "Share if you have the best daughter/son/spouse/dog/wallaby/astronaut in the world" aka "I'm too lazy to type something original on their wall, or tell this person/animal/scientist in person so I'm going to slap up this post that 3 billion other people have already used." Phew. Now to backtrack a bit. I don't mind seeing these every once and a while. Telling the world how awesome your loved ones are is great. I love it. I think it's necessary, but what gets me is when these shared posts are the only time I see people expressing their love for their special ones. Look. Chances are you and this special person have a lot of the same friends, and if you write something as simple as "Hey! I love you and just wanted to tell you how bomb diggity bomb you are! Have fantastic day!" on their wall, most of your Facebook peeps are going to see it too. So there, now the world knows. Better yet, tell them in person, call them, or set up a Skype date. Trust me, this will be way more special to them. Don't let the ease of a sharing a post rob you of the joy of sharing your feelings in a more personal way.

3. Family/friends feuds on Facebook. Three words for this kind of activity. Tacky, unnecessary, and unbearably stupid (I guess that's four.). I have witnessed grown parents arguing with their grown children on this site. Really?! Really?! Grow. Up. If you have a problem with someone, don't you dare spread it on any kind of social media. There is no excuse for that type of behavior. I do not care what the issue is. I don't care if you're 15 or 85. You man/woman up and call or talk face to face to that person personally. If you're the someone that person is verbally vomiting about on Facebook, do not respond to it. Message them, ask them to work it out one on one, and tell them that you will not get into this issue with them on here. There is no need to drag the whole world into it. Also, there is no quicker way to get me to un-friend you than engaging in this kind of crap. Yeesh. Now I'm all sorts of fired up...


Okay, I better stop here. I'm sure I've trampled on more than a few toes, and should cease before I elephant stomp over more.

So, am I done with Facebook? Nooo...not yet. I am trying to spend less time on it. I spend way too much time online as it is, and right now, it's an easy activity to cut back on.

P.S. If I have truly offended you with this post, please let me know. I know that Facebook is very important to a lot of people, and my intent is not to hurt, shame, or make you feel guilty about what you do on your personal page. This was just silly me voicing some silly irritations.

Pursuing passion...

Passion. Not the kind found in bodice popping or tightly laced breeches. Nor in dog-eared romance novels secreted away during teenage years.

Passion. Not loud or vocal. Not evidenced by heated conversations or angry outbursts

Passion. Passion of a different sort. Not physical, but intangible. Excitement for the future. Fear for the future. Worry about the future. Dreams about the future.

Passion. Passion where the only ones who can truly understand are yourself and the Lord.

Passion. Passion where one moment you have giddy thoughts and a stomach housing a whole dorm of excited, girly butterflies. The next your sensible, rational brain is screaming "How in the world do you even think this can happen?! You have no experience in business! You didn't even finish college!"

Passion. Passion in the knowing that things can't and must not stay the same.

Passion full of loud thoughts and quiet dream sessions with close friends and family.

Passion for the future delights of brightening a bad day with a warm chocolate chip cookie. Lighting a grin with a gooey, fudgy brownie. Filling a hungry belly with a raspberry streusel muffin. A sigh of satisfaction at the first foamy sip of a latte. Warming cold, work roughened hands with a mug of Italian roast. Inhaling the scent of cardamom and cinnamon wafting from a cup of chai.

Passion for giving amateur artists the chance for eyes other than their own to see their heart. Listening to the brush of fingers against guitar strings. Over hearing deep conversations. Bursts of laughter from teenage girls having their first of many future coffee klatschs.

Passion for giving people a refuge from a harsh, demanding world for a brief spell.

Passion for a community made up of people from all walks of life and backgrounds.

Passion for waiting however long it takes for a long held vision to become reality.

It's Sassy's One Year Blog-iversary!

Blog-iversary? Blog-day? I don't know. Any who, it's been one year since I started this blog. One year of writing my rambling thoughts, sappy thank you's, pitching and complaining about singleness, and snarkiness in spades. A few people have actually taken the time to read my little blog which blows me away, but also makes me question their sanity... (you guys must be gluttons for punishment.).

In honor of this occasion, I'm going to do a little year in review with pictures. When you're in the middle of a year, it's hard to see all the things that have happened. When that year is over, and you step back and really look at what all happened, it can blow you away. 2013 was a year like I've never experienced. It was a year of tremendous change and growth for me. It was filled with sweet and heartbreaking moments. It was a year of new experiences and breaking shells I had built around myself. It was a year that 5 years down the road, I'll look back, and say "That's when it all changed."

January

My blog baby is born after obsessively reading lots of other blogs and thinking to myself "I wanna try blogging! I think I could that!"

February

My first and only recipe post to date...sorry, about that, guys...

Edamame and friends ;)

March

After telling her I wanted to walk a 5k, my friend Chelsey challenged me to The Coffee Bean Challenge to help me prepare for one in June. This little challenge ignited a fire in me to start getting healthier.

April

Ladies retreat!

Missoula weekend with Winnie, Nikki, and Amber (who played photographer for this pic). Squatchin'!

May

Taking in one of my favorite views at Lake MacDonald.

June

Winnie and I getting ready for our first 5k!

Completion! I owe it all Chelsey, her challenge, and the rest of my loved ones cheering me on.

July

Family vacay to Oregon!

August

Learning how to can from my Mom.

September

Going on my first real hike! Avalanche Lake, I will be back.

My nerdy little reward to myself for meeting my 20lb weight loss goal!

October

Color Me Pink 5k with some of my favorite ladies!

November

Teaching some lovely young ladies the art of baking...

And delivering some of our yummy baked goods to our neighbors...

December

Christmas Tree hunting with my fam. One of my favorite traditions!

It was an amazing, blessed year. I can't wait to see what this one holds. Thanks again for reading. You guys are the best! 

Manda

Blog birthday? Anni-blog-ary? Blog-ary Day........