Charming Chili

With Winter Fest right around the corner, we decided to take a leap of faith and enter the chili cook-off. We were there last year and figured we make chili all the time. Why not? Of course, we have no illusions of winning the contest, but figure if we never try, then we'll go through wishing we had. Plus, N came up with a killer name, F's Charming Chili. How can you not love that?

Either way, we ran into a bit of a dilemma that was as usual of my own neurotic creation. You are supposed to bring the entries to the rec center in a crock pot so they can keep it warm. We have one, but it's huge, and I thought it would be better to have a smaller one, maybe a gallon size, if such a thing exists. This initiated a mad scramble to locate a crock pot, or at least a small one.

Our good friends the H's had one, but there might have been a conflict of interest because DH might have wanted to enter the contest, as well. When we found out he wasn't, we rushed over and picked it up, only to find that it wasn't that much smaller than ours. I couldn't make a stink about it, so I thanked them and took it home, but if it turns out to be the same size, it'll be simpler just to use ours.

Why do I always have to make life so complicated? I should have just shut up and used our crock pot, but the thing is massive. Oh well, what are you going to do?

If life was so simple, it'd be boring as heck, wouldn't it?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Seeing Friends and Neighbors on the Trails

We've probably done more XC skiing in the past month than we've done since we've lived here, and it's been a lot of fun. We get a good workout, spend quality time together in the great outdoors, and best of all, have lots of fun. I'm amazed how much the kids enjoy it because it can be hard work at times. Then again, we take lots of breaks. We've even gone out in virtual white-out storms, and were unfazed by the daunting nature of the elements, but such is the way in New England.

They got a new groomer for the trails, and it is amazing. It makes a big difference having beautifully coiffed snow, and inspires us that much more to get out there. Plus, since the trails are so close by, we usually see our friends and neighbors out there. It's just the thing to do out here. When it snows, you either go for a walk or ski the trails. Plus we have the big Winter fest coming up, and factor in some ice skating and Alpine skiing now and then (more now than then, of course), and you have the makings of a great Winter.

Speaking of Winter Fest, we're toying with the idea of entering our chili in the big chili cook-off, but stay tuned for more on that.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Skiing at Suicide Six

We finally broke out of our routines and skied a new mountain. Since we began, our skiing has been limited to two ski hills, Quechee and the Skiway. I like both mountains a lot, but felt like we should at least try other hills. The one that kept coming up was Suicide Six, which isn’t the most endearing name for a ski hill, but a lot of people we know go there.

The hill is in Woodstock, which meant it was close by. I’d heard it was small and manageable, which is good, and we could do a half day with minimal amounts of pain. The only problem was that we had piano/drums at 4:30, and the we generally like to ski until the mountain closes, which is 4:00. In other words, here we go again.

Going to a new ski hill is always an adventure, because you have to figure things out and get to know the inner workings of the mountain (i.e., where to get tickets, how much, where to score hot cocoa). Plus, the terrain is all new, so it becomes a bit of an adventure, and you know how I feel about that.

We got there just as half-day tickets were on sale, and who should pull in than none other than our good friends the H’s. Both C&SH had lessons planned, so we were starting off on a good foot by having at least one friend there. It turns out that it was also Waldorf day, so we knew many people there. In fact, I saw people I hadn’t seen in years, including YKW, but that’s another story.

The hill was basically empty, but we also were faced with conundrum #2 - they only had double chairs, and not triple or quads. This meant that one of us was going to have to ride the chair up alone, and that person was going to have to be A. She had reservations at first, but I knew she could do it. I figured I could ask a random adult to ride up with her at the chair. She was not thrilled with this idea, but it was either that or wait for me at the bottom while I skied with N.

Well, as luck would have it, the first person I asked happened to be none other than DJ, her old horse riding teacher. She was happy to see N, and gladly went up with her, though I told her to practice operating the safety bar on her own. She was fine.

The hill itself was more challenging with Quechee, but about the same size. Also, it was not as well groomed, which meant that we had to be a little more careful darting down the hill. The runs were fun, though, and we all had a blast. Since the hill is small, and the chair is fast, we got to take a lot of runs, though we got lost a lot at first. The trails are not clearly marked, and the map is not really to scale, so we didn’t know where we were going at first.

What this means is that we ended up on runs that we had not intended to ski, and sometimes this can spell disaster. Both A and N ended up on black diamonds, though to their credit, they managed to make it down the hill. In fact, A skied a double black diamond, which is super-advanced, and she got down, though she was a bit traumatized by the whole experience. Can’t say I blame her.

There were several runs with lots of moguls, which I am not a huge fan of but can tolerate, except that these bumps were covered with about a foot of fresh powder. This made skiing them extremely difficult, at least for me. One expert run in particular was called Show-off, and for whatever reason, N and I gave it a go. I fell about twenty times, and just to add to the fun is the fact that the trail runs directly below the chair lift, so everyone can watch. This included friends who I haven’t seen in years. How embarassing. To add to the drama, N kept egging me on to do it again, but I chickened out. I regret this, however, and we plan on going back and conquering our nemesis.

The hill got crowded at some point because the school group had arrived, but since the chair moves so quickly, it was never a problem. We had lots of fun, and it was nice seeing old friends. We crossed paths with YKW, and I don’t think the kids even recognized each other.

We had to leave a few minutes before closing because we had to get back to town for piano/drum lessons. This meant getting to the lodge, quickly changing, and getting into the car and hitting the road. We had to take our cocoas on the road, and of course I got a little stressed and snapped a little at the kids. My bad.

We pulled it off, came home and whipped together supper, which I had prepared the day before and simply had to heat up. How’s that for foresight? The kids said that Suicide Six was their new favorite ski hill, but that could mean that they were just thrilled to try a new place. I think we’ll go back this week, however, because that one trail is beckoning us.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Max Peter for the pic.

Winter Wonderland

Wow, we got another storm, making it a stellar Winter thus far, and hopefully there’s more to come. With all the white stuff that we’re getting, one might be inclined to ask if that’s enough already. To that I would answer, keep it coming, at least for now.

I admit in the past that I’ve run into times where the snow was unrelenting and I found pining for some level of respite from the onslaught, but I’ve not reached that point. Either that, or my level of tolerance has risen even more. Whatever be the case, we had a really nice day just hanging out by the fire. Eventually I had to venture out and do some shoveling, and it was at that point that it really sunk in how much snow we’d gotten. It took quite a bit of effort to dig the cars out, and I didn’t even get around to finishing the walk or the path to the wood.

That’s because at some point ,the trails were calling for us, so we suited up, broke out the XC skis, and hit the trails. It was amazing, literally a Winter wonderland, and the snow kept falling. The trail had not been groomed yet, so the snow was pretty deep, but that didn’t stop us from blazing a trail. It’s so peaceful and quiet in the woods when it snows, it’s really beautiful.

The kids did a great job, and we had a great time, not to mention got some serious exercise. We headed home, got the fire going, and then made pizzas for supper, trying out our new white whole wheat flour. We had a dinner picnic around the stove, capping a really nice day.

Today I’d like to try to do some Alpine skiing, and we’ve set our sights on a new hill, but we’ll see how that goes. Truth be told, I’d like to ski today and tomorrow, but that may be getting too ambitious.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

More Bagel Insight

In the quest to make really killer bagels, we’re pulling out all the stops and trying all we can. We’ve tweaked our recipe a dozen times, and they seem to come out good, but not great. It could be possible that making a great bagel is just not within our capabilities, but that won’t stop us from trying.

The best bagel we’ve made thus far is an all-white flour version. I used just bread flour, sans malt, and it came out nicely. Crisp and firm on the outside, and chewy and delicious on the inside. As close as we’ve gotten to Best Bagels, without the cost and hassle of going to the bakery. We have some issues, however, about eating all that starch. I would prefer to make something that has some whole grain in it, just so we can get some complex carbs in that carb overload.

The problem with whole wheat flour is that it has such a strong taste, you really lose that great bagel flavor. I’ve tried ratios, but at some point it’s not worth it, and you might as well just use all white flour. Recently, however, I gave King Arthur’s White Wheat Flour a try, and it wasn’t bad. It has a lot more fiber than white flour, less than wheat flour, but not as strong a flavor.

It worked pretty well, and we may have found our bagel recipe, for now. It even got the A&N seal of approval, which is all that matters. I still think it’s impossible to make an ethereal bagel like they do at Best Bagel, but for now, these will do. Plus, we love a sense of empowerment, not to mention accomplishment.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Great Karate Classes

We’ve been having great classes the past couple of weeks, and it stems from the higher belts coming and helping out. It also adds an air of legitimacy to the class when higher belts (namely NS and BS) come and take part because they bring their level of skill and knowledge, plus gives the lower belts a chance to spar with a variety of people with experience.

I appreciate the higher belts, namely NS and BS, taking the time to attend. Then again, if it’s something they want to do, then they’ll (hopefully) keep coming back. Besides, BS is on the verge (deservedly so), of getting her black belt, and Master H is really pushing the idea of me getting my black belt by year’s end. I think part of his motivation is to keep his legacy going. That involves getting black belts ready to teach, and the lower belts moving up through the ranks to keep things moving along.

I just wanted to say that we are lucky to have Master H around helping us, because he is the real deal and has some amazing stories to tell. It really is a gift and a privilege. Plus, he really genuinely cares about the class and the art of karate, enough to volunteer his time and effort. That’s not something you find every day, nor is it something to be taken for granted, and we should honor his dedication with a commitment of our own.

That said, I feel like A and I need to practice more. It doesn’t take a lot of time each day, and A is such a quick learner, not to mention an enthusiastic student. It is really a question of me showing more due diligence, especially in light of making that big leap to black belt. It is weighing on my mind.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Failing the Jeans Test

Nine out of ten people will tell you that it is a grave mistake thinking that low glycemic sweeteners are also low caloric. Case in point, our low glycemic cookies and brownies. Using a healthier sweetener has given me a false sense of security, and as a consequence, I’ve been eating them with reckless abandon.

While my serum glucose levels may be more stable, other areas have experienced a marked rise, namely in girth. In other words, my jeans are getting way too snug. Oh well, maybe it’s just the inevitable consequence of cruising into mid-life (crisis?).

The question is, do I give in and accept my corpulent fate, or do I do something about it? I’ll have to think about that one while I have another cookie.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to dominik krebs for the pic.