This past Sunday, August 9 was mine and Ninja’s 16th wedding anniversary. We got married 08. 09. 10. Yes we did that on purpose and yes, it was so that I would always remember the date lol I suck at that stuff!
We got married on a Monday at Spirit Ridge in Osoyoos, BC. Our intention was to spend the weekend introducing all of our family and friends to our new home. We had just moved from Winnipeg to Penticton a year prior and we were so excited to show off the Okanagan Valley to all of our guests. Back then, I didn’t even bother looking at the weather because August in Osoyoos was always… Beautiful and hot! Always. In fact, growing up in Winnipeg and watching the weather station every day, I saw the hotspot and almost every day it was Osoyoos and I thought, one day! When the day finally came, it rained. No I’m sorry it didn’t rain, there was a torrential downpour! A red alert storm watch… the entire weekend! Our stunning outdoor vineyard wedding got moved inside to the generic conference room! Yay!
These days, I don’t know if I would plan a wedding in August in the Valley because these days our summers are inundated with wildfires and smoke.
Oh what I wouldn’t give for that rain now!
This weekend, one of the fastest moving wildfires in my province’s history took place in the town next to us. To be honest, I don’t even look at Summerland as a separate town. The first organization I got involved with here in Penticton was DPAC which is the District Parental Advisory Committee and it looks after the entire school district 67, which includes Summerland. Our students are connected, our teachers move from Summerland schools to Penticton schools regularly, our bands share music, my therapist lives in Summerland lol and so does my maternal extended family. We have a bike path between our city and their town so people can ride their bikes to work between the communities. SBean just took a musical theatre camp in Summerland last week and I commented on how it’s such a cute town and we need to spend more time there. Ugh.
This weekend was a busy one! It was Peachfest, which is Penticton’s busiest week of the whole year. We usually welcome 10,000-15,000 tourists to the festival between our 2 lakes. I don’t think the parade has been cancelled in the 79 years that the Penticton Peachfest has been running! Until this year. This was also a busy weekend for us because my Sis and her family came home early from their holidays to hang out with us and our visitors, Ninja‘s Bro from Edmonton and his Sis and JQ from Winnipeg. I saved up my energy and all my spoons for this week! On Friday night, we planned a full evening in Kelowna! We planned to check out Meet Me on Bernard, a walk down Lakeshore, ice cream, drinks, and fun with all the families. When I woke up on Friday, the smoke and heat was too much for me. I decided to save my spoons for the Peachfest parade, rides, and the show on Saturday. As Ninja was driving to Kelowna on Friday evening, he texted me, “hey, looks like there’s a bit of smoke in Summerland. Is there a new fire?” I quickly jumped on our BC Wildfire app, which is super handy and replied, “yes! It looks like one just started 5 minutes ago. Good eye.“ Within 50 minutes that little plume of smoke turned into 1000 ha and by that evening it was at 5000. I sat at home by myself thinking the worst. By the time, Ninja, the Kids, and the rest of the family were home, half of Summerland and the nearby communities had been evacuated. A few hours later the entire town of over 12,000 people, were evacuated to Penticton.
We are still in the middle of it as I write this, but I am feeling, OK. I’m blown away by the support and care that my community has provided for all the people that have been put on evacuation. It has been mind blowing to see how our community has come together! The love in the air is almost as thick as the smoke. If there’s one thing that I can say about this awful disaster is that when the going gets tough, British Columbians pull together.
On Sunday, we woke up to a glow of orange streaming through our windows. It was almost romantic lol. At 6:30 in the morning before all of the firey reality set in for the day, we celebrated our 16th anniversary by exchanging traditional gifts of wax in the form of, candles. A romantic candle from a Canadian business for me and a manly cement candle featuring the scent of the ocean for my Ninja.
And then he was off! For HBear’s graduation we got her 2 tickets for her and her boyfriend to see their favourite band in Vancouver, on August 9. Ninja and his Sis took them to Vancouver while SBean and I held down the fort. It was an interesting way to celebrate our anniversary, but I’m not worried, we have our entire lives and honestly, I celebrate being married to Ninja, every day. I picked a man who is my best friend who I also think is hot and really if it’s good enough for Taylor, it’s good enough for me! 😉 To celebrate I read a book. I know everybody is SO surprised lol but the surprise is, this book is not a romance! This book was crazy!!!
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M. K Oliver European Author Oh. My. Goodness. This book is FUNNY, if you like dry British humour, which I definitely do! This book begins with a very inconvenient murder. Lalla is prepping for her 4 year old son’s birthday party at her beautiful, suburban, London home when her previous life takes her by muted surprise. Lalla is an unlikeable character but boy is she funny. She is a mother and a wife that is trying to fulfill roles that don’t quite fit her. She is pragmatic and a problem solver or clinically known as a sociopath, which is why she can power on through her son’s birthday party while a dead body, a body she stabbed 7 times, stiffens in her livingroom. As the story moves along, Lalla’s past catches up to her at the same time her excitement for danger allows her to help a friend remove herself from a violent marriage. I may have found this book to be funny because the alternative is that it made me feel, uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because of Lalla’s (and Nelly‘s) lack of empathy and because she has, be a good person on her to-do list because kindness does not come naturally to her. This book narrates the life of a woman that doesn’t feel emotion, but has learned to perform the societal norms. Lalla is so foreign to me that I was shocked at many times, for example where I saw the Toyota as evidence that she would feel guilt and show remorse, she saw it as an example of hated seaside vacations and unclean people. What??? lol The thing with Lalla is that she does whatever she wants with no thought to feelings or consequences. To be honest this book just got crazier the further I read, this was NOT a relatable book for me so I never knew what was coming next. I really don’t know what to say, I have never read a book with a character like Lalla or met anyone like her in real life either. It was funny, eye opening, and not at all a guide to a successful marriage lol! That ending! Wow!
SBean is 13 going on 25. She lives WAY beyond her means because she doesn’t have means. She collects money on birthdays and good report cards but that is usually spent before she can even put it into her wallet. SBean likes STUFF. Expensive stuff. Over the summer, she has applied at a few places, but her age is a sticking point for most places. Of course, I have suggested the library as HBear has loved being a student page over the years and is growing out of that role so I know there’s going to be a position available lol but SBean likes to forge her own path. So, I hired her to be my executive assistant this summer. We started with baking for Harry Potter lol. She stocked the freezer with some baked goods and each time she finished a recipe, we rented her the Harry Potter movie that coincided with the book that she just finished. Win-win! These are the yummy August treats that she made for us.
HBear asked for anything with coconut in it and these Samoa Brownies not only had coconut in them, but they also had chocolate and caramel sauce too! These are rich chocolate brownies topped with a coconut/caramel topping drizzled with chocolate sauce. Sweet? Absolutely! Delicious? Mmmmm oh yeah!
Now that the Kids are older and constantly asking me for Starbucks money, I figured it’s perfect opportunity to introduce coffee and espresso into our favourite baked items. Like these Mocha Muffins With Chocolate Chips take our favourite chocolate chip muffins and boost them to an elevated status using a dark roast coffee to enhance the flavour. And if you have young kids that aren’t into the taste of coffee quite yet, you can just say that they’re Mommy‘s muffins lol!
One of my favourite things that SBean baked recently was this Jam Doughnut Focaccia. Everybody else found it pretty “bready” but I reminded everyone, it’s literally focaccia bread! I am a big fan of biscuits and jam and bread and jam and toast and jam lol it was a go to snack for me growing up, as a teenager, as a poor student, and even now. I really loved this treat that was chewy and savoury with pockets of delicious Summerland Sweets raspberry jam. Perfection!
Another fabulous treat were these super easy Dilly Bars. I’m not sure what makes them dilly, maybe that’s short for delicious lol because they are. These are chocolate peanut butter rice crispy squares. Yeah. You’re welcome!
HBear loves Nutella. SBean loves Cool Whip. Put them together and what do you got? Nutella Popsicles. I don’t think these popsicles lasted the day! These are creamy chocolate Revel like popsicles that were super good. We can’t wait to make them again.
I had a few bananas that were turning and SBean didn’t want to make our usual banana loaf so she made these Soft & Chewy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies instead. We all thanked her. We love our banana bread, but this was a twist on it that included chocolate chips and big soft chewy cookies. Absolutely delicious!
Samoa Brownies
16
servings15
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened coconut, shredded
1 cup caramel sauce
2 tablespoons chocolate sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in sugar and brown sugar until well combined.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then whisk in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs.
While the brownies are baking, combine shredded coconut and caramel sauce in a bowl. Mix until the coconut is fully coated.
After the brownies have cooled slightly, spread the coconut-caramel mixture evenly over the top. Place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes to allow the topping to set.
Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the coconut topping. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before lifting them out.
Mocha Muffins With Chocolate Chips
15
servings10
minutes18
minutesIngredients
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
½ cup butter, melted
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup milk
¼ cup strong brewed coffee
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉.
In a large bowl add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir to combine and set aside.
In a separate bowl add eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, yogurt, milk, coffee and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently to combine, don't overmix.
Add chocolate chips to the mixture and stir gently until just combined.
Place muffin liners into a muffin tray and scoop batter into the liners. Fill to ¾ way full for 15 high top bakery style muffins, or a little less for 18 small muffins.
Place in oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Tops should be firm but slightly springy to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Jam Doughnut Focaccia
12
servings30
minutes2
hours25
minutesIngredients
1 3/4 cups warm water, 105-115°F
2 teaspoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
2 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar raspberry jam
Directions
In a stand mixer bowl, combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle in active dry yeast, whisk gently, and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Attach the dough hook and gradually add bread flour, AP flour, and salt. Mix on low speed until sticky dough forms, about 3-5 minutes.
Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise for about 1 hour until doubled.
Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan generously with olive oil.
Transfer the risen dough to the greased pan, fold and knead lightly, cover, and let it rise again for another hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Poke deep dimples into the dough and spread raspberry preserves on top.
Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown, then remove and poke additional holes, filling them with more jam. Cut into squares.
Dilly Bars
24
servings20
minutes10
minutesIngredients
¼ cup butter
2 cups chocolate chips
1½ cups crunchy peanut butter
16 oz marshmallows, large or small
4-5 cups Rice Krispie cereal
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Using the cut ¼ cup of butter, lightly grease the bottom, edges, and corners of a 9x13 pan then it set aside.
In a large microwave safe mixing bowl, microwave remaining butter for about 1 minute or until melted.
Add the chocolate chips. Place the melted butter and chocolate chips into the microwave and heat for 20-seconds. Remove the bowl and stir vigorously for 10 seconds Repeat the 20-second heat followed by stirring until your chocolate chips are melted (about 2 minutes total).
Once the butter and chocolate are fully melted, stir in the peanut butter. Add the marshmallows. Heat the marshmallows in the microwave for 20-seconds. Remove the bowl and stir vigorously for 10 seconds. Repeat the 20-second heat followed by stirring until your marshmallows are melted (about 2 minutes).
Add in 4 cups of Rice Krispies and salt then stir until combined, you can use your hands to fully coat all of the cereal. If the mixture looks a little wet, add in some of the additional cup of Rice Krispies until it looks right for you.
Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. Smooth the mixture into the corners of the pans, pressing it flat and even. Put in fridge for at least 1 hour.
Soft & Chewy Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
4
servings10
minutes12
minutesIngredients
2 overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, and mashed banana. Mix to combine.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Mix well.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover and set aside for about 15 minutes.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F. Scoop out 1 oz dough balls, placing them about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. The dough will be a little wet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies have puffed up, but the middles are still underbaked.
Thank you to The Cottage Market for featuring my July Reads & Arugula post at their Morning Cup of Joe Linky Party last week.
What. A. Week. The kids hit up Peachfest, they took my SIL and JQ to Naramata to go paddleboarding and kayaking, My BIL came for a visit, Ninja went golfing with his dad and brother, the Maiers met up with the Hacheys in Kelowna for a night of fun on Bernard, And then the Summerland fire broke out, and we hunkered down.
We are safe but are devastated for all our friends and family in our neighbouring communities that have been evacuated, lost their homes, and/or lost their businesses over the past 3 days. It has been heartbreaking to watch, but also extremely heartwarming to see how quickly my community pull together. Lots of big feelings this week that’s for sure!
