Buckeye Bark

I lived in Ohio for 10 years.  My favorite Buckeye is the one you eat at Christmastime.  Except rolling the peanut butter ball and dipping and all that, it's kind of a pain and time involved.  Enter Buckeye Bark, it's so much easier.

I got this recipe from another blog a few years ago.  I'd happily give credit where credit is due, but the recipe has been removed and the focus of the blog is completely different.  Thankfully, I'd saved the recipe and not relied on the blogger for future use.

What does this recipe have to do with camping?  Yeah, not a whole lot.  But it's yummy.  And a family favorite.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs of chocolate candy coating, white, dark, or milk
• 1 lbs all natural creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

What to do:

Melt 1.25 lbs of chocolate according to the directions on the package, spread over parchment paper or a silpat lined cookie sheet.  Spread to a large rectangle but not too thin, preferably a 1/4 inch thick.  Place in freezer.  In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, butter, and vanilla until creamy and smooth.  Spread over first chocolate layer.  Return to freezer.  Melt the remaining chocolate and spread over peanut butter layer.  Freeze until set.  Break into small pieces using a butcher knife - get out that frustration with your hacking!  Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.

Day trip to Bronners

Only 49 days until Christmas!! (Ok, I only know because of that sign in Bronners, I don't actually keep count)

Considering my love of lists, surely you know I'm already preparing for Christmas right?  Yes, it's November 6.  I know that.

My kids had school off today for Parent Teacher Conferences.  I work as a substitute teacher at their school, which means we had a free day today.  It occurred to me that we hadn't been to Bronners Christmas Wonderland in a couple years.  I suggested it to the kids this morning and off we went.

Bronners is located in Frankenmuth, Michigan.  It takes a bit over an hour to get there from our house.  A nice day trip ensuring we could get back in time for dinner and Oldest Kid's gymnastics class.  Frankenmuth is a fun town, well known for it's chicken dinners, shopping, and Bronners.  Today, we just stuck to Bronners for time consideration.

You're wondering where the connection to camping is.  I get it.  It's coming.

The world's largest Christmas store is, well, enormous.  According to the trivia card in the Season's Eatings snack shop, the store area for customers is 1.7 acres (7 acres total).  Ornaments are grouped by color, type of food, activity, occupation, animal type, character type, vacation location, life stage, hobby, sport, religion.  You name it, they've got it.  Then there's the area dedicated to trees, nativities, candy, lights, outdoor displays, kids, breakables (well, more breakable than normal ornaments).

They even have a section for camping!  (See, I told you it was coming!).  Santa in a camper.  A 5th wheel, a travel trailer, a pop-up, a tent.  S'mores.  S'mores doing things.  Actually, there were lots of s'mores ornaments all over the store to coincide with the theme of the display was.  I quite liked the marshmallow guy fishing in a graham cracker boat, sitting on chocolate.  Anyway, camping.  We already have several camping ornaments.  We found a marshmallow on a stick early in our shopping excursion, so we picked that up.

More info for camping, there is a private campground only a couple of miles from Bronners.  My parents have stayed there, but I don't know enough information to speak about it.

Depending on your proximity, Bronners and Frankenmuth is a good day trip or weekend trip any time of the year.  And you'll see a McDonalds made to look like an old German building.

Some of the ornaments we came home with