Answer: Minivan!! For more information on the myths of lightning, check out my blog post from last Sunday.

Posted under Weather

Need a simple pasta salad for Independence Day? Here’s my husband’s favorite salad. It is so simple, healthy, flexible and takes very little time.

Ingredients:

• Tri-color pasta
• Italian Dressing

After those basic ingredients, the vegetables are up to you! Just make sure they are cut into bite size pieces. A few options:

• Tomatoes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Olives
• Bell Peppers
• Onions

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta cooks, chop up veggies.
3. When pasta is tender (or done to your liking), drain and place in large bowl.
4. Add vegetables to pasta.
5. Pour in 3/4 of the Italian dressing (or if you like it very zesty, the whole bottle)
6. Stir and chill until ready to devour!

Posted under Recipes

This hot weather reminds me of camping. My family and I used to go on a week long vacation every year during the summer. We visited Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands and many state parks. The weather never seemed to cooperate. It was either extremely hot or raining like cats and dogs. But we made many memories in a little pop-up camper. This recipe I found reminds me a lot of camping and summer. Anything with the name s’mores has to be delicious!

Peanut Butter S’mores Bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs
• 2 Giant Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, 7 ounces each (Known as XL bars)
• 1 jar marshmallow cream, 7 ounces
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs.
3. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish. Press the chocolate bars on top of the dough. They should make an even layer in an 8×8 pan. Melt the peanut butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave and drizzle it over the chocolate bars.
4. Spread the marshmallow cream over the chocolate and peanut butter.
5. Roll the remaining 1/3 dough onto the chocolate foil wrappers (or some other nonstick surface). When you’ve made an even square, gently peel it off and press it on top of the marshmallow cream.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool for best serving results.

 

Graham cracker, chocolate, and                    Sticky marshmallow cream

melted peanut butter

                               Gooey goodness

Conclusion: Briana, a fellow coworker, called them “sinfully delicious.” And sometime in the afternoon at work, they were all gone. So apparently they weren’t too bad. With the heat, they didn’t really set up and stayed gooey all day. I only tasted a little bit (due to the fact my little one was not in the mood for sweets) but from what I tasted it seemed very good. They were easy to make. The only hard part was spreading the marshmallow cream because it was extremely sticky. I used aluminum foil to put the top graham cracker layer on. The marshmallow layer also poofed up a bit during baking so it didn’t look picture perfect. But honestly, it’s all about the taste!

Posted under Recipes

How far can lightning strike from a storm?

Lightning Safety Awareness Week is June 24-30. Passing through the air, lightning is 5x hotter than the surface of the sun! There are a lot of myths about lightning. Here’s just a few and the real facts:

Myth: A car’s rubber tire protects you from a lightning strike

• Fact: The metal top and frame protect you from a direct strike. When lightning strikes the car, it wraps around the frame on its way to the ground. The tires have no effect on the lightning. Therefore,  golf carts, convertibles, motorcycles, or any open cab vehicle are unsafe during a thunderstorm.

Myth: Any sort of structure/building is safe during a thunderstorm

• Fact: Lightning does not follow an exact path. It can strike vertical, diagonally, and even horizontally. Or if a building is not fully enclosed, you may receive an indirect strike as the lightning makes it’s way to the ground. Safe structures are fully enclosed and have wiring or plumbing. The plumbing/wiring attracts the lightning and keeps it moving towards the ground. That is why you should never use electronics that are plugged in. Also avoid showering or bathing during a thunderstorm. Unsafe structures include car ports, open garages, covered patios, picnic shelters, beach pavilions, golf shelters, tents of any kinds, baseball dugouts, sheds and greenhouses.

Myth: Underneath a tree is safe during a thunderstorm if no structure is available for protection

• Fact: A tree is likely to be one of the tallest points in a field. If lightning does strike the tree, there are many different outcomes. The lightning could travel down the tree with you receiving an indirect hit with the lightning moving out of the tree. Or the lightning can cause a part of the tree to break apart, resulting in you being pinned under a branch or even the tree. You should always take shelter in a car or a fully enclosed structure with plumbing or wiring during a thunderstorm.

Myth: Someone who is struck by lightning carries an electrical charge and should not be handled

• Fact: If someone is struck by lightning, the electrical charge will leave them immediately. Someone struck by lightning should receive medical attention right away. Call 911 and start CPR if necessary.

For more facts and tips on lightning, check out the National Weather Service Lightning Safety page.

Posted under Weather

Answer: $181 million in crop damage!!! Thirty-three counties reported major crop damage with the worst damage in Winnebago, Worth and Mitchell counties. Tennis ball sized hail was reported at Otranto. Luckily history will not be repeating itself today. Only a few showers and isolated storms possible today and tonight. Just keep the umbrella handy!

Posted under Weather

A few weeks ago I made something with corn tortillas. For the life of me I can’t remember what it was…but I know I had a bunch of tortillas leftover. So I went to one of my favorite websites, allrecipes.com. I love how you can type in the ingredients you have and the website will narrow down a few recipes with these ingredients. Well I typed in “corn tortilla” and a lot of the results were for tortilla soup. However, I came across the following recipe and gave it a try.

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Posted under Recipes

During the hot days, I’ve been looking for recipes to cool me down. I came across this smoothie recipe that the blogger named “SUPER pregnancy green smoothie.” I figured a smoothie wouldn’t be too hard and this sounded like a great way for me to get in some essential vitamins.

Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

*Blender
*Crushed ice
*Water/{Orange} juice
*Spinach
*{Mixed} frozen fruit
*Banana

Recipe:

Make sure you have a blender that can crush ice. Add ingredients and mix!

Not so green….

Conclusion: I like how it is flexible and you can throw in what you want but that is usually what smoothies are. I didn’t like how mine turned out. First off, my blender did not perform well. I ended up springing a leak and the smoothie got every where. My bananas weren’t ripe yet so I skipped those and added frozen blueberries and some flax seed. To me, the smoothie tasted kind of chalky. That taste was likely a result of the flax seed. I didn’t taste the spinach which was surprising. I think I’ll give this a try again with and without some certain ingredients. I honestly want it to taste good…

Posted under Recipes

My husband and some friends of ours decided to raise our own chickens this past year. Honestly, I had very little to do with it. But from what I hear it took a lot of hard work and money. By the end of May, my husband and our friends undertook the task of butchering the chickens. Luckily being pregnant and working that weekend, I was able to skip this process. By the end of the weekend, my husband and I had acquired 12 chickens. On Monday, I decided to cut my first whole chicken.

My mother-in-law has shown me twice how to cut a whole chicken. But I had never done it solo. So I grabbed my sharpest knife and my victim. After watching a few how-to youtube clips and cracking bones, I think I did a decent job. The chicken tasted very good and my husband said it reminded him of home. Only 11 more chickens to go.

Posted under Other

Happy Father’s Day to all! Did you know that the official flower of Father’s Day is the rose?

My gift to fathers here is a nice day! Mostly sunny and just a little breezy this afternoon. Highs in the 80s again but it won’t be quite as humid. Chance of showers/storms overnight.

To my dad, thank you for everything you have done to help me achieve my dreams. My future children will be so lucky to have you as a grandpa. And I wish I could send you some rain…Love you forever!

My dad and I (look at the mustache)                        At my wedding (hard day for him I’m sure)

Posted under Me, Weather

Today’s Saturday Trivia Question:

Answer: 175!!

Currently, next week’s forecast is looking very hot and humid. This is a good reminder to remember to stay cool during extreme heat. Drink lots of water, wear light clothing, avoid strenuous activities, and wear sunscreen. Don’t forget your pets and never leave a child or pet in a car for a long period of time. “Beat the heat, check the backseat!” I know this pregnant woman will be staying in the AC…

Posted under Weather