Good Friday +Recipe ("Crack"er Toffee)

Last weekend we drove up to Fredericksburg, VA to meet with friends living in Maryland as well as friends from Portland that flew in to spend a week with the Maryland friends, followed by a week with us. It was so much fun getting together again - it had been 2yrs since we had all lived in the same place (Hawaii) and we have added 3 more kids to the group! Easter will be our first major holiday here in Virginia that we don't have travel plans or family coming to town for. It made me a bit sad thinking about our time in Hawaii because we were such a close knit group always making sure everyone was included in holiday potlucks, etc. considering we were all thousands of miles away from family in the middle of the Pacific Ocean...

Anyway, today is Good Friday and for us that means remembering the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. We may not be truly settled into a church or have that amazing group of Friends, but the knowledge of what Jesus did for us on that Cross is enough! Christ gave it all so we may have it all in heaven. It's Friday, but Sunday is coming!

Photo credit: Verses Project

I recently made some Cracker Toffee also known as "Dessert Crack" (bad name, I know!) since once you have a piece you won't want to stop eating it, it's SO addicting! This particular batch was Easter/spring themed, but I've made it for Christmas and I'm pretty sure you could make it for absolutely any occasion by changing the type of chocolate and toppings. If you're still looking for a dessert to bring to your Easter potluck, this is quick and simple!

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"Crack"er Toffee

• Approx 50 Saltine Crackers
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips (or any type of chocolate you prefer)
• M&Ms for topping (I've used slivered almonds as well)

1) Preheat oven to 325*
2) Line a baking pan (mine is 17.25x11.5x1in) with foil and grease
3) Arrange saltines on pan
4) Place butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat
5) Once the butter melts completely, bring to a boil and stir constantly for 2min until nice and bubbly
6) Pour mixture onto the saltines, spread it quickly with a spoon/spatula
7) Place in oven for 8min
8) Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top
9) Allow chips to sit for a minute then spread them evenly over the toffee layer
10) Sprinkle M&Ms
11) Sit on counter until cool (you can pop in the freezer for 10min but I don't recommend more unless you plan to store these in the fridge because the chocolate will sweat/melt)
12) Once completely cool and set, peel off foil and break into chunks
13) Will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 1wk (2wks in the fridge), but I doubt it will last that long!
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HAPPY EASTER!!!
-Tay

Ohana.

For those of you who have never left home (I'm talking more than those 4yrs of college or moving a town away) I don't really know how to explain this accurately but I will do my best.

Moving somewhere completely new changes you in ways you can never understand. Moving to an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean thousands of miles away from anyone you know adds a whole new element. My time in Maryland was short all of 16mo, we did find a church and a group of friends to "do life" with, most of which we keep in touch with today. But Hawaii is where our life really became "our own."

Within 3 months of moving there I started having debilitating panic attacks - to the point of throwing up, jolting awake, and having to go to the ER twice within 2wks. We were desperate for answers, desperate for a place to call home (been in an hotel room for 60 days and ended up in a temporary apartment for 3mo before renting our home on base), and desperate for a place to fit in.

We tried a few churches, but once we walked into Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay (now Anchor Church) we knew we were "home." I started attending a women's study and we planned to join a married group once my husband returned from his upcoming deployment. The women in my small group got me through my anxiety issues, supported me during the deployment, and some became very close friends that I talk to daily/weekly even now!

Once my husband returned we jumped into a young married's group and the rest is history... Weekend get togethers, impromptu dinner nights, beach & boat trips, hikes, holiday parties & potlucks, rallying around those who moved/were sick/had kids/etc. These people were our Ohana, we knew if we needed something all we had to do was call. Even if our car broke down on the other side of the island, someone would show up! Thousands of miles away from home and we still had that safety net. There's just something about that island. That life. That time. I will never forget those moments or people.

I need to find that here. 

Fit Friday! - Leg Day Challenge

It's been a long week... on Tuesday Little Man and I had an 11.5hr travel day. 3 flights, 2 huge storms, rude people, not feeling well, etc. So the past two days were pretty much "recovery." I also got busy this morning and lost track of time, missing the Stroller Aerobics class at the gym, good thing I opened up my e-mail and this little baby was inside!
-Tay

As always, if you use Instagram don't forget to tag 

@thedaringdanedlion @active_freckals and this month #legdaychallenge

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Bringing back the Alphabet Challenge but this time we will be focusing on your bottom half. So spell out your full name with the alphabet below and GET TO WORK!

Remember you can break up the final total through out the day to make it more manageable. Don’t forget to take pictures then tag us @thedaringdandelion and @active_freckals to let us know you are following along!
~Adrien

Reaching Out

I hate being the "new girl" but inevitably I am every few years. New state, new city, new base, new roads, sometimes a new language, and always... always... new faces. 

Before we got married, I remember packing - well cramming - everything I owned into my Mazda 3 and making the grueling drive across the country with my dad. It was great for us, we bonded, stayed in crappy hotels, saw amazing things, and even went up inside the St. Louis Arch. The trip didn't change me, the day my dad left did. I was alone... my soon-to-be husband was at work, and I wasn't in Arizona anymore!

We flew back to get married but afterwards it was the same old story. Lucky enough for me one of my husband's friends and co-workers had a great wife! She invited me over, we went out to lunch, she let me get us completely lost then pointed me in the right direction, she went to the commissary with me for the first time, and we bonded really well. Later they threw a BBQ and there I was introduced to a bunch of the other Marine wives... now everyone didn't welcome me with "open arms" to say, but eventually I became good friends with most of them, which is quite a feat with a group of women, can I get an "amen?" Haha!

About 5mo into my time in Maryland a new wife from my husband's company arrived, she actually moved in one street away from me. I went over to say hello and from there I became the girl who invited her over, took her out to lunch, etc. She was also pregnant and when I found out she hadn't had a baby shower... that just wouldn't do, so I opened my home, planned the whole thing, and threw her a shower.

The majority of us have now left Maryland... Some (like myself) have already PCS'd again!  We are now in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Texas, and Virginia... but we'll never forget each other and the things that were done for us. From my second duty station I have friends back in Maryland, New York, California, North Carolina, Florida, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Germany, Japan, and England (probably a few more I'm forgetting)! 

I tell you all of this to say- reach out! Don't let the "new girl" mope around in her house, be alone, and have to learn everything all by herself. Honestly, who wants or should have to do that? 

Obviously you won't stay in touch with everyone you meet. My super close friends are actually from our time in Hawaii rather than Maryland... but I am so thankful for my learning experience there. So please reach out, because who knows, your next best friend or deployment sister could be waiting!

-Tay

Almond-Coconut Cookies.

Cookies are so much fun to bake and my little man loves to help mix, clean the beaters, and watch them in the oven. These cookies are great since they are vegan and he can safely eat the batter, gluten free, and refined sugar free!

Besides my peanut butter cookies these are becoming a staple in our house and are in their way there in our friends homes as well!

Almond-Coconut Cookies

Gluten free, vegan

* ¾ cup almond flour, firmly packed 

* ¼ cup coconut flour, firmly packed 

* 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

* ½ teaspoon sea salt

* Dash cinnamon 

* ½ cup coconut oil, melted

* ¼ cup maple syrup

* ¼ cup honey

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks

1. Mix together almond and coconut flours with the baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

2. Pour in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla extract

3. Stir in the chocolate chunks

4. Preheat oven to 350*

5. Place dough in freezer for 10-15min (I mix my dough in the kitchen aid so I just place the whole bowl in the freezer)

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

7. Roll dough into 1in balls and place 1.5in apart from each other

8. Bake for 12min

9. When you remove them from the oven leave on the baking sheet for 5min then carefully slide parchment paper onto a cooling rack - the cookies are fragile but completely firm up once cooled (however they are delicious and ooey-gooey out of the oven!)

10. Store in an airtight container in the counter for up to 1wk

Yield 24-36 cookies depending on how evenly you roll the cookies.