Sara Bars

It's the beginning of the year, everyone is determined to lose weight and be healthy. Sadly, I don't think I've ever been "in shape" in my life. I used to be skinny without trying. But I've never been big on exercise, and I love food (two habits that are starting to take their toll).

One healthy activity that I do enjoy is backpacking. I don't get outside enough in my daily life, but my husband and I are determined to start taking to the woods more in our free time. In fact, we are currently planning a short trip to San Mateo Canyon to celebrate our fourth anniversary this weekend!

Backpacking has opened up a whole new world of DIY projects that I plan to share in this blog as I am able. Today's project is a granola bar recipe. I have tried a few different approaches, all of which my husband has lovingly named "Sara Bars." I think this recipe is the best so far.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sara Bars
(Print Recipe)

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped, dried apricot
2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup honey
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted

Toast the oats and almonds on a cookie sheet at 350° F for about 10 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Microwave the peanut butter for 1 minute to soften. In a large mixing bowl, stir together everything but the chocolate.

On a greased cookie sheet, shape into a 1-inch thick rectangle. It helps to press it into a corner to get everything compressed sufficiently.

Let stand until firm, or freeze for an hour. Cut into bars.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Drizzle the top with the melted chocolate and let stand or freeze for another half hour.

Store in the refrigerator with parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking.

Makes approx. 20 bars, depending on how big you like them.

The psyllium husk powder is optional, but it does help bind the bars together. Without it, they will crumble easily. These bars have a high fiber content because of the psyllium husk, which is great if you plan to spend a few days in the outdoors. Just remember to drink plenty of water with them.

Psyllium husk powder adds a great fiber boost.

I've tried adding other dried fruits and nuts to this recipe as well, with mixed results.

Dates do really well, as do dried cherries. Crystallized ginger is good if you leave out the chocolate and add in some cinnamon or nutmeg.

Whatever you do, don't leave out the peanut butter. You can substitute it for some other kind of nut butter, but if you leave it out, the bars don't hold their shape at all. Even with the peanut butter, they will crumble a little in your pack, but at least you won't have granola bits all over the place with no bar to speak of.

Toss some in a plastic bag for a great trail snack. Also makes a fantastic no-cook breakfast option.

Guinea Pig Burrow Bags

My wonderful husband got me a guinea pig for Christmas! His name is Remnar (if you like outdoors-type movies with twisted humor, watch Escanaba in da Moonlight).

Since we brought Remnar home, we have tried giving him several different beds, trying to figure out what works best. We've discovered that he loves to burrow in fabric--clothing, blankets, pillows, anything soft and warm. So we ditched the plastic barn that the pet store sold us and gave him a cardboard tube that I lined with some fake fur. He loved it, but it got nasty pretty quick. It turns out rodents poop a lot. He definitely needs something that is easy to wash. So I took a trip to the fabric store, got some fleece remnants, and made him a couple new beds that we are all happy with.

The first one is just a bag. It doesn't work so well as a place for him to sleep (I think he gets too hot if he stays in it too long). It does work great for lap time. I can pick him up easily while he is in it, and he doesn't try to run away. Then, while I am holding him, he has a safe place to hide if he wants to. Plus, he has fun just poking around in the corners.

The second bed is a bit more complicated, but definitely a success. It sits in the corner of the cage and ties to the top of it. Looks like a guinea pig teepee.

Here's how I made it:

Drape a tape measure in the cage; top to bottom, let a few inches lay on the bottom, then back up to the top. Now decide how far out you want the teepee to come and measure across the corner of the cage at the point you want it to stop. Cut a rectangle using these measurements.

Cut two 3-inch strips of fabric that measure the length of the rectangle, plus 6 inches.

From the rectangle, cut a triangle out of each skinny end, with the point measuring about 1/3 of the way down the length of the fabric.

Pin and stitch the sides of the triangles closed.

Attach the 3-inch strips to the inside edges of the bag.

Then fold them over and stitch to the outside to finish the edges.

Even out the overhanging strips at the top and cut slits down the middle to create the ties.

Remnar loves sprinting in one end of his teepee and out the other. It's also big enough for him to take chew blocks and toys into it with him.

The only problem is that he still poops in it. A lot. Luckily, it's easy to clean out and wash frequently. I suggest making at least two of these so the piggy has a teepee to hide in while the other is in the wash.

Hot Sauce Recipes

Sriracha has been in the news lately, taking blame for respiratory problems of residents that live near their factory. At first, I thought this was silly. Surely people aren't that sensitive to chili peppers, right? Well, I tried making my own hot sauce and quickly found out how wrong I was.

As Christmas gifts this year, I decided to make two kinds of hot sauce: red and green, respectively. A note of caution if you plan to do this: open the oven door very slowly, otherwise you will get blasted in the face with a cloud of hot capsaicin vapor when you go to check on the peppers. And definitely wear gloves throughout the entire process. And, for the love of all that is Holy, do not touch your eyes for a few hours after you have finished handling anything pepper-related.

Tequila Lime Hot Sauce
(Print Recipe)

25 jalapeños
10 serranos
1 garlic bulb (about 10-12 cloves)
4 tomatillos
Juice of 5 limes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup tequila
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt

Boil all bottles and utensils to sanitize them before you start cooking.

Remove tops from peppers, and remove papery skin from garlic and tomatillos. A note about the garlic here: I am a huge fan of the pre-minced stuff in jar. I hate when I use the "real deal" and the skin sticks to absolutely everything. Then, the smell lingers on my hands for next 24 hours no matter how hard I try to scrub it off. But for this recipe, I wanted to be able to roast the cloves. So, here's how you get that stubborn skin off easily. First, cut off the hard nub at the bottom. Then crush the clove using the broad side of a knife.

Note the gloves. Big help for this entire recipe. Anyway, once you have crushed the clove, the skin should peel off easily.

Now that you have all your ingredients prepped, roast the peppers, garlic, and tomatillos at 400° F for 45 minutes, or until slightly blackened. Flip them once about halfway through roasting. Let cool.

Place everything in a blender and pulse until smooth.

Pour it into a saucepan and bring to a boil. If you prefer your sauce thinner, add some water to the saucepan until it reaches the desired consistency. You can also strain it through cheesecloth, though you will lose a lot of volume. Once it boils, funnel the sauce into sanitized bottles. Put the caps on and invert them for 5 minutes (this sanitizes the cap).

Makes approx. 5 cups of sauce.

Whiskey Habanero Chipotle Hot Sauce
(Print Recipe)

15 habaneros
5 red jalapeños
1 garlic bulb (about 10-12 cloves)
2 ripe persimmons
1 7-oz can chipotles in adobo sauce
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup whiskey
2 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt

Boil all bottles and utensils to sanitize them before you start cooking.

Remove tops from peppers and persimmons, and remove papery skin from garlic. Roast the peppers, garlic, and persimmons at 400° F for 45 minutes, or until slightly blackened. Flip them once about halfway through roasting. Let cool.

Remove skin from persimmons. Place everything in a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour it into a saucepan and bring to a boil. This sauce may need more liquid to get it to a pourable consistency. Just keep adding water to it until it looks right. You can also strain it through cheesecloth if you prefer, but you will lose a lot of volume.

Once it boils, funnel the sauce into sanitized bottles.

Put the caps on and invert them for 5 minutes (this sanitizes the cap).

Makes approx. 6 cups of sauce.

I have to say these turned out way hotter than I thought they would. All the reviews that I read about other people's hot sauce recipes led me to believe that, if you like heat, you need crazy amounts of peppers. I do like how it turned out, but can only withstand small quantities (and I like to think I'm fairly accustomed to spicy foods). My family seems to be enjoying it. So, success! If you like things spicy, you are in for a real treat. If you don't want it CRAZY hot, then I would suggest either cutting down on the volume of peppers, or switch out the serranos and habaneros for something milder, like sweet peppers.