Camping : St. Croix State Park

A couple weekends ago David and I drove up to St. Croix State Park for a weekend of camping. It was good to get away for a weekend to relax and enjoy God's creation. We were not alone....a little Bear came with us :) The perk to having Bear was that we upgraded to a pop-up camper (thank you Karsjens)! I don't think I'll ever go back to tent camping...

Bear was not a fan of camping...A woman walking past us thought that he was really spoiled. Ha! Really spoiled? Or really terrified?

 

 



Bear was starting to get used to the whole camping thing until we introduced him to the camper...he did not like the camper as much as we did.

Saturday morning we made breakfast, and the weather could not have been any better! And our little bug catcher (Bear) could not have been any busier!

The rest of the morning/early afternoon was spent on a hike through the park. Last July a severe storm blew through the park and leveled thousands of trees. We also walked through the Civilian Conservation Corps.

cannot. go. any. further.

5 miles of walking in the hot sun and all three of us were pooped!

The day before we had left, my co-worked said that he would never go back to the park we were at because of all of the ticks. I was hoping he was going to be wrong....but he wasn't. For the next 1-2 days we were pulling ticks off Bear. I think he totalled somewhere around 30, and David and I combined were lucky to find 15. Each one I found, I still got creeped out, it never got easier. But! we still had a lot of fun walking around, being next to the river, learning about the CCC and enjoying our time together.

After lunch we got in the truck and drove around the park, air conditioning was KEY. About half way through I asked David if he thought we'd see any bears. No more than 5 minutes later David saw something black run off the road. Sure enough we saw two cubs and their mom! They had climbed a tree only about 15 feet off the road. They even turned and smiled for the camera :) One of the coolest things I've seen!



Later that night, rain and wind came through, so we couldn't be outside anymore. We all climbed into the camper and listened to the Twins game :)

Sunday morning we stopped at Tobies in Hinckley for a massive cinnamon roll to finish off the trip! Yum!

Thai Chicken Enchiladas

Came across this recipe on Pinterest! I would even suggest using the mixture over rice (without the tortillas). I found the Sweet Chili Sauce at both Target and Trader Joe's and the coconut milk at Target in the same aisle. Enjoy!

 

Thai Chicken Enchiladas

8 tortillas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/3 cup chopped/shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped/shredded cabbage

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup chopped/crushed peanuts, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

2 1/2 cups light coconut milk

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add canola oil. Combine onions, cabbage, carrots, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stir to mix. Let cool until vegetables are soft, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chicken, green onions, peanuts, cilantro, remaining salt and pepper, and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in 3/4 cup coconut milk and 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce, mixing thoroughly to combine. Turn off heat.

 

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Whisk together remaining coconut milk and sweet chili sauce. Pour about 1/2 cup or so on the bottom of the dish. Place a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each, rolling up tightly and placing in the dish. Cover with remaining coconut milk and chili sauce mix.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and top with additional peanuts and cilantro. Spoon sauce from the bottom of the dish over the tortillas. This can also be done halfway through cooking.

Chicago

I've driven through Chicago numerous times on the way to Michigan, but had never actually stopped and been a tourist. I had the perfect opportunity to visit two friends for both of their birthdays! Who knew that two years after they met at my wedding, they'd be roommates. :)

The day before I drove down to Chicago I learned that my friend Nanditha had been given Cubs tickets for her birthday....little did we know how amazing the seats were! Originally I was going to get there Friday night (and not go to the game), but quickly changed my mind when David got jealous of the fact that I was offered Cubs tickets and was very confused as to why I would say no :) I'm glad I listened to him!

Four of us went, and once we realized where we were actually sitting, none of us could believe it....first row! I'm pretty sure the guys next to us thought we were nuts. For the first half hour we had huge smiles on our faces, we were taking a million pictures, and we weren't paying attention to the game. Clearly they have these tickets every game? They didn't seem as impressed as we did.

 

 

 

The next morning, Nanditha insisted that we go to Orange for breakfast. This was the first restaurant I had been to that didn't have diet pepsi or diet coke. They make their own?....interesting. We split the Chai Tea French Toast (delicious) and the Eggs Benedict (also delicious). Check it out next time you're in Chicago!

Next stop......the Bean! Yes, I know it's not THAT exciting, but it was one of those things I always wanted to see.

It was a hazy/drizzly day, but I had a lot of fun walking around (6+ miles!), learning about the city, and hanging out and catching up with a good friend. Enjoy a short tour of the city! 



oh hey!

She was taken down 4 days later!

 

BEST POPCORN EVER!

 

Celebrated Nandi's birthday Saturday night



Sunday's lunch had to be Chicago style pizza

mmm :)

So many more things to see next time I visit.

Chicago....I will be back! :)