Weekend Cooking and Geocaching Adventures

I would have loved to write this last night but come Sunday nights, I’m exhausted! Especially now that the weather is finally starting to break and we are doing more outside.

This weekend two things dominated my time, cooking and geocaching.

Geocaching

Okay, where do I begin?

I’ve been dabbling with Geocaching ever since The Teen was The Toddler. We would walk home from daycare and find a cache or two, but he never really showed an interest.

The 11-Year-Old, however, is REALLY into it now! I brought up the idea Friday night, and he jumped on it. So Saturday, we headed to the trails to find some in the woods.

For those that don’t know, Geocaching is like a treasure or scavenger hunt. People hide small “caches” worldwide and then provide coordinates and clues so others can find them. Here’s a screenshot of some caches in my area.

How insane is that?

I think it’s so cool that there’s a global community playing this game. I guess it’s not really a game, but you know what I mean.

Plus, it’s super fun to do with kids! It gets us out exploring places we may otherwise have no reason to go.

Each cache is different, but they usually have a log you can sign and a little box to take and leave trinkets. We have learned to always bring a pen and a small token in case there’s something he wants to trade for.

Here are a few pics from this weekend. We went out both Saturday and Sunday.

We had a blast just walking, hunting, and talking. The older he gets, the more I realize how much more like me he is.

He thrives on conversation and interaction and is more extroverted than his brother. Both The Husband and The Teen like to keep to themselves (for the most part), but The 11-Year-Old and I like people, a lot.

Anyway, we had a blast, and I highly recommend trying Geocaching! Kids or no kids, it’s super fun. If you download the app, you can see all the ones in your area. It’s also especially fun to do on vacation.

Oh, and if you do Geocaching or give it a try, friend me! I don’t know anyone else in “real life” that does it. I’d love to follow along on others’ adventures. Here’s the link to my Geocache profile–click here.

Weekend Cooking!

Boy, did I cook my brains out this weekend, in a good way!

I made my first ever focaccia bread!

OMG, it is SO good! I followed this recipe, for the most part, replacing half the flour with whole wheat white.

I made it alongside some butternut squash soup for my lunches this week.

I also baked the kids some banana bread, made chicken stock, turned leftover rice into rice balls, and made these amazing crab cakes!

These came out so good! I need to share how I did them…

• 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay
• 2 tbsp bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 egg
• 1lb lump crab meat

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Whisk all ingredients except crab. Then add the crab and toss everything together gently. Form into cakes and lay on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with flake sea salt if you have it.

Roast for 5 minutes on the bottom rack. Then move to the top and cook until golden brown, around 10 minutes.

They are so easy!

Okay, I’ve got to go. It’s been a long Monday too.

As the Husband and I like to say, we just have to make it through the week.

Hope you had a great weekend!