Boreal Witch

For the last year, my dad has been saying that he really wants to clean house, which is good because my parents' house is filled with all kinds of "treasures." It's gotten so bad in some areas that you have to carefully walk around piles of stuff in order to get from one place to another, with the fear that one of those piles will snatch you up and swallow you whole.

He constantly talked of having an auction, kind of like my grandmother and grandfather did in the 1980's, where my sisters and I would bid on items. In my dad's mind it was perfect because he would get rid of all these items he had collected and we would get things that we really wanted (be they family items or just garage sale junk).

Robinson, who loves to tease my dad about all kinds of things, made Sampsonbucks for him last Christmas, picking certain family members to go on various bills. Josh was on the one, Molly was on the five, Balin was on the 10, Dad was on the 20, and Grandma Sampson was on the 50. Dad was thrilled and told everyone that the next time we were all together, we must have an auction.

My sisters and I were less certain of an action, but we all agreed on one thing: everything must be bid on whether we wanted it or not. If we wanted it, we'd fight to the death to claim it, but if not it would come home with us anyway and we'd get rid of it later. We made sure that if someone really wanted an item, we'd let them take it, but if there was indeed something of value (which happened a few times), then we'd bid like there was no tomorrow.

Almost everything in the auction was picked up by my father during the height of his garage sale visits, though there were a few items from our time in Barrow. The Barrow items were the most coveted. Becky bought a whale cup for 50 Sampsonbucks and Blythe (who had about 250 Sampsonbucks leftover after the first auction) got to take home a beautiful pair of beaded mukluks. The only other item to rival that one was the carved duck I bought for 180 Sampsonbucks and a lovely German wine pitcher Blythe bought for about 200 Sampsonbucks. (Robinson thought I was crazy and threatened to release the duck in the middle of Denali Park on his way back.) My dad, generous as he is, also gave us some old Barrow bus tokens.

Family memories are something like leftovers: you don't always know what to expect. As skeptical as my sisters and I were of the Sampsonbucks auction, we all had a blast. Dad commented that it was the most fun we've had as a family in about 20 years.

Most of my winnings have been given away or marked for an upcoming garage sale. A few other items I've set aside as gifts for friends. (The gorgeous brown pitcher in the last photo was a birthday present for my friend Amanda. I won it for a Sampsonbuck.) Only a few of my items are on display in my home, which is how it should be.

Blessed be.

Desserts need butter and eggs. They just do.

Vegans may claim that they can make a cookie, cake, pie, etc. without animal products, but I say "NO!" No matter how many times you eat it, applesauce and oil do not have the creaminess and texture that butter and eggs do. I have made numerous vegan desserts and while they all came out fine, they always tasted as though they were missing something. Something important.

One morning while Arthur was at gymnastics, I flipped through one of the many magazines up on the balcony. An old issue of Delicious Living boasted that it had gluten-free and vegan recipes to die for. Hmph, I thought, we'll see about that. As I sat, carefully looking at the different recipes, one entitled "Vegan Trail Mix Cookies" caught my eye. I ripped it out of the magazine and brought it home.

I now own a vegan cookie recipe that is to die for. Seriously. It is one of the most delicious cookie recipes I have ever made. Granted, it isn't truly vegan unless you use vegan-approved chocolate chips, which I never have in the house, but even without the cookies were perfectly soft, crumbly, and yummy. (I ate about 5 as soon as they came out of the oven.)

I did modify the original recipe to try and make it healthier. I halved the amount of oil and substituted applesauce and pureed pumpkin for the water and oil. Robinson is not a big fan of pecans, so I used toasted almonds instead. I was a little concerned about the dried cherries because I am not a big cherry fan, but they proved their worth in this recipe. I don't think I would use anything else for this recipe. Except maybe dried apricots. I also used bittersweet chocolate in place of the semi-sweet. It's a bit healthier because of the higher cocoa content.

For the most part, the family loved these cookies. Robinson claimed that the first night they were more like granola bars, but the next day they had miraculously become a cookie. Arthur ate one and said he didn't like them, but Balin ate one and immediately wanted more. I absolutely love them and will continue to make them.

On the Menu: Trail Mix Cookies
Makes about 36 cookies
You can find the original recipe here.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 
1 cup carrot (finely shredded ) 
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut (shredded) 
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 
1 1/2 cups rolled oats 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin 
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce  
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 
1 cup slivered almonds (lightly toasted) 
1 cup dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix together flours, carrot, coconut, sugar, oats, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together water, oil, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry. Mix to combine. Fold in chocolate chips, pecans, and cherries.

2. Scoop batter by 2 tablespoons each onto a baking sheet, pushing in any stray pieces. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool for 2 minutes, and then remove to a rack to cool completely.


Blessed be.

Dear Arthur,

Today you turn four. I don't know if you'll remember this day as you get older, but two weeks earlier we had a swim party for you and your friends at Mary Siah. You chose to have lemon curd with lemon-lavender cupcakes (again) and I also made chocolate zucchini cupcakes. While the cupcakes were delicious, the lemon curd was a bit runny. Next time I promise I'll cook it longer.

You received some lovely gifts from your friends which included a movie ticket, a picture frame, a pottery set, clay and an appliqued shirt, and some water guns. You took the water guns into the pool and your friend Cedar liked them so much that you got him a few for his birthday a few days later.

It was a fun party.

We also had a family birthday party for you on your actual birthday. You loved ripping open your presents and getting to play with them for a bit before moving on to the next one. You even shared some of your gifts with Balin.

You asked for grilled pineapple and hot dogs for dinner and Mi-lemon-ian Falcon ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Uncle Paul came over to eat and watch you open your presents.

If I had one wish for you this next year it is to enjoy your curiosity. I realize I don't always appreciate that you are still young and still learning about the world, but I am working to become more patient. I am also planning on just enjoying you for the rest of the spring and summer because this fall you will be going to preschool.

Love, Mommy

Blessed be.