Power Bars

Last spring we went to the Caribbean island of St. John in the U.S.V.I.  And it was awesome.  

Something we do every time our family goes there: the snorkel sail on the Pepper.  That's a bunch of nouns bunched together, I know, but hear me out:

1. Get on sailboat, which is called the Pepper.  It is a very nice boat owned by some very nice people.

2. Get sailed to a point in the ocean.

3. Get out and snorkel around.

4. Get back in the boat and, on the way home, eat a fantabulous and healthy lunch with the crew of two.

In other words, a very fun day.

And I had the fortune to taste some homemade and deee-licious power bars during that lunch.

Now, Pepper's owners have recently written a book called Between the Sheets.  It's about their clients that they take on those snorkeling sails (not me, I assure you! xD) and the people in the house that they rent out on St. John.

It's a great book that aptly describes island life - where time is an approximation - and it also has some island recipes.

Including those power bars.

So of course I made them.

And they're just as good as the first time I had them.  And they're very satisfying to make.  But they make a lot - two whole 9x13 inch pans - just warning ya!

Power Bars

4 cups oats

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup flour

2 sticks butter, melted

6 eggs

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla

Dash of cinnamon

2 cups dried fruit mix, chopped (preferably pineapple, papaya, mango, and coconut)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease two 9x13 inch pans.
2. Combine oats, brown sugar, and flour in a large bowl.
3. Combine with melted butter.
4. Stir in eggs, applesauce, honey, and vanilla.
5. Add cinnamon and combine thoroughly.
6. Stir in fruit mix.
7. Spread evenly into two prepared pans and bake 20 minutes
8. DO NOT REMOVE FROM OVEN.  Turn oven off and keep pans inside until the bars are no longer gooey.
9. Remove and let cool completely before cutting.

Breaking it down:

Combine your oats, brown sugar, and flour...

This is incredibly fun to make because there's so much of it and it just requires a wooden spoon! :D

Add butter...

And eggs...

And vanilla and applesauce and honey and cinnamon.  Yes, I know that's not applesauce over there.  I had no applesauce to work with and I desperately wanted to make these, so I substituted crushed pineapple inside.  Let me tell you, applesauce works and tastes better.  Although maybe it's slightly less tropical.  Your choice!

Add the chopped fruit - and yes, you DO need to chop it even though it's already chopped.  Just chop it into quarters, whatever kind of fruit it is, and you should be fine.

Bake the bars at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and let them cool in the oven if they're still gooey.  I've made these bars twice and they always have been gooey...

But delicious.  And semi-healthy!

Enjoy!
-JJ

P.S. You probably noticed the awkward change in font.  That's because my computer was being screwy and I had to do some very technical copying-and-pasting, and I'm just wayyy too lazy to go back and retype it in the proper font.  If you didn't notice, then I guess you haven't spent too much time on my blog yet!  Look at the suggested posts below to explore! :D

Look Up Update #3: Maho Edition

More Look Up pictures for ya!  Be sure to check out the rest on the project page!

-JJ

Maho Overview

I went to Maho Bay Camps for a week this spring.  I came back with good experiences and about fifty bug bites (not joking - I counted).  And a goal: to recreate one of the desserts I had there.  But more about that later. ;)

Maho Bay Camps is basically a campground on a bunch of boardwalks and stairs.  Lots of stairs.

It's around 200 steps from the beach to our tent, D7.  The tents are simple -

- and rather small.  That picture is about half of it.  Oh, they're also smack dab in the middle of a jungle.

But a very pretty jungle with lots of pretty plants! :3

Animals are abundant there.  The best animal to see is a lizard in your tent...

...which means no mosquitoes! :D Then there are the cats that roam the stairs and the dining area, hoping to catch a nap under your bed or score some bacon at breakfast.

This is the stunning (although cloudy) view from our tent...

The art gallery, where the Maho artists' recycled glass blowing creations are displayed and for sale...

The pavilion, where breakfast and dinner are served...

And other various vacation pictures:

 (that's St. John, btdubbs)

Anyhow, I had a great time and there will soon be Look Up pictures!

-JJ

P.S. Maho Bay Camps may be nearing its end.  Visit this amazing place and let's hope that its many devoted visitors can keep it in business!

Happy Hunger Games!

I'm a Hunger Games fanatic.  I've written fanfics, done fanart, and I'm a rabid shipper to boot.  TEAM FINNICK!  (For those who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, read the series.  Seriously.)

In addition to loving a hypocritical teen book protesting and promoting violence as entertainment, I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, bright and early at 5:30 - which, if you've traveled a lot in your life, ain't that bad.  6:00 flights kill me.

Then I'll be tanning in the U.S. Virgin Islands at Maho Bay Camps on St. John.  Not to brag or anything. XD

So, what I'm trying to say is, I won't be posting for a week or so.  But when I come back, I'll have loads of pretty pictures (hopefully including a few sunrises and a few Look Up-eligable pics) and maybe a review or two of the food there.  Plus a tan and plenty of new ideas for recipes and more! :D

Love,
JJ