Banff = Beautiful

Lake Peyto, Banff National Park

Ten years ago hiking sounded...well...HARD. Enjoying a Chicago summer festival fit my world better. But years do change us. What I wanted ten years ago isn't the same today. So I find myself, while still loving the hustle and bustle of the city, equally pining for the serenity of wide open spaces, countryside, and mountains. 

Camino de Santiago, Spain

It all started last summer when I got a grandiose dose of nature by walking the last 125 miles of Spain's Camino de Santiago (pictured above). The personal peace I found while walking sometimes 8-12 hours a day was indescribable. I soaked it all in and luxuriated in it like a warm, bubble bath with a good book to read. The smell of the trees, flowers, and manure! The sound of the babbling brook. The feel of the early morning fog lifting. The beauty of the magic hour as the sun rises. Heaven!

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park

In the words of John Burroughs, "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." Nature has a profound way of instilling peace and helping to put life into proper perspective. All of a sudden, obstacles that are hard in everyday life, really become small and trivial. The important themes in life resound.

Lake Moraine, Banff National Park

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau

Oh Henry! You say it best. I do yearn to learn while in these reflective places and apply these lessons for a more meaningful life. These messages are always along the lines of enjoy the present, don't worry about the future, slow down A LOT more, love others, have faith, be grateful. The trick is not letting these go by the wayside once one returns to everyday life.

Valley of the Ten Peaks, hike up from Lake Moraine

And when I am here in these places, I am thankful. The gratitude pours out of me. Thank you God for my husband, home, dogs, family, and friends. Let me not forget to thank you for my nifty bike, farmers markets, lazy weekends, and Stanley's Fruit Market that sustains my juicing regimen. 

Lake Agnes Teahouse Hike, backside of the lake

I cannot stop and the thankfulness reaches a whole new level of the quirky and sublime. Thank you God for the Walgreens on the corner that saves me in a cooking pinch (case in point, just this last week, instant oats). Thank you for my bike that helps me get to my favorite peanut butter & nutella cupcake obsession at Molly's Cupcakes on Clark Street. Thank you for all the free books and e-books from Chicago Public Library and the kind but odd librarian who always checks me out. 

I love this quote by by e.e. cummings which encapsulates my point ever so much more eloquently, "I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."

Takakkaw Falls, Yoho National Park

Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park

So nature beckoned this year again. Mike and I set our sights on Banff National Park because of all of the awe-inspiring, almost fake-like pictures we had seen. We wondered if it really was that beautiful. {It was! As evidenced by all the pictures in this post.} Banff is the oldest national park in Canada. It is part of the Canadian Rockies and is connected to several adjacent national parks like Jasper National Park, Yoho National Park and Kootenay National Park. There is so much to see, you could spend one week, two weeks or even three weeks here.

Lake Agnes Teahouse Hike started from Lake Louise in Banff National Park

We spent 5 glorious days here in this wonderland of nature. We hiked, tackling a number of moderate hikes which led us on a new journey (spiritually, emotionally & physically) every day. Every direction, every view, every hike, every drive was inspiring. Even on the last day I was still in awe of the beauty surrounding us. And I did not want to leave - a true sign of a great place.

Bow Lake, Banff National Park

View from Tunnel Mountain, Banff the Town

Bow Lake, Banff National Park

Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park

Go to the woods! 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

When you are from Wisconsin and your grandma lovingly gives you some of her home-grown rhubarb, as a dutiful granddaughter you MUST make a strawberry rhubarb dessert. Duh! The tartness of this misunderstood, celery-like rhubarb needs the sweetness of the strawberry to create the perfect dessert balance. Add a crisp to the top. And a dollop of vanilla ice cream. And hello summer!

If you must know, I sacrificed my waistline and gluten and dairy-free lifestyle to bring you this delectable post. I was forced to make it two times and spent weeks eating the leftovers because throwing it out would be - horrifyingly wasteful. Inner glee emerged when the first strawberry rhubarb crisp failed - too much liquid and not enough crisp - because it meant a second crisp was in the near future. My waistline was thankful when the second crisp came out perfect. However my taste buds' hopes were a bit dashed as it yearned for a third iteration.  

Here are my baking notes. I combined two recipes together - one from Ina Garten for the fruit portion and one crisp topping from allrecipes. The error in Ina's recipe is that is calls for far too much orange juice and not enough cornstarch, so my first crisp was incredibly soupy. Reducing the orange juice and doubling the cornstarch was the perfect fix. By the way, if you're wondering if you can get away without the orange juice and orange zest, you are mistaken. It adds an incredible layer of flavor.

When it comes to a crisp topping, I am as picky as they come. My biggest issue is when they are too crispy or hard. Who wants a hockey puck crisp? Additionally, more often than not, the crisp is not sweet enough for me. {Have I ever mentioned that I didn't have sugar as a child? I'm making up for it as an adult.} What I discovered after many years of experimentation, all my crisp woes are solved when white sugar is eliminated and only brown sugar is utilized. This is my perfect crisp recipe. Well. Almost. The glutton in me needs more crisp to fruit ratio, so I made 1.5 times the recipe. Is this indulgence necessary? I swear it is! Now I can finally exclaim...crisp perfection!




Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
adapted from Ina Garten and allrecipes
8 servings

Ingredients
4 cups rhubarb (4-5 big stalks)
4 cups strawberries (cut in half if big)
1 1/4 cups of white sugar
1 1/2 tsp of orange zest (from 1 large orange)
2 tbs cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice (from your 1 orange)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
heaping 1/4 tsp baking soda
heaping 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup butter, melted (1.5 sticks)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

1. Clean the rhubarb and strawberries. Cut the strawberries in half (if they are big) and cut the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces. If the rhubarb is large, you may have to cut the stick in half vertically before cutting into 1 inch pieces. Add and mix sugar and orange zest to the strawberries and rhubarb.

2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch to the orange juice and stir to blend. Then add to the strawberries and rhubarb mixture.

3. For the crisp, combine the following ingredients (oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, melted butter & cinnamon) in a medium bowl and mix well to combine.

4. In a 9"x13" pan, layer the strawberry and rhubarb mixture on the bottom and crumble the crisp mixture on top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour until top is golden brown. Let it rest for 30 minutes. It will still be warm after this time. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy this summer scrumptiousness!