Cherry Run Hike

A hiking post!! No waterfalls, but at least I got out hiking again. It's been way too long. This was a super easy, flat hike on a well-maintained trail that is actually an old railroad bed.



I hiked this trail once when I was younger, with the Boy Scouts. I wanted to go back and since it was a fairly nice day I thought I'd get out. It was a little chilly, but as long as I kept moving it wasn't bad.

Along most of the path, it's just piles of rocks.



It's very The Hills Have Eyes. I kept expecting some inbred mole person to crawl out of the rocks and eat me.

Barring any mole person attacks, it's a pretty uneventful hike until you get to the old train tunnel. I remember loving this tunnel last time, but it's slightly terrifying by yourself.



That's the opening now. It used to be big enough for a train, but because of structural integrity or whatever, they filled it in so there's just this little 6-foot tube at the start of the tunnel. It's a little claustrophobic to start with, and the fact that the batteries in my flashlight were dying didn't help. It took all my guts, but I finally sucked it up and went in.

It's really not that long, but once you get through the little tube, it opens up to the original size. Have you ever seen The Descent? Well, a friend and I decided the things that live in the caves look like a cross between Voldemort and Smeagol... Voldemeagols. I'm still pretty convinced this tunnel is full of Voldemeagols.

Once I got through, the view from the other side is much less claustrophobic looking, but still kind of terrifying since I knew I had to go back through.



Since I didn't die in the tunnel, I thought I'd explore a little. On this side of it, there were a bunch of cabins, probably 8 or 10. There was no one at any of them, but there were a couple of cars of other hikers. There's an old railroad bridge over Penns Creek that I'm kind of in love with.



And the creek is gorgeous.



After walking around a bit, I headed back through the Voldemeagol tunnel and back to my car. On the way back, I got attacked. It was terrifying. I almost got my face licked off. I'm not sure where they came from, but there was a woman with a very friendly Jack Russell. He kept running up to me, then back to her. :-)

I'll definitely go back there soon. I want to do the 8-mile loop that I did with the Scouts at some point. Just up to the tunnel and back is about 5 miles.

I'm excited to be hiking again, and the next nice day I think I'll tackle the 7-mile loop trail in R.B. Winter State Park that I read about in one of my new hiking books.

White Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Before I get to this amazing recipe, I just wanted to update everyone on happenings in my life. My dad had his surgery two days ago. He had most of his esophagus removed and his stomach is now attached to his throat. They said everything looks good and they got all the cancer. We'll know for sure if it's all gone when we get the pathology report back. He's doing very well and recovering nicely. There might be a problem with his heart rate since his stomach is now behind his heart, but the surgeon didn't seem worried, and he said if it continues, they'll fix it with medication. So he has a minimum of 13 days left in the hospital, but he's doing well!

In other news, I got a call from the theatre in Wisconsin. I have to call them back today, but I think they're going to offer me the job! I hate to move so far away, but it's not for over 4 months yet, and I would only be there for 5 months. I also got an e-mail from a theatre near Philly. They're remodeling the theatre and hope to open this summer, so they'll start hiring staff soon. I'm keeping all of my fingers crossed that they give me an interview! I'd much rather move to Philadelphia than Wisconsin!

So those are the major events going on in my life. It's all very exciting! Now on to this great recipe. I wasn't going to post any Christmas cookie recipes since it's well past Christmas, but I love these! They can be made any time of the year, they're not just for Christmastime, so I thought it would be ok to share.



White Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 C. maraschino cherries - drained and finely chopped
2 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. cold butter
12 oz. white chocolate - finely chopped
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4 drops red food coloring
2 tsp. shortening
sprinkles, edible glitter, colored sugar, etc.

Method
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread chopped cherries on a paper towel to drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in drained cherries and 4 oz. of the chopped white chocolate. Stir in almond extract and food coloring. Knead the mixture until it forms a smooth ball, and the coloring is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and place 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, or your hands, flatten the balls.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until centers are set. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
-In a small saucepan, combine the remaining chocolate and shortening. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and allow excess to drip off. Roll the dipped edge in sprinkles, edible glitter, sugar, etc., if desired. Place on wax paper to dry. Once dry, store in a cool place in an airtight container.



A few notes from my kitchen:
-To chop the cherries finely, I just ran them through a mini-chopper for a few seconds, then spread them out on the paper towels.
-I also chopped the chocolate in a chopper. I just used white chocolate chips, so there were some bigger chunks. For smaller bits, use bars of chocolate. (Chocolate chips don't chop well in an electric chopper, but I like the bigger bits.)

Enjoy!



*Update*

I just got off the phone with the American Players Theatre in Wisconsin. I got the job! So basically, I'll be living and working in Spring Green, Wisconsin from May 14th-October 11th.

2012!

Happy New Year, y'all!



I rang in 2012 last night at work. A Relay for Life team rented the theatre for a New Year's party/fundraiser. I have to admit, it was fun to watch the ball drop on a movie theatre screen! I also got to blast Lady Gaga as loudly as I could and no one complained.

As this is the second New Year that I've been blogging, I thought I would compare last year's list of resolutions and this year's. There are... a few similarities.


Last year's list, from my post one year ago:

1) Get in shape/become healthier. Cliche, I know, but for realz, I'm going to get back in a gym, become more active, and start to eat better.
2) Read more. A little less TV, a little more good, old-fashioned print on paper.
3) Continue to hone my skills and build knowledge - in cooking/baking, crocheting/sewing, theatre/electrics, etc.
4) Be a little more financially responsible and pay down some debt.
5) Be more charitable. I want to donate more of my time, money, and blood.


This year's list:

1) Get in shape. Yeah, yeah. Shut up. At this point, it's about not having a heart attack before I'm 30. I have a new workout routine mapped out. Let's see how long I stick to it.
2) Become more socially active/active in the community. I joined the community band this past year, but I really don't have anywhere to go or anyone to see. I need to crawl out of my cave once in awhile.
3) Travel more. There's so much to see and do that wouldn't even cost anything. I just need to get in my car and go. If I want to see the world, I have to leave my house.
4) Read more. I said this last year, too. I get on kicks where I read constantly, but then I go days or even weeks without cracking a book.
5) I'm not sure how to word this one, but I need to purge my life. I guess "live less materially" or "live more simply". Basically, I need to get rid of a lot of crap.


So I guess the only repeats are to get in shape and read more. As for the other three on last year's list: I think I've built on my knowledge in cooking, baking, crocheting, technical theatre, etc. quite a bit; I've paid my debt down some and haven't used my credit card in months; and I've donated blood twice since moving home and donated quite a bit of money to good causes this past year.

All-in-all, I call 2011 a success... even if I have two rollover resolutions, and have been essentially unemployed and living with my parents for months. :-P Hopefully 2012 will bring new opportunities, more willpower, and new beginnings!

Did anyone else make any resolutions??


Happy 2012!