Best Recipe Finds of 2025

Three recipes I tried this year make the cut.

First up is this granola recipe. It's supposed to stick together enough to make bars. I think it needs more honey to do this (or maybe I didn't use enough- not sure). But the taste was great. I skipped the chocolate chips because I didn't want them to melt if taken outside. Mine fell apart into clumps. Still tasted good. I will be making this again with more of the "glue."



• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup nuts (almonds, walnuts, or cashews), chopped
• ½ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, or apricots), chopped
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking dish (8x8 inches) with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, chopped nuts, dried fruit, and cinnamon.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the honey and peanut butter until melted and smooth, stirring frequently.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is evenly coated.
6. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure it's evenly spread and compacted.
7. If using, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, pressing them gently into the mixture.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center is firm.
9. Let cool completely before cutting into squares or bars.

Rhubarb Glazed Chicken is so good, I've fixed it several times. It helps that I have a ton of rhubarb. Remembered to put some in the freezer this year. The recipe is at Rhubarb Glazed Chicken. I did leave out the hot sauce. This batch might have gotten a little too done, but it really didn't taste "blackened."



I've also fallen in love with this recipe for Green Goddess Herb salad dressing. I've been somewhat unhappy with all the extra ingredients in bottled dressings. It also now costs more than $3 for a 16-oz bottle unless you can catch a sale. I'm not sure this saves any money. It does eliminate all those extra ingredients.

a few stalks of basil
a handful of fresh dill (or I've used dried dill when I couldn't find fresh)
a handful of fresh parsley (or I've used dried parsley when I couldn't find fresh)
a few green onion stalks
several garlic cloves
2 c. lowfat yogurt
2 c lowfat sour cream

Chop the herbs and garlic fine. Mix with the dairy products

It has some preparation issues:
It says to blend with an immersion blender. That is mostly a mess because any herbs you don't get fine enough beforehand just glob up. I have switched to chopping the herbs or cutting with scissors. I've finally decided that they don't have to be quite as fine as they suggest.

Keeping leftover herbs is also an issue. Freezing them in water was a mess. Chopping and freezing was a mess. Now I'm just freezing them whole and dry and trying to use before they have been in there too long. Chop them white still frozen.

Also, finding all the fresh herbs is usually impossible, and then they are expensive. After making, I kept half in the fridge while freezing the other half. The last half of the second half tends to separate and get watery. Still tastes OK.

So, I've sort of alternated between commercial dressings and this. It's hard to compare prices. When I can get the fresh herbs they aren't cheap, but a bunch is enough for at least 3 batches if I can sucessfully keep the leftovers.



I was really good today. Dishes, laundry, editing, walked a mile (just along the road). I think I'm going to lie down with a book.

Miles hiked in 2026: 10.2

One mile of roadwalk

See Best Recipes of 2020

2.5 Sloppy Ones

Since yesterday was so nasty, I really wanted to get out and do some hiking today. Cathy and I went to Timber Creek. The snow was better for snowmen than for hiking.

It was very sloppy. I wore the foam snowshoes, and Cathy just wore cleats. Neither was ideal. Ideal was not an option. The woods was stark with wet trees and partially melted snow.

The most interesting thing we saw was a hole where some critter poked its nose. We didn't see tracks, though.

We walked out and back. So if you want to hike north from Timber Creek things are pretty well compacted for 1.25 miles right now!

I edited and did miscellaneous stuff.

Miles hiked in 2026: 9.2
Hike 100 2026: 6.7

North Country Trail, Lake County, MI. Timber Creek north for 1.25 miles out and back.

See SPW January Hike

Best Purchases of 2025

Between Covid and the "big hike" a whole lot of things haven't happened for several years. The last year I did a "best purchases" of the year was 2020.

But I think a few things are noteworthy from this year.

For starters, after thinking about something like this for almost six months, I finally decided on the brand I wanted, and it was on sale. I bought one of these little power pruners. Most of them weigh closer to nine pounds. This one by Greenworks is four pounds. With the battery. The company makes a lot of other tools that take the same battery pack too. With this, I was able to get truly serious about some of the autumn olive. I didn't buy it until November so only a couple of complete bushes got whacked, but next year those nasty autumn olive are going to take a big hit.



It's strictly happenstance that another great purchase is lime green. It's a popular comsumer color these days.

This is the kitchen chopper I got for easier salad prep. It's holding up perfectly, and I use it regularly. It cleans up easily if you don't let stuff dry on it. I wasn't sure if I could chop the cucumber and pepper and have it stay fresh enough. But I'm keeping paper towels in the veggie tub to absorb a lot of the moisture. I'm using more towels than I like to, but I think it's worth it to not have to chop the parts of my evening salad every single day.



I'm really happy with several plants I bought, but assuming it comes back in the spring, perhaps the favorite purchase is the Lewisia 'Safira Coral.' It bloomed for nearly two months.

I think I'll include one more purchase because it just makes me happy. At the end of our Adirondack adventure in June, at a convenience store, they had some fleece blankets marked at $9.99. That seemed reasonable as a nice souvenir. When I took it to the register, it rang up at $29.99. "Oh, no," I said. I took the clerk to the display, and she did give it to me at the lower price! It's a great reminder of the Adirondacks, and cuts the drafts on my legs as I do computer work.

It is a romance map of the Adirondacks. I do love romance maps! I've also seen it as a poster, but I like being able to snuggle up with it.

Today was nasty outside. I opted not to hike before bell choir. Cathy and I are going to try tomorrow. It was raining and just above freezing. Ludington actually didn't have school because it was ice in the early morning. Betty is on her way to a warmer clime for the winter, so there will be no afternoons of crafts for now.

I did do all the usual- editing, bell choir, miscellaneous little things.

See Best Purchases 2020

Best Books Read in 2025

This was a good reading year. Well, I didn't have a lot of choice of activities in January and February. I listened to a LOT of audiobooks. Then in November, I neglected to add titles to my spreadsheet. Trying to fill in the missing ones was problematic since I read some books online, and others I already, in a fit of efficiency, took down to our library building and put them away. I have a record of reading/ hearing 117 books. It is more for certain... maybe 10 more? Not sure.

The total certain pages are 34,377 for what it's worth. 62% were what I call "escape reading"- just for enjoyment and no other purpose. Those were primarily fiction mysteries.

Here's the western sky at 5:42 pm on Christmas Eve. We can already tell that it's staying light noticeably later. Hooray! I'm definitely feeling the negative effects of the long hours of darkness.

Now that I've paid the photo tax...

Here are the ten books I have selected as the best reads of 2025, in alphabetical order.

Title	Author	Genre
Brief Review
The Cranefly Orchid Murders	Cynthia Riggs	cozy mystery
This is another series I recommend if you like cozy mysteries. Each title has a plant in it. This series is set on Martha's Vinyard and stars the nonagenarian, Victoria Trumbull. The atmosphere and characters of the New England setting are wonderfully done. If you have any experience with people from and life in this area you'll have plenty to chuckle at. I love the details of the island setting and the unusual place names. This is regional fiction at its best.     In this particular story, an elderly woman who owns "Sachem's Rock" does not want to leave it to her estranged family. But everyone wants that land. Developers, the tribal nation, the village, conservationists. Who will win out?     I have reviewed most of the books in the series at Victoria Trumbull mysteries. (I have to order the others through interlibrary loan to finish them.)
Force of Nature	C.J. Box	thriller
I listened to this whole series while I was down with the shingles. The hero is Joe Pickett, a state game warden in Wyoming. This is just the kind of series I like every so often. They are violent and a little off-beat, with a cast of remarkable characters. I choose this as one of the best.     Joe Pickett's friend, Nate Romanowski, has a past in Special Forces, but he ran afoul of most authority figures long ago. He lives off the grid both literally and emotionally. His former commander is out to eliminate all those who know anything about a high-level crime. He figures he can draw Nate out of hiding by targeting his friend Joe Pickett and Pickett's family.     Each book stands alone, but the convoluted situations will make more sense if you read them in order.
Lost in the Wild	Cary Griffith	survival
The true stories of two young men who became lost in separate incidents in the Minnesota Arrowhead are told in a parallel fashion. Both survived- one because he used his knowledge and common sense, the other from pure luck. (This was a re-read for me- perhaps the third time. It's still great.)     I find survival stories gripping because with the amount of time I've spent outdoors alone, sometimes pushing limits more than my friends would like me to, I think about the scenarios that could result in my needing to use these kinds of skills.
Oxcart Angel	J.A. Arnold	juvenile fiction
This is historical fiction for middle grades through junior high. I bought it in North Dakota because it was inexpensive, and I'm always looking for a variety of writing examples for middle grades.     Well. This is an excellent book. It's one of the best examples I've read of showing the reader, not telling.     Claire is 13 years old. Her father is French and her mother was Native American. She calls herself a Metis, but most everyone despises her as a half-breed. After her mother's death, she and her father load the few things that will fit on an oxcart. They barter for a half-dead ox to pull it and head for Minneapolis from their home on the Canadian border in Pembina.     Although written for a young audience, this is a great tale of what life was like at the time in the Dakota territory during the Civil War.
The Private Patient	P.D. James	mystery
If you like classic mystery, you just can't go wrong with P.D. James, but I think this one is especially good. This was a re-read for me. It's the last book in the Adam Dalgliesh series.     An investigative reporter who carries a terrible facial scar from childhood finally decides to have it removed. She sets up an appointment with a famous plastic surgeon who offers care in London or at a manor house in the country. She chooses the manor house.     The plot is complex even for James. I just found it satisfying.     I'm working on reviewing all of the Adam Dalgliesh books
Sons of Fortune	Jeffrey Archer	literary fiction
Archer typically writes books that span several generations, skillfully weaving in both the history, culture and relationships of the characters and their extended families. This one not only has all that, but it's a "separated twins" tale.     The baby boys end up going to different homes after their birth. Another baby born on the same night does not live, and a nurse feels it is unfair for one family to have two boys and the other none. She tells the twins' mother that only one of them lived, and gives the second baby to the woman whose child died.     The boys grow up in different social classes never knowing about the other. They end up going to similar private schools- one on merit the other by social position. We see their lives moving closer and closer together, but will they meet and realize who they are?
Thunderstruck	Erik Larson	true crime
Is this history or true crime? Yes. The stories of Marconi's struggle to understand wireless communication is juxtaposed with one of the nost famous murders in British history- that of Dr. Crippin's killing of his wife.     Crippen was the first criminal in history to be apprehended with the use of radio communication.     Erik Larson has written some great books, and a few that are sort of middle of the road. I thought this one was really good.
When You Find My Body	Denis Dauphinee	survival
This is the true story of Geraldine Largay who disappeared on the Appalachian Trail in 2013. Her body was found several years later. She kept a journal through all the time she survived.     To me, this book is riveting. There is a lot we'll never know about what happened to her: how she actually lost the trail, why she made some of the decisions she did. But it did answer some of my questions about her story. She was an experienced hiker, that is true. What she was not was experienced in outdoor skills which is not the same thing. If she'd been more educated on those topics she would certainly have survived.
The Sabateur	Andrew Cross	espionage thriller
This is based on the true story of Norwegians who risked everything to sabotage the Nazi heavy water plant, critical to Germany creating an atomic bomb, during WWII.     It is based on recently declassified documents, and is a great war thriller about a topic you've never heard much about.
When Understanding is Enough	Dale Jackson	self-help
Yes, this is written by a good friend of mine. But that's not why it made my top ten list. Some of us just aren't wired to be very empathetic people. Sometimes, when we do care about someone, we don't know what to do to actually be helpful.     Dale gives clear guidelines for how to listen constructively to those who need understanding more than they need advice. Hint. Everyone needs understanding more than they need advice. Easy-to-understand and process guides like this really are worthy.

I was fairly productive today. Yeah me.

See Best Books Read in 2024

Proof and Fun

Not much that's newsworthy today. I made soup, but didn't take a picture. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. It's yummy, but not visually stunning.

After I said I have no pictures from yesterday of Bill and me, someone sent me two. Neither shows us at our most attractive, but hey, we were having fun.

I signed the group in collectively at the trail register, and Bill held the lid to make a desk.

About half of the hikers went to Bitely Bar to eat. Here we are again.

I was super good today. Edited longer than usual, made soup from the Christmas ham bone, cleaned the kitchen (well, it's not done but is it ever?)

Here's more fun. I know that sharing pictures of my games is probably low on your interest list, but I'm kind of tickled about this. I managed to make this fox family by collecting prizes from three different events. The fox in the stump pops in and out. The fox on the left alternately crouches in this "play" pose and stands. I just got the kit today. It definitely makes me smile.

See Spirit of the Woods- January