An Unexpected Treat!

After returning from my North Dakota hunting trip, I got right back into the swing of things with work. I got to work at the Hmong school that I really liked a few times! I also was called to a Jewish school. I was told that I had to wear a skirt or a dress. This wasn’t a problem for me! I love skirts and dresses. It was a very small classroom and the boys and girls were separated. I taught the fourth grade boys in the morning and the girls in the afternoon. It was a unique experience.

My sister, Kathryn, called me to talk about her upcoming plans with her friend from back home, Amber. Kathryn was feeling pretty bummed because the two of them had gotten tickets to the Broadway musical “Wicked” and Amber was thinking that it wouldn’t work for her to be able to come anymore. Kathryn asked if I would be interested in going with her. I told her I’d love to see it and that I actually had that Tuesday evening of the show off from Target, but that I didn’t have the extra money to pay Amber for her ticket. Lawyerboy said I should go if Amber couldn’t make it, but I didn’t like spending money on unnecessary things.

Kathryn called two days later to say that Amber for sure wasn’t coming and that Amber said I could just have her ticket. I said that made me a little uncomfortable to not give her something, but Kathryn said it was fine. I talked to my mom and she said I should go with Kathryn. So it was official and I was ecstatic! Kathryn had taken me to my first Broadway musical experience at the Minneapolis Orpheum theater a year ago. We went to “The Lion King” and I loved it and couldn’t wait for my second experience!

Our friend from our small town in North Dakota, Tanner, was a freshman in college at The University of Minnesota. Kathryn made plans with him to meet her, Lawyerboy, and myself for supper before Kathryn and I went to the musical. Lawyerboy and I hadn’t eaten out in a while and we were looking forward to it! We ate at a place called Kafe 421. It was so great to see Tanner and catch up over supper! He was doing well and seemed to be enjoying college! We asked each other about our families. He adores my mom and wanted details about her. He said he misses her cookies. Both Tanner and Lawyerboy wished that they had tickets to see “Wicked”! I truly felt so lucky!

“Wicked” was purely magical! It was such a fantastic evening of acting, music, and time with my sister, Tanner, and Lawyerboy. Lawyerboy came and picked us up from the Orpheum after it was over and I smiled the whole way home!

Whenever I see Tanner, I think of home, and of course home consists of many things, but mainly my parent’s, our farm, Dovre church, and the Newburg school. When I was teaching there, I was also the Junior Class Advisor. When Tanner was a junior a couple years ago, he and his classmate, yes I said classmate as in singular!, the three of us had a Christmas party. I brought my favorite bars in for a treat. Tanner said they were one of his favorites, too! I copied the recipe from a church cookbook onto a single sheet of notebook paper when I was in elementary school. I don’t even know their name, so I call them Brenda’s Bars. Clearly I didn’t create this recipe, but the bars and I have a connection. There is oatmeal and peanut butter in these bars, so they can be eaten for breakfast. There is also brown sugar and chocolate, so they can also be eaten as a dessert or midday snack! I love, love, love these bars!

Brenda’s Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees – Bake time: 18 minutes – Prep time: 15 minutes – Makes: 20 to 24 bars

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/4 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup white syrup

Mix the butter and oats together. Add in the flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Stir all the ingredients together. Lastly, add the vanilla and corn syrup. Stir until combined. Put in a 13 X 9 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. *I have found 18 minutes to be about perfect. It is better to under bake them than over bake them!

Frosting:

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

Melt together and frost while the bars are still warm.