Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the United States, and many people take part in it. People of all ages start lining up the evening of Thanksgiving. When I was growing up, people wouldn’t start to line-up until around midnight for stores that opened at 5 or 6 o’clock. Now, some stores are opening at midnight or in the wee early hours that follow, so people start getting in line even earlier, starting on Thanksgiving. I have never taken part in this phenomenon. My mom and sister, Kathryn, have gone shopping on the morning or afternoon of Black Friday, but rarely go early enough to stand in line. I was gone a lot of times during this time hunting in Montana with my dad, sister Micky, and brother Andrew.

So today I was going to experience my first Black Friday, but not amongst the many shoppers that were waiting in lines all night. I was going to be working. Target was opening at 5 A.M.. I had to be there at 4:30. There was a line when I got there! There were tons of team members scheduled to work. Most of us were placed back in electronics and toys. It was definitely busy and there was running and some shoving for the GPS systems and flat screen TVs. The day went really fast. I was home by 2:00, which felt strange!

Lawyerboy and I were looking forward to the afternoon and evening. Our friends Burton and Erica were in Maple Grove with their two little boys and Erica’s family for Thanksgiving. We drove out there and Lawyerboy dropped me off with the girls and he went to find the boys. The girls were doing some Christmas shopping and the boys were having a drink and wings. Erica, her mom, aunts, and cousins are all very nice people. We all met back up at Erica’s aunt and uncles where they made Thanksgiving leftovers and had some drinks. One of their favorites leftovers to make are fried mashed potato balls. After we ate, we played cards, drank, and snacked. Well, Lawyerboy drank and I snacked. I was enjoying a sweet treat that was covered in almond bark and had peanut butter inside. I asked Erica how to make them and she said she didn’t know. I have since googled them and have made them a few different ways to get them the way I like them. Almond Bark Balls are a fun snack. Sort of like eating a fun size candy bar.

On a side note, we were having a blast, but left before midnight. We had driven our truck. The gas tank doesn’t work and we keep track of when we need gas based on the mileage. We talked about getting gas on the way there. We were both so excited to see our friends that we decided/convinced ourselves that we had enough fuel. We even thought about it on the way back to St. Paul, but still figured we’d make it. We were on I-94, about one mile from the Snelling exit we were going to take, and it happened. My dad would kill me! He always says to never let the tank get below a quarter of a tank because it isn’t safe! Uh oh. Lawyerboy grabbed the jerrycan from the back of the truck that we own because of the time he ran out of gas a few years ago in Minot with his old car. It was pretty cold and I had on flats with no socks, but we got out, and started to run along the side of the road. Almost immediately, a car pulled over. It was a feeling of relief and fear all at once because you never know who is in the car. A young girl asked if she could help. Her name was Ashley. She told us that she was driving home from work where she is a bartender. She said a man had come in and paid for another family’s meal that was there and didn’t even let the family know. She said she decided she needed to start doing more good deeds and when she saw us, thought this could be her first act. She figured since there was a girl along, it was pretty safe! She took us to the Lexington exit, the one after Snelling, because there was a gas station right off that exit. Lawyerboy filled the jerrycan with gas, ran in to pay, and we were headed back to our truck in no time. She waited to make sure our truck started before she left. We had no cash or anything to give her! She said she didn’t want a thing from us and was happy to help. We call her Angel Ashley! Thank you a million times over!

Almond Bark Balls:

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Makes: 16 balls

*Note: You can double, triple, quadruple, (you get my point!) if you so desire.

*Second Note: You can also omit the sugar for a “healthier” version. 🙂

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup white corn syrup

3 cups Rice Krispies

1/4 peanuts, chopped

4 squares almond bark

Measure out 1/4 cup peanuts and give them a rough chop; set aside. Also, measure out the 3 cups of Rice Krispies; set aside. In a medium or large sauce pan, add a 1/2 cup each of sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring continually. I use a spatula because the mixture won’t stick to it. This doesn’t take long to boil, so don’t leave it. Turn off the heat. Add the Rice Krispies and peanuts. Mix until coated. Let stand for one or two minutes and then begin to form balls. This will be hot so be careful! I always scoop the mixture I am going to form into a ball onto the spatula to cool a few more seconds before shaping it into a ball. Once formed, place them on wax paper. Then, melt 4 squares of almond bark in a microwavable safe bowl. (You can use more almond bark if you like it really thick and well coated.) Take one of the balls and turn it around in the almond bark using a spatula. Place it back on the wax paper to cool.