NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/823575
20 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2017 By Lindsay Rogers, Wildlife Education Specialist My life – like that of most people – is busy. Between two young children, two mischievous dogs and a ridiculously busy work schedule, the fun stuff occasionally gets pushed aside. We always make time for the big stuff – going to the pumpkin patch, the zoo and a week-long summer vacation. But the day-to-day fun is often waylaid by laundry, loading the dishwasher and the arduous bedtime routine. Realizing that time often goes faster than I like, I set out last summer to ensure our family had a relaxing, smile-filled summer that would go down as the best yet. I decided we needed a project, something that could be done at least weekly, that would keep our enthusiasm and that would involve the whole family. S'mores. Making s'mores is fun, but this project needed more "umph." Our task would be to devise the greatest new s'mores recipe. No longer would graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars suffice. My next step was heading to the store. If it could be included in a s'more, it was purchased. Fudge-stripe cookies, birthday cake Oreos (my daughter's favorite), mint chocolate cookies (my son's favorite), Reese's peanut butter cups, dark chocolate, white chocolate, Hershey's cookies-n-cream bars. Weekly (sometimes more) we would leave the dinner dishes in the sink and gather around the backyard fire pit with the patio table covered in our s'mores options. Very quickly my daughter Lucy found her favorite: birthday cake Oreos twisted open to allow for a warm marshmallow, the Oreo filling serving as her "chocolate." My son Sam and I took longer and were more interested in experimentation. In the end we determined Sam likes nearly every variation of the s'more. It was not until our family vacation to Lewis and Clark Lake that I found my favorites (there are two). Around the campfire one night, I had the brilliant plan to sandwich the traditional marshmallow and chocolate between two monster cookies. I was in love. The next night it was marshmallows and Reese's peanut butter cups between traditional graham crackers. This was not a s'more, it was amore! In the end, this simple project actually slowed time. I put playing in the backyard before sweeping the floor and riding bikes before getting to bed on time. The summer lingered with lazy trips to the pool, afternoon strolls through the zoo, swinging in the backyard and of course, plenty of s'mores. ■ Slowing Time with S'mores PHOTOS BY LINDSAY ROGERS O PHOT PHOT PHOTOS OS B OS B OS BY LI Y LI Y LI S NDSA NDSA NDSA O Y RO Y RO Y ROG S GERS GERS GERS Ever-silly Sam roasts his marshmallow at Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area. One of the greatest – chocolate and marshmallow between two monster cookies. Lucy with a "birthday cake Oreo" s'more at Lewis and Clark SRA.