Our second-last morning in the mountains. The crisp morning air was just calling for warm homemade baked bread with jam. Jason and I felt like we hadn't stopped moving for 4 days straight so, on this morning, we decided that we were going to take it easy, relax, drink a cup of my faux coffee (dandy blend) and bake some bread. This bread turned out unbelievable. Crusty outside and a fluffy moist and chewy inside. Since peaches were in season, peach jam just seemed like the way to go. Originally, I wanted to grill the peaches but the grill slots on our fire pit were too wide and my peaches would have fallen through so I settled on searing them in a pan to give a quick caramelization. Both these recipes were so simple. The jam only takes 3 ingredients and the bread only 5. Truly the simplest most delicious recipes.

PEACH JAM

Sheena Rozak Holding a Skillet and Peaches

Sheena Rozak Camping Cooking Waterfowl Lakes Banff

Cutting and Grilling Peaches in a Camp Skillet

Sheena Rozak Grilling Peaches in a Cabella's Camp Skillet

What you need:

3 peaches
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp sugar (more if you desire sweeter)

The how to:

Grill peaches on grill, preferably but if grill is too wide, as it was in my case, use a skillet and caramelize cut side down for about 3-5 mins.
Peel and put into bowl or whatever you have handy. I used a pot since I was camping lol. Mash peaches until desired consistency.
Mix in sugar and chia seeds and let sit for 40 mins.

CAMPFIRE CHIA BREAD

Campfire Chia Bread

Mixing Bread Ingredients

Kneading Dough for Campfire Bread

Sheena Rozak Kneading Campfire Bread Dough

Placing Dough in Campfire Dutch Oven

Cabella's Dutch Oven Over a Campfire

Sheena Rozak with Braids Holding Campfire Bread and Peach Jam

CAMPFIRE CHIA BREAD

What you need:

2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup almond milk

The how to:

Combine 2 cups of flour, chia seeds, salt and sugar in a bowl. When camping you're limited so I used a pan lol. (This mix can be made in advance and kept in a ziploc bag or air tight container)
Mix and slowly add almond milk to dry ingredients until it forms a dough.
Knead about 1-2 mins lightly dust dough with flour if needed.
Place an upside down pie plate into a 12 inch dutch oven and dust with the remaining flour.
put dough on the pie plate and let rise for about 10 mins.
Cover and put on a med size flame. Keep closed and bake for 40 minutes.
Take bread out, let cool. Dust off remaining flour and enjoy

This week I had to say good bye to an aunt. Like all funerals, it forced an overwhelming amount of emotion that is hard to make sense of in the moment. I didn't know my aunt very well. Truthfully, I hadn't seen her in over 10 years. So as my eyes kept filling with tears, I kept asking myself why am I so upset about this? I was even afraid to show emotion at the funeral in fear of people thinking I didn't have a right, especially since I didn't know her the way they did. As I sat there watching everyone who's life she was part of, weep and reflect on her life, it made me think. Why do we wait until something dies to remember how beautiful it was?

Why does the talk of death always seem to make people uncomfortable? Why is it so taboo? I believe if everyone was to think about death on a daily basis, people would start seeing and living their lives so differently. I want this post to push that uncomfortable cloud surrounding death aside and to shine some much needed light on the topic. People die everyday it is a reality. But let me ask you this, if you were to walk into your doctor's office today and they told you, you had 1 year to live how much differently would you live that year? Would you stay mad at that loved one? Would you still be working where you are? Would all the little things you think matter right now, still matter? I think the question everyone needs to ask themselves is, why does it take someone telling you that your going to die to start living, when you already know for certain that you have limited years in this world? Live as if you were dying, because in reality we all are.

Why are we so afraid of death? I believe it's because it forces a reflection on one's life. It is an awakening of your perspective on life, and it brings an awareness of how you've been living your own. It is a big slap in the face to wake up and reflect. It forces us to ask the question, what is our purpose? We need to stop just existing and start being aware of our existence. Everyone needs to take a breath of fresh air and start, truly, living everyday on purpose. No one really knows when this life will come to an end. All we know is there is an end to our physical form as we speak. Life is soooooo precious. We live in a time and place where, we are so lucky. We have the choice to live a fulfilling life if we choose. It's not just about survival anymore.

So, as oddly as it sounds, the thought of death is life enhancing. It is a harsh reminder of how little time we really do have. The reality of everything we didn't do surfaces because the "I wished... and I should haves..." creep up. Do I wish I had stayed closer to my aunt, of course I do. But her life still had a huge impact on mine and I feel grateful. She has reminded me of how precious our time here is. She has reminded me to feel gratitude for today. I have another day to hug my little ones, and tell Jason I love him. Happiness to me is feeling gratitude for the things in my life. I have the opportunity to live a happy fulfilled life, and so do you. I've made it my legacy that when my time comes I know I will leave this world a better place than the one I came into. Until we meet again aunty.....

In loving memory