Butterflies!

And so for Valentine's Day 

our butterflies were born!

There are four of them 

Can you guess what their names are?

Laila, Max, Mom & Dad, of course!

dinner theater

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, 

a digital marquee flashed at me as I drove through town

-- advertising an evening of dinner mystery theater.

We prefer shared experiences to surprise gifts so I looked into it. 

Although the price was a little over our budget, 

I splurged in anticipation of a most memorable date. 

After all, the show was to be in the style of CLUE.

Worth Every Penny!

Enjoying a calm, delectable meal with my debonair date beside me, 

I was delightfully surprised to hear my all-time favorite 

Abba song and definitely impressed by the 

acting and musical talent of the cast members. 

Add to that the pleasant small talk with our tablemates, the intriguing, 

witty & sometimes playful interaction with the show's characters, 

excellent cheesecake (which I usually dislike) 

and we had, indeed, enjoyed a truly entertaining evening, 

not to be soon forgotten.

thank you Hunt Mysteries & The Castle

the train

their first train ride was on the FrontRunner 

to Salt Lake on a free fare Friday. 

This train wasn't loud but the freight train, 
rumbling along the track behind it, was 

Ah, the nostalgic sound of my childhood--

when our back yard narrowly missed being the train track 

and where we lost our poor guinea pig one unfortunate summer.

And as we ran from the train to connect with Trax, 
I was surprised at how metropolitan it felt--
Its been too long since I saw the busyness of 
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, Venice, 
even Perm with its overstuffed public transport 
when Salt Lake City feels that crowded and hopping.


Perhaps it had something to do with 
my traveling companions, whose existence 
hadn't even crossed my mind 
when I was traversing those far off places
But then, keeping track of 

two rambunctious children can be challenging 
even in the quietest of suburban parks.

How do city moms do it?

rock star

One pair of clearance rack second-hand jeans: 

$1.00

hearing her exclaim 

"I'm going to wear these when I'm a rock star."

Priceless

Because every girl needs a pair of pants that say 

(perhaps only to her) 

RoCK STaR

tomatillos and avocados

While my food photography leaves much to be desired,

I wanted to share my latest endeavor at trying new recipes

It was time intensive but oh-so-tasty!

Here is what to do with 8+ tomatillos and ripe avocados:

6 large garlic cloves, 4 cloves peeled and left whole and 2 cloves coarsely chopped

1 pound tomatillos (8 medium), husked, rinsed, and halved

2 fresh jalapeños (including seeds), coarsely chopped

3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro sprigs

2 cups plus 2 to 3 tablespoons water

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion, rinsed in a sieve and patted dry

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 (6- to 7-ounce) firm-ripe avocados

12 tostadas (i used flour tortillas & fried them cuz that is what I had on hand)

3 cups thinly sliced romaine (from 1 head)

1 cup mild feta (1/4 pound)

Make tomatillo sauce:
Line a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron; not nonstick) with foil, then heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 2 whole garlic cloves and half of tomatillos, cut sides down, and roast on top of stove until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes (skillet will begin to smoke at this point). Turn over garlic and tomatillos (tomatillos may stick to foil) and roast until well browned and tomatillos are completely soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer roasted garlic and tomatillos to a food processor. Discard foil, then line skillet with a fresh sheet of foil and roast remaining 2 whole garlic cloves and remaining tomatillos in same manner, transferring as done to food processor. Cool garlic and tomatillos to room temperature in bowl of processor, about 30 minutes. (I did this in my blender. It worked!)

Add chiles, half of cilantro, and 2 tablespoons water to mixture in processor, then pulse until it forms a chunky sauce, adding 1 tablespoon more water if too thick. Transfer to a bowl and stir in onion and 1 teaspoon salt.

Prepare beans:

Bring beans and remaining 2 cups water to a simmer in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then add avocado leaves and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Drain beans in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving liquid. Pure beans, 1/4 cup cooking liquid (reserve remainder), and chopped garlic in a food processor until smooth.

Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then add bean purée and cook, stirring, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, then remove from heat and keep warm, covered.

Assemble tostadas:

Halve and pit avocados, then scoop out flesh in large pieces and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

If necessary, stir some of reserved bean-cooking liquid in to make bean purée soft and easily spreadable. Divide warm beans among tostadas and spread evenly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon tomatillo sauce over each tostada, then divide avocado among tostadas and top with romaine, cheese, and remaining cilantro. Serve remaining tomatillo sauce on the side.

find the original recipe at Epicurious.com

Chrysalides

One was lost and tears were shed 

but finally, after 10 long days, our furry pets have taken that first step in their miraculous transformation and settled into their self-woven cocoons to mature into our winged friends. 

We have successfully moved them to their hatching habitat.

Now we wait. 

I’m keeping my fingers crossed ;-)