La Vita è Bella

Chile Rellenos

2009-05-22T22:00:00.001-06:00

I did one more thing that I can scratch off of my to-do list. I learned to make Chile Rellenos!

My friend Claudia R heard me talking about it one time and she said she would teach me how to make them. I took her up on it! Karen wanted to learn too, so we planned on meeting at Karen's house - which by the way, is a great place for a cooking class :) Claudia's mom, Rosario, was part of the teaching crew as well.

So here is my not-really-a-recipe for chile rellenos. Yumm!

Ingredients:
✔ Poblano Chiles (preferably with stem)
✔ Oaxaca cheese, grated (or Monterey Jack)
✔ Flour
✔ Eggs
✔ Oil

Directions:

Place whole chiles in a hot iron skillet turning until skin blisters on each side. Place charred chiles in a plastic bag to steam. Peel skin off of chiles, careful not to break open the flesh.
Make a small incision at the top of the chile and clean out seeds (about an inch and a half or two from the stem area straight down).
Stuff hollowed chili with grated cheese. If the slit opens too much, secure with a toothpick or two.
Use electric mixer to beat whites until they hold a stiff peak like meringue. Gently mix in eggs.
Pour 1-inch of oil into a heavy deep skillet over medium to medium high to heat. When you think the oil is hot, test the edge of a chile-it should sizzle vigorously.
Fill pie plate with flour and dredge stuffed chile on all sides. Shake excess flour. Dip flour coated chile into egg mixture, pulling out straight up by the stem.
Carefully lay batter coated chile into skillet and baste with spoonfuls of hot oil. When they’re golden underneath, gently turn the chiles over. Fry until the other side is richly golden.
Place cooked chiles on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil until ready to serve.

Variations:
✔ Fill with cooked chicken or ground been instead of or in addition to cheese.
✔ Smother with green chile or Tex-Mex tomato sauce.

I like rellenos smothered with green chile. Claudia is from Texas and says they don't really eat green chile there. She made a simple sauce with sauted onions and bell peppers simmered with crushed tomatoes. But they are also good just as they are.

Thanks Claudia!

A busy Mother's Day...

2009-05-10T22:00:00.000-06:00

I cooked my bootie off for a Mother's Day Brunch!

Menu
♥ Baked Ham (Mario & Karen)
♥ Potato Crust Quiche (missing from photo - darn!) w/Sour Cream & Chives
♥ French Toast Casserole
♥ Craisin-Orange Cream Scones w/Cream Cheese & Orange Marmalade
♥ Chocolate-Hazelnut & Vanilla-Coconut-Craisin Biscotti
♥ Cheese filled Crepes w/Strawberry Compote
♥ Banana Bread
♥ Fresh Fruit Plate w/Yogurt Strawberry Dip
♥ Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Claudia)
♥ Mimosa's & Fruit Juices

I'm not gonna lie... I was exhausted - but I was happy to see that I got it all done and in time too! ... and, I think all the moms enjoyed themselves.

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I barely had time to rest before we were off to see David Copperfield at the DCPA. I had a chance to see him perform live when I was in high school and he is just amazing. A little stranger than I remembered, but amazing.

It was awesome to see Darren's reaction. He said excitedly "I don't know what I'm going to do if he does this one!! I just don't know if I can handle it!" Of course, it was the same expression with each trick. We had great aisle seats and at several times, David Copperfield came up right by us. For the one where he made himself disappear right off stage and appear in the audience - he appeared three seats behind us. And for the last trick, where he brought audience members up on stage to make them disappear, Mondo was chosen as a "witness" and got to go on stage too. I loved it and would do it again in a second. But it was just over an hour - I wish it would have been a bit longer :)

Kisssss my griiiiiiiiiits..... and a banana cream pie!

2009-05-07T14:54:00.005-06:00

I am not a huge fan of diner food. I guess I think it's kind of boring. A step up from cafeteria food - maybe.

I'm not talking about the diners that Guy Fieri visits on his Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I'm talking about the local diners that I know. Carnation. Barry's. Breakfast King. Rosemary's. They remind me of a place I'd go for a 2am breakfast after a night out at the clubs. Would someone just place a 3 feet wide platter of pancakes with a side of hashbrowns right in front of me please.

No. No. No. I don't think so. And on top of that - they never have peanut butter for my pancakes! argh!

That being said, I have to say - Newbarry's has THE BEST BANANA CREAM PIE ever!!!! Crust. Filling. Topping. The Best. I'd post a picture - but I already ate it all! <<muah hahahaha>>

They also have pretty good rice pudding. And just right brewed iced tea.

Newbarry's
2995 W Jewell Ave
Denver, CO 80219
(303) 935-5503

Pray for Tay!

2009-05-06T14:17:00.003-06:00

I'm Relay'n people! Friday, June 5th to Saturday, June 6th

My Reason to Relay

I Relay because I want to see an end to cancer during my lifetime.

I Relay in memory of those who did not live to see that. For my Godmother. My uncle Ronnie. My Grandpa. My Uncle Sonny. For Coleman...

I Relay in honor of amazing Survivors who inspired me and gave me great hope in my own battle. For Matthew. For Heather. For Sammy. For Heller. For Tracey. For Nadine...

I Relay for those who are still fighting. For Taylor. For Jeanine. For Audrey...

I Relay for the families and friends and anyone else affected by this horrible disease. That's YOU! because, cancer affects EVERYBODY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Relay for Life Page: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/prayfortay

Taylor's Story: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylormorgan

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French Toast Bake

2009-05-03T10:14:00.004-06:00

I am still practicing recipes for our Mother's Day Brunch. So last night I put a make-ahead-casserole together for the French Toast Bake.

I've made one of these before, and I knew I would have done a couple of things different with it if I ever made it again. The recipe I used this time had me cut up the pieces of bread into 1 inch cubes - which is definitely something I liked. It made for more uniform cooking to the dish. I also added a pecan topping that was out of this world - not sure why I opted out on that last time. I must have been out of my mind!

Word to the wise... the recipe notes that you should place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Do it. I forgot to do this, and true to the note - the casserole puffed like magic and spilled out over the sides a bit, all gooey in the oven. Oops!

I got the recipe from my fave Cook's Illustrated magazine, the Make-Ahead Recipes Edition and I will be happy to share with you - just let me know if you'd like a copy and I will type it out.

So I am happy with my menu and my recipes. Now I am just worried about the oven. Wish I had two. Awe well, I will make do.

The Best Sampler Platter

2009-04-29T12:10:00.001-06:00

I have been wanting to hang out with my little cousin Taylor for a long time now. She comes to Denver every other week from Pueblo to get chemotherapy treatments. And she's been doing this for a long long time - too long.

Well, I am happy that we finally set something up...

We (Mondo & Darren too) went for pizza first at Pizzicato's Gourmet Pizza in Capitol Hill. This place is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Their pizza is great (and so are their salads) - but they are also soooo freaking nice!

They let us order late one night and didn't freak out about it, even though we offered to go somewhere else if they were already closing down.
They heard my son talking about how weird it was to not see Parmesan cheese out on the tables, and brought him a little cup of freshly grated!
They let us leave one car (in their six-car parking lot) while we went to a Mammoth game, and then pick it up after closing.

And - I love love love their Sampler Platter with Roasted Garlic, Caprese & Hummus appetizers for $7.50! Yummmm!

After dinner, we went to D Bar again. I had asked Tay if she wanted to go out for dessert, but since I had a half day off from work, I was able to squeeze in dinner. Anyway, she was excited about it because she says they watch Food Network Challenge all the time too! Keegan Gerhard wasn't in (they're actually filming a challenge here in Denver this week) and I didn't think the staff was as friendly this time, but the desserts were still just as good. Tay and Darren really seemed to like it. I told her we'd try again when Keegan will be there for sure, so hopefully I can find that out.
Pizzicato Gourmet Pizza
www.pizzicatopizza.com
1300 Pennsylvania St
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 957-2550
Menu: http://www.pizzicatopizza.com/home/assets/pdf/CapitolHillMenu6-08.pdf

More biscotti

2009-04-28T21:28:00.002-06:00

Macadamia Coconut Biscotti tonight...

Not as good as the Chocolate Hazelnut ones from Sunday, at least in my opinion. These ones were softer. More crumbly. Not dunkable.

I may compare recipes and adjust. Still wanting to make at least two kinds for Mother's Day brunch.

Gotta love a lazy day...

2009-04-26T22:35:00.004-06:00

I'm a planner. Seems like I always have something going on - even if it's just hanging out with the family.

Today, I was supposed to go to the Rockies game. My plans changed and I ended up not going. There were probably plenty of things that I could have done, but I didn't. I woke up, goofed around. And then took a nap! (Boy it's been a long time since I've taken one). I can't say it was a great nap... I kept tossing and turning, probably because I was feeling guilty that I wasn't doing anything. When I got up, I got comfy on the couch and watched several episodes of Food Network Last Cake Standing.

I had been telling my dad to go to the grocery store for me - not thinking for one second he would - and was surprised when he asked for a shopping list. He went and picked up some items I needed to make Biscotti and Scones.... some recipes I want to test out for Mother's Day Brunch. I'm glad he went, because since he picked up the stuff I needed, I was obligated to do something with them. I tried two new recipes and now I don't feel like the day was totally wasted, but I also feel like I got a good rest too!

And, I was happy with both recipes, which I will post below. Let me know if you try them out and what you think!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup blanched hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter and flour a large baking sheet.
In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined well. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Stir in hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
On prepared baking sheet with floured hands from dough into two slightly flattened logs, each 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Bake logs 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool biscotti on baking sheet 5 minutes.
On a cutting board cut biscotti diagonally into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a rack Biscotti keep in airtight containers 1 week and , frozen, 1 month.

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Cranberry-Orange Cream Glazed Scones

Ingredients

* 2 Cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 Tbs Baking Powder
* 3 Tbs Sugar
* ½ tsp Salt
* 4 Tbs Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
* 1 tsp Grated Orange Zest
* ¾ Cup Dried Cranberries
* ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
* 1 Egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with six 1-second pulses.
Remove the cover and distribute the butter and orange zest evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses. Add the cranberries and quickly mix in or pulse one more time. Transfer the dough to a large bowl.
Stir in the egg along with the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
Transfer the dough and all dry flour bits to a countertop and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Following the directions below, cut the scones into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Glazed Scone Variation
Follow the recipe for Cream Scones, brushing the tops of the scones with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and then sprinkling them with 1 tablespoon sugar just before baking them.

Shaping Cream Scones
1. Press the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
2. With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 wedges.

Off to sew I go...

2009-04-24T23:00:00.000-06:00

We had our second sewing club tonight! I decided not to go home and then back to the studio, so I had to stop and get some more fabric. So, I still haven't finished my apron, but I did start and complete a new project - a bag.

I thought it was soooo cute!

Claudia is amazing. She put this group together so we could work on our own or on a group project - not to teach... but she ended up helping all of us instead of working on her own. I think I need to just go in and take a basic class so I can figure out what to do to keep myself busy without having to ask her for so much help. I don't care if it's making something simple - it's been fun just to hang out with friends, have a little wine and be creative. I'm definitely gonna put more thought into next months project!

Put my elbow where?

2009-04-20T22:00:00.001-06:00

I wasn't sure if I wanted to write about this or not. But one of my first entries this year was talking about some things I want to try out this year. Not necessarily New Year's Resolutions, but new things. This wasn't on the list, but it is definitely new.

Last week my bookclub reviewed Breakfast with Buddha - a story of a happy-with-his-life Christian man who ends up re-evaluating his life while on a cross country road trip with a "buddha". One of my comments during our discussion was about how it made me want to try meditation. Want to try yoga. What?!? You're talking crazy Tommy. I was surprised to hear some of my friends agree - not that I was crazy, but that they felt somewhat inspired to try something "meditationy" too. And I almost fell on the floor when, by the end of that part of the conversation, Mondo and I had planned to try a yoga class.

Our friend Mary just happens to love yoga and even taught for a while. She mentioned a class she takes called Bikram Yoga. The recommended temperature for Bikram yoga is minimum 105F degrees and about 40% humidity. Mondo and I actually were aware of this when we followed through and met up with her tonight. I still can't believe it. There are twenty-six posture exercises and I admit, I had to sit and rest through more than a couple of them. I could feel my heart pounding and was sure you could see it beating right through my shirt.

I don't know exactly what I expected... To find out I am not flexible? Check! Haha! Really, although I haven't decided if I will go back yet, I am not totally opposed to it.

Hanging out with AG

2009-04-15T23:00:00.004-06:00

We were picking up tickets for a show at the DCPA and browsing through a rack of pamphlets advertising current and upcoming shows. Mondo picked one up and said "Adrian wants to see this." Adrian is my super athletic, super smart 15 year old nephew, who also happens to be my Godson. I looked over and said "Really? He wants to see Macbeth?".

I have never read Shakespeare by choice. I studied what was required in High School and I've seen a few movies. I have even visited Juliet's balcony in Verona. That's about it. Reading Shakespeare made me dizzy. But I was pretty excited to hear that Adrian was interested on his own accord. I grabbed one of the flyers with an intention of asking him about it.

A few days later, I'm sitting on the couch and Adrian (AG) comes over beside me, holding the pamphlet. I said "Oh yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. Uncle says you want to go see Macbeth." AG says "Yeah".

So fast foward to this evening...

I came home straight from work and met AG at the house. I asked him where he wanted to go eat - his choice, but it had to be kind of fast because we wouldn't have more than an hour. "I like the place you and uncle took me for lunch that one time... for noodles" "Noodles & Company?" "Yeah." "You've only been there once? Where do you guys eat out? Mexican food huh?" "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

We found a Noodles & Company just a few minutes away from the DCPA. A sushi house called Sonoda's was right across the walkway. Adrian had just tried sushi for the first time at his 15th birthday lunch celebration in February and he said "We can try this. I'm okay with that. It's something different." I have never thought of my nephews and nieces as being into trying something different... my family for that matter with the exception of my brother Mario and his wife Karen and my brother Mondo. I was all for introducing AG to a new food experience. Even short on time. I said "We'll rush okay?"

He had a little bit of everything! Sushi! Tempura! Terryiaki! And he liked it which put a big smile on his nina's face (I am his"nina"; the Spanish reference and a term of endearment for "Godmother"). We also got out of there right in time to make it to the show. Or so I thought...

The parking garage entrance I usually use, wasn't open. I intended to drive around the block to get to the alternate, but saw that there was parking space on the street on 13th & Champa for with a 4 hour meter. Score! I could scrounge up three dollars in change and that should be plenty. Plus, it would save me seven bucks. We walked across the bridge to pick up our tickets at Will Call - just 10 minutes before curtain! There was a line, but it moved rather quickly. When I got to the counter and said "Rivera for Macbeth" the ticket agent smiled and said - "Ok. You'll need to go back out the doors, cross the center to the west, to your left, down the stairs, back around to your right and then across the street to the Red Brick Building, down the hall to the elevators to the third floor..." I looked at my watch. 6:27 - 3 minutes to curtain. "Will we make it? Will they let us in?" "Ah sure, you'll be fine."

Now the DCPA is a complex with multiple venues for shows. I have been to many of them; The Buell, Boettcher, The Galleria, The Stage... but apparently not the Conservatory Theatre. I had no idea there was another building outside of what I had always considered the DCPA complex area. Good Lord!

We kicked it into high gear, a string of several people who had just been behind us in line doing the same thing. As we crossed the street we noticed a lady on a radio getting information from the box office "just sent two more..." The elevator took forever and we did not see a stairway nearbye. We got to the ticket booth for the show and waited in line another 10 minutes for the group in front of us to take care of their tickets (not sure what that was all about). Regardless, it appears that the DCPA acknowledges that this type of fiasco happens and the show started after all were accomodated.

There were at least three high school aged kids directly behind us and I could hear them talking about having to attend for school - and not very happy about it. There was a point during the show that one of them put their shoe up on my seat, but quickly removed it when I turned around to ask him to take it down (smelly!). During intermission they talked about how cool they were and I thought to myself, I'm glad your not a hooligan AG. Not that they were hooligans, but they just didn't seem as open to the experience as my Godson was and I was happy to be there with him.

I thought the show was good too. I love going to plays, musicals and performances anyway, but I was afraid I wasn't going to understand it. I was trying to think back to the time we went over it in school. Yeah, way way way back then :) and I remembered a little. But it really came together when I saw it right there in front of us. I thought the ensemble was great and I was happy to have another memory with my Godson. Hopefully it sparks his interest and he'll want to go again sometime!

The Best. Monday. Ever.

2009-04-13T23:00:00.009-06:00

I think I just had the best Monday ever. I know. Sounds like an oxymoron huh?

This morning was tough. I was exhausted from the weekend. Lot's of family fun, but can you say wiped out. When I went out to my car, a sheet of ice fought to cling to the window as I worked my bootie off to scrape it away - only to find it also iced over on the inside! What the?! At work, as I sat at my desk I thought to myself...Do I really need to be here? I had planned on leaving early, but I was kicking myself for not just taking the whole day off. And since I was so tired, I was worried I might make a bad impression at the lunch. I know, doesn't sound like a great day so far does it.
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It's that time of the year when the Board of Trustees for my son's school interviews potential Board Candidates. This is when the day started to look up. We met at a local restaurant just down the street from the school. As a board member, this is still new territory to me. As a parent, I couldn't help but be moved at the level of passion this amazing group of people have for these kids. I continue to be overwhelmed by their true caring.
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A few years ago, our friend Eden gifted my brother with a copy of Honeymoon with my Brother, and then he recommended it to me. Mondo and Eden have traveled the world, so I know that they were able to relate to it in a way that I probably couldn't, but I still loved the book. I was excited when Kurt & Franz came to Denver in October 2006 and invited a group of friends to the signing they held at the Tattered Cover downtown. When I got an email from them saying they were coming back to promote their new book I couldn't wait to attend.

So, this evening, my bookclub did something a little different. We met up at the Tattered Cover on east Colfax to have a bite at Chipotle and then attend a book signing by the authors of our next selection.

The brothers have just released a new book called How the World Makes Love and that is our next read. We had a great time at the book signing. Franz was really funny and picked out some great selections as teasers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the signing, we (Mondo & I) had already agreed to stop for dessert. Mondo remembered me mentioning D bar and he wanted to try it out - I was definitely game for that. The group wanted to go somewhere to finish our discussion on our current read, so they joined us.

We walked in to the small venue and tried to work out between us if we could fit. As we did, I noticed that Keegan Gerhard was behind the counter and I tap tap tapped on my sister's shoulder - Hey, look. It's the guy from Food Network. From the Food Network Challenge show. Cakes cakes cakes! Candy candy candy! Okay, if I was being honest, I would have mentioned in my entry, In response to Audrey's Enquiring Mind, that another obsession of mine is the Food Network. I could watch that channel all day long. It's horrible. And wonderful. The first step is admitting you have a problem right? Well there ya go. Anyway, my total dorkdom became apparent as I walked up to the counter and said "I just wanted to say hi and tell you that I am a complete Food Network junkie. I watch your show all the time. Can I take a photo of you?" He was so nice - he said "sure, why don't you come back and take one with me?" I had no idea it was his shop, I guess I thought maybe he was visiting or something.

Anyway, the staff there was great too. They kindly asked a few customers who had just been seated if they would mind scooting over to the next table so that we could all sit together. They kindly did (thank you!).
We ordered cappucinos, espresso, crème brûlée (wow. creamy. buttery. mmmm.), cake (triple layer - yikes!) and shake (with little chocolate covered crunchy pieces) and p.b. d bar. I can't wait to go back. Mondo mentioned doing a progressive dinner and it will be the perfect place to stop for the dessert portion. But - they also serve lunch, dinner and WINE! So heck yeah, I will be back.
If you visit, you should let me know what order and what you think! I'd love to know :)

http://www.dbardesserts.com/
1475 E 17th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
(303) 861-4710
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Oh yeah - the conversation on Breakfast with Buddha . Almost forgot. Good one. The more I think about it, the more I liked the book. In fact, I am going to take my 30% Borders Coupon and go buy it and re-read it.

You hear people say all the time, I'm spiritual, not religious and I guess this sort of captures a little bit of maybe what a true meaning of that statement might be. I don't think you have to betray yourself or betray your beliefs by opening up your mind to some of the thoughts that are released in the fictional writing. Might even inspire you - if that's the right word.

I don't know, maybe some people might be scared to read something like this. Either they might be the defensive non-practicing (insert religion here) or they might be the opposite - I am a firm (insert religion here) and I don't believe in blah blah blah. But if you open up your mind and see (lalala, thanks Jason Mraz) - then you might get something more out of it. You might find some good stuff. I think we all did.

In response to Audrey's Enquiring Mind

2009-04-10T20:31:00.006-06:00

I was tagged by Audrey at Stage 3! Who, me? for the following Q and A. Audrey, you're amazing. I Am a Green Parakeet!

Okay, so here are the guidelines for this Q and A :
1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.
2. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

What is your current obsession? Cook's Illustrated. I have always loved cookbooks, but this year I decided I would try to learn to cook new stuff... My friend Claudia introduced me to a great cookbook by Cook's Illustrated and now I have been “craving” the magazine edition. Of course, last month my obsession was making crepes. I think I made them every other day. And then there is the Colorado Mammoth - my long term obsession. Wow, I didn't even realize I was an obsessor!

Best restaurant? Kevin Taylors. Not an everyday trip for me, but the overall best nice one I've been to.

Do you nap a lot? I wish! I did when I was on leave of absence. I always intend to get to bed by 9pm, but I'm never asleep before 10:30pm. I am always tired.

Who was the last person you hugged? My brother Mario. My family are a bunch of huggers. I work with my brother – he gets a hug everyday.

What’s for dinner? Leftover Chinese take-out.

What was the last thing you bought? Cook's Illustrated magazine and groceries.

What are you listening to right now? This obnoxiously loud fan on my computer!

What is your favorite weather? Perfectly not too warm, not too cold, not windy, beautiful Indian summer nights.

What’s on your bedside table? A 3-wick candle, a glass of water and a bunch of papers that shouldn't be.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you. Audrey- you seem to write about things I have felt... am feeling. I am so sorry that you are going through the bad stuff, but I hope you know that through your writing, you provide comfort and understanding and I am grateful for that. Your positive attitude is lifting.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? I guess right here in Colorado, 'cause that's where my family is. And not to mention, it's a beautiful place.

Favorite vacation spot? I loved Italy and I would go back there in a second. But I haven't been anywhere else international and I hope to have more choices from experience the next time someone asks me this question. On my list... China, Japan, Australia, Argentina, India, Thailand, Alaska (I know, that's not international - still want to go there!) – pretty much anywhere!

Name the things you can’t live without. Family, friends, laughter, faith, hope.

What would you like to have in your hands right now? The cure to cancer. (I stole this from Audrey, who stole if from Laura but ditto, seriously, I wish that I had the cure for cancer in my hands right now!)

What is your favorite tea flavor? I like good 'ol Lipton Tea. In the summer I like a fruity blend like passion-mango or peach-mango. I love trying new teas though. There's even two tea-houses I hope to try out soon.

What would you like to get rid of? Anxiety.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Tahiti, I think.

What did you want to become as a child? An astronaut or the President. Didn't everybody?

Where would you like to be in five years? At my son's high school graduation... top of his class ;)

What are you reading right now? Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo for my bookclub and Phantom by Susan Kay with my son since we just saw the musical, Phantom of the Opera.

What's your favorite brand of jeans? Ooh, not so much a name brand shopper for jeans - or clothes for that matter. I like quality, but I like bargains too.

What designer piece of clothing would you most like to own (new or vintage)? A vintage Opera Cape.

Who inspires you? Darren (my son), my whole family, Taylor (my little cousin, 13, cancer warrior) ... and so many more.

What's your favorite book? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Phantom by Susan Kay – but you already know that. It's my question. Not original, but something I like to now about people.

I tag: Audrey, Claudia. And Lori, 'cause if anyone will do this - it'll be you sister! :)

Busy Bee...

2009-03-27T22:00:00.002-06:00

After my day of cooking, I was in a rush to get out of the house and go to my first sewing class. Well, it wasn't really a class - a few friends decided to get together for a sewing club. Since I don't really know anything about sewing, my dear friend Claudia gave me a quick lesson and extra attention during the evening.

For my first project, I am attempting to make an apron for my niece Sophia. I didn't use a pattern, so we'll see how well that turns out ;) but here's a picture of it in the works. I still have to add the straps and finish the edges.
The get together was a lot of fun. It was a few girls from high school and then another that Claudia knows from a class she's taught at Fancy Tiger. We each brought in some snacks to share and Claudia brought in a bottle of wine too! My kind of club! I'm looking forward to learning this new craft and already have plans for stocking stuffers!

Darren's Faves....

2009-03-27T17:30:00.002-06:00

I was out of the house bright and early yesterday to take Mondo to the airport. The snow was coming in fast and thick, so I made a quick stop at the grocery store on my way home. Darren has been asking me to make potstickers and coconut shrimp (from my cooking class) for a while now and I thought, what the heck. So when I got home, I made the potsticker filling (which was a whole lot of filling) and used up all the wrappers I had bought. I made some right then and froze the rest (they freeze quite nicely). I told Darren he could have potstickers and coconut shrimp for lunch today.

It was a beautiful day today - the sun shining bright and the roads were nice and clear. But there was a blizzard just yesterday (welcome to Colorado) and I guess I kind of acted like I was still snowed in. I didn't mind cooking all day at all.

Anyway, Darren held me to it too. It was the first thing he asked me for this morning. But before anything, I made a batch of dough for pizza for dinner this evening. It came out really nice and I even added some herbs to the mix. The coconut shrimp was great - but I want to find a good dipping sauce to make with it next time. We had the pizza for dinner. Darren was in heaven and told me "I can't wait until you take your next cooking class!"

Book Club: The Glass Castle

2009-03-16T22:00:00.004-06:00

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls.

We met on it tonight and had hours of conversation. Mary joined our group and so did Sue's daughter, Stephanie. I think we all agreed how writing this memoir must have been therapeutic for the author - but I left finding how therapeutic it probably was for us just to be able to discuss it and open up with each other. I can't recommend this read enough for a Book Club.

Next read is Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

Phantom of the Opera

2009-03-08T22:00:00.004-06:00

If you know me, then you know I don't sing. But when Darren was born, I guess I wanted to try to do the motherly thing and try to sing him. I knew the words to about three songs and one of them was The Phantom of the Opera. So that's what I used to sing to him. Poor kid!

When he was about three, my dad said "Darren, will you sing a song for me?" and Darren said "What do you want me to sing Grandpa?" My dad said "How about Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?" and then Darren said "How about Phantom of the Opera?" and started to sing.

I love love love the Phantom of the Opera. Susan Kay wrote a book called Phantom that is a prequel to The Phantom of the Opera. I've read it at least a dozen times and I had seen the musical 4 times. So this year, when it came on tour to Denver again, I decided to take Darren to see it.

We got tickets with Mondo, JJ and Denise and their family. Before the show we went to dinner at the Aquarium. Darren liked it (probably not quite as much as me) and now we're reading the book together.

I heart 5280 Week

2009-03-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Can I just say I love love love 5280 Restaurant Week? And that the Capital Grille is one of my favorite restaurants!

Our 3rd through 5th's couldn't make it, so Mondo called our friend Mary at the last minute who was down to join us no questions asked. When we met up with her at the restaurant, she had a friend with her. Mary had just (like hours before) picked up Haley from the airport. She just moved to Colorado from California. Never even been here before. Crazy huh? She actually had never met Mary before either, they just have a mutual friend somewhere along the way. Well, whatever - it was a fun story and they were great company.

I have to note, on top of all the food that came on the 5280 menu, we also ordered a side of Lobster Mac and the Crème Brûlée for dessert. Thee-Best.

New Pasta Dinner

2009-02-28T22:00:00.006-07:00

My brother and some of his friends from CCU used to get together for "Friday Dinners". I don't know how I got invited, or if I just showed up, but somehow I got in on the loop. I remember one time we had one planned at Mondo's apartment and his back went out. Everyone still came over and Mondo was laid out on his futon mattress in the middle of the floor while we all ate around him. We watched a few episodes of Flight of the Concords that night too. It was fun. That was a year ago.
I finally made some plans with Debbie and asked Mondo to extend the invitation to the rest of the group. Everyone was able to make it. I was pretty psyched to try a new dish. A pasta with white cheese cream sauce.

I came home early to get a good start and make sure everything was ready on time. But - the stove didn't cooperate! It kept blowing the circuit when I had more than one burner on! grrr! Fortunately, I was able to have dinner on the table at the right time... I just ended up having to make dessert.

It's been a while, but here are some "not really a recipe" notes...
For the pasta sauce:
I sautéd shallots for a minute and then added chicken broth. Simmered for a bit before adding grated gouda cheese and heavy whipping cream. Once that got to a consistency I liked, I added wilted spinach, cooked chicken and sautéd mushrooms. I poured the sauce over fusili pasta cooked al dente, mixed and topped with toasted pine nuts.

The next time I will probably use white onions and garlic instead of shallots. I might add some bacon or procuitto and I might try a different white cheese too - although, wouldn't be sad to use gouda again. The fusili pasta was hard to find, but I would definitely take the time to look for it again.

For desert we had Bananas Foster:
I melted butter and added brown sugar. Once that melded together, I added sliced bananas and stirred the mixture for a bit before adding some spiced rum. It didn't flambé for me, so we just ate it like that (yumm). I rolled the ice cream in the crepe, with sliced bananas and then covered with the sauce.

Dessert Crepes...

2009-02-22T10:00:00.002-07:00

This morning I decided to give crepes a go. It's something I've been wanting to try for a long time - but have always been afraid of. They seem so delicate and precise.

The ingredient list is very basic, and I had everything on hand, so I thought "what have I got to lose". I hadn't planned on it, but I had Nutella (something I have also never tried before) and bananas, so I decided to make a sweet version.

The recipe is super easy and fast to make. On the first crepe I noticed the batter was a little bit thick and lumpy, so I added a drop more milk and mixed it another minute. The outer edges were crispy, which is an unusual texture in a crepe to me, but I don't think it was a bad thing. I noticed that as I stacked them, the moisture from the steam softened them. One small batter made about 18 crepes.

I spread a thin layer of Nutella with sliced bananas on the inside and then rolled them. I drizzled some with chocolate syrup (I preferred them without). They were a hit. Even my dad liked them, and he's not much into trying "different" food. The next time, I would like to dust with powdered sugar and top with fresh strawberries. I am also looking forward to making Bananas Foster with the extra ones I ended up storing. And, I can't wait to try savory crepes!

A Super Easy Crepe Recipe
✔ 1 1/2 Cups Milk (I added a couple more Tbs)
✔ 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
✔ 2 Eggs
✔ 1 Tbs Cooking Oil
✔ 1/4 tsp Salt (savory) -OR- 2 Tbs Sugar (dessert)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with a rotary beater until well mixed. Heat a lightly greased (I used buttery cooking spray) 6 inch non-stick skillet to medium (almost medium-high). Remove pan from heat and (quickly) ladle 3 Tbs of batter into center of the pan. Lift and tilt the pan to evenly spread the batter. Return to heat.

The directions I have said to brown on one side only, but I turned mine. Could be why they ended up a bit crispy (and not like chip-a-tooth crispy). A spatula was more of a problem than it was a help - and they were easy enough to lift with my hand. Tip - work quickly!

To store, place a layer of waxed paper between crepes and freeze them. Let crepes thaw at room temperature for one hour before using.

BOS - Movie Date

2009-02-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

My "Band of Sisters" got together this afternoon for a movie and lunch. We saw "He's Just Not That Into You", a movie based on the book by the same name. I thought it was cute. Way happier ending than the book though ;) Awe well, I like happy endings.

After the movie, we went over to Papadeaux's for lunch. Mmmm.... I had the Mixed Seafood Grill which is two skewers of assorted seafood chargrilled over dirty rice. Good stuff, even though the fish today was salmon.

Lots-o-Laughs...

2009-02-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight I joined some friends for an evening of comedy at Impulse Theater.

I love love love going to Comedy Shows... and honestly, when I go - it takes a lot to offend me. I kind of "prep" myself for the atmosphere. But I also know that alot of people who like comedy, won't go to places like Comedy Works because of the usual non-PG and commonly offensive dialogue. If this is you, then you might want to give Impulse Theater a try.

We laughed the whole show - and we went home "replaying" our favorite parts, finding that just about every scene was one.

Impulse Theater is a mix of comedy, theater and audience interaction. Each performance features a quick-witted cast that will keep you laughing from start to finish with fully improvised comedy, based all on your suggestions! And it's appropriate for all ages.

Impulse Theater
www.impulsetheater.com/
1634 18th St
Denver CO 80202
303-297-2111

Catchin' up

2009-02-17T22:02:00.003-07:00

I had lunch with my friend Keebler and his almost 2 year old daughter today. She was a doll - kept saying "Tommy Tommy Tommy!" and "Pizza Pizza Pizza!" - how could you go wrong? We met at the food court and it was great to catch up after more than two years!

Boy, so-so food sure tastes a lot better with good company.

The Best Pizza...

2009-02-16T16:38:00.006-07:00

This weekend I had a go at my "to do list" by planning a cooking day with my friend Claudia. She saw my previous post and offered to tackle some of the things on it with me including taking a cooking class. We're signed up for an Hors D'Oeuvres class next month. At the same time we were discussing taking a class, she offered to host a cooking day at her home. Here's the list I sent her of some of the things I want to try this year...

✔ Risotto
✔ Shrimp & Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce
✔ Tuscan Garlic Chicken
✔ Dessert Crepes (and/or savory crepes)
✔ Homemade Pizza
✔ Tiramasu
✔ Spicy Tangerine Beef
✔ Chicken Pot Pie
✔ Green Chile & Cheese Tamales
✔ Stuffed Chile Rellenos

Well, we decided to get together on Sunday and Claudia said she had a great easy recipe from one of her favorite cookbooks - "The New Best Recipe" by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated - for pizza! Yesssss! So simple. Yeast, Flour, Salt and Water... mixed in a food processor.

The pizzas came out perfect - exactly the way I like them (I'm not a pizza girl normally - Pizza Hut and Dominos kinda gross me out). I like a thin crust, with easy sauce, kind of New York Style....

We made a few different kinds -

* Three Cheese: Mozzarella, Parmesan and Blue Cheese
* Caramelized Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms and Bacon with Mozzarella
* Spinach, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan
* Spinach, Caramelized Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms and Bacon with Mozzarella

And probably because I mentioned I wasn't crazy about tomatoes, we made them all without sauce. Just a drizzle of Olive Oil and a Garlic rub on the crust...

Another great thing about the day was while we waited for the dough to rise, we had plenty of time to talk!

I cannot wait to try this recipe again! Thanks Claudia!

Tea for Two...

2009-02-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today I met my friend for lunch at a tea house. They weren't serving lunch due to a short staff, but we shared a "dessert tea" for two, which included a scone with cream and jelly, a red velvet cupcake, chocolate and of course - tea.

I love love love talking to Lori. She's a real sweetheart and she is so fun to get to know. If you're on Facebook, you might have seen the posting of "25 Things About Me". Lori and I both did one and we decided to make a list to share for our tea. 37 things. I'm so happy we did this... some things were fun, some were serious, some were unbelievable - but they were all Lori. Can you believe, we talked for almost 3 hours! Can't wait til we can do it again!

Tres Jolie
http://www.tresjoliestyle.com/
2399 W Main St
Littleton, CO 80120
303-795-0156

Water for Elephants

2009-02-11T23:00:00.001-07:00

Water for Elephants, A Novel by Sara Gruen

I thought it was as predictable as anything written by Nicholas Sparks - but I liked it anyway! The journey from present to past and then back and forth again was fun. I wanted to keep on "traveling with the circus".

I'll be hosting the bookclub discussion on this one - February 23rd...

03/23 Addendum: Everyone seemed to enjoy the book. I can't say that it lead to any stimulating discussion, however.

Dueling Lasagna...

2009-02-08T23:00:00.001-07:00

Mario loves lasagna. We didn't have anything really planned for Sunday and so I said, we could do a family dinner and make lasagna. He jumped on that. Plus, we had extra red wine from the wine party, so what better to pair it with :)

I guess I kinda taught Karen how to make lasagna a few years ago. I use the term "taught" very loosely. We decided that we would each make a lasagna - Mario always mentioned a vegetarian version she's made.

What a great idea - it made it soooo much easier. Karen browned the Italian Sausage and Beef and I chopped mushrooms and zucchini. We each layered a pan of lasagna, reducing the prep time quite a bit. At one point, Karen looked over at me and said "are you sure you taught me how to make this? You're doing it different." I guess that's the beauty of a dish like this, you can "do it differently" and it will still be good. You really can't go wrong with such yummy ingredients. (Although I have to say, I never order lasagna out. Homemade is just too good to compare.)

My layers (between sauce and uncooked noodles)...

Ricotta & Large Curd Cottage Cheese mixed with an egg, Mozzarella, Salt and Pepper
Cream Cheese, Mushrooms and Spinach
Cooked Italian Sausage / Ground Beef
Mozzarella

Karen's ingredients were almost the same. She used a different kind of sauce (both of ours were from a jar) and she added zucchini. She mixed her spinach in with her cheese mixture too.

Lasagna can be a pricey dish to make. But it feeds a ton of people, so it was great to do this as a family dinner. I hope to do this again maybe in a couple of months. And - if you have any, the leftovers are amazing...

I'm 37!

2009-02-06T23:00:00.004-07:00

.... and I celebrated today!

I took a day off and had breakfast with my mom and Mondo at the Corner Bakery in the Denver Pavillions. Then a pedicure at the Aveda Institute (what a deal, $27 for a pedicure and an OPI nailpolish).

Lunch at the Creekside Winery in Evergreen.

And then a fondue dinner at Mario & Karen' house.

Awesome!

Aveda Institute of Denver
www.avedadenver.com
700 16th St
Denver, CO 80202
303-567-7500

Creekside Cellars
28036 Highway 74
Evergreen, CO 80439
http://www.creeksidecellars.net/
info@creeksidecellars.net
303-674-5460

Whirlwind trip

2009-02-02T13:17:00.003-07:00

Friday - Got off of work early to catch my flight at 3'ish. Yvette picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to a retirement party for one of her friends. Kinda crazy because I had actually met a few of the people that were there for the celebration... they had attended a convention in Denver a few years back. We had a late dinner at a Mexican restaurant and I was pleasantly surprised. You might not know this about me, but I don't usually choose to go out for Mexican food.

Saturday - Stopped for coffee at Starbucks on the way to a movie. Yes, we went to a movie and I am totally okay with that! It was a no pressure weekend and this fit in perfectly! We saw "Slumdog Millionaire", a movie we had both been wanting to see. I highly recommend it by the way. The weather was beautiful. Way nicer than I had been planning on. Then it was time for lunch at Gino's East. Okay, if I had anything on my list - it as deep dish pizza. I introduced Yvette, and the bartender to an "Italian Margarita" - yummmm. Afterwards, we walked around the Magnificent Mile area, shopping til we were dropping. We headed back to the hotel for just a minute before we decided to visit the Sears Tower. The view at night from the Skydeck was beautiful - all lit up. We started walking back to the hotel and I'm not gonna lie, here's where the weather I had anticipated kicked in. I fell down at some point as we were crossing the street. Limping a little bit, we found a bar on the corner (Boss) and stopped in for a drink - and an appetizer (it was dinner time and we hadn't eaten yet). By the time we left, I felt fine and we walked back to the hotel - where we stopped in to the lobby bar for dessert... and a drink.

Sunday - Carlos, a friend of Yvette's picked us up and took us for lunch in a Puerto Rican neighborhood. We had a sandwich made with plantains as the 'bread'. It was delicious. Really, one of the highlights to my trip to try something new like this. After lunch - he took us on a tour of Chicago pointing out all the highlights I probably would have known to look for if I had planned this trip at all :) He dropped us back at the hotel in the late afternoon. We had to stop by a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins. They were on every block, I swear. And then we thought about getting tickets to a show, but on a stop before the ticket booth, the car got towed! Can you believe it? I still can't. Yvette didn't let it ruin the day - we got the car out of impound and continued to look for Oprah's studio and then drove out to Barack Obama's home. It was dark and the street was policed off, so we didn't see much - but hey, we can still say we went. We stopped by China town on the way back and then back to the hotel before going out for dinner. We planned to go to La Frontera (a restaurant by Rick Bayless) - but it was closed! Biscuits!! so we went back to the hotel and ate at the Weber Grill, and watched the end of the Super Bowl. Even though it wasn't what we had planned, it was still really good.

Monday - Up at 3:30am. Dropped Yvette off at home and then off to work. Boy, that was a long day... Totally worth it though.

Chicago, here I come!

2009-01-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Chicago!

A trip not planned. A friend called and asked me if I wanted to go and I said "Yesssssss!" I've always wanted to do something like this.

A good deal...

2009-01-26T13:41:00.003-07:00

I'm a planner. And if I can plan something fun and get a good deal on it - then I am all over it.

Some local radio stations have deals that offer gift certificates at 50%. Check out ~

Another thing I look forward to every year is called 5280 Restaurant Week.

Denver Restaurant Week is a seven-day celebration of the culinary scene in Denver. For one week (February 21-27, 2009), participating restaurants will offer a multi-course dinner for the fixed price of $52.80 for two, or $26.40 for one (not including tax or gratuity).

I've had the opportunity to try out a few places I might not have otherwise thought of... Mizuna, Le Central & Kevin Taylors. One of my favorites was The Rialto, but sadly, they're not on this years list.

If you want to take advantage of this deal, I recommend you make a reservation as soon as possible. Make sure to give us a review too!

A mellow weekend...

2009-01-25T21:50:00.002-07:00

It's not that it was a boring weekend - but I'm still condensing it all down to one blog anyway....

Friday -
Didn't do much. Came home after work and was supposed to start/finish reading my book for bookclub on Monday. Instead I played with my new iPhone and watched some tv programs that have been building up on my DVR.

Saturday -
Met up with my nephew Jess and his family at McDonalds for a quick lunch. Then we headed to the Museum of Nature and Science to see "Dinosaurs Alive" at the IMAX. I know, I just saw it last weekend with Darren. Here's the story - Josiah (my great-nephew), came over last week and said "Auntie, I want to go to the movies." So I asked him if he wanted to go see Bolt or Hotel for Dogs and he said "No, I want to see Dinosaurs." There ya go. He loved it. When it was ending he said "I want to see it again" and he was not happy that we couldn't.

In the evening, we went to the Mammoth vs Edmonton Rush game. It was early this week - started at 6pm, so no face painting this time. The game wasn't as bad as last week, but they still lost. It actually got really exciting in the last quarter - it was fun to see some defense - it just came too late. Bummer.

After the game, we went to the Denver Diner. I don't know why we torture ourselves. I had french toast. Not so good.

Sunday -
My friend Matthew invited me to church at The Rock. Saw lots-o-friends there. After service, we headed over for lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. I ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Burger and thought it was pretty good.

Mondo got ripped off. He ordered a Chicken Pot Pie with a Mozzarella & Tomato Salad. He ordered the add-on salad bar instead of soup because he figured the pot pie would be kind of like a soup. Turns out it was more like a salad. The veggies didn't appear to have been cooked in the sauce for any amount of time. AND, they substituted his mozzarella & tomato salad with broccoli and didn't even mention it to him. Not cool.

When we got home, we found that my cousins were visiting from Pueblo before they went to the Nuggets game. We played a few games of poker and watched a movie.

A nice and mellow weekend...

Darren's Dinner...

2009-01-19T22:16:00.002-07:00

I love three day weekends.

Today I gave Darren the wheel and asked him what he wanted to do. He chose a movie "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and a fondue dinner.

I wasn't excited about seeing "Mall Cop", but I love watching and hearing him laugh, and this movie made him laugh. I love thinking that my son is going to be 13 years old soon, and he's not too cool to laugh. Or too cool to go to a movie with his mom. It was great.

After the movie we went shopping for fondue stuff (again). He was in a really good mood and didn't even complain that we had to stop at three stores to get all the stuff!

I talk about these amazing fondue dinners, but Darren never gets to go for a couple reasons -
1 - Hot Oil
2 - They're usually meant to be for an adult night out
3 - Hot Oil

Lately it seems that even though kids aren't sitting at the table with us for our dinners, they are attending. And it hasn't hurt anyone to let them try a piece or two themselves. Of course, dessert is something fun for pretty much all ages. So, I thought - what the heck. I'll do a small one and I can keep an extra eye on him and help him out as much as he needs it. He loved it! He was a bit afraid of the oil at first (probably because I scared him about how dangerous it can be), but he was really careful. He even tried broccoli and zucchini, which if you know Darren at all - you know it's very unlike him to mess with veggies.

It was a great day with my kid!

Check out these tootsies!

2009-01-18T23:00:00.004-07:00

You know what I love about Facebook? It's that I haven't just sent quick hello's to friends from high school, but I have actually got together with some!

Last month, my friend Claudia set up a Girls' Night Out for us. We attended a Spa Party at a place called MoonDance Botanicals in Denver where we were guided through a self-applied five step facial. Tonight we had a Foot Pampering Party. Again, only $15 per person (minimum 4 people) included self guided pedicure, wine, champagne, cheese and organic chocolate! Mikaela and Bianca joined us for a party of five.

I almost didn't go. I had a horrible headache this afternoon and knew I wouldn't be good company. I could hardly keep my eyes open from all the pressure. But I didn't want to cancel last minute, so I got ready and waited for Concetta to pick me up. I'm glad I did. Tonya put some Peppermint and Lavender essential oils in my soak and also gave me some to rub into my temples. I don't know if that's what did it, but my headache slowly started to go away.

The end result was amazing! Since about August or September, I hadn't been able to do much with my tootsies - the neuropathy from my chemotherapy made them extra sensitive and touching them hurt. Since it is finally subsiding, I was ready to soften them up. The shea butter cream was heavenly. Really nice. And I am definitely looking forward to our next party there!

If you are interested in setting something up, contact Tanya at MoonDance Botanicals. She is a real sweetheart. It's a great deal at $15/person - but in addition, she will give you 20% off any products you might want to purchase that day. And she does not pressure about sales at all!

MoonDance Botanicals
http://moondancebotanicals.com/about.html
601 Corona St
Denver, CO 80218
303-263-7275

Go NoRTH!

2009-01-18T23:00:00.003-07:00

After our Pampering Feet Party, Claudia, Concetta and I decided to go out for dinner. Since this area is middle ground for us, we tried to think of somewhere close. Concetta mentioned a place called NoRTH, which was just a few minutes away in Cherry Creek.

We got there about 6:30pm which was good timing. It wasn't crowded at all (but it really got busy after we were seated). Concetta had been there before, but it was a first time for me and Claudia. I was excited because I love trying new places.

I don't think of myself as a snobby eater. I don't go places because they're known as a place to be seen at. NoRTH, I think - might be one of those kind of places. When I looked it up online, I saw it's part of the Bloom family, which is a restaurant I think of that way. BUT, I have to say - I really enjoyed the evening, the service was great and I LOVED the food!

At being seated, we were immediately served seasoned olives and sliced bread with a tomato seasoned butter. Yummy. I think I might try some of those olives for my wine tasting....

Appetizer: Claudia and Concetta each ordered the Tuscan Tomato Soup, Parmesan, Grilled Bread. I had a bite. It was a hearty, thick and well seasoned tomato soup. The portion wasn't tiny either - so if it sounds like something you might like to try, you might want to share. We also shared an order of Artichoke Hearts with Dijon & Balsamic which was so buttery and just melted in my mouth.

Dinner Plate: Claudia ordered Strozzapreti, Mushrooms, Spinach, Toasted Pine Nuts & Parmesan Cream. She offered me a bite and it was amazing! I loved my dish, but I am excited to go back and order this one. Concetta and I both ordered the Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Italian Potato & Asparagus, but I sub'd Wild Mushroom Orzo for the Italian Potatoes. Another melt-in-your-mouth offering.

Dessert: Nutella Cake: Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Cabernet Caramel Chocolate Sauce, Fresh Berries, Toasted Hazelnuts. Like I need to tell you how good this was huh? But there was a funny story. We were all so stuffed, but really wanted to try the dessert, so we decided to share one. Concetta asked the server if she could cut us a little bit bigger piece since we were splitting three ways. She said that they were pre-cut, but she would work out something for us. So here come two desserts - one with a candle to celebrate my birthday! Haha, I rolled with it.

I will definitely be back!

NoRTH Cherry Creek
http://www.foxrestaurantconcepts.com/north.html
190 Clayton Ln
Denver, CO 80206
720-941-7700

Good Company!

2009-01-17T23:59:00.003-07:00

We (my brother Mario & his wife and me) really like hosting fondue parties in the winter. And I have to say, we've got the plan down pretty good. Tonight it was us, a couple of couples who work with us at Sun, my brother Mondo and a friend from out of town, Eden - who came in last minute.

Karen made some homemade crusts for the kids to make their own individual pizzas to enjoy while the adults fondued. Eden asked what she could do to help out, so I gave her a recipe for a mixed drink and she kept the glasses full all night long.

After dinner and dessert, me, Mondo and Eden headed out to meet some friends for a movie. I only went to spend time with Eden cause I really had no interest in seeing "My Bloody Valentine". Thank goodness it was sold out. We made a stop at Bar Louie and Rock Bottom while we were there though. Neither impressed me much. Actually, I am lying. After the gigantic dinner we had, we ordered a pretzel and it was good. Two gigantic pretzels with and artichoke cheese dip was pretty yummy.

So, anyway - thought I would let ya know how we do the fondue parties :

We extend the invitation to 8 adults. This works for several reasons. 1 - We have 8 fondue plates. 2 - Eight adults fit around the table nicely, and can share 4 pots easily. 3 - We have enough plugs for 4 pots. 4 - We can actually enjoy conversation with 8 people pretty easily. 5 - It's a good number to break up the food list with.
We make a sign-up sheet for the following;

Meats: Chicken Breasts, Beef, Large Raw Shrimp (cut into 2x2" pieces / peeled & deveined) - I only say "raw" because once, someone brought cooked shrimp.
Veggies: Broccoli, Zucchini and Mushrooms.
Dessert: Chocolate Chips, Heavy Whipping Cream, Strawberries, Rice Crispy Treats, Bananas.
Sauces: Hoisan, Hot Mustard, Tempura, Kung Pao, Sirachi, Plum, Peanut Sauce.
Peanut Oil & Tempura Batter
Fondue Pots, Extension Cords, Sauce Cups, Tempura Batter Cups, Fondue Plates, Raw Food Plates, Straining Spoons.
Wine! (I love Hogue Late Harvest Riesling)

We don't do cheese usually because there's enough food without it and when we first started doing these dinners, they took a looooong time.
If you want to do broth, cooking takes extra time. Look for a recipe that uses fresh herbs and spices instead of just using bouillon cubes.
Other Veggies - asparagus, pearl onions, bell peppers, cauliflower.
Other Dessert Items - caramel, pretzels, pineapple, pound cake (which I do not like and I do not put on the list, but everyone always asks for it - so maybe I will budge next time. We have never used a whole pound cake before and don't dip it right into the chocolate - it breaks off - ick!)
Peanut Oil is more expensive, but is said to have a higher smoking point.

Well, if you've never had one and you decide to have a party - let me know how it goes!

A day with Darren...

2009-01-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

I had a great day with Darren.

Today was his first day participating in the Pre-Collegiate Middle School Development Program sponsored by CU Denver. At 8:30 in the morning we met at the old St Cajetans church on the campus. The kids participated in ice-breaker events, starting with introductions around a large circle of 70+. Then going on to one on one conversations, group games including charades and a building challenge. Lunch was brought in at noon, when the kids moved out to the sunshine day to enjoy each other's company on the grounds.

Darren and I drove off ahead to the 2nd part of the day, which was going to an IMax movie at the Museum of Nature and Science - "Dinosaurs Alive!".

We finished up about 3pm and headed home. On the way, Darren read out loud from "The Little Prince". He really did a great job on his inflection. It was a kick to hear him read it, although he did turn to me and say "what's wrong with this author?". Haha! Same question I asked when I read it!

This is gonna be a great weekend...

2009-01-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and I am ready to have a great weekend!

On my way home from work I stopped by the Far East Market on Federal & Evans to go to the Little Saigon Market. We're having a fondue dinner tomorrow night and it's the best place to pick up dipping sauces. I also love going there for ingredients to make Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) - Rice Noodles, Green Onions, Mint, Bean Sprouts, Broth Mix.

I stopped at Sam's club for some steak and while I was there hopped into the liquor store and got stuff to make Italian Margaritas. They didn't have Sweet n Sour mix, so I got OJ instead. (On Saturday, the drink ended up way different than the Italian Margarita I was craving, but it still wasn't bad. We named it a "Fondue Fuzzy")

Anyway, I have lots of fun stuff planned over this long holiday weekend. Cheers!

Little Saigon Market
375 S Federal Blvd, Unit 104
Denver, CO 80219
303-937-8860

Memories...

2009-01-15T16:53:00.004-07:00

I have a bad memory sometimes and oh, it really bugs me if I can't think of a name or a word that feels like it's at the tip of my tongue, and that's as far as it will ever get. I say the alphabet to myself to see if it will jog my memory. For names, it usually does, and I get all excited for a moment.

But there are memories that pop up without the help of the alphabet. Sometimes, when I am on my long drive home, alone with my own thoughts. The best are of the kids. My son, my nieces and nephews... and now my great nieces and nephew.

There was time, right after my nieces died that I had trouble thinking of specific memories of them and it broke my heart. I didn't understand why I couldn't remember things, knowing we spent so much loving time with each other. Then slowly, those memories would pop up into my mind and it would be like a gift from God. I think He was telling me, I only held it back because you couldn't have handled them all at once in your grief. And He was right.

So I decided that making memories is a part of a beautiful life and every now and then I will share them here. This is a favorite of my god daughter Leslie....

When she was about 5 years old, I took Leslie to the grocery store with me. She sat in the buggy while I pushed her up and down the aisles. I had a terrible headache that day and I stopped the cart and said "Gosh, I have a headache" as I rubbed my temples for a second and then continued shopping. The headache getting worse, made me stop again "Gee Leslie, I don't know what's wrong with me. I really have a bad headache. It really hurts". I felt as if I was going to cry sure that my head was about to explode.

My wicked god daughter, who was extremely quick and witty, immediately and dryly replied "I have a headache too and you don't see me whining about it."

Oh my God! I couldn't stop myself from laughing - which only added to the pain I was feeling and also brought on tears... but mostly out of joy.

Really? I said that?

2009-01-14T10:23:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was Mondo's 29th birthday. We went to Carraba's for dinner to celebrate. The evening did not start out well...

6:00pm - Phoned in a call-ahead reservation for 11 at 7pm

6:45pm - Arrived and checked in. Told by hostess that we should have been told at the time our call-ahead reservation was accepted, that another larger party was already booked and we probably wouldn't be able to be sat for another half hour.

We asked if breaking up our table would make it faster. She replied no, it will still be about the same time. We said okay, we'll wait for the table.

7:25 - We're taken to two tables. And although you could argue that these tables were side by side, there was clearly a partition separating them.

I went back up to the hostess and told her that we didn't realize they were going to break us up. We were under the impression we had been waiting for so long because we were going to be seated together.

Here's where it started going bad...

The hostess replied "no, you said you would like to be seated at separate tables if it would be faster". "Yes, and I meant like it will take 15 minutes instead of a half hour faster.... but it wasn't faster, it's actually been longer than you said. And since we've waited this long, what we would rather do is continue to wait for the large table so we can sit together." She kept on saying how I said we wanted separate tables - which brought up another point in my mind that ticked me off. We've taken separate tables before in cases like this (and actually were seated faster) - but I've never been seated at separate tables that were so separate you couldn't see the other people in your party. It just wasn't going to work and I didn't understand why I had to ask three times to wait for the big table.

I was already writing a blog in my head. It makes me so mad when someone in a customer service type roll - like a restaurant hostess - would argue with a customer like that. It makes no sense.

But Mondo said "let it go".

Wait. It gets better....

It was Mondo's birthday, so I did let it go and we went on talking and waiting for the big table. Soon after, a woman named Kim (I think) stopped by and let us know she was a manager on duty and she heard there was a mix up with our tables.

I told her what happened and how not being told about the party when I called and waiting for the table was not the issue (I've worked in a restaurant before, and I know you have no control over how long a party sits at a table. I also know that the bigger the party, the more they might sit around and talk), but the argument from the hostess was a bit much on top of it. She acknowledged it as an error and offered to get our party an appetizer while we continued to wait.

That turned things around. I like that they took the initiative to better a situation that was giving me a bad taste in my mouth before I even sat down to eat.

At about 8pm, we were finally seated - together.

Our waitress was rockin'. She was extremely friendly and did everything right. And when Darren's order came out as bruschetta instead of shrimp scampi, she took it away without any issue and quickly had the correct dish made up for him. ....Which, he didn't like at all! Doh! So she brought him some noodles with butter, which made him happy. It was such good service in fact, that it didn't even bother me when she offered dessert mini's to us and then came back and said they were all out. Or that when she asked us if we wanted to try anything else and Darren ordered a regular dessert - and she came back and said they were all out of those too - didn't bother me.

So, the night didn't start out so well. But it was quickly fixed and made all the difference in the world. The family enjoyed the birthday dinner and had a good time. And their Customer Service Rating went way up in my book.

About the food...
Appetizer: Calamari (how can you complain about free food. The manager sent out a double order and it was great to have a munchie while we waited. Even my niece Aubrey tried some - way to go!)
Drink: Italian Margarita (I think they call it a Rabbarita or something like that). Very tasty, except I like them with sugar on the rim and it was served salted. Mondo had a Mojito (de uva?) - it was a grape Mojito and he liked it too.
Entree: I had the Spiedino di Mare which was good, although I'm not sure I would order it again. Mondo had the Pollo Rosa Maria, which I would order. Karen and my dad had the Lasagne and weren't very impressed. I never order lasagne out - homemade is too good :)

Carrabba's Italian Grill
http://www.carrabbas.com/
303-940-5620
7401 West 92nd Ave
Westminster, CO 80021

What's for breakfast?

2009-01-11T12:19:00.007-07:00

When Mondo asked "What's for breakfast?" this morning, I said "How 'bout a quiche?" Food Network had a recipe for a Hash Brown Quiche that looked tasty and it's one of the recipes I wanted to test for a brunch I'm thinking of hosting soon.

I pretty much went by the recipe with a couple of modifications... I used fresh potatoes and bacon instead of ham (big chunky meaty pieces). I added sautéed mushrooms and instead of half and half, I just used a little bit of milk. I also used more eggs - since I didn't measure the ingredients, I need more filler. To cut down on cooking time - I lightly scrambled the egg mixture for a few minutes before filling the hash brown crusts. Since they were partially cooked, it only took 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes to set.

Sooooo goooood.....

Monster game face...

2009-01-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the season home opener for the Colorado Mammoth. They got creamed. At one point the score was 11-1. Final was 14-5. uck.

But you know what? I still had a blast. My great nephew and niece came over when I started getting ready and they wanted me to paint their faces, so I did. My nephew kept making "monster game faces" and saying "Go Mammoth!". It was so freaking cute.

You know what else? Even though it was clear there wasn't a chance of a win, on the last goal the Mammoth made, the fans still stood up and cheered like as if they were winning the super bowl. And we were all on our feet for the last 90 seconds - as is custom - cheering our team on. There were some crazy fights in those last two minutes, and it got us all pumped up anyway. I love the Colorado Mammoth!

A dumb game...

2009-01-09T23:00:00.002-07:00

I went to a Texas Hold'em party tonight and ended up sitting next to my friend's elderly neighbor, Katie. It seemed weird to me that her name was Katie. Doesn't that sound like a little girl name to you? She seemed so confused as she played, and kept on having to have the cards moved closer to her so that she could see what was on the board. Finally she said "This is such a dumb game." That was the funniest thing ever!

I didn't win. Out of about 44 people, I think I came in 12th. Better than I thought I would have - not good enough to come home with any $$$. But it was fun to mingle and I laughed a lot. That was worth it in itself.

Makes me happy!

2009-01-09T08:44:00.001-07:00

It's Mammoth Season - and if you know me at all, you know this makes me HAPPY!

If you've never been to a game, you should definitely check one out! And if you have been to a game, then you know what I mean :) Tickets are a really good deal anyway - but they also have promotional nights.

Check out their
- Party Pack Nights – 4 tickets, 4 Coors or Pepsis, and 4 hot dogs for only $39
- Family Nights - 4 tickets, 4 Pepsis, and 4 hot dogs for only $39

Get your tickets at http://www.coloradomammoth.com

Who makes a T-Bone with a side of Fried Rice?

2009-01-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

I do. That's who! I love rice. Probably my favorite side dish. You know, the one food item I could never get sick of...

We took a trip to Costco today and I got one of those ginormous packs of mushrooms (not fancy ones, the ones that my chef friend calls "white trash mushrooms" - she said it, not me - but man, I love those kinds of mushrooms!) and a gallon of soy sauce! I was sooooo ready for dinner when we got home - so, my mom cooked up the T-bone steaks and I sautéd some of the mushrooms with onion, steamed some asparagus and we rounded it out with fried rice. Yummm....

Not really a recipe for Shrimp Fried Rice
Something between frying and scrambling a couple of eggs. Don't overcook. Chop up and set aside. Sauté sliced mushrooms in butter and garlic for several minutes - until tender. Add peeled shrimp (cut into small pieces) and continue to sauté until pink. Set aside. Add oil to non-stick skillet and heat for a minute or two, add steamed rice (cold is okay - just break it up). Fold rice over itself in pan adding soy sauce as it warms. Add ginger, eggs, mushrooms and shrimp and continue to fold over itself til warm through. Add sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

I also usually add sautéd bean sprouts and carrots, but didn't have any at home.

False advertising...

2009-01-04T18:00:00.004-07:00

We were just hanging out this afternoon and Darren asked me if I wanted to watch a movie. I said sure and so did my mom and dad. We planted ourselves comfortably on the couch and queued up "Bridge to Tarabithia". Mondo walked in and said, "Oh, this is such a sad movie." I didn't know he meant, "this is a freaking SAD movie!" OMG, I still have tears in my eyes.

I totally was not expecting it. I thought it was supposed to be a kid's fantasy movie. I could probably sue for false advertising if I remember the previews.

And if I wasn't such a cry-baby-Sally, it might be one of my favorites. Without giving it all away, I thought it had a lot of depth and understanding.

Baked Potato & Bacon Soup

2009-01-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make breakfast this morning... but I didn't get up in time AND we didn't have the stuff to make it.

Mondo called and asked what the plan was and I said "How about lunch? Potato soup?" He said "okay". Which was cool, cause then I was able to tell my dad to go to the store and get stuff so I could make Mondo lunch (he'll do anything to get his boy to come over).

I have this recipe for a sausage potato soup that I LOVE! It's my favourite! And I saw Paula Deen making some cheese soup the other day on Food Network that looked pretty good... so, I decided to kinda mix-n-match to make some Baked Potato and Cheese Soup. I thought it was good, a little salty - but I can adjust that next time. I'm also gonna mix it up a bit to make Broccoli-Cheddar Soup sometime too I think.

Not really a recipe for Baked Potato & Bacon Soup
Sauté a finely diced onion and 4-5 stalks of chopped celery in about 3 Tbs of butter. Add about 1/4 cup flour and sauté a few minutes longer. Add 2 cans of chicken stock about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water. Add about 4 baking potatoes (chopped into large cubes). Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add about 1 to 2 cups cooked bacon pieces and 1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste (remember, if you're eating with crackers - that will add salt). Continue simmering for 20 minutes. Add one cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted in. Serve garnished with green onions and oyster crackers. We didn't have any, but sour cream might be good too.

Not-really a recipe...

2009-01-02T21:30:00.002-07:00

We went out to dinner (and it sucked - more to come with some restaurant reviews :) Anyway, when we got home, my mom was hungry. So, I put on some rice to steam (with my new rice cooker - yay) and made her some kung-pao beef.

Okay, it wasn't really cook-cooking 'cause the sauce was in a bottle... but I thought it was pretty good... enough that I wish I would have waited to eat at home! And - I can make fried rice this week too.

Not Really a Recipe for Kung Pao Beef
Slice beef into thin strips and lightly coat with cornstarch. Seer beef in a little bit of oil in a pan set on HI heat. Add diced carrots, celery, onion and bell peppers. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes. Add Lee Kum Kee Kung Pao Stir Fry Sauce and peanuts. Serve over steamed rice.

They're not really resolutions...

2009-01-01T16:50:00.002-07:00

No, I've never been the one who makes a list of New Year's Resolutions. And this new year is no exception. But I have been thinking about some things I'd like to try to do this year...

Read more books... drink more H2O (yes, I need to actually work on this)... cook more... take some classes (dancing, cooking, sewing)... go somewhere (really, I didn't take any trips last year? yikes!)... have another amazing wine tasting party... find out what this "Habitat for Humanity" thing is all about...

Care to join me?

What's for dinner auntie?

2008-12-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I got a call from my nephew Jessie tonight asking "What's for dinner auntie?" So I said, "I don't know, come over and I'll figure something out."

Not really a recipe for Beef Stroganoff
Slice beef into thin bite sized pieces. Lightly coat with flour. Fry in hot skillet with a little bit of oil. Remove beef and add sliced mushrooms and onions to skillet. Saute with butter and salt for 5 to 7 minutes. Add beef, sour cream, mustard and beef broth. Serve over steamed rice or noodles.

Would you like those Hot or X-Hot...

2008-12-29T22:00:00.001-07:00

I think they're better than BW3's. *gasp*

Maybe they only have 5 or 6 flavors, but they're good flavors. I like that the wings are fried crispy before they're coated with sauce. I like that they're not served all dry. I like their fries. And I really like that you can get 10 wings, fries and a drink for about $8.

All they need to do now is put some Mammoth gear up!

Wingman
http://www.wingmanwings.com/
303-980-0545
3333 S Wadsworth Blvd
Lakewood, CO 80227

How 'bout we cut 39 minutes....

2008-12-28T22:00:00.003-07:00

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

159 min. Really?

Actually, I really liked this movie. I love love loved Queenie's character. She was hilarious. But I probably could have cut out 39 minutes and made it only TWO HOURS long! I think it could have done without any of the hospital scenes.

And what's up with Tilda Swinton who plays Elizabeth Abbott? Why is she so freakishly scary looking?

Wassssssssssaaaabi...

2008-12-28T19:00:00.001-07:00

They have a pretty good happy hour and are conveniently located across the street from the movie complex - so way cool for dinner and a flick. And the food isn't bad either... not that I am by any means and expert on Sushi - so I could be all wrong.

OMG - They have a ginormous bento box. Really, does anyone need that much food?

Wasabi
http://www.wasabidenver.com/belmar/
Belmar in Lakewood
433 S Teller St
303-935-8888

yawwwwwn....

2008-12-27T22:00:00.004-07:00

The Tale of Despereaux

Oh man, I really wanted to like this one.

Somewhere along the way I heard a review of the book that said it was great. And one of the previews must have caught my eye...

zzzzzzz....

I had trouble staying awake through it. When I looked over at my nephews, they were leaning against each other, head to head (so cute) - fast asleep. JJ, who was sitting next to me, drifted off too - but Denise elbowed him and helped him to keep awake.

It was just too slow. The kids we were there with were 10 and 12, but I wonder if younger kids would have been able to focus on it. I'm not sure if it's even rental worthy. If you're looking for a movie with rats and soup - try Ratatouille.

A little shady if you ask me...

2008-12-27T22:00:00.002-07:00

A Restaurant Review....

Lechuga's Italian Restaurant

Type: Half is Casual Sit Down and Half is a Bar
Location: 3609 Tejon St, Denver, CO 80211 / Phone 303-455-1502
Price: $5 and up
Recommendation: My son loves it! I'm kinda over it... but if you haven't yet, you should give it a try.

Occasion: After a movie downtown, my brother and his family, my brother Mondo, me and my son went to grab a quick bite for dinner at Lechuga's. It's a favorite of his family and also of my son's, but since it's so far from us, we usually only go there when we're doing something else close by.

Order: Me and Mondo ordered a big square combo-pizza to share and a side-salad each. My nephew ordered a whole big square pepperoni for himself. The rest of the family ordered sausage and meatball canolis - some smothered with cheese and sauce, some stuffed with jalapenos and some with SOS (sauce on the side).

My family loves the canolis - and they are a pretty good value. Monstrous portions at about $3.75 each, $4.75 smothered with cheese and sauce. Tonight the sausage ones were as good as always, but the meatball that my niece ordered looked dried up. She doused it in sauce, but still hardly ate any at all. Not very appetizing.

My salad was swimming in ranch dressing. I'm used to that, but I still order them there because they cover them with mozzarella and pepperoni and I like 'em. However, I didn't like the pizza at all. The crust tasted too much like a Jiffy mix and was really thick. I'm sure it's the last time I will ever order one there. Mondo and my nephew didn't like it either - but my nephew did mention that their individual rounds are usually much better.

I guess this happens from time to time, but the soda mix was off that night too and everyone who ordered a cola thought they tasted like diet... and they didn't order diet.

Atmosphere: There wasn't enough room for our group of 8 to eat in the dining room, so we were directed to the bar area. It's an older establishment that has seen a recent update on the dining side, but is quite aged on the bar side. The room was dark and we sat against a wall sharing 4 tiny bar tables.

Service: I'm sure this lady is the owner or at least the manager - but she came over to our table, standing right next to the two youngest in the group, 10 & 12 - and seeing our tables only half set up yells "What kind of shit is this? Where's your silverware!?" Her call was aimed at the waitress of course and me and Mondo could barely hold in a laugh, hardly believing what just happened.

I feel like I've been getting duped on bills lately, so I took the liberty of itemizing out our order (me and Mondo got separate checks from JJ & his family). We were overcharged a whole $1.00 for a smothered item, that we didn't get smothered. Even taking that into consideration, our total was still off. Turns out tip was added. I know - it's usual for a tip to be added when there is a party of 8 or more..... but usually it's noted on the receipt and if not, the server usually mentions it! A little shady if you ask me...

Conclusion: Although I feel like I'm over it... I used to like going there every once in a while. It was a great place to grab some take out on the way to a Rockies Game! But, my son loves it - so chances are we will be back every now and then.

If you haven't had one - and your near the area - you really should stop by and grab a "Super" - or a "Devil" if you're daring

I'm not a professional anything - it's just my opinion, and that's what ya get for reading my blog. Cheers!

What's up with Mickey...

2008-12-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

It's the day after Christmas. I got to leave work early and decided to take Darren to the movies. He invited JJ, Denise and Aubrey and they joined us at Colorado Mills to see "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler.

I thought it was a pretty cute movie and I laughed more than I thought I would at the pet Guinea Pig.

Can't beat $2 U-Call-Its

2008-12-23T22:00:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow I have a vacation day - YAY! Tonight, Mondo and I stopped by The Park Tavern for their amazing Happy Hour and some pizza. I've been craving it since the last time I went there several months ago.

So what's so great about their Happy Hour you ask? Well, $2 U-Call-Its should explain it all (only on Tuesdays). The last time I went there, I was prepared. I visited the Chambord website and wrote down recipes for a few (okay - several) drinks I wanted to try. When we got there I just handed the list to the waitress and she brought them out one at a time.

Tonight I had an Italian Margarita (sugared rim and a shot of amaretto).

On the menu was the following offer for pizza: Buy three toppings, get three free - so we loaded up... Mushrooms, Artichokes, Onion, Ham, Bacon AND Sausage. Yikes.

You can't beat the deal on the drinks and they were yummy. The pizza was pretty good too, although I would have liked it toasted just a tiny bit more.

However, I can't say much for their service. In the handful of times I've went, it hasn't been the friendliest... and on one occasion we were seriously overcharged on drinks. But, we also had a bit too much that night, so kinda blaming ourselves on that one.

In the end, I'm sure I'll go back, sometime.

Park Tavern & Restaurant
www.theparktavern.com
921 E 11th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
303-832-7667

Some tasty recipes from Chambord Online

Atlantique
Served in a Martini Glass
1 1/2 shots Finlandia Vodka
1/2 shot fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 shot Chambord
1/4 shot Peach Schnapps

Chambord French Martini
Served in a Martini Glass
1 1/2 parts Finlanda Vodka
1/2 part Chambord
1/2 part pineapple juce
Shake ingredients with ice and strain

Chambord Margarita
1/2 part Chambord
1 part Don Eduardo Tequila
3 parts sweet and sour mix
Add all ingredients except Chambord to blender. Add ice to top of liquid. Blend. Pour blended ingredients into margarita glass and drizzle 1/2 shot of Chambord over top

The. BEST. Movie. Ever.

2008-12-22T17:00:00.002-07:00

Took Darren and Mateo to see Madagascar II which Lindy told me was The. BEST. Movie. Ever.

Lindy is a liar.

I had trouble staying awake. But, I also had a lot going on that week, so it could of been that I was just wearing myself out.

Ah well, Mateo and Darren both liked it. And it was probably worth it just cause I got to take them to Cold Stone first and then got them the kid packs in the movie and Mateo said "We probably shouldn't tell my mom..." Sneaky kid!

Bargain laughs...

2008-12-21T23:58:00.001-07:00

Fun stuff...

I love going to comedy shows. In fact, over the summer - I went to Comedy Works downtown three or four times.

Tonight I went for the first time to the new Comedy Works South venue in Greenwood Village. It was wayyyy nicer than the one downtown if only that our tables and chairs weren't nailed to the floors! And since it was a Sunday evening, maybe because we weren't packed in like sardines. The only thing I can say that was bad is that it was really cold inside and I ended up putting my jacket back on to wear through the whole show.

My friend Matthew won a "party" which allowed us in for a bargain $5 bucks each. (Fill out a slip and you can win too :) You know, there are usually three to four openers before the headline act. This time I happened to like at least two of them, and that was a good start. The headliner was a guy named Tommy Johnagin. I know, cool name. Oh wait - I just remembered another bad thing - it sucked that there were two hecklers sitting in the front row and security took wayyyyy tooooooo long for security to remove them. Tommy (yeah, like we're on a first name basis) handled them well and moved way up to the top of my favorite comedian's list. Yep, he's now up there with Jo Koy and Sam Fidele. So if you ever get a chance to check any one of these guys out - let me know what you think....

Comedy Works South
5345 Landmark Pl
Greenwood Village
720-274-6800

All about texture...

2008-12-20T16:00:00.001-07:00

A Restaurant Review....

Wahoo's

Type: Fast, dine-in
Location: 280 S Union Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80228, 303-597-0095 http://www.wahoos.com/
Price: $5 and up
Recommendation: If you haven't already - Try it!

Occasion: Lunch!

Order: I am writing this review only because I usually really like picking up a bite at Wahoo's. I order the sandwich or sometimes the carne asada enchiladas with red sauce and then extra green sauce (roasted peppers and cilantro) on my rice. mmmm.....

The Wahoo's Carne Asada (Steak) Sandwich was disappointing to me this time. The bread was too soggy and it was all I could taste. And the fries weren't crispy enough either. Guess it was all about texture this time.

Atmosphere: I always find them clean, at every location I've been to. Surfer deco - with stickers strategically placed all over. Reminds me of a giant Nalgien bottle... or a Subaru.

Service: Umm, the guy who took our order was nice...

Conclusion: Some people I talk to are afraid to try Wahoo's cause they think all that they serve is FISH TACOS! And I'm not knockin' fish tacos, cause I actually like them there... BUT, that is not all they serve. Their carne asada (marinated grilled steak) is awesome! It's spiced just right and always real tender. So good in all of their items.

I will definitely be back, just probably won't be ordering the sandwich for a while...

That's Hot...

2008-12-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

You've heard of Facebook right? Well, I'm on it. Have been for a while. The funny thing is, when I first got the account setup, it was to be in contact with friends that I know through my younger brother. So I have all these friends who are eight years younger than me and who all went to a college that I never attended - but they're people I know and hang out with.

As time passed, I started getting requests by people I went to high school with. People who I probably would never have talked to if it hadn't been for FB. But the cool thing is that I have actually had some meaningful conversations with some of them. And recently met up for dinner with a couple of girlfriends I hadn't seen in years - almost 20.

We left dinner promising to get together again - and guess what - we did! Claudia set up a Girls Night Out...

The Spa Party was at a place called MoonDance Botanicals in Denver. There were supposed to be 7 of us, but only three showed. Thank goodness the owner was a real sweetheart. She was very understanding. We just had a smaller gathering and really got to catch up on life while we gave ourselves an amazing facial.

$15 per person (minimum 4 people) includes facial, wine, cheese and organic chocolate! What a deal! And Tonja was not high pressure about her products at all! We're going back next month for the Spa Pedicure Party!

MoonDance Botanicals
http://moondancebotanicals.com/about.html
601 Corona St
Denver, CO 80218
303-263-7275

Lo Lo Lo Lo Lola's

2008-12-17T23:30:00.001-07:00

What an excellent night...

I think I keep myself pretty busy. I like to have fun, I like to "do stuff" - but I don't usually go out by myself. I never really have. Well, once I went to a movie by myself - but it was pretty weird. Tonight, I made another exception... and I'm so glad I did.

I attended a holiday party given for the staff of my son's school and the Board of Trustees. For the 2nd year in a row, it was held at Lola's in Denver and for the 2nd year in a row, it was a lot of fun.

The school has grown by one full grade. That means a lot more teachers and significant others - so it was quite a crowd. The company was great. I really love the staff and the board at the school. There are a lot of amazing and caring people who I'm so glad to know. I enjoyed good conversation, lots of laughs, a couple of drinks and some really tasty ceviche (citrus cured sea bass, pico de gallo, toasted pine nuts, smoked tomato). Mmmm...

What an awesome way to start the holiday season!

Lola's
http://www.loladenver.com/
1575 Boulder St
Denver, CO
720-570-8686

TV Freak

2008-11-12T14:36:00.005-07:00

A few years ago, I didn't have cable. We never watched tv. Only movies. But since I moved back to mom and dad's house, I not only have cable - I have a DVR. Stupid DVR.

Last night I thought I would watch one of my pre-recorded shows before I went to bed. But when I checked my listings, my recordings weren't there! Frantically, I searched for the menu that would show my future recordings schedule. Agh! (that's a dramatic gasp) - They were GONE! Nothing, nada - no scheduled recordings! Argh! So I spent the next 20 minutes trying to remember my shows to record and reprogramming my DVR. Yikes! I'm hooked... Stupid DVR!

Life, The Big Bang Theory, The Adventures of Old Christine, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice. Wholly cow! Stuuuuupid DVR!

But then I thought about all the time I save NOT watching commercials. And how I don't have to plan my life around being home on Thursday nights - (I know people do that!) Whoohoo! Amazing DVR!

Sometimes, I still feel like writing...

2008-11-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I still feel like writing... about the day, about a laugh, about a picture, about food (haha) about life. So here begins my new blog. My after-the-C-word blog. Yay! Cheers to that!