Old Christmas Photo

I came across this old picture of my little brother and I on Christmas morning 1985. I loved those Santa Bears! Also...I still remember the hideous orange and brown floral 1970's couch that we were sitting in front of. I also just noticed for the first time that my socks coordinate with my sweater.

My brother Jon will be back in Minneapolis...finally...for a visit over the Christmas holiday. It is hard having him so far away. I wish that he lived within mini road trip distance away versus needing to take a plane ride to visit. I'm still trying to come up with a plan to get him and his wife to move back here.

Recipe: Tarragon Shallot Egg Salad Sandwiches

Hello! Here is the recipe for Tarragon Shallot Egg Salad Sandwiches. It is definitely a make again for us. This makes 6 servings. This recipe is from Epicurious.com (from Gourmet Magazine April 2003).

Ingredients

For egg salad:
8 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, or to taste
2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

For sandwiches:
Mayonnaise for spreading on bread (optional)
12 slices seedless rye bread or 6 kaiser rolls
3 cups tender pea shoots (3 oz) or shredded lettuce

Preparation

Make egg salad:
Cover eggs with cold water by 1 inch in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a rolling boil, partially covered. Reduce heat to low and cook eggs, covered completely, 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and let eggs stand in hot water, covered, 15 minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water and let stand 5 minutes (to cool). Peel eggs and finely chop.
Stir together eggs and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl with a fork.

Make sandwiches:
Spread some mayonnaise (if using) on bread and make sandwiches with egg salad and pea shoots.

Happy Mother's Day

Matt and I invited my parents over for a Mother's Day breakfast. I made some delicious donut-like chocolate waffles...really more of a dessert than breakfast. We also enjoyed some mimosas and fresh fruit. Then we all went on a nice walk around Robbinsdale. The boys and McGee were the brisk walkers and mom & I lagged behind slowly looking at houses and gardens. I'm always amazed the the array of stuff people put out on their yard...I'm not really a knick-knack type person, but there are a lot of people who have yard knick-knacks. Yuck.

After my parents left we went to the garden center at Cub...well we made two trips...and got 16 bags of mulch. I love the way freshly mulched flower beds look each spring. I wish that I had more of a green thumb. I mostly just have professional looking mulch gardens. Sadly I'm not kidding at all, but I am good at keeping trees alive.

Matt's mom, sister, and our niece came over for lunch. We had tarragon shallot egg salad sandwiches, wild rice soup, chips, and strawberry-rhubarb pie for lunch. Then we played with chalk on the sidewalks, played some lasso golf, made bubbles, and made a living room fort (which McGee tore down). Here's a cute picture of KT posing for the picture in the middle of the bubbles.

Happy Mother's Day Mom's!!

Birthday Date

Matt took me on a fun birthday date last night. First we went to Cafe Lurcat in Minneapolis. Neither of us had been there before. We decided to have some of their signature drinks...Matt had a Lurcat Manhattan and I had a Lurcat Royal. I would totally recommend the Lurcat Royal, which was a sweeter martini garnished with a delicious blood orange.

We tried their three course tasting menu, which was a much better deal than ordering off of their normal menu. Matt had shrimp for an appetizer and I had field greens with warm goat cheese. For the main course Matt had steak and I had the lamb...mmm. For dessert Matt had mini-donuts (yes like at the Fair) and I had this interesting carrot cake/cheesecake combo.

After dinner we ran over to The Brave New Workshop to see one of their comedic live plays. It was called How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan: Sleepless in Shakopee. It made fun of the dating rituals, having kids, etc. Very funny!

Safety First!

McGee has a new accessory...he finally has a seat belt for the car. He doesn't seem to hate it, which is a plus. Here is him riding to Wisconsin in the car.

What a cute little face!!

Pine Chalet

Matt and I finally got away from the city for a short vacation. Last weekend we stayed at a log cabin called the Pine Chalet in Wisconsin. We go there every February with our friends Chad and Susan. This year they brought their dogs, Jack & Jill, and we brought our dog, McGee.

We introduced Chad and Susan to our Valentine's Day tradition of basing our meals around a different country every year. This year...Thailand. We attempted to create Thai meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast and lunch were more fusion than true Thai meals. We shared parfaits for breakfast with fruits native to Thailand. For lunch we made fusion Thai Tacos. Dinner was the main event with Thai Green Curry Shrimp & Scallops over Noodles, Thai Stir Fried Vegetables, and Thai Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Cayenne-Spiced Mango.

It was nice enough this year to actually take a couple walks outside. We are planning on going back this August for another mini-vacation.

"Just Give us the F-ing Point"

Ahh leave it to foodie night for some laughs. Last night we went to The Chatterbox Pub's new location in Linden Hills. Nine of us crammed into a corner of the restaurant.

Overall the food was mediocre...but that was not the focus of the night. We played an INTENSE game of Scattergories. There were many heated arguments/debates...I'll let you be the judge on some of these topics.

1) Who is a hero...Eragon or Aragon?
2) Would you purchase Envelopes as a souvinier?
3) Is an Eel black or silver?
4) Is "the Eel" a dance?
5) Is Egg Beaters a dairy product?
6) Part 1 - Is Jarring a word?
6) Part 2 - If yes, don't you mean canning?
6) Part 3 - Finally, is Jarring/Canning a chore or a hobby?
7) Are Jumper Cables considered a weapon?
8) Could Etheopia be considered a tropical location?
9) Is Elephant Man in the Guinness Book of World Records

Oh and by the way...thanks for giving us the point on Exercycle for a vehicle, which is actually a stationary bike.

See you next month!

La Belle VIe

Instead of exchanging gifts this year, Matt and I went out to dinner together. We went to La Belle Vie in Minneapolis, which is right across Lyndale Avenue from the Walker Art Center.

We ordered their five course meal from the tasting menu, which turned out to be more like a seven course meal. The waiter tried his best to get us to order the wine flights too (he asked us three times!).

We were really impressed with the food. The waiter first brought out a small pastry from the chef, which was stuffed with Gruyere cheese. Then they brought out an amuse-bouche of beets and pancetta. Then the first course came out...scallops, artichokes, and dill pesto. The second course was skate fish with mushrooms (I actually ate fish and liked it!). The third course was roasted chicken with a hand-made ravioli and baby carrots. The fourth course was grilled lamb with farro. The fifth course was curried carrot cake (yum!) with cardamom sherbet (double yum!).

Just when we thought it was over they brought out dessert after dessert! It was a plate of five dessert bites. They were all delicious!

Matt and I compared this restaurant to our experience at W.A. Frost in St Paul. Here's what we think:
Service - W.A. Frost
Food Taste - Tie
Food Presentation - La Belle Vie
Ambiance - W.A. Frost
Best Dish - Cauliflower & Goat Cheese Soup @ W.A. Frost
Best Dessert - Curried Carrot Cake w/ Cardamom Sherbet @ La Belle Vie

Christmas Eve

We went to my Grandma Salaba's today for Christmas Eve. It was a much smaller crowd this year due to a lot of people having to work. Usually we have about 50, but this year it was 30. For some reason it seemed like there were just as many kids running around as usual. There are now 16 great-grand children! The newest edition was my cousin Jodi's baby Lauren. She is such a cutie!

My Aunt Lavonne came up with a fun idea this year. She had everyone write down one of their favorite memories with Grandma. Then Grandma read them all out loud to everyone. It was especially fun to hear her four kids memories from when they were little with their mom.

Here are some of my fun memories with Grandma:
1) Bringing in all of the kittens from the farm into Grandma's house and dressing them up in doll clothes.
2) Grandma making Cream of Wheat for us in the morning. She put the cereal on a plate and poured heavy cream and sugar on the top. Mmmm!
3) Having sleepovers at Grandma's and hearing stories from when she was little.
4) Watching Grandma open Christmas presents ever so carefully so that she can save the paper.
5) Learning from Grandma how to make Kolaches from scratch.
6) Getting cards in the mail from Grandma...she always inserts lots of newspaper and magazine clippings with funnies.
7) Listening to Grandma read us stories when we were little.
8) Painting Grandma's living room Pepto Bismol pink. Her favorite color.
9) Grandma poking the Peeps at Easter time.
10) Listening to Grandma tell stories about her mom, dad, and her mischievous cousins when she was little.
11) Taking pictures with Grandma before my wedding.
12) Watching Funniest Home Videos with Grandma.
13) Dancing with Grandma at my cousin Diane's wedding.
14) Playing Catch Phrase with Grandma at Matt's Graduation party...where we kept the dynamite (i.e. the sewing machine).
15) Driving with Grandma when we were little...she would honk the horn at boys our age and wave.
16) Participating in the annual Christmas Plays or as we called them Christmas Plagues. I had to play everyone from Mary to Frosty the Snowman.
17) Czech Day at Grandma's house when we learned the Beer song (Pivo, Pivo).
18) New Years Day at Grandma's house when we play board games.
19) When we are leaving Grandma's house we always have to take something home...usually kolaches, gummy bears, ham, or pie.
20) Playing the question game with Grandma...finding out most embarrassing moments, favorite childhood toy, whether you would rather have x-ray vision or be invisible, and more.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Holiday Parties

Last weekend was packed with fun holiday parties. On Friday night I hosted a cookie exchange with the co-workers in my division. There were about 14 of us and 8 varieties of delicious Christmas cookies. I made my favorite marshmellow and corn flake Christmas wreath cookies.

On Saturday night Matt and I went to our friend's Dan & Karen's house for their annual wine and cheese party. Somehow they always get 50-60 people in their cute little house in St Paul. Karen made about 10 different kinds of Christmas cookies, which were all amazing. She picked award winning cookies from this year's different cookie contests (Star Tribune, Food Network, etc).

Later that night we went to our friends Andy & Jessica's Christmas party. Jessica had several different fun Christmas games for us to play. Since I'm such a Christmas nut...I took first place in the Christmas movie trivia game. There was actually a movie on there that I hadn't seen before..."Diner". Anyone heard of it?

Merry Christmas!

11,000 Meals

Last night I went with my co-worker Elizabeth and her family to volunteer at Feed my Starving Children. They have a location in Eden Prairie. When we got there they had us put on some spiffy hair nets. Then we watched a video about how many children die each day from starvation.

Then the staff showed us how to put together the bags of meals that were to later be shipped out to impoverished countries. I was surprised by what goes into each bag! Apparently they worked with Cargill to get four nutritious ingredient blends made. One is a chicken flavored stock that contains nutrients needed to survive, then there is a soy based ingredient for protein, we also added what looked like freeze dried vegetables, and finally rice.

I got to be in charge of using the bag sealer, which was pretty slick. Our group made over 11,000 meals...enough to feed 33 kids for a year. It was amazing what we were able to accomplish in such a short time.

Girls Night

Last night JJ, Kathleen, and I had a girls night at Eden Prairie Mall. We did a little shopping...well Kathleen did most of the Christmas shopping. Kathleen and I had to go into that teen clothing store Hollister to get some gift certificates for her nieces. I felt pretty old when I got a slight headache from the perfume smell and loud music. I wonder if they are owned by the same people that run Abercrombie & Fitch. They should both be up for the MAROAT awards (which are the Most Annoying Retailer of All Time Awards).

We had a great dinner at Wildfire grill. JJ and I tried their wine flights, which were delicious. I was surprised at how much wine they gave us...they didn't seem like the usual small wine tasting glasses that usually go with flights.

We also went to see the new Christmas flick with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn called Four Christmases. It was a very entertaining, funny movie. The movie didn't get good ratings, but I think that we all liked it!

The Wienery

The Foodie Club went to The Wienery last night. It was definitely a hole-in-the-wall. I literally drove past it twice without seeing it! We got there at 6:30 and the place was only supposed to be open until 7 PM! We were able to use the only two tables in the place…the rest of the seating was bar stool seating. Their only waiter left before we could order, but the cook took care of the eight of us plus the people at the bar stools.

They have a lot of different choices there…we tried the Manhattan chili dog, the Chicago dog, and the Hairy Brain Dog. They had pretty good fries too. You can order either one potato or two potatoes plain, cheesy, or with chili. It was definitely a fun place to experience, but you may need a GPS to find it!

10 Year Class Reunion

I went to my 10 year high school reunion over the Thanksgiving weekend. It was held at the Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie.

For me it was a really strange experience. In some ways it was fun, but in other ways it was super awkward. I got to catch up with some friends that I have not seen in years. I got to talk to a few people that I had never talked to in high school, which was fun. I think for the most part people talked with the people they hung out with in school.

There were a few people that I was really impressed with. There were a couple guys who were very shy and never talked to anyone while we were in school. They were some of the most outgoing people at the reunion. A couple of them were going from table to table introducing themselves and talking. How brave!

I'm kind of torn as to whether I would go to the next one or not. I guess I have a while to think about it!

Winter is Here!

Looking out my window this morning I see that the snow has finally stuck. Brr! I really want to get out this year and do more winter activities...ice skating at the Depot, sledding with my nieces, and making snow angels with mom. Hopefully my girlfriends and I meet downtown again to eat dinner and watch the Holidazzle parade (Kathleen, JJ, Suzanne, Mel, and Jen...when does the Holidazzle start?).

Ok, so you can judge, but I already put up both of my Christmas trees. Yes, both. I technically put them up on November 2nd, but I didn't get around to putting up the ornaments until last night. I still need to find this year's ornaments. Every year Matt and I get a frame ornament for ourselves and a frame ornament for McGee. I put in pictures from the year to hang on the tree. Matt also seems to buy one really hideous ornament a year for the tree...one year he found a maribou covered pink flamingo with dangling glittery feet.

Well I'd better bundle up and go to work now!

The Nook

Once a month a group of my friends get together for what we call the "Foodie Club". Last year our theme was Sushi Club. Each month we chose a different sushi place in the Twin Cities area. The top of the list for most people was Fuji Ya in Uptown.

This year we decided to switch gears and try "Cheap Date Night". These will be made up of dives and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. We kicked off Cheap Date Night tonight at the Nook in Saint Paul. Ten of us crammed into this tiny restaurant after waiting forever to get a table together.

Most of us ordered their famous Juicy Nooky burger, which is a burger stuffed with molten hot cheese in the center. We only had one person get 2nd degree burns from not waiting long enough before biting into the burger! I should also mention that they fry their french fries twice...yum!

Next month we are heading to the Wienery in South Minneapolis, which is famous for their hot dogs.

Election Day

What a long day! We got to the voting pole this morning about 6:30 am. I was surprised that there were so many people already there. Turns out that I had to re-register...I totally forgot that the last time I voted I did not have my married name yet.

We decided to order a pizza tonight and watch the election results. I picked up a pizza at Papa Murphy's. Apparently a lot of people had the same idea. The boy behind the counter said that they had 140 pizza orders this evening when they usually only have 70 pizzas ordered on a normal Tuesday night. They even ran out of cheese!

I've been watching all of the results come in all night and I always find the results so confusing. How do they call a winner in a state when less than a quarter of the votes are in. Strange. Anyways, it is exciting to have a new President!