Life in Pictures

Despite the blog silence (or maybe as evidenced by the blog silence), life here has felt full lately.  Here are a few of the high notes...

K turns 30

K's mom and I teamed up to plan a surprise birthday party for K at our favorite mexican restaurant in SA, La Fonda on Main.  The party was a success, the birthday boy was surprised, and I took exactly one picture.  Oh well, we'll always have this picture of the cake and I'm told K looked very surprised as we walked in : )

Deer Valley

K's other birthday gift was a ski trip to Deer Valley.  Our sweet friends let us use their house as a gift to K.  The weather couldn't have been better and the skiing was amazing.

Valentine's Day

Do you all make a big deal out of Valentine's Day?  I feel like it doesn't end up being that big of a deal for us.  It feels kind of forced to do nice things for each other because you're supposed to on this "holiday."  This year, Valentine's Day was so off my radar I actually planned to take dinner to a friend whose husband is deployed.  And then I kind of forgot about dinner for us.  

We ended up with this pancetta-spinach-whole wheat pasta creation that was actually pretty yummy.  And a good representation of our combined tastes.  K thinks everything better with bacon.  I think everything's better with spinach.  This time we both won :)  

March?

And then there was the whole month of March.  I don't really know what happened, but March flew by.  We got sick, K switched teams and has been working every weekend, and we tried out best to carve out some time together in between.

Easter

March ended on a high note - Easter,  a visit from my mom, and a great Easter brunch with friends.  We opted for another al fresco Easter celebration and the weather totally cooperated.  On the menu?  To start - caramelized bacon (this was to.die.for) and Trader Joe's Rosemary Almonds.  For lunch - rack of lamb persillade, green beans gremolata, braised carrots and parsnips, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and fluffy rolls.  Plus, deviled eggs (thanks, Meghann!) and a frittata (thanks, Dom!).  For dessert - easter egg sugar cookies (that we scattered in 'nests' on the table), Mary Carolyn's coconut cake, and Deb's carrot cake.  I'm still full, but it was a wonderful Easter.  

Hallelujah!  He is Risen!  Hallelujah!  

  

Pinochle!

We had the BEST time this weekend learning a new card game with friends. It's called Pinochle (pronounced Pea-knuckle) and it was truly a blast. The best part? We decided to add to the fun with several delicious appetizers and cheese and chocolate fondue! Good food, good company and a really fun game.

Our friends Deb and Nick hosted the evening and provided most of the delicious food. Kevin and I brought spinach dip and Kathryn's bacon wrapped apricots (I got a little confused at the store and bought apricots instead of dates!). Here's Kathryn's recipe for Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Manchego and Sweet Peppers . . .

Bacon Wrapped Dates (or Apricots!) Stuffed with Manchego and Sweet Peppers

Bacon
Dates (or Apricots!)
Manchego Cheese
Sweet Peppers (you can find these in the canned food section)
toothpicks

To assemble these delicious bites, cut an opening in the date/apricot and stuff each with a little piece of manchego and a sliver of sweet pepper. Then wrap each in half a slice of bacon and seal with a toothpick. Line a cookie sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack - you want to leave a place for the bacon fat to drip. I used my broiler pan and placed the bites over the openings. Place each on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes in a 425 degree oven, turning halfway through.

Ready for the oven!

I wish I had remembered to snap a picture before we gobbled them all up! Who wants to join us for a our next Pinochle gathering?