Hi friends.
This week will be a quiet one. Kenny and I are in Canada on vacation. Next summer we celebrate 10 years of marriage. Since we have expiring airline vouchers, hotel points and grandparent babysitters available now, we decided to celebrate now!
Stay tuned next week, ’cause I’m sure I’ll have many tales to tell upon my return.
Peace, love and happiness until then.
“You know, we should go to the capitol sometime,” I commented to Kenny as we drove downtown on our Friday family outing last week. Kenny picked our adventure of the day and was keeping the destination a secret until we arrived.
“Yeah, we should do that,” he agreed.
Little did I know, we were headed to the Texas State Capitol.
Have I mentioned that I love Fridays? Kenny has the day off and we spend time together as a family.
Two Fridays ago we visited the Austin Renaissance Market on the corner of 23rd and Guadalupe.
Last week in Colorado, Titus and I accompanied my sister’s family to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Kenny is convinced he doesn’t love zoos. I think it’s because he’s only ever gone to zoos with summer day camps. In college we worked as counselors at a summer day camp in Washington D.C. One of our field trips was to the national zoo and we spent the day herding our groups of 15 elementary kids through the exhibits. Believe me, the animals were the last thing on our minds as we constantly mentally counted the kids in our group to make sure we stayed together. Looking back on that I think, “Wow! That was a big responsibility for 18 year olds.”
That said, I thought the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was fantastic. I had to keep track of one kid – Titus. Since he was in a stroller I was pushing, I knew exactly where he was. I discovered that zoos actually have animals! Not just elementary school kids.
I liked the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo because the visitors can interact with the animals.
My family lives in the city in Colorado. With young Titus, we were not too eager to get out to the mountains to camp. Extended day trips are also out of the question, since a screaming over-tired little boy is a bit of a joy-killer. However, it’s hard to head to the mountains and not get out in them, so we spent a nice half day eating donuts and hiking at the Rampart Reservoir Recreation Area.
What would you eat if you were headed to a hike with your family? My family ate donuts at The Donut Mill in Woodland Park, Colorado.
For nearly as long as I can remember, I’ve made frequent pilgrimages to Colorado.
Remember I told you my dad’s family was a pioneering family in the west? My dad grew up in the Sierra mountains and always says he has a hole in his heart only a mountain can fill.
To get his fill, we’d make an annual road trip to Colorado (not a small undertaking from Mobile, Alabama mind you!). The Rockies were the closest “real” mountains he could get to. For whatever reason, the Smokies didn’t count…and after all, why only travel a few hours when we could travel for days?
My dad also often said,”Relationships are built are memories.” Given the relationships I’m blessed to have with my family, I believe it. My memory is full of good times on those long trips to the mountains.
Apparently the times there were so great that my sister moved there 15 years ago. When she started having the family’s first grandkids, my parents followed.
For all of you who are following the spinach enchilada story, remember I wanted a substitute for ricotta? Something a little more Mexican? My friend Danielle asked her neighbor who we’ve officially crowned the expert in all things food and she had answers for us. She got her answers from her own personal cheese dictionary. (No I’m not kidding!)
Which brings me to this conclusion…Danielle…your friends like food. And officially your neighbor has me beat. I do not have my own personal cheese dictionary.
Okay, so here’s the scoop from the cheese dictionary if you too want to be more authentic. I cannot vouch for the success of these cheeses in the enchiladas because I’ve not tried them. If you try them or have hints for working with them, please inform us all!
Queso Fresco – “Fresh curds pressed in round molds; soft, crumbly, slightly grainy and salty; similar in flavor to Ricotta or farmer cheese; softens but does not melt when heated; crumble, slice, or dice to top or fill tacos, chiles rellenos, enchiladas, burritos, etc.” I think I’ve even seen this cheese at Walmart. Alternatively,
Requeson- “Fresh; similar to Ricotta; soft and spreadable with a fresh, milky taste; use as a filling for enchiladas and pasta or with jam as a spread for crackers or bread.”
Happy cooking!
Have you read anything by Fannie Flagg?
I love my book club here in Austin. The girls have been really welcoming. And they just introduced me to Fannie Flagg. How did I miss this woman?
She’s an author from Alabama and is famous for her bestseller Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. I think I’ll go join my new library and look for that one soon.
I just finished Standing in the Rainbow. When I was a kid I read quite a number of books set in the fifties. Anyone heard of Homer Price? I loved him. As a kid reading about kids in that time, life sounded like a dream. Youngsters could wander all over town with all kinds of freedom because the world seemed to be a safe place. How much of that was true and how much of that was literature I wonder?
Standing in the Rainbow gave me that same warm fuzzy feeling.
Next time you need a smile on your face and some warmth in your heart, look for Fannie Flagg.
P.S. She also wrote a cookbook – The Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook Featuring Fried Green Tomatoes. I love this girl!
Sara asked me to guest blog my unique experience this last weekend. About a month ago the husband of one of my co-workers called me and invited me to attend UT’s opening football game. I didn’t have to think about this one too terribly long.
Jeff is a pediatrician in Denton and a graduate of UT. To say that he and his wife Jen are fans is an understatement. You will find more burnt orange in their house than any other color. Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration… but I would bet that their kids have more burnt orange clothes than any other color. They’re big fans. For my birthday two years ago, I was given a Longhorn shirt from them… of course.
So I was excited to go to the game with Jeff because football is certainly fun to watch and come one… we’re in Austin and this is UT! To be really honest, this was my first college football game, so I was more than excited. Unfortunately, I think I made a mistake making the UT game with Jeff my first college football experience. Why? Well, first of all it was Texas. Seriously, I can think of only 3 or 4 other teams that could rival the energy, pride and experience that UT would. Secondly, Jeff has club seats in the newest section of the stadium. It overlooks the end zone. It’s like a football game meets country club style. Really, I felt like I was on vacation. I had soft tacos, nachos and prime rib… all before the kickoff. I went back for desert after every quarter. How great is that. So, I think my standards are too high. Next time I’m at a football game I’m sure I’ll get strange looks when I ask where I can get the prime rib.
In case you didn’t know, there are two things that Texans are proud of.
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