Suspiro de Limena for Dessert.

So rich! Dulce de leche custard and meringue with a port reduction.

Time for Dessert

The chef was checking out Erica's meringue while she was enjoying some delicious Malbec.

Lomo Saltado just like in Cusco

Entree: Lomo Saltado

Chris seared off the beef and moved onto cooking the peppers and onions.

Chris Close Up

The chef commented on the fancy placement of Chris' shrimp :)

First Course Ready to Eat

Hand mixing the salad

Chris is mixing the Quinoa salad with shrimp, avocado, and oranges.

First Task

We started by making the Suspiro de Limena which we had for dessert. Erica is cooking down sweet and condensed milk and evaporated milk.

Cuisine du Jour

Peru!

The Tasting Room & Kitchen

All of the magic happened in these two rooms.

Cooking School Surprise!

Emily's birthday surprise for Erica was a night at cooking school. Chris & Erica went spent the evening at the Kitchen Table Cooking School in Denver. The surprise got even better when Erica learned the menu was Peruvian. Emily and Erica spent 10 days in Peru together last May.

Thank you ERP!!!

Getting Ready For...

A SURPRISE!

Emily has arranged a surprise birthday present for me. All I know is I need to be in Denver by 5pm tomorrow night. So, I am taking the day off and hanging out with Chris. Chris has been working loooong hours this week on a project and is looking forward to a day out of the office. Well, a partial day out of the office, he has to go in for a bit in the morning first.

We plan to hang out in Denver/Boulder until surprise time.

The Only Good Mink is a Dead Mink

Don't worry, only 4 mink were put out of their misery in order to fashion this beautiful stole. This is just one of the intriguing items that Chris' grandma, Elizabeth, is parting with as she moves into a smaller apartment. Each magnificent mink from which this alluring accessory is constructed has it's tail, tiny paws complete with claws, gaping jaw, and beady little eyes. Simply breathtaking...

And someday it could be Erica's!!!

The Audi turned 100000 miles

We are on our way to J & P Mc's house to spend the night. Erica flies tomorrow morning.

Gold coins did not fall from the ceiling. No ticker tape parade either. Anti-climactic. When Chris bought it in 2001 it had 22 miles on it.
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Spicy and Delicious

We found this chocolate jalapeno gelato on clearance at the Sprouts in Fort Collins. We could not pass it up. It is spicy and delicious!

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TGIF!

We didn't have anything planned for a post today...but we just couldn't let the posting streak die.

Chris and Erica are working today and Erica is flying tonight. No set plans for the weekend, but I am sure we will come up with something :)

Vibram Five Fingers

We have been seeing these around SLC - at the gym, Liberty Park, and during the half marathon last weekend! They are supposed to be really good for you and let you run longer with more comfort than with shoes on your feet because you run on the balls of your feet instead of thumping down on your heels. The Kenyans run barefoot, and they win marathons, so there must be something to it. Outside of running, I have read people claiming Five Fingers have relieved their back pain and others don't want to wear conventional footwear anymore.

According to the website, they can be used for cross fit, yoga, running, trekking, traveling, and climbing/bouldering, etc.

At first I thought they were odd looking, but now I think they are pretty cute and just might try a pair on one of these days.

Official Stolen Half Marathon Pics

Chris near the finish

Erica at mile 10

All done!

Popsicles

Chris really, really wanted this Popsicle mold from Ikea :) As soon as we got it home, I poured some sugar free lime drink into the molds and popped them into the freezer.

We enjoyed our lime Popsicles after dinner Sunday evening. I found this great website with tons of homemade popsicle recipes: http://tipnut.com/homemade-popsicles/

We are excited to try them out. We will keep you posted on any recipes that we try!

new LACK tables

So, we just got word that we are staying here in SLC for one more year. We have been looking at new apartments, but we have not found anything better for the amount of money we want to pay. We were hoping to get a 2 bedroom so we can better accommodate visitors, but a nice two bedroom in the downtown area is practically the price of a mortgage. Right now I think we are staying put. Besides, we like our quiet street, the peach tree in the back, the porch, and our proximity to downtown.

Anyway, I had a really huge square glass top coffee table in our tiny apartment. We finally decided to downsize. We picked up a black/brown LACK coffee table and end table from Ikea yesterday. They look good and fit so much better. They were also cheap - $7.99 for the end table that the TV is sitting on and $19.99 for the coffee table. Yeah for Ikea!

We have our old stuff listed in the local classifieds, so cross your fingers for a quick sale!

Free Reusable Shopping Bag - Today Only!

Target is giving away with purchase, 1.5 million complimentary reusable shopping bags made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled PET bottles on Sunday, April 18, while supplies last.

We just got back from Target this afternoon with ours. There is still time to get yours today!

Check out this link for other Earth Day promotional events: http://www.greenrightnow.com/minneapolis/2010/04/15/earth-day-2010-promotional-events/

Apron from Down Under

Chris got me this apron for my birthday. I found it on Etsy. The gal who makes them is in Australia, so it took a while to get here (~2 weeks). Here is a link to her Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/wonderlandavenue

Love the ruffle on the bottom. And the print.

Glad To Be Finished

Another picture from this morning. We slept for a little this afternoon, and are sore.

On a side note, our peach tree is blossoming behind us.

Salt Lake City Half Marathoners!

We ran the Salt Lake City Half Marathon this morning. Chris did awesome, his goal was to finish in under 2 hours. He finished at 1:52:29. Erica is also pretty happy with her run. She finished at 2:23:17. She felt really good and was handily beating her goal of 10 minute miles up until mile 9 when her hips started to give her trouble. She ran the entire race even though she could have probably walked the last 2 miles faster than she was running. Not too shabby considering Erica had been doing more boozing than running the past 2 weeks ;)

This was Chris' second half marathon and Erica's first.

Post race on our porch in Salt Lake City. It is a beautiful day. Perfect weather for a run.

With Blue Man

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Ready for Blue Man Group!

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The terrace at Pure Nightclub

We met a bachelor party of Canadians and they took us to their cabana on the terrace.
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The Famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity's

We ate at Serendipity 3's twice while in Vegas. They are famous for their frozen hot chocolate. The original restaurant is in NYC. The frozen hot chocolate has been on the Oprah Show.

The restaurant itself is really cute and girly - tiffany style lamps on all of the tables, pink walls, awesome desserts and fancy drinks.

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Erica is in Vegas for a Bachelorette Party.

This is the view from our room. Staying at Caesars.
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Jury Duty

Chris spent the last two days serving on a jury in Fort Collins. The final verdict was guilty of intentionally using deceit to influence a public official. This is the first time he has been summoned and it was very interesting to be a part of the legal process.

Birthday Cube

My team decorated my cube while I was away. :)
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Heading Home

Here we are (Libby and Katie) waiting for our plane. Done partying for a while ;)

All of us are on the same plane to Houston and then the girls head to Kansas City and we head to Denver. I am staying the night in Denver and then flying to SLC in the morning to go to work.

Smash!

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Almost finished

They just need to be sealed. After dinner they will be hidden.
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Making cascarones

Cascarones are empty egg shells that are colored with crayons or markers, filled with confetti and then sealed with tissue paper and glue. You smash them on peoples heads.
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Happy Easter!

This is the view from our condo on the island. Heading back to La Feria for Easter dinner with Christina's family.

Ceviche at Wahoo's

YUM!

Fishin' off Padre

Chris is still recovering from last night. I caught 3 trout so far and a lady fish, but the trout were too small to keep and they don't bring the lady fish on board, they tend to poop all over as a defense mechanism and they aren't good eating.