Tubtacular!

Scott has been taking every opportunity to use his season pass on the slopes. He probably goes at least once a week, and is definitely getting his money's worth! I usually sit in one of the restaurants/lounges and wait for him. Summit West has a wi-fi lounge with comfy cushy chairs even, but normally I just hang out in one of the restaurants. I'm never alone - there are actually lots of other people waiting around while their loved ones go skiing/snowboarding. Yesterday morning, I counted 14 people in the room dressed in regular clothes (not snow gear). There was even one gal who took over a corner of a table and was scrapbooking, and there was another lady who was knitting.

Lucky for me though, my friends Seng, Erik and Boh (who went to the campfire with us on Saturday) wanted to meet up for a snow day so I didn't wait for very long in the lounge before they got there. While Scott went snowboarding with Eric and Frank, the four of us headed over to the Tubing park!

I have never gone tubing before and was a bit surprised at it. Firstly, it is really fun! The hill is groomed with about 10 lanes so even though we hadn't had snow in a while, there was still plenty of it on the tubing hill. You don't get wet and snowy at all since the tubes lift your booty off the ground. I saw many people just dressed in jeans. Secondly, it was so-crowded! There were tons of little tykes screaming their heads off when they went down the hill, but there were just as many adults out having a fun day. Lastly, it is sort of tiring and repetitive. There was a little rope tow that you could attach your tube to and it would drag you up the hill, but the lines for it were long so we ended up walking up the hill pretty often. You fly down the hill in about 3 seconds, but it takes a gazillion more time to hike back up! I'm not sure the reward of going back down was worth it.

While I had a fun time, we all agreed that for $20 for a 2 hour session, tubing is quite expensive! If there were different, longer tracks, it might be better. I hear that there are such places, so I may have to seek them out after the next snowfall!

We don't need no water ... !

If you've been following our blog, you may remember a few months ago when we took a stroll through Golden Gardens and saw several people setting up beach bonfires. It looked like fun, even though everyone was wearing big parkas and hats and then bundled up with extra blankets in their laps. Well, the weather turned nice enough that we felt we could brave the cold and have our own little fire.

And what a nice little fire it was! We threw on about 5 logs and had a very nice, respectable fire.... until you looked around and saw other fire pits exploding with flames! Those other fires meant business; they were so big. I wonder how many logs they used because the flames were licking the sides of the bin and were jumping up out of the pit!

Even with the fire going, it was a bit chilly out (30 something) but our skins are toughening up to the Northwest weather and we were mostly okay. We brought along our camp chairs and stopped by The Totem House for some fish and chips and clam chowder so were nice and comfy during our bonfire picnic. Our friends - Seng, Eric and Vo - joined us, and we had a fantastic night of fire and frivolty!

Lions, Tigers & Bears... oh my!

The weather forecast looked promising for Saturday so we decided to invite our friends (the Molvar clan) over to the west side of the lake for a fun filled afternoon. May made a fantastic (near LA standards) chicken enchilada accompanied by mexican rice, beans and nopales. The enchilada was a tad dry, but tasty none-the-less, but unfortunately the kiddies weren't so bold. We thought it might be the case, so May had some turkey deli meat and 'chippies' on hand to save the day.

After lunch we set off for the Seattle Zoo, about 1 mile away. It was a nice day, sunny but a little crisp (50'ish?). Bringing the little red wagon was a stroke of brilliance, the kids were in toe and we made sure to hit all the major attractions (hippos, monkeys, giraffes and tigers). Mental note: the "nocternal" exhibit isn't the best with all of the creepy crawlies for little kids. (Sorry Liam & Esther hopefully the nightmares don't last long!) We ended our afternoon with a coffee by the gift shop enjoying the sun. I personally found it amazing how young kids learn the term "gift shop". My favorite of the day was Liam's clothing selection, rain boots, placed on the wrong feet, in different sizes... way to push the cultural norms!

Baby Colin was good and didn't fuss all day

Monkeys!

Esther liked being in the African hut

"Whatcha lookin' at" says Liam

Wish we had someone to tow us around like Liam and Esther did!

My Salvadorean Valentine

We are not very big into the Valentine holiday (we can't even remember what we did last year! and remember one time spending Vday dinner going out for pizza with BK!) so instead of fighting the crowds for an expensive, rushed, and forced-romantic meal, we headed up the street to Mi Chalateca, a Salvadorean restaurant we've been wanting to try.

It was perfect for us! The restaurant has a big neon sign and looks like an old converted Denny's, and we settled ourselves into a little booth. To start, we ordered 2 pupusas (revuelta and chicken/cheese), and they came out pipin' hot. The slaw that came with it was tangy and spicy and a nice way to cut the heaviness of the pupusa. These were quite filling, and after eating them, I wasn't very hungry for my entree.

But, out came our entrees and they looked so good we had to eat a few bites at least. Scott ordered the Bistec Encebollado, and he seemed to like it. For me, I was deciding between the Sopa De Res and Molcajete, and ended up with the Molcajete becuase a) I figured I could bring home any leftovers and b) I'm a sucker for anything with Nopales in it. I think I made a wise decision because the Molcajete turned out to satisfy both A and B! My dish was ginormous! It was beautifully presented though - slices of carne asada, a big flap of Nopal, two generous slabs of avocado, some queso fresco and a hunk of chorizo all swimming in a fiery tomato sauce on a big stone Molcajete. If that wasn't enough, my dish also came with a side of beans, rice and homemade Salvadorean tortillas. It was all good (though the meat was a bit too salty) and I have lots of leftovers for lunch today.

We don't know too much about Salvadorean food, having only gone a few times with Patrick, but we definitely liked this place. Staff was friendly, the food came out really fast, and was priced well - our Valentine's Day meal totaled $35! Next time, though, we'll know to share an entree!

State Park Valentine

For Valentine's day May and I trekked off to North Bend for a little winter hike at Twin Falls State Park. We compared a dozen different trail options and decided on this one because it was (a) within 60 miles (b) low impact [1,200 vertical feet & 4 miles long] (c) designated as a 'family trail - even your kids can do this one'. It was a beautiful hike, snaking along a river and up to a huge waterfall. But as the trail guide suggested, it was very family friendly... there were a ton of people. Overall it was quite pretty, we walked through mossy forest, river rocks and snow covered ground. The only negative was towards the top you could hear the freeway. Boo. Oh yeah, May and I always forget how warm you get once you start moving... once again, we over-dressed and peeled off all the layers. Now I'm sleepy :)

Living Room Walls

The wall in our living room has been bare ever since we moved in. We haven't been able to find a nice piece of art (that we can agree on) that covers such a big wall space. In the end, I decided to go with putting up some ledges and then arranging photos and books on them. I just grabbed some pictures/books that we already have to get an idea of how it will look, and now that I think I like it, I'm going to have to think of a 'theme' for this wall. Stay tuned!

BEFORE

AFTER

I'm still dreaming about it and scheming my way back to get more. The bland-looking circle of jiggliness sprinkled with black shavings at first made me think the dish was going to be boring like tofu. But oh no.... This was exquisite. This deserved 10+ stars on the lick-your-plate o'meter. This would inspire poetry in me if I were a poet. I wanted to call up every single one of my chowhoundy friends to say "THIS is what makes moving to Seattle worth it!" I'm talking, of course, about the Truffle Cauliflower Flan I had at Tilth last night.

Tilth is a restaurant in Wallingford known for its emphasis on organic and locally-raised, seasonal ingredients. It got a ton of press last year since it was named in the NY Times Top 10 Restaurants and chef Maria Hines was nominated for James Beard award for best chef, Northwest region (the award ended up going to Holly Smith at Cafe Juanita, another place I've heard great things about). We headed over there last night with my cousin, Brandon, who is a sophomore at the University of Washington. He had tried going to Tilth last year with his dad but they were turned away when they didn't have reservations. They were told the restaurant were booked 3 weeks out. Could the restaurant really be that good?

If the Truffle Cauliflower Flan is any indication, my answer is yes! I can still taste the creamy cool texture, the pungent earthy flavor. This little custard was exploding with truffle goodness, and if you know me, I swoon for truffles. Paired with it was a delectable fennel salad - slightly crunchy, nice sweet flavor offset by the little bit of lemon cream drizzled on the plate. I say A+ for this dish!

The rest of the meal was definitely good, but not as awesome as my Flan. We started with a 3 cheese plate, and my favorite was the triple cream, which was gooey and satisfying. Brandon's clam chowder had a wonderful presentation, and from the way he drank every last drop, I think he liked it. For mains, we all shared the St Jude Albacore Tuna With Israeli Cous Cous, Slow Cooked Pork Cheek and the Beef Short Ribs with Lacinato Kale. Scott and Brandon liked the Tuna, and while I thought it was good quality, I was grabbing at the couscous. The Pork Cheeks were a bit disappointing - wonderfully tender, but not enough flavor. The Short Ribs were terrific - nice and meaty, but not too heavy. With the kale, it was a very wintery dish.

Listen to the Rain!

I can remember the exact moment when I crossed the barrier and decided I liked sparkling water. Scott and I (and Way and Kevin) had just got back to our hotel room in Cinque Terre, Italy after having hiked along the cliffs all day. It was hot and sunny out and the only drink provided in the little cube fridge was sparkling water. Since we were dying of thirst and the bottle was oh-so-cold, we twisted the cap open, heard the little fizzzzzz and gulped down. What a revelation! The clear cool liquid, ice cold, was perfection in our bellies - it wasn't sugary sweet like coke/sprite but was a treat like soda is to a little kid AND it hit the spot like only water can.

So now, I'm a convert. I had previously thought it had this weird taste and was drunk by very adult people who were trying to make a point about their wealth when they ordered this at restaurants. I mean, if I want water, tap water is free and tasty. If I want something bubbly, I'd rather pay for something with flavor like a Coke! But now, when Scott wants to buy soda at the market, I try to steer him towards getting sparkling (flavored if need be) water instead.

I don't know if other people have always liked sparkling water and I've just moved into that stage in my life (much like listening to NPR!), but I have noticed that people at work go bonkers over Talking Rain, a Washington-based soda company that produces sparkling water. We have free drinks at work and the fridge is always stocked with Coke/Pepsi, Root Beer, Apple Juice etc. I never have to fight for one of these drinks, with one exception: When there's Talking Rain on the shelves, there's practically a stampede to get to them. I normally get in around 8am and there's probably 2 dozen cans of Talking Rain in there. By the time I head back to the kitchen an hour or two later to get a refill on tea, they're almost always all gone. I've seen people horde them and even hide them behind other things in the (very cluttered) fridges! It's sort of amusing. I've learned my lesson when come lunch time, there are no more Talking Rains so in the mornings, so I've even gotten to grabbing one and sticking it in my lunch bag!

Ski bunny

This past Sunday, while most folks were cleaning their big screen TV's and microwaving hot wings for the big game, May and I decided to head for the hills! It was an overcast day, a big contrast from all the beautiful warm sun on Saturday. After some coercing, I managed to convince May that we should stop for food at McDonald's (I love those little hamburgers). With full and greasy bellies, we made it to Snoqualmie and got on the ski lift for the bunny slope. We had a lot of fun and after 5 runs, I can definitely tell that May is ready for the advanced runs... I think her confidence grew as people left the slopes.

I made some tweaks to my bindings and after a few nose plants, I got re-acquainted with my balance. I just need 4 more sessions for the season pass to pay off... I just need my bruised buns to hold in there for a few weeks longer!