Valentine's Day

I had a fun Valentine's day this year!! I'm not much of a gift giver and neither is Alax, so for most holidays we just kinda agree not to do anything for each other, or if we do, we normally go shopping together, find something we like and say "want to get this for me?" It may not sound fun to most people, but we like our little arrangement :)

So yesterday Alax had to work, so I dipped some strawberries and made some Oreo truffles and brought them in so he and his boss could have something to snack on throughout the day. Then I went over to my sisters house and we made tamales ALL day. The actual making and folding of the tamales was really easy, and we were done within an hour and a half or so! The steaming, on the other hand..Let's just say we'll be investing in an actual tamale steamer..Our improvised steamer didn't quite do the trick. We started steaming at 2, and when i left at 6 they still weren't done!! My sister called at 8 and yes, they STILL weren't done! But she got creative and made them work! I think her batch went a lot smoother :) It was a lot of fun though, and she said they were some of the best tamales she had ever eaten! I'm excited to try them!

So after I left my sisters, Alax and I had planned on going to this pizza place and getting dinner but he wasn't feeling too well (he has another staph infection..), so we stopped at Wendy's :) Marlee was happy, and I was too! Alax also got me this pretty necklace that has Marlee's birth stone (ruby) in it. I love it!! I think we're even, right?? Strawberries and truffles...necklace....sounds about right :/ I feel bad. I guess it's just the perk of having your husband work in a jewelry store! :) Anyway, that was my day! I'm so glad I found the perfect guy for me!!

Here's what I made for Alax! The truffles were soooo good!! (a couple couldn't fit on the plate, so I had to eat them right??) If you want to make them, they are SO easy!! You just get a package of Oreo's (I just used the store brand) and grind them up in a food proccesor. Then mix the crumbs with a block of cream cheese (8oz). Form them into balls and freeze for 20 minutes or so. Then just dip them in chocolate and you're ready to go!! Super easy!!

Kangaroo Zoo!!

My friend introduced me to the Kangaroo Zoo here in Ogden yesterday, and we had sooooo much fun!! Alax had the day off, so we just HAD to go back :) Marlee just had the biggest smile on her face the entire time. It's awesome! We will definitely be going back there a lot!! I couldn't believe how well Marlee could climb on everything too! She's turning into such a big girl!!!

Thanks for introducing this fun place to us, Lesley!!

Zoo

Alax had the day off yesterday, and we wanted to make the most of it, so we went down to Salt Lake and went to the zoo!! Yes, it is January in Utah, I know, but we had sooo much fun!! It actually wasn't too cold, maybe in the mid 40's and most of the animals are inside anyway, so we were warm the whole time!! And guess what??? We saw MAYBE 5 people the whole two hours or so we were there!! Seriously, the best zoo trip we have ever had. It was soo nice to walk away from the stroller and let Marlee walk and look at the animals at her own pace. I think going in the winter is the only way to go, especially since Alax hates crowds. He was in heaven! :) Here are some pictures!!

porcupines!!

these heat lamps were amazing :)

no one's here!!!

Marlee was fascinated by this gorilla!! I'm surprised we got her to look at the camera!

Marlee LOVED all the animals, especially the tigers and all the birds. They had bob cats and sand cats, but they were all sleeping, so Marlee would make sure to say "nigh-nigh" to all of them before we left :) There was one monkey in particular that really liked her, and came right up to the glass to play! Marlee gave it kisses on the glass and stretched her arms out to give it a hug, too. We had so much fun, and ended the day eating dinner at Z'Tejas in the Gateway. It was delish!!! Fun, fun day!!

Yummmm

So I just stumbled upon this recipe and about died!! How good does this look?? I think this is in the menu for us this week!!

SALMON WITH POMEGRANATE AND ORANGE SALSA

Ingredients:

Pan seared salmon

1 to 1 ½ lbs salmon, cut into 4 fillets – can also use halibut, tilapia, cod, red snapper, etc

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground fennel

2 tbs lime juice

1/3 cup white wine

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

2 -3 tbs butter or oil

Pomegranate salsa

1 cup pomegranate seeds or arils, from ½ large pomegranate

3 oranges, peeled and cut into supreme style segments (all the skin/pith/membranes/seeds removed), plus any remaining juice

Juice from 1 lime

½ onion, finely diced

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

2 serrano peppers, seeded and membranes removed, finely diced – replace with jalapenos for milder version

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sides – Quinoa with tomatillo and cilantro sauce, fried ripe plantains or fried green plantains

Preparation:

1. Mix the crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, fennel, lime juice, white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper together to prepare a marinade for the fish.
2. Let the fish marinate for 1 to 2 hrs.
3. Meanwhile to prepare the pomegranate salsa, combine the pomegranate arils, orange supreme, any juice squeezed from the orange membranes, lime juice, diced onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Mix the salsa well and let it rest refrigerated until ready to use.
5. Heat the butter or oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, add the salmon fillets and cook until browned on each side and cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets.
6. Serve immediately with the pomegranate salsa on top or on the side.

the recipe found here and maybe with this quinoa with tomatillo and cilantro sauce for a side?? I just had to share, because it looks soooo yummy!!!

Christmas Village

We went to a Christmas village in downtown Ogden with some friends a couple days ago, and it was so fun!! Other than being FREEZING, it was really nice to get out and let Marlee play with her friend Taylor. Marlee got to roast a marshmallow and loved looking at the lights and saying "pretty!!"

Marlee and her Marshmallow mouth :)

There was a taco truck, so of course, the guys had to stop and get one...

Marlee and Taylor

Marlee

I haven't written about Marlee in a while! She is almost 17 months!!! Crazy, right?? She is just so much fun to hang out with everyday! Her last Dr.'s appt, she was in the 90th percentile for height and just about the 50th for her weight. She loves playing with her babies and she loves horses. She wants to do "horsie" on anything and everything. She climbs on everything too! She loves to play with friends every chance she gets, and LOVES to be in nursery (That's mine and Alax's calling). She's always "ung-ary" (hungry) This girl is a never-ending pit. She just eats all day!! She can be a stinker sometimes, but that's a toddler for ya, right? I'm loving this age right now, and am trying to soak it all in!!

I gave Marlee these magnetic letters on her first birthday, but she immediately put the 'M' in her mouth and almost choked on it :/ We tried them out again today. She kept them out of her mouth and LOVED them.

Marlee "helping" :) She also doesn't like putting her clothes on. She's naked 80% of the time.

OH, and look at all the hair she has!! I can do braids, and tons of fun things!! I love having a girl :)

Did you know...

that I have a craft blog?? If you didn't then you should head on over and check it outttt!!!! I post fun things I make and yummy recipes I find! You could even follow me while you're at it ;) happy blogging!!

My craft blog!!!