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!!!