three and to the four

that old familiar day came and went and everyone made it so exciting and such a great celebration - the whole weekend!!! thank you to family and friends for all of the planning and activities - and generous gifts :)

friday - A surprised me with a group italian dinner at this local spot...felt like we were in new york in a sidewalk restaurant, including the owner's funny comments and vibrant spirit because he clearly loves what he does...BYOWine, fantastic fare and great people...gotta love drinking wine out of coffee cups on the patio! went out with the girls later and made it an even later night with C, M, V from the SHS days...fun, fun and more fun!


saturday - went to a fabulous cooking class and since it was so close to valentine's day, the theme of the night was chocolate! there was chocolate in every dish, whether it was white chips or cocoa powder and everything we made was to die for...first, he gave us a bunch of tips and tricks while in the kitchen (e.g. toast your spices before you use them in your dish to release the aromas and flavors)...then we split up in to teams and my team made mexican wedding cookies with lime zest...in total, the group made 7 different dishes and we got to try all of them sitting down at our tables...great experience and felt like a gourmet chef!

the menu:

• chicken mole tortilla soup
• kahlua cocoa glazed salmon skewers
• whiskey chocolate chili with sweet tomato salsa
• rice and sweet corn pilaf with white chocolate crumb topping (my favorite!)
• chocolate bruschetta (#2!!)
• individual mexican chocolate cheesecakes
• mexican wedding cookies with lime zest

some recipes:






















sunday - celebrated with the family by driving down to a favorite valley restaurant/experience...D gave us some toffee treats for v-day that were the best i've ever had; very inventive flavors as well...a perfect breakfast and perfect weather for the next stop!

didn't know there was a chihuly installation (desert towers 2008) at the entrance and had a great time walking through the different sections of the garden, taking photos, watching the birds and hummingbirds, and admiring the changing landscapes...everything looked like art with its intricate designs, patterns, colors and symmetry.















a totally awesome, vibrant, loving three-four...nothing short of spectacular!! :)