Albi

On the last day of school, Sally gave us all little dragon finger puppets. Our school mascot is Flamey the Dragon, but I immediately named him Albi. Watch the clip and you'll see why...

Chunga's Restaurant Review

This afternoon I got asked out on a date. Sweetie wanted me to try authentic Mexican food at this great little place he found over at 664 N. Freedom Blvd. here in Provo. Sweetie went on an LDS mission to Mexico City and Guadalajara from 1975-1977. They ate from street vendors a lot there, and he has become quite the authority on authentic vs. Americanized Mexican food. He assured me that this is the real deal. I will never turn down a date with my husband, so off we went.

We both ordered the Combinación 1 with black beans, rice, and Tacos al Pastor. The pork is grilled on a spit with layers of pineapple in between. Oh my goodness. So fabulous! We got little cups of salsa verde and pico de gallo to put on our beans, and I definitely needed the slices of cold cucumber to cool off my tongue. They also have tons of fresh fruit juices. It was night and day to what you find at Los Hermanos (which we also love), La Casita, or just about any other Mexican restaurant in the area.

The staff was so nice, and they really need more customers. They've been in Salt Lake for awhile but just opened up in Provo. So take your own sweetie out on a date, then leave a comment and tell me what you thought!

Tea Time

Elvira and I snuck off to tea today. We were in Salt Lake for the day, and passed by the cutest little British import store, London Market, up on 7th East and 6th South. Full of all the treats Sweetie and his family love, as well as loads of Harry Potter things and other goodies. We had a great time picking out things for Nanny and Sweetie, and as we checked out, the girl at the counter gave us a coupon for a free Ginger Biscuit next door at the very English Elizabeth's Bakery. My search for the perfect ginger cookie is well documented, so how was I to refuse such an offer? Just a quick pop in, only a second, and then we could go.

Well, as soon as we walked in I knew this was going to take slightly longer than a second. Oh my, so cute and yummy.

How were we to choose? Pasties, scones, crumpets, pies, trifles, quiches, and sweets galore. The Brits might not be known for their cooking, but their baking is another story entirely. We each chose a vanilla slice with Cadbury hot chocolate, and we shared the ginger biscuit.

Bliss! The vanilla slice had a flaky crust on the bottom and tasted so vanilla-y. The hot chocolate had cream mixed into it with a dusting of cocoa on top. Not too sweet, slightly bitter (only slightly), so yummy. And the ginger biscuit was to die for. At last, the perfect ginger cookie! Of course, I don't have the recipe for it, but now I at least have something to strive for.

As we ate, we talked about how fun it would be to visit London. My wonderful friend Pat and her family live there, and it is my favorite European city after all. Poor little Elvira hasn't ever been out of the country, and since Sweetie took Drummer Boy to London and Berlin last summer, it's only fair that I get to be the one to take Elvira. Don't you think so? What if we took Tinkerbell with us, and my sister(s) too? Grandma would simply have to join us. After all, my darling niece Megan will be living there by then. Before long, I had the whole picture in my mind. A London Adventure, I'd call it. Immediately the Clash song London Calling started playing in my head, and then I felt guilty and the Pride & Prejudce theme popped in there. Much more cultured. We could make this a literary tour! Go to Permberley! Visit Bath, Stratford-on-Avon, Haworth, Dickens' haunts, Castle Howard, Jane Austen's home! Too bad poor Manderley burned down. That rotten Mrs. Danvers.

Now my head is filled with schemes and plans. How much to budget over the next two years to save for such an adventure? Isn't it a little unfair not to bring Sweetie and the boys? Perhaps they could visit WW2 sites while we have tea in Beatrix Potter's home. Surely they would prefer to visit some museum or other rather than suffer through stuffed bunny-infested rooms.

What on earth will I dream up if we go out for Thai food?

The Sweet Tooth Fairy

Okay, I'm going to do something unusual for me. I'm going to give a business a bad review.

I've been hearing about this bakery for a number of months now. First, they were featured on Rachel Ray's show. Then NieNie, a local blogging celebrity, raved about them and in response Sweet Tooth Fairy renamed their vanilla cupcake after her. I love cupcakes! How could I resist?

So today Elvira and I went to the bakery to pick up a treat for the family. Lots to choose from, but we chose the VaNIElla Squared and Cookies n' Cream varieties. They looked so beautiful, and with all that "signature frosting" we were sure to love this treat.

Tonight, Kitty Boy took his Cookies n' Cream cupcake out of the pretty box. We were a little awed at the huge amount of icing on top. He spat it out. "This tastes terrible!" he exclaimed. "How could that taste bad?" I asked, clearly not believing what he was saying. I tried it myself. Coconut!!! Disgusting, gag-inducing coconut! I hate coconut, as does half of my family. The other half that does like coconut, scraped their icing off into the trash. At least the cake part would be good, we thought. Nothing special at all. Tasted like a boxed mix to me. I'm sure she makes everything from the "finest ingredients", but I was so disappointed. The coconut flavoring tasted artificial and the texture of the icing was grainy. And these things aren't cheap--$2.25 apiece!

Elvira said it was, "Okay, but I don't see what the big fuss is about." That was the most glowing review I could get out of anyone. Tinkerbell and I didn't really care for any of it.

So there you have it. Go there if you want to. Maybe their famous cake bites make up for the cupcakes, but I don't think I'll pay to find out.