Night with Julia Child

Every girl needs a girls night.  Having the chance to catch up with your favorite females is exactly what we ladies need from time to time.  I'm always looking for something that's fun, cheap and allows quality time.  If you like cooking, movies, and have a fondness for Julia Child this idea's for you.

The movie, Julie and Julia is a favorite of mine and loved by me and my college roommates.  It made the perfect ladies night movie.  But to extend this beyond just a typical movie night, you can mix in a Julia Child recipe.  I chose to use her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking for my recipe choice.  Pick an easy recipe or maybe a more challenging one since you got cooking partners to back you up.  Then you can sit down and enjoy your success while watching the movie.

The cookbook itself is a worthwhile read.  The details on how to cook a dish is incredible.  Most of the french dishes are ones beyond my palate.  But there is one section of the book just devoted to sauces! Considering that I'm weak in my sauce knowledge  I thought this was one of the most useful sections.  Once you master sauces the options on what to cook with opens your dinner possibilities.  Can't wait to try them out. 

One Julia Child recipe that shows up in the movie and seems to be a popular favorite from her cookbook is beef bourguignon or beef burgundy.  This probably wouldn't be the one to do for a girls night, but other shorter dishes or tasty desserts like her creme brulee or mousse may be just the ticket.

Beef Bourguignon
(check out the full recipe in Julia Child's book)

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Ohio

Visiting zoos on important family days seems to be a trend for us.  Our first anniversary was spent at the Toledo Zoo. Our second anniversary at the Minnesota Zoo.  On Mother's Day last year we took my visiting parents to the Columbus Zoo.  This year, we celebrated Father's Day with my husband's side at the Cleveland Zoo. Can you tell we like zoos? 

Something unique about this zoo is the The Rainforest portion that lies outside of the zoo (still included in the zoo ticket).  It's a 2 acre 2 level exhibit with 600 jungle animals from Asia, Africa and Americas.  They even simulate a rain storm, which kids love.  One of the least expected, but incredibly interesting exhibit was the leaf cutter ants.  The cases gave you the opportunity to see their tunnels and constant activity.  With clear tubes you'd see ants transferring leaves from one glass case to another.  Very impressive to see the amount of work these small creatures could accomplish.

CATS:  If you're like my father in law and like cats these are the cats to see : Lion, Cheetah, Snow Leopard, Black footed cat, Fishing cat, Ocelot, Siberian tiger.

*Also my father-in-law LOVES the red panda, which with the outdoor exhibit set-up made viewing the 2 of them easy, and I'd say was the best compared to the other zoos we've visited listed above.

BEARS: Sun Bear, Sloth Bear, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Andean Bear

MONKEYS / LEMURS: these animals were well represented at the zoo, with some of my faves being Gorillas, Mandrills, 3 Tamarin varieties, Orangutan

Just like the Columbus Zoo, the Cleveland Zoo features koalas (MY FAVORITE) in both an indoor and outdoor cage. Lucky to catch a few minutes of both of these guys waking up for a few minutes, partly because we checked back periodically every time we walked by the exhibit.

The African Elephant exhibit had five elephants in it, and gave you the opportunity to view the animals from different perspectives, which was nice since the elephants were spread throughout it.

 

Other locations in Ohio worth a visit on the blog:

*Columbus Zoo

*Toledo Zoo

*Cedar Point Amusement Park

Cedar Point Amusement Park

Cedar Point Amusement Park is the BEST of the best!  Stationed right off of Lake Erie in Sandusky Ohio, it has become an annual must do for Dave and I!

The park holds a very special place in my heart for numerous reasons.  Growing up my family traveled to the destination to check out the new coasters going in every few years.  Incidentally, Dave also grew up going to Cedar Point with his family. Now that Cedar Point, both our favorite of theme parks, is in our backyard out here in Ohio Dave and I have capitalized on our opportunity. And the other reason Cedar Point has parked itself at the top of my list, besides having the most roller coasters in the U.S., Dave proposed to me there.

If you haven't already guessed it our families are roller coaster junkies. And since both of us have been to numerous parks, I feel completely legit in stating that Cedar Point is the BEST of the best.  In that way, Cedar Point has tainted my opinion on theme parks, none are ever good enough in comparison.

We opted to stay at Hotel Breakers, which is located on the island next to the park, and recreate our engagement already 4 years ago this summer. Newly renovated this is incredibly worth the dough to get the 1 hour early park entrance & have a room close by for a mid afternoon break. Plus it's perfect for dinner options, and getting your 2nd or 3rd wind for the park in the evening. Also, check out Soak City.  Get a 2 day Ride and Slide deal when staying at the hotel! It's nice to get a respite at the water park or on the beach.
 
Dave and I have ridden all the coasters at the park multiple times, but there are definitely the favorites.  Since we've had the opportunity to go, we've made sure to ride numerous times in the very front seat and also the back seat.  The front may be a bit longer, but you HAVE to do it at least once. Never seen anyone get off disappointed. So here are our favorites!

Our Favorites:

Pre-engagement

1) Top Thrill Dragster - 0 to 120mph in 4 secs, than you're up 420ft in the air.  Ride lasts only 17seconds, but it's unforgettable, especially in the front row! Back row is awesome too, but NOTHING beats the front! Everyone comes off laughing, tears in their eyes, hair blown back & some get right back in line (Dave and I have done this). In total we figure we've ridden it at least 10 times together.

Dragster

2) Maverick - Twists and speed launch at 70mph that mimic saddling up in the Wild West. The first drop is insane, those who have ridden it understand.

Maverick

Millennium Force at dusk

3) Millennium Force - A smooth giga coaster with great views at 93mph, standing 310ft tall with a 80 degree drop, it's a lengthy coaster that takes a mere 2 minutes to complete. It's a smooth ride & even enjoyable at dusk when you're splattered with bug juice.

Millennium Force

4) Raptor - Seated with feet dangling in the air you travel 57mph on loops going upside down 6 times.

Raptor

5) Gatekeeper a wing coaster at 67 mph to a 170ft climb. Riding this is bizarre and takes some getting used to since you're alongside the track with nothing above or below you. **NEW 2014**

Gatekeeper

6) Rougarou - first floorless coaster at cedar. Replaced Mantis (a standing coaster - was always kinda a workout). High speed twists and inversions. **NEW 2015**

Other mentionables:

Magnum XL-200 -  First coaster ever to 200ft traveling at 72 mph (similar to Wild Thing in MN)
Wicked Twister - double twisting coaster, one of the fastest & tallest in the world (similar to Steel Venom MN) with two 450 degree spirals at each track end
MaXair - rotating platform on a pendulum swinging at 70 mph at 140ft in the air
Wind Seeker - swing in a chair at 301 feet high at the edge of the park overlooking Lake Erie. Visions of your swing coming unattached and flying towards the beach will be likely when on this. 

You just have to make your way out to Cedar Point. You have no clue what you've been missing out on.  And if you'd like a riding buddy, I'd be more than willing to be your tour guide.  Happy coasting!

Ride On! 

 

Wind Seeker, Wicked Twister

View from Hotel Room

Other GEMS in Ohio featured on the blog,
Columbus Zoo
Cleveland Zoo
Toledo Zoo

Columbus Zoo, Ohio

Columbus Zoo is known to feature some great animals.  This was my family's first stop on our RV adventure last summer.  Starting in Ohio we knew we had to stop at the Columbus Zoo. Two of my FAVORITE animals were at this zoo! I may be in my mid twenties, but I was acting like a small child just absorbed by the wonder of seeing my favorite animals. 

Zoos have always been a fun family activity.  Growing up we went to the Como Zoo many times, until we moved within close proximity to the Minnesota Zoo, which we regularly visit each year.  Then whenever we go on vacation we usually visit the state's zoo.  And now living in Ohio near the Toledo Zoo we're able to make it out there at least once or twice a year. But while out in Ohio we had to seize the opportunity to visit the Columbus Zoo and hopefully will manage to get to the Cincinnati Zoo too.

But back to why I LOVED the Columbus Zoo. 

KOALAS have been my childhood favorite animal and the only time I've been able to observe them was at the San Diego Zoo in California, so boy was I surprised when I found out they were also residing in Ohio. Considering the likelihood of me ever traveling to Australia is minimal and the only koala I've been really close to is my stuffed animal version, this was a dream.  Forgoing embarrassment I took MANY photos and gleefully was squealing when the 1 of the koalas awakened and was moving about to eat his eucalyptus. Did you know they sleep 18-20 hours a day?! So now you see why I felt seeing this was a small gift, and we had him all to ourselves.  Loved the two habitats, an indoor and outdoor so it allowed multiple observations.

Can you see  the koala I'm pointing to? It's in the tree.

My other favorite animal is the MANATEE! Ever since visiting Florida and seeing the manatees there they've always been a soft spot.  In high school our math stats class sponsored a manatee. Not the sting ray that also joined these giant sea cows. Apparently this is the only vegetarian sting ray since it loves to much on the romaine lettuce with these giants.  This was a different set-up than in Florida, since the view of the tank was only eye-level, but you still got an eyeful.  I even walked out with my own manatee....okay it may have been a stuffed animal, but every time it makes me smile! 

They had great habitats for Australia like the Lorikeet Garden (see photo), which allowed you to walk in the lorikeet aviary, feed the birds and have birds land on you. The Kangaroo walkabout had you get up close and personal (see photo) with full size and joey kangaroos. Of course the koalas and orangutans were my idea of the perfect entertainment.

In Africa you can feed the giraffes and get a look at the other typical African animals.  Also their Congo African expedition  section of the zoo has leopards, gorillas, bonobos and mandrills.

Polar bears show up at most zoos, but they did a nice job with the viewing opportunities in the polar bear habitat.  Want to make more of your trip? Hot day? Zoombezi Bay is a waterpark connected to the zoo if you have small children and want to make a full day out of the trip to the zoo.

Just missed the joey as he popped out of mom's pouch!

It's easy to spend a few hours there, and if you're like me, you can almost never get enough.  Check out the website Columbus Zoo to see the park map, live webcams of some of the animals and event promos.

The Columbus Ohio Zoo didn't disappoint!

End of Alzheimer's Walk 2014

This past weekend I was able to participate in the Alzheimer's Walk in Minneapolis. My family took part of this amazing cause in honor of my grandfather, who currently has Alzheimers. It felt great to not only support this organization but to do so with my family made it more empowering.

Alzheimer's is a disease that causes memory problems due to dementia. According to the Alzhiemer's Association, Alzhiemers accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia. It is a progressive disease and there is currently no cure.

At the walk, they provided four different colored windmill flowers. Blue meant that you had Alzheimers, purple meant that you lost someone to Alzheimers, yellow meant that you loved or are caring for someone with Alzheimers and orange meant that you supported the end of Alzheimers. It was breathtaking to see the hundreds of colored flowers being raised into the air at the beginning of the walk. It was moving to see all those who have lost loved ones or are caring for loved ones with Alzheimers. 

My grandpa is an amazing man, a veteran. We love him dearly and while there are plenty of simple, beautiful moments that we enjoy with him, there are equally as many hard moments. My grandma is an amazing example of love and patience. I have also watched my dad and his siblings love up their dad and mom. They have done an incredible job supporting one another and learning about the disease to try and better care for their dad.

I am lucky to have such a sweet grandfather and to be part of such a great family. I will be supporting the Alzheimer's Association going forward and it was an honor to be a part of the annual walk.

Happy Honeymoon : Turks and Caicos Islands

It is too bad no one has invented teleportation or time travel yet... I want to be back on my honeymoon!

Joe and I decided back in February to book a week in the Turks and Caicos Islands for our honeymoon. I am thankful that we thought ahead in that we wanted to be somewhere quiet, relaxing and with some fun things to do. We initially found TCI when I received an email with the top 25 most beautiful beaches in the world. We did a little more research and were sold!

One thing to note, August is very much off-season for the Caribbean. We did have a slight delay in our travel plans due to a tropical storm but once we were there, it was wonderful. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and 82 degrees most days. Many resorts looked empty, sun chairs all lined up with no one to sit in them. But we loved how quiet it was. We never had a problem getting an umbrella, chair at the pool, seat at the swim up bar or a dinner reservation.

The water was breath-taking, unlike anything I have ever seen. A local told us on the flight that TCI ocean has six difference shades of color. We sat for hours throughout the week just looking at and swimming in the ocean.

Our favorite little spot in TCI

Our resort had paddle boards, kayaks and snorkeling gear. We enjoyed using these during the day. We took the snorkeling gear twice over to Brief Reef in the Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve, one of the reefs that you can swim to from the beach.  It was my first time snorkeling and it felt like swimming in a vast aquarium. The fish were gorgeous and plentiful, the coral was stunning and the last snorkeling trip, we even saw a sea turtle!! My greatest wish while in the water was to see a turtle while snorkeling so the mouth full of salt water inhaled in excitement was totally worth it.

They have a great number of excursions available. We took a half day snorkeling excursion which took us out to the barrier reef, the third largest in the world! We had a blast, so much to see. We then took off to watch our guide dive for conch, which he easily pulled up five or six on his first dive. While we waited, we witnessed a huge eagle ray gliding through the water. We stopped on Iguana Island to de-shell the conch and look for iguanas. This was our favorite spot. We found this adorable little hidden beach and Joe was tickled with all of the iguanas that we spotted. We were having so much fun, we realized that we had lost track of time and that everyone was back on the boat and waiting for us!

If you have a rainy day or need a break from the sun, there is always the Downtown area. This has Cuban Cigar shops, souvenir shops, art galleries, boutiques and the famous Potcakes. Potcakes rents out puppies for the day and sells them as well. We saw a number of people who had purchased puppies and brought them home with them due to how inexpensive they are to buy in TCI, not to mention how cute they are. We thought about it but decided that we could come back on an anniversary trip someday and re-evaluate the puppy decision. 

Our resort had a gorgeous pool with a nice swim up bar. We loved grabbing drinks or island juices from here during the day. At night, the resort restaurant, Mango Reef, has some of the best food on the island. We had dinner on the beach the first night that we were there, Joe had the mahi mahi and I had lobster pasta. Delicious! We also tried Coco Bistro, a lovely outdoor restaurant surrounded by palm trees. Since it was lobster season, we indulged in the most delectable lobster tacos, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. We also tried the yellowfin tuna and some homemade pina colada sorbet. It was a perfect dinner for our last night on the island.

We may be a little biased but we loved Turks and Caicos. We are excited that it will be such a lovely place to visit for anniversaries to come and it was the perfect "happymoon" spot. 

Everyone is greeted on arrival with classic TCI Rum Punch

Snapping some pictures of the locals on Iguana Island

Just a couple Potcakes puppies!

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!!!

While you are all probably outside enjoying the beautiful weather and the gorgeous MN lakes, I am inside nerding out over this blog post. I have been waiting to write this one for a number of months. The 4th is such a wonderful holiday. It is a time to be outside, join family and/or friends, eat fresh food, drink some good beer and enjoy blowing things up. 

Favorite firework anyone?? Mine is the gold fireworks that at first look like any other firework but then they begin to fall slowly. They look like a giant gold chandelier, sparkling and falling lower and lower to the ground before gracefully fading. 

While you might not be able to use the two recipes I am about to share with you today, they are great for the summer and there are plenty of other patriotic holidays the rest of the year!

Fruit Flag

My friend Maureen made this beauty. I still think it is adorable and its not too time consuming!!

Supplies:

- Package of blueberries

- Package of strawberries

- Three bananas

- Set of wooden skewers

- Serving plate

Instructions:

1. Cut strawberries and bananas right before serving.

2. Add fruit to skewers and arrange to display the flag.

Bomb Pop Cocktail

Supplies:

- 2 oz Bacardi Razz Rum

- 2 oz Lemonade

- 2 oz Blue Caracao

Have a relaxing, explosive and sparkling 4th of July!!

Cantebury Park, MN

A perfect way to spend a day or evening is at the racetrack. What's not to love? With the beautiful horses, American grub, and the excitement of placing a bet and maybe hitting it big, Cantebury racetrack is one of my favorite things to do during the summer.

Cantebury Park in Shakopee Minnesota is open May til Labor Day.  The horse races occur Thursdays through Sundays. So whether you want a whole day activity or just a few hours in the evening at the track, you got options. On a beautiful sunny day I love the weekend races! Saturdays are "All Star Saturdays" and Sundays are "Family Days," perfect if you have younger children. But I gotta say those Thursday "Buck Night" evenings are hard to pass up.  Admission and programs are only $1! So are hotdogs, nachos and pop! You can see why my frugal self loves Thursdays!

I've been going to Cantebury with family and friends for quite some years and always enjoy it.  We actually realized it was great for something else, bridal party celebrations.  My husband and I had our respective bachelor/bachelorette parties, but we wanted to offer something that everyone could do together too before the rehearsal dinner the following day, and Cantebury it was.  Recently graduated, cheap entertainment on a Thursday evening was right up our alley.  The fellas even competed in a "race" on the track to celebrate. I was dying of laughter.  Dave didn't win...but I still married him 2 days later. And he got a free t-shirt out of the deal, WIN!

It really is a good idea for bachelorette or bachelor parties if you're trying to think up some options instead of the typical bar/club scene.  Girls can dress up in cute sundresses, even don some fancy hats if they wish and place some bets. And guys will enjoy relaxing, smoking cigars, the cheap beers and betting.

Cantebury is a fun place for family, teens, college students, and adults.  You gotta check it out if you haven't already.  Make it a cheap evening and attend the races on Thursday's dollar night, but whichever day you pick it's not a huge hit on the wallet. It's definitely an experience to observe the horses and jockeys, place your bets, and root for your choices to win! I haven't hit it big yet, but maybe it'll be in the cards, or should I say in the horses. (sorry couldn't resist)

Riding "horses" on the racetrack

Chicago Hunger Walk

A few years ago Dave and I joined our mutual best friend Charlie out in Chicago for the annual Hunger Walk.  Volunteering through the BVC (Benedictine Volunteer Corps), Charlie worked at the St. Jame's food pantry for the year.  It was in support of the food pantry that we joined the Hunger Walk.  The walk had representatives from food pantries all across Chicago and lots of participants walking to end hunger with all the proceeds going to pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. 

It was a large gathering in Soldier Field.  There were food and drink stands, with a band playing on stage to help set the upbeat mood.  Donning a t-shirt we walked along the lake front on a gorgeous June day in support of the cause.  Lucky for me it was only a 5k walk and not a run, becuase I proved myself to be very out of shape.  In hindsight I shouldn't have grabbed so many goodies that I'd have to cart along on the walk.  But it was GREAT to spend a morning in support of a good cause, and even better when we got to do it with Charlie. 

If you're interested in the 29th Annual Chicago Hunger Walk it's scheduled for Saturday June 21st 2014.  You can donate online or even better, go walk! It's almost always in June so if you can't go this year, plan ahead for the next one.  In fact you with the walk only taking up a portion of your day, you can feel good about the exercise and cause and treat yourself afterwards to some delicious Chicago pizza. 
  

So join the fight against hunger and participate in the Chicago Hunger Walk. "Do it for Chicago"

For more ideas of activities that my husband and I did in Chicago on our weekend visiting Charlie, checkout Must Sees in Chicago: Part 1.

 For even more, check out Chicago Sights: Part 2, when Lisa and Joe visited the windy city.  

Chicago has so much to offer, don't miss out!!!