Regular is the new Ginormous!

We finished working on the "kitchen" in the basement. We think it looks soooo much better than when we first moved in. It used to look like a place to hide dead bodies. It's nice to have that project finished. Now no one will ever find the bodies :)

Adam spent part of Thursday, all day Friday, and Saturday in SLC attending a design conference. It was 200 female fashion and design bloggers, and a few token male designers like him ... but he should be used to being surrounded by girls by now. The conference gave him a free lift pass to Solitude, so he dipped into the deep powder for part of Saturday and refueled his adrenaline engine.

I joined him with the girls on Saturday afternoon. The ride down to Layton was scary through Sardine Canyon. As I was entering the canyon an ambulance and police cars raced passed me. When I finally got to the accident, it was very icy, snowy, and foggy. Someone had gone off the road and rolled their car upside down. It was helpful in reminding me to drive very slowly and carefully! We decided to go down to Layton so that we could redeem a Christmas gift from Wendy and Steve (Adam's sister and her husband). They gave us a gift card to a movie theater with babysitting included! Our girls had a blast playing with their cousins, and we had a fun date night at the Sonora Grill in Ogden, then at the movie, Sherlock Holmes. We had the gift card, so we had to get refreshments in the theatre. We asked for a "regular" popcorn and got handed a massive bucket of popcorn. How insane are we as Americans when the bucket in the photo is "regular" (as opposed to ginormous)? So, yes, we ate horribly (horribly delicious) processed popcorn (one of Adam's few "cheats" recently) ... and way too much of it.

My sister, Kristen, and I are still working with the Union Bilingual Preschool (www.unionpreschool.com) here in Logan, which is where are girls attend preschool. Part of that means that we must carry out fundraisers to help gather funds for financial aid so that children from lower income families can attend. This week we held a fundraiser at the Beehive Grill. They kindly donated 20% of their profits that night and we agreed to get as many people there as possible so that it would be a win/win situation for everyone. We raised $600 and everyone had a good time. Yea!

Recipe of the Week:

Cauliflower Carrot Curry

Steamed rice (preferably basmati rice)
1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1 tbs olive oil
4 large carrots, peeled and cut in ½ inch rounds (you can also add potato)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced (or more to taste – be generous)
1 tbs Madras curry powder
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1 cup vegetable broth
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
¼ tsp salt

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook stirring often until the onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the curry and cumin and stir for 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower, broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are just tender.Add the peas and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt. Spoon rice into individual soup bowls and top with the curry. Serve immediately.
Source: On Rice by Rick Rodgers