Taco Tuesdays at Windy Ridge in Park City

Some girl friends and I drove up Parley's Canyon for Taco Tuesday at Windy Ridge and had a lovely time, tons of cheap tacos and guacamole, a few cervesas, and key lime pie. I'm not sure how long Taco Tuesday lasts so hurry up the Canyon tonight for $2 tacos.

The Veggie Taco was my favorite but the fish taco was close behind.  And you can't leave without key lime pie.

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Red Fish Lake

About 6 hours from Salt Lake City is a little slice of heaven.  Crystal clear waters, green pines, and rugged mountain tops, surrounded us for the last few days, as we relaxed at Red Fish Lake in Northern Idaho.  This is by far one of the most beautiful places we've visited around the US.

On our way home we stopped by one of our favorite small towns, Ketchum, Idaho, and walked around the streets of Sun Valley.

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Foodie Notebooks

Check out these fun foodie journals that I found. I always carry around a small moleskin notebook for taking down food notes at a restaurant or jotting down info that I want to remember throughout my day. Oh my, am I an loosing my memory?! Oh well, at least there are cute journals out there for the forgetful types like me.


You can purchase them here at Bold Ideas.

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Storytelling and Small Plates

This week a few friends and I gathered around my dining table to chat about my husband's new book and enjoy food together.  I wanted to share the book with an inner-circle of friends, get their perspective about it, and try out some new recipes in good company.

We all brought a small plate to share.  I made baked lemons filled with mozzarella, slow roasted tomatoes, basil, and small cubes of crusty multigrain bread. Basically, you remove all of the insides of the lemon, fill them with your choice of ingredients (cheese, tomatoes, herbs, olives, artichokes, roasted red pepper, garlic, sausage..you get the idea), then bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.  Simple and delicious.

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What to expect when you're expecting... a puppy

As many of my friends advance to the stage of having kids and buying books like this, Josh and I are progressing slower.  We're dog owners now.  I thought I would clue you guys in on how our lives have changed with our new puppy.  Here are a few things you might expect if you become owners of a puppy:

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Restaurant Discounts in Salt Lake City

I wanted to share with you a few of the best deals out there right now for coupons and discounts for local Salt Lake City restaurants.  With all of the companies out there offering dining discounts online, it seems like it takes forever to find anything worthwhile.  So, I thought I could simplify it for you.  Hope you find one that is worthwhile and if you do please come back and leave a comment of what you thought of the restaurant.

First, here are the discount sites and text services that I use:  CityDeals, Skweez, Groupon, Restaurant.com. Are there any others out there that I don't know about?

Here are my favorite deals running currently:

CityDeals in Salt Lake City

Meditrina, small plates and wine bar, $25 gift certificate for $8.75

Red Rock, brew pub,  $25 gift certificate for $12.50

Wild Grape, American Bistro, $25 gift certificate for $12.50

Acme Burger, burger joint, $25 gift certificate for $8

Oasis Cafe, Vegetarian and Fresh Comfort Foods, $25 gift certificate for $12.50

Q4U, Casual Southern Barbecue, $25 gift certificate for $12.50

Star of India, Indian Cuisine, $25 gift certificate for $12.50

Great Harvest, Fresh Bread, $20 gift certificate for $10

Some other non-restaurant related deals on CityDeals that I thought might be worthwhile were discounts on  golf, spa treatments, Planetarium, Bees games, Bed and Breakfast stays (Armstrong Mansion) and Hotels  (Peery Hotel).

Restaurant.com in Salt Lake City

Metropolitan, American Fine Dining, $50 gift certificate for $20

Aristos, Greek Cuisine,  $25 gift certificate for $15

Himalayan Kitchen, Indian and Napali Cuisine, $25 gift certificate for $15

Chanon Thai, Thai Cuisine, $25 gift certificate for $15

*Just fyi, because I have used these coupons myself several times, there are restrictions and fine print like minimum purchase amounts etc.  Just make sure you read the whole deal before purchasing.  I hope you enjoy a good meal on the cheap soon!

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Garden Fresh Hazelnut Zucchini Bread and updates on our Urban Garden

This is my second year attempting an urban garden in our little backyard.  I learned a lot after my first year, but I still have so much to learn.  Last year I planted way too much and the garden ended up looking like tangled dreadlocks.

A few things I've learned:  Zucchini and squash can easily overtake a small garden so they are best when planted in their own area (one small plant ends up being gigantic), cilantro doesn't survive well in Utah (or at least I have killed a few cilantro plants here), strawberry plants come back every year and multiply, flat leaf parsley grows well in Utah, rhubarb takes a few seasons to grow enough to harvest, tomato plants grow huge so you must buy cages (and the smaller part of the cage goes in the ground ... I learned this by doing it the wrong way), beer keeps slugs away from your garden (but might draw puppies into the garden), spicy peppers grow well here, and lastly, anyone can grow mint, it is like a weed and flourishes every year.

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A Farm to Table Meal at The Viking Cooking School in Salt Lake City

Glancing down the grand table you see a line of wine glasses, several salt varieties, apron-wearing guests, and several family style bowls of delicious fresh foods.

Last week, foodies gathered at the Viking Cooking School in Salt Lake City to experience their 'Farm to Table' class first hand.  Together we teamed up to make a seasonally fresh meal with local ingredients.

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A Texas Wedding and My First Wedding Cake

I had the pleasure of making a wedding cake for my brother-in-law and his new bride for their Texas wedding.  Their wedding took place at her grandmother's farm house in West Texas, just miles from where I grew up.  The farm house had a dreamy wrap around porch with the essential porch swing, a winding old wood staircase, stained glass windows, and cotton fields for miles.

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Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder UT

Earlier this summer I road tripped with my husband and some good friends for a weekend around my more undiscovered places of Southern Utah.  I posted a full blog about our road trip here but left out the details of our dining experience at Hell's Backbone Grill, saving the savory details for another post.

The initial reason for this expedition was to visit the well known restaurant Hell's Backbone Grill.  I picked up their recipe book at a local Salt Lake neighborhood garage sale.  I've wanted to visit the place ever since.

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Caputo's Neighborhood Market and Deli on 15th & 15th

The long wait is over.  Caputo's opened their doors at 15th and 15th so we can now fulfill our Caputo's Market cravings at this cozy new deli.

This new location is more than a deli with the Caputo's traditional subs and salads.  They also carry their most popular market items like balsamic vinegars, olive oils, LavAzza, Illy, and Pete's coffees, a wide selection of olives, cheese, and deli meats, rare nuts and fresh pasta, and Crumb Brothers bread to name just a few.

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Local Pizza Shop, Vinto, Wins Design Award

Designs Within Reach/ Design Notes recently held a Design Gallery Contest of which our local pizza shop, Vinto, was a winner. Entries were judged based on innovation, honesty, timelessness, and approachability. Vinto, a pizza shop in downtown Salt Lake City offering casual Italian wood-fired pizza, received second place.

Here is what Design Within Reach had to say about our local restaurant:

David Harries immediately saw the potential in this old building to house a casual, modern Italian food concept. Working once again with Louis Ulrich, AIA, the first goal was to create a feeling of simplicity. The narrowing of the restaurant allowed for visual variety and booth design, but also pulled the eye to the back of the space; the choice to use the Random Light by Bertjan Pot, reinforced this visual goal while maintaining the airy view to the back. 

Because of the exposed ceiling joists, they explored industrial finishes, with the end result being exposed metal, wood, marble, and cork. The industrial-chic, Icon Chair and Barstool by Philippe Starck, and the 20-06 Counter Stool by Foster & Partners provided added enhancement. This seating choice provided simplicity and comfort, while the open back maintained visual openness.

I can appreciate good design and upon walking in to Vinto you will agree that they have fresh style. Its great to have a restaurant that is more than just great food. You'll want to sit and stay a while at Vinto.


Vinto Website
My full review of Vinto
How to Vinto

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Mini's Cupcake Cafe in Salt Lake City

Although I am not a cupcake aficionado and would rather have a big goey chocolate brownie, I truly enjoy Mini's Cupcake Cafe.  

I stopped in here with a girl friend recently and we enjoyed their combo meal, which comes with a half a sandwich, salad, and cupcake.  I realized there was so much more than just cupcakes at this retro cafe.  

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