The day after our nice and chilly trip to the zoo, we decided to take a trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens on an even colder day. We actually didn't have much of a choice though because we had a half off Groupon that we had to use. On the plus side, there is an indoor rain forest area with plenty to look at that was nice and toasty so we didn't have to freeze the entire time.
It was very pretty and green and there were some very interesting plants.
There were even people walking around studying and discussing the plants with their families... I don't get that... But whatever works :)
There was even a holiday fountain containing 198 pounds of real cranberries!
Before we left we decided we needed to walk around the grounds outside while we were there. It was cold but still very pretty.
We went after C's nap so it was already getting close to dusk and closing time when we made our way outside. Therefore, we got to enjoy the Christmas lights that were up for Blossoms of Light a little bit (but it was still light out so it wasn't nearly as impressive as I'm sure it is later in the evening).
Because we got this small preview, we decided that next year we will make it a point to go to the Blossoms of Light. The deciding factor was the courtyard full of lights that are synced up with Christmas music! I am excited to check it out next year.
83. Try a new recipe every month
The other day I stumbled upon some recipes by Candice Kumai. She is a former model turned chef. She emphasizes healthy eating, foods with benefits (FWBs), and has some awesome recipes. In addition, she is Japaneses/Polish/American. I don't know why but I am all about the ethnic foods lately with Thai being one of my new favorites so I am very intrigued by many of her Asian recipes. I have a fair bit of Polish in me, so that just makes me love her more. In a matter of a few days I have become obsessed with her and her cooking style. I already bought both of her cookbooks: Pretty Delicious and Cook Yourself Sexy. Her Ricotta, Berry, and Runny Honey Parfait is my new all time favorite breakfast recipe and it's good for you! Moving on from my rant about my new chef crush... (by the way, if you haven't figured it out, I HIGHLY recommend her cookbooks!)
Today for dinner I cooked up her Spicy Soba with Shiitake and Peas recipe from Pretty Delicious. She also has a version of the recipe using edamame HERE on DrOz.com. It was phenomenal! It was slightly nutty as well as a bit citrusy. I really liked the combination.
As the name of the recipe implies, it is spicy. Maybe a tad too spicy for hubby dearest. Luckily, you can control the spiciness by decreasing the amount of crushed red pepper flakes you use.
I made a few slight modifications to the recipe.
1. Instead of using grated fresh ginger I just used some ground ginger powder and added it along with the orange juice and soy sauce.
2. I couldn't find any fresh baby spinach, but used frozen baby spinach instead. I was a little worried about how that would turn out but it was perfect!
3. Lastly, I am a mushroom novice and don't actually even like mushrooms so when we went grocery shopping I totally picked up the wrong kind... I purchased some unknown variety of canned mushrooms and didn't want to risk ruining the dish so I ultimately just left them out.
*If you have trouble finding Soba noodles try Safeway. The Target we shop at doesn't carry them, but Safeway seems to have a pretty decent ethnic food aisle.
I highly recommend this dish if you are open to exploring different flavor combinations!
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