RSBC: Cupid's Crazy Asian Cafe

Help!  February is totally getting away from me.  Sometimes I feel like I'm keeping my head above water, but other times, not so much.  Today is definitely not so much.  The only thing to do is toss up a blog post because in the words of Brad Paisley, "I'm So Much Cooler Online."  Just know that if this blog ever makes it seem like I've got my act together, it's time to come visit in real life.

Speaking of real life visits, this past week my cousin Alesia came from New York.  Hooray!  A teacher who willingly sacrificed her break to spend time with our munchkins, she jumped right into our chaos.  We absolutely loved having her here and miss her already.

Okay, so Run Swim Bike Cook.  I kind of lost track, so here are my best guesstimates.

Run/Hike: 9 miles running through the neighborhood in sun and extreme snow.  1 mile pushing Annika up Millcreek canyon in a stroller, followed by 1 mile of trotting beside her while she skied down. 

This cutie learned to turn and stop on the gentle canyon road, so we took her up to Brighton a few days later where she did great on the real runs.  Way to go, Annie!

Last but not least, 5 miles of hiking in Arches to both Delicate and Landscape arches.  Even on a cold and windy day, the experience can't be beat.

Updated Total: 27 miles

Swim:  I swam for 500 yards today while the kids splashed, bringing my tally up to 2.15 miles.  Oh, and Annie perfected the back float.

Bike:  I suffered through two spin classes.  Good news is that the little bike gadget told me that I biked 20 miles during each class, bringing my total up to 44.5 miles.  No idea if that's accurate, but I'm going with it.

Cook:  Cook, cook, boy did we cook!  We postponed our Valentine tradition of Cupid's Crazy Cafe for a couple of days so that Alesia could join in the fun.  Our celebration happened to land on the Lunar New Year, so we feasted on all things Asian.  The good news is that our red decor was perfect for both festivities.
 

On the menu:

• Kissin' (Wasabi peas)
• Squeezin' (Beef and Green Bean Stir Fry)
• Huggin' (Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup)
• Lovin' (Strawberry smoothies with boba--tapioca pearls)
• Smoochin' (Potstickers)
• Squishin' (Angel food cake with strawberries and lemon curd)
• Cuddlin' (Fortune Cookies)
• Adorin' (Lucky red envelope with a dollar inside, called Li Xi in Vietnamese)

Our menu was a bit more ambitious than usual, so the preparations kept us hopping.  I'm so grateful Alesia was there to help.

Our first stop was the Asian market.  I was totally smitten by these colorful boba.  In retrospect I learned that the tapioca pearls need to cook longer, plus we needed some wide straws to drink our bubble smoothies.

Our tastiest dish was the beef and green bean stir fry.  In fact, it was so tasty that our family cooked it again for dinner tonight.  Since it was Chinese New Year, we substituted long beans to represent long life.  A tad rubbery, but certainly fun.

Brooklyn made the angel food cake from scratch, with a bit of help from Dad, of course.

By the end of the meal, we were exhausted and had dirtied nearly every dish in the house.

But the memories?  Absolutely worth it.

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P.S.  Check out Erin's great RSBC progress here.