Good Eats

So I have to brag a little about my wife.  She has many great friends here in AK and some of them got together last night for a little food and  games.  It's girls only, so dad had the kiddos (we went skiing) and Carol put the menu together and then everyone cooks a dish.  Well, I get to eat the leftovers which is the best part of the party for me (and some quality daddy time with the kids) and after my mouth exploded with excitement, I decided I must share the wealth.  I have eaten many a dish in my day and Carol and I have tried lots of new things as we have both kind of taken to cooking some crazy things (Carol is much more successful at this than I).  Most of them are good, but this one was great.  It starts with a little butternut squash and ends with risotto.  The middle part involves a little saffron which I had to mortgage the house to buy, but it does really add to the dish.  There's a little pancetta and a little white wine/grape juice depending on preference and the result is amazing.  The recipe is from Ina Garten at the Food Network and can be found here. 

Beth's Birthday

Our beautiful Beth turned 8 years old on the 27th of January!  Beth is such a joy in our family.  She is smart, beautiful, and talented.  We are so glad she came to our family 8 years ago!!!

Here are some pictures from her "Littlest Pet Shop" Party.  She planned the whole thing herself and she did a great job.  There was a pinata, dancing game, relay race, bunny cake, and coloring.  It was fun to have some of her friends at the house to help her celebrate.

Ice Skating

The kids went ice skating tonight and had a great time. It's basically the third time Owen has been skating and he finally got the hang of it (a little) tonight. It was pretty hilarious. I had to post the video (it is cell phone video so not that great but he's the guy in the big red coat).