Beets beets beets!!!

I had sort of crossed beets off my list this year in the garden but after dinner last night I changed my mind.  I found a new salad recipe online for a Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad.  Yum!!!  We literally inhaled it!! My favorite beet salad is the kind with goat cheese so being vegan has ruined that meal a bit.  But this salad brings beets back!!!

http://www.vanilla-and-spice.com/2014/03/roasted-beet-carrot-lentil-salad.html?m=1

The photo on the food blog in the above link is more appetizing but looks aren't everything when it comes to food.  

We did plant our garden this weekend, or start the process.  We're trying to stagger a bit so we don't have 8 ready to pick heads of lettuce like last year.  We planted carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas and green onions.  These are our cool spring crops.  The summer tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers will go in once these planes are harvested or just over-heated.  We're also going to put some naturally pest-repellant flowers in this year.  Yay for color!!  We learn a little more every time we go to the garden :)

When one of your parents is a professional animator...

Home movies take on a whole new level of fun.

See the whole collection here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/theActionMovieKid

Local Gems

St. Louis is full of local gems and we often refer to the city as a hidden gem itself.  Here are two we took advantage of on our Sunday walk yesterday. 

Blue Print

This is a coffee shop that opened up less than a mile from our neighborhood in what is know as The Loop.  We've walked by a number of times but given my post-night shift stupor in this day, we decided an afternoon cuppa might perk me up ;) it is SO minimalist and in the best sense.  Subway tile cover the walls and there is a long clear glass counter with no cash registers and a few pastries and rustic loaves of bread ready to be sliced into beneath it. There were also no big Starbucksy menus on the wall. I'm always squinting at those anyway so I didn't mind.  Instead a very well-spoken young man asked if we'd been there before and explained a small cardboard menu to us and helped us decide on the right cup of coffee for me.  Of course it was entered into an iPad mini that was tucked away under the counter.  Did I mention that they are a roasting company and roast all their coffee right there on site!!?  I ordered a free pour that was exquisitely prepared. We were given a glass of water while we waited.  Oh, and people's bikes were inside against one wall by a beautiful wooden stand up table.  Bikes, people!!!!!  I'm already picturing an improved summer biking experience here in my city.  

Oh, and as if it mattered by this point, the coffee was delicious.  

Subterranean Books

Our next stop was the book shop in The Loop.  It's small but packed with literary greats and lesser known treasures, and great staff recommendations.  I bought a book recommended by Jonathan's Mom called Orphan Train it tells the true story of immigrant orphans in Manhattan that were sent on trains to the west to find new families.  It was sweet and sad and beautiful.  It's also already finished, if that says anything about it.  But, we love to support the local book shops in St. Louis whenever possible.  

Is it summer yet?

I actually just posted this title as my Facebook status.  I just can't seem to to resist making guacamole when there are beautiful avocados staring at me and calling to me from the shelves of Trader Joe's.  As I type this is its currently 30 degrees out and soft airy snow is falling.  Shrug. 

We had sort of skipped lunch and walked 2 miles for a bookstore run so I think we scarfed this guac down in about 10 minutes with some TJs longboard surfer tortilla chips :)  I'm looking forward to repeating this "dinner" on our porch in a month or two.