Thyme & Seasons

I'm working on a story about a restaurant in Bountiful called Thyme & Seasons Market Place. The story goes something like this:

A guy is born and raised on a rice farm in the Mekong Delta. Growing up, he eats only fresh food that is picked from the garden or caught from the river the same day. He eats local foods that are in season. He eats simple meals but realizes they are healthy and delicious.

The guy moves to America and trains in a French restaurant in Washington D.C. He has a passion for food, but, spends 30 years as a computer consultant (also working part-time in restaurants). He is really smart and even becomes the director of something for IHC. Then, he retires and decides to use some of the money he's amassed to open a small, unassuming restaurant.

He wants to cook food like what he ate growing up -- fresh, local, in season, simple, healthy. He is worried about things like mercury in the fish and corn-fed cattle. He knows how to prepare 300 different fish, but, he disciplines himself to mostly making halibut and salmon since that is what the local taste buds demand. He develops a menu that includes American, BBQ, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, seafood, vegan, gluten-free, and real Neapolitan pizza. He spent two years tracking down 00 Italian flour with a 14% protein content before he added the pizza to the menu. Now, he wants to start pressing his own olive oil.

I interview him on the phone and find out he could talk for hours. He insists I come to his restaurant, so I snag a girlfriend and head to Bountiful. His restaurant does not appear to house the "fine dining" menu he has described, but, once inside, we are taken in by his charisma, escorted to the kitchen, amazed by his burner with the 12-inch flame to cook super hot stir-fry, delighted by our meal, intrigued by his stories of rice - Did you know there is black rice? And, that rice should always be consumed less than six-months after it is harvested?

When we can eat no more, he brings out the flourless molten chocolate cake (yum) and the "Heaven Meets Earth," a combination of New York cheesecake and creme brulee. We tell him we have to go, but, he takes us to his indoor herb garden and makes us smell the refreshing lemon grass. Then, it's back to the kitchen for a pasta demo and on for a tour of the art gallery decorating the small dining area.

We have to go because we really are late for picking up our kids. But, as we drive away, I'm feeling really grateful for this job. And, I'm also moved by this man's comments about wanting to offer free cooking classes to kids to help combat the childhood obesity epidemic and the way he already offers reasonably priced cooking classes to adults and then gives them his cell phone number to call him anytime if they have questions while preparing the dish at home. I am touched by the way he said that working with computers took patience, but, now he works with special education students (teaching them to cook) and it takes one hundred times more patience so he considers it his greatest accomplishment in life. I'm also pretty impressed by his statement that running his restaurant (he is a one man show) feels to him like being a kid in a big toy store every day. I love meeting people like that.

Thanks Eric and Jan for the referral. I think I'll be signing up for a cooking class soon.

Aroy-D is Delicious

I never realized this until now, but, I think I pretty much love Thai food. The spicy curries, the glassy rice noodles, the hot citrus soups, the fresh veggies and creamy coconut sauces. I love the flavors and the way it seems to open up the respiratory system when I eat it.

There aren't a lot of options for Thai in Ogden. Sometimes I fantasize about getting a Pei Wei in town so I can grab their Pad Thai to go anytime I want.

So far, no Pei Wei, but, better still, a brand new Thai restaurant went in on 12th Street east of the Freeway a couple of months ago. I have eaten there twice and, while I don't have a ton of Thai food to compare it to, I'm going to say it's pretty yummy. I've tried the green curry, the glass noodle salad, the fried rice and the pad Thai -- all of it getting a thumbs up.

I'm a little worried about whether or not the restaurant will succeed because of its out of the way location. So, if you live in Ogden and you like Thai food, I recommend checking it out. The dishes are about $10 each.

The only thing that was bugging me about this restaurant was it's name - Aroy-D. It sounds kind of dorky. I asked the server what it meant and he told me it translates to "delicious." Now, I feel better about it, because who wouldn't want to eat at a restaurant named Delicious?

Dinner and a Show

A month or two before Katie Jane was born, I was given an opportunity to write a weekly historic piece for the Deseret News. I was very excited about it and thought I could do both -- writing for the D-News and continuing my weekly restaurant piece for the Standard.

Alas, I could not. I was forced to choose. And, more money tipped the scales in favor of staying with the Standard gig.

As soon as Katie was born, the chaos in my life escalated beyond anything I had expected. Things got crazy, crazy, crazy and I knew I had made the right choice to keep writing for the newspaper I've been with for more than a decade. Switching to something new would have added stress that I could not have handled in that moment.

So, I've mostly been grateful for that decision. But, now that things are settling down just a little, regret has crept in. I would have loved the new challenge of writing for a Salt Lake newspaper, and I would have interviewed so many interesting people and learned so many new things while doing the historic piece. And, perhaps, the most bitter part of all was remembering that there was talk about getting to cover the Ogden city council meetings (again, something I could not have done for the past year-and-a-half) and I would love to have my finger on the pulse of Ogden and see the politics unfolding.

These regrets were just starting to creep in, but, then I decided to call my editor to see if I could write a few more stories than one per week and guess what she told me? Right before I called, there was a rearrangment of staff and she was trying to figure out where to assign the theater beat. So, now it looks like I get to cover restaurants and theatrical performances (not movies) and I'm really, really happy about that.

On Parenting

I hesitate to write this because I don't want my son to be treated differently or stigmatized, but, my five-year-old son has some difficult behaviors. Out with it. Anyone who knows him at all knows that he is the sweetest, most creative character around. But, there are other things that have been hard to figure out. The on-going potty-training issues finally prompted me to visit the pediatrician. He connected the dots that the potty-training issues were probably related to other power struggles such as mealtimes, bedtimes, sibling relationships and rules in general. And, eventually, we sought professional help from a child psychologist to help Brian and I figure out how to be better parents to this unique child.

At our latest appointment, as the counselor was describing ways to put the hammer down, so to speak, on bad behaviors, I finally stopped, looked him in the eye and said, "You know, this is just non-stop misery for the parents." Because, inflicting non-stop misery on your kids to get them to behave really is non-stop misery for us, is it not? He very candidly and quickly replied, "Yes. Yes it is. It's one of the things they don't tell you when you sign up to be a parent, but, it's what you have to do."

I guess that's the way parenting is sometimes. Or, maybe most of the time. Towing the line. Playing hardball. Being the drill sargeant. Making them try new foods, practice their instruments, use manners, work, learn their times tables, be nice, have good hygiene, go to bed on time, and on, and on, and on.

And, figuring out how to enjoy the fleeting moments of their childhood through it all.

Free Yoga

Have I mentioned that I like yoga? I do. I can't explain how good I feel after a yoga workout. I love it when a practice feels really relaxing but then every muscle in my body is sore the next day. There have been so many times that I've entered a class with my mind racing and my shoulders tense and left feeling calmed down and clear headed.

I think it is great cross training for things like running. It helps me to feel balanced. It helps me to be sane and focused.

There is a yoga teacher I really like at my gym. When I'm lucky, I get to go to her Thursday or Saturday morning class. She's not a power yoga teacher - I'm not a fan of teachers who lead a yoga class like an aerobics session.

A new coffee shop called The Borrowed Earth Emporium (or The Bee) opened up downtown. They have a gorgeous yoga studio upstairs with antiquated hardwood floors facing a wall of windows with a great view. Every Saturday morning, they offer a free yoga class. The teacher, Steph, recently certified as an instructor and I think she is obligated to do a free community class or something. Whatever the reason, she is a fabulous instructor and very basic. Sometimes it's nice to just focus on the basic poses. I've even taken Sophie to this class a few times because, hello? It's free! And, there are usually only one or two other people in the class. Isn't that crazy?

Recently, I was browsing the internet to see what other yoga options there are in my area and I cannot believe what I found. There is a yoga studio in North Ogden (Yoga Jo's) and while they use to charge the standard $10-$12 per class, they now offer all of their classes completely FREE!!!

So, naturally, I was thinking, "What is the catch?" Maybe they are going to try to sell me something else? Or, pressure me into leaving a big fat tip? Or, join their pyramid scheme?

This morning, I was able to check it out for myself and not only was the teacher fantastic, but, there really were no strings attached. I have no idea how they are able to provide this. All I know is that it ROCKS.

Ogden IS awesome.

Why do I get to live in such a cool place?

The ER

Isaac is such a funny little guy. And, if you don't already know -- he is all b-o-y. So far (knock on wood) he has been the only one of my kids to send me running to the hospital.

Last night, he was jumping from some stairs to a love sac and he kept going higher and higher until, sure enough, from the 9th stair he was unable to make it to the love sac. He hit a lower stair instead and rolled his ankle. He wouldn't put any weight on it and it was causing him quite a bit of pain. It swelled up big enough to make Brian and I question if we should take him to the ER (it was late enough that the clinics were closed). Being the seasoned mom that I am, I said that since there was no bone protruding from the skin and no zig-zagging lines where there should be straight ones, we should give him ibuprofen, wrap his ankle and put him to bed.

This morning, he was still "walking on his knees" as he called it (also known as crawling) and refusing to put weight on his still swollen limb, so, it was off to the doctor's office for us.

Two hours and an x-ray later, we were relieved to find out it was just a sprain. Whew!

Isaac has been such a character about the whole thing. Each new nurse, receptionist or doctor we would encounter would ask him what happened and he would proudly relay his story of jumping from the 9th stair. He was super excited about the x-ray machine and wanted to understand why there was a warning sign about "radiation" on the door. When he found out he could take a ride in a wheelchair, he no longer wanted my piggy back rides and instead sat proudly in his new ride.

That is my Isaac. Living it up and excited to explore life.

In the summer of 2009, right after he turned 4, he fell down and sliced the top of his ear open, requiring stitches. Brian was working late and my sweet neighbor lady and her husband rushed up to my house to talk me through the situation, because, with it being my first trip with a child to the ER, I was in a bit of a panic.

I was upstairs making cookies and he was downstairs. When, I heard his screams, I knew it was serious. I met him on the landing in the stairwell and folded him into a long hug while he cried. When I pulled him away to see what the damage was, the first thing I noticed was my white shirt soaked in bright red blood (enter panic). Then I saw the gash on his ear and dialed my neighbor lady for back-up.

She rigged up a bandage to catch the blood, reminded me to change my shirt, and paid Isaac $1 to hold an ice pack against the gash. She is the best. Then, she and her husband took over my two older kids and resumed the cookie baking. I think they snitched a little cookie dough, but, she would not want me to mention that.

On the drive over, I called my mom to ask her to meet me at the hospital. I had taken Katie Jane with me since she was just a few months old and I had never left her before. I wanted my mom there to hold Katie while I took care of Isaac and, secretly, I really wanted her there to hold my hand because my mom is the absolute best.

By the time I was driving, Isaac, with his high tolerance for pain, was completely calm. I stopped at the after hours clinic to see if they could stitch him up and he was so calm that they didn't even believe he needed stitches until I uncovered the gash. They said they could not stitch ears and sent me on to the ER.

At the ER, the receptionist did not think he needed stitches (again, because he was so calm). He was so charming while we checked in that she bumped us right to the front of the waiting list anyway.

The bed they gave him was one that converts into a crib. He wanted me to put all of the sides up so he could pretend he was a lion in a cage. He wanted to use the nifty remote to change channels on the funny T.V. mounted up near the ceiling. He was curious about all of the doctors and their equipment.

When it was time to stitch him up, a male nurse came to hold his head still but Isaac didn't flinch or move a muscle. That boy is brave. The nurse said he usually broke a sweat from struggling with the kids to hold them still, but, Isaac was calm as could be. He was rewarded with extra candy treats and a stuffed animal. After they stitched him up, they cleaned and bandaged his leg from a nasty burn he'd gotten on a 4-wheeler a few days earlier. All b-o-y I'm telling you.

He was so excited and happy about the whole thing, that for the rest of the night he kept telling me, "Mommy, thank you for taking me to the emergency room." And, I guess today was a little bit like that. More excitement and enthusiasm for an x-ray machine and a wheelchair ride. Now, he is intrigued with walking and the way his injury makes him limp. He is hilarious!

Isaac,

Thank you for being my adorable son and for helping me have the full motherhood experience.

Love,

Mommy

Beginning Girl Scouts

When Sophie was young, I thought it would be fun to get her involved in a brownie troop. I kept looking around, but, there weren't any brownie troops in the area. At least not any that weren't already full.

I wasn't very proactive until last spring when I couldn't shake the idea that I should start a troop myself (an idea that had somehow never occurred to me during my previous searching). Then I stumbled upon our local girl scout office while running errands one day.

Last summer, I attended troop leader training, mainly to find out more information, and I reluctantly turned in the paperwork to become registered to be a leader. Then, I messed everything up by inviting all of my friends' daughters who are mostly either a grade older or a grade younger than Sophie to join our troop. That wasn't good because it was turning out that I was going to have brownies and juniors this year and juniors and cadets next year -- meaning I would always have girls working from different books making things way too complicated.

Sophie and I attended a three-day day camp over the summer and I was so impressed. It was non-stop fun, super creative and, get this, we launched rockets and made diet coke and mentos fountains in the parking lot. We had a campfire with multi-colored smoke. We got messy and did experiments, and, just like every girl scout activity I've been to before or since, I was very impressed with the girls.

I got cold feet about the whole troop leader thing and decided that Sophie and I could do Juliettes together (meaning she and I work on badges without being part of a troop). But, just like everything else in life, since there wasn't a set time to work on it, it never got done.

In November, Sophie and I went to a chef camp at the girl scout office in Salt Lake. For one Friday night and all day Saturday we sampled foods from different countries and tried out new recipes. It was really fun, but, most of the girls were there with their troops and I could see that it just wasn't the same for Sophie being there with her mom as it was for the other girls.

Over the Christmas break, Sophie and I had a heart to heart during which she told me she really wished she had a "club" of some sort where she could be with girls her own age outside of school. And, in that moment, I knew. I knew that as much as I don't want to add one more thing to my busy life right now and as much as I have no idea how to be a girl scout leader and even though I think "camping" should include manis and pedis and an outdoor movie projected onto a screen -- in spite of all that I knew I had to do this troop with my daughter.

This time around, we made sure to make up a troop of 4th graders to prevent unnecessary confusion. We are starting out with just 5 girls. And, yesterday, when I asked one of the moms to be my co-leader she graciously accepted and told me that she is a den mother for the 9-year-old cub scouts. Lucky for me!!!

Oh, and Sophie IS selling girl scout cookies (but, not until Saturday as per their strict policy of not starting your cookie sales early). Let me know if you need some.