1. Trader Joe’s Swiss Dark Chocolate with whole hazelnuts.  This is, hands down, my absolute favorite chocolate.  Brimming with whole hazelnuts, they add a fantastic texture to the smooth dark chocolate.  Yum!

2.  For a little healthier snack, I discovered these apple chips at Costco a few weeks ago.   They are crispy and slightly tart, with a good dose of sweetness, too.  A fantastic swap for potato chips in size, feel, and texture.  And while they don’t have the salty zing of a good potato chip, that tart apple zing more than makes up for it.  These totally satisfy my craving for potato chips.  And my kids love them!

3.  My morning coffee.  I’m not exactly addicted to coffee, but my day is much better when I start out with a good mug.  My favorite way to make it a little more exciting is to sprinkle some cinnamon over the grounds, so as the water drips through, it picks up just a hint of cinnamon-y goodness. Cinnamon has all sorts of good things for your body, and can help reduce your blood sugar.  So I get a 1-2 punch with my little trick — a super tasty cup of joe AND some goodness for my body!

4.  Words With Friends.  I was introduced to this when my girlfriends visited a couple of weeks ago and now I’m hooked.  I hadn’t played scrabble in ages, so I had to dust some cobwebs off.  I lost every single one of my first games (I think I started about 10 or 12 the first night I played).  But I’m on my 2nd and 3rd round with some games and I’m starting to get the hang of the tricks. . . I may even win a few games this go round!  If you have an iPhone or iPad, you have to get this game.  There’s a free version (you just have to deal with a few ads) and it’s so addicting!

Ideal Blox  — This fabulous set was a gift to my kids and I should confess that I find myself playing with them just as much as they do!

Harry Belafonte –  I dare you to listen to the 30-second sample of Jump in the Line and not start bopping and singing along!  I especially love my Harry Belafonte Pandora station.  It’s perfect to put on with the kids and have a little living room dance party.  Way more enjoyable for me than traditional “kid music,” but much friendlier to their innocent ears than today’s pop music..

Appetizers! –  It’s Super Bowl weekend, and while I’m not particularly into football, I do love the commercials and an afternoon of party appetizers!  I saw this recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Dip and I can’t wait to try it.  Doesn’t it look delicious?!

Well, that’s all for today!  Have a happy Super Bowl weekend!

1.  Jack Johnson.  He’s one of my favorite singers and I love that he’s so well loved.  I mean, I’ve never heard anyone say they don’t like him.  His To the Sea album is on constant repeat in my car, because it’s the top request of my 4-year-old.  It’s a nice change-up from the Disney songs that were in top demand last month!

2.  Satsumas.  They’re small, sweet, adorable, and delicious!  Pretty much the same as a mandarin orange or clementine, but there’s just something about them that gives them a little something extra.  I love that I can get them at our farmer’s market with the leaves still attached.  They look so delightful on my table!

3.  Toothbrushes.  Okay, I don’t mean a regular old toothbrush is one of my favorite things (although I do love when I come home from the dentist with a new one!), I love these super hero spinning kids toothbrushes.  My older son has Captain America and my younger has Spiderman.  They are awesome for two reasons:  1) my kids are excited to brush, every night (and they’ve had them a solid 3 months already) and 2) their teeth get far cleaner with these than with a traditional toothbrush.  I guess a third reason to love them is that they are pretty inexpensive, on the order of $4 each.

4.  The sound of a crashing wave.  I don’t know that I could ever grow tired of a beach sunset.  It’s such a peaceful and vibrant visual, but the crashing waves make a great audio track.  Something about the repetitive sound, with the occasional surprise of an extra loud splash. . . it’s just hard to beat!

That’s all for today, but happy weekend and happy Friday the 13th!

I can be notoriously indecisive, so picking just 1 favorite from each of my sessions was difficult.  I’m sure if I went back through them all again, I’d end up with a completely different set of favorites.   And you may notice (if you’re watching closely!) that a few sessions even have more than 1 image.  Indecision, my dear readers. . . at least I’m honest with myself!

So, now, I present to you — in no particular order — a few of my favorite things:

Happy Friday!  Have a great first weekend of 2012!

1.  I’m kicking it off with a little bargain I found at “The 1 Spot” at Target.  I can’t walk past those little bargain bins without a quick peek inside (that’s their strategy, right, placing the section right by the carts where you walk in).  Anyhow, earlier this week I spotted an entire bin of chapter books for young readers.  You know, the kind with black-and-white drawings every other page or so, fairly large print, 3-4 pages to a chapter.  My son recently got interested in these  types of books so when I spotted the bin, I was thrilled — you can’t beat $1 a book!  I picked up The Call of The Wild and Treasure Island for him and we’ve already made it through  the adventures of Buck the dog.  I also saw Black Beauty and Little Women, and there may have been a few other titles in the mix.  So, on your upcoming trip to Target for school supplies, pick up a few books for a buck!

2.  Lucero Balsamic Vinegar.  I found this tasty little bottle at one of my favorite little markets in Bozeman and I have found pure perfection!  Watch it drizzle from the bottle and you can see that it’s not your average grocery store vinegar.  It’s thick, dark, and fragrant.  And sweet.  And it truly is perfection.  I whisk a little with the same maker’s olive oil and drizzle it over some fresh greens from the garden for a delicious salad (add some crumbled goat cheese and toasted pecans and you really have a taste of heaven!).  Or mix it with some olive oil for the most flavorful bread dip you’ve ever had.  I promise you, you won’t be disappointed with this bottle!  (And you can order it yourself here.)

3.  The Beach!  Okay, here it is, the scene that will be exactly 1.6 miles from my family’s front door in a few weeks.  Quite a change from Montana!  I will miss the mountains, wide open spaces. and big blue sky of Montana, but this is not a bad scene, either. . .

Happy Weekend, all!

Glowing Green Smoothie
Makes 2 servings, 16 ounces each

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1 head organic Romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 stalks organic celery
1/2 head organic spinach
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems OK)
1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems OK)
1 organic banana
Juice of 1/2 fresh organic lemon

Directions
Add water, chopped head of romaine lettuce to the blender. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple, pear, cilantro and parsley. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

Favorite #2 is my pink shoes.  We finally have some sunshine and warmer weather here in Montana!  It’s not quite warm enough to be sandal-wearing weather, but these fun, pink shoes brighten up whatever I’m wearing, are easy to slip on, and hide the fact that there are still nail polish remnants from the pedicure I had in March.  I highly recommend adding a fun, bright, colorful pair of flats to your wardrobe!

Favorite #3 is feeding the ducks at the MSU Duck Pond.  My boys love it, the ducks love it, and I love it.  For the cost of a few slices of bread, we had a half hour of entertainment!

Favorite #4 is hitting the trails.  They’ve been mostly free of snow for a few weeks, but the rains have kept them soggy.  They are just now starting to dry out and I love that practically right out my door I can pick up trail that takes me all the way to downtown.  With scenery like this!  Just one reason why Bozeman is the best place to live! 

Happy Weekend!

1. Kid rain coats. I don’t really love the rain (and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it stays away for the two sessions I have scheduled this weekend!) but one thing that makes it a little more tolerable for me is that my 4-year-old gets to wear his raincoat. There’s just something adorable about seeing him splashing around outside in his favorite shade of blue! You can find it at REI and the bonus is that they’re having their annual sale right now!

2. Dr. Seuss. We love books in our house and his are among our favorite. We re-discovered a classic this afternoon–Ten Apples Up On Top! My now-4-year-old loved this book when he was 2 and today, my now-2-year-old pulled it off his shelf. We read it 3 times before his nap and twice before bed tonight. It’s a good thing I like it!

3. Eric Hutchinson. My husband found this CD for me a while ago and even though I didn’t immediately recognize his name, I did know a few of his songs when I popped it in the CD player. He has a very upbeat, fun, Jason Mraz-type sound. The disc has been in constant rotation in the car this week and the kids and I have been happily bopping along as we drive through town. If you’re looking for something new, check this out!

I’ll wrap it up here, but if you could kindly send some prayers for the rain to stay away from Bozeman this weekend I would really appreciate it!

Here are a few of my favorite recent recipes.  I apologize for not having images of all of them.  Hopefully the names will be mouth-watering enough for you to click the recipe and try them out yourselves!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Strawberry-Avocado Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Cocoa Fudge Cookies

Who doesn’t love a soft, chewy chocolate cookie?  Yum!

Tuscan Lemon Muffins

And to counter the richness of the chocolate, a fresh bite of lemon makes these muffins a perfect complement!

So, get cooking!  I know Mom would love to wake up to a batch of deliciousness on her special day this Sunday!

I spotted a 4-pack of Ginger Beer near the checkout at World Market this week and I just couldn’t resist bringing some home.  I may not have the traditional copper mugs that it’s served in, but I plan on adding some vodka and lime,  enjoying a little Friday night cocktail with my husband!

Another favorite of the week is one of the coolest books I’ve ever seen, gifted to my oldest son for his birthday a few months ago.  It’s called Encyclopedia Prehistorica:  Dinosaur.

Dinosaurs rival trucks and trains for popularity in our household, and as such, we have quite a few books on all three of those topics.  This book, however, is like none I have ever seen.  When you open the first page you are surprised and delighted with dinosaurs come to life!  They are brightly colored and intricately detailed and just plain amazing.

From the T-Rex that jumps right out to take a bite. . .

to the archaeopteryx about to fly off the page. . .

it has both me and my sons mesmerized.  I just have to be sure to keep my almost-2-year-old closely supervised when reading it!

So, enjoy a cocktail, pull out a good book, and have a fantastic weekend!

I’ll start with long eyelashes.  Who doesn’t love long eyelashes, especially on little ones?  I am a tad jealous that my almost 2-year-old son is the owner of these beauties.  Why is it that the boys always seem to get the gorgeous lashes?

See and Spell Puzzle.  One of our latest favorite toys in the house is this fun wooden puzzle.  My 4-year-old is getting pretty good at spelling and this is a fun way to practice some of his new words.  And my almost-2-year-old is starting to recognize a few letters but mostly has fun just trying to match the shapes.  And I’ll confess that I even love playing with the brightly colored, smooth wooden letters.

It’s brought to you by none other than Melissa & Doug!

Bunnies.  Who doesn’t love a fuzzy bunny?

And to go with the bunny. . . a basket full of Easter eggs!

Have a wonderful, happy Easter this weekend!

Who doesn’t love a bright bowl of strawberries!  Even though it’s snowing outside, looking at these sure does make me feel like spring.  And they make my mouth water.  Yum!

And during our heat wave last weekend (when it did actually feel like spring), we uncovered the bbq grill and cooked up some burgers.  No burger is complete without a beer alongside, if I do say so.  These had me passing right over spring and feeling like it was downright summer!  I read in a magazine that you could jazz up a burger by adding 1/4 cup of roasted garlic hummus to 1 lb of ground beef.  It was a great recommendation–the burgers were super tasty alongside some sweet potato fries.  Yum!

Here’s hoping that these little tastes of warmer weather help me make it through Montana’s long, volatile, snowy spring!

1.  Eddie Bauer Packable Backpack.  My parents gave me this for Christmas and I absolutely LOVE it!  It’s a good-sized pack, with plenty of pockets for keeping things organized, but it’s incredibly light weight.  I love the 2 external water bottle holders and the bungee on the back.  It even folds up into its own attached pouch, so it’s perfect to toss into your checked bag, but open up when you get to your destination.  Despite its light weight, it actually has some padding in the shoulders so it’s pretty comfortable.  It was the perfect bag for our days at the beach, through the airport, and at Disney!

2.  Sit-and-Stand stroller.  My oldest son is 4 and my youngest is 22 months.  We’re kind of at an awkward age for strollers.  My 4-year-old pretty much wants to walk everywhere.  We knew that an entire day at Disney and Sea World would be a little much for him.  Thankfully our friends piped up and said, “we have the perfect stroller, please borrow it!”  They were right, it was perfect.  And we are forever grateful!   It’s a sit-and-stand stroller, so the younger child is strapped into a seat in the front, and the older get a small bench to sit on in the back.  There’s also a little platform so he can stand in the back if he’d rather.  Unlike other double strollers, this one is rather compact, so it’s easy to maneuver through crowds.  It also has a huge storage basket underneath.  I know we would not have made it through the theme parks or the airports without this baby!

3.  iPhone.  I’m pretty new to the whole “smart phone” thing, but I have to confess that I have fallen completely in love with my iPhone.  Being on a trip, it really proved its awesomeness.  Here are a few of the most useful parts:

-The map feature was amazingly helpful and just plain cool.   It knows where the phone is, so it pinpoints your exact location with a little blue dot.  You just type in the name of where you want to go (gas station, grocery store, a specific address) and it drew the best route.  Then, the really cool part is that the blue dot actually moves along the screen, following you as you go.  So you know exactly where you are along your route.

-Downloadable shows and music.  We were in the airport and I decided it might be good to have a show saved, so I got on the iTunes store, purchased a few episodes of Dinosaur Train and they downloaded instantly to my phone.  On our next 3 hour flight, with my phone switched to airplane mode, I handed the phone to my 4-year-old and he sat happily and quietly for the entire flight.

-Games.  I’m not a huge “gamer” or very into video games, but since I had this cool phone, I figured I might as well download some apps.  I’m all about “free” so I looked for available games that fit the bill.  I stumbled across “Paper Toss” and it’s addictive!  On the last, late-night leg of our journey, with kids (thankfully!) snoozing on the plane I had some time on my hands.  Paper Toss managed to kill it for me, and I had fun in the process.  Another great game, that saved me many times, is “Peek-a-Boo Barn.”  The free version comes with 3 animals, but I decided it was worth the $1.99 to upgrade to the full version, which has dozens of animals.  My 22-month-old LOVES it and it was a great distraction when he started getting cranky on one of our flights.  It’s also come in handy when I’m at the bank (to keep him busy while I deal with the teller) and while chatting with his doctor during his appointments.

So, there you have it!  Enjoy your Friday and hopefully you’ll find some of these things help you on your next great adventure!

1.  Vintage Fisher-Price Toys.  My parents have managed to save quite a few of the toys that my brother, sister, and I played with as kids some-30-years-ago.  And while I used to harp on them for keeping so much “junk,” I must admit that it’s pretty cool to see my own kids now playing with the exact same toys I played with when I was their age.  They just don’t make them like this anymore!

2.  Petting Sting Rays.  Growing up in Orlando definitely has its advantages. . . Sea World and Disney are two of the biggest ones!  And, now that I have my own kids it’s an even better place to be from.  A trip to visit the grandparents always has some exciting adventures!  My 4-year-old son loves ocean animals so we were sure to include Sea World on our visit this time.  I haven’t been in years (probably since I moved away for college over 15 years ago), but one of my favorite memories of the park is petting the sting rays.

I was happy to see that they are still there, doing laps in their pool, content to let you touch their squishy, slippery, and soft “wings”.  And I was even happier to see my oldest son delighting in the experience, as well!

3.  Mickey Mouse.  Who doesn’t love Mickey?  My mom tells me that my very first words as a baby were “mick-mick” and the mouse still has a special place in my heart.  Even better than Mickey for me now?  Watching my kids experience the joy!  We’re at Disney today, so I have no pictures to share here yet, but you can be sure this day will definitely be a “favorite” in my book!

We’ve got a few more days to soak up the Florida sun and warmth and then we’ll be headed back to Montana, where I’m preparing myself to be greeted by a few inches of fresh snow. . .

We spend most of today traveling from Orlando to Naples, so the real Florida relaxation will start tomorrow, but since it’s time for a “Friday Favorites,” I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Florida things experienced in the last 24 hours.

1.  Palms.  Not only is the landscape green (as opposed to Montana’s brown and white March), the palm varieties are everywhere.  I love the pop of color and the graphic lines.

2.  Toes in the pool.  This needs no explanation!

3.  Sunset, specifically the warm glow of the “golden hour” at water’s edge.  Yes, we get some spectacular sunsets in Montana, but nothing goes together quite like a sunset and water.

I plan to soak up as much of the warm sun as possible while we’re here because I’m expecting to return to fresh snow when we do head back to Montana.  Happy Weekend!

1.  Daffodils.  We brought some daffodils home this weekend and they are, for me, one of the first signs of spring.  Our yard is still covered with snow (and there is more falling right now), but it is March.  And this bright, happy yellow is a nice reminder of what is just around the corner!

2.  The moon.  I love gazing at the moon. . . last Sunday it was especially mesmerizing with just that teeny tiny sliver illuminated.  But the eye-catching part was that you could faintly make out the glow of the entire moon.  Simply stunning!

3.  Wolves.  They’re so majestic and powerful and regal and we were fortunate to get some up-close views at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone last week.  If you haven’t been there, it’s definitely worth a stop on your next trip to the park.  There are 2 wolf packs as well as a few grizzlies.  All of the animals at the Center are rescued animals that would not survive on their own in the wild.  This pack was extremely playful and active, but Kootenai was nice enough to pose for me.

4.  Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go! Yes, another kids book, but this is a classic.  I remember this from my younger days and this has been my now-4-year-old’s favorite book for at least the last 2 years.  It’s a big book, with a cute story about Ma, Pa, Penny and Pickles Pig taking a journey to the beach.  Along the way they pass all sorts of fun characters and vehicles, all expertly illustrated to keep you and your kiddo studying the pages.  And the search for the elusive Gold Bug, hidden on every page, is just as much fun for mom and dad as it is for the kids!  Despite the large size of the book, it’s one that goes on every trip with us because it easily occupies my boys for an hour.  Yep, 1 book for an entire hour.

Happy weekend!

Without further ado, here are my favorites for this week:

1.  Family Fun Magazine.  Admittedly, I’m a magazine junkie.  I think we get about 10 delivered to our mailbox every month.  A few months ago Family Fun started showing up.  I’m sure that I never subscribed to it, but alas, it comes, addressed to me, every month.  And I have to say I really love it.  It’s easy to flip through in an hour but it is chock full of great ideas.  Crafts and snacks and projects that are super cute and very doable with your kids.  I used to get Martha Stewart Living and while I drooled over the gorgeous recipes and projects, most were way too complicated to actually complete.  Family Fun is just as great, but we can actually accomplish the projects!

2.  The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman.  A great friend, and former Kindergarten teacher, introduced me to this book when my oldest son was about 18 months old.  My youngest is now 21 months old and he recently discovered it on his big brother’s bookshelf.  It’s now in our daily rotation.  It’s an adorable story, clever and cute, written entirely in rhyming verse (which means it’s fun to read aloud!).  But even better than the story are the illustrations by Marla Frazee.  With my son on my lap, it’s easy to get wrapped into reading the text.  I’ll confess that I’ve actually snuck it from his room so I could take it all in, studying the awesome drawings without having to keep up with the story reading.  It’s that good!

3.  Etsy.  The one stop shop for all things handmade.  There are some amazingly talented people out there and etsy is the perfect venue to allow them to sell their wares.  I have 2 favorite shops:  Sweet Pea Hats and Birds and Cookies.

Sweet Pea Hats is my talented friend Beatrice’s shop.  I photographed this little guy in her “little bear” hat last year, but she has dozens of adorable designs.  The “sock monkey” and “petit lapin” are two of my other favorites!

Birds and Cookies is my talented friend Heidi’s shop.  She’s a master with her sewing machine and makes a variety of items in the cutest fabrics.  I just wish I had a daughter to wear one of her dresses!  Luckily she also makes superhero capes, which I think would be perfect for my boys!

4.  Church Craft Fairs!  I love a good old, down-home craft fair.  And my church, Bozeman United Methodist, is hosting one tonight from 4-8 p.m.  In addition to fun crafts and talented artists selling their goods, you can also get a warm, hearty bowl of chili!  I’ll be there, selling some of my art prints and these fun folding notecards:

Come on down, say hi, enjoy a delicious dinner, and support United Methodist missions which help those in need around the world!  BUMC is located on the corner of Willson & Olive in downtown Bozeman.

Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

1.  Chocolate Croissants.  The new French bakery/cafe, Cafe Francais Des Arts, opened in Bozeman last week and I have to confess that I’ve already been in twice.  How could I resist with the likes of this calling to me from the pastry case?  And, yes, they taste as good as they look.  Actually, they taste even better than they look!  Bozeman locals, you must go check it out!

2.  Chocolate Chip Cookies!  The croissants are a French classic, and the cookie is an American classic.  I made a batch of these for my book club last week.  These have been my go-to cookie recipe since I ripped it out of a cooking magazine years ago.  I’m going to do more than just tempt you with the image. . . I’m going to share the recipe!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever

1         cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1         cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2    cup sugar
2         eggs
2         teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1          teaspoon baking powder
1          teaspoon salt
1          cup coarsley chopped pecans or walnuts
2          cups chocolate chips (any combination of semi-sweet, milk, or white chips)

1.  Heat oven to 375 F.
2.  Whisk melted butter and sugars.  Whisk in eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt.  Stir into butter mixture.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
3.  Scoop dough by 1/4 cup onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Be sure to leave adequate space between cookies.  Bake 10-14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and immediately move to cooling racks.  Try to resist eating half the batch.
Makes 24 large cookies.

3.  Frogs.  The new temporary exhibit at the Museum of the Rockies is Frogs! and the exhibit got 2 big thumbs up from me and my kids.  There are at least 20 different species, all in their own terrariums.  We had fun going from case to case trying to spot them all.  Some were just hanging out, happy to show off their interesting colors and others were putting their camouflage skin to the test.  My favorites were the poison dart frogs and these guys, a species of tree frog:

My kids loved them all, from the underwater swimmers. . .

. . . to the enormous bull frog!

These frogs haven’t seen the last of us.  This is another “must-do” for the Bozemanites!

Enjoy the weekend–and stay warm!

1.  Bacon.  Butternut Squash.  Melted Cheese.  All together!  I pulled out one of my favorite recipes this week:  Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta.  It’s comfort food at it’s finest, basically a gourmet mac & cheese.  With the delicious addition of bacon!  It’s a perfect winter dish.  And don’t worry, while it is decadent, it’s actually a Cooking Light recipe, so you really don’t have to feel guilty!

2.  La Source Hand lotion.  Winter is the season of dry hands.  I’ve tried dozens of creams (and even have a friend that swears by Crisco), but the one that is hands down (no pun intended!) my favorite is from Crabtree & Evelyn.  It’s called La Source Hand Therapy Cream, and not only does it perfectly moisturize, it smells divine.  It’s fresh and clean and a perfect dose of summer in the midst of our cold winter!  I also really love their Hand Recovery, which is unlike any other hand cream I’ve tried.  You actually rub it onto your hands then rinse it off.  You’re left with smooth, silky, soft, yummy-smelling hands!

3.  Dr. Seuss.  Of all the kid’s books we’ve been through in our house I have to say that Dr. Seuss is my favorite.  His books are witty, clever, and downright fun to read.  But sometimes even better than reading them myself, is listening to famous actors recite the fun stories.  I stumbled across these audio CD’s a few years ago and they are on constant rotation in the car.  Between the 2 box sets,  The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, 18 of the Dr’s most popular stories are covered.  My favorite is listening to David Hyde Pierce artfully maneuver through the tongue-twisting Fox In Sox.  A close second is Kelsey Grammer’s rendition of The Cat in the Hat and I dare you not to think of George Kostanza when you hear Jason Alexander read Dr. Seuss’s ABC.

4.  Wild West Winterfest.   Today through Sunday, get a taste of the West, winter-style, at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds.  It’s like the summer fair, only there’s snow.    Live music, live animals, dog agility contests, ice hockey, chili cook-off, activities for the kids, and my favorite–skijoring!  I’ve never actually seen it live, but it looks like quite the event.  Horses pull contestants around a course while on skis (the people being pulled are on skis, not the horses–just to clarify).

We’ve attempted a version of this, trying to get our dog to pull us on skis (or even better, to pull the kid sled), but it never quite works out.  I think she’s too smart to do the work for us!

Anyhow, check out the Fairgrounds this weekend and be sure to check out the photography competition in Building 3. . . you might just see some of my work in there! 

Within a few months of getting settled, I was completely in love.  The sense of community here is amazing.  The fabulous, independently and locally-owned shops on Main Street and throughout town have more than met my shopping needs.  And the quality and customer service far exceed anything I ever found in a big box chain store.

And the fact that I can drive past this scene on my 2-mile drive to the grocery store, rather than row after row of strip malls. . . well, let’s just say it’s heavenly!

So, this week’s installment of Friday Favorites is dedicated to all those that call the Bozone home, that love this community and make it one fantastic place to live.  Here’s a little taste of some of my favorite local products:

1.  Claudia’s Salsa–unique and delicious, a party in your mouth!  I spotted this little tub of bright green goodness at Town & Country a few months ago and it’s now a regular staple in our fridge.

She makes several varieties, but my favorite is this cilantro-based salsa.  It’s bright, fresh, flavorful, and well, it’s just a party in your mouth!  We love it with corn chips (these blue ones really make snack time a colorful party!), but it’s also fabulous with chicken and fish.  The mild and hot versions are both great, but be warned that the hot has a heat that really sneaks up on you after a few bites.  I recommend having a good, cold beer alongside if you go for the “caliente” version!

You can find her salsa’s at several grocery stores around town–Town & Country, Rosauer’s, Joe’s Parkway, Heeb’s.  And check out her website, too.  She’s got some mouth-watering recipes posted that definitely look worthy of trying.

2.  Wheat Montana. I’ve been buying their sandwich bread since we moved here, but was excited to walk down the baking aisle of the grocery store and see bags of flour, made from wheat that grows in enormous fields about a half an hour from Bozeman.  A drive past their farm is an image of pure Montana (click the link to their website and you’ll see what I mean!).

They are selling 3 varieties of flour–whole wheat, white, and white whole wheat–at almost every grocery store in town (even the big chain ones).  I’m loving the Prairie Gold variety, which is a beautiful golden color that has the texture of white flour but is actually 100% whole wheat.  I love whole wheat products and my kids have never seen a slice of white bread in their lives, but home baking with traditional 100% whole wheat flour is challenging.  This stuff, however, makes it easy, giving me the texture I want in cookies and sweet breads and pancakes but the goodness of whole wheat.

And the most exciting thing is that they have just started distributing it outside of Montana!  So you don’t have to live in the last best place to get it.  Check out this page on their website to see what stores in your state are carrying it (p.s. they actually just started distributing through Wal-Mart Super Centers across the country, so it should be pretty easy to find).

3.  The Mexican Mocha at The Daily.  Like most towns, especially college towns, there is no shortage of coffee shops in Bozeman.  One of my favorites is The Daily Coffee Bar.  My go-to drink?  The Mexican Mocha.   Coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon in a steaming cup of deliciousness. . . mmmm, mmmm, good!  I’ll admit that I usually take my latte’s “skinny,” but with the Mexican Mocha you have to go whole hog–no skimping on calories here–regular milk and whipped cream.

My husband’s vote goes to their Maple Latte and my youngest son gives a thumbs up to pastry/treat case.

I love The Daily so much, I have to share in the goodness. . . a $10 gift card is up for grabs so you can take a friend and both enjoy a Mexican Mocha (or Maple Latte or whatever tasty goodness floats your boat).  Just leave me a note in the comments telling me one of your favorite local Bozeman products/places/shops (click on the word “comment” right under the title of the post up top to leave a comment). I’ll let random number generator pick a winner on Monday morning (2/14 around 8:00 a.m.) — a sweet little Valentine treat!

—Contest is now CLOSED, but I’d still love to know your local Bozeman favorites so feel free to leave a comment!—

1.  Cardboard boxes.  When it comes to kids, you just can’t beat a plain old cardboard box for fun.  I recently received a 20×30 canvas, which came in a box that was the perfect size for a toddler to hide in. . .

In fact, it was actually the perfect size for a toddler and a four-year-old to hide in.  My boys were entertained for hours!

2.  Over-ripe bananas.  My favorite way to eat a banana is when it’s just turned from green to yellow and there’s the faintest hint of green still in the stem.  But when bananas start to look like this, it means a loaf of my favorite Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread is going to be baking in my oven.  Seriously, it’s the best banana bread.  Ever.

3.  NeilMed Sinus Rinse.  Okay, I’ll admit, it’s not pretty, but it’s been a lifesaver for me right in the middle of cold and flu season.   It’s like magic. . . gets rid of those sniffles in just a day or so, makes your sinuses instantly feel better, and if you continue it even while healthy it can actually help keep you from picking up new cold viruses.  And it’s not a drug, so unlike other cold meds, it doesn’t make you feel all foggy and groggy.

Have a great weekend, everyone!