Virginia, why can't you be more like Arizona?

I like Virginia. I really do. But this is the longest Virginia winter ever. Did you know it's supposed to snow again tonight? Ugh. We're into the muddy black snow phase and I'm ready for spring.

My trip to Arizona was fabulous. But it has made winter here all the more unbearable.

While Ben was in Paris and I was snowed in here, I found some great airfare to Phoenix and told Ben I was thinking of visiting my sister. His response: "You should do it." And without even hesitating, agreed to take a few days off work to watch the girls so I could go. I also never need to leave him with any instructions (other than a few reminders about what time Amelia's school starts) which makes it even easier to leave.

This is my third trip in a row without my kids and I have officially forgotten how stressful it is to travel with children. It was so nice to get off the metro at the airport, walk a few feet to the security line (with small carry-on luggage only!), board my plane, watch movies on my ipod and read books for 5 hours, step off the plane, and step outside into summer.

It was 78 degrees and beautiful during my whole visit. (It rained the day I left so my timing was good.) My mom was in town too so it was fun to hang out with her and Stephanie. I spent a few hours at the condo pool each day swimming, lounging, and reading with the leathery old people. We ate good food. Went shopping (usual shopping spree at the famous Last Chance). Relaxed. It was perfect.

It kind of makes me angry that there are people swimming right now, enjoying the sun.

Things spotted during a morning walk:







We ate dinner one night at this great Chinese-Mexican restaurant called Chino Bandido (featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). The food was delicious. And your meal comes with a giant snickerdoodle!



We also discovered the Fry Bread House:



One night we went to a really great performance at the Mesa Performing Arts Center called Tao, a Japanese drumming group. It was really cool.





It was right next to the Mesa Temple so we stopped there and walked around a bit. There were citrus trees everywhere. It smelled so good. (Okay. We might have taken a few grapefruits home. We had to jump up to reach them since all the fruit on the bottom was already gone.)

Monumental Snow

We were finally ready to escape the house so we ventured downtown to see how the monuments looked in the rare snowy landscape. Plus, it seemed like an appropriate activity for Presidents Day weekend. It was COLD. But it felt good to be out walking around. Even if it was a dangerous ice-covered walk. I know that this area isn't equipped to handle a lot of snow, but the attempts to clear any sidewalks anywhere have been ridiculous. Amelia loved "ice skating" down the paths though.




























(These sidewalks were pure ice.)

Valentine Cupcake Pops

Okay. This will be the last Valentine-related post. Due to our snow week, Valentine's Day festivities have really been extended. School parties aren't even being held until this week. So we spent the end of our snow week making Valentines for Amelia's teachers.





We already had supplies laying around that were left over from our Christmas cake pops, and luckily Valentine's Day uses red and white too. We added a little pink and some heart sprinkles. We looked around the house for something to put them in and found these flower pots, which inspired our flower card and message.

Failed Valentine

We started off Valentine's Day the usual way...heart-shaped breakfast. Nutella crepes with eggs and bacon.



And we ended Valentine's Day with chocolate. Delicious bittersweet molten chocolate cakes.



But somewhere in the middle was my completely disappointing surprise for Ben. I was all set to surprise him with tickets to see one of our favorite bands, Kings of Convenience, play tonight. Actually, I did surprise him with the tickets. But the show was cancelled due to an illness in the band. So sad.

For your listening pleasure:



We also finished up Valentine gifts for Amelia's teachers. Since schools have been closed forever, the Valentine party was rescheduled for this week. I think I'm ready to be done with Valentines.





And a few more random snow pictures.

Molten Chocolate Cake

I wanted a chocolate dessert for Valentine's Day but wanted to keep it really simple. I went with these delicious molten chocolate cakes which are very easy to make. Love that chocolate center.





Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cakes
from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

12 teaspoons plus 5 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Preparation

Generously butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Sprinkle inside of each dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. (I used cooking spray and cocoa powder and it worked wonderfully. The cakes didn't stick at all.)
Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks, and remaining 5 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until thick and pale yellow, about 8 minutes. Fold 1/3 of warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture, then fold in remaining chocolate. Fold in flour. Divide batter among soufflé dishes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place soufflé dishes on baking sheet. Bake cakes uncovered until edges are puffed and slightly cracked but center 1 inch of each moves slightly when dishes are shaken gently, about 13 minutes.
Invert cakes onto a serving dish or eat right out of the soufflé dish. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Paris.

A post about Paris seemed appropriate for Valentine's Day. Because of all the snow, Ben was able to spend an extra day there, which meant he actually had time to explore a bit.

Ben and I ended up in Paris on Valentine's Day a few years ago. Looking at his photos from this last trip reminded me how much I love Paris. And jealous that I wasn't there with him. But he did eat a street crepe for me.

Here are a few of his photos (taken with his phone, so quality isn't so great):









He climbed up the tower of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica for some great views of the city: