Food for the Soul

Let me start off by saying “Happy Valentine’s Day!” I decided to talk about something I truly love… food! All jokes aside, food can transport you into a new, or familiar, culture and can bring people together. Food makes me think of gatherings with family and friends, traveling, and exploration of all that is new.

Another, more important, love in my life is my hubby. He and I share responsibility in the kitchen, but absolutely have different methods of cooking. I love to try new recipes, but when I try something new, I stick to the recipe. Hubby, on the other hand, might glance at the recipe, but will cook his own take on that recipe. He is amazing at this and I am secretly {okay, now not so secretly} jealous of this talent. My favorite things that he makes are stir-fry and tacos – yum!

This is a picture of the last tacos hubby made: fish tacos! We tend to use lettuce a lot more than actual tortillas; a few years back we did The Whole 30 for the first time and loved using romaine or endive as the tortilla. Such a simple twist on a classic, simple meal and it is absolutely brilliant. This fish taco includes red cabbage, avocado, tomatoes, and spice – lots of heat if my hubby is cooking – these tacos were super fresh and delicious.`

The hubby and I recently had some date days to go skiing – yay to finding a babysitter in Utah! On our second ski date, we went to Deer Valley, which was stunning. We took a full day and skied all over the mountain; I am a novice and ski only greens and single blues, and it was nice having so many trails available for my level across the mountain.

Afterwards, we returned to Sandy and found a Thai food restaurant right around the corner from where we are staying {hidden gem!}, called Thai Mango. The food was absolutely delicious and was reminiscent of our trip to Bali. Brief side note: hubby and I traveled to Singapore, Bali, and Australia when we got engaged – we call it our honeymoon – and it was one of the most amazing experiences. We even took a cooking class in Bali and learned how to make the infamous peanut sauce that you have with something like chicken satay; that was the appetizer we ordered and was what made us think about that amazing trip. Don’t worry, I’ll post about that trip at another time!

Here’s a picture of my Pad Thai and jasmine tea. I usually refrain from caffeine because it completely messes with my body and herbal tea is one of my favorite beverages. This jasmine tea was so delicious that I am going to try and track it down and keep it in my tea collection! Overall, this restaurant pick is what hubby and I do when we are eating out; we bring our sense of adventure and do some research. We like to search out the “hidden gems” in the area and, when abroad, try to eat like the locals. Thai Mango was a delicious and I would highly recommend if anyone is in the Salt Lake City area!

Now, tell me: what are your favorite places you visited and what restaurant/food did you try that made you do your happy dance?