
If you're one of the many unfortunate people that had to work on this day (like me), chances are you may have flipped things around and did stuff for it on your day off. However, that's not to say we didn't do anything tonight. I did get off work early and managed to get home with enough time to buy a rose, write a card, and crack a bottle of wine to go with the homemade Dulce De Leche Cheesecake I made (derived from smitten kitchen. How we love her site)
We celebrated this weekend with one of my days off. You could say, "a day of indulgence," which it very much was (who says you can't eat desserts 2, 3, or even more times in a day).
In the morning we attended a yoga class. As my health insurance is no more, I need to find other means of keeping my muscles and body in some sort of good shape. I could do it on my own, but what's the fun in that?

I've never done a class or, "session," in anything like this before. So to sit in with 7 other people doing these kinds of things was a little bit intimidating at first. Good thing I had a spot in the very back of the room ;] Every now and then I had to do a quick look around to make sure I was doing things correctly. Very relaxing and very mind numbing (in a good way), it seems to be a good thing to keep doing. The community college up the road from us has a yoga class, and we're going to audit it. Thursday mornings, you're booked for yoga!
Following Yoga was lunch. We had a list of potential places to go, and what better place than a Cheese Shop!


With a great viee on cheese, France 44 Cheese Shop, is a must to visit. They had everything from Chocolates, Oils, Sandwiches, house sauces and spreads...bah! Overwhelmed. I wanted it all. They also set up an area where you could fill up your own bottle of oil to bring home:

Note to self: Need Olive Oil. Always running out. I'm currently buying small $1 size glass containers of Olive Oil from the Grocery down the road. I think we manage 2 - 3 nights of cooking with the amount that's in it. Enough of that though.

Sandwiches. For the love of...sandwiches. What we got was fresh Ciabatta (I think it was Ciabatta) topped w/mozzarella, tomato-garlic confit, greens. Delicious (so delicious, that the next day I made my own tomato-garlic confit to go on our sandwiches for dinner).
Tea anyone?


We were. The only unfortunate part is that they were out of pearls. It happens though. So we put aside the milk tea craving for another day and let chai take hold. It made more sense to get some chai, as it was 0ºF with windchill (that's my guess, but I am an ice cube in any temp).
Back to the 60s now:


hi, Pola <3 em="">

Oh, Mr. Rogers. The many mornings I spent watching your show. Then, to find you here. Awesome.
We went to the 1968 Exhibit that is currently on display at the Minnesota History Center It's examined as a pivotal year in American History. More about everything on the site, but it's all that jazz. The place was packed. I guess if it was a year that I was alive, I would be at the exhibit to reminisce and take a look back at everything that happened during one of the years of my being alive. Kinda makes you wonder, what's going to be up on display 50 years into our future?
Long walks in museum = coffee pick me up time.


Pour over, how I love thee.
We stopped by kopplins in St. Paul. I hear tons of people talk about this place, but have not yet had the chance to experience it. This was also the first place I have ever been table to try a cup of Kenya. I think I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot to take note of what I thought about it.

Dinner consisted of a 3 course meal at Cup-Cake. We were really only there for the red wine soaked pears and the ginger cupcake ;] After dinner we went to watch the Oscar Nominated Short Films in "action." My 3 cheers are for, Norway.
- B
(more valentines fun and Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Squares recipe on the next post, here)