Happy Halloween

 

Festive Fun at Casa Bonita

 "Believe that you can do it under any circumstances. Because if you can, then you really will. That belief just keeps you searching for the answers, then pretty soon you get it." (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!  

 

 Last night was an absolute dream, a vibrant explosion of color, flavor, and pure, unadulterated fun at a place that holds a special, almost mythical status in Colorado: Casa Bonita! And to top it all off, we were there during their incredible Day of the Dead celebrations, making the experience even more magical.

 

    From the moment we stepped through those iconic doors, it was clear this wasn't just any dinner. The air buzzed with excitement, a delightful mix of familiar Casa Bonita charm and a beautiful, reverent nod to Día de los Muertos. papel picado hung gracefully, colorful altars (ofrendas) were thoughtfully decorated with marigolds and candles, and intricate sugar skulls smiled from various nooks. It was a feast for the eyes before we even sat down!

 

    Our journey began, as it always does, by winding our way through the cafeteria line, the anticipation building with every tray slide. Mike and I did tacos and my mom enchiladas. And, of course, no trip to Casa Bonita is complete without a generous helping of those divine sopapillas!

 

    But let's be honest, while the food is part of the experience, the true magic of Casa Bonita lies in its atmosphere. We snagged a fantastic table with a view of the lagoon and, within minutes, the legendary cliff divers began their mesmerizing plunges! It's still as thrilling as ever to watch them soar through the air, hitting the water with a perfect splash. The cheers and applause from the crowd were infectious.

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!

 

 

All Is Good

 "Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." (Marie Curie)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!  

 

     Sorry to leave you hanging with that cryptid-themed "I'll be back Tuesday" note! Seriously, things are actually going fantastically over here. I should've led with the good news instead of the folklore—my bad! 

 

     Get ready for some great news: Mike is officially here! He rolled in on Saturday, and we've been spending every possible second together. Honestly, it feels like he's been part of our beautiful chaos forever—he's blending right into the family crazy! The best part? He and my mom are thick as thieves. It's been absolutely brilliant having him around!

 

     He's officially part of the furniture! We've just been doing our usual thing, and he's completely blended in. But the real news? Tonight we're hitting Casa Bonita for their Día de Muertos celebration! I've seen some TikToks, and it looks absolutely incredible—think cliff divers meets an epic, colorful party. On the home front, we're deep into movie marathon mode, and get this: even Scooter has decided he's an old pal now. It's like they've known each other forever! I’m really happy with things. We clicked online and now we’re doing it in real life. 

 

     Can you believe we're almost at the end of our first holiday together? Time flies when you're having fun... and planning for scares! 

 

    This year, we're skipping the trick-or-treat candy handouts. Instead, we're going old-school with a full day of frights. We'll be glued to TCM for a marathon of the classic Universal Monster movies! Think Dracula, Frankenstein, and the whole gang. Then, once the sun sets and the true darkness descends, we'll cap off the night with a double dose of Michael Myers: the original $Halloween$ (1978) and $HalloweenII$ (1981). It's going to be a night of cinematic horror history!

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!

Enjoy the Journey

 

I'll be back on Tuesday

Harvest Apple Salad (recipe)

 "The grass isn't greener on the other side. It's greener where you water it." (Author Unknown)

Hello, my lovely friends!

The Autumn season is really in full gear here and I wanted to make something for the season, but healthy for you. My mom wanted a salad and that’s when I knew I wanted to add apples, nuts and cranberries to it. I didn’t take any pictures (my bad), but I still wanted to share the recipe with you all. 

Harvest Apple Salad
What I used:
Bag of salad (any kind, I used an Italian one) I always re-wash my salads that are in a bag
Choice of veggies (bell peppers, grape tomatoes, radishes, & carrots)
Apples, 2 cubed
Parsley, handful cut up
Boiled eggs, 2
Salad Toppings (croutons, cranberries & pecans)
Chicken breast, 2
Bacon, 4 slices

Maple Bacon Mustard Dressing
2 TBSP. Bacon Grease 
1/3 cup Maple syrup (I used the sugar-free syrup)
2 TBSP. Red Wine Vinegar
3 TBSP. Honey Dijohn Mustard
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper

Directions
1. First thing I started was my eggs. I place the eggs in a pan add cold water over them and put them on the stove. When they start boiling and really a rolling boil I turn them off, cover them with a lid and let them cook for about 8 minutes. I peel them and place them in the fridge (my mom likes them cold)

2. Next I cooked the four slices of bacon. I let it cool down before I cut it up into pieces to top the salad. I always keep my bacon grease, but this time I put it in a small jar to make the dressing. 

3. In the same frying pan I cooked the bacon I all cooked the chicken. I went simple with just some salt and pepper on it. After the chicken cooled down I cut both pieces into bite-sized pieces.

4. Toss all the veggies, apples and herbs with the salad. We added our own chicken bacon and toppings to it. My mom likes cutting up her egg into her salad and I eat them cut in half with salt and pepper.

5. Salad recipe add everything together into a jar, put a lid on it and shake it up. 

There you have it a perfect salad for the autumn season. You could also add pears instead of the apples and that would be yummy!

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!

Spread Your Magic