Macy's Flower Show

Nick and I were lucky enough to check out the Macy's Flower Show at the Macy's in downtown Minneapolis yesterday. Macy's had this show going on for two weeks in 5 cities across the country; Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, San Francisco, and Minneapolis! It was simply amazing! First of all, I thought we were just exploring the city and going to shop around for a few hours. Nick led me upstairs to the top floor at Macy's where this great (and free!) flower show was going on. I had heard about it on the radio and was super excited when I realized that's why we were downtown. What a sweet husband I have!

It was absolutely beautiful and inspiring. I took many pictures and am excited to share some of them. You just can't recreate the atmosphere we experienced- the smell of fresh flowers everywhere was wonderfully overwhelming, the flowers were beautiful, the lighting was perfect, the music was peaceful yet energizing. It felt like a dream world or like we were in Alice in Wonderland. Anyway, here are some photos I took attempting to capture the moment...

The view as people walk into the exhibit

I loved this - it reminded me of the movie Up

This purple was so deep and bold

A pretty assortment of colors of the friendliest flower

Beautiful Orchids

This flower show was a great way for us to welcome spring and remind ourselves of the beauty of God's creations. We just have to take some time this spring to enjoy them.

Some Good Food

We've tried a few new (and easy!) recipes lately and really liked them.
I thought I'd share them...

Marinated Turkey Tenderloins

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup reduced sodium teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (we didn't have any, so we left it out)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 pounds turkey tenderloins

Combine the first 11 ingredients in resealable container. Pour 2/3 cup into a large resealable plastic bag; add turkey. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Before starting the grill, coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Drain and discard marinade from turkey. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 7-9 minutes; baste with reserved marinade. Turn and grill 7-9 minutes longer or until juices run clear. We used our George Foreman Grill to cook them, they were great and we loved the flavor. Summer, here we come!

Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 teaspoons honey
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon parsley
2 salmon fillets
Salt and pepper to taste

We marinated our salmon overnight with the mustard, butter (may need to be melted), and honey to soak up the flavor. You could skip the marinade and add it before you add next few ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.

Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon flakes when tested with a fork. Enjoy! Yum...