We did NOT get up at the crack of dawn. Well, except for me, the unlucky person who cannot sleep past 7:00 regardless of how late we stayed up talking (and we stayed up REALLY LATE for us.) MaryAnne obliged by being polite and showing off for K. and S., fetching her ball and letting S. pet her. Leo hid under the bed or inside the box spring the entire time they were here. S. got to see a brief glance at him when he was out on the bed, for about 20 seconds.

I had tried a new recipe for breakfast casserole in the slow cooker. I do not recommend it – very bland and being in the slow cooker so long cooks it all together like mush, it creates a weird texture. I may try the leftovers in a soft taco shell with some hot sauce and bacon this week, we will see.

It looks pretty good:

Maybe next time I will try one of the ones with bread rather than potatoes. I will report back if I find success.

We hit the road for Starbucks for our caffeine needs, and then headed to IKEA. S. was looking for some things for the wedding, and Ken and I were thinking about one of their couches for our downstairs living room. It is a long, narrow room, and you have to come downstairs and around the corner, so we can’t fit anything traditional larger than a loveseat down the stairs. We think we want the Ecktorp sofa with two sides, and would put that in the corner and along the wall where the entertainment center is now, and would then need to get a flatscreen TV that would mount on the opposite wall. This is several months of saving away….. We still managed to spend money without buying the couch on a magnetic knife rack, chair cushions for my mom, a multi-hanger for my scarves, etc. in the closet, and a set of plastic containers to replace some of ours that have seen better days. I stayed away from the chocolate bars, which I now regret. S. found several things but some of them are for the wedding SO MY LIPS ARE SEALED! :  )

S. is originally from Boston and has been lonely for Jewish deli food, so I knew right where to take her. Bagel Deli (my previous post on their wonderful food)! If I lived closer, I would probably eat here once a week. S. had to do a little happy dance, she was so glad to be there. I ordered three different things so I could get a taste of some foods I hadn’t had before. Well, the matzo ball soup wasn’t new, but I am not going to go there without getting some. I showed some restraint and just got a cup this time, not a bowl. It was fabulous as always. S. had a cup of this too.

I also had noodle kugel, which I had never had before. It was actually kind of sweet, with raisins and pineapple. I loved it. Would definitely have it again. Generally, I have felt that way about everything I have had to eat here.

Bagel Deli being so close to IKEA is keeping me from eating at IKEA. I also had an order of Kasha Varnishkas, which is bowtie pasta with buckwheat groats. That may sound weird but it is tasty.

The bowtie pasta in this is not meant to be al dente, and it is not. It is lovely, delightful, earthy comfort food. Mmmmmmm. I would eat some right now if I had some.

S. knew she could taste some of my dishes, so she ordered a corned beef sandwich with chopped liver on the side, and a potato latke. I had never had chopped liver, and she let me sample. It is good! Not that liver-y at all, it is seasoned well and tasty.  I could probably eat a bunch of that with some toasted crackers! The look on S.’s face when she tasted it would have been worth a 50 mile drive.

The corned beef was also excellent, and I got the leftovers to take home! Mmmmm.

I did not get a bite of the latke, I was busy with my own plate, so I will have to get one of those next time….

After the Bagel Deli, we visited Denver Fabrics, to look for some possible wrap fabric for the wedding (we found a possibility) and then took them on a drive through the Denver downtown area (we are trying to influence them to move down here if they ever move) and then we headed home to sit around and visit, and/or nap.