The Secret to a Good Marriage

Here it is, exactly what you have been looking for, the big secret to having a good marriage. Are you ready for this? Here you go:

You leave. That's right, you drop your kids with some relatives, and you run away. Get away from the house, the laundry, work, the endless list of things that need to be done, and just go! You do this at least once a year, and at least for a whole night. It might be a little weird at first as you remember what it's like to talk to just an adult. What do adults talk about anyway? But eventually you remember, and remember all the things you have in common (besides the kids) and you remember why you fell in love in the first place. 

Marquis and I ran away back in March, and as I have been looking through the pictures today, all I am finding are pictures of food. And really, that's what this whole trip seemed to be about. And we LOVED it. 

First, we stopped and bought a variety of delicious cheeses, some crackers, and a little fruit, planning ahead for a midnight snack. We then checked in at the hotel (got a nice hotel for cheap on a Groupon, woot woot!), dropped the cheese in the mini fridge, and then we were off to a fancy restaurant. We had, of course, researched the nearby restaurants online and found one that seemed have really delicious food for a very reasonable price. We arrived at The Mariposa in Park City and the waiter welcomed us, then let us know that their menu was a little different than the normal restaurant. In order to give us the opportunity to try many different dishes, what they actually served were what they called "tasting plates." Suddenly the prices on the menu made more sense, and inside I reminded myself that at least we had lots of cheese and crackers back at the hotel. 

We started with a bread assortment. Those flaxseed crackers in the middle were yummy!

Sometimes the food is so good, you forget to take pictures until after it's gone. In this shot, there was once one perfectly cooked scallop on that plate in the front that has a teeny bit of sauce and salad left. We split it in half and each enjoyed our one bite of scallop. The plate in the back has the last two perfect lemon thyme gnocchi. 

Next up, we had some bison and a caramelized onion tart. Unfortunately for Marquis and fortunately for me, the tart was very much egg based, enough that it would have made him pretty sick (egg allergy). Yummmm, delicious tart just for me!

The bison was very delicious, too!

Last was a homemade pasta with beets, quail, pinenuts, and some kind of sauce. To be honest, this dish was meh. If you got a bite that had all the elements in it, then it was good, but not spectacular. If you missed one of the things in your bite, then just meh. 

This, however, wow this! Wow, wow, wow! Despite the fact that these were tasting plates with teeny servings, we were both really full at this point. Marquis had one bit of each element of this dessert, and I planned to do the same, except wow! The star of the show was that ball of chocolate covered chocolate ice cream. I'm not usually a fan of chocolate ice cream, but after the first bite of this, I curled up on the floor and died, because nothing better than that bite could ever happen in my life. Not literally, of course, but wow! There is also a poached pear here, and the bumpy brown bit in the middle is actually chocolate with Pop Rocks in it, which was unusual, but that ice cream! Have I said wow yet? Because wow!!!

After our delicious meal we went back to our hotel stuffed and happy, and didn't even need our midnight cheese snack. Of course, we are old farts and so were asleep at midnight anyway.  

The next morning, we skipped the typical free blah continental breakfast (wow, we have really become food snobs, haven't we?) and instead went to a bed and breakfast nearby called the Blue Boar Inn that had been recommended by a friend. Apparently on the weekends they serve a five course breakfast. Five courses! 

First, why not start with some pastries?

Next, to be honest I'm not sure if this was a very chunky drink or very juicy fruit, but it was yummy.

Next was a little pancake/crepe thing that was yummy, but we didn't get a picture. 

The main course came next. I had been craving Eggs Benedict since, well, never mind, I'm pretty much always craving Eggs Benedict. 

Marquis had salmon with potatoes and asparagus. We were laughing at the time that Marquis's favorite breakfasts always look an awful lot like dinner. 

We were so very full by the end that we had them put the rosemary scone dessert in a box to take home. 

We went from the B&B right to a gas station nearby to fill up, and while Marquis was filling up the car I snuck a bite. And then another. And another. I really love scones!

Then we were ready to go get our girls and get back to real life, rejuvenated and more in love than before. And maybe just a little bit fatter.