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Last Friday I reached some sort of milestone – surpassed a quarter-century on this planet and had a nice, relaxing weekend to bring it in. My parents, who were in town to visit an Aunt, were able to meet up for breakfast at Stacks on Friday morning. After another hectic day at work (these are becoming more frequent), Kolina and I made dumplings! She also surprised me with four bottles of Ommegang beer – a very thoughtful gift since I love the beer whenever we go to aziza and hadn’t tried all the varieties.

From 2011 Random Photos

The dumplings were most delicious and I didn’t take a photo because I was too busy eating! Some friends came over later and we finished an excellent bottle of sake.

From 2011 Random Photos

Saturday I literally did nothing. I had been wanting to try cooking slow cooked ribs for the longest time (bought the ribs weeks ago, had to freeze them), but it was finally time to give it a shot! A recipe from Smitten Kitchen was my inspiration.

Brown sugar was an immediate tip-off that this would be a hit:

From 2011 Random Photos

The rub covered the ribs nicely:

From 2011 Random Photos

And then I wrapped them up:

From 2011 Random Photos

And put them in the oven for 4 hours at 200 degrees. Then I lowered the temperature for another two hours. The result:

From 2011 Random Photos

It was a lot of meat! To be honest, I think I still prefer ribs off a grill but this was a good recipe for a rainy day. The sauce didn’t reduce and get as thick as I would have liked, so breaking out my trust bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce is always a good option B.

On Sunday my parents and I headed up for lunch at Burma Superstar and then spent the afternoon at the California Academy of Sciences. Despite plethora of small children running around, the academy was spectacular. They’ve really done a fabulous job there – the lighting is great, the exhibits are well thought out, and there’s even a local/organic cafeteria, if you’re into that sort of thing. I was not, since I ate at Burma Superstar. Anyway, some photos:

From California Academy of Sciences

From California Academy of Sciences

From California Academy of Sciences

Quite possibly, no, most certainly, the coolest sea creature I’ve ever seen:

From California Academy of Sciences

Rest of the photos here. Evening ended with Kolina’s parents meeting my parent’s for dinner at Chef Chu’s, which is looking to be our rehearsal dinner restaurant. A great weekend! Now if only the weather can get better to go out and bike…