Does this have chocolate in it?

Sitting around the dinner table last night - we played guess what is in the food. Yes, we have fun trying to guess flavors and seasonings. Our drink last night was a cranberry and fresh lemon drink. And my 16 year old looked into his glass and tasted it, then said "did you put chocolate in this?". Nope.

We had ribs and rice as our main course. Guess where the chocolate was? Yes, the rice. Who would have thought dirty rice would taste so good. I think what many people don't know is that chocolate actually enhances flavors. I only used about 1 tblsp of Traveler's in the rice. I mixed it in as I turned the heat down to simmer. It really does bring out the flat taste of rice, but when eaten along with the ribs - the flavor is enhanced.

Everyone cleaned their plates and went outside for a bike ride. It is going to be weird when my oldest is in college next year. When the boys were very little, I'd brush their teeth and put them in the bike trailer and tell them stores as we road the quiet streets. By the time we were home they'd be drifting off to sleep. As time continued on they learned to ride on their own and soon life cut our rides out completely.

Over the last year we dusted the handle bars off and we ride "to the stop sign and back" - about 5 miles. It feels like we are ending the same way we began. I am so thankful my boys still enjoy these simple things.

As we ride, I feel like a mama duck with her three ducklings surrounding her, with one whose just got his flight feathers.