One of Marin County's most beloved and unique events is the famous Mountain Play—an outdoor theater experience high on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais that's been going strong for a century! This year's 100th-anniversary Mountain Play production is Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, the unforgettable story of spirited young governess Maria Rainer, Captain von Trapp and his seven children, and Austria on the eve of the Nazi takeover.

Featuring classic songs like Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, and My Favorite Things, the Mountain Play's production of The Sound of Music is directed by Jay Manley, and features Heather Buck as Maria, Ryan Drummond as Georg von Trapp, and Susan Zelinsky (Marin Paroo in last year's production of The Music Man) as Else Schraeder. Musical direction is by Mountain Play veteran Debra Chambliss.

Performances take place at 2 pm at Mt. Tam's Cushing Memorial Amphitheater on May 19 and 26, and June 2, 8, 9, and 16. General seating ticket prices range from $20–$40., and children 3 and under are free. Reserved seats are available for Mountain Play Fan Club members (starting at $56); higher membership levels include perks like reserved parking and special shuttle passes. Order tickets online here or by phone at (415) 383-1100.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear. Here's Nicole's meal plan for this week.

I have fallen in love with grilling over all different kinds of woods, which impart their smoky goodness into meats. In this recipe, I have used apple wood on my gas grill (because I am too lazy to use a non-gas grill). It is really simple. All you need to do is soak the wood for 30 minutes prior to grilling. Then lay them down over hot lava rock* which is usually placed at the bottom of gas grills. The lava rock creates a more even heat and the soaked wood chips release the fragrant smoke. This time of year, all different types of grilling woods can be found from your local hardware shop to big box stores. Apple wood is nice because it does not impart such as intense smokiness as mesquite but choose the grilling wood you prefer.

Serve with my balsamic-glazed oven roasted carrots.

Servings: 3–4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Inactive time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic grass-fed rib eye beef
• sea salt

We can't think of any family that isn't a fan of Pixar movies, and we especially love the fact that they're made here right in the Bay Area. On June 9, you and your family can experience unforgettable moments from 13 of your favorite Disney/Pixar films in an all new way—accompanied live by our own Marin Symphony!

The first-ever concert of its kind in the North Bay, Pixar in Concert will feature the symphony, led by Maestro Alasdair Neale, in musical selections from Brave, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars, Up, Monsters Inc. Wall-e, Ratatouille, and more. It's a great way to introduce kids to the magic of the orchestra and live music, and a fun way to celebrate the Marin Symphony's 60th season.

Pixar in Concert takes place on Sunday, June 9, at 3 pm at Marin Center's Veterans' Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now (and are apparently going fast!) and range in price from $20 to $75. You can order yours online, by calling (415) 473-6800, or in person at the Marin Center Box Office (Monday–Friday, 11 am–5 pm, and Saturday, 11 am–3 pm). Marin Center is located at 10 Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael, near the Marin Civic Center.

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear. Here's Nicole's meal plan for this week.

My all time favorite Mexican Restaurant is La Taqueria in San Francisco’s Mission District. They make the best carne asada taco I have ever had. My husband and I were in the city a week ago and decided to drive another 30 minutes out of our way just to go eat tacos at La Taqueria. While sitting there gorging on our tacos my husband looked up at me and said that I need to recreate these at home. So, here is my recipe for Carne Asada tacos—La Taqueria style.

Servings: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Refried beans, you can always use my homemade refried bean recipe
• 1-1/2 lbs carne asada or skirt steak

This guest article is by my friend and Marin mom Nancy Grossi, author of the award-winning blog The Wife of a Dairyman. Nancy started her blog at the beginning of 2010, and offers a look into life on one of Marin's many dairy farms. One of her loves is cooking, and here's her recipe for healthy BBQ chicken enchiladas, perfect for Cinco de Mayo dinner on Saturday!

When you have a bunch of leftover BBQ chicken like we did, what do you do with all the extra chicken? I can only eat chicken prepared the same way about five times in a row… no more!

So, I pulled the meat off of four halves and cut it up into chunks to make BBQ Chicken Enchiladas, which was about one pound of meat.

Saute 1/2 an onion with 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Then remove from heat.

This weekend, visitors to Bloomfield Farms' u-pick event will not only be able to pick their own certified organic produce, but plant it as well! Bloomfield Farms was selected to help grow the heirloom squash, pumpkins, and gourds for the giant tower of vegetables at this year's National Heirloom Exposition at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds.

Families visiting the for u-pick on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, can help plant these heirloom seeds (contributed by the Petaluma Seed Bank and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds). Then, come back in the fall to see how they've grown and pick a pumpkin, gourd, or squash (nature permitting, one per customer).

As usual, you'll also find a variety of great organic produce, including, kale, lettuce, chard, artichokes, leeks, broccoli, and more. We hear their new strawberry patch is in full swing now, too. Also, Chef John Lyle will be on hand again this Sunday for a "pay-what-you-can" Farm Fun Brunch. If you haven't been to u-pick yet this is a great weekend to check it out.

Parents Place in San Rafael has been a valuable resource for countless Marin County parents and families. This spring, they offer a wide variety of programs, from yoga for little ones and music time to workshops for new moms and dads and parents of spirited children. Here are a few of their offerings this season:

Yoga for Children (2 ½–5 years)
Yoga for the little ones! This ongoing series includes a playful interpretation of classical yoga poses, with songs, stories, movement, and quiet breath awareness practices for 2 ½- to 5-year-olds. Parent participation is optional, but supervision is required. This series gives kids an introduction to yoga that is both fun and educational and helps build concentration and mindfulness in preschool-aged children. Please bring a mat. With Juliana Birnbaum Fox, MA. Fridays, May 3 - 17, 11:00 - 11:45 am. $42 per child for three weeks; $21 for each sibling. Register here.

For Dads Only - Effective Fathering (all ages)
During this workshop, parent educator and coach Tom Limbert, MA will use his new book,Dad's Playbook: Wisdom for Fathers from the Greatest Coaches of All Times, as a framework for tackling the issues facing today's fathers. Tom will reveal how a father can walk the fine lines of discipline, respect, and support. You will discuss the values of listening, leading by example, staying in the moment, setting clear limits, and motivating your children. (Signed copies of Tom's book will also be available at a discount to attendees). Mon., May 6, 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Register here.

If you've enjoyed any of the numerous song-filled offerings from Bay Area Children's Theatre, then you might very well already be familiar with the work of Marin mom Julia Norton, who serves as musical director for many of their productions, including the current Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. She's also a composer, singer, award-winning recording artist, and teacher.

Marin Mommies caught up with Julia and asked her a few questions about her career, music, and what she and her family love about living in Marin. Learn more about her at www.julianorton.com.

Q: Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background, and how did you get your musical career started?

A: According to my mum, I have been singing since before I could talk. I remember writing my first song with my best friend Lynne when we were 5 or maybe 6. It wasn't much to speak of lyrically and had lots of "la la las" in it, but we thought that if we wore matching pink cardigans, we might fool the public. Aged 8, I joined the village church choir with my mum. It was a 14th-century church and had gargoyles and gravestones carved in old English lettering. There I fell in love with early music, close harmonies and the dark and twisty lyrics that went with them.

Need help with meal planning? (Who doesn't?) Since we all can't afford our own personal chefs, there's Relish, a handy meal-planning service for busy parents.

Relish is an easy to use, mom-run website that helps you prepare healthy, creative meals every week. You pick from a wide variety of delicious, thoroughly tested recipes, a cleverly organized grocery list is automatically created, then you is hit the store to collect the ingredients for five days worth of home-cooked meals—all of which take no more than 30 minutes to prepare.

Relish offers much to choose from including vegetarian menus, healthy lunches, seasonal treats, and kids favorites that don't include the word "nugget."

An oven-puffed pancake, or Dutch baby, is a favorite breakfast in our house. While we love the plain version, this chocolate version is a delicious change of pace and makes a great treat for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert.

Like our other puffed pancake recipe, it's easy to make, delicious, and looks spectacular coming out of the oven. Dust liberally with powdered sugar and top with the fruit of your choice—we like strawberries, but blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are equally good.

Needless to say, there's a hot pan involved, so this isn't a recipe for the little ones to help with. They love to help eat it, though!

Ingredients