Trip #3 to Clear Lake

We traveled back to Clear lake on the second to last weekend in July and got to spend time with Kevin's parents, and his sister and her family.  All the cousins had so much fun playing together!

Jumping off the pier!

"Engineering" waterfalls and rivers

Cousins!

Daddy and his boys!

We did an art project where I traced all of the kids' bodies, and they colored them in.

Gamma and Boppy and all their grandchildren!

Group hug!

Michelle and her boys

My friend from high school, Michelle, was visiting from Texas and stopped by with her 2 littleboys for lunch and play. It was so good to see them and the kids really enjoyed playing together!

Little Mermaid Ballet Camp

Caroline took a "Little Mermaid" ballet mini-camp this summer.  The little girls helped make the costumes and scenery, and then did a performance at the end.

Here they are in ACTION!

Diving Board fun!

Our friends Aimee and Dan invited us over to swim at their pool this past weekend. We were thrilled!There is no better way to spend a hot, hot afternoon than to swim with friends!

Crazy Clayton even taught himself to do a flip off the diving board! This is coming from a kid that could barely jump off it a few weeks ago.  He turned into a crazy man and must have gone off the diving board 45 times - each with a new twist - a dive, a flip, a cartwheel, a twisting flip. He was a maniac!

We also tried a new chicken recipe that night and it was a hit with kids and adults alike!

Chick-fil-A Bites with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Serves 2 - 3

Directions:

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup pickle juice (dill)

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup peanut oil, divided (or canola or vegetable oil)

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Whisk together egg, milk and pickle juice, and pour into a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

2. Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Shake to combine. Remove chicken from the marinade and add into the bag. Shake to coat the chicken completely.

3. Heat half the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat (6 or 7 out of 10.) Test the oil by dropping in a bit of the flour mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready, if it pops, lower the temperature a bit.

4. Gently place chicken pieces into the oil with tongs. Do this in 2 batches, as you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken over and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Heat the remaining oil and continue with the other half of the chicken pieces.

5. Stir together the honey mustard dipping sauce ingredients, and serve with the hot chicken bites.

Happy Fourth of July!

Here we are at the Lake Bluff parade.

Lots of fun, despite the fact that it was 108 degrees, Clayton temporarily lost a shoe, I forgot my shoes entirely (but had Kevin's shoes which are 5 sizes too big), and the wagon used to transport the kids on the several block walk, broke.

My parents treated us to a fun and festive cookout at Westmoreland. Lots of great food, music, and entertainment for the kids!

Caroline's festive toes!

Tuna Steaks with Green Goddess Aioli

With swimming lessons most evenings during the week, dinner has to be something that can be made ahead of time or something that can be made very quickly when we get back to the house at 6:10.
Tonight, however, there were no lessons, so I got to try a new summer recipe.  It definitely exceeded my expectations and Kevin's as well. Yeah!  I made tuna steaks, which usually I make with asian spices/wasabi sauces.  Tonight I tried a totally different recipe that had more of a mexican flair.

Here it is...
Tuna Steaks with Green Goddess Aioli

Ingredients:

Aioli:

 1/4 cup sour cream

 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

 1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 1 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped

 2 Tbsp mayonnaise

 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

 1/4 tsp salt

 1 garlic clove, chopped

Tuna:

 1/2 tsp salt

 1/2 tsp ground cumin

 1/2 tsp garlic powder

 1/4 tsp chili powder

 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 3 (6 oz) tuna steaks (about 1 inch thick)

 Cooking spray

Directions:

To prepare aioli, combine first 9 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

To prepare tuna, combine salt, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over tuna.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tuna; cook 2 minutes on each side or until medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Serve with aioli.

9th Anniversary!

Kevin and I celebrated our 9th anniversary with a fun evening in the city. We strolled Michigan Avenue, ate dinner in the Rush neighborhood, had an amazing dessert at Allium in the Four Seasons, and stayed the night at the Knickerbocker hotel.  What a fun treat for us! Happy 9th Anniversay to my wonderful husband!
 A big thanks goes to BB and Aunt Meredith for taking care of the kids while we were gone.

Lake Week

We spent the last week in June at Clear Lake with Kevin's extended family.  We all had such a great time - ski runs, beach play, boat rides, tubing, jet-skiing, walks, Tom's Donuts, Caruso's pizza, celebrating Kevin's 40th birthday, and just enjoying eachother's company. 

Clayton trying water skiing - So close!  video

The Clear Lake week was capped off with a show - written and performed by the cousins. I didn't tape the actual show, but did manage to video the final song.