Chomper and Our Last Night

Our friends had never been crabbing and while it would have been fun for the kids, 

the nearest place to do so easily was kind of far away...

Plus it was hot and we were hungry.  

So, instead a brilliant idea was hatched:  

when Greg and Jonah went to the fish store,

they bought tuna, clams, steamed crabs AND one live crab...

whom the kids called...Chomper.

The plan was to set him free in the bay, but first--

it was dinner-time.

We had clams, steamed in white wine, butter and garlic with some good sourdough bread.

The kids shucked corn and it was delicious.

We had perfectly cooked and seasoned tuna steaks.

Then, there were the steamed crabs...

(sorry about your cousins, Chomper!!)

There is always a demonstration and instruction on how to best go about devouring whole crabs.

(Magda is a pro!)

Sometimes it's nice to get a little help!

 Crabs are messy.

A little after-dinner run-around and then it was time to set Chomper free.

It was a joint effort.

You never saw a crab move so fast in your life!

That little guy was in the water before we could practically blink.

There was almost no time to say good bye!!

Unfortunately for him, he left behind a leg...but check out his new digs!!

Pretty lucky little crab...

I loved doing this and want it to be our new annual beach tradition...

Kind of how the White House pardons a turkey at Thanksgiving.

From now on, we will set a crab free every summer...

Thank you so much to our friends who came such a long way to be with us...

We had such a wonderful time and we love and miss you even more.

Until next time....

Non-Beach Beach Fun!

The awesome week at the beach continues...but we can't be at the beach all the time...

Sometimes we ride bikes or blow bubbles. 

Sometimes, we get out all of Grandma's fun craft kits and make stuff.  

(See amazing pot holders below!)

But hands down, the best non-beach beach fun is....

FUNLAND!!

Its an old-school amusement park on the boardwalk and its the best--

besides the beach...

and then there is just good old hanging out with our dear friends that we love so much...

Such a special treat for us to be with them!

Beach Vacation 2012!

We are at the beach this week with our dear friends from Santa Fe who flew out to join us for some awesome vacation time together.  Here are some photos from our time so far...

ok, there is more to come from this week but this is a start...love kids at the beach!!

The beginning of Summer

We kicked off the summer season with a busy weekend--

it was a hot one and summer is definitely here.

Things got started Friday which was the last day of pre-school for Luca.  

Ok, just pass the tissues right now...

I am so not ready for my little baby to be going to big kid school.  

To me, this is just one of those really big milestones
that signifies how quickly he is growing up.

(And I am coping as best I can...sniff sniff)

Not to mention how much we adore his Montessori teachers 

and the fact that both he and Magda had a really positive
experience at their lovely little Montessori pre-school.

Its hard to believe that his pre-school days are over and he starts kindergarten in the fall...

Both Greg and I were a mess on Friday but Luca 

(who dressed up for the special occasion) 

was pretty much unfazed and is excited to start the big K in the Fall!

It was a big weekend for Magdalena too....she had her first piano recital on Saturday.  

She played Lazy Mary and The Volga Boatmen.  

Perfectly. 

So proud...

Couldn't take any photos of her while she was playing because 

a) the flash would have been too distracting

and 

b) we couldn't see her from behind the piano, anyway...

This weekend, we were also invited to a double-birthday party, a retirement party--

there was swimming at the pool AND a sleep over at Grandmom's & Poppie.   

I am not sure how we fit it all in 

but I got to have some girlfriends over for a little soiree Saturday night.   

I made tacos.

They were good...

I love tacos. 

Cilantro and tomatillo chicken tacos with a red cabbage salad and black beans.

So, whew, yes, that was our weekend...

Am kind of looking forward to work on Monday...

when I can sit down and relax for a while!

Cherry Pie Season

I love cherries.  LOVE them.  

Especially love them in pie...

Not the cloying, overly sweet, store-bought kind of cherry pie with the cardboard crust.  

But a fresh, home-made, flaky-crust pie--made with sour cherries.

Pure love.

I made such a home-made pie this weekend...

Magda was (still is) a bit sick, running a fever and I thought..

Nothing says get well like a slice of cherry pie!

ok, maybe not exactly but my heart was in the right place...

(hmmm...maybe that is why she is still sick...)

But cherries are loaded with Vitamin C...so surely that is a good thing, right??

And I just put a little sugar, almond, butter, vanilla & flour in to hold it all together...

Cherry Pie with Almond Crumble

adapted from Everyday Foods

1 cup plus 1 T all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), divided plus more for surface

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 t salt, divided

3 cups frozen mixed berries (set to thaw in colander in sink)

1 cup fresh pitted cherries

2 cups drained jarred sour cherries (from 1 24-ounce jar)

1 t pure vanilla extract

1 homemade or store-bought pie crust in a deep dish 9-inch plate

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1/2 cup light-brown sugar

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces.

1/4 cup almonds

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle and lower thirds.  In a large bowl, stir together 1 T flour, granulated sugar, and 1/4 t salt.  Stir in cherries, thawed/drained frozen fruit, and vanilla. Brush

crust with egg white and fill with cherry mixture.

2) In a food processor, pulse together 1 cup flour and 1/4 t salt.  Add brown sugar, butter and almonds; pulse until large pieces form.  Scatter crumble over filling.

3) Bake on middle rack, on baking sheet (covered with foil) on lower rack to catch drips, until topping and crust is golden, 45 minutes.  Tent pie loosely with foil; bake until juices in center are bubbling, 30 to 45 minutes more.  Transfer to rack and let cool.  Server warm or at room temp.  (Cover and keep at room temp, up to 3 days.)

Seriously, so good...and if you have not had cherry pie in a while--

You owe yourself a slice...or at the very least:



Have a bowlfull of cherries.