journey of life

This is just one of the pictures Holly took while we were at the beach. Follow the link to her blog to see more!

What can be better than spending the last few drops of summer on the beach with some good friends?  Not much.

On a whim, Paul and Holly decided to make good use of some airline money that was going to expire and take a trip…a trip somewhere without the kids…for the first time since Kate was born.  And they invited us! What an honor.  We looked into several destinations before settling on the Tampa Bay, Florida area.  Sunshine, sand and direct flights for all of us were all deciding factors.

In Gwen fashion, here goes:

$11.00 - Klondike bars.
$199.00 - One night for a two-room gulf front at the Sunset Vistas.
$14.00 - Hat that won’t fit ANY of us.
$125.00 - Half day sailboat rental.
$125.00 - Half day sailboat rental refund. (Note: The motor had water mixed in with the gas.  Once we got out in the bay, the motor gave out and Gilligan Ben came to rescue us.)
$75.00 - Rental car for the weekend. (Note:  We used Budget and our Costco membership.  Costco rental car deals are the cheapest deals around.)
$1.65 - Postcards to mail.

Relaxing, laughing, sunset watching, midnight swimming, reminiscing, talking, juggling, thunderstorm watching, kite flying, frisbee throwing, Scrabble playing, reading, seashell collecting…free AND priceless.  Although it might be impossible to schedule this on a yearly basis, we are definitely going to try and make it a regular occurance.

1 pound pasta
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot (or 1/4 cup finely diced onion), finely diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the pasta. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.

This year’s Clambake was easy-breezy. We were ahead of schedule the entire day, the only snafu the day of the bake was an emergency run for forks, so all in all, it was a huge success. If you missed it, here’s pictures and some brief highlights.

• Gorgeous, glistening Greg is a god when it comes to chopping wood. Just ask “the men” who admired him “theatre in the round” style.
• What the fork? We don’t have any forks? Emergency run to get more.
• Next year Laura earns her ten-year pin. Erin earns her twenty-year pin. They both would like recognition, please.
• Erin is the cleanest Apprentice Fire Master. Ever.
• Wooden tables and benches eventually rot and need to be replaced.
• Seasoned firewood is a must for next year. Unless the transition to propane is a reality. Cliff, be prepared.
• More family bonding activities for next year: horseshoes, volleyball and lawn darts are on the list. FYI : Everyone will be a winner.

4 pounds seedless grapes
1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1-8 ounce container sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Wash and dry grapes. If you like, you can cut them in half lengthwise. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and refrigerate until serving.

Recipe courtesy of Bonita Williams.

Notes:  Everybody loves this recipe.  Matt says, “I think the best ratio of grapes to walnuts is that you get about 1 walnut per three grapes in a bite.”  Since I use pecans, not walnuts, maybe he would like me to change.  Also, it might make a difference if I use chopped nuts instead of whole nuts.