July camping, Lake Kachess

The kids, the campfires, the meal time bustle around the picnic table...another fun camping trip with the Schwartz-Oz team.

(Not pictured for a change: Chris!)

(Tee hee. Eric eating a marshmallow in the background.)

 

First steps

Not to be out-done by the world's greatest athletes, Tillie took her first steps on the first night of the Olympics, right as we were all trying to watch the opening ceremony. Twelve months, two weeks -- and walking.

Lattice butterfly pie

This year we grew our OWN rhubarb for butterfly pie (which, at this point, just means that Tristen and I made it and winged the recipe). We used local organic cherries and pitted them using a bonafide pitter and a homemade one -- a beer bottle and a metal straw (worked pretty well!).

Just as we started rolling out the dough, Tristen came up with the idea to make the pie "like it always looks in books." He had to draw it for me.

And so we tried our hand at lattice. It turned out really well, but we forgot to get a picture of the cooked version. The taste was good, but not our best. I had used a little whole wheat flour for the crust and didn't add quite enough sugar to make up for that. I don't think our guests -- Nishan, Anishka, and Archana -- minded, though.

Ducklings

One!

We were actually camping (stay tuned for that post) on Tillie's birthday, so we celebrated mid-week with fancy cupcakes (courtesy of Aunt Amy). Proud mom that I am, I had to include the full range of cupcake-tasting pix here: setup, presentation, full face, delight, and aftermath.

Midwest in July

SUCH a great trip to the Midwest in July, if a bit hot (106 when we landed in St. Louis). As usual, the Alton relatives made us feel so loved and at home. And the Iowans drove down! Great to see everyone.

Afternoons at the pool. A trip to the water park.  Lightening bugs in the backyard. Fireworks at the levy. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Not pictured: Kerch, Sophie, and Phillip -- we spent some really cherished time with them.

Dena and Elana hanging at the pool.

Bo.

Tillie and Chris.

Elaina and Chris. Fun to be with family.

Waiting on the fireworks.

More waiting on fireworks. Everyone has their method.

Tillie and Aunt Lori.

Tillie and Cousin Ashten.

Will and Tristen at the City Museum.

Peanut sauce

Our tried and true recipe comes from Vegetariana by Nava Atlas.

.5 c peanut butter
 3 to 4 Tbsp soy sauce, to taste
1 small onion, chopped (do not double if you double the recipe)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp honey (or we sometimes just use sugar)
2 Tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar (or more to taste)
1 tsp chili powder
cayenne pepper to taste
water to thin
clove of garlic, optional (not part of original recipe, but I often add it)

Place all the ingredients in the container of a food processor or blender, using about 0.5 cup water. Process until smooth. Taste. Adjust.

Pour the sauce into a small, heavy saucepan and heat over low heat until warm -- or simply toss with hot noodles, rice, or veggies. The sauce thickens slightly on heating. Be careful not to burn it!

Happy Independence Day

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest

Dear Tillie, welcome to the Pacific Northwest. Your dad and big bro took you on your first hike. I'm not sure which lake you visited -- I was working -- but clearly you saw the best and worst of it: devil's club and huckleberries. This was the first of MANY family hikes we'll drag you on (just ask Tristen). Good thing you seemed to enjoy it! Love, Mom.