Eating out at the Jersey Shore

Pizza is a must-have when at the Jersey Shore. We enjoyed my favorite White Basil Pie with fresh garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella & ricotta cheese topped with fresh basil.
Doesn't it look delicious?

Apparently Owen did not care for green food.

Ben and I enjoyed buying and eating icecream from the vendor at the beach. Here I'm giving him a little assistance with the drips.

There is nothing quite as good as eating a fudgsicle at the beach!

Owen is too young for Mexican food but he is definitely enjoying his snack.

Lindsay and Dave picking over the bones.

Finger-lickin' good Buffalo chicken wings at the Commodore Club.

Homemade margaritas were a must to take to a Mexican byob restaurant. Kris had his own recipe and they were delicious.

Two happy senoras.







Ben loving his Cuppa (grampa).

A proud Grammy.

Ben loving his little brother.

Going to Carmen's waterfront restaurant is a tradition for Lindsay and Kris. It wouldn't be a shore vacation without it.

We had one healthy dinner at home and enjoyed decadent food at various restaurants the rest of the week. I just love having company at the shore.









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Vacation From Reality

Lately, I have not been caring for Mom in Sun City Center, Florida, but I have been enjoying a vacation in Sea Isle City, New Jersey. I call it, "my respite with guilt", as I've left most of the mom stuff to my sister for a good part of the summer. Pushing the guilt aside for the moment, I'm feeling happy about a recent visit we had with family here at the shore.

Our beautiful daughter arrived from Michigan with her great husband, fun-loving 4-year old, cuddly 9-month old, a stroller, portacrib, tons of toys and three diagnosed cases of very contagious pink eye! You have never seen so much hand washing and laundry as when there is pink eye in the house. My husband was soon joining them in the eye drops ritual. Somehow I avoided the pink eye but I did get sick with a virus the minute they drove out of the driveway on their way home. Other than that, our son-in-law had to make a trip to the walk-in clinic to the tune of $200 for an ear ache, the ocean was an unseasonably cold 58 to 60 degrees, but no one got a sunburn and that was a miracle in itself.

My brother drove the 2 hours each way to visit with his niece and her family. He enjoyed a great day on the beach and reconnected with that side of the family. During the week we ate a few meals at home but had many dinners out to add to the fun. We played card games at night after we read the kids their final book before bed. Took the kids to the boardwalk to listen to live music and I danced the conga line with the 4-year old. My daughter and her husband went on mini-excursions to get some alone-time while we happily babysat. My husband took the older one to the arcade and out for ice cream. All simple acts but memories for us all to keep.

We've made it a practice to try and see the grandchildren every three months even leaving the paradise of sunny Florida to go up north in the snow. Every time it has been worth it and we come home (or they leave after coming to us) filled up with love and smiles. As anyone with a grandchild knows, there is nothing like spending time with them, watching them change and grow. It is also a joy to watch our daughter as she parents her children. Not once in 8 days did she raise her voice to them. She managed to keep both boys under control with laughter, praise, attention, distraction, and mild discipline. She played on the floor for hours with both of them mauling her and roughhousing. I'm in awe as I know I was never as patient when she and her brother were young. Only lately, after spending time with mom and her disease have I developed the skill of distraction and patience that seems to come so easily to my daughter. What a joy to witness her and her family together.

I'll go back to Florida soon enough to help out with mom. In the meantime, I'm looking at photos of the visit and reliving every minute of a happy time during my hiatus.

Chips Discovery

A quick post to recommend delicious tortilla chips we discovered. Try these spicy chips for a change. Mission brand Cilantro Lime Tortilla Triangles. They come in a brown paper-type bag with green, yellow and red print. They are good straight out of the bag and also tasty as nachos.

One reader requested the fish tacos recipe but I'd like to make them a few more times first to be sure I can describe the cooking procedure for the fish. I'm making more of the slaw this afternoon for my husband who can't get enough of it.

We are having company tomorrow so I'll spend a good part of today cooking so we can enjoy the beach when they get here.

Might as Well Just Give in at the Beginning

My son is like a dog with a bone. He will not let go of an idea until you finally give in and agree with him. I guess that is why he is good at sales which is his profession. He has been nagging me for two years to try a recipe that he absolutely loves. When I mentioned this to my daughter, his sister, she said, "You must be exhausted." She, too, knows what it is like to have her brother hot and excited about something. Lately he has been after her to buy a Netti pot. Personally, I agree that it is probably a great thing to own if you are subject to allergies or colds, although I don't own one yet. In fact, I may have been the one to convince him to get it in the first place as I saw Dr. Oz demonstrate it on Oprah. Anyway, so far she has resisted but will eventually give in I'm sure. He is just so hard to resist. He's not obnoxious or pushy. Well, I guess he is pushy but in the most charming way possible. He presents the most convincing arguments and changes any negative thoughts you may have into positive ones.

My sister had a dog, Rocky, for about 17 years. I love dogs more than people so when I say he was obnoxious, you can believe me. He rarely came out from under the bed and when he did, he would bite you as often as not. He urinated all over the rugs the last year or so and sis was wishing for his early demise. Well, 17 isn't early but the sooner the better. When he finally did pass, she cried for days. She did love him in spite of his flaws and she mourned for quite a long time. However, she declared she would NEVER have another dog.

Several years later my son had to give his puppy up for adoption as he was moving to a new town with a new job and would be travelling extensively. He knew this would be unfair to leave his wonderful dog alone all day or for days at a time so he looked for a good family for her. My sister didn't have a prayer. He had her by the second sentence out of his mouth. She adopted the dog and loves her immensely.

He only "sells" things or ideas that are worthwhile. I should be able to trust him by now as he has never let me down. I don't know why it took me two years to try the recipe for fish tacos. I finally tried them tonight and they were absolutely delicious. I'm sorry I wasted so much time when I could have been enjoying them. He was right.

Fair warning: if you see him coming either put in ear plugs or just go ahead and do what he says right away as you will do it eventually anyway.