Stockton's Chicago Dog

I'm in Chicago working this week, and passed an interesting family landmark on my way out of Midway airport. A couple of months ago, on a layover on our way to Florida, we had a couple of hours to kill and decided to hit the food court. Stockton had heard how great Chicago hot dogs were and wanted to try one. He chose to sample the fare at "Gold Coast Dogs".

With the exception of the "sport peppers", and the absence of ketchup (a no-no for Chicago dogs), he thought it was OK. That all changed during our flight to Florida when the dog came back to haunt him (I'll leave the details to your imagination). Anyway, Stockton has avoided hot dogs of all sorts since then. He also has an irrational fear of sport peppers (it was the residual sport pepper juice, apparently, that caused him distress).

Do you like tacos?

Our kids have different but equally strange senses of humor, which is puzzling given their buttoned-up prim-and-proper whitebread parents. In any case, they've done their research and are proud to present their picks for funniest t-shirt of all time. Sawyer has memorized the "taco" t-shirt and repeats it often to anyone who'll listen. Here are their picks:




If you're curious and want to see more, visit www.torsopants.com

Sophie Loves Spaghetti

Sophie's pediatrician told me to stop feeding her baby food a few months ago, reasoning that kids who are spoon fed by Mom for too long never learn how to eat. It is really difficult for me to not always feed Sophie and this is why. She is developing her independence and tonight she refused to let me help her. Finally, I let her go for it. She really likes spaghetti!

hunter-seeker droid

Look out! The hunter seeker-droid attacks unexpecting enemy starships without them even knowing!This robot looks like space junk when it's folded up, but this robot can destroy anything with it's laser cannons!

Lori's version Voodoo Chicken salad

Okay, several of you have asked me for this recipe. Sorry it has taken me so long to get it to you. I love this salad and we eat it about once a week. It is relatively healthy and the dressing has a bit of a kick so Earl will eat it. I hope you all enjoy! The dressing makes a lot. I make it in a big Mason jar and keep it in the fridge. The dressing is the hardest part to make, so once that is in the fridge you can make the salad quickly.

Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing

3 tsp. chili garlic sauce (SRIRACHA brand is what I use, get it in Asian food section)
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil (whisk this in slowly)

3 cups salad greens (I use the ones from Costco)
2 tablespoons Feta cheese
1 large diced tomato
2 chicken breasts cooked and diced (season w/teriyaki sauce or lime juice)
2-3 handfuls crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup Niblets corn
3 tablespoons red onion
sesame seeds (optional)

The corn, black beans and onion are not in the original recipe, but I really like a hearty salad so I add them. I season and grill the chicken on the indoor grill or outdoor grill. It is also a good way to use up leftover chicken. I hope you enjoy.

Fourth of July Festivities

Our family had a fun Independence Day weekend. We spent the 4th at Uncle Chris and Aunt Angie's bar-b-que. The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousin Cole. A special thanks to Angie for having a party while 7 plus months pregnant. Annika made some pretty special cupcakes for the event, be sure to check out the pictures. Earl thought Sophie would be scared of the fireworks, but she wasn't. She didn't cry once, although I did see her try to plug her ears during the Piccolo Petes.

Saturday we went out on Utah Lake with our friends Tara and Jason. The kids had a blast riding their 3 person tube behind the boat. Annika and Sawyer were a little scared, but after a lot of persuading (Earl basically threw them onto the tube) they had fun. Annika loved it and wants to go again! After the lake, we went to our neighborhood fireworks show and it was fantastic! The fireworks were like a professional show, and we were right under them. At one point, the ashes were falling on Sophie and I had to move a bit.

Pleasant Grove Road Rant

The roads here SUCK. The city installed a pressurized irrigation system last year (which has been good), but they had to dig all the roads up, leaving a network of bumps, sinkholes, cracks, and any other road deformity you can think of.

This being the case, I thought I'd spruce up the City's logo and web banner a bit to better reflect the unique character of our city.