the races, the fair, and the boss

Last week was all about squeezing the last bit of fun out of what remains of summer. We started with a long weekend that included house guests (my parents and my sister + boyfriend). Saturday was a track day. We had a few reserved seats in the clubhouse and a picnic table setup back near the paddock area. It was a good time.

Abby put a lot of thought into her picks for the day.


Thanks to Tim's nephew (who works in security at the track), Mira and I got to watch a race from inside the winner's circle.


Our guests left Sunday, then Monday we went to the county fair. The girls love seeing all the animals. Abby's favorite are the pigs. (I wonder what she'd think if I told her that her most beloved food, bacon, is from a pig??) Mira liked the little ducklings. Tim's cousin was exhibiting some cows there, so Abby got to pet a calf. Mira is more the observer-type, so she didn't want to climb up in the stall (and neither did I).
And it wouldn't be a trip to the fair without the obligatory teacup ride with Papa. Good thing Papa isn't fazed by all that spinning.

On Tuesday, we took the girls to a concert: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was great! We set up a little camp on the lawn and the girls had a lot of fun dancing with their glow sticks/bracelets and eating all the candy we brought. Athough, the sugar rush wasn't enough to keep them going to the end. They both fell asleep during the encore!

patio project - finished!

Yay! Our new patio is all done and tastefully appointed with appropriately-sized rocking chairs.

patio project - phase 2

Oh yeah, this is looking good. By Sunday we'll be sitting out there keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

patio project - before

After last summer's massive deck/patio project, we found ourselves with some extra patio stones. Well, since our favorite family construction guru had some free time this week, we decided to put those stones to use and make a patio in the front of our house.

This is what it looks like today. We started last night by transplanting one of the shrubs.

We're going to take out the sidewalk and replace it with a patio/walkway that fills the area starting from where the edge of the sidewalk is now into the recess abutting the house (where the shrubs are). Should have the after picture sometime next week! Can't wait!

grilled pizza

Grilled pizza is really easy and super quick for a weeknight meal. We tried it the other night for the first time and they came out great.

First you need to make dough, make sauce, and get your toppings ready. Here's a recipe.


Or, if you feel lazy like I did, you can buy some pre-made pizza dough (my grocery store carries it, but the best option is to score some from your local pizza shop), use jarred sauce and whip out some pre-grated cheese. If I'd had more time and energy that day, I would have handmade the dough, sauce, and freshly grated the cheese (or used slices of fresh mozzarella instead).

Once your dough is ready, just roll it or stretch it to be about 1/4 inch thickness. Get your grill super hot (mine was reading around 600 degrees) and make sure those grates are clean. Brush the dough with olive oil and put it (oiled side down) on the grill. Cook the first side until it's a little bit browned and sorta crispy. Brush the uncooked side with olive oil and flip the dough.

Here's where you move fast (or if you are not that quick, you can take the pizza off the grill to put the toppings on). Quickly brush cooked side (now facing up) with more olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and top lightly with tomato sauce and cheese (and basil, if you like that sort of thing). You want to move fast so the cheese has a chance to melt before the bottom crust burns. If you overdo the toppings, it will be soggy and not good.

When it's done, you end up with a light, crispy, slightly charred crust with just the right balance of toppings.


And you can get all creative with toppings. I think next time I'll try caramelized onions, smoked Gouda, prosciutto (or bacon), and thyme.

a sloppy day at the track

Sunday we went to the Saratoga Racecourse for the first time since opening day on Wednesday. We probably should have gone on Saturday instead because Sunday was rainy and all-around dreary (how unusual for this beautiful summer we're having...). But determined to get our racing fix, we packed up our umbrellas and raincoats and managed to enjoy a few races anyway. The silver lining during a rainy day at the track is the lack of crowds. We were able to easily stand near the paddock area and watch the horses and getting to the rail to watch a race wasn't too bad either.

Here's a picture of the girls ready to head home after a few hours in the rain.