Week 23

Week 23 Tom and Jo, our good friends from Seattle were in Chicago.  We had a great weekend, we wish they lived closer so we could see them more.  For our something new, we went to Taste of Randolph.  Every summer weekend in Chicago is filled with street festivals.  They are a great way to check out different neighborhoods, eat some good food and hear some good music.

Week 22

The Big Dig...part 2

Our blood, sweat and tears paid off...here are some of the highlights from the Big Dig Part 2

Week 21

The Big Dig...part 1

Week 21 Art and Pen were visiting from California.  And nothing starts off a 10 day vacation like digging trenches.  For amateurs, I think we did a pretty good job.  Wait unit you see the Big Dig part 2, I'll just say it involves some amazing t-shirts from Walmart, lots of bricks, a few minor injuries and 2 amazing paths!

Week 20...part 2

I think Josh and I can both agree that week 20 was and will be the best week of 2012.  There is no way we can top our amazing honeymoon in Jamaica.  The resort, the food, the room, the view were all absolutely amazing and we can not wait to go back.  We stayed at the Grand Palladium in Lucea and we would highly recommend it.  Here are a few of our favorite pictures...enjoy!

Here is Josh risking his life at Rick's Cafe, I wasn't very excited about him jumping...but I have to admit it was pretty cool.

Week 20...part 1

A few days before our honeymoon, I finally met the guy that I have been in love with since I was a kid...Zack Morris (not Mark Paul what's-his-name, to me he will always be Zack)  Josh is SO lucky that this happen AFTER we got married.

TnT was doing a screening of Franklin & Bash in Chicago.  We missed it last year, so there was no way we was going to miss it again this year!  We thought they would come out say hi and leave, but they answered questions for about an hour and then took pictures with people.  It was a great night, and thanks to my awesome husband for pushing me toward the front and asking Zack for a picture.

Week 19

As most of you know I (Karlie) am not the cook in this family, Josh is far better in the kitchen so I usually leave the cooking to him.  Recently I wanted to try a new recipe that I found on Pinterest.  Josh took one bite and said it was the best thing I have ever made.  I didn't have molasses so I used Karol Syrup and brown sugar and I didn't have orange concentrate so I used fresh squeezed orange juice.  It was great and SO easy.  And you could easily do chicken instead of pork.  Below is the original recipe or you can click here for step by step directions, enjoy!

Orange Molasses Pork 


2 lbs (6 chops) - thick-cut pork chops
1/4 cup - molasses
1/4 cup - orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp - apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp - dijon mustard
1/4 tsp - garlic powder
1/2 tsp  - salt
2 Tbsp - vegetable oil


STEP 1: Make the marinade by stirring together the molasses, orange juice concentrate, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and salt. Place the marinade in a bag, add the chops, and seal tightly. Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours or longer if desired. 

STEP 2: When you're ready to cook the chops, heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it will look wavy in the pan), add the chops. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through and the marinade has reduced to a thick sauce. No need to pour all of the marinade into the skillet, the amount that comes off of the chops as they cook will be plenty to make a nice sauce. Discard the extra marinade from the bag. Serve hot! 


source

Week 18

Week 18 our little sister Alie flew into Chicago and we drove with her up to Michigan so she could meet up with the band she works for.  The drive up was exciting to say the least, we drove through a crazy lightning storm, pretty sure lightning hit right next to the car and shorted out the radio for a bit.  But we made it safe and sound and right as the show was getting out.  We said goodbye to our sister and headed over to Founders Brewery for a drink.

The next morning we slowly made our way back to Chicago, trying to enjoy Michigan on a rainy day.  We stopped in a really cute town called Holland, MI.  Even in the rain the town was adorable and we caught the end of the annual tulip festival.

Luckily for Josh I am not a big beer fan, so he was able to taste some local beers and I snacked on chocolates on the drive home.  It was great to see Alie and great to explore more of Michigan, we can't wait to go back.