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we count ourselves lucky to have great friends in the area. we dont get to see our friends as much as we would like to, even our chico friends, but we are so happy when the stars align and we are able to visit with them.  life gets in the way all the time and before we know it, its been months since we’ve seen anyone.  it seems like we have to arrange to get together MONTHS in advance. im pretty sure we planned this past weekend with the speers and the cervantes families 2 months ago. we all got out our calenders and found the weekend that we could actually make it happen. and it was worth it. we had a great time. the kids are all getting so big. they had fun playing in the mud and water table in our backyard, and the guys took isaac and xavier and cami to nearby oak way park to play some baseball. a good time was had by all. and we played a mean drunken  game of apples to apples late that nite. we needed this last weekend, time to just be with some close friends and think about, well, nothing. just drink, and eat and chat. thanks to both families for making the drive to come see us. love to our homies!

the speers brought their sweet dog, diesel, that they are fostering.

miss cami made me chocolate soup. it was spectacular.

matt and christie finding us a beach house for this summer

daniel grilled us up some turkey burgers. i caramelized 2 yellow onions before hand and added them into the turkey meat before i made them into patties. this adds a lot of flavor and keeps the turkey burgers moist.  ground turkey can tend to dry out when you cook it (think shoe leather ) so adding some onion or mayo or bbq sauce into the burgers keeps them tender and tasty. we piled those on grilled ciabatta rolls with all the fixins and bleu cheese. we had sweet potato fries ala trader joes and grilled organic zucchini on the side. i made a chipotle cilantro dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries- 1/2 c mayo, 2 T sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, 1 t fresh lime juice and 2T fresh cilantro, pinch of salt.

and for dessert…

ultimate chocolate cupcakes with a ganache filling and vanilla bean meringue frosting

this picture doesnt do them justice. we found the recipe in an issue of cooks illustrated. that magazine can do no worng. they go about finding the best way to make a recipe the most delicious it can be. this involves their staff making the same recipe over and over and over, tweaking 1 or 2 ingredients each time, until they reach perfection. its kind of pricey for a subscription, but completely worth it. every recipe we have made out of there is delicious. go get yourself  one at the store and check it out. or check it out here. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/

as for the recipes for the cupcake and the frosting, i will have to post those another time. the magazine seems to have gone MIA and i cant find it anywhere. just know this, it was delicious on those cupcakes, but equally delish on a spoon, finger and on the cinnamon bread the next morning. it made the cinnamon bread taste like a cinnamon roll. not a bad thing.