While in Evanston this week, we checked out a place called Olive Mountain. It was recommended by some locals that were at my workshop. They mentioned that it was a good middle eastern restaurant so we decided to check it out. We ordered a Kifta Kabob and a Baked Lamb Shank, they were both pretty good. I think most of the food could have used a little more flavoring, but maybe that is how it was supposed to taste, I’m not sure, definitely not an expert on Middle Eastern food, but it was pretty good. We didn’t really like the soup, it could have used a little more seasoning, but it was definitely a good place to eat, And I would recommend it to anyone in the Evanston area, looking for a different place to eat.
Last week, Don’s uncle Jim came for a visit before we all went to a family reunion in West Virginia. Anyway, he brought with him a full rack of pork ribs (really 2 racks, still connected in the middle) for us to cook on the grill (took up the whole grill cooking surface!). There was a ton of leftovers…we had some for lunch but we still had a sizable amount left.
Because the smoky flavor of the yummy ribs (for some reason) brought to mind Chipotle’s carnitas burrito bowl, I thought it might be good to use the leftover ribs with the same flavors, but in soup form. It turned out great–here’s the recipe.
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
About 3 cups of leftover rib meat, chopped into small pieces
1 can (14.5 oz) RedGold petite diced tomatoes with chipotle
1 can (14.5) RedGold petite diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can golden sweet corn
4 cups of chicken broth
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, add everything else, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Top with Fritos and cheese if desired.
It turned out great! If we weren’t making it for kiddos, we would probably have added more spice using diced jalapenos and possibly an actual chipotle pepper in adobe sauce. And added a dash of lime juice and some chopped cilantro. But these were the ingredients we had handy, and it worked pretty well 
Yummy.
So we just returned from Trek yesterday, and it was a great time. This is like the 11th year that I have been able to go to Trek, and it was great cause this year Corrine & Daniel got to come too, which made it a lot of fun. We stayed at the Wus Haus, which is a vacation home that friends of ours bought a few years ago. But it worked out quite well. We went to the island in the morning to spend the day there and then at night after dinner, I drove a boat back to the main land where we drove 2 miles to the house and spent the night. It was a good week and I think all the middle schoolers had a fun time while there as well.
Here are a few pictures from the week.
Here is Daniel, decked out in his Island Gear with Mommy, 
Here is Daniel Enjoying the boat ride on the pontoon.
Tired boy after a long day of playing in the lake…
I know he’s a little young, but he is my kid, so he needed to get a computer, and since he won’t sit at a desk, well he’ll barely sit, we figured he needed a laptop..
Corrine was out at a yard sale, and saw it so she decided to get it. It was only a dollar so definitely worth the price… I just need to do a little solder work, I think she said the sound board is loose, or something, but definitely a good toy for Daniel..
As you probably know we have got a fish tank last year. We got it from the Clarks when they sold their house, and they left the tank, so we got it and have used it for a while. We recently added a new fish tank stand, that we could close and add a safety on, as Daniel gets bigger, more mobile and more inquisitive.
We can sit next to the tank, with Daniel on our lap, and he will just intently check out the fish. Corrine put him on the sofa and he could watch on his own, here is a picture that she took of Daniel watching the fish.
I think he was surprised by the flash…
