It's summertime and your town is probably abuzz with all the kiddos excited about your local county fair or yearly summertime festival. We live just an hour from the Del Mar fair grounds where every summer the San Diego County Fair is held. The fair brings thousands of people to enjoy shows, animals, rides and of course crazy food concoctions like peanut butter filled deep fried pickles, what?! We visited the fair just a few days ago and had a blast. Before I share some of our fair pics here are a few tips to help you enjoy your day.

Tip #1 If possible I would plan to hit the fair during the week. It's less packed and parking won't be as crazy as during the weekends. I remember one year we were at a standstill in freeway traffic forever waiting for our chance to search for a parking space. No fun!

Tip #2 Check out your local fairs web page and look out for special discount days. Our fair has certain days of the week where kiddos get in free, military discounts and so on. We hit the fair on a "Pepsi Pay-One-Price Ride day. This meant we were able to purchase a wristband for Penelope to ride all the rides to her hearts content. It beats dealing with tickets and then hearing your kid whine because you are all out.

Tip #3 Pack light! You don't want to be lugging around your purse or bag all day. Especially when you will probably end up leaving with more then you walked in with anyway.

Tip #4 Don't forget your sunscreen, hats, sunglasses. Even when the sun isn't shining you still have to cover up. We learned this the hard way when we assumed there was no way we needed sunblock on a cloudy day. Wrong! We all came  home with sunburns despite the sun being covered up.

Tip #5 Stick to a budget. We hit the bank beforehand and took out cash. The plan was too spend only what we took out and once the money was gone so were we. It actually worked! Despite the fact that there were ATM's all over the grounds, once we spent our cash we headed out. You can end up spending a lot more then you planned if you don't stick to a plan.

Now go enjoy your day at the fair!

Penelope has not only been having fun so far this summer but she has also been working and learning new things. Just the other day after helping me with the laundry and helping Chris "un-paint"  his car (sigh, don't even ask), I taught her to wash and trim some fresh green beans. She really enjoys helping out in the kitchen and I enjoy not having to do all the prep work myself.

Green Beans with Pancetta

1 pound of green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half. Penelope used kitchen shears to trim off the edges and halve the beans.
1 small package of pancetta chopped up.
2 to 3 green onions chopped
2 to 3 minced garlic cloves
A couple pats of butter
Salt and Pepper

Put the beans in a pot of salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove the beans and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans. Take your pancetta and fry it up in a pan. Add the green beans, onions, garlic and butter and sauté making sure to get everything all mixed together. Add salt and pepper and enjoy, preferably with a nice steak and sautéed mushrooms like we did.

Looking for some fun things to with the kiddos this summer? Why not check out your local library and see if they are having a summer reading program. Our library here in Temecula has a fabulous one. They make it so much fun for the kids. Each year the program has a different theme. This year it is Read to the Rhythm. Kiddos and teens alike can sign up to spin the prize wheel every week for checking out books and reading them. They also have weekly events for the kids that fit along with the theme. This year there will be a musical puppet show, an opera singing musician, fun pajama storytimes and more! Oh and did I mention they also have free face painting! Temecula is very family oriented and the summer reading program is wildly popular and even better it's free! I am all bout promoting reading to Penelope so this just happens to be one of my favorite summer activities. Check out Penelope having some fun on the first day of sign up.



 This years summer reading program is sponsored by Chick-fil-A and Menchie's among other local businesses.


Don't let your kiddos stop reading over the summer just cause school is out. Reading is a fun activity to do all year long.

First day of First Grade

Last day of First Grade

Top tier: Peach slices, orange segments, grilled cheddar cheese on sourdough.

Bottom tier: Veggie chips, strawberry banana skewer, blueberries

The plant is a green bean plant that Penelope planted in school. It is going strong.

Carne Asada or "grilled meat" is a staple in Mexican cooking. You can find it in tacos, burritos, on a plate with a side of beans and tortillas and on a yummy Torta "Mexican sandwich". Carne Asada is traditionally made with Arrachera (flank steak). It is marinated and then grilled up. Here is my version of a Carne Asada Torta.

Carne Asada Torta

1 pound of Flank Steak

For the Marinade:
1 cup of beer
About 1/4 cup of lime juice
2 Crushed garlic cloves

Let meat marinate for at least an hour or longer.

I cooked my meat on a griddle instead of the grill because 1. grills scare me and 2. we currently don't have one. Put a little olive oil on the griddle. Salt and pepper meat and then cook according to taste. I did a couple of minutes per side on the highest temperature.

For the bun:
You can use Telera or Bolillo rolls. The Telera roll is more commonly used in a Torta it is flatter while the Bolillo is more a French baguette style. You can typically find these at your local grocery store bakery if you don't have a Mexican market near you.

Slice the roll in half and spread both halves with a generous amount of mayo. Fry mayo side down on griddle until it starts to crisp up and brown, flip over and warm up the outside as well.

For the toppings:

Avocado
Lettuce
Sliced tomato
Fresh salsa
Sliced jalapenos

Spread mashed avocado on bottom roll. Top with lettuce and sliced tomato. Top with carne asada that has been sliced into smaller pieces to fit sandwich. Top with fresh salsa and sliced jalapenos.

A couple of weeks ago we paid another visit to the San Diego zoo. Here are some of my favorite shots I got.





Still trying to plan a summer vacation? San Diego is a great place to visit. Aside from the zoo, you can check out Balboa Park and all the museums, Sea World, Our favorite Old Town and so much more! We are looking forward to The San Diego County Fair this year. Yay summer!