Huli Huli Chicken Tacos

One of our favorite summer meals right now are these Hawaian Chicken tacos. 

Ingredients for Marinade, Chicken and Tortillas (serves 6)

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp better than bouillon (chicken)

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 crushed garlic clove

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

18 mini flour tortillas

Ingredients for Pineapple Mango Salsa:

1 cup pineapple, tidbits

2 ataulfo mangoes, peeled and diced

1/4 English cucumber, diced fine

2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate 

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/8 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp chili

1/8 tsp cumin

Optional Spicy Sauce to spread on tacos:

4 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 ripe avocado, mashed

1 Tbsp hot sauce (Sambal Olek) 

1. Mix marinade ingredients. Reserve about 1/3 cup for basting. Pour the rest over chicken breasts in a large bowl to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. 

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix mango salsa in order given. Set aside.

3. Heat the grill to medium and spray with cooking spray. Drain the chicken (discard marinade) and place on grill. Cook with lid down for about 8 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Baste occasionally with reserved marinade. Meat thermometer should show 165 degrees inserted in thickest part when done.

4. Serve chicken sliced into thin slices with mango salsa and warm tortillas. You can add spicy mayo sauce and/or sliced red cabbage. 

Hydraengea Season

The hydraengeas are loving these warm days,

showing off their blooms in several spots in our yard

and I've ejoyed cutting them for bouquets. 

This little bundle got placed on the nightable to welcome home our 

grown kids. 

Julene loves yellow roses, so I mixed it up a bit. 

This bouquet I picked for my sister, who had us for dinner last Sunday.

These have been in the house for over a week.

Sometimes they hang their heads immediately

and sometimes they go from lovely fresh flowers to perfectly dried flowers. 

My view from where I often sit.

And these I picked when we had friends over for dinner a few days ago. 

Hydraengeas in different shapes and colors ...

small joys to share with anyone who passes by,

even in a virtual way. 

 

Holiday Monday

This past Monday our neighbors invited us on their boat,

sailing out of North Vancouver to go for lunch to Bowen Island.

Everything about this invitation sounded wonderful ...

a little holiday that has no name. 

The day started out mostly cloudy, but it was warm,

with a forecast of sunshine to come.

I never tire of the Vancouver skyline with Canada Place front and centre.

We sailed the Burrard Inlet, past Stanley Park,

under Lions Gate Bridge

and past Point Atkinson Lighthouse - perfectly placed, jutting into the harbor.

Our sailor turned north and into a beautiful little harbor

called Snug Cove. 

His pretty deckhand knew exactly what to do, 

hanging fenders and then tying us down.

It was so much fun!

We walked through the Marina, admiring the beautiful boats

floathouses

and gorgeous window boxes. 

It's so interesting to see how people make their homes on the water.

As promised, we enjoyed fish and chips at the Copper Spirit Distillery.

Patio eating is the best! 

After lunch we walked through some fun little souvenier shops

and then headed back toward home.

It was a reminder of the beauty to enjoy in our own back yard. 

With ferry service to these islands, 

we hope to do something like this again soon. 

Actually One More Last

Chris and Julene were last to come ... and what a beautiful sight! 

Secretly, I hope to never see those red bags again. 

When words are not needed.

The happiest crew at the airport.

Chris' parents from the island joined us for dinner.

And our family the next day. 

Tehya and Rahul got time off from camp but we had to send them off with plates to get back.

The week started with a pajama party for two girls who couldn't wait.

Chris and Julene moved things in storage over to their townhouse.

Some furniture got set up.

Some of us enjoyed a pedicure,

and a trip to IKEA.

Jade came over early one morning and felt pretty special to hang out with her big cousin,

even if it meant coming along to the doctor's. 

The sight of cousins not concerned about personal space warmed my heart.

I don't expect all of the adjustments to be this easy,

but we are off to a good start. 

 

One Last Time

I have looked at the tiny video edition of this over and over ...

in a way making the cycle complete, 

remembering the first time Tehya  (three years old)

came running to us at the airport.

In between there have been many happy first hugs, 

such as the visit when Makenna decided to dress in her prettiest dress 

to meet us at the airport.

And now it was a similar run in her torn jeans, just as beautiful,

Paeton in tow with the luggage. =)

Another sweet lasting memory to keep.

There were happy greetings at the door the next day.

Twin cousins in age (17 days apart) compared growth.

And I flipped crepes for ten while Papa made sure everything flowed. 

There are always some who think it's a race to see how many they can eat

and the variations to create ... 

plain sugar, cinnamon sugar, apple filled,

jam, nutella, bananas, strawberries and whipped cream to top.

No one asked for syrup. 

One more pick up and then everyone will be home. 

Let a new season begin. 

🤍🤍🤍

 

All Because Two People Fell in Love

Since we had not had an extended family gathering on my H's side for seven years,

there was a decision made by some that it was time -

and it's always good to have those in the family who make things happen.

Honestly, it can be daunting to plan for over 100 people.

It was up to the old guard to reserve a venue,  

and then some nieces and nephews got involved, 

by planning the meal and decorations, sending out the invitation, planning games

and a program with an MC. 

Kristal and Natalie came over the day before and we had fun

making garden flower arrangements.

I decided that this was a good time to update our family tree 

and found out that we are now186 people in the family,

not counting those who have gone home. 

This would be nine Friesen siblings and their families

who extend out from the tree in clusters. 

This tree became a grounding point for many who studied it.

 

We were four generations together ranging in age from 87 down to 6 months.

The farthest away came from Prince Edward Island,

others from Calgary, Kelowna, Vernon and Bellingham. 

Pretty special to see them make this effort. 

Need I say ... there was a lot of food! 

I won't have everyone on my pictures, but these nieces

grew up with our girls, they were like sister/cousins. 

We sat with our oldest nephews and some of their family,

some of their grandchildren now in school with our grandchildren. 

How does one explain that relationship? 

After some singing and sharing of memories, the kids were happy to head out to be entertained with games while the adults brought out lawn chairs and caught up with each other. 

And if the only thing the littlest ones remember is chasing the candy man,

it will still be worth the memory of being part of this. 

We ended our time with a true Mennonite Faspa of lunch leftovers, 

Zwieback and lots of desserts. 

What a blessing it is to be part of an extended family,

not perfect, but working things out,

praying for each other, 

caring and reaching out where we can. 

Some have lost a dear family member in the last few years,

making us so much more aware of seizing the time we have. 

Until we meet again, 

happy times like this are the best way to meet.