Summer Vacation #2: Ocean City, New Jersey

We spent last week in Ocean City, New Jersey with my family (minus Uncle Chris and Aunt Allison, who are expecting their first baby at the end of August!)  This was our third year taking the kids to the beach--they LOVE the ocean!

Miss Audrey having a snack in Grandmom's beach chair.

Mommy, Audrey & Ethan

Daddy & Audrey

Audrey at Revel in Atlantic City (love the girl and the chair!)

 We had a blast at the beach--ate WAY too much salt water taffy, ice cream and Johnson's Popcorn...and loved every minute!  Thanks, Grandmom and Pop, for an awesome vacation!

My mom and I each brought a meal to eat while we were there (we ate out the other nights).  I made taco salad---here is the recipe:

TACO SALAD:


Lettuce, any variety, washed & chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter
1 small Onion, diced
1 lb Ground Beef, preferably locally raised, grass-fed beef
2 Tbsp HOMEMADE Taco Seasoning (once you make your own, you will never go back)
1 can Black Beans, rinsed & drained
Corn Tortilla Chips
Grated Cheese (I use raw cheddar)
Diced Tomatoes
Corn (fresh, if it's in season, or frozen, thawed)
Avocado
Sour Cream
Lime
Cilantro 

1. Melt the butter/oil in a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat on the stove. Add the onions and cook for several minutes until they start to soften.
2. Add the beef to the pan. Break it up with a spatula while the beef browns. Season the meat mixture with homemade taco seasoning.
3. While the beef is cooking, spread the lettuce out over a large serving platter then top it with tomatoes, corn, avocado, cheese, black beans, and sour cream.
4. Top with cooked beef and crushed tortilla chips.
5. Sprinkle entire dish with fresh cilantro leaves and some fresh-squeezed lime juice. Serve immediately and enjoy!

BTW, summer vacation #1 was our trip to San Diego in June (pre-blog) to see Aunt Carol & Uncle Mark (and Brian worked a few days while we were there).  It was our second visit to SD (Audrey's first) and I hope we go again sometime--we so enjoyed our time with Uncle Mark and Aunt Carol, especially our trip to the San Diego Zoo!  (Although giving dog treats and ice cubes to Luke was pretty high on the kids' list of awesome things we did there).