Celebrating New Years in Chicago

New Years Fun in Gurnee Illinois with my nieces!

What was your New Years like? I am pleased to say mine was everything I had hoped for. I did lots of my favorite things like run, workout, enjoy good food, and most importantly, spend time with family. My hubby, mom and I packed up my car, headed out on the highway about noon on Friday December 3oth, and almost 7 1/2 hours later we arrived in Gurnee, Illinois. We were tired, hungry but definitely excited!

Taking a break from Driving…..

We enjoyed a lovely simple meal which looked something this….pasta with sausage and broccoli. One of my faves…and Rob’s too! We enjoyed catching up and chatting for hours, played a few rounds of ping pong, laughed a ton, and managed to stay up till almost midnight and it wasn’t even New Years Eve. To be honest, every day seemed like New Years Eve! WE had sooo much fun!

Saturday, New Years Eve morning, Rob and I went for a walk around the neighborhood while Bruce and Lisa went to the store to grab a few more essentials! You’ll never guess what we made first! Guacamole of course! YUM!

Of course there was Guacamole for New Years!

New Years Eve night we decided to try out a new recipe….Oven Baked Crab Cakes. Delicious! I will need to make these again and I promise to share the recipe so please stay tuned. We served them with a simple green salad with lemon and olive oil dressing.

Guacamole was on the menu more than once! My nieces did a great job mastering the Molcajete! Not too spicy, but just the right amount of heat and texture. Our main course was a spicy shrimp and pasta dish. Once again Rob was in heaven……noodles two nights in a row! YUM!

My Nieces Mastering the Guacamole

New Years Eve we played more games…more ping pong, some pool, and even a game of spoons. We hung out in our pj’s till the clock struck 12 watching, in my opinion, mediocre New Years Eve performances. Oh MY. But the important thing is we had a blast making fun of live TV like most everyone else who tuned in to watch the ball drop. It was the best New Years Ever.

Nothing Better than Bringing in the New Year in our Pajama’s

New Years Day a few of us went to the gym to get in a run and a good amount of strength training. It was a great way to start the New Year! When we returned, I made one of my favorite smoothies for the gang. I can’t believe I haven’t shared the recipe yet. It’s not only delicious, but simple too. Just 5 ingredients, blend, and enjoy. My nieces loved it! If you can’t find chocolate powdered organic peanut butter, regular will work too. If you’re like me, and you love chocolate, add some raw cocoa powder! YUM!

Great way to start the NEW YEAR! A Run and some strength training with my nieces

After cleaning up we pulled out the lefse iron. My nieces had never had lefse before and definitley have never experienced making it. As usual, they did great and LOVED the lefse. Maybe this will become one of their traditions.

First time my Nieces had Lefse…100% approved! YUM

New Years Day was a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Treat….Pork and Sauerkraut. We made something similar last Christmas, but Rob is thinking this will be our New Years Tradition from now on. He loves sauerkraut.