Cabin Recap and Colors of the Wind Salsa (my first recipe!!)

This weekend was everything I dreamed of and more.

I ate my body weight in ice cream, hamburgers, baked beans, pasta salads, delicious Chex Mix, corn nuts, cucumber salads, and most importantly my Colors of the Wind salsa (recipe below!)

I literally spent every moment of the weekend eating something. It. Was. Awesome. Because, duh, I love food. SO MUCH.

I arrived Friday afternoon at about 4pm. We drank Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and lemonade. Like I said in my previous post - this is the perfect summer drink. The vodka is 35% alcohol by volume, when regular vodka is 40% - so you don't lose any of the kick. It's a little sweet and syrupy alone, but with the acidity of the lemonade, it's delightful. It tastes like juice, you guys!

Golf cart rides!

Sweet Tea Vodka!

Plaid shirts!

Saturday, we hung out by the pool and grilled and (most of us) hid from some short thunderstorms. Mike didn't, and consequently, he was damp for the remainder of the time we were there.

More plaid!

Rain!
(I feel like they belong in Appalachia.)

HEADLAMPS.

For this glorious event, I made salsa. I've made salsa in the past, but it's always just been a simple tomato salsa, so I wanted to mix it up. I browsed through The Pioneer Woman, and tastepotting.com, but nothing struck my fancy. I want this salsa to have beans (OMG, I am on a HUGE bean kick), so I did a little Googling, and came up with a Paula Deen recipe, and tweaked it a little. I have since re-named it: Color of the Wind Salsa, because once all the ingredients are added, it's a beautiful RAINBOWWWWWWWWW.............

Colors of the Wind Salsa
Ingredients
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced*
3 ears sweet corn, cut off the cob**
1 large avocado (not too ripe), peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (Well, they look kind of blue)
1 red onion, diced
Juice of 2 limes
A splash red wine vinegar, to add more liquid
1 whole SALSA seasoning packet (found at most grocery stores, any will do)

Directions
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Taste and add salt, pepper, lime juice, vinegar as necessary.
Cover and chill overnight, and make sure to taste again before serving, the flavors will have mated overnight.
Serve with tortilla chips!

This recipes was RIDICULOUSLY easy and can be adjusted based on your taste. I started feeling crazy and throwing pinches of different spices but, you couldn't taste them in the final product. It was delicious and we actually had to put it away after 10 minutes because it was almost gone.

*I didn't add an orange pepper this time, but I plan to based ENTIRELY on color.
**I regret this decision - Paula calls for frozen corn, and I absolutely will do this next time. Cutting fresh corn off the cob is a RIDICULOUS pain in the ass.

It disappeared in 20 minutes...

CAMPING! CABIN! ROCK RIVER LEISURE ESTATES!

There is one event that I look forward to. Every. Single. Year.

Since I was 16 years old (or possibly younger), I've been spending at least one weekend per summer at the Rock River Leisure Estates in Edgerton, Wisconsin, with my nearest and dearest friends.

Rock River is like a gated vacation neighborhood. Most of the houses are trailers that sit on the land permanently, and have a deck, or porch built onto it.

This cabin actually resides on the same street I'll be staying! Vacation Blvd.

Basically, it's like camping - but not. Which, is exactly my type of camping.

The cabin we stay at is owned by my RL BFF and her entire extended family.
There's room to pitch a tent, a gravel lined fire pit, beds and plumbing inside the trailer. Down the road there's a general store, and a swimming pool with locker room and showers.
Best of all? There's a golf cart we can ride around the neighborhood at a neckbreaking 20 mph!

We go, we eat ridiculous amounts of processed meat, we stay up way too late, smoke too much, drink waaaay too much, drive the golf cart faster than it's built to go, and have an overall scream of a time.

And you guys!? I'm leaving tomorrow!

2006

2007

Best trip ever. It was Rachelle's 22nd birthday, and only girls went. It was also the night of the release of the last Harry Potter book. If you look closely, you can see the lightning bolt (permanent marker...) on my forehead.

We went to a bar down the road, and I wore the Harry Potter glasses the whole night. I also danced like a maniac. Trust me, I'm a riot when I'm dancing
(because I put my arms in the air, and wave them around like I just don't care...)

2008

This was the year I decided that the plaid shirt I'm wearing was my "cabin shirt" - I wore it again last year, and I intend to bring it out again this year...along with two other plaid shirts.
Every camping adventure needs PLAID.

Before we were married

2009
This was the most epic golf cart ride of my life.

I didn't win the lottery.

After we were married.

I am leaving tomorrow at 2pm - right as I get home from work. I have so many lists to make, and so many things to do! I need to be ready to walk out the door before bed.

I need to:
Make salsa
Make a sea salt texturizing spray for my hair
Pack for me and Mike
Finish laundry so I CAN pack
Pick up beer and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (try it with lemonade. It will change your life. Trust.)

Hooray!

Do you have a summer tradition that you're looking forward to!?