So the Olympics have arrived and are nearly over. They are the time to have an excuse to be glued to the TV all....night....long. And get nothing else done, because, why? We have the Olympics to watch. My favorite sport to watch, and always has been, is the women's gymnastics. I find them to be not only athletic but beautiful and graceful. They are sort of like freaks of nature. So young, so athletic, so beautiful like little sculptures....and so coordinated. I think that's one reason I am so mesmerized because I don't think I learned how to do a cartwheel until I was like 16. Seriously. Amazing. My new favorite event is swimming.....that Michael Phelps did it for me. And now Missy Franklin! She's a former Coloradan (I still consider myself to be one even though it's been a long while since I lived there). So we all pile on the couch and watch....skipping commercials (except the sappy "mom" ones about how the Olympians mom's are the reason they are there. Those always get me).....how did we stand it before DVR? Rooting for our country (and those that might be the under-dogs). Explaining to the children the rules and what to look for. And then watch them start diving of the couch, doing flips onto the floor and dreaming about them becoming an Olympian someday just like I did. It's a special time of year.
For the "rings" I used existing Chinese lanterns and painted them. I tried two methods...spray paint and acrylic. I liked the matte finish of the acrylic better and it didn't use as much. Plus the kids got to "help" out.
For the Opening Ceremonies my sisters and I threw a small bash. You can see our inspiration
here. We were going to to do the whole Olympic game thing with relays and so on with our kids.....but having just returned from a family reunion that afternoon and my sister being very great with child, we opted out. Instead we let the kids drink classic Coca-Cola and watch the ceremonies with us. I have to say, England has some great skills with storytelling. I mean, my fave man, William Shakespeare was produced from that country, but they still have the talent. It was a beautiful ceremony and I was touched many times. Great job G.B.
We celebrated by eating fresh Fish 'n Chips. I mean fresh. Like caught from the Kenai river in Alaska two days before fresh. (Thank you Steve and Shawn for sparing a few for us!!) My mom kept commenting on how it just melted in her mouth. Sooooo yummy. By the way, we use the McCormick beer batter box mix. Easy and delicious! (you can find it near the cocktail sauces usually by the meat department on it's own end cap....each store likes to hide it but it's there!). But the tartar sauce is to die for too. My sister-in-law Jana made up this recipe. And she let me share it with you. Also, my sister made the cookie fruit pizza. She found the inspiration from this
pin. We scattered some "gold medals" (rolo's) on the table, made
little torches, drank Olympic themed coke, and my sister made us paper envelopes for our dinners to be served in. It was a fun night! How did you celebrate? Will you for the closing ceremonies?
So here is the recipe for the tartar sauce. It's not an exact recipe....she just kind of mixes the ingredients together, tastes, and adds more of what she tastes is missing. So try for yourself! And you'll want it all the time after that.
Jana's Tartar Sauce
Yields: as much as you'd like. About 1 large cereal bowl full ?
1 part mayonnaise
1/2 part ranch dressing
1/4 part mustard
1/8 part chopped dill pickles, or sweet relish is good too!
salt and pepper, to taste
When you think of parts it could be "cups", or just that much less than the previous ingredient. Does that make sense? Combine first ingredient and second and then keep adding remaining. Taste. Add more of what you like. Keep stirring and tasting until it's good. Store in a covered bowl. Enjoy!
