I can feel it.
Summer is over.
All of a sudden we are waking up to crisp mornings and we are turning off the air conditioning and opening the windows to the cool evenings, while watching the sun set early in the sky. The leaves suddenly went from silently blowing in the hot breeze to rustling in the cool wind.
Summer sneaks up on you, especially this year, we went from spring to 46° within days. Fall has taken over our Valley just as quickly. I feel like the heat dome and the smoke have robbed us of our summer. So much of it was spent inside. If this is our new normal we will need to figure out a better way to appreciate summer despite whatever the climate throws at us.
This week we spent our second last week of summer on a quick but much needed Family VayCay. I packed for summer not realizing that autumn was already upon us. Time to pull out the jeans and sweaters! We went to Cultus Lake and stayed in Chilliwack, BC. I have to say, Cultus Lake is the perfect spot for a family getaway. It took us about 3.5 hours to get to our first stop, Bridal Veil Falls. It was a easy 15 minute groomed hike just off the highway. It was spectacular! They advise you not to go up close but it was an easy climb up to get pretty close and people young and old were climbing up. I got dizzy half way up, ever since I had HBear, I get a little motion sick. This will come up a few times throughout our trip 😆.
After the flower festival we took a walk around the lake which was beautiful. We had a yummy lunch at The Lakeside Beach Club and then we headed across the street and enjoyed the Cultus Lake Waterpark. It is a fantastic waterslide park! It has a ton of options and HBear tried them ALL. I almost threw up when she went down the 72 foot drop slide 🙈.
This week, we are joined in person by the Hacheys for a few rounds of local craft beer tastings, trivia and fun facts!
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #238: This Beer is Bananas Pt.1 HERE
Late Summer Bolognese
Adapted from The Food Network
1 bag of rigatoni
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound extra lean ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup reserved pasta water, divided
3 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste and then cook, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink. Add the tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until almost dry, 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, tomatoes and half the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes start to burst, 4 to 7 minutes.
Add the cheese to the sauce, then add the rigatoni; season with salt and pepper and toss, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining basil and more parmesan.
