My kids are so lucky.  Not only do they know and love their four grandparents, but they also have known all but one of their great grandparents.  Evie even met her great-great grandmother, and this photo of FIVE generations will be one of my favorites forever:

My dad’s parents – the kids’ great-grandparents – live just a mile or so north of us so we see them quite often.  They play a very important role in my kids’ lives, and Evie, Mack and Vivian talk often of fun times with their Mana and Papa. The kids especially love going to the Lincoln Park Zoo with them:

and going to their home for tea and Malteasers:

and showing them off during Grandparents Day at school:

Papa even stopped by Mack’s class to read a book and play the banjo – lucky Mack!

My grandparents are cool and fun and so generous.  We love them so much, and I am so happy my kids have fun memories with them. We love spending time with them!

Mana and Papa are also the most tech-savvy 70-somethings I know.  When I asked for a good cod fish recipe on Facebook, my Papa was one of the first to reply.  It is a simple and humble recipe, but the results were fantastic.  Evie, Mack and Vivian LOVED it, and it is now a family favorite.  Thank you, Papa!

Evie especially loved squeezing fresh lemon juice on her fish!

Papa’s Fried Cod

Wash the filets. Break an egg and stir it as in scramble…sprinkle some Wondra flour in one bowl and some Corn meal in another bowl. Get a fry pan heating to medium + with some canola oil, barely covering the pan bottom. Run each cod filet through the eggs, dip or coat all filet side in Wondra and/or Corn meal and fry until golden brown on both sides of the cod filet.

Hash browns with lots of onions go well with this, as does some fresh squeezed lemon and a tasty green veggie. Any leftover cod tastes great next day, even right out of the refrigerator. Cod is a reasonably priced favorite from the sea instead of a farm raised fish like most tilapia and much salmon.