Iowa Girl Eats » Food

The End of an Era

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:02:23 +0000

I guess I knew this day would come…someday. Ok I’ll quit being dramatic, but seriously, Microsoft finally “upgraded” their user’s Hotmail accounts and they’re all jacked up!

It’s now painfully slow to load and respond to emails, buttons have been re-arranged, people are being forced to upgrade their browsers in order to access their email, etc. I especially hate the stupid orange icon that’s supposed to look like a piece of flying mail!

I think the thing I’m most upset about, though, is the fact that users weren’t given the option to upgrade their accounts. Way to go and ruffle millions of people’s feathers, Microsoft. Bad!

Luckily, a program manager for the company heard my pathetic tweets and he’s been direct messaging with me about my gripes. I’ll fill you other new Hotmail haters in if I get any deets on how to switch back to our beloved “classic” view.

Oh, and, before you say what I know a lot of you want to say….I know. I know this is what I get for using something as ancient as Hotmail to manage my emails. What can I say, Hotmail and I are OG!!!

On a happier note, I made a fresh summer soup for dinner – Sweet Corn Soup!

I know, I know. It’s almost August, hot as blazes out there, and I made soup for dinner?! Well, I had 4 ears of local sweet corn on my hands and knew this fresh tasting soup would be just the place for ‘em!

It came together in no time and I started by sautéing onions & garlic in EVOO seasoned with lots of S&P. I added broccoli, turkey kielbasa and my sweet corn, sautéed, then added a can of creamed corn and 2 cans of chicken broth.

I let it bubble away for about 20 minutes and voila! A light, summer soup featuring crispy-sweet corn, smokey kielbasa and a fabulous texture!

I served some crispy, salty Terra Chips on the side.

The company sent me the chips to try and they miiiiiiight be the most addicting things I’ve had in awhile.

I love the ingredient list,

but I love the TASTE even more!

Light, crispy and they really taste like the veggies they started out as.

Chip calories don’t count when they started out as veggies, right?

Well the cool & mild weather I enjoyed on my morning run continued throughout the day, and it’s turned out to be an absolutely PLEASANT night. Cross your fingers that I can convince Ben to take a ride to the ice cream shop with me?!

Have a great night guys – Friday’s so close, I can SMELL it!

!!!!!

~~~~~

Do you ever make or eat soup in the summer?

What do you use for email?

I’ve Run Out of Excuses!

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:35:19 +0000

Good afternoon! Weekend treatin’ you well so far?

I spent a couple hours hunkered down at ‘Bucks this morning with a Skinny No-foam Vanilla Latte, a Pink Lady Apple and my laptop!

Both my personal and blog email accounts needed some serious TLC, and the coffee shop was the perfect place to hunker down and get some work done.

Afterwards I ran some errands, then headed to the library where I picked up THIS BABY – WHEEE!!!! You all shamed me into reading the series after I confessed to only relying on the movies to get my Twilight fix. Technically, I should be reading the 4th book, since that’s what movie I’m up to, but I decided to do it right and start from the beginning.

Oh, guess what was waiting on my doorstep when I got home?! A Trader Joe’s Care Package from my in-laws for my birthday!!!!

They are so sweet and thoughtful to have done this, and they included ALL my faves. Roasted Flaxseed Almond Butter, Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels,

Raspberry Vinaigrette and, the best granola on earth, Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flaxseed Granola!!

My in-law’s are the best!

I’m going to head out for a run in a little bit, so I had a light lunch of Cheerios in Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze.

I can’t run on a full stomach but knew I needed something other than an apple to get by on!

"Brian, there’s a message in my Alphabits! It says ‘OOO’"

"Peter, those are Cheerios."

-Family Guy

I haven’t run since last Monday (I think?) so I’m anxious to get out there. Every time I tried last week, either:

a. It was raining

b. It was 1,000,000 degrees

c. I was frolicking with vampires

d. I was enjoying a cold one on a patio

No excuses today.

Talk to you later!

Custom, Inexpensive Wall Art

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:16:52 +0000

Holy.Cow. What a night!! Ben and I went to bed around 11 (party animals, I’m telling you) and woke up to sirens at 3:00am. I think it took a good 60 seconds to realize, oh wait, those are SIRENS, sirens. As in, stuff’s ’bout to go down!

Not even 15 seconds after the siren stopped, the rain came. Then the winds – 84 mph gusts – and the lightening! It was as if it was 3PM outside because the constant lightening made the sky bright as day! In all my years of living in Iowa, I think this was the craziest storm I’ve ever witnessed.

We got up and stared at the raging winds and rain for awhile, then tried to get back to sleep. But with 2 more siren wails and the constant boom of thunder, we knew that wasn’t going to be much of a reality. I think I may have slept from 5-7 before finally throwing in the towel and getting up.

To go grocery shopping! Ok, I went way over budget – almost $30 over – but my fridge and cabinets are stocked.up. I got a lot of staple stuff too, so I’m not that upset. Here’s my loot:

Produce:

Pre-cut broccoli
Spinach
Dinner salad kit
Mixed lettuce
Granny Smith Apples
Bananas
Tomatoes on the vine
Ginger
Garlic
Lime
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Mangoes
Pink Lady apples

Refrigerated Stuff:

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray
Chobani Greek Yogurt
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
Skim Milk
Turkey
Twice Baked Potatoes
Slab of ribs (for Ben’s smoker)
Country style ribs (for Ben’s smoker)
99% fat-free ground turkey
Mozzarella cheese
Cheese slices

Pantry Items:

Wheat Thins
Thomas 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins
Sliced almonds
EarthGrains Thin Buns
Diet Coke
Diet Mt. Dew
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cheerios
Life
Powerade

Necessities:

Blue Bunny Bunny Tracks
Blue Bunny Caramel Praline Crunch Fro-yo

Normally I come in either right at, or under, $50 – but like I said, some specialty items like those ribs, and pantry staple items like olive oil, almonds and cereal pushed me over a wee bit. What was your grocery bill this week?

In other news, I picked up this adorable post card at the Blue Bunny gift shop in Le Mars, and framed it in a simple black frame. I’m going to hang it somewhere in my kitchen!

I love buying inexpensive postcards and framing them, for custom, extremely inexpensive wall art. I did the same thing with a postcard I picked up from a plantation outside of New Orleans, and it’s one of my favorite pieces in the house!

Ben and I are headed over to my parents house for my belated birthday lunch with my whole fam (hence no breakfast, as I’m hearing the menu is a show-stopper!) then I’m going to deep clean the house and finish this pup:

I think everyone can relate in some way or another with the character in this book, and it’s been a fantastic read. It’s way overdue at the library though, so I’ve got to be extremely studious and get it finished TODAY!

Have a great Sunday!

As If I Needed More Ice Cream: Sweet Corn Ice Cream

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:25:00 +0000

La-di-da – it was another beautiful morning at the Farmer’s Market!

I thought I’d give you some different shots than the ones I normally give you.

Such as the downtown Des Moines skyline,

A Mother and son enjoying the morning,

and TONS of fresh produce!

Every week, more and more colors are popping up at the stands as more and more veggies are coming into season.

Eye candy!

I made sure to pick up some staples for the week, including some fresh-from-the-field Iowa sweet corn.

From the farm to the Farmer’s Market!

Of course, my Mom and I made certain to work up a big enough appetite to indulge in a delectably cheesey, gooey, creamy Pupusa!

From the griddle,

To my mouth.

I covet the extra crunchy parts of the thick, handmade corn tortilla, that mix with the cheese, which gets a little extra dark and crunchy on the grill. Bliss!

This was perhaps the cheesiest Pupusa I’ve had this year.

Seriously!

Ok, now I’ve GOT to tell you about this. As if I needed anymore ice cream running through my veins, my Mom and I stumbled upon this sweet little sign on one of the market tables – no wait, we actually heard someone read it, and we were like, "whaaaaa? SWEET CORN ICE CREAM?!"

As Iowans, we have been eating sweet corn every summer, for our entire lives – but this was a new one!! We were SO curious, but also semi weirded out?

After this woman told us she had handmade it that morning with the sweet corn she was selling, we decided to give it a shot.

Here we go!

AMAZING! Like seriously, amazing! Number one, this woman makes a darn good vanilla ice cream. Number two, she had put the fresh corn kernels in a food processor, then added it to the ice cream base, so the natural sweetness of the corn shone right through.

There was even bits of the kernel that you chewed on, making it so sweet and homemade. Awww, we loved it!!! Locals, check out the Westrum Produce stand next week to get a taste of your own. What a unique product!

Here’s the rest of my loot:

Fresh basil: $1.

Tomatoes: $2.75.

Sweet candy onion: $1.

4 stalks sweet corn: $2. Score!

As I was dropping my Mom off at home, she gave me some hummus she had got at Costco.

Not exactly sure why it’s called "hommus", as it has the same ingredients as "hummus", but it is killer.

Soooo smooth, like whipped icing, and perfectly garlicky.

Paired with baby carrots for a nice little afternoon snack.

Yum!

I’m off to run some errands with Ben, then meet some girlfriends for iced coffee and a chat!

Have a super Saturday afternoon!

~~~~~

Would you eat sweet corn ice cream?

5-Course Lunch from the Wells Blue Bunny Chef!

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:19:03 +0000

Hello!!

I love it here. I may never leave! Look at the view of the sunset from my room last night. Gorge!

Ok – Wells Blue Bunny Blogger Summit 2K10!!!!

First of all, let me just tell you how incredibly nice, thoughtful and caring all the employees of Wells (the company that owns the Blue Bunny Ice Cream name) and their associates have been to us bloggers. As if coming up here for two days of pure indulgence wasn’t enough, they had to go and be the nicest people on earth, to boot!

We got things started this morning with breakfast at the Well’s owned Habitue Coffeehouse & Creperie in downtown Le Mars.

The eatery is owned by Mike & Cheryl Wells, of the Wells Blue Bunny family, and all profits are funneled into a private ministry foundation they started for the community. Nice!

The inside is so cozy – like being in a friend’s living room.

I could have stayed and cozied up in one of the overstuffed couches and chairs they had around the place for hours. But I had things to do, and ice cream to eat.

Peach Amaretto Crepes, too!

Thin, chewy and smothered in freshly sautéed peaches, almonds and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. So delectable.

We all enjoyed our breakfast while listening to Dave Smetter, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications, educate us about the Wells company. For such a big title, he was such a laid back and approachable guy. The best kind!

He told us how the company got started (over 95 years ago as a local milk delivery service,) how Wells Blue Bunny Ice Cream got its name (an entry in a “name that ice cream contest” from a father who noticed how much his son liked the blue bunnies on display at the local department store around Easter,) and how much the employees of the company loved their jobs, among other things!

After breakfast, it was off to the ice cream factory for the big tour!

This is me covered in head-to-toe, factory tour required gear. Please don’t blackmail me with this photo later…

Sweet news (pun intended) – we’ve actually had an event photographer following us around all day, and since we weren’t able to take any personal photographs inside the factory, I’ll share the professional shots when they give them to us tomorrow!

After the tour (think pipes, holding tanks and lots – and LOTS – of ice cream, popsicles, ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches, including some that we got to eat FRESH FROM THE LINE!!!!!) we, thankfully, ditched our getups and headed over to corporate headquarters. What a beautiful building!

I was impressed.

The rest of the bloggers were too!

The story goes that as Wells began to grow, they’d slowly buy building after building in the community, to hold all its employees and operations.

At one point, their employees were driving a mile away for meetings in different buildings, so in 2007 they finally built the facility we were in today, to hold everyone in one spot.

Oh look, they had a welcome message to us bloggers on the flat screen televisions around the lobby! So great!

After arriving, we were whisked off to lunch prepared by Wells’ Corporate Chef John Kennedy. John has a culinary arts degree and is also a Certified Culinary Scientist – one of only 70 in the world! He is a down home Nebraska boy, though, and couldn’t be more down to earth and ridiculously NICE.

There was an intimate table set up in the middle of his kitchen for us. The menu was titled “Ice Cream for Lunch”. Ummm, yes please.

Seriously though – there was Blue Bunny Ice Cream worked into every one of the 5 courses (!) we had for lunch.

Starting with the aperitif (the appetizer’s appetizer): Blue Bunny Strawberry Spritzer.

Chef took Blue Bunny Strawberry Ice Cream and blended it with fresh mint, fresh strawberries and club soda.

See?

Then he processed some mint chocolate chip ice cream that had been frozen solid in dry ice, to sprinkle on top. It was kind of like mint chocolate chip ice cream dust. So cool!

Mmmm – refreshing, sweet and that fresh mint totally POPPED!

Next was our Amuse Bouche: Citrus Ceviche.

Ceviche happens to be one of my very favorite things in the entire world, so I was so pumped to see this on the menu!

Fresh scallops & prawns mixed with lemon sorbet, then added to tomatoes and cucumbers that the chef had picked up from the local farmer’s market the day before! So light and refreshing. Plus, you know how I feel about scallops!

Our Salad Course was next.

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Panko-breaded & fried Maytag Bleu Cheese balls, candied walnuts, homemade croutons and clementines over local, organic greens and topped with a raspberry sorbet vinaigrette!

Look at the oozy meltage!!! Crispy, tangy and amazing. I absolutely loved that it was Maytag bleu cheese too – another Iowa delicacy!

Best salad ever.

By this time I was feeling pretty full – but I somehow made room for two more courses. Starting with our entree: roasted chicken with whipped, baby Yukon gold potatoes, fresh asparagus and a citrus buere blanc sauce.

I’ve run out of adjectives, but let me tell you that this sauce was lemon-butter AMAZINGNESS and those potatoes!!! These were chef-made mashed potatoes, that’s for sure.

He topped the roasted chicken, marinated in raspberry sorbet, with fried local cabbage which I would have never thought to do in a million years. It was chewy and salty – so fabulous.

Ok, last course – dessert!

A trio of ice cream novelties, obvi, finished right in front of our eyes.

One even came adorned with edible gold leaf. Fance!

This was a Chocolate Cherry Cordial.

Surprise!

A White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Lollipop complete with WCMN ice cream in the center.

And a Chocolate Covered Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Sandwich! Got that?!

Luscious!

By this time, I was full. I mean, I. Was. Full. But so impressed! You could tell Chef John was an innovator. Someone who LOVED his job and whose mission in life is to find the craziest, most clever way to use ice cream. I think he may have hit the nail on the head with lemon sorbet in my ceviche. Genius, I say!

As full as I was at that point, I somehow found a way to say yes to this:

Which made me feel like this:

More details to come on exactly what you are seeing in the above photographs, plus photos from the plant tour, a scientific taste testing session at headquarters, and much more!

I’m off to rest and attempt to conjure up an appetite for dinner with the group tonight. Thanks again to the Wells Blue Bunny employees for such an amazing day!

A Yummy, Surprise Gift + Giveaway Winner!

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:52:37 +0000

Look what I brought home from work today!

A giant bag of mini Larabars – WHEEE!!!

A friend of mine at work has a fiancé who was at a race this weekend where they were handing these bad boys out (woah, that was confusing!) Apparently there were a TON leftover so he got to bring some home and, since they know I heart Larabars, they gave me the entire bag!

From what I can tell, all my faves are inside. Peanut Butter Cookie, Cashew Cookie, Coconut Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie and Lemon Bar. Larabars for years. This totally made my week!

I’m still in a “I just got back from vacation last night and have a million things to do before I’m leaving for another semi-vacation in two days” mode, so I made a tasty, yet quick, 5 minute dinner tonight. Grilled Cheese Salad!

Don’t adjust your monitors, those are grilled cheese croutons in my salad – YES!

All I did was rip up some baby spinach and toss it with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and Bisignano’s Italian Dressing.

Then I cubed up a grilled cheese sandwich that I had buttered on both sides and cooked on low heat so it got really super crisp. Toss again and serve!

Tell me grilled cheese croutons don’t kick stale, store-bought croutons to the curb! YUM! Cheesey, crunchy and perfectly soaked with zesty Italian dressing. The best.

In other news, Ben acquired an illness while I was gone (I know, I leave the man alone for two days… ) so I’ve got to go play nurse. I’ll also be answering emails, so if you’ve sent me one in the past week, you should hear back from me tonight!

OH! Speaking of butter – I need to announce the winner of the I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Great Grilling Giveaway! You guys had me drooling over your favorite ways to enjoy warm, melty butter and giggling over your… eccentric… uses as well. Buttered cheerios anyone? Tehehe!

The winner is…

Jamie: If your from Iowa it better be on corn.

Congrats Jamie! Email your mailing address & phone number to IowaGirlEats@hotmail.com so we can get your package out in the mail!

In other news, I’ve craving Pinkberry…dang.

Have a great night everyone!

Why I Can’t Wait ‘Til 9pm

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:13:01 +0000

Hello!

Had a TERRIFIC four mile run after work today! The hills trail was alive with the sound of music nature! The calling birds, the rustling leaves, the croaking toads – it was wonderful.

50% of the reason why I don’t listen to music when I run is so I can be one with nature (ohhhhm!) In a world full of distractions – it’s a welcomed and beloved escape for me.

The other 50% is because running to music makes me go slower than my natural pace, and we can’t have that. How would I pass by men that way? Muwahahaha.

In other news, dinner tonight was so special – Buitoni Riserva Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti aka 4-Cheese Ravioli!

This meal took 10 minutes to assemble and had only three major ingredients. THREE!

First up – the rav. Foodbuzz & Buitoni sent me a coupon to try a product from Buitoni’s Riserva line, which is described as “premium pasta pillows generously filled with enticing, all natural ingredients.” Fanc-EE!

I chose the aforementioned Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti, which is a savory blend of four cheeses and fresh garlic. omg.

These babies aren’t “good” for you, by any means, but they’re a special treat…and they were free…so I dug in.

Each ravioli was about the size of a dollar bill folded in half, and were super plump with the premium cheese blend.

I knew locally-made Gino’s would be the perfect compliment to the cheesy ravioli. Simple, savory and tastes JUST like homemade.

To get some nutrients in there, I sautéed some baby spinach in a dash of extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic.

Agnolotti up!

After the first bite, it was determined…TOTALLY BIG FORK WORTHY! (ps reader Tamra told me that Pier 1 sells the fork & spoon!)

Cheesy, chewy and sooooo savory delish. I could have eaten the whole package! Definitely 2 thumbs up to these raviolis. They’re a splurge for sure, but totally worth it!

I have several things on my plate tonight including:

1. Return emails and questions from you fine people.

2. Start on a cookie order.

3. Read.

4. NEW KATHY GRIFFIN SPECIAL ON AT 9!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HER! Suprised?

I’ll give you my initial thoughts on Laura Bush’s memoirs soon!

‘night!

~~~~~

Do you buy locally made products? What are some of your faves?

I LOVE Gino’s, obvi, but also have a soft spot for Bisignanos Italian Dressing and Graddy’s Salsa!

The Best Burgers in Minneapolis

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:27:03 +0000

Graduation was a success!

The seminary graduation ceremony was held in an enormous, expansive hall on Bethel’s campus, that highlighted an impressive and awe-inspiring organ.

Look at the size of this place!

Ben and I were impressed.

The ceremony was typical of most graduation ceremonies. Some people find them boring, but I find them inspiring. Hearing the guest speakers talk about the graduate’s possibilities for the future reminded me of how I felt when I graduated college. It was a great pep talk.

There’s my bro – the tall one.

Just like that – 4.5 years of toiling, studying and dedication, culminated into one moment. Masters of Divinity = EARNED!

He was quite ecstatic.

The whole fam was!

We all met up after the ceremony for pictures and a nice reception that featured…

CAKE! Oh yeah…

Afterwards we all headed to downtown Minneapolis for a celebratory dinner at Ike’s Food & Cocktails!

I had been to Ike’s several times when I lived in Minneapolis, and thought the restaurant would be perfect for the fam.

The restaurant has a 40’s supper-club kind of feel,

with warm lights, long booths,

and a full bar running right down the middle of the place.

We were all ready to dig in by the time we got there!

First, some congratulatory bevs. I got a Blue Moon, which I actually got hooked on while living in Minni!

Ike’s is known for their hand-crafted, juicy burgers, which you just have to get when you come. I had a tough time deciding between all the different combos, but ultimately went with the Serious Patty Melt.

Serious indeed!!!!

My patty melt had a thick, medium rare burger topped with cheddar cheese and caramelized onions, which was smushed between two slices of parmesan garlic bread.

O.M.G. BEST BURGER EVER!!!! Perfectly seasoned, indulgent and juuuuust right. Every single person loved what they ordered. Ike’s rocks!

The homemade shoestring fries took my meal over the top.

No, the warm chocolate chip cookies they give you at the end of your meal took it over the top…

No, the FOUR LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE they gave us for free took it over the top!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures cannot do this thing justice – it was literally the size of my head and one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. Fudgy, sweet and decadent.

It was so big that the SIX of us couldn’t even finish it! Whew!

What a fun, FUN day we all had together. Congrats again to my bro – what an inspiration!

The next morning, even though the majority of us were still full from dinner, we met up at our spot for breakfast – the Uptown Diner!

No matter what, we must always have breakfast at the Uptown Diner before leaving Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The funky, homey, kick back and relax, Uptown Diner.

Where the meals are as big as a boat,

and the best in town. I got my fave, French Toast!

Cinnamony-sweet, thick and chewy.

Drizzled with maple syrup = pure perfection!!

I had half and gave the rest to my Dad. Like I said, I wasn’t hungry, but had to have a taste!!

I’m so glad we could all be together as a family this weekend (minus my little bro.)

It’s so rare these days, and I treasure every moment together!

The drive home was uneventful, but beautiful.

There’s something so calm and serene about the Midwest.

I just love it…and need to remember these moments when it’s -10 degrees and I’m miserable in February!!

On the way home I finished The Perfect Wife and was itching to get started on Laura Bush’s memoirs, Spoken from the Heart. The Perfect Wife was good, although I prefer memoirs and autobiographies to biographies. You just never know what gets lost in translation, know what I mean?

I’m 39th on the waiting list at the library for her memoirs, and decided that I just couldn’t wait to get it, so Ben and I drove to Costco where I picked it up for almost 50% less than it costs at major bookstores – boo yah!

After we finally got home, I went for a nice long bike ride. It felt amazing to stretch my legs after two days of driving…ahhhhh.

I’m going to get cleaned up, prepare for the rest of the week, and dig into my new book. Don’t you just love getting new stuff?

Have a good night!

Proof that It’s Never Too Late to Change Your Life

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:21:58 +0000

I have had the BEST day!

After breakfast I kept rolling and unleashed my inner power-cleaning fury on the house! Every room (except the basement – that’s Ben’s domain!) has been swept and/or mopped, disinfected and dusted, from TOP to bottom. I even scrubbed the tub, which I hate!

Sometimes you just need a day off to do stuff you don’t want to do on the weekends, know what I mean?

It wasn’t all comet and Lysol though – I had a date with my Dad’s fifth grade class this afternoon, so I got cleaned up and had an early, light lunch! First up, strawberries & cheese.

Not at the same time.

Strawberries are EVERYWHERE right now, but I rarely buy them because I hate cutting them up. Isn’t that lazy of me? At any rate, I just cut the tops off of these babies which took ~1 minute. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?!

A cold colby jack cheese stick was a nice supplement to my berries. Do you eat your cheese sticks like a…stick?…or do you peel them? I eat mine like a stick.

I also had the last of my Summertime Salsa Goat Cheese with Special K Herb & Tomato Crackers.

This goat cheese blend is SPICE-AY! In a really good way though, as I can’t tolerate super hot foods.

Locals: find the Northern Prairie Goat Cheese Stand, at the downtown Farmer’s Market, on the west side of 4th street as you’re heading down to Java Joes. I recommend their products!

And I will not be buying these crackers again because they’re highly addicting. Cracker crack, if you will.

After lunch I set out for my Dad’s school.

Every year, at the end of the year, his students do an “Apprentice” type thing, where each group picks their favorite candy and creates a marketing campaign around it, trying to convince the judges (me, my Mom and my Mom’s coworker) why their candy is the best. They’re supposed to make a poster, power point presentation, bring SAMPLES, create a skit, etc., to try and convince us.

Never underestimate a fifth grader, because these children were whipping out power point presentations that were better than what I could even do!

The Hershey’s Chocolate group had some stellar samples.

The Laffy Taffy group had a nice presentation.

Those kids were very animated (perhaps because they were hopped up on Laffy Taffy?!)

The Snickers group was SO cute!

A couple of them dressed up in blazers, and they even sang a little jingle while one of the boys played his sax. So professional!

The snickers sample didn’t hurt either.

The Lemon Head group had a fabulous poster,

and excellent presentation of their samples.

Shot glasses!

The Sour Patch Kids group won due to an exceptional poster and choreographed dance routine they busted out.

Oh, and lots of sour patch candy. I was buzzing after all this sugar.

The winning group was supposed to get ice cream, but of course, my Dad brought treats for EVERYONE because “nobody leaves my classroom a loser!” The kids all cheered when he said this – it was hysterical.

My Dad is proof positive that it is never too late to change your life. He worked in the business world for 30+ years before deciding that life is too short to waste it doing something you don’t love. So, at 50 years old, he went back to school and became a fifth grade teacher. I’ve never seen anybody love their job more.

Plus – his kids ADORE him. We’re talking, invite him to all their baseball games, plays, piano recitals… and he goes! It’s so cute!

After I left school, I picked up an awesome frame for a cool postcard I bought when we visited the Laura Plantation on our New Orleans trip.

I LOVE THIS FRAME! It’s so ornate and historical looking! Now I just have to decide where to put it…

Then I made a pit-stop at my local library. I haven’t been here in probably 15 years (there’s that number again!) due to my preference for buying books over borrowing. (GERMS!)

I got over it though.

Apparently, since finishing American Wife, I have a newfound fascination for Laura Bush…weird. I wanted to check out her new memoir, but I’m 39th on the waiting list. Sheesh! I might just go buy it!

Anyways, the author who wrote American Wife said she used this biography as her main source of info on Laura, so I decided to give it a go. I’ll let you know how it is!

Any good books I need to read?! Your suggestions would be so very helpful! (I’m on the waiting list for Prep and The Help, btw!)

Ben and I are still trying to decide what to do for dinner…

What will you be having tonight?

Heading to DC!

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:08:07 +0000

Goooood morning! TGIF!

Fun Fact: did you know that every single Friday I first spell TGIF – TFIG – and I have to erase and re-spell? Every single time. It’s so strange…

At any rate, we had my in-laws over last night for a fare-thee-well BBQ dinner! Ben’s parents are moving to Washington DC (today!) so we wanted to round up the troops and have dinner together one last time before they left.

I usually stress out when I’m cooking for more than just Ben and myself. What if I don’t have enough food? What if they don’t like what I made? What if, what if, what if? I decided to nix the stress, take some help from the store, and serve some simple items that I figured everyone would enjoy. I have a hard time with remembering that not everything has to be homemade!

Down the line…

Kettle Cooked BBQ Potato Chips.

I love how ALL the kettle cooked chips are usually flopped over and SO crunchy. Folded over chips are the best kind, imo.

Carrot Chips & Dip.

Easy Pasta Salad.

This is a modified version of Grandpa’s Pasta Salad. I nixed the pepperoni and used Bisignano’s Italian Dressing instead of Kraft. I still dug it, a lot! Had too much of it, in fact!

Fresh, juicy strawberries. These were so sweet, I swear they were stuffed with sugar!

BBQ Chicken.

I marinated the chicken in Wild ‘n’ Mild Grilling & Marinade Sauce. It’s kiiind of sweet, kind of BBQ-y…it’s really good. I also put out some BBQ sauce to top the grilled chicken.

These babies took ~4 minutes a side, and they were ready to hit our plates!

I also made some Avocado Mango Salsa to put on top of the chicken.

I just love the cool, tropical burst of flavor with smoky, grilled chicken. It’s the best!

Dessert was some of my in-law’s FAVORITE cookies in the world…THESE!

Yes, these cookies! You know, the supermarket sugar cookies?

They’re like tender little clouds of sugar cookie perfection. I LOVE THEM!

After dinner we hung out, chatted and just enjoyed being together as a family one last time before the big move. We are going to miss them so much!!! It’s going to be so weird knowing they’re not right down the road anymore.

BUT, Ben and I are both very proud of his parents and are excited for what the future holds out in our nation’s capital. We love you guys!!!!

This morning I woke up, went on my morning Mom walk, then…weeded my garden. It’s true. I have the day off today (!!) and since it rained last night, the ground is still really soft = perfect weeding conditions.

What, you don’t weed your garden at 6:30am on your days off?

I was hot and sweaty when I finally got in, so I made myself a half Green Monster for breakfast!

In the mix:

1/2 frozen banana
1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1/2 cup skim milk (out of almond!)
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1 handful baby spinach

Blended right up!

It was nice and THICK so I used a spoon to eat it.

j/k. GOSH I love green monsters!

As I said, I have the day off , but there’s still plenty to do! I foresee laundry, a trip to the library (finally getting a card!!), general housecleaning, a run and a visit to my Dad’s fifth grade classroom in my future. I’ll be back!

Have a great day!!

~~~~~

How near or far do you live from your family?