Happy 2010!!! I honestly cannot believe it’s the start of a new month, year and DECADE. In the last ten years I:
1. Graduated from college (go Panthers!)
2. Lived in Japan for a summer
3. Got my first “real job”
4. Quit first “real job” three months after I started (still traumatized from the experience) and moved to Minneapolis
5. Realized my love for cooking
6. Moved back home to Iowa
7. Got married
8. Bought a house
9. Started a blog!
Hmmm…that’s only 9 things. I feel like there should be another one to represent 10 years…ah yes,
10. Ran a half marathon! (NEVER in my wildest dreams thought that would ever happen!)
I can’t believe in another 10 years I’ll be just a few short years away from 40. CRAZY!
At any rate, New Years Eve was so much fun! As I mentioned, Ben and I planned a low key evening with some friends. We had dinner reservations at 7:30, so we went over to our friends’ house around 6 for cocktails.
Of course, every good cocktail hour needs snacks! We had Chex Mix, Peanut M&Ms and Puff Popcorn. Salty puff popcorn with peanut M&Ms is the best combo you’ll ever have. This same friend also makes a snack of puff popcorn drizzled with white chocolate and mixed with peanut M&Ms. TDF!!
The boys sipped on some 1554,
While the ladies stuck to Pomegranate Martinis. :)
We took the requisite photos…
Love Bare Minerals, but it makes you SHINE LIKE A HEADLIGHT! Any tips, Bare Minerals users?
And we were off to the Flying Mango! Ben and I had never been and we were so.excited.!! We love all types of cuisine, but Caribbean + BBQ hold a special place in our hearts. Love those flavors!
The New Year’s eve menu was long and delicious. Every dish sounded so good that my friend and IÂ split two, so we could taste as much as possible!
The decor inside the restaurants was super quaint. Small, intimate tables, warm colors and dim lights all set the mood.
The place has a very New Orleans type feel – very cool. :)
I paired what was to be a very spicy entree, with a cold and refreshing Shiner Bock beer. It’s dark, but tastes light. Love it!
Ahh – the GRUB! I ordered the Blackened Yellow Fin Tuna over Zucchini Noodles tossed with Creole Puree and Corn Bread.
omg. Spicy, fresh tuna steaks seared and served over spiralized zucchini that had been tossed in a savory Creole sauce. Unbelievable! And don’t even get me started on that corn bread. Best I’ve ever had – and topped with cinnamon honey butter…I want it again. Now!
My friend got the Lime & Garlic Shrimp over Black Pepper Fettuccine with Fresh Mango Salsa and Corn Bread. Seriously – no words. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the tropical mango was incredible with the hint of spice in the pasta!
Ben, fulfilling his man duties, got a Slab of Memphis-Style Loin Back Ribs with Red Beans & Rice, Fresh Vegetable Sauté and Garlic Bread. Again…absolutely incredible!! Vegetables cooked to snappy perfection, best garlic bread and ribs I’ve ever had and those red beans and rice just knocked it out of the park!!
Obviously, Ben did not eat an entire rack of ribs, so he took half the slab home, doused in the Flying Mango’s house BBQ sauce. Amazing.
If you are local – you MUST, must, must get to Flying Mango! The owner also walks around giving back rubs. I didn’t hate that! ;)
After dinner, we headed to a local bar to wait for the countdown with some drinks.
Then we all turned into pumpkins at 12:15 and headed home. We had a blast and a meal to remember for a long time. What a way to kick off 2010!
Ben and I hung out at my parent’s house on Friday to watch bowl games and eat our traditional New Year’s day meal – Pork and Sauerkraut. Yep, in the German heritage, pigs are a symbol of good luck and cabbage leaves are symbolic of money. Therefore – a New Year’s day meal of pork and sauerkraut is supposed to bring a year of good luck and fortune. :) Here’s hoping! :)
WendyG 10.04.2011
I am a Bare Minerals user and I LOVE it! I mean…..I AM OBSESSED!!!!!!! I have to disagree with the response earlier…..mineral veil is the ANSWER to reducing shine! You must make sure you get the Matte mineral veil…..not the one that has a subtle shine to it. The more you use the more oil it absorbs throughout the day. Also make sure you use matte color too. I use my color (medium), then mineral veil, and finish with warmth!
Lori 02.25.2011
I just read this blog and I have to say, it’s time to graduate from Bare Minerals and move on to nothing but the best…Mary Kay. The mineral powder foundation is the absolute best…and if you find a great consultant, she will teach you how to use your makeup and it will be more of a pleasure than a chore applying it every morning, plus you will always look fantastic!
Adios 2010! | Iowa Girl Eats 12.31.2010
[…] celebrate the new year, Ben and I are off to the same restaurant we went to to ring in 2010 – Flying Mango. I’m stuck between ordering the Jumbo Shrimp or BBQ […]
Melissa 01.10.2010
Try Bare Minerals Matte powder instead of the regular. Its FANTASTIC. I have had insanely oily skin my entire life and this stuff just keeps everything under control. Best of luck!
A Shopping Bonanza | Iowa Girl Eats 01.09.2010
[…] jeans ever in my lifetime, I would have called you crazy. But, thanks to the addition of some cute snow boots, they’ve now become a necessary addition to my wardrobe. If these boots also become part of […]
2000-2010 « In the Skinny 01.05.2010
[…] saw this idea over at Iowa Girl Eats and thought it might be fun to do! Â I’m trying not to repeat some of the things from […]
Jenna 01.04.2010
What a decade you had!
Great new years eve :)
Kelly 01.04.2010
MAC is my life! Their Studio Fix powder is a cross between foundation and powder. Wonderful!
Shiner Bock is my FAV beer. Not available where I live, but stock up everytime I head to Minneapolis!
Highlight of my decade…I had to wait until 9 and 3/4 years of the decade for my highlight of getting engaged to the man I love.