I have had the most random day!
My alarm buzzed rather loudly at 6am, and by 7:15 my Mom and I were scouring the racks at Old Navy during an early morning super sale they were having on shorts. I threw a cute tank on top, and called it an outfit. :)
By 8:15, we were parked and heading into the crowded Downtown Farmer’s Market.
MY OTHER RECIPESIt was madness, I tell you!
Highlights this week, besides the fresh, local produce (obvi) include…
The tropical steel band playing on a random corner that my Mom vows to become part of one day (random!)
Adorable wiener dog
and fish sculptures from the guy I got my bee stake from.
Smoked Garlic Focaccia Bread (I die.)
PEONIES
PUPPIES and…
PUPUSAS!!!!!!
There was no WAY I was leaving the market today without devouring one of these bad boys!
This traditional Salvadoran dish made with thick, handmade tortillas is crunchy on the outside, and creamy on the inside.
The spinach and cheese filling that’s stuffed inside is chewy, hearty and gooey.
The vinegary slaw and yummy salsa on top bring it on home!
"Yes please, may I have another?!" (Also, yes, that is a dog in a stroller behind me – random! ;) )
My Mom and I sat behind the Pupusa tent while we fought over shared our crunchy, creamy delicacy, and watched the masters at work. I loved seeing their system of roll, flatten, stuff, slap.
Roll the tortilla dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, stuff it with spinach, beans or cheese, then slap it onto a hot, hot griddle.
It’s amazing that this…
turns into THAT! :D
After the market I made a pit stop at Bed, Bath & Beyond for a new curtain rod. The curtains in Ben’s and my bedroom have been down for cough, 2.5 years, cough, after I ran the vacuum over the edge of one of the panels, it sucked it in and ripped the entire unit off the wall (which the previous owners so nicely painted around.)
I decided today was the day I’d finally put my tool belt on and hang the flowy, sheer panels I’d picked up at IKEA over a year ago. Yay, privacy!
The panels are crazy long, so I took them back down to surrender to my Mom who is going to hem them for me. I can’t wait to get them back – I just love the subtle, flowery design. :)
I kept my tool belt on and spent the next couple of hours working on Eloise in the garage. I felt like such a dude!
Updates include thieving the water bottle off my mountain bike to attach to her frame,
and installing a different seat. The new one I got last week was a bit too hard, while this gel-padded one I got at Scheels is very luxurious.
BTW, bicycle seats do not just pop on and off, like I assumed they would. I used a socket wrench to take the old seat off and all of the sudden hundreds of little nuts and bolts started flying everywhere. I’m all – "AHHHHOoohhhhno. Oh No."
Thank goodness I had another bike in the garage to use to figure out how to put it all back together. It was looking a bit bleak there for a few minutes…
I finished my stint as Mrs. Handywoman by installing the new bike carrier my parent’s and I bought together to the back of my car.
My Dad rides his bike a lot, and now that I’ve got Eloise and Ben has Alonzo (yeah – we found an Alonzo for $40!) we figured we’d definitely get some use out of it between the three of us, heading out to trails, etc. Loves it!
Afterwards I took Eloise for a spin to the grocery store, gasped my way through the final Summer Shape Up Challenge Workout #1, then whipped up another Sampler Platter for a quick & easy dinner. I love these things!
Tonight I munched on carrots & Wheat Thins dunked in Sabra’s Roasted Pine Nut Hummus.
Crunched through a sliced Braeburn apple.
And inhaled these Alexia Sweet Potato Fries.
I actually went to the store in search of their new Sweet Potato Tator Tots (right?!) but they didn’t have any in stock. These did just fine though. :)
OMG I am full.
Sunrise shopping, pupusas, dogs in strollers, curtain rods, playing Mrs. Fixit…
Mmm, yep! Pretty random! ;)
I’m continuing the trend by popping in a semi-random movie tonight – True Grit.
And munching on Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls. Not so much random as completely, and insanely delicious. Muwahahaha!
Have a good night!
~~~~~
What’s one random thing you did today?
sounds like a wonderful day!! True Grit is a great movie, hope you like it. I really like the curtains you have for your room. You inspire me to be more active & healthy, thank you. love your blog :]
Fun day! We’re watching True Grit right now!
Your pictures of the farmers market are beautiful! I was there too this morning-got there before 8AM-that is a record for me! It was a great day to go-and crowded! Weren’t those puppies just adorable? I bought an iron gate for the corner of my yard-but saw the fish and weiner dogs-so cute! Totally missed the peonies! Can’t wait to try the food you have shown! Farmers Market is wonderful! Nothing like it!
Super random: I scrapped the plastic tortilla wrapper that stuck itself (ahem!) to the front of our toaster oven about… oh, um!… 3 months ago. It’s been a lazy Saturday!
Also went to TJ’s and picked up some of their raspberry sorbet. It was the only one left, so I considered it fate. But, OMG, it’s so good!
We are watching Tru-Grit tonight too. I am having some popcorn and wine, but your cookie dough balls look much better!!!
They sell that flavor of Sabra Hummus at Costco- looks like you’ll need the larger size (for the same price as a small one at Target)
How fun – going to the farmer’s market with your mom! Wish my mom lived closer so we could hang out that much!!
Made your pbutter choc cups – OMG – that just broke my 2 week streak of no dessert! I was trying to be good:) They are SOOOOOO good! And I didn’t have rice crispies, so I used some chex cereal – perfect!
My random thing was cleaning my blinds. Fun huh:)
As always your hair looks perfect! We have the same cut – what hair productsdo you like to use?
Every other picture in that post made me drooool! Goodness. :) I went to a farmers market today too! I had a super delicious tamale, which was a total treat. I’m quickly becoming a farmers market weekly patron…
Cute ‘fit! I went shorts shopping today, but didn’t have any luck. Old Navy here I come :)
Nothing random, but we finally picked out new blinds for our house today. We are watching true grit tonight too.
I hate that I went to the Farmer’s Market today and they only had 7, yes SEVEN tents set up! One of the guys said it is just too early in the season, I don’t know what he’s talking about I mean look at your martket and I know the one back home (only an hour and a half away) has tons of stuff too! Maddening! Soon hopefully though, because that is one of my favorite things about summer!
That farmers market looks so amazing. I wish there was one closer to my house that was bigger. The one I go to is pretty small :( but I can always find good deals!
I actually haven’t done anything random today… I guess it’s was kind of odd that halfway through eating a bag of popcorn tonight I started craving spinach. I made myself a salad to satisfy my weird craving!
THE PUPPIES! Were they not the most adorable thing you have ever seen!?! It was just too cute… all three of them were snoozing on the street when I was there! I wanted to take one home so bad! :) Great post, the Farmer Market was amazing today! :)
I love this random day! Even though the pupusas were a sight to behold, what really caught my eye were those peonies. So beautiful! It looks like you and your mom had a fantastic time.
My day was about that random….it started with cruisin the aisles for a professional looking outfit at Kohl’s for a business trip I have Monday, and ended with a Hy-Vee run where I picked up some of that yummy Sabra hummus…my personal choice being Greek Olive (de-lish). I also enjoyed a little Caribou Coffee…nothin says Saturday like a turtle mocha!!! Keep the great posts coming, I love your site. :)
I have never drooled so much over food in my whole life. PLEASE GIVE ME THAT CHEESY SPINACHY CRISPY DELICIOUSNESS! And that foccacia…oh my god I die.
Very random, but we got that focaccia bread the last time we were at the DSM Farmer’s market! I went for the first time the weekend I think you blogged you were in DC. We were in the area for a family wedding. My husband wants to go back just to buy more of that bread. It is simply AMAZING! We live 3-4 hours away from Des Moines, so it would really be out of our way to drive there just for the bread :) However, when I saw your blog tonight I squealed and had to show him the picture of the bread!!
I am coming from Florida to visit my boyfriend who lives in Des Moines in two weeks and I just asked him could we please visit the the farmers market?? Those pupusas and that bread looked amazing!!
Sounds like you had a great day! Got me in the mood to go to a farmers market now! :)
That papusa looks delicious!
That steel drum band is either led or organized or something by a guy named Stan Dahl who is the leader of Central College’s steel drum band, Flying Pans, and my boyfriend played for them all four years while we were at Central! They took trips all around the country playing — they even got to play at the SXSW festival and in New Orleans and stuff :) We always have to stop when we see them at the DTFM to see if Stan is there!!!! He is a crazy fun dude :)
What a fun an fabulous day! My BF will be in Iowa this week and I’m rather jealous. There’s just something to be said about the fresh fruits and veggies that are literally grown down the street. I’m grateful for the farmers who drive to Washington DC from West Virginia but I miss the farm land.
Cute tank top too btw! Happy Sunday!
I’ll take one peoni, two puppies and one papusa please.
omg. i need to go to iowa just so i can taste these pupusas. yum yum yum!
I have that same bike rack – I love how easy it is to read. And I just watched True Grit last night. It was much funnier than I was expecting.
Random thing today: I got dressed up in cute, normal clothes. I usually stay in PJs all day on Sundays but it’s nice to look decent!
Random thing: Played Basketball with neighborhood kids. Don’t do that often, but enjoy it when I do. Oh hubby played too.
I cleaned out my closet! Moved winter clothes into bins that I put at the top of the closet, moved workout clothes to eye level, moved work clothes to the side (I’m a teacher so I won’t need those for 8 weeks) & tank tops/dresses are front & center. I feel accomplished!
random thing: made broccoli soup for lunches this week. yum!
Those peonies are beautiful! I can’t believe we don’t have pupusas here (or not that I’ve seen) I will have to hunt some down next time I’m in the US.
I don’t think I’ve done anything random today – now panicking that I have fallen into a routine – I’ll have to work on that one tomorrow!
I went to a wedding! I guess that’s not very random since it was planned way ahead but still awesome. Now I just need to find a farmers market like that near where I live…I honestly have no idea where they even have any, despite there being many small farms around.
I also have almost identical curtains from IKEA, but the floral pattern is a little different =p
Kristin, I am SO impressed w/ your bike/bike rack self-improvements!! I kept expecting to read “then I gave up & called my dad” or “waited ’til Ben got home”. You go girl! I’m ashamed to admit I wouldn’t have even attempted either of those… there a just a few things you need a man for imo. :)
I have to tell you we went to KC this weekend & had the BEST BBQ EVER @ Jack’s Stack restaurant! (the one you’re always hearing in that KC ad on the radio…) Anyway, you inspired me to try burnt ends (I am strictly a BBQ chicken gal). OMG! To die! Then I went a little bit crazy & tried my boyfriend’s bone-in BBQ prime rib. It seriously tasted so moist & tender like stew meat. We were both in total hog heaven! If you ever get down that way, you have to try that place! I seriously would have gone back & eaten the exact same thing the next night!
GIRL POWER! :D
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[…] It’s been a low-key day here at casa de IGE. Ben and I slept in, then lazily got ready to head to the Farmer’s Market for a stroll and early lunch. It was only 10:30, but we were already starving for Pupusas! […]
I can’t wait to try a Pupusa this year when Farmers Market starts. May can’t get here soon enough.