Hello from the 59th day of January! ? Kidding obviously, but is this month crawling by at a snail’s pace for anyone else?
After being hit with a few snow storms over the past couple of weeks, it finally feels like the season that shall not be named has officially arrived. That said, even though there’s a 4′ high mountain of shoveled snow at the end of our driveway and we’re 128 days into January, I can’t help but feel like spring is maybe, sort of, hopefully, kiiind of in sight?!
I’ll wait for you to stop laughing.
Hear me out. For one, I think the sun is definitely staying out a littler bit later each night, and for another, Ben and I are planning a spring break trip. Could not be more excited! We were going to try the Outer Banks but just learned that March is not a great time to visit, so I’m thinking Florida (Destin is looking delicious,) or Sedona, AZ, possibly. Decisions, decisions! Have you gone on any family friendly vacations somewhere WARM recently ? I’d love to hear about them. :)
In the meantime, here’s what else is going on in the latest edition of Currently!
Time and place: 7:37pm on the couch in front of the fire. It’s cold and I’m cozy. Even better, Ben is picking up sushi for our dinner before we settle in to put a dent in our DVR.
Watching: We’ve watched a couple hilarious comedy specials on Netflix recently. First up is Ellen Degeneres Relatable. Truly the woman could sit in a room breathing and I’d probably laugh, so needless to say we were both cackling the entire show. SO funny. Seth Meyers Lobby Baby is also hysterical and I’ve shared it with every mother I know. If you have kids (and Netflix, I suppose!) you have GOT to see it. We also watched Adam Sandler’s 100% Fresh which was essentially about absolutely nothing, but funny nonetheless simply because it’s Adam Sandler. No one else could have pulled that special off!
Loving: Art for Kids Hub. Lincoln is really into drawing right now – I’ll have to show you his self portrait sometime, it’s incredible! – and as such we are really into the Art for Kids Hub website/YouTube channel. It’s run by a super charismatic guy, Rob, who draws everything under the sun with his four kids in a fun and easy to follow format. Highly recommend for your babes who love to draw, and/or YOU if you’re looking for a five minute escape. I’d forgotten how fun and relaxing drawing can be.
Cleaning: Old blog posts. The time has come! I’ve been writing Iowa Girl Eats for nearly 11 years now (WHO WHAT HOW WHY?!) and an archive overhaul is long overdue. Over the past month I’ve been going through each and every single post on IGE, starting from the very beginning, and either deleting ones containing photos like the one below (an ACTUAL picture I INTENTIONALLY included in a post in 2010. I think it’s scallops? Maybe?) or re-directing old recipes to newer, updated ones. It has been very bittersweet re-reading all those posts – my 20s were pretty simple! ;) I’m up to 2012 and thought I’d recap 2009-2011 for you:
- Chipotle Burrito Bowls. So many burrito bowls. Documented and shared ad nauseam at least once a week.
- Trips to the HyVee Salad Bar. Maybe this is why Ben and I were both so slim and trim back then – we ate gobs of salads.
- Kitchen Sink Salads. I repeat, so many salads!
- Red Box Movies. Should have had a separate channel on this site reviewing all the Red Box DVDs we watched. I don’t remember 90% of them?
- Tofu, spinach, and brown rice. Apparently this is all I ate for a solid six months in 2010.
- CAPS CAPS CAPS! I just noticed that I am capping the heck out of this post and it’s because I have been so immersed in my old posts! SORRY!!
All that said, if you have an old recipe or something from the archives that you still use, let me know and I’ll make sure it makes the cut. This one did not. ;)
Sipping: Stag’s Leap 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. Dry January is…moist? Not bone dry but not soaking wet. Ie, I’ve made a few exceptions for my very favorite wine on the planet right now – Stag’s Leap 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. Ben brought a bottle of this home late last year, poured me a glass, and I seriously sat straight up. It is SO smooth and just YUMMY. I adore it! Stag’s Leap is one of the wineries I visited back in 2012 with my girlfriends. Take me back…
Eating: Homemade Pad Thai. A restaurant-quality, tamarind-free, homemade Pad Thai recipe is something Ben and I have been on the hunt for for many years – especially after having to go gluten free. Our favorite Thai spot offers “gluten free” Pad Thai but all it is is everything normally included in their Pad Thai minus the sauce. As in, bone dry rice noodles with vegetables. Just…confusing. Anyway, we finally found a winner! Homemade Pad Thai from Tastes Better From Scratch is fabulous! I used a touch less fish sauce than called for, no hot sauce, and no peanut butter. YUM.
Popping: Doterra Peppermint Beadlets. I tried one of these little beadlets from a friend recently and my jaw dropped – so convenient! They’re one drop worth of a peppermint essential oil blend encapsulated in a soft, vegetarian beadlet. Very refreshing and one drop is all you need. You can let them dissolve in your mouth or just snap one between your teeth. Boom, instant fresh breath. These are a great alternative to carrying around mints or gum in your purse.
Bundling: Primary Coats. With spring (kind of!) on the way, I thought I’d re-share the coats from Primary.com that I bought Gwen last fall, since I also later bought one for Cam. We have put them through the ringer both in terms of use and washing – you can run them through a standard wash/dry process – and I’m still so impressed! The puffer coats are lightweight and slim fitting, yet very warm. Cam has worn his in the snow several times now without incident. You cannot beat the price and truly they’re just so fun, bright, and CUTE!
Using: Gotham Pro Steel Skillets. I’d been in need of new skillets for awhile when I bit the bullet and picked up this Gotham Pro steel skillet set I’d seen probably 100 times at Costco. NOTHING sticks to them – not even eggs without cooking spray – they’re dishwasher safe, and apparently can’t be scratched. I’ve been using them for a couple months now and have zero complaints. Can’t beat the price either.
DEVOURING: La Terra Fina Spinach, Artichoke and Parmesan. Speaking of Costco, I randomly bought this dip there a couple weeks ago and it is honest to goodness Top 5 most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. I know that sounds insane, but apparently I’m not alone. I shared the dip on Instagram stories and received countless messages from people who can’t buy it anymore because they have no self control around an open tub. Umm, hi, yes, relatable. It is so delicious that it’s the first and last tub I’ll ever buy. TOO GOOD!!!
Treating: NadaMoo. Have you heard of NadaMoo? It’s a coconut milk-based ice cream product that tastes exactly like regular ice cream. That is so hard to do with coconut milk! My sister in law raved about their Peppermint Bark flavor earlier this winter, a friend brought over the Banana Caramel Crunch and Peach Cobbler flavors when Lincoln had his tonsils out in December, then IÂ pulled the trigger on their Marshmallow Stardust recently. They’re all better than the next! I don’t even really like ice cream that much, and don’t eat a ton of sweets to begin with, but I am in love with this stuff. The only flavor I haven’t been thrilled with is the Cookie Dough Fudge, unfortunately. I was so excited to find a gluten free cookie dough ice cream but it has a strong coconut flavor. FYI, most but not all of their flavors are certified gluten free.
Blinking: Gwen is 1-1/2! Gwen turned 18 months this week and I am in shock! These have been the fastest 18 months of my life. It’s so cliche to say, but I feel like it was just last month that she was sleeping right next to me, and now she’s housing tuna salad, adorning herself in as many necklaces and bracelets as she can find, and doing her gosh darn very best to keep up with her brothers. She does a pretty good job! Our Gwen, Sis, Miss Sis, Sis Sis, Sister Sue, Baby Girl, Peanut is absolute perfection and we are all deeply obsessed. Love this perfect little thing!
Pick a Currently category and fill me in!Â
Having been to both ARIZONA ALL THE WAY! I only travelled to Sedona from Phoenix/Scottsdale for the day, but I loved loved LOVED Arizona so much more than Florida! The topography and temperature and lack of humidity ? are SPOT ON,
I first found your blog through your Monster Green Smoothie and have been a reader ever since. I don’t think there is anything I have made that we didn’t like! A few of our favorites off the top of my head are Kale Fried Rice, Party Potatoes Deluxe ( the ONLY recipe for a potato casserole that my daughter will eat ), Sticky Thai Chicken Fingers, Thai Crunch Salad and your Mini Vanilla Bean scones, which my niece declared as a must-have on Christmas morning the first time I made them a few years ago?.
Not to worry – those all made the cut!! :D
Old posts… I still make the little cornbread muffins where you put the hot dog in. I also make the peanut butter cookies in the mini
Muffin tins where you drop in the Reese’s cup. I guess I like mini muffin tin recipes.
Love to squeeze a peppermint beadlet in my water. Following the comments closely, we are hoping to go to Florida this summer with our three boys.
Your Drunken Garden Pasta has been on my mind lately. I need to make that again soon.
This explains where my beloved Kale Fried Rice recipe went! Got ready to make it this week and it redirected to Sesame Chicken Fried Rice. Help! Bring Kale Fried Rice back! :-)
Restored for you, Leah!! :D https://iowagirleats.com/2012/12/06/must-try-kale-fried-rice-keurig-giveaway-winner/
We are headed to Splash Resort in Panama City Beach for the second year in a row. Right on the beach plus on-site water park for the kids. Just avoid college spring break times.
Love the memories! I’ve also been a follower since almost the beginning and remember the kitchen sink salads and yogurts every day ?
We went to Miramar Beach right next to Destin last March and loved it. Early March wasn’t super warm but the sugar white sand and beautiful water can’t be beat! Highly recommend – it was warmer than MN!
I was looking for the Thai Fried Quinoa recipe. When I search for it Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowl comes up. I have made both recipes many times. But I bought the ingredients for Thai Fried Quinoa earlier in the week and when I was preparing to make it I couldn’t find the recipe. I hope you can add it back to your site. Thank you so much. Enjoy your posts.
Hi Becky! Just removed that redirect for you! If it’s still redirecting try opening the link in an incognito window. If that doesn’t work, I can email you the recipe. Happy to hear that you love and still make the dish!! https://iowagirleats.com/2012/03/26/my-kind-of-meal-thai-fried-quinoa/
I learned to like tofu from a couple of your super early recipes. We use the Thai Tofu Pizza recipe often, and I enjoy the marinade/tutorial in the Grilled Asian Tofu. We also make the bacon butternut squash mac and cheese that you created for BHG at least once a month or whenever we want to impress friends with comfort food. But, we now have to search for it since BHG has changed the link where it was posted. The earliest recipe I remember making is the chicken salad with Greek yogurt, but it’s been ages since I’ve made it. It is amazing watching how your blog has transformed over the years!
Hi Kristin! Long-time reader! My husband was born and raised on the OBX and worked for a realty company out there before we moved to San Diego (CA native!) anyways, I lived out there for 2 years with him and visit twice a year now to see family. I have a ton of recommendations if you ever need them! Fun fact: I made your green monster smoothies so much one summer I was out there and inspecting homes for his company as a summer job. They got me through those hot days of running up and down a million stairs in those 20 bedroom vacation rentals! Yeesh!
I bought a Gotham skillet 12 inch and for awhile it was fine but now it sticks. What is your secret to keep it nonstick?
I’ve only had mine for a couple months so I’m not sure if it will lose it’s non stick-iness! Hopefully not!
I’ve been a reader forever (you got me hooked on those Friday Favorites… I couldn’t wait to see the cool things you came up with!) . Your kids are adorable, and yes, growing up so fast!! Keep up the great recipes. I consider anything I find on your site a “winner” and the helpful steps to prepare the recipe are invaluable for a clueless cook like me!
if you are looking for a laid back chill do nothing beach vacation I highly suggest Dauphin Island – we are on our third year of visiting and will visit every year going forward. Most relaxing vacations ever.
Oh my goodness, this is such an interesting looking place – I have never heard of it!! How big is that island? Is it all houses?
I love, love, love Dauphin Island! There’s one condo on the beach (with an indoor and outdoor pool), but the rest are houses. The island is not very big, but there are quite a few things to do. I live in the area, and it’s my favorite beach to visit. Feel free to email me. I’m happy to answer any questions.
Just a comment to say I love your Smokey sweet chili, planning to make tonight!
Thank you, Sarah! A long time favorite of ours, too, that will stay here on IGE forever!
That dip makes a delicious spread for a chicken bacon artichoke pizza!
We went to Destin last year for spring break and it was great! The beaches are beautiful. It was cool at night, and the ocean was a little too cold to get in, but the house we rented had a pool and it was perfect temps during the day to swim or play on the beach. We went to Uncle Buck’s for a family bowling night, that place is cool (my girls were 4 and 5).
My husband and I spent five nights over the New Year’s holiday in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. We rented a cottage through Airbnb that was literally 30 feet from the beach, which was mostly private. We loved it so much that we have already booked a trip back there for this coming December. The beaches are wide and clean, and the sand is like powdered sugar. It’s very soft and fine and powdery. I wish I was still there!
Love love love the Florida Panhandle! I would check out the 30A area. Anywhere along 30A is awesome but we particularly love watercolor and seaside.
Love this post but all I can really think about is: HOW, how, how do you have 3 kids and manage to be on the couch with your feet up at 7:37 pm? ON A WEEKNIGHT?! I’m not even kidding … tell us how, please :)
The little kids go to bed at 6:30 and I usually start reading to Lincoln around 7:15, though this particular night he was super tired (read: crabby) so I read to him at 7 for 20 minutes, then lights out!
Destin is really hard for public beaches now, most belong to timeshares. Also don’t forget we are going into spring break and are swamped here. I Love it here but it has changed since I was a kid.