opt out

i don't know about you but i get a ton of junk mail including more credit card offers than i know what to do with. i either tear them into little tiny pieces or pile them up until i can find time to put them through the shredder.

did you know that you can completely opt out of all those offers? if you go to this website, you have the option of opting out for either five years by submitting it electronically or permanently by mailing in a letter.  thank you dave ramsey for sharing this little secret with me.

now if we could only opt out of all the political junk that shows up during election season.

bubble gum flavored apples

has anyone else seen or heard of these things?  well they do exist, they are called crazy apples.  they are flavored to taste like bubble gum, grapes or tropical fruit.  hmm, i just don't know.  what is wrong with a straight up apple? i am pretty sure most people enjoy the taste of regular old apple that grows on a tree.  don't scientists have anything better to do than mess with stuff like this?

fail

today we had food day at work and i brought cake balls. apparently i should have thought out my sprinkle color choice a little bit better.

here is what i found myself saying the majority of the day "no actually we're not expecting, i just like the color pink."

i was also told if underwriting doesn't work out i could open my own cake ball bakery. how fun would that be.

fail on my part.

weekly menu posting

sunday: madelyn's birthday party -- we headed to indianola to help miss madelyn mae celebrate her second birthday. 

monday: tuna  noodle casserole -- classic comfort food, perfect for a monday evening that will leave us with plenty of leftovers for the week.

tuesday: baked tilapia, steamed broccoli and veggie rice -- healthy and a quick meal before we have to head to our weekly financial class.

wednesday: miyabi 9 -- we are going to bring it on the musical at the civic center.  miyabi 9 will be the perfect pre-show dinner, best sushi in des moines.

thursday: pulled pork and goat cheese quesadillas -- i have some leftover pulled pork hanging out in the freezer, so this should be a quick easy meal utilizing things i already have in my pantry. 

friday: greek salsa chicken with oven roasted potatoes -- another pinterest find.  i could care less about the chicken or potatoes, i'm more excited about the tomatoes, olives and feta. 

saturday: dinner out -- my aunt and cousin are staying with us this weekend so i'm sure we'll find somewhere great to eat at.

last weekend eats

better late than never...we spent last weekend in the quad cities visiting jared's brother, jason.  it was full of fun, relaxation, the t.v. show bones and great food. here is a snapshot of what we ate while we were away:

whitey's ice cream: i love this place.  it takes me straight me back to summers when i was a camp counselor.  we spent some quality time in the quad cities and i always ordered the same thing...the razzle dazzle with watermelon sherbert.  it is pretty much a smoothie with banana, orange juice and strawberries.

smoothie concoction: jason is on a smoothie kick. he pretty much takes whatever fresh produce he has and puts it all together in a blender. i was skeptical at first but it was actually really tasty and obviously very healthy.

trattoria tiramisu: we weren't sure where to eat dinner saturday night but ended up at this delicious little italian restaurant. i ordered the linguini alla marina. the food was delish but everything else could have used some work.  have you ever seen the show restaurant impossible?  chef robert irvine would have destroyed this place.  at one point during our meal the fire alarm went off and no one moved. i have a feeling it might be a regular occurrence. 

blue bird diner: on our way back to dsm we stopped by iowa city and had brunch with my sister, rachel at the blue bird diner downtown.  it was so good but i recommend getting there early because the place was jam packed.  i had ratatouille with a cheesy polenta with over easy eggs.  one of the best breakfast dishes i've ever had!

slow-cooker beefy mushroom : recipe recap

here is the slow-cooker beefy mushroom over noodles recipe aka beef stroganoff as promised. doesn't get much easier than this.

1-1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat 
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beefy mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can french onion soup
1 cup water
fresh sliced or canned mushrooms, optional
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package egg noodles

combine all ingredients in slow-cooker except sour cream and egg noodles.  cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  20 minutes prior to serving stir in sour cream.  cook egg noodles according to package directions.

serve the beef and sauce over noodles and enjoy!
 

weekly menu posting

sunday: totino's pizza rolls -- yep you read that right.  we got home from being out of town all weekend and i didn't feel like cooking so hello pizza rolls.  it reminds me of when i was a kid and had friends over we always got to have pizza rolls and surge. what did you have as a kid when your friends came over?

monday: corn, bacon and potato chowder -- corn, bacon, potato and it's is a weight watchers recipe...yes please.

tuesday: slow-cooker creamy chicken potpie -- i have never heard of chicken pot pie in a slow-cooker but why not? looking forward to trying this one.

wednesday: chick-fil-a -- we are dining at jc food court with our life group prior to ash wednesday service.

thursday: dinner out -- j-rod is hanging with his lil and i'm having dinner with a friend.

friday: dinner with friends -- location tba.

saturday: cocoa-rubbed steak with baked potato and creme bruelee -- i got a kitchen torch for christmas and i'm excited to try making one of my favorite desserts with it.

cheese rice

what is the first thing you learned how to cook? for me it was cheese rice. what is cheese rice you may ask? it is as simple as it sounds; rice, velveeta and milk.

it amazes me how you can have one bite of a dish and it can take you back to a place in time.  my mom taught me how to make cheese rice when i was in grade school.  and to this day when i eat cheese rice it takes me straight back to the memories of eating this dish out of a brightly colored tupperware bowl sitting in my parent's kitchen.

just one more reason i love food, it triggers so many wonderful memories.

weekly menu posting

our evenings and weekends seem to be getting busier and busier, therefore having a menu is more important than ever.  i have been planning a menu for months now and am so grateful because it leads to less stressful evenings and less money being spent at the grocery store because i now go in with a plan instead of wandering. i can also look forward to what we are having for dinner and we always have leftovers for lunch the next day.  when i tell people about my menu planning they always say, "that has to take you hours." but the truth is, it takes me twenty-minutes to plan out what we'll be having and make a grocery list.  and with that, here is the menu for this week!

sunday: nachos with chicken and black beans -- i just love nachos!  for lunch leftovers i'm going to take the extra toppings and make it into a salad.

monday: beef stroganoff? in the slow cooker -- this is one of my favorite recipes but i'm not exactly sure what it is called.  my mother-in-law shared it with me and it is beyond easy and so tasty.  i will try to post the recipe later this week.

tuesday: cooking class at wooden spoons -- i swore off going out to eat on valentine's day three years ago after waiting for two and a half hours at latin king.  i thought this would be a fun alternative.  we will be learning how to make: pomegranate champagne martinis, slow roasted tomato phyllo purse, perfect tender steak au poivre, french potato tart, molten lava cakes. 

wednesday: pesto chicken stuffed shells -- found this on pinterest.  i like that you can make it ahead and pop it in the oven when you get home.

thursday: simon's -- we are dining out with our friends kyle and sarah

friday and saturday: we're spending the weekend with jason in the QC

birthday weekend

 i had a great birthday weekend!  i am so blessed and grateful for every birthday i get to celebrate surrounded by the love of my family and friends. here is a brief recap via pictures (mostly of all the good food i got to eat):

breakfast friday at la mie -- avocado tartine with poached eggs

my birthday treats i brought to the office -- homemade gluten-free peanut butter ice cream sandwiches

lunch at pablo's -- my favorite lunch spot downtown

dinner at simon's -- their macaroni and cheese is amazing

make a wish

jared made me homemade funfetti cupcakes -- he's so sweet

helping scoop the 6+ inches of snow that we got

birthday cake martini

weekly menu posting

happy monday!  my goal for the menu this week was to shop my pantry first and then make a trip to the store.  when arriving at the grocery store i wanted to spend less than 20 minutes and less than $20.  i am happy to report that i made it...$14.68 in less than nine minutes. i did all my shopping at trader joe's this week, as i knew they had a lot of the produce i needed and i could get in and out a lot faster than at hy-vee.

sunday: super bowl snack mania -- i made a veggie tray with celery, carrots, olives, dill pickles and a green pepper and spinach dip.

monday: skinny macaroni and cheese soup with broccoli along with garlic crescent rolls -- found this on pinterest. i am pretty sure the crescent rolls canceled out any healthy aspect of the soup but it was a delicious addition.

tuesday: black bean and corn quesadillas with homemade gauc -- giving the slow cooker a rest this week.  this is perfect quick meal and i  was able to utilize a ton of ingredients i already had.

wednesday: bistro montage -- we are headed to west side story at the civic center and have a groupon to use for bistro.  sounds like a fun night out to me.

thursday: sriracha chicken strips, cilantro lime rice and fresh broccoli -- another pinterest find.  can't wait to try these out, i'm really hoping they have some heat.

friday: dinner out location tba

saturday: salsa verde pizza with goat cheese and bacon -- repeat recipe alert -- i was very thankful to already have goat cheese and bacon already in my fridge as those aren't the cheapest things to buy. 

steam it

i got a steamer via a groupon and finally hooked it up this week.  oh my goodness, i am happy to say i plan on never ironing ever again. 

do you hate ironing as much as i do?  i hate it so much that there are shirts in my closet that i really like but go unworn because i refuse to iron. but not anymore, i am back to wearing button-ups.

i can't believe i waited so long to get one of these things!

chocolate pudding : recipe recap

i love pudding.  while the box stuff is good, i thought it would be fun to try to make my own.  here is the step by step process i followed (with some guidance from real simple) if you're interested.

ingredients:  

1/4 cup sugar  
1/4 cup cornstarch 
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
pinch kosher salt 
2 cups whole milk 
4 large egg yolks 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
homemade whipped cream, chocolate chips, graham crackers or fruit, for serving

in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. gradually whisk in the milk, then the egg yolks.

 

cook the milk mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, 7 to 10 minutes. continue to cook, whisking, for 1 minute more. remove from heat and pour through the sieve into the bowl, pushing the mixture through gently with a rubber spatula or spoon. add the butter and chocolate and stir until melted. mix in the vanilla.

press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. before serving, gently stir the pudding to loosen it. serve with your choice of toppings.

enjoy!

thank you points

this evening i called to cancel a credit card (the reason why is a blog for another day) and of course i had to get transferred to a specialist.  i got connected with linda and she was super friendly and chatted my ear off wanting to know all about our weather.  before bringing up my cancellation request, she wanted to know how much i liked my card (now that is a smart sales lady.) she informed me that i had some unused bonus points and encouraged me to go check out my options before cancelling. i was hesitant as i just wanted to get rid of the dang thing but she convinced me and oh am i glad she did.

i went onto the website to see if there was anything worth getting (a couple summers ago i cashed them in for a video camera.) this time around i found that with my points i could get a starbucks gift card...$160 to be exact. 

thank you linda, what a fun surprise!

ham and corn chowder : recipe recap

i threw together a ham and corn chowder about a week ago and figured i better write it down before i forget what i put in it.  here is the recipe if you're interested.

ham and corn chowder:

1 lb. diced ham
4 medium potatoes, chopped into quarter-inch pieces
1 small white onion, diced
2 tbs. butter
1 can whole corn, 8 oz.
1 can creamed corn, 8 oz.
3 cups water
2 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste 
cheddar cheese and green onion for garnish. 

melt butter in your stock pot. saute onions until translucent.  then add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.  then simmer approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

enjoy!