RENTED

We officially have renters! They scheduled a showing for last Saturday and I reluctantly accepted to show them, as I didn't want to leave the Duck Derby early but figured we needed renters sooner than later - as of June 5th, we were going to have two house payments.

They showed up early, were polite and appeared to be normal and they seemed interested, which was the most important. The following day they had their applications in and everything checked out.

And yesterday, they moved in and signed a year lease!

Thank you to everyone who kept us in your thoughts and prayers, this is a huge weight lifted off our shoulders and now I can finally enjoy our new house. Even though I was beginning to get use to the idea of having a vacation home on the Waukee side of WDM.

menu posting

monday: shrimp & avocado salad with crispy tortillas

tuesday: leftover night. j-rod insists we needed this since we have a surplus of food in our fridge, i am not thrilled about it but hate throwing good food away, so here it is leftover night.

wednesday: grilled steak with caper sauce & spinach pea risotto

thursday: garden veggie linguine with cilantro pesto

friday/saturday: my whole family is in town for the weekend including my grandparents, i am so excited but the menu hasn't been decided yet!

sunday: hot 'n cheesy chicken casserole

i didn't have to buy proteins for this week's menu (thanks to the deep freeze) & i utilized my pantry when planning so i spent $36.00 at the grocery store yesterday.

cafe monarch

Cafe Monarch in Scottsdale, AZ is hands down the best dining experience I've ever had. The food was amazing and full of flavor and different textures. The atmosphere was so unique. There were about six tables outside and inside was an eat-in kitchen where you could watch the chef prepare your food right in front of you. We chose to eat outside because I rarely pass that opportunity up because there are only a few months when we can do that in DSM.

Chef Christopher is a one-man show, he greets you at the door, pours your drinks, cooks your meal, serves your food and is your cashier when you're all done.

Another one of my favorite features about this place is that the menu changes daily and he writes it with chalk on the outside of his door. You're in for a surprise every time you visit.

J-rod had a pork lion with a red chilli sauce over a corn polenta. I chose the prosciutto pesto bruschetta, say that 5x fast. It was served over a green salad, with a variety of tomatoes with a honey lemon vinaigrette.

This restaurant definitely deserves the 5-star rating on yelp. I would go back to Scottsdale just to eat here. If you're planning on dining at Cafe Monarch, I would recommend a reservation, it currently has at least a month wait for dinner.

And after a short conversation with the chef I found he is from Iowa, no wonder I liked him and his restaurant so much.

menu posting

Menu posting for the week, just a few days late:

Monday: We didn't get to the beef and noodle toss from Sunday because we had so many leftovers from eating out on the weekend, so it got moved to Monday.
Tuesday: Los Tres Amigos in Waukee (it's half-price marg night!)
Wednesday: BBQ pulled pork, baked beans and broccoli slaw
Thursday: Pizza pizzaz salad and pesto brushetta
Friday: Buffalo-style chicken fingers with mac & cheese
Saturday: Chicken jambalaya with white/brown rice mix
Sunday: Leftovers

I did my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart which I am not a huge fan of, but came in way under budget just over $40.00.

happy hour

It's the little things in life I treasure most, like Starbucks Happy Hour. Once again this year they are offering half-price frappuccinos from 3pm-5pm.

I can't think of anything much better than a Starbucks treat and a deal, all in one! Better go take advantage, you only have until May 15th!

menu posting

Back to reality and back to a budget. The past few weeks with moving and vacation, it's been hard to stick to a plan and I actually missed doing it. But tomorrow, we'll be back on track. My grocery total came in just under $45 this week.

Below you'll find this week's menu. Enjoy!

Monday: Grilled ham steak with spicy pineapple sauce, baked potatoes and lemon pepper broccoli
Tuesday: Ginger marinated steak and noodle salad
Wednesday: Chipotle-honey-glazed chicken wings and LW's famous mac-n-cheese corn casserole
Thursday: Cinco De Mayo (probably won't be the same as last year's celebration as we were in Mexico but at least we'll eat like we are there.) Chicken fajitas, homemade gauc, Mexican rice and black beans
Friday: Dining out with the 'rents (location TBA.)
Saturday: 801 Steak and Chophouse - Jared promised me he'd take me there on our 23rd wedding anniversary (don't ask me why the 23rd, he was probably hoping I'd forget about it by then but thanks to Groupon we don't have to wait so long!) *Blog review to follow
Sunday: Beef and noodle lasagna toss with fresh garlic green beans

Let me know if you'd like any of the recipes.

are you brave?

A couple of nights ago L & N and myself were discussing the question "what's the bravest thing you've ever done?" And it really got me thinking. The next evening I watched 127 Hours and I was more convinced that is not a word I would use to describe myself. Not only could I not saw off my arm, I don't think I would survive 48 hours in a canyon. Shoot, my biggest fears in life are deer and after that is the dark.

Speaking of 127 Hours, it was a good flick and I enjoyed the story as well as James Franco. It did leave me wanting a little more when it came to the background and more details surrounding his personal life and what went on while was trapped.

I still don't have an answer to the question but I'll let you ponder it for yourselves.

sprinkles

I love Sprinkles cupcakes, I'll even admit I'm slightly obsessed. They're known as the "original cupcake bakery." They use premium ingredients and simple decorations. I first read of Sprinkles in a gossip magazine (if you're a celeb, it's the hot spot when you have something to celebrate) and begged my brother-in-law to take me on our next trip to LA. When we showed up in Beverly Hills I knew I was in for a treat, there was a line out the door with a one-in, one-out policy.

Another reason I love Sprinkles is if you follow them on twitter or facebook they have a daily post with a secret word that you whisper to receive a free cupcake. It is thrilling to walk in and see if you made it in time, the first word I ever whispered was "La Jolla" and just like that I received a cupcake, free of charge. Here's an example of a status update:

It's peanut butter Tuesday! The first 50 people to whisper "chip chip hooray!" at each Sprinkles receive a free peanut butter chip!

They even offer an at home version, this isn't your typical cake mix. It is the most complex cake box recipe I've ever followed. I've even tried mastering their signature frosting technique. The at home result is good, but nowhere close to as tasty as the real deal.

While $3.50 might seem like a lot for a cupcake, it is worth it because every bite is pure perfection.

Last week while in Scottsdale I sampled the following flavors:

chai latte
strawberry
milk chocolate
carrot
mocha
vanilla
brown sugar praline

My two favorite were the chai latte and brown sugar praline.

And yes, I know that's a lot of cupcakes to have eaten in four days, I plan on hitting up the Y this week.





I've already started counting down the days until my next Sprinkles cupcake...86 days to go!

a prayer for owen meany

I FINALLY finished A Prayer for Owen Meany while on vacay this week. It was a long read and it took me way too long to finish but I'm happy I made it through to the end. The story of Owen's faith is inspiring and I enjoyed that portion much more than the politics and history lesson.

"Owen Meany believed that “coincidence” was a stupid, shallow refuge sought by stupid, shallow people who were unable to accept the fact that their lives were shaped by a terrifying and awesome design – more powerful and unstoppable than the Yankee Flyer. (a train)"
— John Irving (A Prayer for Owen Meany)

4 years

Time to celebrate an anniversary! It has been four years since J-rod and I have been married, crazy how time goes by so quickly.

Every day I wake up knowing that we are truly blessed and I am lucky to be married to my best friend. Okay, no need to gag, I'll stop.

Cheers to the next four and many more.