weekly menu posting

not much on the menu at our house this week as we are headed home to celebrate thanksgiving with our families, but what we did have was amazing and easy so i thought i would share.

sunday: mexican lime soup with chicken -- topped this with some greek yogurt and chips and it made for a tasty easy meal, along with some delish leftovers.

monday: carne asada tacos with carrot-pepper slaw -- these tacos were better than most from a restaurant, highly recommend trying this recipe.

tuesday: rigatoni with roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts -- i was skeptical at first of this recipe but it turned out to be great and i even had to go back for more.

weekly menu posting

this blog is dedicated to my good friend matt, who sent me a screenshot of my last blog post from 9/11. 
it has been too long since i've blogged so i thought the best way to get back into it is to post this week's menu.

sunday: taco salad -- we volunteered at our church serving a meal and they were kind enough to let us eat what we were serving, tacos -- i made mine into a taco salad and it was so good.

monday: chicken noodle soup -- threw this into a slow cooker and it was awesome better than anything out of a can or panera.

tuesday: dip night -- kate and nicole came over for dip night, yes you read that right.  we had spin dip, greek dip, corn dip and gauc.  when they left my stomach hurt from laughing so much, it was pure bliss.

wednesday: chicken stroganoff -- this was on the menu this evening and i thought it was just alright.  i prefer beef stroganoff but this was a healthier alternative.

thursday: ravioli alfredo with peas -- looking forward to quick easy meal when we get home from work, per the recipe this should take 20 minutes from start to finish.

friday: cosi cucina -- we have a groupon to use to one of our favorite places, bring on the cheesecake!

saturday: kung pao chicken -- i haven't decided if i'm going to use chicken or not yet, it might just become a spicy veggie stir fry. 

9/11 day

crazy to think that 9/11 has been 11 years ago.  it is one of those days that i'm sure like many others i will never forget. it is the day that changed our country forever.

when i heard of the  9/11 day tribute movement, i couldn't stop thinking what a brilliant idea. why not remember a day of such tragedy and sadness with good deeds and positive action?
 
do something for someone else tomorrow, i will.

laundry room makeover

before

while we don't spend a lot of time in our laundry room, we do pass through it every day getting to and from the garage.  so i decided it was time for a makeover and a little organization.

the first step in the process was to take everything off the shelves and then organize it. i put the cleaning stuff together, then the laundry supplies, the extra rags, etc. i then headed to target to get some cute bins to store everything.  i also picked up a large glass canister to store the dry laundry soap in. i also filled a mason jar full of clothes pins, just for an added touch.

the next step was a fresh coat of paint. we had some leftover paint from the living room so i thought it would be a brilliant idea to use that.  jared graciously offered to paint so after a couple of hours i decided to check on him.  well that's just say i hated it.  the color was way too dark for the little space and there was no way i could just "get use to it."  a quick trip to the lowe's and we had a new lighter grey shade that i ended up just loving.  also a shout out to my wonderful husband for painting it all over again with a smile on his face.

we then created wall art by spray painting a couple of clothes pins and gluing them onto a piece of burlap and throwing them into some frames i found at hobby lobby. 

the last piece of the makeover was a new light fixture.  i found a super cute one that matched perfectly at world market on sale for $17, what a steal.

now i have a brand new space that i just love!

after - the finished project

close up of the wall art we created

super easy cheap project

another angle of the finished project

weekly menu posting

happy sunday!  hope you all had a great weekend, the only thing that could have made mine better was the hawkeyes pulling off a win but oh well.  this week the goal is to eat all meals at home.  the new iphone comes out soon and in order to fit it into our budget we have to save somewhere, so last week we only ate out once and this week we'll be dining in all week.  hope you're worth it siri.


sunday: baked potatoes with broccoli and cheddar -- we had our hawthorn hill donation today, so i just threw in a couple extra potatoes and dinner was done. 

monday: cheese tortellini with spinach, peas and brown butter -- life group starts up again this week, so mondays will always have to be a quick meal. the recipe states this is only supposed to take twenty minutes, we will see. they tend to always be off on their timing or i'm really slow, not sure which.

tuesday: spanish chicken and rice -- i pinned this recipe awhile back and have been dying to try it, i'll have to report back and let you know how it was.

wednesday: brown sugar-glazed salmon with green beans and shallots -- the best part of this recipe, you take the leftovers and put it towards another recipe, later in the week, see friday's recipe.

thursday: slow-cooker chipotle beef tacos with cabbage and radish slaw -- so excited that fall is almost here, bring on more slow-cooker recipes.

friday: salmon fried rice with cabbage and chilies -- typically friday night we eat out so i thought this could remind us of a take out kind of meal for much cheaper.  i also discovered this week that the fresh salmon at costco is cheaper than frozen, yes please.

saturday: tortilla soup with pork and squash -- another slow-cooker recipe, can't wait to smell this all day while watching football.

weekly menu posting

back into the menu swing after

sunday: chicken & rice dinner -- we got home from chicago and needed something to eat.  i wasn't up for going out to eat once again, so i threw this together with stuff we had in our pantry.

monday: bbq at the murphy's -- celebrated labor day at greg and leslie's with a bbq.  we had a delicious steak dinner and these roasted balsamic sweet potatoes.

tuesday: baked ham & swiss sandwiches with oven roasted garlic brussels sprouts -- oh my goodness.  this dinner was so good, i can't wait to make it again.  instead of using king's hawaiian rolls, i used my mom's homemade sweet rolls. if you're looking for a way to fancy up a ham and cheese sandwich, i highly recommend checking this recipe out.  the brussels sprouts were fabulous as well, tons of garlic.

wednesday: steak salad with bacon, crispy potatoes & blue cheese dressing along with creme brulee  -- i've made this recipe before and just love it.  it's super filling for a salad with lots of different flavors and textures.

thursday: pretzel crusted pork cutlets with garlic roasted green beans with shallots and hazelnuts -- i love a pretzel crusted chicken recipe so this should be just as good.  for the green beans, i'm going to use pine nuts or almonds because i have both on hand.

friday: sakari -- we're only dining out once this week so sushi it is, pretty excited.  we're going to hit up sakari as they have amazing happy hour specials, including $4 rolls.

saturday: iowa/iowa state game -- tailgate food all day long, so excited that fall is here.

"homeless kit"

last june i came up with the idea of always having a "homeless kit" in my trunk just in case i ran across someone who was in need i could supply them with some of the basics.  well since last year the homeless kit has evolved.  it now includes: a reusable bag, socks, underwear, ensure, water, powerade, granola bars, a t-shirt and soap.

if you'd like one to distribute, just let me know i have plenty to share! 

i'm still not 100% sold on the name "homeless kit" so i'm taking suggestions.

house number makeover

while i love our house, from the inside out it is full of gold everything.  from the fixtures to the doorknobs to the house numbers.  so little by little i'm trying to get rid of it all. i searched for new house numbers and just couldn't find anything i loved so instead i got a can of spray paint for $4 or $5 and was thrilled with the results.

below is the step by step process i followed:

remove the house numbers

sand them all down

wash with soap and water

now you're ready to paint

spray paint away

here is the spray paint i used, in oil rubbed bronze of course

leave to dry

don't forget to paint the screws

the final product...they look brand new

weekly menu posting

jared asked for a week of repeat recipes, which doesn't excite me too much because i just love trying out new recipes but with it being restaurant week and all, i happily obliged.

sunday: black bean burgers with cilantro lime rice and homemade gauc and salsa -- pretty simple and quick meal that makes our menu often.  to make things even better we got to enjoy it outside on the deck.

monday: steak salad with bacon, crispy potatoes and blue cheese dressing --  well this was supposed to be on the menu tonight but we had leftover steak for lunch and  i just wasn't feeling steak again so instead we had a fridge full of leftovers that got put to good use. but if you're looking for a different way to have steak, i would recommend this recipe, it was one of my favs.

tuesday: chipotle-honey-glazed chicken wings with toasted sesame seeds and green onion and sweet corn -- i stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago in one of bobby flay's cookbooks and was in love.  these wings are sticky, spicy and sweet, i just love them. as far as the sweet corn goes, i'm going to try something new by baking it.

wednesday: picnic dinner with chicken salad, cheese, salt and vinegar chips and fruit -- we're hitting up our first i cubs game of the season so instead of eating out before, i'm going to pack a picnic for us to enjoy before the game. and i do have to say, i make a mean chicken salad.

thursday: cafe di scala -- i can't wait for another trip to cafe di scala, everything on their menu is simple but elegant. oh and you have to get their tiramisu!

friday: 801chophouse -- we have a special occasion to celebrate, my parent's 30th wedding anniversary.  i've said it before and i'll say it again, 801 deserves all the hype it receives.  hands down they serve the best steak i've ever had...i can't even think of anything that has even come close. their grand marnier souffle is also worth the splurge, it is served with three decadent sauces. 

saturday: jethro's bbq -- my dad is busy working on a home project for me so to repay him, we will treat him to his favorite restaurant in town.

whoa, talk about a week of eating out. i can't think of any other week where i've gotten to eat at four of my top ten restaurant picks in one week.  looking forward to a week of good food and family.

biscuit cutters

my mom bought me a set of biscuit cutters awhile back and i couldn't wait to use them. well turns out it was finally time to use them and they were no where to be found. ugh, what a let down so i was stuck using a glass once again. 

fast forward to the other night, i am chatting away on the phone and jared is switching out the drinking water filter. all at once i hear water spraying everywhere so i quickly end my conversation and go check out the situation. 

jared asks me to get some towels so i run over and grab all the towels i can find.  well at the bottom of the drawer, sure enough there are my biscuit cutters.  i am so thrilled i grab them and show jared "look my biscuit cutters!"

his response to me "seriously stacy, we have a flooding issue."

oops, apparently he wasn't as excited as me. 

the good news, the water eventually stopped, the flood got cleaned up and my biscuit cutters have been found!

weekly menu posting

better late than never...here is the menu for this week:

sunday: grilled chicken and peaches with green beans and orzo -- we didn't get to eat this last week so it got moved to sunday.  oh my goodness, this recipe was super easy, quick, healthy and delicious...i would highly recommend it.

monday: eat-your-plate taco salad with black beans and grilled corn -- i try to cook at least one meatless meal a week, so this was it.  we still got in our protein with the black beans and had plenty of leftovers for lunch.

tuesday: buffalo chicken rolls with carrots and celery and skinny blue cheese dressing -- these buffalo chicken rolls were one of the best things i've had in a long time and to make it even better, they are only 100 calories a roll.  this recipe will definitely have to make a repeat appearance.

wednesday: chicken enchilada pizza -- my good friend kate shared this recipe with me last week and i knew it had to make my menu asap.  fyi, if you're looking for a perfect pizza crust, i would recommend the fresh pizza dough from trader joe's, it is by far the best i've had.

thursday: the cheese shop -- after work happy hour with kate and nic, hoping to find the delicious manchego cheese that we had at leslie's bachelorette party.

friday: alba -- restaurant week is here!  first stop is my all-time favorite, alba.  my fingers are crossed they have the sweet corn soup, it is so good i want to lick the bowl.

saturday: flank steak with balsamic bbq and fresh corn casserole with red bell peppers and jalapenos -- pretty pumped for this evening, sounds like a perfect summer evening meal to me. 

weekly menu posting

sunday: peppercorn-blue cheese burgers with grilled sweet potatoes with rosemary butter sauce -- this is a slight deviation of what we were supposed to have last tuesday but it didn't happen because i forgot to set out the hamburger and i couldn't find cherries anywhere.

monday: bacon, peach and arugula sandwiches with baked zucchini chips -- definitely a variation of your traditional BLT but given peaches are in season, i'm sure it will be delicious.

tuesday: fish tacos with a watermelon salsa and black beans -- i've never made fish tacos or watermelon salsa before, pretty excited to try something new out.  if you haven't been to whole foods yet, the fish alone is worth the trip and it is reasonably priced.

wednesday: grilled chicken and peaches with green beans and orzo -- another recipe where i can take advantage of the great peaches. i can't wait until my green beans are ready and i can use those in lots of different recipes, but they aren't quite there yet. 

thursday: broken lasagna with zucchini-tomato sauce -- this dish was on the cover of food network magazine last month and looked so beautiful that it just had to make my menu.  i haven't made a ton of zucchini before and it tends to turn out mushy, so i'm hoping this will be different since it is in the sauce.

friday/saturday: home -- we're headed home this weekend for our class reunion so it will be a weekend full of home cooking.

weekly menu posting

sunday: peanut noodles with snap peas and red cabbage -- i decided to add a red repper, lime and red pepper flakes.  this recipe was full of flavor with lots of different textures.

monday: ravioli and vegetable soup -- going to serve this with a toasted baguette, costco had some great cheese tortellini, i figured that was close enough to ravioli to work.

tuesday: peppercorn-blue cheese burgers with a cherry compote and sweet potato fries -- i am still on the look out for frozen tart cherries, i've already been to two grocery stores, if you have any idea where i can find these, please let me know.

wednesday: dinner and YMCA date with nicole -- we're going to go spy on a potential workout class and then have dinner 

thursday: BBQ with our life group -- hot dogs, baked beans and whatever delicious sides everyone else brings to share.

friday: bacon and broccoli rice bowl -- i found this recipe in food network magazine but can't find it online anywhere to share with you.  it is topped off with a fried egg, pretty excited about this one.

saturday: BC '12 -- i'm bringing my usual, cupcakes, tortilla roll-ups and boat juice.

you know it is hot when...

you know it is hot when...a flower pot spontaneously combusts.

this is a true story straight from DSM, this flower pot ended up causing over $50,000 worth of damage.

insane.

weekly menu posting

sunday: fresh corn soup with chive oil and mixed greens salad -- this soup definitely tasted like summer, my only complaint, it took longer much than the 35 minute allotted time

monday: parmesan crusted tilapia, steamed broccoli and almond rice pilaf -- this recipe was super easy and quick, the only change i made was to add some panko bread crumbs to the tilapia crust

tuesday: pizza margherita-- this recipe has become a staple at our house, it is just that good

wednesday: frisee, avocado and blue cheese salad with a toasted baguette-- going to add a hard boiled egg for some extra protein

thursday: grilled jerk chicken with pineapple-rum glaze and grilled pepper onion mix --hopefully it will finally cool off so we can break out the grill otherwise this will be made inside

friday/saturday: celebrating with kyle and sarah as they tie the knot

squre foot gardening

the day we planted

this year i am trying something new with my garden, square foot gardening. i got a book and employed jared and my dad to help build the rest. one of the main differences in square foot gardening verse traditional gardening is the soil composure.  it is made of a mix of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compost. it is clearly working, my garden has completely taken off.  i've already harvested some radishes and green onions and should have some peppers this week.

here is what we have planted this year:

sweet potatoes
russet potatoes 
garlic
peas
carrots
tomatillos
roma tomatoes
grape tomatoes
big boy tomatoes
green beans
asparagus
bell peppers
jalepeno pepper
radishes
red onions
green onions

now

weekly menu posting

sunday: pizza quesadilla -- got home and was craving pizza but didn't want to wait on the delivery guy so we made pizza quesadillas with some pepperoni and banana peppers

monday: the garden grill -- dinner with kyle and sarah at a new restaurant in johnston

tuesday: spicy avocado chicken enchiladas -- i love my mom's enchiladas but thought it would be fun to try a new recipe

wednesday: thai flavors -- dinner at thai flavors before we head to zoo brew with our small group

thursday: tex-mex chicken and white cheddar spaghetti -- i think this recipe sounds super simple for a week night meal

friday: dinner out tba -- we're headed to ankeny to visit the sievers' and see their new house

saturday: homemade pizza and root beer floats -- teddy is spending the night so i wanted to pick something that he would enjoy. if you haven't tried the prepared pizza dough at trader joes' yet, i would highly recommend it

and that's what you missed...

i so badly want to finish that with "on GLEE!" well can you believe it is july? last july i was on sabbatical but those days are long over.  after an insanely busy june, i'm hoping to kick back and enjoy the dog days of summer.

here is a recap of where i've been:

we celebrated with les and greg as they joined hands in marriage

we visited chris and calista one last time in indianola before they moved to the big city, madelyn was cute as ever

we headed home for my cousin amanda's wedding

we went to the iowa sheep festival, jared and my cousin garrett chilling eating homemade ice cream

family trip to KC, per usual we had a vacay full of good food

we headed to okoboji to celebrate jared's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary

jared turned the big 29

weekly menu posting

sunday: george's pizza and steakhouse -- we headed to se iowa for a visitation, a positive of the trip is that we got to see and eat dinner with my family.

monday: open-face vietnamese chicken sandwich with cilantro lime rice -- this sandwich sounds very intriguing to me, i haven't eaten a lot of vietnamese food so i'm excited to give this a try and this rice is a staple in our house.

tuesday: jethro's -- to start the 4th holiday off right, dinner at one of our favorite places in town.

wednesday: bistro burgers with grilled potato salad with bacon-scallion vinaigrette and strawberry-soda ice cream -- what is the 4th of july without a burger and some ice cream? especially a burger with an egg and bacon and homemade ice cream.

thursday: flank steak with arugula salad -- a hearty salad is one of my favorite things, add some grilled steak and boom, summer is here! this recipe calls for skirt steak but i had some flank steak in the freezer so i'm going to use that instead, they are very similar.

friday/saturday: home for the weekend -- headed home to spend some quality time with our family

halleluiah!

today i took my first insurance test and i'm happy to report i passed, woo hoo.  now i can have my lunch breaks, evenings and weekends back. 

here's to reading something other than a text book.

looks like i have some catching up to do