I am so excited that DMACC is helping me make the Des Moines Moms Nite Out a great event for moms in the Des Moines metro!  Their generous support has helped to pay for the location fees and I thank them for helping me show appreciation to local moms!
If you haven’t seen DMACC lately I [...]

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite holiday…  and it has nothing to do with green beer.  And, since I’m not Catholic, it has nothing, really to do with religion.
It has everything to do with the fact that I can celebrate Ireland [...]

I know this story is spreading outside of Iowa…  I’ve been contacted by former Iowans.  Iowans with memories of a real Maid Rite.  It’s an Iowa icon- one that is being threatened.
After reading quite a bit on this issue (it’s a hot topic here in Iowa) I’m still not sure where the issue began but [...]

Last Friday I took the girls out to Jordan Creek Town Center for “The Great Gallon Give” hosted by Got Milk?
I was surprised by the turnout…  AE Dairy and Land O Lakes both brought trucks and each had 1000 gallons of milk to give away.  That’s 2000 gallons of free milk.
Are you curious how much [...]

I usually don’t worry much about Thanksgiving.  Between my sister-in-law hosting one gathering and Doug’s extended family hosting another I usually make an item or two to contribute and call it “good”.  This year, however, Doug’s father and step-mother are visiting from Texas and I am hosting the big event.  People are bringing a few [...]

… and it’s awesome”.
That was my 16-year-old cousin’s remark as she ate her first SmashBurger tonight.
Tomorrow the new Ankeny location opens and we were among the throng of invitees to the pre-opening this evening.
I’ve told you about SmashBurger before so I won’t go too deeply into how they smash the meat and sear it, sealing [...]

Last Monday we loaded the family, invited cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents and went to Incredible Pizza for an evening of food and fun.
The first thing you notice when you walk into Incredible Pizza is how huge it is.  It sits on the corner of 86th and Douglas where Albertson’s grocery store once was.  [...]

For Brenna’s very first “friend” birthday party we finally used the Kid’s Pizza Party Kit I got from AllChildrensFurniture.com back in August. This fun kit makes 6 personal sized pizzas and the kids had fun creating their own dinner!
The kit comes with the basics you need + a few fun extras.

dough mix + yeast
6 pizza [...]

Snacking is my downfall.  Especially if I’m tired or bored.  While at the Type A Mom Conference I had the chance to try some Weight Watchers frozen treats: fudge bars, candy bar ice cream bar and ice cream sandwich.  No, I didn’t try them all right there…  I had the candy bar ice cream bar, [...]

I love food shopping. Yes, I know grocery shopping falls low on the list of fun things to do for most people but for me it’s fun. Especially if I get to visit a market and not a grocery store. A market is usually smaller, has less variety, and costs a bit [...]

I made this recipe from Hershey’s Kitchens last weekend for our family celebration of Doug’s and my sister-in-law Amanda’s birthdays.  It’s a longer process than most cheesecakes as you first bake the brownies that are then poked into the creamy cheesecake before it is baked.  But Oh My Gosh!  YUMMY!  There was not a bite [...]

Give me a good roasted garlic hummus and some pita chips and I am set for snacking.
Sometimes I will make my own- if I can find dried chickpeas (which can be difficult at times) and have the time to soak and cook them.  Here’s the recipe I use from recipezaar:
Ingredients
* 2 cups canned chick-peas or [...]

The girls and I got to visit Smashburger Monday- two days before the grand opening in Des Moines (yeah, that would be today…)  Smashburger is brought to Des Moines by the partnership that delivered the always popular HuHot.
We got to try anything from the menu.  It was a difficult decision as they have more than [...]

Brenna has recently hit a growth spurt.  Or that’s what I’m assuming as she is constantly saying to me, “I’m hungry,” or “I’m starving,” or “What are we having for dinner?” right after she has finished breakfast.
It is getting to the point where I am very worried about what she is eating.  Am I giving [...]

I work with some wonderful companies.  One of them is Foodbuzz who often send me goodies to try.  (If you like food it’s a great online community.)
A few weeks back they sent me a few of the Emeril’s Tastemakers products:
Chicken Stock
Kicked Up Horseradish Mustard
Chicken Rub and Original Essence seasonings
We’ve used all the items but the [...]