If you haven’t seen DMACC lately I want to let you know that you are in for a surprise!  I was completely unaware of everything they offered…  From college credit classes for high school students and night classes for working adults to lectures, seminars and events.

Courses range from accounting, agri-business and auto to welding, woodworking and windturbines- and everything in between.  I was amazed when I saw the list.

A couple weeks ago Doug and I were invited to enjoy a gourmet dinner presented by the Iowa Culinary Institute.  I had no idea they not only hosted these dinners but also have a bistro open for lunch during the week!

From a financial point of view DMACC makes sense, too.  It costs less than 4-year colleges.  You get the first 2 years done for less money and transfer your credits.   It’s just good financial sense.

I invite you to check out DMACC whether you’re looking for a new career, your child is graduating from high school or you just want to continue your education.  You may be surprised at what you find.

And don’t forget to register for Moms Nite Out! Only 100 tickets are available!

It has everything to do with the fact that I can celebrate Ireland in a big way.  Which I am doing today since I will be celebrating elsewhere on St. Patrick’s Day.  For some ideas of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations going on around the US see this post at Family Rambling.

St. Patrick's Cross at the Rock of Cashel

My archives of things Irish are rather large, so I will apologize for all the links now.  Pick and choose what works for you.

If you want the St. Patrick’s Day story and why he is the Patron Saint of Ireland begin with my “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” post from 2009.

If you’re searching for ideas for your own St. Patrick’s Day feast I’ve got you covered!  I am creating my own today!  I’m expecting about 30 people; here are my St. Patrick’s Day recipes:

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

Irish Stew

Steak & Guinness Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Irish Brown Bread

Colcannon

Irish Tea Cake

Bread & Butter Pudding

Baileys Creme Brulee (recipe to come)

Now, if Irish travel is what you want to know about I’m going to send you to Family Rambling to check out details of our Ireland holidays at Family Rambling.

Traveling through Ireland is easy with kids; I outline 5 tips for traveling through Ireland with Kids at Travel Mamas.

If you’re looking for where to see signs of St. Patrick in Ireland now see my article “In the Footsteps of St. Patrick” at Uptake.

Do you have a brogue yet?  Just one more thing.  I have a book giveaway.  The book is set in, yes, Ireland.  It’s a great read.  You can enter to win at this post.

Now I’m off to cook, bake and prepare for the craic (pronounced “crack”) tonight!

Sláinte!

Maid Rite: an Iowa icon

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 I am suspecting it has roots in the “powers that be” in the Maid Rite corporation.

I’m not going into the whole story… You can read it for yourself…

A plea much better than any I can put out…

Save Taylor’s Maid Rite Facebook Fan Page

Maid-Rite Corp. CEO and co-owner Bradley Burt has asking state regulators to put the squeeze on Maid-Rite franchisees who use the old cookers

Taylor’s Maid-Rite is, perhaps more than any other single business, synonymous with Marshalltown

So the Senate had to get involved…

Story & video on WHO-TV

Taylor’s Maid Rite webpage

Why are Iowan’s so involved in this story?  Because we like our traditions here.  And, to be quite honest, the new Maid Rites are simply made wrong.  They don’t taste the same; quite frankly, they are bland and blah.  To really understand the lure of a Maid Rite it has to be, well, made right.  And Taylor’s is one of the few restaurants left that does.

Milk Mustaches

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 they gave away?  Not quite 1000 gallons.  I believe the remainder was delivered to food banks.

There was also a booth set up inside the mall where you could get a milk mustache photo taken and get some fun milk goodies.  The girls scored t-shirts (which have been used as nightgowns), AE dog tags and a frisbee.

And I got 25 gallons of milk.

OK, it’s not technically 25 gallons of milk, but it is 25 coupons for a free gallon of milk.

These coupons expire February 8, 2010- just over 3 weeks away.  I am giving these away- while they last.  Just leave me a comment with how many gallons you want (up to 3) and I’ll email you to get your address.  First come basis.  Updated:  Coupons are gone.

A few rules:

1. Maximum 3 coupons per household
2. Please don’t be greedy. If you will only use 2 gallons between now and Feb 8 only request 2 coupons.
3. Coupons are good in the 48 contiguous states, void in Alaska and Hawaii.
4. If sales tax applies in your state you will pay it.

Be sure to visit WhyMilk.com to enter to win free milk for a year.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this giveaway.  Unless you count the 4 coupons I kept.

• Rolls- from scratch, thankyouverymuch.
• Gouda Mashed Potato Casserole (recipe here)
• Greenbean casserole
• Cheesy corn bake
• Artichoke Dip (recipe here)
• Baked Brie
• Macaroni & Cheese (recipe here)
• 2 pumpkin pies
• Mulled apple cider

I had only a limited budget to work with and am happy to report that I came in at $1.13 under budget!  Woo Hoo!  Thanks goodness for sales and coupons!

The only thing missing from my list?  Meat.  Doug’s cousin is supposed to bring ham and his grandmother is bringing ham balls.  And we are having turkey.  I’m just not making it.  I have an issue with poultry (if you don’t remember, click here, it’s a rather funny story) so I am ordering a tasty smoked turkey breast from Lambert & Ewers in Valley Junction (they ship, too).  They slice it any way I want it and it’s amazing.

So, what’s on your menu?  You may have noticed quite a few of my recipes had something in common: dairy.  Be it cheese, milk, cream cheese or yogurt, you can usually find it in every meal we have.  Not only is it good and good for you, but dairy is really an affordable, delicious & healthy addition to your diet.

The Midwest Dairy Council passed on a few money saving tips for me to share as you prepare for holiday gatherings:
· To save money, buy cheese in block form and slice or cube it yourself. Or use holiday cookie cutters to create festive shapes, and save the scraps for casseroles.

· Expecting overnight company? Serve a berry breakfast smoothie instead of empty-calorie gourmet pastries to maximize nutrition without breaking the bank.

· Plain, low-fat yogurt makes a great, calcium-rich base for holiday dips! Buy yogurt by the quart and save, then flavor with dry ranch seasoning or soup mixes and serve with veggies.

· Remember to serve milk with every meal, not just holiday cookies. At about 25 cents a glass, it packs a lot of nutrients for the money.

You’ll also find money saving dairy coupons on the front page of the website DairyMakesSense.com.

I also have two prize packs to give away.  Each contains this super cute Dairy Makes Sense apron, a coupon holder, cheese knife, measuring spoons, grocery pad, refrigerator magnet, recipe booklet, and coupons from Crystal Farms for a free package of cheese (exp. 3/31/11 – good in Iowa and ND, SD, MN, IL, MO, AR, KS, eastern OK). AND a $25 gift card good at Hy Vee to stock up on all those dairy goodies!

To enter leave a comment telling me what you’re making this Thanksgiving.

Want more entries?

• For one extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek. You can do this at the top right of the page. Leave a comment letting me know you did this.
• Add my button to your website for another entry. Leave a comment with your site so I can verify. (This can only be done once per site. Duplicate comments will be deleted.)
• Blog this giveaway. Leave the link in the comments so I can verify.
• Tweet this giveaway. Tweet as often as you like, just be sure to leave a comment each time with your twitter id or the individual link.  (Copy & paste: RT @iatraveler: My Thanksgiving menu + two $25 Hy Vee gift cards to giveaway! http://bit.ly/5bYdvO )
• Link this giveaway on Facebook. Leave the individual link in the comments.
• Add my blog to your Technorati favorites.  Leave a comment letting me know you did this.

The fine print:
Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends Sunday, November 29 at 11:59 pm. I will draw the winners Monday, November 30.. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.

Disclosure:  I was given the same prize pack in exchange for including the information about the Midwest Dairy Council.

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 in the juices, then scrape it carefully from the surface before flipping to keep all the yummy crunchy bits.  Mmm…

We’ve been to the Des Moines location a few times and have had the Iowa burger, the SmashBurger, the Cobb Salad, veggie frites and SmashFries.  Tonight I had the SmashChicken and Haystack Onions while Doug had the Mushroom Swiss SmashBurger.

SmashChicken with Haystack Onions

I’m going to let you in a a secret- I’m not a big fan of chicken unless I make it.  Or it’s breaded.  So when I say that this may be the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had, well, that’s saying something.  And it wasn’t breaded.  Nope, it was seasoned, smashed and seared.

Now about those Haystack Onions…  Thin sliced and crispy.  They didn’t need the dipping sauce that came with them to taste good (and I used it on my chicken sandwich!).  I could have eaten a double order of these and still wanted more!

Mushroom and Swiss SmashBurger with SmashFries

While Doug may not have “had a moment” with his burger his report is “excellent”.  Lots of melted Swiss and garlic sauteed mushrooms with a side of SmashFries (tossed in rosemary and olive oil).  He was a happy man.

While we were driving my cousin home she was texting her boyfriend and telling him that the next time he came to see her they would be going to SmashBurger.

SmashBurger Ankeny is located on S Delaware Ave across from Target (in the same area as TJ Maxx and Okaboji Grill).  Open 10am-10pm daily.  Go get smashed.

Great Games

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.  The number of games is, well, incredible.  And there was fun for everyone.  Caelan loved the mini merry-go-round while Brenna found the games that required a bit more skill enticing.

Attractions

And then there are the attractions. Bumper cars, race cars, black light mini golf, mini bowling…Plenty to keep you occupied.

Buffet

Of course the place is called Incredible Pizza, so you know there is food.  And not just pizza, but a buffet that included a nice salad bar, tacos, nachos, meatloaf, chicken nuggets, potatoes, soups, cookies and brownies (and more).  Everything we had was really quite good; better than I expected, to be honest.

Where you sit to eat brings more choices than you might imagine.  Our large group was placed in the “family room” which had a TV playing classics like The Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligan’s Island.

The Drive In

Also available are the “gymnasium”: a very large room with cafeteria style tables, the television was playing Blues Clues when I passed; the “diner”, styled like a 50’s diner; and the “drive in” which is dark and plays a classic, Viva Las Vegas was the movie when we visited.

Fun like this doesn’t come cheap, though there are ways to save.  We had purchased two Restaurant.com coupons a while back that saved us $25 on food.  Incredible Pizza also has special deals that combine food and games.  Monday and Tuesday have the best deals and all deals require a buffet purchase.  (FYI these offers are only good at the Urbandale, Iowa location.)

Of course a place like this does birthday parties.  They also have “Mommy (or Daddy) and Me” Monday-Friday.

All in all it was a lot of fun and the girls can’t wait to return.  OK, I’m looking forward to going back, too.

Sassafras Pizza Party Kit

The kit comes with the basics you need + a few fun extras.

• dough mix + yeast
• 6 pizza pans
• pizza sauce
• 6 paper pizza hats
• 5 invitations to join you for your party

You buy the toppings: meats, veggies & cheese.

The dough is easy to mix (hint: if you have a dough hook, use it).  It does require a 45 minute rise and another 15 minutes after you put the dough in the pans.

As for shaping the dough, it’s pretty easy.  Make a ball, flatten it and then work your way slowly around it to stretch.  Don’t pull it too much or you’ll get holes.

Coloring Hats

I handled the dough while the kids decorated their hats.  I liked that the hats were in black & white so the kids could decorate them.  It was a fun way to begin the party.

Making Pizza

The highlight was, of course, creating their pizza masterpieces.

Making Pizzas

And then came the eating!

Eating Pizza

The kids all had a great time and the creating of pizza made them even more excited to eat!

Before the WW frozen treat boys (kind of like cabana boys- they were quite popular in the room full of ladies) began delivering the treats I commented to Paula,”My problem with diet treats is that they are usually half the size.  It’s just not enough to satisify.”

I don’t know if you’ve seen these treats out of the box…  But they aren’t half sized.  And they are quite good.  My favorite is the candy bar ice cream bar.  With peanuts and gooey caramel it’s close enough to a Snicker’s® ice cream bar to make me happy.  The ice cream sandwich is quite good too, though the cookie is more crispy than a traditional ice cream bar- I suppose that is good or bad depending on your preference (I kind of like it when my cookie gets soft between my fingers).

Have you tried the Weight Watchers frozen treats yet?  Want to?  I have a two-pak of coupons for free Weight Watchers frozen treats!

To enter leave a comment telling me which treat you would like to try.

Want more entries?

• For one extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek. You can do this near the middle right of the page. Leave a comment letting me know you did this.
• Add my button to your website for another entry. Leave a comment with your site so I can verify. (This can only be done once per site. Duplicate comments will be deleted.)
• Blog this giveaway. Leave the link in the comments so I can verify.
• Tweet this giveaway. Tweet as often as you like, just be sure to leave a comment each time with your twitter id or the individual link.  (Copy & paste: RT @iatraveler: Giving away coupons for FREE @WeightWatchrs frozen treats! http://bit.ly/2TD5jJ )
• Link this giveaway on Facebook. Leave the individual link in the comments.
• Add my blog to your Technorati favorites – and let me know in the comments.

The fine print:
Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends November 1, 2009 at 11:59pm. I will draw the winner November 2. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.

So when I read about the new Maple Leaf Market I hopped online to see if there was one near me. Umm… That would be no. The whole Maple Leaf logo should have given it away… “Oh Canada…”

But my loss is to the gain of my northern neighbors. I was clicking around the website, checking in with the butcher, the baker and the pasta maker and watching the short demos for each. Very cool- I even picked up a few tips. And there are recipes… Pastas, salads, sides, entrees… Mmmm…

Also to the gain of one northern neighbor Maple Leaf Market is giving away a kitchen makeover worth $32,000 and 12 Frigidaire® fridges stocked with chicken.

The contest is only open to Canadian residents and you can enter daily until December 15, 2009. (Not that I’m biased or anything, but I wish my best Canadian friend Jen good luck!)