Jewelry for Foodies

Yum! This food jewelry is adorable and apparently in right now. Well, I think it has been in for a while now but we will give NYLON some credit for putting their finger on it so poetically. Plus, the cutesy couture food jewelry pictures on their page are worth a look.

Check it out: Jewelry that gives new meaning to the phrase, "Food for thought."
nylonmag.com

Love it!

Going to the Iowa City Art Fair is really all about the food, not art!

This afternoon, it didn't rain as forecast so my friends from Burlington and I were able to take a trip down to the Iowa City Arts Fair. Now I am not going to discredit the actual art down at the art fair, but in my humble opinion, the best part of the Iowa City Art Fair is the food!!!!

I totally got more steak-on-a-stick. We all did. Meat is amazing, and when it is juicy and bbq'ed just right on a stick, it is to die for. Love it! Today was also kid's day down at the art fair so we got to play with Kendra's daughter and play a bit ourselves, too!

Kendra and I tearing at our meat-on-a-stick like cavemen.

Will and I loving the great weather and cuddling on a bench together.

Kendra putting some style into eating her steak. And yes, we totally ate in the alley.

Iowa City has great Gyros pretty much year round from the cart in the Ped Mall. Anyone who does not live in Iowa City must devour one of these when they visit. Kendra knows what's up!

Kendra and I will make excellent bag ladies someday.

Justin modeling his birth control glasses. Woo hooo!

It was pretty hot today so we stopped for a break in the shade.

Getting Aurora to say "I love my two dads" was classic!

Aurora took full advantage of her new pony, Will and proceeded to ride on his shoulders all afternoon.

We played dress up at one of the kids day events in the Ped Mall. I think Aurora looks like a sorcerer here. Or, you know, Harry Potter. Whatever.

A-frickin'-dorable!

Aurora chowing down on some juicy steak... On Will's head!

This kid is totally going to rebel and become a vegetarian someday.

Holding down Aurora to get a good photo.

I like to play dress up too!

All of the little girls were going ga-ga over the dress up stuff. It was pretty funny.

Will got himself a hotdog. Yummers!!!

Banana Nut Muffins

I am a huge fan of fiber. Its good for you, reduces your risk of certain types of cancer, and it makes you feel full for a long time, unlike regular starchy breakfast products. So imagine my delight upon discovering Fiber One brand muffin mixes! I just add egg, water, and a bit of vegetable oil and leave the rest of the magic to the mix. In just over 15 minutes, I have one dozen piping hot banana nut muffins ready to eat. Yum!

This time around, I added in 2 extra ripe bananas to my mix and boy oh boy was that delicious! I also really like the Apple Cinnamon muffin mixes. Now if only Fiber One could come out with a fiber-rich chocolate brownie mix- that would be A-MAZING!

Morel Mushrooms in the Sun

I am thankful I am not in Korea this spring, otherwise, I would be missing morel mushroom season! I am admittedly lazy and bought these from a local farmer but that doesn't change how frickin' amazing and delicious these little guys are!

I will prepare them the way I learned how growing up: First, you cut each mushroom in half and soak it in salt water to bring out any bugs. Then, you prepare a breading mixture of cracker crumbs or flour with a little bit of seasoning. Next, you dip your mushroom in egg and pan cook it in butter. Sooo good!

Animal Party

For 3 weeks now, I have had the most evil stomach in the history of man. I have been able to eat less and less food and now just about the only thing that sits OK in my tummy is Stauffer's Animal Crackers. These are the super bland snacks that you give to little kids, but somehow, they have become pretty appetizing to me lately in the absence of real food!

In reality, all I am dreaming of is pizza, falafel, and sushi. And chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

Oh man, seriously!!!

I want food sooo badly!



One website that always makes me hungry is Road Food Digest. Check it out! They have a good Iowa food section- all you have to do is do a search for Iowa.

http://www.roadfooddigest.com/

AND....

I can appreciate the Des Moines Register's list of "100 Things to Eat in Iowa Before You Die."
Its fun to see how many of these things I have actually eaten, seeing as I have been an Iowan my whole life!

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/ENT02/607090306

All this food talk is making my animal crackers sound mighty good right now!

Adorable, Tiny Food

Ever since childhood, I have been beyond fascinated with anything miniature. It probably started with needing props for Barbie and my American Girl doll, but it definitely did not stop there!

When I was in South Korea, I did manage to pick up a few original Japanese Re-Ment pieces here and there. Two of them were sushi sets, and the third was 50's Diner Mickey Mouse themed food. I love these miniatures for their perfect attention to detail and absolutely perfect quality. Also, each set was blind-boxed, meaning you don't know what you are going to get until you open it! How exciting!

In any case, I am back in the United States and have been dreaming and scheming on eBay for more Re-Ment pieces. With these, I would love to make little dioramas and re-creations of rooms, like a doll house. I think this would be very fun, but then again, I also have no children, no pet, and don't drink or do drugs, so I have to get pretty creative with what I do for fun!!!

P.S. The pink photos are from an Ebay auction I would love to win! You can check out the seller's store here:
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Mini-Barbie-Home__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Buy something for me if you would like:)

Making Mc Muffins

I don't know about you, but I seriously enjoy a good Egg McMuffin from McDonalds every so often. Unfortunately, I seldom get my ass into gear and get out of the house and to McDonalds by 10 a.m. or whatever crazy early time they decide to quit serving breakfast. So last Sunday, we decided to take matters into our own hands and make our own Egg McMuffins, which turned out super good.

What you need:
6 pack of muffins- $1.00
Canadian Bacon- $1.50
Eggs- $1.00
Cheese- $2.50

You can make 6 Egg McMuffins for only $6 bucks! Amazing, right?

My little brother actually did most of the cooking. He cooked those eggs perfectly, toasted the muffins lightly, and pan cooked the Canadian bacon to warm it. Lastly, he melted the cheese onto the egg and put the little sandwich all together to create culinary perfection.

McMuffins, AHOY!!!!

Terrible Sushi Alert!

This urgent news just in:

OYAMA Sushi in Iowa City is terrible! I remember eating there several years ago and remember liking the sushi at this joint, and as I recall, the service was great too. Well, one day, the boyfriend and I decided to re-visit the restaurant just for a change in pace.

I should have known better than to eat sushi from a restaurant situated right next to a pet store. The food tasted like it was either dog food straight out of the can, or created from a special blend of all of the dead fish floating at the top of the tank at the end of the day.

My boyfriend was lucky and ordered a bento box with teryiaki steak. They did a decent job. It was eatable at lest. My order on the other hand was gut wrenchingly disgusting! My spicy tuna roll tasted like it was canned tuna with a bit of red food coloring added for the "spice" appeal. My other roll was a mish-mash of soggy unknown products with rice caked on thick all around it. Yuck!

The final verdict: I have to admit, the service was decent, but that was only because we were almost the only ones in the restaurant. The food, on the other hand, was something I would not wish upon my worst enemy!

Don't eat at OYAMA in Iowa City! It's the pits!