Home baked Pop Tarts!

So I have been wanting to try these for a while.  I was moving so I needed to get rid of some ingredients, and I had some raspberry jam from the farmer's market! Thanks to Megan Ranegar, I became addicted to the website food gawker and found tons of outstanding recipes on thuuur. I did not have the cut out so they did not look quite as perfect as the picture but still really good!

Here is the recipe: Homemade pop tarts!

I actually changed the strawberry to raspberry! I also would not recommend toasting these things in a toaster- they don't quite fit! But the oven works well!

Des Moines Art Center

So today I am in Des Moines.  We went to the Art Center and I realized it was such a find! The great things about the art center:

1.The new exhibit, "Surface Value," was really cool.  It combined three different artists works and is one of my favorite yet.  Here is one of the works made entirely of wood.

2. There is a beautiful rose garden.

3. The Art Center restaurant is amazing.  There are a lot of outdoor seating options and it is so beautiful.  The menu also changes weekly to include fresh seasonal options.  There is always a salad, soup. sandwich, pasta, and fabulous deserts. I had this:

- TAMARIND RICE-LENTIL-QUINOA SALAD

Brown and wild rice, quinoa, green lentils, sweet potatoes, and apricots, tossed and served over greens, topped with tamarind-cumin vinaigrette, and apple-mint yogurt raita

And of course... Green Ginseng Apple Tea : D

You can make yourself out to be this really awesome person. You can like all these really fantastic things and be so cool, but really, none of it matters.  WHat is anything if you can't share it with other people? I think I would so much rather have a life marked by love and compassion then one that is so spectacular and unique but so alone that there is no one to share it with.  This is just a thought.  COOL ideas that would be super fun to do with others!

Go to the Iowa City downtown sidewalk sale July 14-16 and stop in White Rabbit's awesome new store to get $1 donuts and honey lattes.....

Have another wine and cheese night because they NEVER GET OLD.

(whoops its sideways)

Listen to the new bon iver cd on repeat and lay on the couch or go to Kalona Amish Village and get some great homemade goods that people put a lot of care into!

Homemade ice cream :)

So I was craving ice cream, but not wanting to spend money.  Here is what I did! Mix a cup or so of half and half, a half cup of sugar mixed with brown sugar, a frozen banana, and your favorite frozen fruit.  I used raspberries and blackberries with some basil.  Then put it all in the food processor and let freeze for about thirty minutes! Mix with your favorite granola and it's done!!

Movie Marathon Ideas

Sometimes I don't feel like talking or thinking. So I watch movies alone. Today I watched three and made some great popcorn on the stove. These are the best:

Garden State

This is my life, Dad, this is it. I spent 26 years waiting for something else to start, so, no, I don't think it's too much to take on, because it's everything there is. I see now it's all of it. You and I are gonna be OK, you know that, right? We may not be as happy as you always dreamed we would be, but for the first time let's just allow ourselves to be whatever it is we are and that will be better. OK? I think that will be better.  

Into the Wild

there is some kind of bigger thing that we can all appreciate and it sounds to me you don't mind calling it God. But when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines through you.

  There is a pleasure in the pathless woods; / There is a rapture on the lonely shore; / There is society, where none intrudes, / By the deep sea, and music in its roar; / I love not man the less, but Nature more... / - Lord Byron

Happiness is only real when shared

Where the Wild things Are

Happiness isn't always the best way to be happy

There were also some good lessons and quotes so yay! In six hours of staring at a screen I did learn! :)

Homemade mini eclairs!

Homemade mini Eclairs- I was having a craving for sweets, but did not want to spend money.  I decided I would find a recipe that I already had all the ingredients for! The only thing I did not have was chocolate, but fortunately I had cocoa powder so I could make homemade chocolate! 

>>Recipe for mini eclairs

Step one: Make the pastry flour and make 12 mini eclairs (since I don't have a pastry device I just cut off the tip of a plastic baggy and it seemed to work!

After baking for twenty minutes you have to slit each one and let sit in the oven for twenty more minutes. During this time I made the vanilla pudding insides! I also did not have something to shoot pudding into eclair so I just used a spoon which did result in messiness...

Then I spread the homemade chocolate on them and presto done-o!

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE

YUM.

Homemade chocolate recipe= so good but such a bad stomach ache!

Summer Solstice

Today is the first day of summer! Or the Summer Solstice! WAHOO. The Celts and Slavs celebrated the summer solstice with dancing and bonfires to increase the sun's light....

The Chinese celebrate by honoring Li the sun goddess....

I think I will just celebrate by going to New Pi's summer solstice party...

Free at the Earth source gardens and with games, crafts, food, and music!