Polk City Lobsterfest!

How often is there a local lobster bake in Iowa?!  Well, once a year if you go to Polk City!  The Polk City Lobsterfest is held annually and it's such a cool event!

We went for the first time this year and I'm so glad we did!  It was about a 35 minute drive for us to Polk City from Des Moines which wasn't bad.  We pre-purchased our tickets for $25 at the Ankeny Hy-vee so we'd be ready for action when we arrived.  We got there right around 4 and the event was from 4 to 8 with live music afterward.  There was no wait and we were eating our lobster within minutes of arriving.

The lobsters looked to be about 1 1/4 lbs. And while they weren't quite as fresh as live Maine lobsters, they were still pretty tasty as they were flash-frozen and then cooked on-site.  

The meal was completed by Iowa Sweet Corn (how often do those New Englanders get to enjoy their lobster with the best corn on Earth?!), baked potato and a fresh roll.

There were a la carte options like hamburgers, chips, corn on the cob, etc. for purchase for non-lobster lovers as well as beer and a few other drink choices.  

They had a huge tent set up to eat under and did a great job with the lobster-themed decor.  We will definitely be back for this fund-raising event next year.  

Open Sesame...There's no magic, just great food!

Open Sesame is one of those restaurants that I would keep driving by (on locust street in the East Village) and would keep saying to myself, "we need to try that place", but I would aways forget.  Well, we finally made it and of course I'm kicking myself for not getting over these until now.  It was awesome!

It's a pretty small place, but it wasn't too busy over the lunch hour even though I suspect it's the place to be in the evenings.  The restaurant is beautifully decorated with seating at the bar as well.

The menu boasts selections of traditional Mediterranean items like falafel, grape leaves and shwarma.  They offer hummus plates and salads as well as gyros too.

We started with the vegetarian grapes leaves which were so amazing.  They were warm and stiffed with rice and chickpeas in a lemony sauce.  So good!

I also ordered the Open Sesame salad which was just as good.  The spices on the chicken were perfect and the light- house dressing was addictive.

I'm pretty sure I would have liked anything on this menu and can't wait to go back and try more.

They have plenty of vegetarian options and the service was friendly and prompt.

The prices were average and well worth it.

Check out Open Sesame for something different from your normal burger or burrito (and healthier).  You'll love it!

Gateway Market...and more!

So normally I stop into Gateway Market Cafe just off of the MLK exit off of 235 to eat a leisurely lunch of a panini and soup or lobster mac & cheese and salad or sometimes the pad thai, yum.  Just about everything in the cafe is awesome.  They also serve breakfast everyday which is fabulous because there aren't a ton of breakfast places on this side of town.

Anyway, this particular day the temperature outside was upwards of 104 degrees and I had some wonderful Cleverly Farms tomatoes and some goat cheese that I got at the Cheese Shop the night before and I was itching to make something yummy, but that was easy and didn't require much cooking on this already toasty day.

By the way, if you haven't taken a class at the Cheese Shop yet, you really must.  This particular evening, Larry from Cleverly Farms was showcasing his tomatoes and it was amazing.  All of the classes include wine and/or beer pairings and a cheese tray all about $30 or so, a steal!!  (See the top left photo for photos from the class).

So from Gateway I picked up some bread, Niman Ranch maple bacon, (yum), lettuce, and of course some Thelma's Treats Ice Cream sandwiches for dessert.  At 104 degrees, how can you not eat ice cream?!

Anyway, I'm sure you can guess, I made BLT panini's.  I fried assembled my bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and in the same pan heated my sandwiches on both sides. Heaven!

Super easy, super fresh and super amazing!  So there you go.  All of my favorite places for the week include Cleverly Farms for the amazing tomatoes (which I now a fan of even though for 30 years I've claimed to not like tomatoes), The Cheese Shop (My personal Disneyland) and Gateway market for providing me with a plethora of my favorite Farmer's Market ingredients that I can get anytime of day, everyday.  

Des Moines Renaissance Faire

If you or anyone in your family dreams of being a knight, longs to be a princess or is obsessed with pirates. You are going to want to hit the Renaissance Faire this year. Or maybe a turkey leg, a big glass of mead and a giant bog of kettle corn sounds like a tasty meal, then go too.


In it's 11th year, the Faire has evolved into a fun event for the whole family.

This Year's Faire runs for three weekends and boasts a different theme each weekend:

August 31-September 2
- Knights, Barbarians & Heroes

September 7-8
- Scots, Britons & Irish

September 14-15
 - Pirates, Scallywags & BuccaneersKids under 5 are free and my son's favorite part is when he is knighted by the king. Very cute. The hours are 10am to 6pm and it is held rain or shine.

Ages 5-12 are $8 and adult 1 day passes are $16.  There is multi-day price info on the website.


The Faire is located at the Sleepy Hollow Sports park near the State Fairgrounds.

There is lots of entertainment and food vendors, pony rides and jousting and lots more to do and see.  Check it out!

Sky Zone-Jumping Fun For Everyone!

Today's guest post is by my super fun friend Sonja.  Sonja is a stay at home mom of two, runner, scrapbooker and always in search of cheap entertainment for her boys.  She visited Sky Zone recently and was kind enough to share! Thanks Sonja!

Sky Zone is a great way to beat the heat (or cold)!

Since Tuesday was the last day that our favorite splash park had water turned on, we had to find a new way to beat the heat on Wednesday.  I had heard that Sky Zone in Grimes, just off of Highway 141, had a special toddler time, so we decided to check it out.

Toddler time is for ages five and under from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  It costs $6 per toddler, and one parent can jump for free. 

My little guy is only ten months and not walking yet, so he was free and I carried him most of the morning.  My big guy is 2 ½ and had a blast. 

When we first arrived I had to sign a waiver for myself and my two boys, got shoes for myself, and we got ready to bounce.  My big guy’s feet are not big enough for any of their shoes so he went barefoot (the smallest size shoe available  is a toddler size 10).  I had to wear shoes if I wanted to go on the trampolines with him, so bring socks if you want to go out there with your kids.

First we spent time in the main trampoline court area.  It was filled with wall to wall trampolines, including the walls (which were fun to bounce balls on too.)  One area was netted off to play with the balls, and this was my son’s favorite since he was allowed to throw the balls inside.

There was one other part of the building open to the toddlers which included a big foam pit to jump into.  The trampolines were set up to run down and jump into the foam pit, then climb out and do it again.  Of course the foam blocks were as much fun to climb around in as the trampolines were for bouncing.

They have special pricing for large groups and host birthday parties as well.  Check out the pricing here.

We burned off a lot of energy in our one hour and had a lot of fun.  So whether you need to get out of the heat or just burn off some toddler energy check out Sky Zone for Toddler Time, or any other time.