Cupcake Emporium

You might have heard of this cool little cupcakery named Cupcake Emporium located in Ames in June when they competed on the TV show Cupcake Wars along with Des Moines dessert shop Creme Cupcake.  While they didn't take the trophy, they did give us a glimpse into the shops cool decor and yummy cupcakes and I knew I would have to make the trip to Ames and check it out.  So we did!

I didn't realize that this isn't strictly a cupcake/milkshake shop like Scratch Cupcake in WDM or Carefree Patisserie which is cupcakes and cakes and cookies, in Valley Junction.  Cupcake Emporium actually has a full lunch menu including sandwiches, soups, salads and walking tacos.



They serve their cupcakes and lunch in the cutest retro-soda shop themed diner-type restaurant.  The decor really is a style all their own as is the menu and personalty of the restaurant.




I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with any of the cupcake flavors, but we really enjoyed the cinnamon "roll" cupcake because the cake actually had cinnamon chunks baked right in to the batter and my son thought the pie-crust star cut-outs on the cherry pie a-la-yum cupcake were ingenious, as did I .  The frosting on the pink champagne was to-die-for and the peanut butter cup was rich and smooth.  The cakes were all moist and the frosting weren't overbearingly sugary.  We liked them them all and had to refrain from trying more.  I see another trip in our near future.



We also enjoyed a chocolate milk-shake on our visit, but have yet to try the lunch options.  I am looking forward to coming back soon to try some of the soups.



You could really plan a Fall day trip to Ames hitting Center Grove Orchard on your way up to play at the Farmyard and hit Cupcake Emporium for lunch and cupcakes.  Sounds like a great day to me!

Fun at The Farmer's Market

The Farmer's Markets in town kicked off their seasons this week!  It might have been a chilly start, but better weather is in sight!  If you want the freshest local produce, prepared food and specialty items, the Farmer's Market is where to get them.  

How awesome is it that we have such great Farmer's Markets in the area.  Where else can you find such a wide variety of ethnic delicacies alongside the best of Iowa.  The Downtown Des Moines market is the largest one, followed by the Valley Junction one.  It's wonderful because Downtown includes Breakfast burritos, breakfast pizza, pasties along with BBQ, Indian, Moroccan, Bosnian (and many more!) delights for lunch.  Valley Junction will take care of your dinner and you can buy the baked goods and pastries to take him for breakfast the next day!

Two of my "must haves" at the market are 1. A cutlet form Saloo's India (a potato cake filled with meat or veggies-gluten free) 2. A breakfast burrito or bowl from Farm Boys. YUM! 

Oh, and of course it's not all about the food.  Vendors also have handmade items of all kinds like clothing, jewelry, soap, decorations and much more.


Here is a list and info from their websites for some of the larger local ones.  Check your town to see if they host one too. I know Waukee, Johnston and many others have them too!


Ames: Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon Starting May 4 

Fresh fruits, veggies, meats & breads. Hand crafted goods. Family entertainment. The Ames Main Street Farmers' Market has it all!  www.amesmainstreetfarmersmarket.com

Ankeny: 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays beginning May 18. Uptown Ankeny. The Uptown Ankeny Farmer's Market vendors provide a wide variety of products to the public. In the past, the market has seen everything from fresh seasonal produce, home-made baked goods, specialty food items, BBQ cooked on-site, perennial plants, hand-made items, and much more.www.uptownankeny.org.

Downtown Des Moines:   7am-noon (8am-noon in Oct.) Support local agriculture and buy direct from Iowa farmers while shopping the Downtown Farmers’ Market – presented by UnityPoint Health – Des Moines. The Downtown Farmers’ Market presents Iowa producers from 51 counties across Iowa, offering fresh fruit, vegetables and so much more. You’ll find fresh herbs, beautiful flowers, farm fresh eggs, local wineries, a delicious assortment of goat cheese, an endless selection of baked goods, and many varieties of Iowa raised meat such as beef, pork, chicken, lamb, buffalo, ostrich, and tilapia. http://desmoinesfarmersmarket.com

Southridge Mall: Mondays 3:30 to 6:30pm, Meet us in the parking lot North of Sears every Monday for fresh produce, yummy treats and MUCH MORE! http://www.shopsouthridgemall.com/events/Details/164417?startDate=4%2F13%2F2013

West Des Moines: 4-8 p.m. Thursdays, Valley Junction. Farmers Market is home to over 100 weekly vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods, plants and flowers, arts and crafts and prepared foods. Join your friends and neighbors. www.valleyjunction.com.

Free Summer Bowling for Kids!

Have you heard about the Kids Bowl Free program?  All around the country, you can register your kids (15 and under) to get 2 free games of bowling, every day, all summer long.  

Just go HERE to find the bowling alley closest to you and get your kid registered.  Just remember that your vouchers will only be good at the location that you register at, so choose wisely.

In Des Moines, you can choose from Air Lanes, Bowlerama Lanes, Plaza Lanes or Warrior Lanes in Waukee.  There are also locations in Ames and Norwalk.

BTW: It will give you the the option to purchase an adult pass for $24.95 to use for the summer, but if you'd rather not do that, just click the "no thanks" button.  You can purchase one game at a time for adults.

That's it. Log-in to your account every weeks to print your free games coupons.  Have fun!

Ps. shoe rentals rates do apply.  You can also purchase a summer pass for that or just pay by the day.

A Great Reason to go to Ames! (Sheryl vs. Katie)

There was no wait this afternoon, but Nathan
enjoyed a few minutes of cartoons anyway.

Sheryl says...

I sometimes find myself dreaming of my next visit to Ames, Iowa just so I can eat at Hickory Park.  Hickory park is about as family-friendly as it gets.  There are often long wait times on the weekends at this popular restaurant, but they have you covered with constant cartoons playing on a big screen TV to occupy the kiddos.

The self-serve candy store is always a bribery point for me for getting my son to eat all of his meal. Not that the 100 different kinds of ice cream sundae isn't motivation enough.

The candy ranges in price
from 5 cents to 25 cents
so you won't break
the bank to keep your
kid happy here.

This place it pretty huge! After the walk to your seats, the kids are greeted with crayons and coloring pages to keep them busy so you can focus on the larger-than-life menu. Make sure to ask for the gluten-free menu if you need one. Lots of choices for you here!

Can you believe this was only $5.95?

They have traditional barbe-que faire including smoked meats like ribs, chicken, pork and brisket and deli sandwiches, salads and platters.  My choice is always the 1/4 chicken with two sides, for only $4.95 (I get the white meat option for a buck more)!

Kids meals are an affordable $3.50 and they include main courses like hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders or smoked meats with a side, drink AND ice cream.



No visit to Hickory Park is ever complete without ice cream though...Click here to see this outrageous ice cream menu. With choices like the "Merry-go-round" that includes a carousel of animal cracker animals adorning your dish, how can you skip it?!  Today I chose the Carmel Apple sundae (for only $2.95) and it didn't disappoint.

Come here when you are in Ames seeing a show or game at the University or make it a destination, either way you'll be craving more.  The bathrooms are clean and there is changing table for little ones, so no worries about bringing the whole family to the awesome restaurant!



Katie says...

I recently took my two little guys to Hickory Park while we were in Ames. It is always a fun, tasty, and cheap place to eat and this time was no exception. 

For $3.50 your child can get a meal with a side AND a scoop of ice cream for dessert. That's a cheap kid's meal and they have healthy options!

Starting at $4.95, adults can get anything from a BBQ Sandwich to dinner platters that are served with generous portions of food. For example, I had 1/4 white meat chicken, roll, side salad, and dish of pickles (weird side choice but great!) for only $5.95. Our total for two kid's meals and two adult dinners was $19.00. 

Hickory Park is also known for their awesome sundaes. You can get any type of toppings on your ice cream or make your own creation. Be sure to save room for ice cream! 

Other helpful hints:

• There is a large screen TV in the waiting area in case you have little ones with you. It was playing Flintstones cartoons when we were there. 
• There is a candy stand on the way out where you can buy individual pieces of candy with your pocket change. Pieces run from $0.05 to $0.50 and was a fun way for my kids to pick out of something of their own for the ride home. 
• We like to pay a little bit more for more food--it makes for cheap leftovers the next day!
• Their entire menu is available online. 
• They have a separate "Gluten Intolerance" menu available. 
• Try an old-fashioned drink like a Green River or Sarsparilla while you're there.

Adventures at -6 Degrees

While my vote is to make it illegal to leave your house on days when it's this cold, I'm guessing that won't happen. So, the adventures must continue! 

Nathan and his friend after enjoying the performance.

Today we made the 45 minute drive up to Ames to check out a children's show at the Scheman building at Iowa State.  It was advertised for kids who are kindergarten to grade 5.  We brought two kids that are both pre-k and they both loved it!  Very worth the drive.

Today's show was "Charlotte's Web" and it was very well done.  Tickets were $4 in advance and $5 at the door.  And they were packed!  So if you go to see one of the next shows, get there early since it is general seating and seats fill up quickly.  The show lasted 60 minutes. The next show for that age group in the Youth Matinee Series is in April and the show is "Seusical". They offer shows for older kids too though, the list is here: http://www.center.iastate.edu/events/education/ 

A lot of parents take their kids out of school for the morning and a lot of schools were there on field-trips, but I think it was perfect for pre-k kids too!  They had two shows, one at 10:00am and one at 12:30pm.  Either one you pick, make sure you hit Hickory Park while you are up there! Check out my review of Hickory Park here!

Look for others family shows like "Blue Man Group", a show called ZooZoo that is playing this Sunday and is for ages 3 and up that looks really cute and Shrek that is playing on February 13th at 7:30pm. Click on the links for more info and to buy tickets for these and other shows.