You Ate What?!

Fun fact: When I got to college, most of my new friends were from the suburbs of Chicago, even though I went to an in-state school about thirty minutes from my hometown.  Anyone that has gone to the University of Iowa will tell you that 70% of the students are from Illinois.  (note - this is probably not factual, but it sure seems realistic).  My new friends quickly pointed out that I ate "weird" things, that apparently didn't exist where they came from.  Today, I'm linking up with Amanda and her co-host, Anne to tell you about some of this food in the "Tell Me About Your Town" link-up!

Of course, the beauty of Pinterest helped us all learn about different foods we might not have known about before, so I'm guessing that most of these won't be new for any of you.

Puppy Chow.  Oh how I love this combination of crunchy rice cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar all kept together by too much butter.  When I first introduced this to my roommates, they were amazed and requested it at least once a week. Of course, it now has delicious variations such as cake batter, cookies and cream and samoa. 

Maid-Rites.  Otherwise known as "loose-meat sandwiches".  Have you had one?  It's like a sloppy joe, without the sauce.  I would always get the "cheese-rite", which is deliciously (and chemically) made with the orange, nacho cheese.  Here is a recipe to make one at home!

Tator Tot Hot Dish.  I'll be honest here, "hot dish" was a term that I didn't know until I moved to Minnesota.  Hot Dish = Casserole.  A tator tot hot dish is ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, mixed vegetables and of course, tator tots.  There are variations, but it almost always has those four ingredients.  (Recipe here). 

Corn on the Cob and Pork Chops.  This one is not uncommon, but the fact that it is so common where I grew up deems it special.  Iowa is known for our sweet corn - and buying it from the back of a truck on the side of the road is completely normal.  The other thing Iowa is really good at?  Pork.  A meal of a grilled Iowa chop and corn on the cob is completely normal and frequent in the summer months.

There were a few items that were "Meagan and her sister-isms", but they deserve an honorable mention as well:  Tacos with ketchup, peanut butter and butter sandwiches, "special sandwiches" (tuna and cheese whiz on an english muffin - gag), and ice cream with jelly.  Maybe we were just weird kids - which is entirely possible. :)

This topic fascinates me - please tell me if you had ever had these things before Pinterest shared them with the world?  What is unique to your region?

All Iowa, Outside

It's been awhile since I've linked up with Amanda for her Tell Me About Your Town series.  It wasn't intentional, I just had other posts planned.  And that makes me sad for a few reasons - Amanda is awesome, you should know her.  And - I love Iowa, and love sharing my hometown with all of you.

This month's prompt is all about Earth Day, which, let's be honest, is perfect for Iowa.  Rolling hills, miles and miles of farmland (you are welcome for your delicious summer sweet corn), and lots of areas for an adolescent-Meagan to explore.

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Let's clear one thing up - I did not grow up on a farm.  Yes, I have been on one - No, I do not know how to detassle corn.  I grew up in a city of over 200,000 people.  That did not stop me from exploring my surroundings.  I loved to be outside.  All day, every day.  I was lucky enough to have woods in my backyard (not deep woods, more houses were about 100 yards back), I collected rocks, built forts and played in the local creeks.

We spent a lot of time at the Indian Creek Nature Center, which had trails and guides to teach us about the local wildlife.

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I'm not sure where it began, but when I was about five, I really got in to rocks.  I collected different types and my Dad even took me to a few local "rock shows", where I was allowed to pick out new pieces for my collection.  Did you know that the state rock of Iowa is the geode?  Have you ever seen one?  They aren't anything special on the outside, and are easy to overlook.  But if you knew what you were looking for, a special surprise was always waiting inside.

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I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a place that had natural beauty all around.  A place that put emphasis on being outside and exploring.  I am even more fortunate that my parents gave me the freedom to explore and gave me resources to learn as much as possible.  I hope that I am doing the same for my girls!

Linking up with Amanda. 

A Nice Little Saturday

We're back for another round of "Tell Me About Your Town" with Amanda!  This month's prompt was "date night", in preparation of Valentine's Day.  (You can read post one - thankful and post two - shopping here)

For this month, we're taking it back to Eastern Iowa.  This is special to me because not only is it where I grew up, but it is where Tim and I met and fell in love - in Iowa City.  Downtown Iowa City has some great restaurant options.  We might have been poor college students, but we managed to go out for nice dinners a few times.  It also helps that my parents live thirty minutes north, so I've been to a few other places since graduating.  For this post, let's pretend that we aren't college students - this kind of night could never be afforded on our student budgets!  (We also probably would have been going to different bars, but that's another post for another day.)


Let's Start with Drinks

Meeting for Happy Hour is a must.  Going to Martini's is a great option - best martini's in town (for me) and over twenty beers on tap (for him).  They have a great beer garden in the back that always provides good people watching.

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Let's Move on to Dinner

Atlas is one of my favorite restaurants, probably ever.  Besides the $2 martinis on Thursday nights while I was in college, the food is amazing.  Every time my parents came to visit I would beg them to take me there for dinner.  My favorite?  The Atlas Macaroni and Cheese - Gruyère . Fontina . Mozzarella . Parmesan . Slow-roasted Roma tomatoes - need I say more?  Another great dish is the Boulder Roll - Avocado, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, goat cheese, greens and pesto.  Are you hungry yet?

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THE mac and cheese.  source

And now, the best part - dessert.

At this point, I would be totally stuffed, but as my father in law always says "my dessert stomach will be empty", so there is always room for more.  In Iowa City, dessert has to come from Scratch Cupcakery.  Over 125 flavors of cupcakes, about 20 flavors baked fresh daily.  My favorite is Wedding Day - almond cake and vanilla frosting.  But let's be honest, I love every one I've had.  It's a very good thing that Scratch was not open while I was in school.  This is a must stop if you are ever in the area! 

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If you ever find yourself in Iowa City, I hope you check out one or more of these places - especially that a date night has already been planned.  Which of these places would you visit?

Chicago: Where to Shop

I had so much fun writing about my hometown last month for Amanda's "Tell Me About Your Town" link-up, I couldn't wait to join again this month.  Not only am I joining, but I am co-hosting!  See below to share all things shopping in your town.

By now, it's no secret that I love shopping.  It also isn't a secret that I am from Iowa, and proud of it.  Unfortunately, after living in Chicago for almost seven years, and Minneapolis before that, I have become a bit spoiled with the shopping we have available.  So, for this month's prompt, "Favorite Local Shops or Boutiques" I have to choose to share areas around Chicago.  (Sorry Iowa!)

If you have ever visited Chicago, you have probably been to Michigan Avenue.  Shopping, restaurants, Water Tower, Hancock Tower, are all places that you can see with a walk down one street.  However, I'm going to let you in on a little secret - most people that live in Chicago (and suburbs) don't go shopping downtown.  The taxes are out of control, there are a million tourists, and stores hardly ever have sales.  We can find the same items, in the same stores, elsewhere.  Another reason?  The shopping is mostly big-name stores, and I love local boutiques.

My first stop for shopping in the suburbs is downtown Naperville - about 25 miles west of Chicago, and about ten minutes from where I live.  Here you can find a great mix of chain stores and local boutiques, all within walking distance from each other.

Some of my favorites:

Anderson's Book Shop:  There is also a Barnes and Noble close by, but I like going here because the staff always have recommendations based on other books you've liked.  Plus, local.

Campbill Hill Upscale Resale:  Want Loubs but don't want to spend a fortune?  What about a gently used Michael Kors?  Go here.  They only take gently used, upscale items and resale them for a fraction of the price.  You can consign here too.

It's A Bling Thing:  The name pretty much sums this up - but I love finding unique pieces here.

Marbles: The Brain Store: This place has fun games that are incredibly educational.  Bonus - you can shop online too!

Naperville General Store:  Think of an old, traditional general store.  There is fun candies, gifts, local treasures, basically anything you are looking for in one stop.

Penzey's Spices:  So I know that this is a chain, but there aren't many actual stores.  My Dad is obsessed with Penzey's and we always have to go here.  It smells divine and they have so many fun blends!

Twisted Olive:  Olive Oil stores are so fun, aren't they?  Who knew that there were hundreds of different kinds of olive oils.  Well, Twisted Olive knew - and let's you sample any flavor you want!

Two Bostons:  I love this gourmet pet store.  They carry the food my pup eats, make amazingly delicious gourmet pet treats (so I've heard!) and have great gifts.  Plus, my pup is a Boston Terrier and they always have a million things with Bostons on them.  #obsessedmuch ?

Among other local shops, there are plenty of chain stores too: lululemon, Gap, Loft, Pottery Barn, Paper Source, J. Crew, Anthropologie (and many others!).  Downtown Naperville really has it all! 

Join Amanda and I and link up! 

Tell Me About Your Town Linkup

This monthly linkup is to celebrate all the amazing places we all are from, to shine some light on the spots all over the country (or world!) us bloggers live. Our locations may not define us, but they certainly shed insight into who we are and how we live. Join me and my co-host on the third Tuesday of each month when we will have one specific topic related to your towns to guide you in writing about your city. So…tell me about your town!

The Rules

To participate in this linkup, simply write your own post following our topic/prompt for the month and add your link (your actual post, not your homepage) to the linkup below. Include the linkup button (also below) or a link back in your post. Please follow me and my co-host and visit at least one other post from the linkup. You may write about the town you currently live in, the place you were born and raised, or any other place that feels like home to you. Share as many photos as you wish! Make me want to visit your town! Each linkup will go live at 12:05 a.m. Central time on the third Tuesday of that month will be open for one week.

An InLinkz Link-up

Next Month:  January 20th - "Date Night Spots". With co-host Cassie.

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Where is Home?

Many people consider home is where they live.  The place they go to every day after school or work.  Where their mail gets sent to.  Me?  Of course my residence is "home", but so is Iowa.  The place I grew up - where my parents are - the place where I go and everything feels like it hasn't changed.  I'm fortunate to live less than four hours from Cedar Rapids, and try to get back at least once a month. 

When Amanda announced her new link-up, Tell Me About Your Town, I was eager to get started.  I will mostly be sharing things about my hometown, Cedar Rapids, but for some of the link up prompts I'll be writing about the western suburbs of Chicago, where I currently reside.  Today's prompt is "things you are thankful for about your town".  This one clearly belongs to Iowa.

I grew up in a town of just over 120,000.  Not huge, but not small either.  (And no, I did not grow up on a farm - a question I get a lot!).  I lived there all the way until I went to the University of Iowa, which is just 30 minutes south.  There are so many things that I am thankful for:

|| The people.  I didn't realize how dang friendly everyone was until I moved away.  People ask "how are you?" and really want to know.  They hold the door for you, help you carry things, and when someone pulls over to help you and your broken down car, they really want to help - not rob you.  (Yes, that happened to me - another post for another time.)

|| My friends.  I was lucky enough to go to elementary, middle and high school with the same kids.  Of course, multiple elementary schools merged in to middle, and multiple middle schools merged in to high, but I always had the "core" people I knew since Kindergarten.  These days, I only see one when I go home - but when we are together, it's like no time has passed at all.

|| Diversity.  This one might be a shock to some of you, but I was fortunate and grew up with a diverse group of people.  My high school even offered Japanese (which I took).  And, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Japan when I was only seventeen years old.  (Spoiler - this is what my series is about).

|| Low crime.  Growing up, I hardly heard of crimes.  This could be because I was sheltered from it, but I really believe it's because it didn't happen often.  When I was in college, one of my roommates used to make fun of me because on the nightly news, they had a segment called "Big Ole Fish".  Viewers could submit photos of the big fish they caught, and they would feature one a night.  My roommate thought it was hysterical and "weird", but to be honest, I'd rather watch that than what she grew up watching, being from the south side of Chicago.

|| Shopping was exciting.  Ok, so don't get me wrong here.  I still absolutely love shopping and am excited any time I go (especially if I'm going sans children).  But in Iowa, I didn't have everything at my fingertips like I have in Chicago.  We would frequently take weekend trips to Minneapolis or Chicago just to shop.  It was fun and exciting, and I don't do that anymore.  I also didn't spend as much money!

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I'm more than a little proud to be an Iowan.  I'm grateful that my parents chose a place to raise us that felt like a small community, but offered things similar to a larger one.  I love Iowa.  I'll be the first to defend it, share random facts about it, and would move back in an instant - if only I could convince my Chicago-loving husband. But for now, I will take shopping over the Big Ole Fish on the news.

Linking up with Amanda for "Tell Me About Your Town" and Emily for "Grateful Heart Monday".