An Iowa City filled weekend...

This past weekend was the big ISU vs Iowa football game. Although, the game might not have been a hit, the weekend was!
Lots of good times and good food with friends and family.
Highlights:

Friday J and I had Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom and Kelli and Mike over for dinner.

The Menu:
Appetizer: Bruschetta (recipe from crossfitter Katie)

Here’s the bruschetta recipe (makes 12 pieces):
Ingredients
• 1/2 loaf whole-grain French, ciabatta or other thin loaf bread
• 3 Tbsp / 45 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup / 240 ml fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
• 1 tsp / 5 ml sea salt
• 1 tsp / 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh arugula leaves, finely chopped
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml best quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 fresh avocados
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 375º F / 190 ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Slice bread into thin, 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Arrange slices on baking sheet. Don’t overlap. Use another baking sheet if necessary.
3.Use a baking brush to lightly coat each piece of bread with olive oil. Bake for several minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven. Set aside.
4.In a medium-sized oven-safe mixing bowl combine tomato, remaining olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place in hot oven and bake for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat.
5.Transfer cooked tomatoes to new mixing bowl. Add chopped arugula, basil and balsamic vinegar. Mix gently to combine. Set aside.
6.Peel avocados. Cut in half and remove pits. Dice avocado and toss with lemon juice.
7.Top each piece of bread with tomato mixture. Top with avocado. Serve.
***Katie mentioned she couldn't’t find arugula by itself, so instead found a salad mix that had spinach and arugula together and used that. You could use spinach by itself, too.

Entree: Swiss and sauteed mushroom burgers (mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil)
and Uncle Jim's home grown squash

Dessert: Birthday cake for Kelli!

it's suppose to be red frosting and not pink...obviously I do not have a career as a cake decorator

and of course, Aunt Barb's scotcheroos


Saturday morning we woke up ready to cheer on our Cyclones!

I prepared a meat and veggie egg dish and homemade banana bread for breakfast.

then it was off to tailgate

Sunday started with a trip to my favorite Iowa City breakfast spot...

the sign says it all

The banana bread french toast is AMAZING!

J couldn't even wait for me to take a picture before digging in :)

Then it was off to Wilson's Apple Orchard to pick us some Honey Crisp Apples!

over the river and through the woods...

Mike had his technique for crossing the raging river

and J had his

We had to pull out all the apple picking techniques to get the best apples

What a great weekend!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

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