Good morning everyone!! Last night I got my “4th of July Fix” with the Yankee Doodle Pops Symphony Orchestra and fireworks at the Iowa Capitol Building!
First, I came home and ran ~3.5 miles, then made dinner – Asian Chicken Stir Fry!
All I did was prepare some brown rice and made a stir fry using Teriyaki marinated chicken and a bag of pre-cut, fresh stir fry veggies. See my stir fry tutorial here!
The veggies were SO convenient. All you had to do was pierce the bag and microwave the whole thing for 3 minutes!! There were snap peas, broccoli and carrots in the mix. Obvi, I gave the cooked carrots to Ben…ugh…
My sauce had:
- water
- soy sauce
- chicken broth
- peanut butter
- mirin
- sesame oil
- ground ginger, garlic powder, chili flakes
It was literally a dash of this, a pinch of that kind of sauce. This compares to any takeout my friends – and there was NO oil except for a drop or two in the sauce!
Since we were meeting my parents for the symphony and fireworks down at the capitol, I decided to bring dessert. A dessert inspired by Ms. Sassy Molassy – Strawberry Shortcakes!
First I baked up some shortcakes using the recipe on the back of a Bisquick box and packaged them in individual tupperware containers.
When we got to the capitol building we split our shortcakes in half:
Topped the bottom half with strawberries and whip cream:
Put the shortcake lid on and topped with more strawberries & whip cream!
This was SO easy – and a little something special, you know what I mean!?
Ok the main event! Yankee Doodle Pops Symphony Orchestra and Fireworks at the Iowa State Capitol Building! Maybe you were wondering what the Iowa State Capitol Building even looks like…feast your eyes on this!
It was a GORGEOUS evening! Perfect temperatures and a tiny, tiny breeze 
The fellas…
The ladies…
The moon…
It’s getting darker…
We’re excited…
The symphony is still playing…
There they go!!!! Fireworks are SO special aren’t they?? You really only get to see them one time a year!!
This was a terrific show and the symphony was so amazing and relaxing to listen to. What a fun time we had hanging out with the fam and getting into the spirit of the holiday!!
By the time we got home it was nearly 11:30 – and I literally CRASHED into bed – I was sooooo tired!! My Mom and I both decided it would be best to sleep in an extra hour this morning and go on our walk at 6:30 instead of 5:30. Best decision we ever made – I feel like a million bucks right now! I’m really glad we still stuck to our getting up early & walking schedule even though I have the day off though, because when I sleep in too long – I just feel weird and off for the rest of the day…
After I got back from our walk, I had such an enjoyable breakfast. Toasted English Muffin with Jam & a White Peach.
OMG this was so good! I love this jam by the way – it’s Smuckers Sugar-Free Blackberry Jam. I know a lot of people don’t like sugar-free stuff, and actually some SF products make me feel icky, but I really like this jam…a lot 
This was the juiciest white peach ever…
I’m not joking with you when I tell you it was so sweet that it literally tasted like candy!!
Time to get started on my day. On the agenda:
- Laundry
- Mall (need some new birthday outfits!!)
- Grocery store
- Bank
- Costco (yes!)
Ben and I are going to a BBQ hosted by my brother and sister-in-law later tonight so I’m making a dish to share…not sure what I want to make yet though…!!!
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What’s your favorite, go-to dish to bring to potlucks or get togethers? Care to share a recipe?!
Have a great day everyone!!
WHAT FUN!!!! I love picnics/symphonies/fireworks! I think that would’ve been a perfect night
My go-to for potlucks is Buffalo Chicken dip! Here’s the link to the recipe:
http://www.imadedinner.net/recipes/appetizers-and-side-dishes/buffalo-chicken-dip/
Take beanis! It’s always a hit!
your eats looked delicious! and the firework display was breathtaking!
Looks like you had an awesome 4th of July-come early celebration down there! Yay!
The stir fry looks right up my street (one of my faves) and the strawberries and cream….oh my!
Have a great weekend!
http://eating-for-england.blogspot.com/
What a fun day!! I am more of a baker so I always make dessert!! I am making Butterfinger cake for my cook out tonight!
I do try to stay away from sugar free stuff, but I really love Polaner’s sugar free blackberry jam! I’ve never tried Smucker’s, but you should give Polaner a try.
I mix sugar-free blackberry jam with balsamic vinegar on the stovetop and use that as a sauce with roasted or grilled pork loin with herbs. It’s fantastic!
For potlucks, super-easy Italian beer bread is always a hit.
Wow what a beautiful location!!
Hmmm I’ve never really had to bring things to potlucks, but I would always try to bring a healthy dish! Healthy type of salad or something. Or I always love to make a unique and creative looking dessert I’ve been wanting to try out!
the Capitol building is so pretty!
My go to potluck dish is 7-layer dip. It’s super easy and can be made lowfat and if you use Boca, no cooking involved!
What a fun night! The shortcakes sound so fresh and summery.
I love the Smukers sf blackberry jam too. I also dig the Apricot (I think that one is my favorite).
Hope you have a wonderful time at your BBQ. I like to bring homemade salsa and chips to picnics. Any kind of dip always seems to go over well.