#211 of 365~Omaha Steakhouse Tour

My friend Tina took us on another culinary tour of Omaha, but this time it was of Omaha Steakhouses.  Now most who know me know I'm not a HUGE meat eater, I don't know one cut from another and meat is meat to me.  However, this was a fun experience and I was able to visit four Omaha staples dating back to 1922.

Our first stop was Casio's in "Little Italy."  Established in 1946, owned by a 3rd generation family member, their able to seat 900 patrons at one time.  Casio's served us a bowl of mostacholi with their 7-hour simmered sauce, a piece of tenderloin brochette, and one of their famous bread sticks baked in an old fashioned oven. If you come to Omaha, this is a staple you HAVE to visit: http://www.casciossteakhouse.com/ordereze/default.aspx

Our next stop was Johnny's Cafe. The oldest of the original "Italian Steakhouses," they opened their 1/2 ton doors in 1922 and are currently ran and owned by a 3rd generation family member. Here we received a braised short rib in au jus that literally fell off the bone. While it was a bit salty for me, I'm looking forward to visiting again. http://www.johnnyscafe.com/

Following Johnny's was another "Italian original"-Piccolo Pete's Restaurant: http://piccolopetesrestaurant.net/  Opened for over 80 years, this South O staple did NOT disappoint.  Tender bites of prime rib was served with a side of tator tots. This was probably my favorite of the meat dishes as it had that authentic meat flavor not at all overpowered by their signature rub. 

The last stop of the night was none other than Warren Buffetts favorite lunch spot-Gorats.  Newer than all the the others, Gorat's opened it's doors in 1940.  A new owner took over two years ago and remodeled the entire inside so it looks nothing like the original: http://goratsomaha.com/ Our final meal was fresh cut onion rings, garlicky bruschetta, and thinly sliced rib eye that was a little to undercooked for me in my current state.  Our tour guide finished off our tour with peanut-butter chocolate cupcakes from Gina Sterns Pastries: http://www.ginasternspastries.com/

#210 of 365~LNA Launch Party

As most of you know, Nick is the President of our neighborhood association.  Last year, he began to envision a new look, style, and feel for the organization.  He set up a team to begin researching branding opportunities where yours truly was able to meet with four different agencies and bring back what I found to the board.  We ended up partnering with the branding company Jackson+West who just happen to also live in the neighborhood! Jackson+West is "a multi-disciplinary creative agency, based on the idea of creating beautiful and meaningful work for people we believe in." Check out their website here: http://jacksonandwest.com/  We had a wonderful experience working with them and I even had the chance to write content for the website: http://lnaomaha.org/

To celebrate the new logo and brand, the LNA board and membership outreach committee, put on a launch party and invited the neighborhood, community leaders, young professionals, and friends. Local neighborhood business Tin Box Weddings hosted the event.  They do unbelievable work, click the following link to see what they do: http://tinboxweddings.com/  We had a great turn out and Nick was even interviewed by Channel 6!  Check out the following link for the article and video: 

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Leavenworth-Neighborhood-Association-Moving-Forward-297600461.html

LNA VP, President, past member, and branding company Jackson+West

Awesome music provided by Tin Box, LNA President and his "First Lady"

#208 of 365~26 Weeks and Counting

Some fun fabric for Baby Girl's Room

How are we feeling?

I'm feeling great!  Seriously, I'm really feeling good despite the extra pounds and leg cramps at night. My sleeping habits have dramatically changed with frequent trips to the bathroom and I almost feel like she's preparing me for nightly feedings....looking forward to THAT! At my latest doctors appointment, I had to drink this super sweet Kool aide like drink to test for diabetes.  NO worries there! Otherwise, still no crazy cravings and Nick and I are walking as much as possible-to keep his figure in check ;-)

What's up with the bump?

Well, this bump is in constant motion with baby girl treating me as a human karate studio.  Any signs of caffeine or me resting and she seriously turns into the Karate Kid.  It's hard when people want to feel her as she's sitting pretty low and seems to know when the spotlight is on her.   She moves and moves until a hand is placed on my belly, then she's in stealth mode.  The one hand she does tolerate is her daddy's and boy does she perform for him!  I have a feeling I'm going to be in trouble when it comes to these two...

What crazy thing did we recently learn?

That somehow, once you become pregnant, freebies and junk mail saturate your home.  Every doctors appointment, every baby or maternity store, every trip to the mailbox leaves us with countless magazines, formula samples, coupons, bottle koozies, and booklets about breast feeding.  And while we're grateful for all of it-it's super overwhelming and a whole lot of nonsense!

Subject I'm not ready to think about?

Day Care.  The very idea makes my eyes well up with tears.  The very thought of sending baby girl somewhere so someone can take care of her while I work, literally drives a knife through my heart.  Nick just wants me to be happy and supports whatever I will choose to do, but deep down he wants me to stay home.  It's a hard battle as I have worked so hard from literally nothing for the career I have. The school I work for has amazing families, and this year would complete teaching all the families I've had in prior years.  I also know that I am a person who has to have purpose and contribute to society which means nothing more than-I HAVE to do something!

Big Daddy's Take:

 As I have recently discovered the expense of childcare, I am grateful for our little two bedroom house. It makes me think about older generations that raised several kids in nothing more than 800 square feet and think it is this still possible today. I have always enjoyed trying to do things outside the norm and look forward to finding creative ways to make what God has given us work. I am enjoying preparing the bedroom for the little one. It has also made me open my eyes to other projects in the house that need to be done for a more kid friendly atmosphere. There is still plenty to do and as the Mrs.'s belly gets bigger, the time to complete them gets less and less. 

Preparing Baby Girl's Room

#207 of 365~Pizza Tour of Omaha

Omaha Culinary-A Slice of Omaha Pizza Tour

http://www.omahaculinarytours.com/

To celebrate our March birthdays, my friend Tina found an awesome opportunity to celebrate-go on a Pizza culinary tour for me and a Steakhouse tour for her!  This week was our Pizza tour, a chance to "explore the best locally-owned pizza places in Omaha. From wood-fired classical style pies, to the best pizza to go with the game. Stops could include anything from a long-standing Omaha family favorite, to a hip new spot with a modern edge, and even the unexpected gem of a place that you didn't even know had pizza on the menu. This tour is all about pizza."

Our first stop was a new up and coming restaurant called Salt 88-a restaurant that takes you on an "exploration of the trending fascination with the Mediterranean region and how the character, culture, and cuisines of those areas can be blended and form Modern American offerings that maintain the uniqueness of places like Croatia and Italy." They gave us slices of their sweet and spicy which consisted of spicy sausage, roasted bell peppers, mozzarella, and sweet sauce-not my fav.  They also gave us a slice of Jo Geez that was AMAZING!!!  It consisted of goat cheese, tomato filets, mozzarella, oregano, and fresh mozzarella.  Blue cotton candy for dessert!  Check them out at: http://salt88.com/   

We then jumped on our tour bus and headed to BIG FRED'S-a family owned pizzaria for the last 50 years that boasts of "thin, hand-tossed crust, a touch of tomato, plenty of cheese and your favorite toppings."  The ground hamburger and pepperoni pizza was ok and something I would only order when looking for a hearty pizza.  Check their website here: http://www.bigfredsinc.com/

Our third stop was a staple in my house-Zio's-a "pizzeria that serves up Omaha’s original hand-stretched New York Style Pizza."  They served us a slice of their famous pepperoni and a slice of sausage.  I was a little underwhelmed as I eat there all the time and didn't really feel like this was something new. You can visit them at: http://ziospizzeria.com/

The fourth stop was a restaurant I have never been too called-Dante's Ristorante Pizzeria-Naples Inspired-Locally Owned. "Omaha’s first restaurant specializing in authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and rustic Italian cuisine featuring ingredient-driven dishes with fresh produce from local farmers." They produced a tasty Margherita pizza with mozzarella, basil, and olive oil.  It was super yummy and a bit of a tang to it.  Their menu can be found here:http://www.dantepizzeria.com/

Our final stop was Franks Pizza-while "others may claim to have true New York Style Pizza, at Frank's we make it just like the pizzerias in New York City because that’s where we started out at." Franks son came out and chatted our table up and introduced us to their take on an Alfredo pizza. With a ricotta-based sauce, it was creamy and filling.  He also gave us a Buffalo Chicken pizza complete with Franks Hot Sauce and blue cheese dressing.  I'm not a huge fan of buffalo chicken typed pizza, but it was pretty favorable.  Their website is: http://franksnewyorkpizza.com/

Because it was my birthday, I received a cordial cherry from the now Omaha-famous Cordial Cherry- http://www.thecordialcherry.com/   "Wonderfully whimsical chocolate covered cherry cordials like nothing you've seen before. Each chocolate covered cherry cordial is made from scratch and hand-decorated, resulting in one-of-a-kind pieces of chocolate art. The combination of a sweet liquid cordial center with a dark, milk or white chocolate coating is truly divine."  The perfect dessert to end the fulfilling and fun night!

#206 of 365~Garden Adventure With The Hubs

I love hanging out with this guy.  While he might not be too sure about what's going on, he's always up for an adventure with me.  We didn't get too crazy as it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we were both feeling the time change.  So, we headed to our favorite garden to check out their Lego exhibit. 

 "Inspired by nature and built from nearly 300,000 LEGO® pieces, this indoor exhibit features 14 displays with 27 larger-than-life sculptures that represent the web of incredible connections that 

sustain life on Earth."

We then headed over to the new indoor conservatory.  "A study in luxuriant flowers and foliage, unusual plant life, dramatic water features and panoramic views, the 17,500 square foot conservatory is a walkable work of art for all four seasons."  If you live in Omaha, this is truly one of our best kept secrets.  If your going to visit Omaha, you should definitely put this on your list of places to visit.  Super kid-friendly and always changing with the seasons and exhibits.

#24 Week baby Bump Pic