Iowa City Public Library

This week we went to the Iowa City Public Library. Iowa City has a very nice library that gets really busy! They have over 300 volunteers that assist them in multiple ways.

When we first got to the library we took a tour. Most of us had been to the library but we had never had a tour. It was great to have someone give us a tour to show us where everything was at and explain the exhibits. This week is Banned Book Week so the staff member that gave us a tour explained why it's important for people to have the right to read books even if they don't endorse the content of the book.

After the tour we began volunteering. Some of us stuffed Baby Book packets and the rest of the group arranged and organized books to keep the library looking nice! Every baby born in the hospitals in Iowa City received a Baby Book packet to learn the importance of childhood literacy.
We all enjoyed our experience at the Iowa City Public Library. If you are ever in Iowa City you should definitely check it out!

Pretzel Chicken

This past Thursday, Fran graced us with her cooking skills. The recipe we made was gluten pretzel chicken. Click here to see the recipe online

First we cut the chicken that she bought into small bite size pieces. Then we mixed all the dry ingredients, which was mostly flour with some salt and spices. In a separate bowl was crushed pretzels. This was an exciting part of making the recipe. I myself was one of the many crushers. We crushed them by putting them in two ziplock bags and pounding away. After everything was ready we breaded the chicken with the mixed dry ingredients, egg, and then crushed pretzels and put them on a pan lined with tin foil. We then put them into the preheated oven at 400 degrees.

After it was in the oven we socialized for a good bit, including making our own salsa for the REACH office competition. The chicken eventually was cooked to perfection and I hear that it was quite delicious. I was unable to try due to an upset tummy. 

Well that's all we have all of you hawks out there, this has been Zach of the Sugar Spice and Everything Hawkeye blog, signing off! Keep it classy, Iowa City.

Ingredients for the pretzel chicken

Fran measuring the flour

Mr. Jordan demonstrating how to cut the chicken into equal sized pieces.

First you dipped the chicken in the flour/spice mixture, then egg mixture, then crushed pretzels.

We made two pans, here is the first one coming out of the oven!

First Volunteer Experience 2015

The last two weeks we have been volunteering with the Iowa City Gardens. The first day we volunteered the weather was warmer. The second day it was a bit cooler and cloudier. On the first day of volunteering we started on Clinton Street near Pepperjax Grill. To start we planted new plants, pulled weeds, and picked up trash.

After we were done with that flower bed we moved to the corner of Clinton and Burlington Street across from Starbucks. There we pulled Hollyhocks. We had to dig them out with a shovel. They have a lot of seeds on them! Some of them were difficult to pull out!

On the second day we continued to pull out the Hollyhocks. After we were finished we split into two groups and cut the tops off of the plants to prepare them for winter. It was a lot of fun! We learned that cone plants used to be used by the native americans as hair combs. We think they should actually be called the comb plant!

We enjoyed our first two times volunteering with the Iowa City Gardens and look forward to volunteering with them again in October!

To make a baked potato

This weeks host was Zach, he made a baked potato bar. Everyone enjoyed the potatoes. We were so busy eating that we forgot to take a picture of the finished potatoes with all the toppings! Torie made rice-a-roni as a side dish.

The way to make The Potato
Step 1, Clean up the potato
Step 2 Poke two holes in the Potato
Step 3. Put potato in microwave
Step 4. 8 minutes in microwave (this speeds of the process instead of cooking them in the oven)
Step 5. Cut and then put in oven at 450 degrees for 20 min
Additions: Onions, sour cream, margarine, salt, pepper, bacon bits

First we cleaned the potatoes with a brush

Cutting the onions!

Here are all the baked potato toppings

Here are the cooked potatoes!

Here is the rice-a-roni that Torie made as a side dish.

This is Mr. Rice, eating some rice with toppings.

A German Specialty by Boris

Last week Boris was our host, and made one of his favorite dishes ... sausage and potato skillet. When asked why he chose the dish, Boris said that it reflects his German Heritage and also it is easy to make.

Step 1: Wash hands!
Step 2: Wash the potatoes
Step 3: Peel and slice the potatoes
Step 4: Dice the onions
Step 5; Slice sausage (precooked)
Step 6: Heat up two skillets and add olive oil
Step 7: Cook potatoes on medium/medium-high heat for about 15 minutes
Step 8: Add sausage and onion, heat till warm

The meal was great and everyone enjoyed it! Fran also made a fruit salad that was a great side dish. It had; apples, raisins, marshmallows with a little mayo and sugar.

Here are the ingredients

Here is Tan Man cutting potatoes

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Here is Mr. Tyler demonstrating how to chop an onion!

Fruit Salad! Never forget to have a side dish!

We forgot to take a picture of the finished product ... here is what was left by the time we all ate!