A great visit with friends in a great town.

Thanks Althoffs for a great weekend!

Somewhere in the long list of things to do before I die sits the accomplishment of taking a “polar plunge.”  I’ve wanted to try it since I was a kid and saw these crazy people jumping into the ice-covered water on the news.  This past weekend I had a chance at the Indiana Special Olympics‘ Polar Plunge at Eagle Creek.  However, I was busy photographing the event.  So, I’ll have to wait to a little longer before I get to mark it off the list.  The best part about me choosing the warmer way to volunteer for the event is that I have photos to share.  So enjoy just a “few” of my favorites from the event.

Great Clips was there helping to put finishing touches on everyone’s costumes.

You burn a lot of calories while doing the plunge, Dunkin Donuts was there to put us back at normal.

The costumes were great!

And the winner is!

Scotty from 100.9 Radio Now could not stop squeezing the woopie cushion.

There was even dancing while the water was prepared.

Miss Indiana and Indiana Teen were there to warm everyone up!

The crowd of supporters was amazing.  Way to go fans of crazy people!

A HUGE Thanks to the Police and Firemen there to keep everything safe and fun!

Thanks for stopping by.  Get outside and enjoy this weather a little bit!

Saying goodbye is typically pretty hard to do.  But with how things have been lately, saying goodbye to Winter is going to be a little easier then normal!  Temperatures are finely rising above the freezing mark and it looks like we’ll even get into the low 40’s next week.  Days may still cool down a little in the coming months, but I have a good feeling that we’re seeing the last of the freezing weeks/months like we’ve  come from.  In a way, I’m sure we’ll miss it, we’re just having trouble right now thinking of what that way could possibly be.  So with spring just around the corner and all of the new opportunities that it’ll bring for us, we’re celebrating this weekend, as the last of the cold months.  We leave you with one of my  favorite winter pictures from this year to remember it by.

Here’s to getting outdoors more and more in the coming months!!!

We’ve discovered local, well-grown food right here in the heart of our state.  And right in the middle of an Indiana winter! Incredible.  We can’t wait for Spring to appear (we’ve joined a CSA this year for the first time, and early harvest is due in late April!), but for now we are enjoying the fruits of Indiana farmers who are sharing their goods weekly at the Indy Winter Farmers Market in Downtown Indianapolis. It makes us anxious for Saturday mornings (you can grab breakfast at the market), and it makes creating meals even more exciting.  On our last visit we shared a rum raisin pastry from Rene’s Bakery (holy yum!) and devoured crepes stuffed with local apples, ham, white cheddar and maple syrup.  There are other wonderful ready-to-savor items too — fresh squeezed juices, breakfast sandwiches and lots of taste-testing.  The market is gaining in popularity; they are constantly setting attendance records…the last I’ve seen hit about 1,400!  So go early, go hungry, and go with an open mind to pick up some great foods to nourish you and your family throughout the week.  What follows is a sample of the foods we’ve enjoyed:

9th and Park is where you’ll find it

Sage Sausage and Apple Hash — market sausage and potatoes; apples from Indianapolis’ Adrian Orchard

Sausage and cheddar stuffed bread inspired by Emeril (local sausage).

Local free-range, pastured eggs…

Scrambled for a good start to the day!

These market Shitake mushrooms were delicious and fancied up an otherwise boring bowl of ramen noodles.

Bison burger!  Grass-fed, free range.  And the lettuce is from the market too!

Wild alaskan salmon (while not local) is available at market.  We paired it with butternut squash and sauteed spinach, both fresh from local growers!

Here are my iPhone photos from the Saturday we enjoyed breakfast at the market:

This is not farmers market related, but since we’re on the subject of food, I’ll share!  Today we celebrated National Pancake Day (some reports showed it as Feb 16, but we’ll go with IHOP on this one) with this stack of goodness – carrot cake pancakes!

Maybe this made you hungry, and hopefully it urged you to visit the local market where you’ll be supporting Indiana growers, getting really fresh food and enjoying it without the junk that harms us.  Happy eating!