Dash-In Restaurant and Coffeehouse- Fort Wayne, IN

During the few years of married life that we spent in Fort Wayne, the Dash-In was always a welcome respite. It had a bit of an urban feel with it's brick walls and big windows in an old downtown building. The menu had offerings that weren't found at other area restaurants including some vegetarian options. During our recent visit there, we found that the menu hadn't changed that much. They still have a couple of Mrs. WYA's favorites like the Veggie Wrap and the Grilled Mediterranean Sandwich (pictured here with a side of pasta salad). It was bone chilling the day we were there so Mrs. WYA!, tea addict that she is, needed some hot tea even more than usual. While most folks probably go more for the coffee, they had a better than expected tea selection and the green tea hit the spot. When the server asked if she could fill the beautiful glass mug with more hot water to steep some more flavor out of the tea bag, she endeared herself to Mrs. WYA! for life. If you are trying to find a unique place to dine or grab a tasty hot beverage (Mr. WYA! was always partial to the Vietnamese coffee here), this is a great place to visit.

Frugal foodies heading to New York are in luck. This New York Times' article tells of nervous restaurateurs who are cutting deals to welcome diners. These are upper echelon places too- for goodness sake they got Mario Batali, Jean-Georges, and the owner of Le Cirque to pose for the picture. Maybe even if they didn't have a trip to NYC scheduled, frugal foodies should plan one just for this reason.

Scenes from... Decatur, Indiana

During her childhood, Mrs. WYA took many a trip through Decatur, IN on the way to Grandma's house. The Central Soya silos were the first sight and another highlight was the white castle-like building that, if memory serves, was a BMV for awhile. It is still there, by the Arnold's Drive-In, although it looks like a private business now. Anyway, we explored the heart of their downtown years later when we started browsing at antique shops. Many of the shops are now gone but Yvonne Marie's is still there. It's sprawling and always fun to explore.

We also had to take a picture of the gorgeous former train depot that is now the florist/gift shop Gandy Dancer's. This was also a fun place to browse and, of course, we love them for re-using this great building.

Yvonne Marie's Antique Mall: 260.724.2001

152 S. 2nd Street

Decatur, IN 46733

Gandy Dancer's: 260-728-2881

111 N. 7th St.

Decatur, IN 46733

Food & Wine magazine highlights milk chocolate recipes in the February Issue. Wow, we try to eat healthy as much as possible but we just might have to try the Milk Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust. What a fantastic idea!

Fat free Valentine's Day gift

Alright fellas, here's a unique, bargain friendly gift for your Valentine. Mark has these adorable candy lip glosses. You don't even have to worry about picking out the color because it is a set of 3 different colors. These would be cute toppers for another gift or just appreciated on their own.

Mrs. WYA! has a soft spot for Hello Kitty. If you do too, you might want to check out this sneak peek of her M.A.C. cosmetic line. She's looking very sleek.

Karpeles Museum- Fort Wayne, IN

We went to the recently opened Karpeles Museum in Fort Wayne over the weekend. It is an intriguing place. For starters, it is in a gorgeous space- an old neighborhood church just off of Calhoun Street. It has rotating exhibits; currently it is Great Women in History. We just thought it was kind of amazing that the Warrant for the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots was in this little Fort Wayne neighborhood. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10A-4P. It is also absolutely free. We even asked if there was a donation box but the ladies there said no. The library provides educational programs and lectures for schools at all levels. It is due to the generous founder who has a lovely letter on the website explaining how he was filled with hope, pride, and inspiration from the world's predecessors when he was young but has seen that feeling dissipate with subsequent generations and would like to restore it. We highly recommend visiting here. It was fascinating just to see the penmanship and awe-inspiring to be in the presence of things like one of the only 14 surviving pages of Uncle Tom's Cabin.