Category Archives: Deliciousness

May 3, 2013 · 10:53 am

Pass the syrup

If you’re craving pancakes*, get your Saturday morning fix at the all-you-can-eat Des Moines “I Have a Dream” Foundation pancake breakfast! There’s also a raffle with some awesome sweet prizes (facial, restaurant gift certificates, car detailing, etc.) and all the money goes to a great cause. We love this fundraiser because the parents of the kids we serve plan it and staff it themselves.

PancakesSami
When: Saturday, May 4, 2013 anytime between 8-11 a.m.
Where: Central Presbyterian Church, 3829 Grand Avenue (at 39th St.)
Cost: $5 per person or $20 per family. Tickets will be available at the door.

*Pancakes, cereal, strawberries and ice cream have been my #1 hankerings these past eight months. Bonus: If you come to the pancake breakfast, you can be one of the people who tells me in person how huge I look! Then I will glare at you and make you buy a raffle ticket as penance.

If you can’t make it, but are interested in contributing to “I Have a Dream,” we’re part of the Birdies for Charity program again this year. You can make an easy online pledge of $25 or more, or can pledge per birdie. This is an awesome program because our organization receives 125% of the funds raised, through a “bonus bucks” program.

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March 1, 2013 · 9:00 am

Scrumptious skillet cake

Joe is a designer for Cuisine at Home magazine, and in his two or so years on the job, he’s turned into a bit of a chef. We eat more adventurously at our house. Mostly, he cooks. Sometimes when Joe brings home recipes he loves, I’ve attempted to branch out from my tried-and-true basics to expand my culinary repertoire.

This week, we wanted to have our neighbors over for dessert to “sweeten the deal” that we’ll be parking a dumpster in our shared driveway for a couple of weeks during the remodel that’s about to get underway. Joe had mentioned a pineapple upside-down carrot cake that is featured in the current issues of Cuisine is one of his all-time favorites. He was on shoveling duty, so it was up to me to recreate the deliciousness.

pineapple upside down cake

I think the secret to this cake is that you prep the skillet by melting a bunch of butter and brown sugar in it prior to laying down the pineapple slices and cherries and covering those with your carrot cake batter. You pop it in the oven and the outer edge caramelizes just so. Joe handled the skillet-to-platter flipping for me.

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Cuisine doesn’t post their recipes online, and out of respect for the developer*, I’m not going to copy and paste the full thing here. You should be able to pick up a copy of Issue 98 at your local grocery store. Cuisine might not seem as newsstand sexy as some other cooking mags out there, but the way they showcase step-by-step directions really helps advance your skills in the kitchen. The fact that mine turned out pretty much like the picture is a testament to this! Also, they don’t print ads.

Cuisine 098 cover

*This recipe was developed by Joe’s awesome co-worker, Haley, who happens to be married to recently James Beard-nominated Proof Chef Sean Wilson.

Side note: I also love this recipe because I’m obsessed with being able to use our OXO pineapple rachet. Fresh – and you can drink a fizzy beverage out of a hollowed-out pineapple like you’re on a tropical vacation!

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January 18, 2013 · 8:46 am

Tea for two and cheese for three

A few weeks ago I posted about seven things to do to take the chill out of  a Des Moines winter. On Wednesday, I checked two little local adventures off the list!

Joe and I started the morning at Gong Fu Tea with a traditional Gong Fu style ceremony. It was fun to go on a sunrise date, with the sky pink on the east side of the city.

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I don’t really recommend trying to squeeze in a whole ceremonial tea service before work, because it’s really not the thing to do in a rush, but I was on deadline. It was still lovely. Tea has been prepared this way in China since the 1300s, and it’s a great almost meditative way to relax because you’re doing multiple steepings in a tiny clay teapot. The service is for two people, and $8 each. It’s available at limited times because it takes the staff about 15 minutes to explain, so they can’t be super busy.

After work, I met up with my friends Chelsea and Holly for fondue night at The Cheese Shop. Check their Facebook for specific fondue nights, and be prepared to wait for a table! The place was bustling right after work. It’s $30 to share a pot of bubbling, delicious cheese and unlimited bread and pickles. We also ordered some roasted veggies for dipping and my lady friends got glasses of white wine while I paired with Ginger Ale. Charcuterie is also a great pairing.

Cheese Shop Fondue

Chelsea lived in Switzerland for a time, so she was like our culinary tour guide, explaining some of their traditions there, like the “nun’s cap” in the bottom of the pot, which is basically a disc of crusty fried cheese that you scrape off the bottom and divvy up to eat. It was so fun to go out with two ladies who I see a lot, but don’t spend much one-on-one time with. Wednesday was definitely a little warmer because of these mini adventures!

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January 9, 2013 · 7:56 pm

First-timer: Jesse’s Embers

I have a goal to eat at all of the restaurants along Ingersoll Avenue, the street I most often use to get downtown. I’ve been to most of them, but for the past 5.5 years, never checked Jesse’s Embers off the list. This place is a Des Moines classic, but to an outsider, the squat white windowless building is intimidating. There’s no parking in the front, so I’d wonder – Is anyone even in there? Then tonight Joe and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner, and I decided that it was the night to experience the Embers.

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We pulled in the back parking lot at a little before 6 p.m. and were barely able to find a spot. It was hoppin’. The back entrance to Jesse’s is through a kind of pantry setup and then you pop into the dining room right next to the open kitchen, which gave me a bit of a shock. We were seated facing the kitchen — the centerpiece of the restaurant, and it was fun to watch people come in and wave at people they knew.

I was instantly charmed by the setup: Warm wood paneling and brick walls decorated with images of iconic spots around the city. Instead of intimidating, the lack of windows create this warm, cocooned supper club vibe. The Wednesday night crowd struck me as the DSM Magazine demographic: Established Des Moinesians relishing a casual night out with old friends.  I was pretty jealous of everyone’s classic cocktails and big glasses of wine.

Our server asked if we wanted a half order of onion rings to start, which she probably asks everyone, but I have this weird fascination with Des Moines’ onion rings and my enthusiastic response may have freaked her out. These were the traditional, tangler type, but thicker than some other places offerings and served with a fork stuck through the stack. Yum!

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Joe and I both got the specials for dinner. I tried to take a photo but the lighting was off and my phone flashed, which was kind of embarrassing in a spot like this. Instead, I’ll make you drool with my words. Our meals came with a generous house salad (house dressing was a creamy garlic, natch) that featured shaved carrots, crunchy croutons and a sliced radish garnish.

I ordered the Iowa chop, which came topped with chunks of sweet baked apple. I loved the way the apple flavor melded with the savory seasoning of the chop, and let Joe have two bites, but polished it — and the accompanying foil-wrapped baked potato — off. Joe said his shrimp scampi dish was good, but he admitted to dinner envy.

In all, Jesse’s Embers was a little bit spendy for us to make it too regularly, but we will definitely be back. I love this kind of spot that feels worn in and well-oiled, like a favorite baseball glove or jacket.

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October 9, 2012 · 5:20 pm

Des Moines-date-in-a-box: Historic Dinners at Living History Farms

For our first Christmas as a couple, Joe got me tickets to one of the Historic Dinners at Living History Farms. (He got to double dip a bit by scheduling the dinner near Valentine’s Day, too.)

It will not surprise many of you to know I read all of the “Little House” books in second grade and have never abandoned my love of the pioneer life. I think anyone who likes a delicious home-cooked meal and has an appreciation for the past could enjoy this experiential dinner.

I had to dig way back (Feb. 2008, baby!) in the Facebook archive to find this red-wine-stained-smile photo from the dinner:

The meals are served family style, with up to 12 people at a table and the first person to make a reservation for a certain date picks the from-scratch menu. The group setting was actually kind of fun, I thought. We BYO-wined, which is do-able with a $10 corkage fee.

I also found this photo in the album captioned  “This is what we looked like after the dinner:”

We got to tour the barn and those were some of the hogs.

Joe and I missed out registering for the Living History Farms race for the first time since we started dating, so we might have to revisit the Historic Dinner experience instead!

I’d pair this date with an old black-and-white movie back home on the couch, with popcorn made on the stove top and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and paprika. It’s not exactly a romantic comedy, but one of my favorites is “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

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June 3, 2012 · 8:59 pm

Thumbs up: Thelma’s Treats

I got to interview lots of great Des Moinesians when I wrote for Juice, and Dereck and Lana Lewis were some of the sweetest. I’m not just saying that to be punny, either. I got good vibes from these folks.

The son and mother duo ran Tank Goodness, which is probably the most genius business concept of all time: Warm cookie delivery. (They even donated some cookies to our Sweet Dreams event last month, because they’re generous geniuses.) I mean, whose day would not be made by getting a dozen cookies delivered to their doorstep? (Father’s Day idea, Des Moines readers!)

Since then, the Tank Goodness crew has changed names and expanded their concept, and I couldn’t be more excited for them! They’re now Thema’s Treats, named after Dereck’s 108 (yes, 108) year-old great-grandma. Perhaps snickerdoodles are the secret fountain of youth?

Thelma’s Treats is selling ice cream cookie sandwiches out of the cutest little cart, and Joe and I made a beeline for it when we rode down to the Farmer’s Market this weekend. They were set up down by the Science Center of Iowa on Saturday.

You should be able to see the big red oven mitt that caps off the cart. It was great catching up with Dereck and hearing about their plans for the business — like offering rentals for them to serve up ice cream sandwiches at graduation parties and weddings, etc.

I tried the spicy chocolate chip ice cream sandwich and I can say it definitely has a kick!

They are still doing warm cookie delivery, with new and improved boxes that look like cute vintage ovens. No surprise here, the Thelma’s branding is all done by my faves at Saturday Mfg. (Remember the great holiday office party decor they came up with?)

Anyhow, I get silly excited for good people who are finding creative ways to be entrepreneurial and brighten others’ days. Dereck says the Thelma’s team has a Kickstarter project in the works, so like ‘em on Facebook to get updates. I’ll be sure to post about it when their project goes live.

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April 9, 2012 · 12:44 am

Tried it: Peep Sushi

What to bring to the family Easter celebration when you have zero time to prepare anything of substance? Peepshi. I saw this hilarious recipe for Peep Sushi on Serious Eats and knew that since I wouldn’t have time to whip up a strata or experiment with this cool braided Easter bread, I could just bring something that would double as a craft project and make people smile. Sadly, this recipe might actually be the one I’ve attempted that turned out closest to the inspiration photo! All you need are Rice Krispies, marshmallows, butter, Peeps and Fruit By the Foot/Fruit Rollups.

The finished tray of Peepshi

The giant knife I made Ellen use to decapitate the peeps was a nice effect, don’t you think? We found to make the rolls you really need to crunch the Rice Krispies Treat strip. #Protip.

A simple and actually delicious dessert that Joe’s aunt made were these butterscotch birds nest cookies.

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March 28, 2012 · 8:18 am

Mega spring/summer salad

Nothing puts spring in my step quite like knowing there’s something tasty waiting for me at the end of my workout.

Joe and I are training for the Drake Relays Half Marathon in order to get swimsuit ready for our trip to the Dominican Republic this May. It’s sort of working, because we’re doing a pretty good job of motivating each other to lace up the shoes and get in our miles and my clothes feel looser. The pizza from El Chisme we split after a Friday evening 10-miler and this amazing BLT-inspired gargantuan post-run salad, however, might not be hastening the slimming process.

Super yummy BLT inspired salad!

But it was SO GOOD. I played sous chef, chopping and washing the greens. Spinach and thinly sliced cabbage (left over from some delicious roast cabbage wedges we did for St. Patrick’s Day) were the base, and then we piled on chunks of watermelon, avocado, some little tomatoes, grilled green onion and asparagus and, of course, bacon. The dressing was a mix of Ranch and Greek yogurt, and the whole wheat pitas were toasted and sliced on the side.

I think we’ll continue to make some variation of this salad all summer long, with more seasonal ingredients. (Raise your hand if you can’t wait for roast sweet corn to make its triumphant return!) I could see adding some Feta, too.

As far as the training goes, we’re actually using a real plan this time. It’s one Joe found on his friend’s “Bad Angels Rules for Running” blog. I’ve felt pretty good on our long runs, but surprisingly it’s the mid-length runs that are hardest for me. I even wrote in to Coach Jenny to see if my bad form is going to destroy me now that I’m about to enter my late 20s. (And she answered!)

Are you a runner? What are your favorite post-run meals? When I was in Cross Country in high school, my best friend and I used to joke that any calories we consumed within 30 minutes of practice “didn’t count.” Ten years later, I’m still holding onto that myth!

Oh! And we’re starting seedlings for the first time, using the cool plant stand Joe spray painted and gave me as a gift. I love watching them sprout!

Sure hope we're doing this seedling thing right! This area gets lots of sun in the afternoon. We can never keep our window boxes alive.

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March 22, 2012 · 6:58 pm

Brianne’s Des Moines restaurant go-tos

Someone asked me on Twitter what my favorite restaurant in Des Moines is and I felt guilty keeping it to 140 characters, because it’s hard to pick one when different places are better for different things. Here are a few of my favorite spots and what I tend to order there, organized more by occasion than cuisine:

Indulgent weekday breakfast with the ladies
Where: La Mie
What I order: Avocado tartine, which is a hearty piece of toast covered in cream cheese and sprouts, eggs over easy and a half avocado.
There are few better ways to start the day than walking into La Mie on a crisp morning and settling into a table with some of my dearest Des Moines friends and a little cup of coffee. This is where we catch up and gather energylike batteries powered by each others energy and passion for life. If you go the pastry route, my favorite are the long rectangular ones that are filled with some sort of cream and chocolate chip concoction. They should be illegal.

Payday lunch with downtown workers
Where: Basil Prosperi
What I order: Spinach Ricotta pasta
Carbohydrate overload? Definitely. This lunch is for Fridays at the end of the month when you’re feeling rich and in the mood for something with a taste to match. I miss working so close to this tucked away Skywalk staple, where the line moves fast but you’ll feel full well into the evening.

Sunday evening doing crossword puzzles and drinking crappy beers
Where: High Life Lounge
What I order: Broasted chicken meal with tater tots and corn on the side
You know how healthy eating doctrine says you’re not supposed to have a plate of entirely brown food? This is worth breaking the rule.

Craving hot wings
Where: Gerri’s
What I order: These are the best wings in Des Moines, and you can order them in five pound increments. (CABCo comes close, but theirs aren’t as cheap.) These have the perfect sauce and a slight crisp in the skin. I used to hate hot wings, but these converted me.

Double date night
Where: Flying Mango
What I order: Grilled Cajun Chicken, with Goat Cheese & Thick-Cut Bacon
Joe and I went on a kind of double date the other week with the Heggens and this was a great spot. It’s so unassuming on the outside, but then the dining room opens up and it’s got a great atmosphere. There’s a good beer selection, and even good vegetarian options, which you might not think about coming out of a place known for its 24-hour brisket.

Satisfying the sweet tooth
Where: Chocolaterie Stam
What I order: There’s a sweet little wine flight/chocolate pairing deal that was only $10 the last time I went!
Even though it’s right on Ingersoll, the little side yard next to Stam is like a tucked-away wonderland. There’s a babbling fountain, pretty lights strung up and lots of gelato options!

A ladies "picnic" at Stam

Power lunch
Where: Des Moines Art Center Restaurant
What I order: “Pick two”
Where: Proof
What I order: Lamb burger
I always forget about the Art Center restaurant, and each time I re-discover it, I vow to go back soon. One of the IHAD mentors is the chef there, and the setting and food are inspired, but the price is right. My boss, Emily, and I had lunch here a few weeks ago and she told me to do the “pick two” selection because the portions are generous enough you don’t really have to choose, if you’re wavering between options.
Proof is the downtown go-to! Everything is amazing, fresh and made with care. Love it.

Saturday afternoon “linner”
Where: Gateway Market
What I order: Veggie burger (which is crazy, considering I looove burgers)
You know when you’re in the zone running errands and you don’t have any food in the house and it’s 2 p.m. and you probably shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry? Gateway Market is the go-to for a fresh-tasting option. Then you can also pick up some essentials to tide you over to your next shopping trip. And by “essentials,” I mean wine and bread. Right? Also, last time I got the veggie burger here was on the way to get my new bike, and some guy walked up to me and asked me what I was eating because it looked awesome.

A taste of suburbia
Where: Rock Bottom Brewery
What I order: Various burgers
Sometimes we go past 63rd Street. Not a lot, but sometimes. Rock Bottom has some awesome perks for their mug club members (and being a member is free.) Plus, their beer is brewed on-site and the place is huge, with a patio. They used to have half price burger nights, I think on Wednesdays, which made for a really reasonable dinner out.

OK, a few other picks! I’m going to be lazy and not include links, but you can find details for most Des Moines restaurants on DesMoines.Metromix.com.

Brianne’s favorite places for:

Chips: City Bakery. They basically slice a potato lengthwise and crisp it until it’s a chip, then pepper and salt it. Thanks to the ladies of Ephemera for turning me on to these.
Margaritas: El Patio in the summer. Awesome hanging planters and a sweet patio that’s a good respite from the rest of the world.
Chinese: Rolling Wok. I only ever order Mongolian Beef from Chinese places. They have great lunch specials, but are otherwise a bit pricey.
Romance: Cafe di Scala. Joe and I went here after we got engaged, so it will always be a special place. I also recommend just dressing up and getting a drink and appetizer at the bar.
Pretending I’m French and mysterious: Baru 66. I dined alone here once, which was a strangely amazing experience for me. I should have worn stripes and red lipstick. I also took my mom and aunt here as a thank you for throwing me a wedding. A lovely special occasion spot.
Tamales: La Rosa. I buy them by the dozen and freeze them. These remind me of the ones we’d get in Pilsen growing up.
Fancy brunch: Centro. You will not regret getting the French Toast.
Fancy dinner: Django. This doesn’t HAVE to be fancy, and sometimes we go on random nights, but my birthday dinner here last year was a pretty epic chicken dish that made me dream about caramelized pearl onions for months.
Quick Drake-area lunch: Gazali’s. I’m a little too obsessed with their chicken salad. This, coming from a person who almost never orders salad anywhere.
Lunch with a big group of co-workers: Gusto Pizza Company. Call ahead for a big long table.
Random lunch date with Joe: Woody’s Smoke Shack. Free cornbread!

I’d also have to say that the only place I’m really a “regular” is Mars Cafe! It’s that “third space” for so many of us.

I’m also probably forgetting other favorite spots! What are yours? What did I miss?!

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March 11, 2012 · 11:30 am

My first homebrew

Yesterday was perfect brewing weather in Des Moines. T-shirt afternoon, then light jacket evening with the sun shining and a slight breeze.

After a few years of Joe and Andy brewing together, it felt like time for me to take a turn with the turkey frier, and they encouraged me to try.

They guys took me along to Beer Crazy, where I got the ingredients for a modified Marzen. (Marzen is the kind of beer they serve at Oktoberfest. I always enjoy them, and the thought of making something that I could alliteratively call “Manatee Marzen” was exciting. Yes, I am a nerd. Too bad we’re kegging it, because the labels would be cuuuute.)

After they finished up their newest batch, I attempted my first beer. I did a story on local homebrewers a few years ago, so I wasn’t that intimidated by the basic process.*

Image via Man vs. Ink.

For those unfamiliar with the brewing process, the first stage of home brewing is a lot like making a giant caldron of tea. I did what’s called a partial mash, because I used some grains and some powdered malt extract. The first stage is making wort, which involves steeping grains in a big mesh bag, then stirring in some malt extract powder and boiling the hops for different lengths of time.

I kept one eye on the thermometer/clock to make sure things didn’t boil over and heated for the right lengths of time. But my other eye was on “In the Garden of Beasts,” which I’m reading for book club. I am by no means an expert, which is to say that if I can do it, you can do it! You can get a lot more complicated about things, but you don’t have to at the onset.

You could use a stovetop, or brew kettle/propane burner combo if you don’t have a turkey frier. Joe brewed on the stove for a few years before we picked a frier up on supersale from Menards. I don’t totally hate the smell of brewing, but I will say that being able to do it outside is a lot nicer.

Also, sitting next to the boiling wort makes you kind of feel like a witch from MacBeth. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble!

After you’ve steeped/boiled all of the ingredients, you need to cool the wort. Make sure all of the equipment you use for the rest of the steps is well-sanitized! (We have a neat-o copper coily contraption for cooling, which makes it much faster.) Then I transferred the wort to a carboy for the first stage of fermenting.

I’ve got my fingers crossed this brew will turn out, because I want to serve it at my friend Karen’s 30th birthday, which we’ll be hosting at the end of April or early May. I’ll post about transferring to the second ferment in a couple of weeks, and about the finished product, too.

*I followed this recipe, although I used a different kind of yeast so that I wouldn’t have to refrigerate it like a true lager. I also switched out the last kind of hops for a similar variety, because the store was out of Saaz. (Let me also say that the people at Beer Crazy are super helpful. It’s kind of expensive to get started on home brewing, but it’s a pretty cool hobby. We got my brother, the guy who has everything and whose typical interests are way to high-tech for me, a startup kit for Christmas and it was the best gift we could have gone for. He’s super into it, so it makes every other holiday easier to shop for him, too!)

That’s me measuring the original gravity of my first homebrew. Knowing this will help me know what percent alcohol by volume my finished beer is. I like that the color of this wort looks like it matches my Mizzou shirt.

See a few of my previous brewing-related posts:

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