Foodie Field Trip- Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure

I'm not one of those new year new me types. Not at all. I do, however, tend to make a mental list of things I am going to do in the new year- foods to try, recipes to learn, places to eat. Last year I made a half hearted attempt at embracing the coffee bean. I went about it all wrong. You know the type- chain coffee shops with a million choices and more sugar than a soda in most of them. Did I love those? Well YA, who wouldn't? I mean come on, coffee or espresso, often hidden with creamy milk, sweetened flavorings, buried under a mound of whipped cream is enough to entice a lot of people. I learned right away that iced coffee beverages were my favorite, and then we had even more sugar going on. Then one day I slowed down, bought a coffee grinder, got a French press, some whole bean coffee and started at the beginning- a regular hot cup of coffee. 

What I learned is this, coffee is as varied and complicated as wine. Different beans, different regions, different roasts, different methods of brewing- I had a lot to learn. Jessica is the coffee connoisseur in my life and figured she would be the appropriate guide for me. She does enjoy Starbucks, having grown up in that region of the country where Starbucks was born, but she is a coffee person- not a froo froo espresso beverage person so I am going to learn a lot as we explore different kinds of coffees, and many unique coffee houses in Iowa. We have been making a list!

Our first couple coffee discussions did take place in a local Starbucks, over brewed coffee for her and some sort of latte for me. Most of the time the topic was how we both desperately want to own our own coffee place, with baked goods and maybe light meals. That's been our dream for a very long time. My curiosity about coffee also spurs a lot of conversation about the different types. One day Jessica and I sat around her kitchen table with a pot of freshly brewed Starbucks Kopelani Blend. All I needed was the slightest splash of half and half to make this cup perfection. Not a grain of sugar added. I could really taste the coffee without all the extra junk added. I loved that! That really fed my curiosity. 

Remember that whole bean coffee I bought? Let's talk about that- I chose Colombia Supremo Medium Roast from Trader Jo's. This whole bean coffee had an amazing coffee aroma the minute I opened the container. The beans were plump and once ground they were so fragrant. The cup they provide was lovely. Very smooth, not bitter at all. Again, just the slightest bit of cream and no sugar and I had the perfect cup of coffee. The Chef didn't like it as well from the French press, but in the regular coffeemaker it was much more successful.

Now as promised, we did not just make cups of coffee at home, we explored. Des Moines is home to quite a few unique coffee houses and first on the list was Zanzibar Coffee Adventure. I knew a little about Zanzibar from social media. As a locally owned business, which I prefer to support, I have been following their page for some time and was in awe of the list of available beans they publish every few days. The selection is crazy! More on that later though, first- the shop itself is a little Disneyland for coffee lovers. Situated in the trendy Ingersoll neighborhood in Des Moines, it's in an old building with sky high ceilings with stamped tin tiles covering it, big windows loaded with plants, a long counter for service, as a display for all the delectable baked offerings, and seating. Little round tables line one wall the entire length of the room, and shelves and cubbies dot the room- offering coffee supplies and souvenirs of all kinds.

Big chalk menu boards list not only the menu offerings but also the huge variety of beans available on that day. The selection varies depending on what they receive from suppliers. All of the beans arrive green and are roasted in small batches in-house in their famous Dietrich roaster. The day that we visited the beans available ranged from around $12 per pound to $62 per pound. The variety of flavors and origins was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Jessica made her coffee selection- a Sumatra, and I chose a cafe latte. Not iced, real hot cafe latte. I wanted something different. 

Remember how I said the counter where you order also has all the baked treats sitting there? Well.... there was a cherry pie sitting there, and we could not resist. The pie is baked by a local baker exclusively for Zanzibar- it was without a doubt the BEST cherry pie I have ever had in my entire life. The crust was flaky both on the bottom and the lattice top, which was lightly sprinkled with sugar to add crunch. The cherries- oh my the cherries. HUGE and juicy. Tart and sweet. I wanted the whole pie!

Jessica loved every bit of her coffee. Me, my cafe latte arrived in a bowl. Very light foam on the top- not sugary whipped cream, but foamed milk, and the coffee- heaven. It was coffee and steamed milk. No sugar. No sweet syrups. No crazy flavors. Just beautiful coffee and steamed milk. I was so in love with this coffee. Zanzibar has set the bar very very high for all the coffee houses we will be visiting in the coming weeks and months, and you can bet I will be back many times.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Ever heard of a Soda Tasting?

A what? You've heard of wine tastings, whiskey tasting, and beer flights but soda tasting? What kind of crazy idea is this? My crazy idea, that's who! 

Have you ever heard of a place called Rocket Fizz? Well, let me tell you about my recent visit to this unique store in Ankeny, Iowa. I first saw the store while stopping for lunch at the restaurant my daughter was managing, Zombie Burger and Shake Lab. Rocket Fizz is a couple doors down. Stepping through the doors was like stepping into my childhood. Sooooo many candies from all over the world, current and vintage. Literally everything I can think of. Candies I haven't seen in years. They even had a great selection of British candies, like Cadbury Flake chocolate and Fry's Turkish Delight- a rose flavored gel covered in chocolate. I had to take those two home, but there were so many others, like Aero and Allsorts, and so many more. They had Japanese KitKats made with matcha tea- had to have those too. 

The real reason I went to Rocket Fizz, however, was not for candy. It was for soda. I had seen an ad on their Facebook page for Pickle Juice Soda and I had a brilliant idea- host a soda tasting! At first I thought I'd just grab a couple bottles of Pickle Juice soda and have a few friends over for giggles and see how horrible or good it is, but wandering around Rocket Fizz, in absolute awe over the endless shelves of crazy soda flavors I knew this would be something so much bigger. I picked out a twelve pack of mixed sodas and you are going to crack up over these flavors: Tractor Organic Cucumber, John5 Limeade (more about John5 later), Lester's Fixins Buffalo Wing, Red Velvet Cookie Dough, Barf Soda, Big Red, Snooki Wild Cherry, Boylans Shirley Temple, Pickle Juice, Kickapoo Fuzzy Navel, and Sioux City Prickly Pear. 

Next step in the planning was to compile a list of the right friends, with a sense of adventure and no picky eaters. Usually the promise of tasty food will draw lots of volunteers but I needed to find the right group of people to try these weird soda flavors without balking. It was HARD to find willing participants, as one requirement was you must try EVERY flavor, no skipping, no excuses. I didn't find many willing to take the plunge with The Chef and I but we soldiered on bravely and tried them all. Let's break it down by flavor:

Tractor Organic Cucumber- HORRIBLE!!!!  Awful awful awful. By far the WORST of all the flavors, even Barf. This didn't taste in any way like cucumber, it tastes like soap and chemicals. Absolutely awful.

John5 Limeade- This one's bright green color should clue you in- it tastes a lot like lemon lime KoolAid. It's VERY sweet. Cloyingly so, and not very bubbly for a soda.

Lester's Fixins Buffalo Wing- Not as bad as I expected but not good. Quite fizzy and a weird after taste. Didn't have any of the heat associated with buffalo sauce and didn't really taste like wing sauce, but it was not sweet.

Red Velvet Cookie Dough- Boring. Overly sweet and boring. Tasted like creme soda.

Barf Soda- Big surprise here- Barf wasn't awful at all. It didn't taste like I expected, sour and gross. It was fruity, not as sweet as some of the others, and didn't even smell bad. It was very hard to actually take the first sip but we were very surprised.

Pickle Juice- Looks like, smells, and tastes like pickle juice. Gross gross gross. Dill pickle juice at that. One sip and we were done.

Big Red- Just a typical red creme soda here, no surprises.

Snooki Wild Cherry- Verrrrrrry sweet and not as bubbly. Red color was over the top, tasted like hard candy. This one was probably my favorite of all the flavors in spite of the sweetness. This would make a decent cocktail with a splash of vodka.

Boylans Shirley Temple- This one didn't taste like a Shirley Temple at all. It just tasted like unidentifiable fruit soda. Not horrible, not memorable. Would also probably benefit from a splash of vodka or something.

Kickapoo Fuzzy Navel- This one was gag-inducing. I expected a sweet and peachy soda with a little hint of orange but it was all wrong. No peach flavor, no cocktail flavor, no orange.

Sioux City Prickly Pear- Another one with an unidentifiable hint of something fruit flavored but you're just not sure what exactly. Since none of us had ever eaten an actual prickly pear we really didn't have anything to compare it to. Also another of the cloyingly sweet sodas.

Now, back to John5. In case you are wondering about this weird name for a soda, John5 is a heavy metal guitarist who has played with David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Loser, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meatloaf and others. He has also worked with MANY well known metal musicians including Ozzy, the Scorpions, Rob Halford and many more. In 2015 John5 teamed up with RocketFizz to create and release his own soda, a carbonated limeade, and that, my friends, is how this came to be. Amazingly, shortly before this story was finished, The Chef and I got a chance to see John5 LIVE at the Vaudeville Mews here in Des Moines- amazing amazing amazing show!!!!!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Laurie's Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I have told you a bit about Laurie before in a couple different posts. She began her career path in a very different direction, and ended up finding her passion in the restaurant business. Even though she is the textbook single girl with a very demanding work schedule she still finds time to cook at home on occasion and she comes up with some pretty delicious combinations. You can see the influence fine dining has made on her. She likes to cook with beautiful ingredients, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits and loves creating not only delicious dishes but beautiful dishes as well. Colorful plates, attractive combinations. This is one apple that definitely did not fall far from the tree, she absolutely has my love of food and cooking. In her current role, she is the general manager of Magnolia Wine Kitchen, a beautiful restaurant in the heart of downtown Des Moines. Situated in the Western Gateway part of downtown, the restaurant sits right across from the sculpture garden and features huge floor to ceiling windows overlooking the park, and a hip little patio tucked in the alley next to the building. The dining room is decorated with women in mind. Soft colors, plush seating, gorgeous artwork dots the walls. The wine bar features an outstanding selection of wines that changes often. Craft cocktails also are a feature of the restaurant, with Chef Nico creating amazing specials each week in the kitchen.

One of her many creations

Laurie may be front of the house for the most part but she is not afraid to jump in the kitchen and cook when she needs to. She always challenges herself to learn not only the recipes on the menu but to actively help in planning specials and other events. During the recent Culinary Food Fight she served alongside Chef Nico as his sous chef, preparing many of the items with him. I love this about her, she takes those skills she learns on the job home, and re-imagines them as something a home cook can produce just as easily. Tonight, as she was snapchatting me pics and details of her dinner she was making at home, you could see the influence of a restaurant chef in her description and technique. Her dish was a wildly creative mix of sweet and savory, acid and creamy. I knew I'd be stealing this idea! I made a few adjustments in technique, where she butterflied and stuffed the chicken then baked it, I am pounding out the breasts, stuffing, then rolling up, dredging in flour and sauteing before finishing in the oven. It's going to be delicious. Let's get cooking.

Laura's Cherry, Feta, Apple Stuffed Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 cup dried cherries
2 cups baby spinach
1 Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 scallions
all purpose flour
butter
olive oil

Pound the chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine the dried cherries with the red wine and set aside. Chop the unpeeled apple into small dice. Slice the scallions, white and green parts.

Heat a swirl of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the apple and scallion and cook for a minute or two. Add the cherries with the wine and cook over high heat for a minute or two until the wine is almost evaporated and the apples are almost tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Laurie likes to serve roasted root veggies.

On each chicken breast, place a layer of baby spinach leaves. Divide the apple mixture between the chicken and sprinkle with feta. Roll up tightly into rolls, securing with toothpicks or cooking twine. I prefer cooking twine- it makes it easier to turn and brown the chicken.

Laurie's finished dish.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and heat a large oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Dredge the chicken rolls in flour, then add to the skillet to brown on all sides, then place in the oven to finish cooking for about 15-20 minutes. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Super Easy UnFried Pickles

Spring is here!!! That means it's time to start planning and getting ready to grow a whole summer's worth of fresh herbs. As you know, we like to grow our herbs in pots on the deck so it's super convenient to just step out the door and snip off a few sprigs when cooking. Some of our favorites are flat leaf parsley, thyme, basil and chives. This year however I think I'm going to include some mint- maybe even plant that right in the ground so it keeps coming back (and yes, someplace we won't care if it gets a bit out of hand), a couple additional types of thyme and a couple oregano varieties. Basil is an absolute must for us, and I'm on the lookout for some lettuce leaf basil. Those giant leafs make fantastic greens for sandwiches and also make cute small carb free wraps. Plus, the flavor explosion- wow!

When the summer winds down I'm often drying tray after tray of herbs before the first freeze hits. While fresh is always best, dried herbs have their uses too, and making up homemade salt-free seasoning blends is one of my favorite ways to use them. I have several books in my cookbook collection with tons of ideas for delicious blends, everything from vegetable seasonings to meat rubs. I like stirring the seasoning into softened butter and minced garlic for a wonderful spread for garlic toast. Another favorite idea of mine is to combine some chives, parsley, thyme and garlic with softened butter and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, roll into a log and chill the butter for a perfect compound butter to slice and serve on top of a sizzling grilled steak.

Today let's use some seasoning to make a delicious and pretty healthy snack that's a snap to put together, and way healthier than the fried version. Unfried Pickles are a great homemade way to enjoy the popular bar snack/appetizer menu staple and it doesn't involve any oil or messy frying. For my unfried pickles I like to use just regular crinkle cut hamburger dill chips. Choose a good brand so your pickles aren't too soft. Pickle chips work better for this recipe than pickle spears, I know some restaurants do serve fried pickle spears, but I am not a fan of that style. Pickle chips crisp up nicely in the oven and don't take very long to bake. It's very important when picking out your seasoning mixture that you choose a salt free blend. Pickles are salty enough so you want to be sure you're not adding additional salt or you will have very very very salty pickles.

UnFried Pickles

1 jar sliced dill pickles, such as hamburger chips

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon your favorite salt free seasoning

1 egg

cooking spray

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Drain about 1 cup of pickle slices and blot dry with paper towels. In a small shallow dish combine the panko with the seasoning and set aside. Beat the egg in another small bowl. Dip the pickle slices into the egg, then coat completely with the crumb mixture and place on the prepared sheet pan. When all pickle slices have been coated, spray the pickles very lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned and crispy. 

For my dipping sauce I combined half a cup of mayonnaise with Sriracha and freshly ground pepper to taste. You can use any type of dipping sauce you like. Ranch dressing is a big favorite!

Banana Cream Pie What ????

It's Saturday morning in mid March in Iowa. Spring should be in the air, green blades of grass peeking out, birds chirping, breezy days, but not today. We awoke to a blanket of white flaky yuck. Now, you're going to say "Hey, you always talk about how much you love winter!" and yes, for the most part I DO! Not once March gets here though! I'm so ready for flowers, pots of fresh herbs on the deck, sunshiny mornings and the first farmers markets of the season. Instead, today I'm thinking of reasons to kick on the oven and stay in. Baking? Maybe!

I may have been obsessing over cake lately but there is always room for pie, right?  Of course there is! As a baker, I love the challenge of making a really good pie. Achieving a perfect flaky pastry, and creamy fillings that are smooth and free from lumps are not that hard to accomplish. Fruit pies are my favorite pies to bake, especially with fresh fruit. Getting that perfect tart sweet balance, and a slightly thickened juicy filling that doesn't make the crust soggy are the big challenges but simple additions like cornstarch make it happen perfectly. Cream pies are some of the easiest pies to make and offer you lots of chances to use time saving products, and that's what we are going to make today, creamy banana cream pie with a surprise topping- bruleed bananas.

You can classify this one under the No Recipe Cooking file because we will be using some store bought products to save time but you can certainly make your own graham cracker crust and pastry cream for the filling. Let's get started!

You will need a graham cracker pie crust, 3 ripe but firm bananas, 1 package COOKED vanilla or banana pudding mix, 1 3/4 cups milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, granulated sugar, coconut oil and whipped cream. The first thing we are going to do is combine the pudding mix with the milk in a medium saucepan and cook according to package directions. We are using less milk than the box calls for because we want the pie to set better for slicing. Once the pudding is cooked stir in the vanilla, transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap- make sure you place the wrap directly on the surface of the pudding so a skin doesn't form.  If you choose to make homemade pastry cream you want to do the same thing. Chill completely.

To prepare the pie, slice two of the bananas into the crust and spread them out evenly. Remove the plastic from the chilled pastry cream or pudding and spoon into crust, smoothing out to cover the bananas. Place in the fridge while you make the bruleed bananas.

To make the bruleed bananas, slice the remaining banana into ten even slices. They should be fairly thick so they cook too much and get soft. Sprinkle some granulated sugar onto a small plate and coat both sides of the banana slices with the sugar- press it gently to get lots of sugar to stick.  

Heat a small nonstick skillet over fairly high heat. Add a small amount of coconut oil to the skillet and add the banana slices. Cook quickly to brown and caramelize the sugar, turning once. Work fast so the bananas don't overcook. Set aside on small plate to cool. If you have a kitchen torch you can use that to melt the sugar too.

Decorate the top of the pie with dollops of whipped cream and a banana slice.

Wasn't that easy? Your friends and family will rave over this pie and the extra step of bruleeing the bananas makes it look like you invested a ton of time- when really, it was a snap!! Give it a try, it's one of my family's holiday favorites.