My First Food Truck- The Outside Scoop

Finally! I got to experience my first food truck! A while back I talked about food culture. Food trucks definitely have made an impact on food culture. Des Moines has a new and growing food truck scene and I am so glad to be here to experience it from the ground up. Lots of other cities have HUGE food truck followings. Austin, Portland, Los Angeles, New York- and loads of others- have swarms of fans who follow their favorite trucks on social media to see where they are setting up every day, and loads of people who see the trucks as a great way to try something new and totally different.

photo from The Outside Scoop's Facebook page

Like I said, Des Moines is a little bit late to the party, but our local trucks are more than making up for it. From the humble taco trucks to some pretty upscale menus and clever food carts it's a fast growing part of the culinary scene here. The city has been craving something new and food trucks are the answer. Lunchtime in downtown is  food truck heaven. Every day the different trucks post on social media where they plan on setting up for lunch, and later in the day as well- some as late as bar-closing time. Some trucks and food carts have "residencies" at local breweries and clubs, setting up in the parking lot and giving patrons some great food options. Works well for everyone- the trucks are making money, the bars don't have to have kitchens and the customers don't have to go somewhere else for something to eat. Just step outside.

I couldn't wait to get to the window- my first food truck!
(this is an unknown coworker)

Some of the big employers, including mine, often contract with food trucks to visit office complexes over the lunch hour as a convenient lunch option. The other day our company had a visit from The Outside Scoop. Based in Indianola, The Outside Scoop has a slogan- Small Batch....From Scratch, and their ice cream is beyond delicious. Owned by Joe Doering, this ice cream shop prides itself on it's small batch recipes that utilize as many locally sourced products as it can. The custom recipes include real chocolate, homemade baked goods, real fresh fruits, and no additives like emulsifiers or stabilizing ingredients. I can tell you, after tasting this ice cream personally, you can TELL this stuff is free of all those chemical ickies that are in the commercially made mass produced stuff in your grocer's freezer. Their menu is a rotating selection of about sixty flavors.

So The Outside Scoop has a storefront in Indianola, and at some point Joe decided to expand his venture and join the food truck scene. This was an awesome decision. The pretty pink Outside Scoop truck looks like it's got fudge sauce drizzling down, and pays homage to downtown Des Moines, known as The Loop, with "Scoopin' the Loop" proudly displayed on the truck. As I said, the truck paid a visit to our office the other day and it was a very very popular break spot for all of us. The sun was shining and it was a warm late summer day- perfect for an ice cream break. The truck had a great selection of flavors that day- vanilla bean, chocolate brownie, blueberry lemonade, pumpkin, salty caramel, strawberry sorbet, snickerdoodle and nutter butter. I could not resist the salty caramel, a fact that is well known by my friends and family. If it says salted caramel I am going to want it, and it was heavenly. So creamy, so smooth, good caramel flavor, not excessively sweet, and every once in a while I'd get a hint of salty flavor. I don't know they did it, but it was incredible. The ice cream definitely had that homemade consistency- I can't really describe what I mean by that, it was just icy and creamy and there was no "fatty" feeling in my mouth after eating it, like you get with some ice cream brands. I wish I could have tried more flavors that day but you can bet I'll be following these guys around.

Stay tuned for more food truck adventures as we visit all the Des Moines food trucks and food truck events.

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."

Food Culture- The Office Food Day

It's as American as apple pie. The pot luck. The pitch in. The food day. It's obvious that food is the center of many social events in our lives, and the workplace is no different. Whether it's holiday or theme, a big announcement or a farewell lunch for a departing co-worker, offices all over the U.S. hold food days as a way to socialize, and EAT.

The last few years I worked in an office of just three people. Not a lot of opportunity for food days there. Most days  I was in the office alone anyway. That's all changed, and now I worked for a major insurance company with lots of coworkers and lots of social activities and that often includes food days. This time around we are saying goodbye to a team member and enjoying a variety of delicious goodies. As a relatively new employee at my company I haven't been able to get to know many of the other employees very well yet, but that doesn't mean I won't miss our team analyst after his last day today. During training he was so patient and helpful, and encouraged me to think through the problems and questions myself when I got stuck. I swear he knows everything there is to know about annuities!

Our fearless leader Darla checks out the spread

Lots of yummy choices!

I came home all excited about Food Day. The Chef has graciously offered to take over the preparation of my contribution to the party. What's going on in our kitchen? Mini Meatball Subs with The Chef's famous marinara sauce. I didn't even have to ask, I just mentioned we were having a food day and he volunteered to make his famous meatballs and sauce.

The Chef's meatballs are super delicious- starting with good ground beef, not the super lean grind. You have to have some fat for tender juicy meatballs. Chopped onion and garlic go in the mix, along with seasonings, herbs, and Parmesan cheese. The meatballs are baked and then simmered in his homemade marinara sauce.

A crockpot full of meatballs becomes mini meatball subs with sliced mozzarella cheese and soft dinner rolls. These little sandwiches are a snap to put together at lunchtime and make a great party food too. They are a clever alternative to the typical potluck foods.

So as we give our coworker and friend a fine send off, loaded with food, there were lots of words of congratulations and well wishes. Of course, loads of food- from donuts to crackers and dips to crockpots full of smoky links, Buffalo chicken dip, a variety of chips and salsa and taco dip, fresh fruit, and bagels.

The Three Fs- Fourth, Food, Festivities

Oh we had SUCH big plans at The Little Lake House this year. We live right across the street from the park, and the lake's events committee had scheduled a live band to perform in the park as part of the annual Independence Day celebration- basically our front yard. So while other folks had to load up coolers, lawn chairs, blankets, food, drink and use the dreaded Kybo, we were going to get to enjoy the party from our front deck, the fridge just steps away, loads of food to snack on and comfy patio chairs.

Sadly, Mother Nature had to throw a wrench into my plans and a rainy morning and stormy forecast caused the band to be cancelled. But the food and drink shall go on. My sister and her husband came, armed with St. Louis style barbequed ribs, and cocktails, and the night went on- with our own music!

Captain and Coke and a few ice cold beers got us started, and then the feasting began. Our menu for the night-

• St. Louis Style Barbequed Ribs
• Tacos Al Pastor with Jicama, Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw
• Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip with pretzel bread
• BLT Dip with crackers
• Assorted cheeses and sausages
• Mixed olives
• Chipotle Ranch Tortilla Pinwheels

Yum, right? The ribs were made by my brother in law, Kim, who used Jack Stack Barbeque meat rub and smoked the ribs on the grill. Cheese and sausage was just cut into bite sized cubes. The BLT Dip had a little help from a couple mixes I had on hand- BTL Dip mix from a craft show (small batch local company) and some Bacon Bacon from Tastefully Simple, mayo and sour cream. We had lots left- thinking it's going to make a great burger spread! The artichoke dip was cheesy and creamy with chopped artichoke hearts, chopped fresh baby spinach, cream cheese, sour cream and a little packet of Okey Dokey Artichokey dip mix I had tucked in the cupboard. Chipotle Ranch Pinwheels also used a seasoning packet I'd had around- this one from Pampered Chef, with cream cheese, shredded Colby Jack and chopped scallions, served with salsa for dipping.

The Tacos Al Pastor took some research. I've had these tacos at Malo, but they actually stack the meat on a vertical roaster, which I don't have. So I have to improvise. The spices and chilies required for this dish were also quite an extensive and complicated combination and I thought might be a little over the top heat-wise for our guests, so looking over our spice and pepper collection I decided to start with Arizona Dreaming seasoning from Penzey's and play with that.

For the pork I used a boneless pork roast, about 3 lbs. It was very lean already so had no fat to trim. I cut the roast into six thick "chops" and placed in a ziptop bag. In a small bowl I combined a can of crushed pineapple in juice with about 3 tb. of the seasoning and a couple shakes of chili powder. I poured this into the ziptop bag and sealed it, then massaged the marinade allover all the pork, and placed in the fridge overnight. The next day I removed the pork hunks from the bag, browned in a little oil, then poured the marinade over all and roasted, covered, at 325 degrees for about 2 hours. When done I removed the hunks of pork, sliced into bite sized strips, and returned to pineapple mixture in the pot.

To serve the tacos, spoon some pork and pineapple into a tortilla and top with slaw. You can add salsa verde if you like. No cheese, no lettuce, just the fresh, crunchy slaw. 

Jicama, Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw

• 2 cups jicama, cut into matchsticks
• 2 cups raw kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup carrot, shredded or cut into matchsticks
• 3 or 4 scallions, sliced, including green tops
• salt and pepper
• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tb honey
• 1 cup cilantro leaves (or Italian parsley)

Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Zest the limes and add to vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper. Juice the limes into small bowl. Stir in honey till dissolved. Whisk in oil. Pour over vegetables and toss well. Add cilantro right before serving and toss again.

This was my first time cooking with both jicama and kohlrabi and I have to say- they were so crunchy and fresh and delicious. I am SOLD! The lime and honey dressing was the perfect partner for these veggies. I did have to use parsley because I had no cilantro but it was just as fresh and delicious.

Our evening was capped off by fireworks around the lake and a ride around the muddy backroads in a Jeep- muddy and FUN !!!! So today, it's muddy laundry and cleanup and RELAX. I hope you all enjoyed a safe, fun and happy 4th of July. 

*Fireworks photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

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."

Happy Hour- Kinky Pink

I absolutely detest the dreaded "wine cooler." Who are they kidding, it's not wine at all and it doesn't make you "cool" one bit. Some of the other malt beverages are ok. I was a HUGE Zima fan in the 90s but of course, I was probably the only one, because they quit making it. I was so bummed.

A year or so ago I discovered Kinky, the liqueur. They make a pink and a blue version, both versions are delicious and fruity, and it's a lower alcohol liqueur so it's good for shots without caused unnecessary behavior problems (we've been there, right girls?). A couple weeks ago a friend mentioned to me that she had tried a "Kinky drink that's like Smirnoffs" so my interest was immediately piqued! I was on a mission to find it!

Of course, none of the stores near the Little Lake House had it. I was not surprised. It takes new things a while to make their way out here, if ever. Lucky for me I was able to catch a ride to a bigger store in a bigger town and Voila !!!! They had them!! I grabbed a 6 pack to sample and made my way home to tuck them safely in the cold fridge for a future happy hour.

24 hours later......I am having Happy Hour! Imagine that! These are really good !!! Fruity and refreshing, I thought they tasted a lot like pink grapefruit and mangoes. They have 5% alcohol, which is similar to a light beer, really, so they are a good summertime sipper! 

Grab some friends, some Kinky cocktails and hit the beach!

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."