See How Thanksgiving Has Changed Over 100 Years + A Political Discussion That Won't Make You Mad (Promise!)
And where you can try Croatian cuisine in Iowa. đđ·
Happy Monday!
It has been another delicious week here in DSM. I sampled a wide range of modern Mexican fare at a soft opening for Bar Nico on Wednesday (read on to discover my favorites from the menu). Then on Friday, I road-tripped with a friend to revisit Lincoln Winebar in Mount Vernon. Come Saturday, I savored a colorful spread of Asian appetizers and entrĂ©esâplus cake from CremĂ©âas a couple of my best pals celebrated their marriage on Saturday. (Followed by copious amounts of dancing, of course.)
In between those fantastic feasts, I was able to relive the Croatian vacation I enjoyed this May during a Mediterranean Croatian dinner at the Iowa Culinary Institute (ICI). Soon after I arrived home from Croatia, my friend and fellow Les Dames d'Escoffier member Karla Boetel asked me what she might want to include on the menu she designs to use as part of the studentsâ global curriculum. As a chef-instructor, she not only designs and perfects the menu herself, but then coaches her students how to recreate four-course meal to serve to the public to teach them the ingredients, techniques and dishes that are core to that regionâs culinary heritage.
I gave Karla a real challenge when I mentioned, âSquid ink risotto is pretty much essential. Itâs ubiquitous in Croatia!â And my oh my did she deliver thatâpaired with stuffed calamari and a showy and seasonal edible garnishâand so much more. My adventurous, food-loving, world-traveling table mates Suzana (who grew up in the area) and Kim (who has spent a good amount of time in Croatia) were equally as blown away as I was by the four-course tour.
In case youâre interested in future ICI gourmet dinners, visit the DMACC website to learn more and sign up for the email invitation list.
What to ReadâŠ
My new content this week has a little something for everyone, whether youâre curious about what health experts really think about the 75 Hard fitness challenge, are craving a sneak peek of a brand-new restaurant opening tomorrow in Des Moines or if you want to discover a new potential benefit of using a weighted blanket.
Be sure to scroll to the end of this list, as that final piece is the one Iâm most excited about! In honor of the brandâs 100th anniversary, the editors at Better Homes & Gardens tapped me to create a package that showcases how Thanksgiving recipes and tables have evolved each decade of the magazineâs existence. Every page of the publication is now digitally archived, so I was able to flip through issues from 1922 to today to select the highlights and tie them back to larger social/political/style themes occurring in those eras. How we celebrate holidays can be a meaningful reflection of who we are.
EatingWell:Â Weighted Blankets Could Replace Your Daily Melatonin, a New Study Suggests
EatingWell: Why Diabetes Can Speed Up Cognitive Decline, and 5 Things You Can Do to Help
EatingWell:Â We Finally Learned the Secrets to Make Elaine's "Big Salad" from Seinfeld
Runner's World: All About â75 Hardâ and Whether Itâs Worth the Effort đ
âdsm Magazine: 3 Canât-Miss Dishes From the Brand-New Bar Nico
Better Homes & Gardens: How Long Does Tea Last?
Better Homes & Gardens: Highlighting 100 Years of Thanksgiving Tables at BHG
What to Listen ToâŠ
Longer Tables with José Andrés: Stacey Abrams
With midterm elections just weeks away (mark your calendar for November 8 and head over to USAGov to confirm your voter registration, if you havenât yet done so), it seems like the campaign ads are getting more and more divisive and down-right cruel. Although his political views are far from secret, besides his culinary aptitude, hearty laugh and impressive restaurant empire, one thing that Iâve long admired about AndrĂ©s is his World Central Kitchen charity. With this non-profit that AndrĂ©s founded, heâs on the front-lines helping feed people in their time of need regardless of what deity they worship, what political party they vote for, what language they speak or what country they reside in.
I was delighted to see that one of the first episodes of his new podcast involves a timely, thoughtful and inclusive conversation about how both he and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams find common ground among people who they might not always agree with. They admit that with some things, thereâs simply no room to compromise on certain imperatives, such as feeding hungry humans or basic human rights. But most topics, we could learn a lot from each other if weâre only willing to listen.
As a daughter of a fiscal conservative dad and a wholeheartedly liberal mom, this message from Abrams really spoke to my soul:
âWhere do we have commonalities? And where we have differences, let me understand why we have differences. Instead of trying to impose my views on you, I tend to enter spaces and ask, âtell me about you. Tell me about what you believe, and why you believe it.â Because there might be a common thread in there. If we sit still enough to listen to each other, that becomes a place where we can start to work together. Whether this is in politics or in business or just when youâre standing in the grocery store; itâs giving yourself permission to like someone who might not be like you.â â Stacey Abrams
If youâd like to keep up with the latest episodes of the podcast and more musings from the chef, subscribe to his Substack here:
I absolutely adored that episode of Longer Tables, too!