Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy make me think of Thanksgiving Day in the fall. Thoughts of tater tot casseroles create visions of sitting around our dinner table in the winter. And we can’t have an Easter meal in the spring at our house without a ham — and a chocolate bunny or two. But what about the steamy days of summer? Which foods make you think of backyard BBQs, swimming pools, county fairs and lawn chairs? Here are a few that come to mind for me.
First and foremost, there is ice cream. Cookies and creme. Butter pecan. Rocky road. I don’t care, unless it is in a root beer float. Then it has to be old fashioned vanilla. Nothing cools down a hot summer night like ice cream. Nothing.
Truth be told, I am not much of a hot dog fan. The exception is when they are hot off the grill on a soft bun with cold ketchup. The crispier the hot dog is, the better. And you can keep the relish.
If I am going to have meat, then I want meat, and no meat screams summer like hamburger. I recently purchased an outdoor griddle and learned how to make smash burgers. Heaven.
When I was a kid playing Little League baseball, our coaches would have an end-of-season watermelon feed. That was great, if you liked watermelon. Most kids did. I didn’t, at least not as a child. Today, I can’t get enough watermelon — or any melon, for that matter.
There are two types of people in this world: those who like onions and those who don’t. My mother realized this, and that is why she made two versions of potato salad. One had onions, and the other didn’t. I opted for the latter. Her non-onion potato salad was wonderful and made many picnickers smile, including me.
On a similar note, you can’t have a summer get-together without someone bringing deviled eggs. Mom had this recipe down, too, and now my wife does as well. Without onions.
And, finally, if you are an Iowan, then you would likely agree that no summer meal is complete without locally grown sweet corn. Yes, corn on the cob. With lots of butter. OK, maybe lots of butter with a bit of corn. Either way, it is a summer staple at our house and at many of yours, too.
Which scrumptious summer foods that make you salivate did I fail to mention? Send me a note and let me know, or drop off a sample or two!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
See Shane Goodman's previous columns here. |
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Clear Mortgage meteorology
Shower and thunderstorm chances return today and Thursday. A dry and warm period then takes us through the weekend.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Featured in the August issue of CITYVIEW | | | CENTER STAGE
The Cloris Awards ramp up
By John Busbee
This annual fete is as resilient as its namesake, Cloris Leachman. The Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Arts Awards, fondly called The Clorises, is Greater Des Moines’ annual homage to our metro’s stage artistry. Our answer to the Tony Awards, it has survived outgrowing its original venue (Des Moines Social Club’s Kum & Go Theatre) and the pandemic, thanks to the Herculean efforts of many volunteers. It’s now an established and cherished gathering to celebrate another year of stage magic. There are only winners, as the Central Iowa bonds of community theatre resonate with all — patrons, performers and production teams. ...
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| CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | The results have been tallied and published in the February issue of CITYVIEW and online!
Best Local Nonprofit
1. Animal Rescue League of Iowa
2. Knock and Drop Iowa
3. LifeServe Blood Center
Read all the results now!
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Woebegone Wednesday. Nowhere is the woebegone more cherished than in Japan, and no time is as touched by it as mid August. Called Odon, this is to Japan as Day of the Dead is to Mexico except that it lasts four days, through Thursday this week. This is when dead ancestors communicate with the living, and it's a really good idea to prepare their favorite foods. I shall make Colcannon because I still have questions for Gramma.
RIP Wini. America lost a legend with the passing of Warren Winiarski at age 95. The founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, his Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon bested the best of Bordeaux in the Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976 proving that American wine could compete with France’s best. Winiarski was also instrumental in creating Napa Valley’s Agricultural Preserve to protect against sprawl from San Francisco and the leading sponsor of the Smithsonian Institute’s Food History Project at the National Museum of American History. (WaPo)
Deals today. Wednesday is Chicago Italian roast beef sandwich day at Graziano Brothers (1601 S. Union St., Des Moines) $10... Marianna's (1305 University Ave., Des Moines) has Taco Wednesday and Thursday because they are closed on Tuesday... Red Lobster (3838 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines) offers steak and lobster tail with a side for $25 on Wednesday... Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ (403 Iowa Ave., Luther) serves fabulous brisket burnt ends as a Wednesday special... Wednesdays bring live jazz and discounted food and drink to Panka Peruvian Restaurant (2708 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines)… Fresh Thyme (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) begins a week-long sale today on 3-pound gift boxes of Lori Anne peaches (South Carolina) for $5.99, plus 20% off all nut butters… Waterfront Seafood Market's (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) annual lobster boil is tonight.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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| Featured home for sale | | |
$410,000 3211 S.W. 33rd St., Des Moines, IA 50321
If you're seeking a private and serene retreat, this ranch home is a must-see. Nestled on half an acre and backing to lush trees, this one-owner home offers a peaceful haven. Immaculately maintained, it features high ceilings in the main living area, and newer sliding doors leading out to an oversized deck. ...
See the listing here.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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| SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction | | | 2500 S.E. 43RD ST., DES MOINES
SALE DATE: 2024-05-16
SALE PRICE: $1,550,000
SELLER: KRAUSE PROPERTIES LC
BUYER: SOLE TRANSPORT LC
ACRES: 10.433
SQUARE FEET: 6,256 |
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| From the August issue of West Des Moines / Jordan Creek Living magazine | | | What’s the buzz?
Residents share their experiences as beekeepers.
By Jackie Wilson
While the Iowa DNR reports the number of native bees in Iowa continues to decline, more and more apiarists (beekeepers) are emerging to nurture the bee population. As of Jan. 1 of last year, Iowa boasted 36,000 bee colonies for operations with five or more colonies, according to the USDA. That’s a big uptick from the prior year’s 26,000 colonies and the 15,500 colonies the year before that. But who are these beekeepers, and what drives their passion? Some local apiarists share their stories.
Bee manager
Jenny Burton of West Des Moines has had a fascination with insects since she was 5 years old. She recalls climbing into a cherry tree to watch the insects go from one flower to the next.
[...] | | | READ MORE |
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FROM KCCI: City of Des Moines moves forward with homeless ordinance. DES MOINES, Iowa — A new Des Moines homeless ordinance that would make tent camping and sleeping in public a crime has passed two readings of the city council. KCCI spoke with a representative of Central Iowa Shelter and Services, the homeless shelter in downtown Des Moines, who hopes it leads people on the streets to the services and help the shelter provides. ...READ MORE
FROM WHO-TV: Fremont County grandparents charged after 4-year-old was allegedly kept in cage, sheriff says. FREMONT COUNTY, Iowa — Fremont County grandparents have been charged in connection to a child neglect case where a 4-year-old child was allegedly kept in a make-shift cage. In July the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a child wandering around near a road in the 1700 block of Washington Street in Hamburg. When deputies arrived on scene they found a 4-year-old outside of a home “covered in filth and a mixture of both human and animal feces.” .... READ MORE
FROM WOI-DT Local 5: Des Moines man charged after police say he stabbed homeless man. A 28-year-old Des Moines man allegedly stabbed the victim with a knife taped to a BB gun, believing the victim to be someone else. ...READ MORE |
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ESPN: College football's final preseason SP+ rankings takeaways ...READ MORE
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Cowboys’ Record-Breaking Valuation Can’t Buy Them a Super Bowl ... READ MORE
CBS Sports: Snyder's Soapbox: Teams should pitch to Aaron Judge, but no, we don't need to change the rules ...READ MORE |
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2003: Blackout hits Northeast United States. On August 14, 2003, a major outage knocks out power across the eastern United States and parts of Canada. Beginning at 4:10 p.m. ET, 21 power plants shut down in just three minutes. Fifty million people were affected, including residents of New York, Cleveland and Detroit, as well as Toronto and Ottawa, Canada.. ... READ MORE
1935: FDR signs Social Security Act. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935. Press photographers snapped pictures as FDR, flanked by ranking members of Congress, signed into law the historic act, which guaranteed an income for the unemployed and retirees. FDR commended Congress for what he considered to be a “patriotic” act. ... READ MORE
1751: A daughter poisons her father. Francis Blandy falls into a coma and dies in his home outside London, England. Later that night, Blandy’s daughter Mary offered one of the family’s servants a large sum of money to help her get to France immediately. Mary was forced to flee on her own when he refused, but she was chased down and caught by neighbors who had heard that Blandy had been poisoned. ... READ MORE
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| Birthdays and notables | | | These celebrities were born on this date: Steve Martin, Halle Berry, Mila Kunis, Magic Johnston, Tim Tebow, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Bell, Susan Olsen, Connie Smith, Lamorne Morris, Marsai Martin, Christopher Gorham, Emma Stone, Larry Graham, Keith Howland
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to yesterday's riddle:
Where was the one-armed man’s favorite place to shop? The Half Price Store! - Andrea Hodapp. Or, The Second Hand Store! - Shane Goodman.
Today's riddle
Why did the architect dip her finger in ink?
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or Winterset Living magazine, contact:
Kristine McDonald
Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 321
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kristine@iowalivingmagazines.com
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