It's not all that often I find myself in the Jordan Creek area of West Des Moines. I found myself on that side of town to buy a gift at Things Remembered. When I realized the new Aldi was just a few blocks away, I had to stop. I love my Urbandale Aldi; however, it's always crowded. It doesn't matter what time of day or day of the week you go - it's always a game of bumper carts. This new Aldi on Mills Civic by the Walmart and Trader Joe's just opened in December. I'm not sure the secret is out yet because it was dead. There were maybe a handful of other shoppers taking advantages of Aldi's ultra low prices.
The outside of the store looks very nice. I'm sure the grocer had to agree to maintain the "look" of all Jordan Creek stores. You can see the medical clinic in the background that fits the look too. The inside isn't much bigger though - except for the wine selection, and you can never have a wine section that's too big. And yes, Aldi wine is actually pretty good for $3-$10 a bottle. Most of the items are in the same place as the Urbandale store that I know like the back of my hand. The aisles are a touch wider, everything is on shelves and not the wooden pallets like other Aldi locations, and the ceilings are higher and vaulted. It felt bigger too with just six shoppers compared to the 20-30 I'm used to maneuvering around. I even asked the cashier if this was a slow time (Friday at noon) or if the word hadn't gotten out yet. He said they are steadily getting more customers and that the manager of the Urbandale Aldi has already noticed reduced sales. I wonder if Jordan Creek shoppers think they are too hoity-toity to shop at Aldi or if they will give it a shot and realize they can save enough money on groceries to go buy that new dres
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Getting married isn't a decision to make lightly. Celebrating your final days as a single lady isn't to be taken lightly either. That's why eight of us got together to bid my sister-in-law's final days as a bachelorette farewell in Kansas City. We started the party with a few cocktails, games and gifts at the hotel. We kept it classy by staying at the Holiday Inn.
After a few hours, we headed to the Power and Light district for the evening. Dinner at BRGR was a little disappointing for me. I ordered the first turkey burger of my life here. The only reason I did was because it had avocado, bacon, and a poblano pesto sauce. That all sounded amazing - even if it was on turkey and not beef. Not so much. The burger patty itself was dry and unseasoned. I couldn't finish it. Everyone else really enjoyed their meals and a raspberry tequila cocktail. Luckily, things went uphill from there. We walked the two blocks over to the PBR Big Sky bar, paid our $5 to get in, and stayed there all night. We thought we might bar hop a bit, but we were all having a blast drowning in flannel and cowboy hats. The bachelorette may have even rode the mechanical bull; I am unable to confirm or deny that accusation. The only part I disliked about the bar was that during my favorite jam of the month, Timber by Kesha and Pitbull, we all got pushed to the side of the dance floor so the go-go cowgirl dancers could perform a dance. This isn't a strip club, and I'm not paying to watch them dance. Oh, and all the broken glass on the floor was getting ridiculous. I don't recall getting into a bar brawl so it must have been one of the rowdy cowboys. While I'm no rowdy cowgirl myself, I'm glad my husband has made me just country enough to fit right in. T-28 days until Tessa says goodbye to being a Wardenburg! Most women are pretty particular about getting their done. During my five years as a TV reporter, I was pretty particular myself. However, without the pressure of being on TV every day, I have let my hair get a little unruly. I haven't colored it in over a year, which is a record. I have been dying my hair since the seventh grade. I also picked up swimming the past few years, which can ruin a very expensive and labor-intensive color job.
It's easy for me to be particular because my sister is a stylist. She was the first one to dye my hair in seventh grade and the only one to dye it for the next nine years until I moved to Joplin, Mo. for my first job. A nine hour trip was a little far to get my hair fixed up. Now that I'm in Des Moines, it's a five hour trip. Instead of trying to squeeze my highlights in between Christmas festivities and birthday parties, I made a 20 minute drive to Indianola to see my cousin-in-law Abbie. Abbie works at Cost Cutters. I know sometimes chain beauty shops can be hit or miss, but Abbie took great care of me. She even gave me a middle part, which I last rocked in the sixth grade. The up side about the chain shops is they are usually much more affordable than the boutique shops. My friend recently said she spent $150 on a cut and color!! Let's just say mine wasn't even half that. Thanks As usual, I found myself perusing the aisles of the audiobooks at the library this past weekend. With nothing in particular in mind, I quickly skimmed the titles closest to eye level. Nothing, nothing, noth.. I see a thick yellow cover with the title The Help. I remember this movie coming out once upon a time, but like almost every movie I want to see, I never got around to seeing it. I remember it being set in the 1960's in the south. That was good enough for me.
The 15-CD book is told through the eyes of three different characters whose lives are intertwined in Jackson, Miss. I'm on disc two and have heard from two maids, Aibileen and Minny, and now one white woman, Ms. Skeeter, who wants to be a writer. Skeeter got a job at the local Jackson paper, which will lead her to writing a book from the maids' point of view. I like to think I have an expansive interest in books. From autobiographies to action novels and contemporary to the classics. However, I haven't done much reading of books about the Civil Rights Movement. Not because I don't have an interest, I just haven't. A main theme in the book is that one of Skeeter's friends want to pass legislation that every white home has to have a separate bathroom for the help so they won't catch their diseases. As someone who grew up in a very diverse area and 40 years after the Civil Rights Movement, I couldn't fathom expecting and demanding someone to use a different bathroom because of their skin color. We've come a ways since the 60's, but I know our country isn't perfect yet. (Every now and again I like to get on my high horse about what a great little city I live in. Fair warning: this is one such post.)
I awoke Saturday morning - like many other mornings this winter - to see snow falling quickly but peacefully from the sky. While I wasn't looking forward to driving through it, I was very much looking forward to what I was driving to. My friend and I set up a lunch date for Court Avenue Brewery downtown. The entertainment district wasn't completely dead given the weather; there was a decent crowd at the brew pub. My CABCo sandwich, which is their take on a French dip, was very tasty and the french fries hit the spot. (To be fair, I have eaten here before, which is why I am briefly including them.) Next, we were off to Jasper Winery to meet a few other friends for a cupcake/wine/beer pairing. This was my first time as Jasper for such an event. For $15, we got two samples of wine and two of beer plus two cupcakes and some candy. It was a great afternoon chatting, drinking and eating. I would have easy forgotten about the snow except for the fact that Jasper's building has two walls of floor to ceiling windows. Still, sitting next to the big fireplace made the modern space feel very cozy. After two hours and polishing off our flights, we headed home to prepare for the next event. Our evening started out with a drink at The Hub Spot on the Riverwalk. It's been on my to do list since it opened late last summer. I have a special place in my heart for The Hub because my husband and I took our wedding photos there last spring when construction had just finished. Now, the triangular-shaped, glass building on the riverfront is a chic bistro ready to quench your thirst. Starting April 1st, they will serve food again and have extended hours. Right now, they are just serving drinks and closing at 8:00pm. We were the only ones there and took our time ordering. We each got something different: glass of wine, mineral water, coffee and cappuccino. We all had a different game plan to prepare for the Des Moines Symphony. The Civic Center is just two blocks away from The Hub, and even in the cold, was an easy walk. I attended two of the Symphony's shows two years ago. I thought they were great then, and this time was no different. This show paid tribute to the music of George and Ira Gerswhin. The show incorporated photos, videos, sound clips, interviews, and special guests to tell the story of the Gershwins rather than to only play the music. It was extremely entertaining. My husband, who had never been before, was very impressed. We were not the youngest people there but pretty close. I would say about 25 percent did not have gray or white hair. Maybe the younger folks were at the Iowa Wild game, which was going on at the same time just up the road. We kept the classy feeling going by ending the night at Coda in the Renaissance Savery Hotel. I am so thankful my friend suggested Coda. Somehow, I had never heard of this little gem, and I like to think I know a thing or two about entertainment in Des Moines. We took the skywalk to the swanky lounge, ordered a drink and appetizers and were able to hold a conversation without screaming over blaring music. My husband, in his not-so-old age of 29, can't stand loud bars. So when we didn't have to squeeze past belligerent 21 year olds to find a seat at a dirty table and not be able to hear ourselves think, he was about as close to heaven as he could be. We ordered a cheese pizza and the spinach cream corn dip, which was amazing. The chill, up-scale ambiance was refreshing and surprisingly unique for the metro. With all the proposals for new development on Court Ave, I really hope to see another lounge like Coda pop up to entertain everyone who isn't 22 looking to get schwasted. I'm on a cooking roll here folks. Two new recipes in one week is a rare occasion. This recipe is a nice take on pork chops. I never would have thought to cook pork chops in tomato sauce and top it with swiss cheese and green peppers. The cheese was awesome and the uncooked green pepper gave a great crunch to each bite. If you're ever afraid of over-cooking your chops and drying them out, the tomato sauce is a great way to hide that. The only downside is that it required me to be doing several things at once and dirty more dishes and utensils than I would have liked. Along with a side of cheesy Brussels sprouts and a glass of merlot, our first Valentine's dinner as a married couple was a success. Without knowing what I was cooking, Lucas picked up this Columbia Crest merlot. On a dry scale of 1-5, Lucas likes his wine at a 5. I like mine around a 4. This was a great merlot for me because it wasn't a 5. It had a hint of pepper and wasn't too jammy. It was smooth and easy to drink. It paired pretty well with our pork chops. Just to make sure I wasn't mistaken in enjoying this merlot, I had two glasses. My first suspicions were confirmed. I'll keep it on the list of wines to buy again.
One of these days I'll be a real wine connoisseur. Maybe I'll even make grow my own grapes and make my own wine. Until then, I'll just keep drinking this wine and that wine and writing reviews pretending I know what I'm talking about. The holidays ended. Winter crashed down on us. Life got too busy. There are plenty of reasons you may find yourself in a cooking rut. These are the three that brought me to my current position. It's been about three weeks since I last cooked a meal. As someone who thoroughly loves food and eating, this is disheartening. I'm not sure what I've been eating to get by, but I can tell you it hasn't been up to snuff. I decided to make a concerted effort to get cooking again.
Tonight was the first night of said efforts. I even bypassed working out so I could head straight home after work and have dinner ready when Lucas got home from his workout at 6:45pm. How wife-like of me! This turkey cordon bleu recipe was relatively easy to cook up. It would have be easier if I could balance chopping veggies, boiling pasta, sauteing veggies, and mixing up the sauce. Hopefully one day I'll get the timing and organization thing down. It worked out though. Lucas walked in just as I was setting out the plates. We enjoyed eating together at our dining table without the TV flashing in the background. Whether you have kids or are just a couple, it's so easy to not spend quality time together. By quality time, I mean no TV, no phones, no books. As I make an effort to cook more, I'm also making an effort to truly spend time with my husband. We are not just physically in the same room but also mentally. Some call it signing your life away; some call it the American dream. My husband leans more to the former while I lean to the latter. Shortly after graduating college and starting my first job, I fell in love with the idea of buying and owning a home. After being couped up in dorms and apartments with three roommates for the past four years, I was ready for some independence. I wanted a place I could paint the walls any color, to hang as many pictures as I wanted, to walk around naked, to cook a wonderful meal with full-sized appliances, to have a place to park my car without fear of someone taking my spot, to plant tomatoes and raspberries in my own yard, to not walk up three flights of steps to get to an apartment and to welcome family and friends from near and far. I've been so in love with this idea that for the past five years I've been browsing realty websites pretending I was actually on the hunt for a home.
Well, I am happy to announce the time has come to officially start searching for a home. Lucas and I decided 2014 would be the year of the home so we got ourselves a real estate agent. My good friends recommended an agent named Abbey Robertson with Century 21. We wanted someone we could trust, and when we met Abbey, we got a great vibe from her. We knew we didn't need to look any further for an agent. She gave us great information about the home-buying process and the current housing market in the metro. I'm soooooooooo excited to become a homeowner! I'll let you know when you can start booking your stay at La Chateau de Wardenburg. During my two-year residency in the Ingersoll neighborhood, I made it over to Gusto Pizza Co. a handful of times. The pizza is delicious. This isn't your Papa John's/Pizza Hut/Northern Lights stuff. This is fresh, original, tasty, thin crust pizza. One day Lucas mentioned there was now a second Gusto location in West Des Moines. I don't know if I was more surprised about the expansion of this great pizza joint or that Lucas knew something about Des Moines that I didn't know. I love my husband, it's just that usually I am the one introducing him to new things. This information came in handy twice already. When my parents were in town about a month ago, we took them to the new West Des Moines location. It had a very similar look and feel to the Ingersoll shop with modern, minimalist decor. It's located in a little strip mall on University near the Waukee city line. Then, Lucas' parents were in town and in the mood for pizza. We went back again. (So to be fair, this post is actually about my second time at Gusto Pizza's west location. I simply forgot to blog about it last month, probably because I was caught up in the glass-blowing which we did on the same day.) We ordered the Spartacus and the Saltimbocca which are two of the more popular pizzas. They were delicious. We were worried that we would not be able to finish both of them, but we polished them off without having to unbutton our pants. That's what I call success. So the next time you find yourself starved after power shopping around Jordan Creek, just jog up to University and relax with a delightful pizza and refreshing beer.
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