Sweet Treat Without Wheat

You may have noticed a new vendor at the Downtown Farmer's Market this season...Sweet Treat Without Wheat.  While they leave out the gluten, their products don't lack in taste.

Owner/Chef Sarah came up with the idea for the business after creating some tasty gluten-free treats for her daughter who has celiac disease and thought others would enjoy these items too.  There is certainly a need with the number of people on gluten-free diets growing.

Her donuts, cookies, cheesecakes and even crepes have been really popular at the Farmer's Market and while the market is over for the season, you can still order these items and more by contacting them on Facebook here.

I've stopped by their tent at the market a few times and was lucky enough to stop by last month for the last Downtown Market of the season for a Hawaiian crepe (awesome choice for lunch) and a donut, yum!  Certainly a treat for those with gluten intolerance's or celiac disease, but just as good tasting for those without!

The crepes are made to order and you'd never know they were gluten-free.  Try a neutella and banana! Yum!

If you or a friend are in the market for some gluten-free deliciousness, check out Sweet Treat Without Wheat's Facebook page for more info and and to order!  You can pick up or she will deliver in the DSM area.

Their products have been so popular that they are looking to expand and in a recent Facebook Post they proclaimed that their resolution for 2014 is to spread more gluten-free goodness!  Cool!

Ugly Sweater Par-tay

So....You might think we are out and about ALL the time....Not true!!  We love to host parties at our house too.  Our latest swaray was our Second Annual Ugly Sweater Party.  And it was a blast if we might say so ourselves!

Just because it was so fun, I thought I'd share a few photos with you and some of the things we did to make out party a blast.  I'd love to hear your ideas too because we are always trying to make our parties more awesome!

We ordered some food from Hy-vee and I made a few things.  Red and green deviled eggs are always a must for our sweater parties to add to the tackiness.

We hired Brianna Dawson Photography to set up a photo booth this year because I wanted to enjoy the party and not worry about the most important of the party...taking pictures to document the tackiness!  She was fantastic and I'd highly recommend her for your party.  She brought in a 10 foot backdrop and even had silly pose ideas for everyone.  Check out her Facebook page and more photos from our party here.

Our cocktail of the evening was candy cane shots.  So easy and so good!  Just white chocolate liquor and peppermint vodka.  We also had cheesecakes from Sugar Creek Baking (My favorite cheesecake EVER).  If you love cheesecake or are in the market for the most fantastic pecan pie ever, check them out.  Here is our past review of Sugar Creek.  And don't forget about the Ugly Sweater cookies made by Three Chicks Bakery.  These awesome cookies exceeded my expectations when I told them I wanted Ugly Sweater cookies.  I loved them.

And to round out the unhealthy food smorgasbord, we did a chocolate fountain this year.  We of course had tacky prizes like leg lamps and fruit cakes for the winners of each Ugly Sweater Category.

Did you have an awesome Ugly Sweater Party this year?!  Share your tips!

Palmer's

If you live anywhere near Des Moines, you've probably eaten at a Palmer's Deli by now.  

There are now locations in West Des Moines, Urbandale, Downtown, Ankeny and Ingersol Ave in Des Moines.

While I have always been a fan of their tasty soups, large salad selection and fresh sandwiches, what I'm most is excited about is that now most of their menu can be prepared gluten-free. Even the soups and sandwiches.

On my last visit I ordered the apple orchard sandwich on gluten-free bread and it included roasted turkey, provolone, granny smith apples and apple butter.  Yum!  They even had gluten-free cookies for dessert.

They also have spectacular egg salad which the hubby ordered.  Just fresh eggs, the right amount of Mayo and not too many fillers.  Awesome.

I will warn you that they get pretty busy during the lunch hour, so try to go when you can get there early or have a few extra minutes to wait in line.  Well worth the wait though.

You are sure to enjoy anything you order.  Make sure to try a brownie for dessert if you aren't gluten-free...Ah-ma-zing!

Don't forget about their breakfast!  The omelets are awesome and so is the Challah french toast!

Saraj

We really enjoyed our lunch at Saraj Restaurant the other day.  It's located at 1300 50th street, right off of 235.  

Saraj offers Bosnian food, but there is definitely something for everyone.  In addition to their traditional Bosnian dishes like Sirnica and Zeljanica (Phyllo dough stuffed with cheese or cheese and spinach) they have a variety of American items like onion rings and kids options to please everyone.

 We opted for the Bosnian Gyro which has the same fillings as a Greek Gyro you might be used to on Greek-style pita bread, but uses the thicker Bosnian bread and the chicken kebab.  Their tzatziki sauce was very good.  I was not a huge fan of the meat used in the beef gyro and will order it with the kebab chicken next time since the tender chicken was the highlight of the meal.  It had great spices and was really good with the fresh veggies and sauce. 

The fries came out hot and crispy and were a hit with all of us.

No worries bringing kids and/or picky eaters here, they offer hamburgers and chicken nuggets too.

They also carry a number of fresh bakery items like baklava and oblatne (thin wafer cookies with caramel or chocolate).  That was what we got as you can see in the photo.  Very good if you have a sweet tooth.  Make sure to save room for dessert.

They also offer freshly made cabbage rolls, but only on Friday nights, so I can't wait to go back to try them since I'm a big fan of cabbage rolls.

Definitely give Saraj a shot for something different.  It's in a convenient location and the service was good.  It wasn't lightening speed fast, but I'm willing to wait a little for cooked to order, hot food.  We'll be back soon!

Ps. They also have a location in Urbandale!

Sam & Gabe's

It had been quite some time since our last visit to Sam & Gabe's.  It's always been a place we'd recommend for a special date-night or anniversary dinner or other celebration.  Since then there have been some mixed reviews about the restaurant on Hickman Rd in Urbandale, so we wanted to check it out again.

Sam & Gabe's has been in business for quite some time and has really become a favorite among locals.

Even though the restaurant is a good size, reservations are encouraged since thy tend to fill up quickly, especially on the weekends.

We dined early on a Friday evening and the place was already bustling.  Our server was very friendly and our salads and meals came out promptly.  We did notice that she forgot to tell us about the specials as we overheard her telling the table next to us shortly after we ordered.

I was very excited to learn that they now have gluten-free pasta available.  My husband and I ordered the linguine and Italian sausage and the beef tenderloin medallions gorgonzola to share (highly recommended to us).  We wanted to try the Italian nachos as they also came highly recommended, but we just knew we wouldn't be able to finish it all.  We have also tried the antipasto platter in the past and it was quite memorable as a nice appetizer.

The pasta sauce was very tasty and the beef medallions were full of flavor.  We did order them medium and they came out very rare though.  They were eager to make us happy though and fix it.  I think that's what matters most.

All-in-all, a nice meal.  I did catch a few things that other reviewers have noted though. For instance, they didn't have the ingredients for the drink my hubby ordered, and they did not offer us grated cheese for our pasta, but we saw the next table over being offered fresh grated cheese.

These are obviously things that shouldn't be overlooked at this price point, and are some of the things that make a meal memorable.  This was not enough to deter us from coming again though.  They did earn double points for having gluten-free pasta available and being able to order most of the pasta dishes gluten-free.  They are open for dinner Tues - Sat and they have such an impressive selection of house made dishes.  Check out Sam & Gabe's for your next date-night or celebration and let us know what you think.

Witch Hazel @ Chocolaterie Stam

Every year, just before Halloween, Chocolaterie Stam on Ingersol hosts their Halloween event.

The event has been $10 per child for the last few years and is very well worth it.

The event usually takes place on a weekday evening and is announced on their facebook page a few weeks before the event.  Children arrive in costume and are greeted by staff who help the child pick a gelato flavor (included in the $10 fee) and they have all sorts of Halloween candy to top their gelato with.  Kids eat their sundaes until all the kids arrive and then Witch Hazel comes out and reads the kids a few Halloween stories with surprise Halloween treats in between stories.

I usually sit back and relax with one of my favorite drinks, a Stam Hot Cocoa and watch the kids have fun.

My son has enjoyed this event for the last few years and can't wait til next year!  Thanks for a great event Witch Hazel Chocolaterie Stam!

PS. Keep an eye on their facebook page for an announcement about their similar Christmas event!

Della Dolce Bakery

Today's guest post is by my friend Christie who knows a good cookie when she tastes one!  Check out her experience at this brand new bakery and make plans to attend the Grand Opening for some samples!

I had the chance to be one of the first customers at Della Dolce Bakery on their opening day yesterday!

This is the most beautiful bakery I’ve ever been in.  No surface was left untouched when turning this space into a cozy bakery.

Stop in the morning for a cup of tea or coffee and a scone, cinnamon roll, caramel roll, quiche, or turnover.  By afternoon they have dessert favorites such as cookies, cupcakes, pies, and tarts.  I had one of the chocolate chip cookies and it was DELICIOUS.  Crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside.

Owner, Catherine, also makes wedding cakes and caters other beautiful desserts for events. 

Catherine is hosting her Grand Opening Ceremony on Saturday, November 2 from 5-8pm with the ribbon cutting at 6pm.  She will have light appetizers and samples sizes of menu items for everyone to try.

You can find Della Dolce Bakery at 13435, Suite 300 University Ave, Clive  IA 50325.  Phone: 515-330-2848.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DellaDulceBakery

Goodsons-Beaverdale

 I had a chance to catch up with my good friend who lives in Beaverdale over lunch at GoodSons, a popular Beaverdale restaurant.  


I had only been there for drinks and appetizers before and enjoyed the hummus plate and friendly service.


They offer a selection of panini's, salads, cold sandwiches and desserts.  Appetizers are only $5 on Monday's.



The restaurant was pretty empty at lunchtime on a Wednesday afternoon, but half of the parties there had kids along.  GodSons doesn't offer a kids menu but a grilled cheese panini is on the menu and if your kiddo isn't picky could easily share.  The tables are actually chalk boards and they have chalk available to go to town on the tables with. That really helped to keep my friend's kiddos entertained while we ate.  They also didn't mind that we brought along some snacks from home for the kids.  


While it took a little longer than we hope for our meals to arrive, it was worth the wait since they both came out hot and fresh.  My vegetarian friend was impressed by the uniqueness of the veggie panini. Lots of fresh roasted veggies with a good amount of heat (spicy) and very filling.  I really liked the cheeseburger panini with lots of gooey cheese.  The crunchy panini crust was a welcome change from a normal bun.  The potato salad wasn't particularly noteworthy, but it was cold and tasty and went well with our panini's.  At around $8 for a panini it was nice lunch and would make a great dinner as well.   Check it out and don't be afraid to bring the kiddos along for lunch.

Dinner @ BOS to benefit the Culinary Program @ Central Campus

This marked the fifth year that BOS restaurant (In the Renaissance Savery Hotel) hosted this fantastic event to benefit the Culinary Program at Central Campus.  At this annual event, High School students get the opportunity to shadow staff for two evenings, while patrons enjoy a fabulous 3 course meal.  And the best part is that 100% of the profits from the event are donated right back to the program.  How generous!

This year each meal was only $29 and diners were treated an amuse plate of maple-pepper bacon, date, bleu cheese and a balsamic reduction.  It was awesome and luckily you can find this bacon here at BOS for breakfast every day, because once you try it, you'll be hooked.  You can read our full review of BOS and read more about this fabulous bacon here.

The first course was a choice of chicken and wild rice soup or a trio of salads.  My dining partner and I both chose the soup and it was delectable.  Rich and creamy with chunks of white meat chicken and fresh vegetables.  Yum.


The main course was a choice of turkey with sage stuffing and vegetables or a stuffed pork chop with amaretto sweet potatoes and vegetables.  I chose the the pork and he chose the turkey.  Both were so good.  He said his turkey was perfectly tender and the sweet potatoes were to die for!

 The meal was rounded out by a choice of Central Campus chocolate cake or pumpkin pie.  As much as I wanted pumpkin pie, I resisted and ordered the chocolate cake for my son and skipped the calories this time.  A decision my soul regrets, but my waistline does not =)  Judging by the licking of the plate by my son, I'd say he thoroughly enjoyed dessert and we all thoroughly enjoyed our whole meal and the hospitality.



Don't miss this event next year!  But in the mean time, you can stop in to BOS anytime for their wonderful breakfast buffet, lunch or dinner.  Make sure you say hello to Chef Andres when you stop by!



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