a fascinating new show

Have you guys seen the Netflix docu-series Chef's Table? It was created by David Gelb, and each episode tells the story of a distinguished chef and his or her restaurants. It has interviews from the chef, their cooks, critics, family and friends, and it shows the intricacies of their restaurants.

I typically don't care much for cooking and food shows, but Adam started watching this one and when I saw it I was instantly hooked. The production is so good, and it's amazing to see how intensely passionate and creative each chef is. Their food isn't just food, it's art. They think about every element — taste, texture, smell, presentation — and put them together in ways you could never imagine.

We started watching the second season last night and the first episode featured Grant Achatz of the restaurant Alinea in Chicago. His story is incredible; Achatz overcame stage four cancer and the loss of his ability to taste(!) and created a restaurant that is all about the experience, using foods to create illusions that trick the guests and make the meal feel like an actual show. Every single episode is captivating, and the shots are so beautifully done. The show was just renewed a couple months ago for two more seasons, and I can't wait to watch all of them.

What are you watching right now? Have you watched Chef's Table yet? Will you? If you have, which episode/chef is your favorite? I'd love to know!

P.S. another great show on Netflix and six movies to see now

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dining des moines: +39 italian

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Anyone have any big plans for the (drinking) holiday? I'm thinking margaritas and chips and salsa are a must tonight ;) In other food news, I had the chance to check out the newest Italian restaurant in Des Moines last weekend and couldn't wait to share my thoughts with all of you. This location is the second for +39 Italian Market, which started in Ames (shoutout to my college town!) a few years ago. The owners are from Italy and both restaurants have separate wine rooms with hundreds of bottles on the walls (swoon!).

Walking in, the restaurant is small but beautiful. It's clean and white with small black tables and simple decor. I loved everything about the look and design, but the acoustics were terrible. We had reservations at 8 p.m. on Friday. The place was packed, and the buzz of conversation was almost overwhelming, and we had to yell just to hear across the booth — major bummer for such a chic space.

We also had mixed reviews of the food. The menu is small and everything sounds delicious, but when we started asking our waitress questions, we found out all but one of the pasta dishes was made with store-bought pasta and the fish was frozen, not fresh. I decided to take a chance on one of the pastas anyway, and we were all further disappointed when it arrived. The menu's description of the pastas listed food items as if they were included in the dishes, but it turned out they were listing the ingredients in the actual sauces — as in my pesto pasta came without the expected pine nuts (the best part!)

The gourmet pizzas were the redeeming factor, though. We tried one with prosciutto, apples and brie cheese, and it was amazing. Perfectly cooked, and the flavors came out perfectly without being overwhelming. The best part? Dessert. The homemade tiramisu is to. die. for. Seriously, I've been craving it ever since!

Final thoughts: we were a bit disappointed that the "authentic" Italian restaurant didn't make its own pasta and use all fresh ingredients. The pastas seemed like a dish anyone could make at home, but for a much higher price tag. If you're going to check it out (which I do recommend!), order a pizza, save room for dessert, and definitely explore the wine list!

Have you been to +39 restaurant yet? Will you? I'd love to know...

P.S. Eatery A, RoCA and the Scenic Route Bakery

Dining in NYC

One of my favorite luxuries in life is eating out. Testing exotic foods and trying out new dishes I've never had before. (Now there's a sentence my 15-year-old, Pop-Tart and Twizzler-eating self would never have uttered!) As I've grown up and ditched my picky eating habits, I've learned to love so many new foods (all the foods, really). So, naturally, I was very excited to try out some New York restaurants when I visited the city back in January.

tasty taco soup recipe

Not that I do a lot of cooking, but I do know that soup is the perfect (and easiest) dish to make when serving a large group of people. I made this extremely simple recipe one on a Sunday afternoon in the fall and, after sharing it with Adam and my mom, I still had a huge container of it left in my freezer. It's basically a never-ending soup supply. The best part? All I had to do was buy the ingredients and throw them in the pot. That's literally all it takes! This taco soup recipe is delicious, with just a little bit of spice, and perfect for the chilly winter days between now and spring.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs extra lean ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 package Ranch dressing mix (dry)

1.5 package taco seasoning mix (dry)

1 cup water

8 oz salsa

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 can regular diced tomatoes

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 can cream style corn

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with onion and drain any fat. Mix everything together in a large pot, and simmer until hot. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

It's almost too easy, right? I hope you enjoy! 

P.S. Grandma's apple pie, quinoa and shrimp bowls and roasted garlic alfredo tortellini 

Grandma's homemade apple pie

Last weekend, I spent my Saturday learning how to make my favorite thing in the world: my grandma's homemade apple pie. Let me just start out by saying, my grandma makes THE BEST apple pie in the entire world. At 84 years old, she's had a lot of time to perfect the recipe. But the funny part? She doesn't actually have a recipe. Which is what I learned when I asked her to teach me how to make it.

Iowa State Fair Guide: 10 foods to try

Welcome back, babes! As promised, I'm back with another Iowa State Fair Guide post. In case you couldn't tell, this one is dedicated to food, because if we're being honest, that's pretty much the main attraction here. The Iowa State Fair is famous for putting anything and everything on a stick. From the normal corndog to the weirder caprese salad — it's all there. Here I've put together a list of 10 foods, both old and new, everyone should try (or at least consider trying) at the State Fair. Be sure to let me know your top picks in the comments below!

Grilled chicken pita pockets

Ever since Adam bought this new cookbook, he's been doing most of the cooking when we have date nights in, but I thought it would be nice to give him a break and make him dinner for a change. I wanted to try something new, and when I stumbled across this post I had saved for new varieties of pita pockets, I was practically drooling. They are so simple to make, but they are absolutely delicious.

Snack attack: healthy fruit dip

Guys — brace yourselves. It’s time for one of those super rare (but always great) food posts. As you may know, I love food, but I’m not so great at making it. But when I was living alone one summer during my college years I did do a fair share of cooking and baking for myself (because a girl can only afford so much Chinese takeout). Though not actually baking, this healthy fruit dip was one of my favorite finds on Pinterest, and I had totally forgotten about it until recently. I found it during one of my health food kicks and tweaked it a little bit to fit my taste. It’s so simple to make, and it’s the perfect healthy snack when you’re craving something sweet. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Ingredients:

1 (6-oz) container nonfat vanilla or plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp. peanut butter (I like to use the whipped version because it has fewer calories and is easier to stir, but you'll want to use about 1 1/2 tbsp. if you choose to use it.)

1/2 tbsp. honey (can use more for a sweeter taste)

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until they are all mixed in well — make sure to get all the lumps out. Serve with fruit (strawberries and bananas are my favorites!) and store it in the fridge.

Yep, it’s that easy. How do I not make this every single day?! As you can see, I bought apples, bananas and strawberries to go with mine — and I totally lucked out because I happened to buy the freshest, most delicious strawberries ever. But grapes or graham crackers would be great with it too. 

What are your favorite healthy treats in the summer?

P.S. Fool-proof baking, 10-minute quesadillas and the best pasta you'll ever make

10-minute homemade quesadillas

Adam and I have been trying to eat out less to save both money and calories. We noticed we've been spending way too much for the convenience of going out when we actually love cooking together. Last weekend we did really great by making every single meal at home and having a great time doing it. These chicken and veggie quesadillas were my favorite meal of the weekend, and they're so easy to make.

Whimsy & Spice homemade s'mores kit

Last month I entered a giveaway from Print (Em) Shop and couldn't believe it when I found out I won this beautiful s'mores kit by Whimsy & Spice! The lovely Em sent the gift and it arrived looking even more delicious than I imagined...

Quinoa with shrimp and veggies

Last night Adam came over for a quiet date night at my apartment, and since we've both been trying to be healthier I decided to make quinoa for dinner. I haven't used quinoa for a year, and I'd forgotten how easy it is to make. I used a recipe that I sort of made up last year when I wanted quinoa and didn't want to go to the store, so I threw together a bunch of ingredients I already had in my kitchen.

Dining in Des Moines: Eatery A

In continuing with my reviews of new restaurants in Des Moines, today I'm talking about one of my new favorites: Eatery A. It's a Mediterranean restaurant that uses fire and smoke to bring out the flavors in all of the food. Adam and I went there for the first time for our anniversary dinner last month, and we both loved it.

The best (and easiest) pasta you'll ever make

My mom got this recipe from her best friend several years ago, and it completely changed the way I feel about pasta. I was never a big pasta fan before this dish, but now it's my absolute favorite meal. I'm convinced I could eat the whole thing if my stomach would let me.

Not-margarita pizza

Guess who found her way back to the kitchen? I don't cook nearly as much as I should. Case in point: my original plan was to make beef and broccoli, but when I was planning it out with my mom I told her I'd never cooked with beef (outside of hamburgers) or made rice before. Her response: "But you're 22 now."

Yeah, Mom. I know.

In the kitchen: Roasted garlic alfredo tortellini

So now that I'm transitioning into the Wonderful World of Grown-Ups, I decided to try this thing called Learning How to Cook.

Okay, so I have a basic understanding of cooking, and I can bake chicken and salmon to a temperature that doesn't kill or infect. But eating barbecue chicken breast and mashed potatoes every night can get pretty old. Hence, I'm finally diving into my food boards on Pinterest.

That's where I came across this yummy tortellini recipe. It's actually pretty simple to make, and I only had to use my training wheels (aka my mom) a few times throughout the process.

The flavor was so rich I didn't even eat a full serving of it. I would definitely use less or no butter if I ever make it again — and I probably will because it was boyfriend- and mom-approved. Success!