TASTY TREATS

Iowa likes to play with its foods, and its willingness to experiment in the kitchen has led to some tasty treats.

The most widely known and loved is the Rice Krispie Treat, invented in Iowa in 1903, now a nationwide favorite. Iowans later made the treat even tastier by adding peanut butter to the Rice Krispie mix and topping the bars with chocolate and butterscotch. The resulting treat, the Scotcheroo, makes frequent appearances in Iowa school lunchboxes and at potlucks and could be a fun addition to the dessert table at a banquet or reception.

Another sweet treat, Blue Bunny ice cream, is made in Le Mars and sold across the country. The town of 10,000 churns out more ice cream than any place in the world and stores it in a 12-story freezer that’s one of the tallest anywhere. The new Wells Visitors Center shares the company’s history and offers tours and ice cream treats.

At the Iowa State Fair, new food concepts get tasted and tested by thousands of fairgoers each August. The fair is famous for sticking foods on a stick. There are the expected treats, like corn dogs and cotton candy but always some surprises like pork chops and deep-fried Twinkies on a stick.

Given Iowa’s status as a leading producer of hogs, pork is prolific, so serving a thick Iowa pork chop or breaded pork tenderloin is a way to eat locally. Two other dishes first concocted in Iowa could also be added to meeting meals. Steak de Burgo, a Des Moines staple, is tender beef tenderloin topped with a butter or cream sauce laced with mushrooms, garlic and herbs. The taco pizza first hit the menu at a Happy Joe’s in the Quad Cities in the early 1970s and spread across the state and Midwest. Today, the pizza – basically a pizza crust topped with refried beans, tomato sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato – is on the menu at lots of pizza places, including Happy Joe’s and Casey’s around the state. And of course, Iowa sweet corn always holds a spot in the hearts of Iowans and visitors too.

Celebration River Cruises Quad Cities

The Mississippi River makes a marvelous backdrop for meetings in the Quad Cities, and one of the best ways to experience the mighty river is with Celebration River Cruises aboard the Celebration Belle. Four decks high, this 750-passenger riverboat is the largest on the upper Mississippi. Each of its two enclosed dining decks, which seat 250, have their own stage and dance floor; two observation decks have spacious seating. There’s also a gift shop on board.

“When you’re holding a meeting in the Iowa area, this gives people a great evening event to add to their itinerary. It also gives them the opportunity to cruise on the majestic Mississippi,” said Susan Yarolem, director of sales and marketing at Celebration River Cruises. “It’s the highlight of their meetings.”

Many meeting groups opt to take one of the company’s regularly scheduled cruises, like the narrated lunch cruise, afternoon sightseeing cruise or a dinner cruise. Dinner cruises are a popular evening outing, with a choice of three gourmet entrees, including the company’s much-loved prime rib. Dinner is followed by live music and dancing. Celebration River Cruises also offers themed cruises, holiday cruises and all-day cruises.