Siouxland Life - February 2016

Top chefs reveal key details to work

Kids learn the art of ‘Chopped’

How to avoid cooking injuries

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

FOOD

FRENZY

THE JOURNAL COOKBOOK WHETTED THE APPETITE FOR FOODIES

8

THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT YOUR HOME

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE IS ON THE WEB! VISIT WWW.SIOUXCITYJOURNAL.COM/SIOUXLANDLIFE SIOUXLAND LIFE FEBRUARY 2016

1

1,000 Mercy introduced robotic surgery to Siouxland and we recently completed our 1,000th procedure.

This state-of-the-art technology has helped patients recover faster and with less pain. A special thanks to all the physicians who provide their expertise and quality of care each and every day.

Ask your doctor if your surgery can be done with the Surgeries may include: • Hysterectomy and other gynecological procedures • Prostatectomy • Colon Resection • Gallbladder Removal • Abdominal Hernia Repair and other general abdominal procedures • Kidney Resection • Bladder Resection

2

February 2016

Siouxland Life

CONTENTS February

2016

Food, glorious food. Thanks to a proliferation of cooking shows on TV, even kids are interested in the culinary arts. This month, we take a look back at The Journal’s cookbook (an early day Google search, you might say) and the food that drives a host of restaurants. Along the way, we’ll check up some budding chefs and tell you what you need to stay safe in the kitchen. So, what are you waiting for? Sharpen those taste buds.

4 A HOME TO LOVE

We’ve got eight things you’ll want in your own home.

11 ON THE COVER Longtime food editor Marcia Poole reminisces about The Journal cookbook, a massive project that involved taste tests – and celebrity judges. Get the scoop on page 11. Photograph by Tim Hynds

FEATURES 4 HOME eight great ideas 11 FOOD the cookbook 14 FOOD a winning idea 18 FOOD starting early 22 FOOD secrets 25 FOOD mobile meals 29 FOOD growing business 31 FOOD family inspiration

34 36 38 40 42 45 47

FOOD fired up FOOD new direction FOOD making weight FOOD injuries HEALTH chin fat HEALTH medical answers PARTING SHOT

PUBLISHER Steve Griffith EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Ally Karsyn, Bret Hayworth PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan ADVERTISING SALES Nancy Todd ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming ©2016 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal.

For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6281. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.

25

HAVE TRUCK, WILL FEED A movable feast is part of this chef’s plan.

40

FEEL THE BURN? You don’t have to if you take care.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

3

HOME eight

4

great ideas

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

8 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT A COZY HOME IN MORNINGSIDE

a

Text by Ally Karsyn | Photographs by Justin Wan

AMBER FRANCO HAS always had the same zip code: 51106. When her family of five moved a year ago, that didn’t change. They’re still living in Morningside, just a different part.

Amber and her husband, Jason, who owns Superior Plumbing & Heating, built their first home on the edge of Sioux City in the new housing development around Whispering Creek Golf Club. Looking out of their living room windows, you can see they’ll have more neighbors soon.

They briefly considered buying property in Dakota Dunes, but you know what they say about real estate: it’s all about location, location, location. Where they settled now, Amber liked the school district that the children – Aden, 9; Giselle, 3; and baby Jada – would potentially enroll in and she’s close to work.

For the Francos, life’s good in 51106.

1. COZY, NOT COLD Wood adds instant warmth to a spacious living room. The paneled ceiling, which extends out to the porch, mimics the warm tonal qualities of the hickory floors. “Contemporary can be pretty harsh and kind of cold feeling,” Amber said. “With kids, we just don’t want that. We’ve got to make it seem homey.” Adding brown tones balanced out the lustrous black leather furniture with chrome frames, slate-tiled fireplace and gray walls that carry throughout the house.

3. BLACK BEAUTY Sleek black cabinets make a bold statement against the marble countertops. The windows surrounding the open concept kitchen let in a lot of natural light, which makes this concept work.

2. LIGHTS Never overlook an opportunity to take a necessary, functional item for your home and make it a focal point in any room. Dazzling light fixtures add an instant touch of glam and cut down the need for excessive decorating. They are works of art.

6

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

ask a professional Q: How can I easily get my nutritional needs met if I’m on the go or on the road?

A: Here are some simple tips to help get you on the path to better nutrition and healthier eating at on the go!

First, planning is key! You have to think ahead to what you are going to need for today,, tomorrow, and the week. Make sure you have healthy options available – or you will grab the unhealthy ones and start your day off on the wrong foot. Get to the store and get Dr. Joel some fruits and vegetables that will fit your active diet and life!

Pistello, DC In the morning, make sure you start your day off with a source of protein, fruit, and a complex carb such as eggs on whole wheat toast with a banana. Shoot for those three things to combine. I know it takes 5 minutes to scramble eggs, or make a small two-egg omelet, throw it on a piece of toast, grab a banana and head out the door.

I just have to wake up 5 minutes earlier. Totally worth it!

If you find yourself in the drive-through, it’s OK, some popular chains can be really healthy to get in protein, vegetable, complex carb, and a fruit, but be careful. Keep your portions reasonable, and the calories lower. For instance a sandwich without mayo or ranch can save 100-200 calories (depending on the size). Load up on the veggies when you make a sandwich, and use whole-wheat bread. Additionally, ordering something without cheese can save you calories as well!

For easy, tasty snacks, try: a handful of almonds, bananas, apples, carrots, or whatever healthy option you would like! Packaging them in small containers helps to keep you from overeating. Watch those simple sugars and carbs, but once you start checking labels, you’ll see there are a TON of options!

If you start to feel hungry but you know it’s not time to eat – grab yourself a glass of water. It helps to curb the appetite and it’s the best thing to put in your body!

Most importantly, eating on the go can easily “waste” all of your calories for the day. Start checking labels before you purchase something. On average, we only need 2000 calories a day before we start to store that extra energy – and it turns into fat. Think of calories as money – don’t spend it all in one place. Breaking your meals up into snacks and large meals, watching what you eat (and where you pull in for a bite) can help you stay healthy and not be fatigued at work or on the road.

Finally, it can be confusing to understand exactly what you need to eat and when. If you have any questions, please give us a call and we can answer any questions you have. Or send us an email at MulticareEmail@gmail.com. As usual, stay safe (and healthy) out there Siouxland!

Call 276-4325 today for an appointment 3930 Stadium Drive. (Between Wal-Mart & Explorer Stadium)

Siouxland Life

February 2016

7

4. SUPERSIZE IT A wow-worthy bedroom takes up more space than the kitchen. Jason and Amber Franco picked out their home’s floor plan from a magazine, and admittedly, it was tough to judge the actual size from the picture.

Looking back, they may have given up some of that space for more footage in the kitchen, but the extra room makes it a luxurious master bedroom.

5. STUDY SPACE Amber, a facility administrator at a dialysis clinic, needed a quiet place to study to finish her master’s degree in nursing education. Here’s where the oversized master suite made sense.

Another bonus feature of the room is the separate door to the porch, a delightful detail she enjoys in the summer.

8

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

6. SEEING CLEARLY A glass panel railing system surrounds the stairs to the basement and the same look is repeated outside to lend an unobstructed view of the backyard. It’s a clean, contemporary look that can open up any space and make it look bigger.

7. MINIMAL MATTERS Sometimes less is more.

The Francos moved out of a traditional home and embraced modern design details.

Amber’s understated style is executed with select pieces of home decor for a simplified, clutter-free look that places an emphasis on the things that are there like the family portraits.

Th e sT o ry o f fr an ki e Va ll i & Th e fo U r se as o n s March 29-April 3 | Orpheum Theatre BroadwayAtTheOrpheum.com • 800-514-3849 Group Tickets 712-224-6423

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

9

HOME eight

great ideas

8. THINKING OUTSIDE You can’t forget about the outside.

A trio of wood, stucco and stone replicates the same design style seen inside where gray tones are softened and accentuated with the warmth of wood. And of course, you can see a brilliant crystal chandelier lighting the entryway from the street.

Hi, I’m Charese Yanney from Guarantee Roofing and Siding.

Your roof protects one of your most valuable assets...your home.

So when it’s time to replace it...it needs to be done right.

At Guarantee we use quality materials, and our workmanship is top notch along with our service.

And...it’s all done at a fair price.

So, if you’re in need of a new roof

Call Guarantee Roofing & Siding Today!

Guarantee Roofing • Siding • Insulation

2005 East 4th • Sioux City, IA 712-277-3981 • GRoofingsi@aol.com www.GuaranteeRoofing.com 10

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FOOD the

book that started it

Marcia Poole, former longtime Sioux City Journal food editor, shows the 1987 Sioux City Journal cookbook. The annual edition was a big hit with readers in the preInternet days.

COOKING UP COOKBOOKS

From hot dishes to Jell-O salads, The Journal’s cookbook reflected a simpler time

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

11

b

BEFORE THERE WAS THE Internet or TV networks devoted entirely to food, there was the annual Sioux City Journal cookbook.

“Every September, we’d ask readers to send in their favorite recipes,” longtime Journal food editor Marcia Poole remembered. “Being selected to share their family recipes in the cookbook was like winning the lottery for many home cooks.”

That’s because the cookbook – which was published as a newspaper insert from the late 1950s until 2000 – became a keepsake that was continually referenced.

“Unlike the cookbooks that were left on coffee tables or on bookshelves, our cookbooks were used a lot,” said Poole, now director of the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center.

After all, many of the recipes were tested by Iowa State University Extension Office nutritionists and winners were chosen by such national celebrities as Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abby”), country music singer Janie Fricke and food writers Jane and Michael Stern (“Roadfood”).

“Winners might receive a small cash prize or a gift certificate,” Poole recalled. “But the important thing was getting your photo and recipe in the newspaper.”

The recipes – which were

Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Tim Hynds

categorized as hot dishes, soup/salads and desserts, among other designations – offered a reflection of the times.

“Let me tell you, there were plenty of recipes for Jell-O salads and loosemeats,” Poole said with a laugh. “After all, that’s what we ate in the Midwest back then.”

In subsequent years, categories for microwave, bread and low calorie options were added, all under the watchful eyes of Poole, Food section editor, and recipe coordinator Mary Miller, who typed in all the mostly handwritten recipe entries. “(Mary) was the heart of our annual

“Siouxland is represented by an extraordinary number of cultures and ways of life.

Traditional recipes kept those cultural ties alive for families who’ve recently come to the area (as well as) for families who’ve lived here for many generations.”

MARCIA POOLE

cookbooks and she was often the one who caught the big problem with the recipe,” noted Poole, who joined The Journal in 1980. “(For instance) the rhubarb pie recipe with the crust that said it needed three pounds of lard.

Three pounds of lard? Yeah, Mary saved us from total embarrassment on that one.”

Perusing the 1986 pullout titled “A Country Cookbook,” readers could learn how to make Mini Cheeseburger Roulettes, Saucy Ham ‘N Beef Noodles and “Dream Steak” (hamburger mixed with Worcestershire sauce, a package of dry onion soup mix and canned mushrooms) while the 1988 “I Can’t Believe It’s Nutritious” edition offered recipes for fruit smoothies, veggie stir fries and “mock chicken loaf” (made with one pound of ground beef instead of chicken).

Poole can’t help but smile at some of the recipes.

“Siouxland is represented by an extraordinary number of cultures and ways of life,” she said. “Traditional recipes kept those cultural ties alive for families who’ve recently come to the area (as well as) for families who’ve live here for many generations.”

Still, every good thing must come to an end. Poole suggested the end of The Journal cookbook came,

in large, due to the downturn of home cooking.

“More women were entering the workforce while fast-food and convenient food began to predominate,” she explained. “Meat and potatoes cooked in a cast iron skillet (began to seem like) an exotic meal for younger generations.”

But those suddenly old-fashioned meat-and-potato recipes (along with the personal stories attached to them) helped generations of Siouxland residents dig deep roots into family and community traditions.

“People may have read the Journal cookbooks for the recipes,” Poole said, “but I really loved writing the firstperson stories behind the families’ favorite dishes.”

As she glanced through years and years of Journal cookbooks, Poole said she learned an important lesson.

“Food nurtures more than our bodies,” she said. “It tells us who we are (as people) and records the memories (that we share) with family, friends and community.”

SIOUXLAND COOKING 40 YEARS AGO Have you ever wondered what Siouxland residents were eating in 1976? According to the Sioux City Journal’s “Bicentennial Year Edition” Cookbook, we were chowing down on Besukuls (Swiss dumplings), Grilled Cheese and Bacon sandwiches and “Gasless, Old-Fashioned Baked Beans.”

SOUR CREAM CABBAGE CASSEROLE The winner of that year’s Main Dish category was Mrs. Donald (Linda) Dagel, of Sheldon, Iowa, who entered an original recipe.

Ingredients Three cups, sliced potatoes One-half pint, sour cream Three cups, chopped cabbage One-and-one-half pound, ground beef One-half stick, margarine One can, cream of celery or cream of chicken soup Three-fourth cup, milk One-half cup, chopped onion Salt and pepper Instructions Boil potatoes until about half done. Put potatoes in bottom of casserole dish, adding salt and pepper. Mix in sour cream. Fry cabbage in one-half stick of margarine until

done. Put on top of potatoes, adding salt and pepper. Brown hamburger and onion, put on top of the cabbage. Mix soup with milk and pour over hamburger. Bake in oven at 325 - 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

HOMEMADE MINCE MEAT The 1976 Grand Prize winner was Myrtle Sternberger, an 86-year-old Sioux City woman who entered one of her mother’s recipe.

Ingredients Five bowls, finely chopped apples Five bowls, boiled and chopped beef One bowl, suet (fat from either beef or mutton) Two bowls, raisins One bowl, currants Two bowls, sugar One-half bowl, molasses One bowl, vinegar One bowl, candied apples Two tablespoons, cinnamon and cloves One tablespoon, salt Two finely-chopped lemons “Mix and let stand for a couple of days,” Sternberger said. “Then it’s ready for pies.”

Bring in this Coupon

For all oF your plumbing needs!

Residential | Commercial

Superior Plumbing & Heating

712-234-1773

10 OFF

$ your purchase of $ or more!*

50

*Coupon not valid with any other offers. Excludes: Coffee & Wüstof Expires February 29, 2016

Kitchen Dressings

4921 Sergeant Road., Across from Red Lobster

712-276-3770

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

13

FOOD a

winning idea

Patsy Vander Schaaf, who was born in Stuttgart, Germany, began baking as a child, learning at the side of her late mother, Sonya Ruth Vander Schaaf.

ORANGE ROLLS WINNING HEARTS, AND TASTE BUDS,

s

AFTER 30 YEARS

Text and photographs by Tim Gallagher

SHELDON, IOWA | THIRTY-SOME years ago Patsy Vander Schaaf listened to a cooking show on the radio as she drove down a Sioux County road. A recipe for Sunny Orange Rolls caught her attention.

“I think I came into the house and wrote the recipe down as fast as I could, making sure I wouldn’t forget it,” she says.

Her memory served this baker well.

Vander Schaaf made a batch, then more

14

FEBRUARY 2016

and more and more. She eventually tweaked it through trial and error. She submitted her recipe to the Sioux City Journal for a cookbook contest in 1985.

She was chosen as the winner in the Breads & Rolls category.

“I remember going to the Journal for that contest,” she says, recalling an April day 31 years ago. “I baked my rolls and we each got to sample the winning dish from the other categories. I think the judges were there, too. It was a lot of fun.”

Baking, too, has provided Vander

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Schaaf much enjoyment on the farm she maintains with husband, Dennis Vander Schaaf. For years, Patsy treated Dennis and their three children (Eric, Emily and Evan) to all sorts of Sunny Orange Rolls, breads, cookies and bars.

There was always something fresh on

Patsy Vander Schaaf is featured in the April 1985 Sioux City Journal cookbook edition. Vander Schaaf submitting the winning recipe of Sunny Orange Rolls in the “Breads & Rolls” category.

which to chew.

With the children now grown and working in South Dakota (Eric and Emily) and California (Evan), there’s not near as much on the kitchen counter or in the freezer. That doesn’t mean Vander Schaaf has turned off the oven permanently.

“I use a bread machine once or twice per week,” she says. “And I still make the Sunny Orange Rolls for our family. I serve them for breakfast on Christmas morning, it’s one of our traditions.”

Tradition plays a role in the skill Vander Schaaf has honed in her kitchen.

She comes by it honestly, as her mother, the late Sonya Ruth Vander Schaaf, was a real pro in the tradition of the German “house frau,” or “housewife.”

“My mom was born in

Patsy Vander Schaaf’s recipe filing system consists of Post-It notes, newspaper clippings and more, all contained in a shoe box she keeps with easy reach.

Germany and met my father, Leonard Van Bemmel, when he served with the Army in Germany in the 1950s,” Patsy says. “They married and came back to Doon (Iowa), where my dad ran Red’s Service. My mom centered more on cooking in her kitchen, and she let me bake.”

Patsy grew up eating her mother’s

fried potatoes and German delicacies like spaetzel, a dumpling noodle, and rolauden, a rolled meat dish.

“I didn’t know those dishes were specifically German until I went to Germany and made those connections,” Patsy says.

Sonya Ruth Van Bemmel became a U.S. citizen in 1972. She died several years ago. Patsy says she’s proud to see her father, who still resides in Doon, learn his way around the kitchen.

“I remember as a child wanting an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas,” Patsy says. “That, and a sewing machine and a piano. To this day, those are still things that interest me.”

Patsy does some quilting and she learned to knit, taught by her mother.

She also sings alto in the Sioux County Oratorical Choir, which will perform this year with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.

And, she still bakes and cooks, admitting that baking is her forte.

“I enjoy baking, maybe because what I do tends to turn out,” she says. “I enjoy

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

15

Make It Your Way

Build Your Dream Home!

Make your home more energy efficient and save on energy costs! We’d be happy to arrange a demonstration of a new OPTIMA system.

Call today

Klein Insulation Inc.

Member

800-515-5691 or 712-540-5691 Locally owned since 1994 Northwest Iowa Dealer BIBS (Blow In Blanket System)

To advertise here call

Nancy Todd 712-224-6281

16

February 2016

Siouxland Life

Make It Your Way

Build Your Dream Home!

Make your home more energy efficient and save on energy costs! We’d be happy to arrange a demonstration of a new OPTIMA system.

Call today

Klein Insulation Inc.

Member

800-515-5691 or 712-540-5691 Locally owned since 1994 Northwest Iowa Dealer BIBS (Blow In Blanket System)

To advertise here call

Nancy Todd 712-224-6281

16

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

the process.”

While intense demand for her baked goods has diminished at home with the departure of their adult children, Patsy still bakes for close friends and those in need. She’ll often respond to a church email list by baking for someone who is recovering at home following a hospital stay, or a bout with illness.

“One of our members at church came home this week after suffering a broken hip,” she says. “I made bread for him and some chocolate pie. He was delighted.”

The recipe, she notes, might have come from memory, or from notes she scribbled hastily a couple of decades ago.

Or, it might have come from a friend, or the Sioux City Journal. Patsy keeps all sorts of recipes, typed and written, on scraps of paper in a shoe box in the front closet, well within easy reach and recall.

Like her Sunny Orange Rolls, the shoe box system has served this baker well.

SUNNY ORANGE ROLLS 1985 Journal “Breads & Rolls” winner 1 1/2 cups scalded milk 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 teaspoon salt 1 package yeast 2 eggs 5 cups flour 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons orange peel, grated 2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons orange juice, or to taste Mix hot milk, sugar, shortening and salt.

Cool to lukewarm and add yeast. When yeast has dissolved, add eggs, orange juice, peel and 5 cups flour. Mix well until it forms soft dough. Let rest for 10 minutes, then knead 5-8 minutes and put in greased bowl.

Grease top of dough, cover and let rise until doubled. Knead down and dough.

Take small portion of dough and roll into a “rope” about 1 1/2 inches thick and 5-6 inches long. Take this rope and roll it up so it makes a nice spiral. You can make these rolls smaller or larger, as you desire. Continue until all rolls are made.

Put 1 dozen in a 9- by 13-inch pan and 9 in a 9- by 9-inch pan, both pans greased.

Let rolls rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans and frost when cool with icing made with powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla and orange juice. Makes approximately 21 rolls.

- Patsy Vander Schaaf, Sheldon, Iowa

Doesn't your home deserve

Comfort Series® Vinyl Windows & Patio Doors?

See your local building supply retailer for Gerkin products, or call Gerkin for the dealer nearest you.

Vinyl windows designed for new construction & replacement are guaranteed for as long as you own your home.

(402) 494-6000 or 1-800-475-5061 South Sioux City, NE www.gerkin.com • gerkin@gerkin.com

Join us

59th Annual Siouxland Home Show

Feb. 25 - Feb. 28, 2016 • Thursday & Friday 1PM - 9PM • Saturday 11AM - 9PM • Sunday Noon - 5PM

sioux City Convention Center Visit us online at www.siouxlandhba.com for a complete list of members or e-mail us at hbasooland@siouxlan.net 3900 Stadium Dr., Sioux City, IA 712-255-3852

Build Your dream!

Rick Welte Construction Inc. NailiN’ oNe at a time!

Sioux City, IA | 712-239-3818

STEVE NELSON Home Construction & Design Commercial Construction

Nelson CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

1104 4th St., Sioux City, IA | steve@nelsoncd.net | Office: 712.224.4232 SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

17

FOOD starting

early

Hazel Giron, left, 13, directs Madison Burge, 14, as they attempt to make eggs during a cooking competition at West Middle School.

From left, Jaren Holling, 14, Carter Olhausen, 13, and Madison Burge, 14, make a smoothie.

Family and consumer science teacher Allison Wagner shares details of the competition.

18

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS HOLD MOCK

‘CHOPPED’ COMPETITION

h

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Justin Wan

HAZEL GIRON STOOD AT a stove with one hand on her hip and a spatula in the other.

“Why is this so low?” she asked herself staring at the beaten eggs in the pan that hadn’t even started to harden.

Her teammates in kitchen No. 3 were busy chopping peppers, tossing fruit and ice into a blender and scurrying back and forth to the pantry for more ingredients. A long table set with silverware sat empty in the middle of the room amid the commotion.

The scene was just as chaotic in three adjoining small kitchens where more than a dozen eighth-graders were concocting a breakfast drink and dish using the following staple ingredients: spinach, eggs, canned pineapple chunks and pomegranate juice. As on the Food Network reality TV show “Chopped,” the students would present their culinary creations to a panel of judges 20 minutes later. The clock was ticking.

“You’ve got 10 minutes!” family and consumer science teacher Allison Wagner yelled.

“Oh my gosh!” panicked students screeched.

Wagner, who debuted the “Chopped” exercise with one of her four eighthgrade classes last year, said students don’t do a lot of cooking in the class otherwise. They’re expected to use the knowledge they glean from cooking with their families at home to successfully complete the challenge.

“It’s kind of great to see what comes out,” she said.

Kitchen No. 3 added spinach, cheese and bell pepper to their omelet, which was now starting to fall apart and brown slightly. Plan B – scrambled eggs.

“I’m scared to try this,” Carter Olhausen admitted.

Madison Burge laughed uncontrollably when Giron took two halves of a bagel and placed them face down on the

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ALMOST ENDLESS!

Minervas is a top destination for Sioux City visitors and locals alike, thanks to our elegant atmosphere and highly lauded menu. Steak, fresh seafood, flavorful salads, pastas and more. Celebrate your next special occasion, date night, or family gathering with us.

A bagel omlette is plated.

Teacher Mike Tokarczyk reacts after sampling a dish made during a mock “Chopped” competition.

flat top electric stove.

“I do this at home all the time,” she reassured.

“We are not toasting bagels on a stove,” Wagner informed Giron.

“We don’t have a toaster,” she responded.

“Get a pan,” Wagner said.

DON’T MISS HAPPY HOUR!

Monday - Saturday 4PM-6PM & 9PM-Close Great Cocktails & Appetizers served in the Lounge.

2945 Hamilton Blvd Sioux City

712-277-0800 SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

19

Four minutes left.

Blenders whirred as a charred smell hung in the air. It was time to begin plating.

“I don’t know where to go,” Marae Honson, a student in kitchen No. 1 mumbled as she circled near the back pantry.

One minute.

“Make sure your plate looks pretty,” Wagner warned.

Kitchen No. 3 placed their scrambled eggs between two bagel halves and topped their fruit smoothies with a dollop of whipped cream.

The students huddled around the long table, where judges Chris Poeckes and Mike Tokarczyk, both English teachers, now sat with teacher’s aide Deb Leigh.

“It looks good!” Tokarczyk exclaimed as he received kitchen No. 3’s plate.

Leigh praised the team for their nice presentation, but said she would’ve liked her bagel toasted.

“That goes really good with the bagel,” Poeckes said of the eggs.

Kitchen No. 3 ended up winning top honors in the egg category, while kitchen No. 2 was declared the smoothie winner.

“I think it went OK. A few little missteps but that’s to be expected,” Wagner said. “I think they had fun which is the most important.”

Carter Olhausen, 13, tastes a smoothie his team made.

Remodeling Right: diY oR PRofessional?

It’s fun and inspiring to watch TV shows about home design and remodeling – everything from the latest looks in countertops to wholehouse remodels. And YouTube and other online video sites are chockfull of helpful how-tos and demos to assist home owners through countless do-it-yourself projects.

lights are dimming when you zap your popcorn, you’ve probably forgotten that the microwave, unlike the exhaust fan, uses a lot more energy and likely needs a dedicated circuit. A remodeling professional knows that.

There are relatively simple home projects that can be completed by DIYers, such as hanging pictures, interior painting, caulking, and changing door knobs and cabinet pulls.

And, home owners with the correct tools and a higher skill level should be able to tackle some aesthetic work such as installing crown molding.

That YouTube do-it-yourself video may make a tilework project look doable, but will YouTube give you your money back if you don’t lay it straight? Professional remodelers may not know everything, but they do take responsibility for everything they do.

Are there any unintended consequences? In today’s increasingly efficient and more air-tight homes, it’s more and more important to look at the house as a system. Your new windows are keeping out drafts, but how are they affecting your home’s air quality once the “natural ventilation” of the leaky old ones are gone?

Do you need to look at mechanical ventilation systems? If so, how big? A professional can tell you.

But it’s also important to know when to stop and hire a professional.

Remodelers can tell you lots of funny stories about siding installed upside down – and sometimes scary stories involving do-ityourself electrical wiring gone awry. So before you buy the latest or trendiest gizmo for your home, ask yourself a few questions.

How much do you know?

Replacing the exhaust fan over your oven with a built-in microwave looks like a reasonably simple swap. But if you notice your kitchen

What if it doesn’t work?

and help you avoid spending money without a reasonable payback on either resource expense (energy and water, for example) or the sale of your home when you are ready to upsize or downsize.

And how do you find a professional remodeler?

There’s a question with an easy answer.

Contact the Home Builders Association of Greater Siouxland to find a remodeler with the experience, educational qualifications and knowledge to do the job right – the first time.

To find a reputable remodeler in the Siouxland area visit http://www.siouxlandhba.com/ members/.

How do you know if it’s right for your home?

Todd Hagaman A professional remodeler can advise you on President products, finishes and appliances that match your lifestyle, location, house size and budget Todd Hagaman Construction

20

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

712-255-3852 siouxlandhba.com

Spruce up for Spring!

Siouxland Life

February 2016

21

FOOD secrets

Rick Bower, executive chef at Kahill’s Steak, Fish & Chophouse, moves a pickled beet into place while preparing a board that features foie gras torchon and local pork pate at the South Sioux City restaurant. Also shown on the charcuterie board are watermelon radish, bread triangles, various mustards and cornichons.

LEARNING THE ART AND SCIENCE BEHIND SIOUXLAND’S

FINE DINING

a

Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Tim Hynds and Jim Lee

AS KAHILL’S STEAK, FISH and Chophouse’s executive chef, Rick Bower is part butcher and part “mad scientist.”

“There’s a lot of microbiology that goes into being a chef,” he noted inside his restaurant’s kitchen located inside South Sioux City’s Marina Inn Conference Center. “That’s especially true when you’re elevating fine dining to the next level.”

Right across the Missouri River, Bev’s on the River’s top chef Rick Beaulieu considered his role as more artistic in nature.

“We eat with our eyes as well as with our mouths,” he explained. “You need a well-composed plate in order to get the ‘wow’ factor every chef is looking for.”

Yet Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s food and beverage director Rick Washburn said utilizing fresh, local ingredients trumps everything else.

“When you’re in the farm belt, you’ve

22

FEBRUARY 2016

got to take advantage of what we have in abundance,” he said inside the casino’s fine dining Main + Abbey. “It all comes down to taste.”

So what is the key to Siouxland’s fine dining? Is it driven by science, art or local ingredients?

According to Bower, it’s actually all three. Or, perhaps, it’s really none of the above.

“You can attempt any new process or compose the prettiest plate and buy all local ingredients,” he reasoned. “But it all comes down to taste. If it tastes good, chances are it is good.”

Rick Bower, executive chef at Kahill’s Steak, Fish & Chophouse, holds an board featuring house-made local pork pate and a foie gras torchon.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CUTTING EDGE TECHNIQUE COME TO THE MIDWEST A chef who formerly worked at such upscale eateries as Robuchon - Las Vegas and Chicago’s Nob Hill Tavern, Bower came to Kahill’s in order to create

Executive chef Rick Beaulieu pictured with Poke Stack at Bev’s on the River in Sioux City.

Cheesecake on a decorated plate at Bev’s on the River in Sioux City.

Seared Ahi Tuna at Bev’s on the River in Sioux City.

a cuisine that combined cutting edge techniques with traditional steakhouse favorites.

Since arriving at Kahill’s in 2015, he has instituted a sea-to-table program where small East and West Coast fisheries provide the freshest of seafood.

In addition, Bower has continued the restaurant’s commitment of using locally sourced meats and produce.

“It’s sustainability at its best,” he reasoned. “When we bring in local animals, we use every ounce of meat we can get.”

That includes a charcuterie board which uses picked veggies as well as local pork pate and foie gras torchon.

“My personal favorite cuts tend to be offal meats, which are the internal organs of animals,” Bower observed. “So it’s not unusual to find a nice pork or duck liver pate around here.”

ELEGANT DINING WITH A TWIST While a duck liver pate isn’t on the menu at Bev’s, chef Beaulieu said the restaurant’s citrus roast duck (a semiboneless duck that is slow-roasted with sweet-and-tart glaze) is.

In the restaurant field since the age of 14, he began working in a Westside Sioux City pizza parlor while still in high school.

“During the summer, I’d work in construction during the day and making pizzas at night,” Beaulieu recalled. “When it came to choosing a career, cooking

WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE FOOD? “I love opening up some Ramen, getting rid of the flavor and adding my own herbs and spices. Throw in an egg and then you have a meal.”

– Rick Bower Executive chef, Kahill’s Steak, Fish & Chophouse “When I was younger, I’d experiment my restaurant recipes at home. Nowadays, it’s all about convenience food. I’ll make myself a burger or even put a frozen pizza in the oven.”

– Rick Beaulieu Executive chef, Bev’s on the River

Made with marinated sushi-style tuna, lump crab meat, matchstick veggies, fried wonton and a dollop of spicy wasabi, Bev’s on the River’s Poke Stack is a flavorful favorite.

“I love burgers and I love peanut butter. I think I’d even enjoy peanut butter on a burger.”

– Rock Washburn Food & beverage director, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino seemed like a more creative option than construction ever would.”

Over his more-than-30-year career, Beaulieu has worked in fine dining kitchens, country clubs and, most memorably, as a saucier at New Orleans’ famed Commander’s Palace – the longtime home of

celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

“A lot of guys would get bored making sauces every day, but I loved it,” he said.

“Cajun is still my favorite kind of food.”

Beaulieu has observed Midwesterners are now much more knowledgeable about food.

“I’m amazed at how open people are regarding new types of food,” he said, noting that a Poke Stack – marinated sushi-grade tuna, lump crab meat and matchstick veggies – is one of Bev’s big sellers. “I never thought sushi would’ve taken off as much as it has.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

23

Rick Washburn, the new director of food and beverage at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in front of Fuel.

FOOD AS ENTERTAINMENT However, this concept doesn’t surprise the Hard Rock’s Washburn.

“With the introduction of the Food Network, dining is now another form of entertainment,” he said.

Growing up on a Midwestern farm, Washburn discovered hospitality as a profession while working at his uncle’s bar and grill.

“I started as a bartender and worked my way up,” he said. “Over time, I’ve done just about everything there is to do in the food industry.”

That experience has paid off for Washburn, who supervised the food and beverage option for not only Main + Abbey but Hard Rock’s World Tour Buffet and Fuel American Grill.

“While the food industry has always been a good path, it’s only been in the past 20 or so years that the concept of the culinary school-trained chef has 24

FEBRUARY 2016

really exploded,” he said. “Our diners are experiencing better ingredients going into more creative foods.”

Which is good news for Bower, who wants to continue to push the culinary envelope at Kahill’s.

Watching as pastry chef Keri Graham finished a blood orange creme brulee, Bower said he has been interested in experimenting with food ever since growing up in the small town outside of Chicago.

“Food should never be boring,” he reasoned. “Instead, it should be creative and exciting.”

Whether using newfangled methods or bringing back an old technique, Bower said he’s ready for any challenge.

“It’s fun being a scientist and it’s fun being an artist,” he said.

“You can be both at the same time when you’re a chef.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Kahill’s Steak, Fish & Chophouse pastry chef Keri Graham torches a blood orange creme brulee. The creamy dessert may be on Kahill’s spring menu.

FOOD mobile

meals

Jason Hamer, left, and business partner Steve Voss serve beef brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, smoked chicken wings, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and cheesy potatoes from Kylie Q’s BBQ food trailer at the corner of 28th and Myrtle in Sioux City.

BANKING ON BBQ

a

Food truck serves 14-hour smoked meats on Saturdays in Sioux City Text by Ally Karsyn | Photographs by Jim Lee

AS TEMPS DROP TO single digits and flurries fly, a brave crowd proves it’s never too cold for brisket. They line up outside of a food truck. Their tingling fingers eagerly grab containers filled with Southern-style, low-and-slow smoked meats.

This arctic blast is no match for Kylie Q’s BBQ. Lunch is served.

After a few weeks off for the holidays, Jason Hamer is back in the trailer, in his black sweatshirt featuring a porky pig on the front and a saying from his 6-year-old daughter Khloe on the back, “It’s goodlicious!”

Hamer’s doing what he loves. It’s humbling on this wintry day to see so many people pull into the parking lot on the corner of 28th and Myrtle. Given the weather, he shortened the

serving time, and to his surprise, still sold out an hour early.

But the work’s not done. There’s more meat in the smoker for a catered event at night.

In recent years, TV shows like “BBQ Pitmasters” on TLC, “Barbecue University” on PBS and “BBQ Crawl” on the Travel Channel have amplified America’s fixation on the savory flavors of smoked meats.

Suddenly, pulled pork sandwiches are being served at Subway, Wendy’s and Burger King, and you can even get brisket from Arby’s.

Smoking is the new grilling, according to Steven Raichlen, author of the award-winning “Barbecue Bible” cookbook series and host of the new PBS show “Project Smoke.” The barbecue SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

25

A brisket sandwich, baked beans and cheesy potatoes are the menu at Kylie Q’s BBQ.

guru predicts smoking meats will go mainstream this year, thanks to the rise of affordable, easy-to-use smokers.

Hamer bought his first smoker around 2010.

“I had a blast with it,” he said. “I started having enough people tell me that my backyard was their favorite restaurant in town. That kind of got the gears turning.

And my wife scared.”

He also had some encouragement from his oldest daughter, Kylie, now age 9, who told him he should open a barbecue restaurant.

“I really like his food,” she said. “And I thought other people would enjoy it, too.”

She may be his biggest fan but rarely gets to eat the food. Kylie Q’s BBQ usually sells out.

Hamer, a branch manager at U.S. Bank in Sioux City, started out mainly cooking for friends, family and church functions.

It got more serious when he bought the food truck over two years ago.

Now, he often spends his Saturdays parked at the corner of 28th and Myrtle, serving about 180 pounds of beef brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs and chicken 26

FEBRUARY 2016

Jason Hamer, 36, checks on meat in the smoker that’s aboard the food trailer for Kylie Q’s BBQ.

wings from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until the food runs out, whichever comes first.

His barbecue has been popular, and yet, the food truck is an unusual sight in Sioux City. That in itself is a trend that’s

SIOUXLAND LIFE

been growing in nearby cities like Sioux Falls, where a co-working space coordinated Food Truck Fridays last year, or Omaha, where more and more restaurateurs are rolling through the streets.

Perhaps even more people would stop at Kylie Q’s BBQ if they were more comfortable with the concept. Countless times, Hamer’s had new customers come up say that they’ve driven by the food truck often but had reservations about walking up to the window. They approach with caution until they taste the smoky, seasoned barbecue.

“There is a great majority of people in this area that just have an aversion to the whole food truck idea,” Hamer said.

“We welcome all of them to come try us, see how much pride we take in it.”

To get ready for a Saturday setup, Hamer and business partner Steve Voss, his wife’s uncle, stay up through the night, taking turns adding charcoal and hickory, apple or cherry wood to the smoker, keeping it a constant temperature of 225 degrees for 12-14 hours.

They cook a crowd-friendly barbecue so juicy and tender that it doesn’t need

Steve Voss, 61, works full-time at a restaurant supply company and helps with Kylie Q’s BBQ on the weekends.

sauce, but they provide three homemade varieties anyway.

“We’ve got one older customer that says he loves coming to us because he

doesn’t have to bother putting his dentures in,” Hamer said.

Some of the best compliments come from southern transplants who now live

in Sioux City. When they bite into a sandwich brimming with brisket and their eyes light up, nothing’s better than hearing, “This tastes like home.”

EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST QUALITY YOU CAN FEEL Our specialized sports medicine team at CNOS, provides treatments for a range of conditions associated with sports and exercise. From concussions, fractures and injuries, we help active adults and children get back on their feet.

CENTER FOR

SPORTS MEDICINE

In addition to our in clinic care and surgery, we offer pain management, imaging, physical therapy and rehab services.

WORK.PLAY.LIVE.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

27

28

February 2016

Siouxland Life

FOOD growing

business

SHAHI PALACE BRINGS TASTES OF INDIA TO SIOUX CITY

s

Text by Tim Gallagher | Photograph by Justin Wan

SIOUX CITY | HAPPY SINGH is doing what makes him...well...happy.

“Food was a hobby,” says Singh, who co-owns and operates Shahi Palace Indian Grill in Sioux City and Sioux Falls with his brother, Parminder Singh.

“You should do what you love.”

The Singhs, natives of Punjab, India, came to the U.S. in 2002, and both worked as truck drivers, Happy for two years and Parminder for about seven years. It wasn’t until Happy moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 2009, that Happy turned his passion into a vocation.

“I became a chef in St. Louis while working at House of India,” he says.

The Singhs moved north and west to Sioux Falls four years ago. They opened Shahi Palace and, encouraged by its success, expanded to Sioux City in 2014.

Shahi, means “royal,” and that’s the kind of experience these brothers seek for their diners. Siouxland residents, who may, at first, hesitate to try Indian food, have been returning in strong numbers.

“We hear people just love it,” says Happy Singh, 31. “Sioux City loves us.

We have gotten great reviews.”

This, despite the fact there aren’t droves of India natives in Siouxland.

The challenge, according to Happy Singh, involves enticing while educating the public about Indian foods, their spices and flavors.

“People often think that Indian food is really spicy, but that’s not the case,” Singh says. “When you make it all from scratch, you can pick your level of spice.”

Flavor, he notes, comes from a mix of spices, not heat.

Items like garlic naan, chicken tikka, Parminder Singh, co-owner of Shahi Palace India Grill, shows one of his specialties. chicken krai, gulab jamun, buttered chicken and masala, come largely from scratch.

CHICKEN TANDOORI The brothers note they learned from their mother, Charnjit Kaur, a Add a garlic-ginger paste and salt.

Chicken marinated in yogurt and tandoori vegetarian who excelled in making Then add cumin powder, coriander powspices, grilled over charcoal in tandoor. lentils and vegetable dishes. der, garam masala, red chili powder (to taste) Happy Sing advises one to take the chickKaur and her husband, Harbhaand an oil, such as olive oil. Mix it up and en and peel it, cut it up, so as to allow the jan Singh, relocated to Sioux City in leave 5-6 hours. spices to enter.

May 2014. Harbhajan Singh resided in Place in oven, tandoor or grill.

Marinate with yogurt, soaking it in lemon Greece for a quarter-century. He now juice. helps their sons in the restaurants.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

29

40 17

YEARS in Siouxland DEDICA DEDICATED TED

ccardiology ardiology providers & expert staff

THOUSANDS

of HAPPYpatients

Siouxland’s

preferred heart

care

unitypoint.org

001368a3-1 12/15 CS

30

February 2016

Siouxland Life

RHYTHM VASCULAR CARDIAC

40 17

YEARS in Siouxland DEDICA DEDICATED TED

ccardiology ardiology providers & expert staff

THOUSANDS

of HAPPYpatients

Siouxland’s

preferred heart

care

unitypoint.org

001368a3-1 12/15 CS

30

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

RHYTHM VASCULAR CARDIAC

FOOD family

inspiration

COMFORT FOOD WITH A

TWIST p Minerva’s chef credits family for his culinary passion

Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Jim Lee

PREPARING A PLATE OF seafood mac and cheese, Minerva’s executive chef Andrew Burger loves giving traditional comfort food a culinary twist.

That’s only fitting for the Sioux City native who credited his mom and grandmother with providing him with a passion for cooking.

“I think most chefs learned to cook from their families,” Burger said, inside the 2945 Hamilton Blvd. restaurant’s kitchen. “As soon as I was tall enough to see over the stove, I’ve been cooking.”

Beginning his culinary career at Sneaky’s, he subsequently got a taste for cutting-edge cuisine as a sous chef at Kahill’s.

In 2014, Burger was named Minerva’s top chef.

While the restaurant’s dinner menu includes such upscale items as Charcrusted Ahi Tuna (seared raw tuna served with a Ponzu sauce, wakame salad, carrots, crispy green beans and a wasabi oil) and Steak Gorgonzola Campanelle (premium steak, Crimini mushrooms, asparagus, garlic, Balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs, cracked pepper, sherry and a rich Gorgonzola cream sauce), it also had such reinvented comfort food favorites as Shrimp & Grits (sauteed shrimp, Applewood bacon, green onions, garlic, Tasso cheddar grits and a homemade Cajun gastrique).

“The great thing about being a chef is that you never stop learning new processes, preparations and recipes,” Burger explained. “You’re always discovering new ways and new ingredients to work with.”

Still, he insisted it is the simpler foods that capture his imagination.

“When I’m cooking for myself, I tend

Minerva’s executive chef Andrew Burger prepares an order of seafood mac and cheese at Minerva’s.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

31

An order of seafood mac and cheese.

CountrysideSeniorLiving FourSeasonsTownhomes When you’re surrounded by nurses all day, you sleep pretty well at night.

Our nurses are on duty 24-hours a day to ensure that our residents are safe, healthy and well cared for. Seniors at Countryside live comfortably, without having to worry about the “what ifs...” of living alone. This peace of mind extends to their families who can relax knowing the their loved ones are in great hands.

Call today to set up a tour 712-276-3000!

32

FEBRUARY 2016

Independent Living

Four Seasons Townhomes are ideal for seniors who enjoy their independence, social gatherings and some extra amenities.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Call today to set up a tour 712-276-3000!

Cajun chicken linguine.

to be a meatloaf or pork cutlet sort of guy,” Burger said. “That’s the type of food that I grew up with and it’s still the type of food that I like to eat.”

At home, Burger has a budding gourmand in the making: his 3-year-old daughter Addilyn.

“My daughter loves to help me cook dinner,” he said. “In fact, she even calls me ‘chef.’”

However, Addilyn has yet to acquire a taste for Lobster Cheddar Fondue, Sea Salt Calimari or the chopped quinoa salads her dad makes at Minerva’s.

Instead, she prefers her dad’s decidedly simpler fate.

“We make plenty of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches together,” Burger explained. “Plus Addilyn shares my love of (Little Debbie) Zebra cakes.”

Although he dreams of some day opening a small restaurant of his own, Burger is content to push the culinary envelope at Minerva’s.

“When you’re a chef, you must always be creative and be willing to learn new things,” he said. “As long as I have a passion for food, I will always be a chef.”

PEANUT BUTTER AND MARSHMALLOW FLUFF SANDWICH At work, Minerva executive chef Andrew Burger can be a “foodie.” But at home, he’s just a dad to his 3-year-old daughter Addilyn.

According to Burger, Addilyn’s favorite sandwich contains plenty of peanut butter and a comparable amount of marshmallow fluff, served on white bread.

“I put the marshmallow fluff on for her,” he said, “otherwise, the fluff would be too messy.”

Likewise, the crusts of the sandwich bread must be removed before Addilyn will eat her dad’s creation.

However, Burger has also been harboring his own secret.

“I actually like the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich myself,” he said.

“I eat them all the time with my daughter.”

Sunday, February 21, 11am -1pm 4th Floor, Mercy Heart Center - 801 5th St. Join us at the Heart Expo to learn the latest information on keeping your heart healthy.

The Heart Expo will include: • Free Carotid Artery Mini-screening • Meet the Mercy Cardiologists • Cath Lab Tour • Open Heart Surgery Simulation

• Cardiac Rehab Tour • Electrophysiology Lab Tour • Free Hors d'oeuvres

All attendees will be included in drawings for free screenings and prizes.

New this Year - Teen Heart Expo Ages 13 through 18 - Leiter Room, Mercy Medical Center Next to the Kaleidoscope Gift Shop

Sunday February 21, 11 am – 1 pm, Leiter Room, Mercy Medical Center The Teen Heart Expo will include: • Tour of the Mercy Heart Center • Educational Games • Giveaways, Prizes and Healthy Snacks • Teen Screenings • Interactive sessions on CPR and AED Devices

Free to the public.

Free parking is available in the Mercy Parking Ramp.

From the hospital that has been taking care of Siouxland hearts for over 40 years.

Siouxland Life

February 2016

33

FOOD fired

Chef Clayton Lillie of Clyde’s Grill and Pub.

up

CLYDE’S GRILL & PUB

FIRED UP

ABOUT LOCAL CULINARY SCENE Chef Clayton Lillie prepares a topping for bread pudding.

34

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

s

Text by Tim Gallagher Photographs by Jim Lee

SIOUX CITY | CHILI Cook-Off. Bacon Fest. March of Dimes Signature Chefs.

If there’s a local contest for a chef, you can bet Clayton Lillie of Clyde’s Grill & Pub either has, or will, eventually put both hands and spatulas into it.

“Those are usually good charitable causes, so there’s already reason to support them,” says Lillie, the chef at Clyde’s.

“They’re also good for us (chefs) as we get to show what we can do while sharing things and seeing what others can do.”

Lillie has seen much in the Sioux City culinary scene. Although just 30 years old, the Sioux City native has been at work in the kitchen since he was 15.

“I started at El Fredo’s Pizza when I was in high school,” he says. “After a break, I started working with my brother, Russell Williams, at One Eyed Jack’s.

Eventually, my brother told me that I should talk to Rick Beaulieu, executive chef at Sioux City’s Bev’s on the River, because that would be great on-the-job training for me.”

It was. Lillie notes that Beaulieu taught him everything he could. He soaked it up and then came to Clyde’s when not long after the grill opened. He began as a line cook, earning $10 per hour. He was soon promoted to sous chef and two years ago worked his way into the chef’s position, now in charge of his own kitchen.

“I don’t have a big head,” Lillie says while tending to something simmering on his stove. “I’ve been at the right place at the right time. And, I guess I’ve worked hard.”

At Clyde’s Grill & Pub, part of the Rush Werks entertainment compound near Lewis and Clark Park on Sioux City’s southern edge, Lillie has fashioned a menu known for big portions and big tastes.

“I’ll also take a menu item and add my own flair,” he says.

Case in point, a bread pudding he learned from Beaulieu, and introduced to diners at Clyde’s.

“I’ve played with that bread pudding recipe and have made it something like 30 different ways,” Lillie says.

When asked for an “off-the-wall” spin on Bread Pudding, Lillie thinks and answers, “A weird one might be the pineapple-upside-down version. It was bread pudding that tasted like pineappleupside-down cake. It worked.”

Another wrinkle that seems to be working is a wine tasting Lillie hosts once per month at Clyde’s. The event brings wine tasters to Clyde’s, while challenging Lillie to come up with entrees that pair well with wines on that night’s menu.

Sauces represents another challenging, but fun, food category for Lillie and his staff.

“Sauces can be difficult, as you try to match an herb with what might be in the sauce,” he says. “My biggest catastrophes involve sauces, which can be OK, because if a sauce bombs, you still have the main dish and you can come up with another sauce.”

Lillie’s earliest memories in the kitchen surround Christmas, when he joined his grandmother, Annette Hoefling, of Sioux City, as she made candy and peanut brittle, a treat that led to an accident.

“I had this hot caramel coming off the oven at something

Bread pudding prepared

by Chef Clayton Lillie.

like 360 degrees,” Lillie says. “I was pouring it and some of it got on my thumbnail and burned it. My grandma told me to keep scraping, because she didn’t want the caramel to cool in her pan.”

Lillie laughs and says he spent time chipping away the damaged part of his nail after the episode. That part of the nail was lost, but Grandma’s pan and the peanut brittle were saved.

“I learned early on that you have to get things quickly from oven to cutting board,” he says.

Another family influence comes from his wife, Tavita Lillie, who might be the family’s best cook.

“Like me, Tavita does everything homemade,” Lillie says. “I’ve done her mole sauce with a braised pork loin and a sweet potato puree. The accents on her sauce make it fly.”

Lillie says he loves eating his wife’s food. The taste is one factor, the fact he doesn’t have to prepare it is another.

“When I cook at home, sometimes it’s chicken strips and fries,” he says, smiling. “I love serving others here. I’ve always loved it. But, sometimes when I get home, I take it easy.’

Lillie, who manages a staff of five, appreciates the freedom he is allowed with menu items at Clyde’s, items that start with 14-ounce ribeye and prime rib cuts he has seen as large as 30 ounces.

He also likes the Sioux City culinary scene with recent additions like the Hard Rock Cafe and the culinary program in place at Western Iowa Tech Community College.

“What has worked other places, I’ll use sometimes,” he says, tipping his chef’s hat to the successful pizza place that gave him his start 15 years ago.

“If it works, you keep doing it,” Lillie says, setting up a remark about a pizza line that has pleased eaters for decades in and around Sioux City.

“Look at El Fredo’s,” he says. “They’re not going anywhere.”

BOURBON PECAN BREAD PUDDING Chef Clayton Lillie, Clyde’s Grill & Pub, Bread pudding: 1 large French loaf (can substitute cubed and dried sweet bread) 2 tablespoons butter, sliced 15 eggs (large) 1 quart milk 1 quart white sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 teaspoons nutmeg 1 tablespoon cinnamon Sauce: 1 cup pecan halves 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup bourbon (Jack, Jim, Solo) Splash of cream Cut bread in 1-inch cubes (let dry overnight). In a large bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Put bread in a 9 x 9-inch greased cake pan. Pour egg mixture over bread and press bread to help soak. Let stand 1 hour.

Place sliced butter on top. Cover with layer of plastic wrap, then foil. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then uncover and finish for 20 to 30 minutes.

Sauce: Saute pecans on medium heat to lightly toast. Add brown sugar and bourbon. Stir and bring to a simmer approximately 3 to 5 minutes until caramel consistency is reached. Best to do this once bread pudding is out and done.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

35

FOOD a

new direction

SOHO CHEF PROVES

A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE

KITCHEN Julie Schoenherr, owner of SoHo Kitchen & Bar, finds culinary inspiration from old family recipes and from her collection of over 100 cookbooks. One of the latest additions to the menu is the Popper Topper.

j

Text by Ally Karsyn Photographs by Justin Wan

JULIE SCHOENHERR WANTED to be many things. At one point, she saw herself cutting and styling hair. At another, putting on a uniform and patrolling the streets. What really happened is that she became a farmer’s wife and later entered the banking business, finding a new love and place to learn.

When she began looking for her next challenge, it was her husband, the farmer, who looked at her and saw how her face lights up when she talks about food.

At his urging, she opened SoHo Kitchen & Bar on Historic Fourth Street a little more than four years ago. On a recent morning, before the doors opened, Schoenherr had already been at work for a couple hours cutting lettuce, roasting chicken and making meatloaf and a homemade tomato bisque while strips of bacon popped and sizzled on the stove.

Beyond the kitchen doors, it’s quiet in

36

FEBRUARY 2016

the restaurant, save for the brief shuffle of chairs being removed from tabletops and set on the wood floor, ready to welcome the lunch crowd that day.

This is her domain.

People ask her from time to time, “Has it always been your dream to own a restaurant?”

It hasn’t.

“It’s always been my dream to be an entrepreneur and be successful at it,” she said.

Out of high school, she worked for Country Kitchen International, where she had a boss who believed in her. She was hired as a server, but over the next three years, moved on to prep cooking and line cooking. Schoenherr’s work ethic and willingness to try new things earned her a position as an operations manager.

She soaked up everything she could about running a restaurant. But she didn’t see how the long hours spilling over into dinner time and late into

SIOUXLAND LIFE

the night could work with raising two children out on the farm. When she reentered the workforce, she got into the banking sector.

Historically, women have been told their place is in the kitchen – as long as it’s in the home. To this day, women only make up about 21 percent of head cooks and chefs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Schoenherr is one of them now living this hectic but satisfying life after 30 years away from a professional kitchen.

For anyone, man or woman, the hours and lifestyle can be demanding, to say the least.

Schoenherr is an empty nester now but, even so, she sees to it that her husband doesn’t have to scrounge through the fridge to find something to eat at night when she’s cooking at the restaurant. Her customers get to eat well and he does, too.

Just the other day, when she went home for that precious hour-long break

Julie Schoenherr opened SoHo Kitchen & Bar, which serves American cuisine made from scratch, more than four years ago after leaving the banking business.

in the afternoon, she didn’t prop her feet up on the sofa but, instead, stood by the stove making penne served in a vodka cream sauce. Pasta is her quick and easy go-to meal.

As the chef at SoHo, she places an emphasis on using the freshest ingredients and not letting food go to waste. It pains her to throw anything away.

At 54, a part of her has never forgotten the frugality she practiced out on the farm with a young family of four when interest rates were high, corn prices were low and Pizza Rolls were a treat.

Sometimes, they had $25 a week to buy groceries and that meant getting creative to get by.

When they were first married, occasionally her husband would show up for mid-morning coffee with a few hungry friends.

Schoenherr prided herself on being able to whip up something in a pinch.

She’d crack open a tube of biscuits and make them into doughnuts, fried and

A handmade, half-pound burger is flame-grilled at SoHo Kitchen & Bar.

tossed in sugar. The men were none the wiser. For all they knew, these heavenly treats took hours to make instead of minutes.

Today, she’s concocting new foods for the menu at SoHo, which serves American cuisine made from scratch.

The compliments she receives from customers, the full house, the silence that sets in over a table when everyone’s got a mouthful of delicious food or the simple sentiment satisfied diners let out between bites of a gourmet burger, groaning, “Mmm! That’s good,” it’s all a testament to the successful business she has built.

Even though she works unspeakably long hours at the restaurant, that same glimmer of passion shines bright in her eyes – the same one her husband saw years ago.

“There is nothing better than someone telling you that they loved that food,” she said. “It’s almost as good as getting paid.”

SOHO MEATLOAF 2 cups panko bread crumbs 1 ½ cups milk 2 ½ pounds ground beef 1 cup minced onion 2 eggs, beaten 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ½ cup ketchup, plus ¼ cup set aside for topping 2 tablespoons A-1 steak sauce 1 tablespoon steak seasoning Soak bread crumbs in milk. Once soft, mix all ingredients together and press firmly into a lightly greased loaf pan. Top with ¼ cup ketchup. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.

Drain grease before cutting. *This is a family recipe adapted from Julie Schoenherr’s great aunt.

FOOD making

weight

Clint Koedam, head wrestling coach at Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, top, wrestles with student athlete Kyle Benson during a team practice.

A Sergeant Bluff-Luton wrestling practice.

COACH TAKES DOWN

WRESTLING’S DIET STIGMA

s

Text by Tim Gallagher Photographs by Justin Wan

SERGEANT BLUFF, IOWA | After Clint Koedam talks about practice schedules and the varsity letter policy in a preseason wrestling meeting each fall at Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, he hands out a grocery list and covers shopping ideas with parents.

Koedam, a veteran coach, spends onethird of his preseason talk focused on nutrition.

Eating habits in this sport, and probably all sports, is likely more important than take-downs, escapes and pinning combinations.

With wrestling, however, there is a stigma associated with weight-loss, a sport that, in the past, has sometimes seen participants in their teens cutting then adding weight in short-term bursts that arise around matches.

“We want to create healthy lifelong habits,” Koedam says. “We don’t just want a young person to be here competing for four years just to hang a medal around their neck.”

Instead, Koedam wants healthy student-athletes who work and compete and one day become healthy adults. He comes by this mindset honestly, as he didn’t cut dozens of pounds during his

38

FEBRUARY 2016

Clint Koedam, Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School’s wrestling head coach.

prep wrestling days at West Lyon High School. His coach at the time, Ty Seaman (currently the activities director at Storm Lake High School) worked in the early 1990s to educate Wildcat grapplers on proper diet.

“Ty Seaman would talk to us about what to eat, what to drink and how to manage weight before the season began,” Koedam says.

Because of his weight-maintenance regimen, Koedam never looked forward to the end of the wrestling season, either

SIOUXLAND LIFE

in high school or at Buena Vista University, where he earned a berth in the NCAA Division III national meet at 158 pounds in 1997.

“There are some guys I know who cut weight the wrong way (years ago) and they still remember those days and they still overeat and over-drink,” says Koedam, who finished third at state in his high school senior season.

At Sergeant Bluff-Luton, parents are advised about weight maintenance and healthy eating habits. Parents learn quickly they might have to alter their family shopping and dining habits to benefit their child who dons the Warrior wrestling singlet.

Koedam remembers his family eating with him during his prep days at West Lyon. The Koedams would dine on lean meat and fresh fruits and vegetables during the season, rather than dining on pizza and fast-food frequently.

Grocery lists Koedam pushes feature whole-grain breads and fruits and vegetables that are either fresh or frozen.

“The peaches in a can? There’s a lot of sugar in there,” he says.

Additionally, lean meat is suggested, such as lean hamburger. Steak is fine, but Koedam proposes cutting the fat from the steak.

After SB-L wrestlers weigh in for a meet, they join for a meal. Those competitors open their coolers to find items like a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread, Greek yogurt and a banana, foods all spelled out in what’s termed a Competition Fuel Plan. At SB-L, there’s a Fuel Plan for both dual meets and tournaments.

“We do have an assistant coach who watches for things like the foot-long sub that one of the guys might sneak in,” Koedam says. “We know we are still dealing with 14- to 17-year-olds.”

THE CHOPHOUSE CLASSIC

with a twist

That said, a pleasure like the occasional sub sandwich or a Snickers bar, is OK. Moderation is key.

“For me, it’s always been ice cream,” Koedam says. “I have ice cream three nights per week. It’s important to allow yourself a little cheat like that. It calms your brain.”

Koedam doesn’t eat a gallon, of course. He advises against the king-size Snickers, too.

“A bad diet impacts how you perform,” says Koedam, whose team recently won

its second Missouri River Activities Conference dual-match wrestling title in the past three years. “You cannot maintain your mental stability on a bad diet. You need to keep your wits about you, and a bad diet, or improper weight loss gets in the way of that.”

This wrestling coach, and many others in the sport, encourage wrestlers to be bigger, stronger and more energetic.

That occurs through natural foods, regular eating and lots of hard work, both in the weight room and on the mat.

CHAIRMAN’S RESERVE® BONE IN PORK CHOP applewood smoked bone in pork loin, brined in spring peaches & fresh thyme, smoked gouda mashed, honey butter poached rainbow baby carrots, maytag blue cheese brûléed local vine ripened tomato Part of a thoughtful menu highlighted by local, organic & sustainable products

Live Music

EVERY TUESDAY 6:30 - 9:30PM

Join us at Kahill’s today!

Make your kitchen stand out for all the right reasons. Slate’s matte finish hides fingerprints, holds magnets and goes with any décor.

Kollman Appliance

409 W 7th St, Sioux City | 712-255-6650 Store Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 6pm Sat 9am - 1pm | Sun Closed www.kollmanappliance.net

385 EAST 4TH STREET, SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE 402.494.5025 kahills.net SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

39

FOOD injuries

A GUIDE TO H

COOKING

r

KNIFE CUT

Text by Dolly A. Butz

RECENTLY, ASHLEY NEILS HAS tried her hand at cooking, making a dinner of chicken, asparagus and artichokes for her husband and baking up some homemade pumpkin dog treats.

Neils, a family physician at St. Luke’s Sunnybrook Medical Plaza, however, is no stranger to cooking injuries. She has treated a number of patients who suffered burns from grease fires.

Her dad caught fire while frying bacon on Christmas Day. “He was covered in a blue flame. I said, ‘Dad, you’re on fire!’” Neils recalled.

“He didn’t even know because the blue flame was just dancing along his sweater.”

Neils helped pat her father down to extinguish the fire. He wasn’t injured during the incident. In fact, the fire didn’t even damage his sweater.

“Since then we’ve made sure everyone has their fire extinguishers in the kitchen updated, because they expire,” she said.

EYE IRRITATION PREVENTION: Neils said you should always wash your hands before touching your eyes.

TREATMENT: If you inadvertently touch your eye after chopping hot peppers, Neils said you can rinse your eye out with water. If that doesn’t alleviate the burning and tingling or if you start experiencing problems with the clarity or sharpness of your vision, Neils said you should see a doctor.

PREVENTION: Use knives that are sharp and cutting boards that won’t slip. Neils said you should also know your slicing and dicing abilities and be sure to keep knives away from children.

TREATMENT: “I would wrap it up right away with a kitchen towel or a Band-Aid,” she said. “You can rinse it with the faucet water right there and put on some hydrogen peroxide or an antibiotic ointment.” If the wound doesn’t stop bleeding after applying pressure, Neils said you should visit urgent care. She said you might want to inquire about a tetanus shot if you’re not upto-date.

FALLS PREVENTION: “I guess you kind of need to know your area and the capacity for your kitchen,” Neils said. “If you have elderly folks around you want to make sure that you don’t have rugs lying around that they can trip on. Know where your cords are.”

TREATMENT: Neils said landing on an outstretched arm is a typical injury that occurs as a result of a fall.

She said ice and elevation can soothe an injury to a limb. Head injuries that occur as a result of falls, she said, should be evaluated by a doctor if they are accompanied by nausea, vomiting and dizziness.

FOODBORNE ILLNESS (SALMONELLA, STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS ETC.)

Ashley Neils 40

FEBRUARY 2016

PREVENTION: “When you’re cleaning, you want to make sure that you aren’t using the sponges after you’ve cleaned up the chicken,” Neils said. And be sure to wash your hands.

TREATMENT: Signs of foodborne illness include severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms generally occur 24 to 48 hours later, but Staphylococcus aureus – a toxin-producing bacteria – can make a person sick within in an hour of exposure, according to Neils. She said you’ll need to visit your doctor for testing. If you have a foodborne illness, you’ll be prescribed a course of antibiotics.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

HANDLING

G INJURIES

BURN (LIQUID)

PREVENTION: Hot liquid such as water and grease can cause superficial and partial thickness burns when they splatter. Neils said you should be always pour hot liquids away from your body.

TREATMENT: A small burn consisting of a red spot, Neils said, can be treated at home with ice. If the skin starts bubbling up, she recommends visiting urgent care or your family physician.

“Generally we use Silvadene (a topical oinment). We always want to prevent bacterial superinfection so we keep a close eye.

The main thing is for people to come in and not mess around with it at home,” she said.

If the burn covers a majority of your arm, leg or another part of your body, Neils said you’ll need to go to the emergency room to receive intravenous fluids and pain medication.

BURN (CONTACT)

PREVENTION: Be aware of hot surfaces in the kitchen and use potholders.

TREATMENT: If you do accidentally put your hand on a burner or touch a hot pan, Neils said you should immediately run your hand under lukewarm water. “Depending on how much surface area is burned will determine if you probably need to see your physician or not and if you have feeling to that area and whether or not it’s going to bubble up,” she said.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

41

HEALTH chin

fat

Indy Chabra, second from left, a dermatologist at Midlands Clinic, gets ready to do a Kybella injection on medical assistant Paula Grajeda, as their colleagues, certified medical assistants Erica Maya, first from left, and Dani Kuehl, far right, assist.

FDA-APPROVED KYBELLA TARGETS

w

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photograph by Justin Wan

WHEN PAULA GRAJEDA HEARD a new injection could rid her of the flab under her chin, the medical assistant at Midlands Clinic in Dakota Dunes, declared she was going to be the first one in line to try it.

“It just bothered me a lot,” the 42-yearold Sioux City woman said of submental fullness. “Even when I was skinny I had this problem.”

Grajeda closed her eyes as she laid back in a procedure chair on a Wednesday afternoon. Indy Chabra, a dermatologist at the clinic, took a syringe filled with Kybella, or deoxycholic acid, and injected it into a grid of tiny dots that

42

FEBRUARY 2016

CHIN FAT

had been transferred onto the numbed area below Grajeda’s chin. She received 20 injections total.

“I didn’t feel anything,” Grajeda said afterward, as she held ice packs against the area which had started to redden.

Kybella, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last April, targets excess chin fat which is caused by genetics, aging and weight.

“There are a lot of people even after they’ve lost weight or never had excess body weight, who have a little bit of excess fat underneath the chin,” Chabra said. “That’s really a challenging area for some people, even after they lose weight

SIOUXLAND LIFE

they still have this little extra fat.”

Submental fullness is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale with 1 being very mild and 5 being severe. Chabra said Kybella can benefit patients who have chin fat ranging in severity from 1 to 4. It acts like a detergent as it creates holes in the membrane of fat cells or lipocytes.

“What we’re targeting here is preplaysmal fat – fat that’s above the platysma (muscle fibers extending from the collarbone to the angle of the jaw),” he said. “It’s basically excess fat.”

Although Kybella goes to work immediately, Chabra said patients can expect to see results over a period of 4 to 8

weeks. Two to four treatments, he said, are required, depending on the amount of submental fullness a patient has. The results are permanent.

“I think that’s one of the unique things about this procedure compared to all the other things we do like Botox and filler,” he said.

Before Kybella hit the market, Chabra said cosmetic surgery, liposuction and a neck lift, was the only option to treat submental fullness. Surgical intervention, he said, can cost between $5,000 and $6,000. Kybella is $1,200 per treatment.

Side effects associated with Kybella include pain, burning sensation, swelling and numbness at the injection sites.

Chabra said these reactions subside with time.

“It was better than I expected,” Grajeda said of the procedure. “I was told it was going to be real painful.”

Chabra will take a look at Grajeda’s progress in two months.

As patients become more comfortable with injectables, Chabra thinks Kybella could be used to reduced fat in other areas of the body. But for now, he said the product should only be used as FDA indicated.

Reinvent Your Kitchen

Designer Jamie Lindemann will work closely with you to create the kitchen or bath that works for you!

GET AWAY TO THE BIG SCREEN.

Jamie Lindemann, AKBD Designer 715 East Ninth Street South Sioux City, NE 68776

402-494-5411

creative-cabinetry.com

IOWA FILM FESTIVALS Discover unforgettable movies.

From the Siouxland to Snake Alley, Iowa film festivals stay with you long after the credits have rolled. Engage in lively discussions with the directors and meet the filmmakers of tomorrow. Start planning your getaway and view our statewide listing of festivals at produceiowa.com.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

43

Holding back is a tHing of tHe past A new smile lets you bloom

If you’re uncomfortable with your teeth, you could be holding back who you really are. But Invisalign’s clear, custom-designed aligners can be an inconspicuous way to get a beautiful new smile. So check with an experienced Invisalign provider and let the real you bloom with a new smile.

Wheelock & Bursick Dentistry

4100 Morningside Ave. (Across From McDonald’s)

(712) 274-2038 or (800) 728-2038

New patients are welcomed!

44

February 2016

Siouxland Life

ADVICE Medical

Answers

‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’ answers to your medical questions

What are the signs of ulcers?

How do you treat them?

Stomach ulcers, also known as peptic ulcers, often cause upper abdominal pain or discomfort. Approximately 80 percent of individuals with peptic ulcers have abdominal pain.The pain may radiate to the back.

Individuals with peptic ulcers generally have abdominal pain that worsens with eating, have belching after eating, upper abdominal fullness, an early decrease in appetite, nausea and, occasionally, vomiting. Individuals with ulcers in the duodenum, or first part of the small intestine, generally have worsening abdominal pain two to five hours after eating and at night between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., when stomach acid secretion increases. Individuals with severe ulcer disease may have darkened stools, bloody stools, and/or blood-tinged vomit due to bleeding from the ulcers.

A perforated ulcer is a medical emergency as this creates a hole from the stomach or intestines into the abdominal cavity which can result in severe infection.

Patients with peptic ulcers should be tested for a particular type of bacteria known as H. pylori, which can sometimes cause ulcers. Antibiotics would be necessary if the H. pylori bacteria are detected. Sometimes peptic ulcers can be caused or worsened by NSAID use, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) and others. Tylenol is not an NSAID. Smoking and alcohol consumption can also potentially cause and worsen peptic ulcers. Therefore, we usually suggest stopping NSAIDs, smoking, and stopping or decreasing alcohol consumption to no more than one drink daily. We also usually suggest a medicine to help with decreasing stomach acid production. If in the event that an ulcer has perforated, surgery would then be indicated.

What kind of information should I bring to you when I’m coming for an annual checkup? Should I have a list?

Great question. In all cases, you should have information ready about your past medical history, past surgical

history, past hospitalizations, family history of medical or psychiatric problems, allergies and current medications with doses including over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements and holistic medications including herbals.

If you have a medical condition or conditions where information is

MEET THE DOC Jesse Nieuwenhuis is a family medicine resident physician at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, Iowa. collected outside the clinic or hospital, we ask that you bring those results with you as well, which can include but may not be limited to: blood pressures, blood sugar readings, sleep diary, food diary, headache diary, etc. If you are taking medication, we generally ask that you bring in your medication bottles with you to your appointments so we know exactly what you are taking and how much. As a general rule of thumb, if you think you won’t be able to remember all of this information, I would suggest making a list. Lists can be very helpful for both patient and doctor, especially for managing multiple medical and/or psychiatric issues.

How would I know when to go to urgent care and not the emergency room?

Generally, for issues that you think can be dealt with in the clinic setting, I would suggest going to an urgent care facility rather than the emergency room. For instance, coughs, colds, stomach bugs, minor injuries, etc. can often be effectively managed by urgent care. For instances of chest

WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? Submit your questions and they may be used in this monthly feature. Write to Siouxland Life at 515 Pavonia St., Sioux City, Iowa 51102.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

45

ADVICE Medical

Answers

pain, trouble breathing, stroke-like symptoms, severe allergic reaction, acute changes in mental status such as confusion etc., moderate to severe injuries, or new severe pain of any nature, etc., I would suggest going to the emergency room rather than urgent care.

However, I know there’s often a “gray area” of uncertainty about the severity of a particular problem without speaking to or seeing a doctor or nurse first. In those instances of uncertainty, I have no specific recommendations because even if you were to go to urgent care and the problem couldn’t be effectively managed there, you would be referred to the emergency room for further care.

And of course, many urgent care facilities are not open 24/7, and so the emergency room may be your only option overnight or on weekends/holidays. What I would highly suggest is that everyone has a primary care doctor because many clinics have doctors and/or nurses on call 24/7 that you can call about any problem and a doctor or nurse can answer your questions and

help direct you to the best location for care.

How many days can you go without sleeping before you start hurting your health?

Interesting question. In short: it doesn’t take much sleep deprivation to affect your health, but the actual number of hours without sleep it takes to worsen one’s health is difficult to calculate for an entire population in general. Sleep deprivation is simply defined as a change in mood, performance, and/or health due to lack of sleep. Moreover, the amount of sleep individuals need to stave away changes in mood, performance, and/or health is different from person to person.

One can think of sleep deprivation in two different ways: acute and chronic sleep deprivation. For example, with acute sleep deprivation, you normally get enough sleep but recently miss out on sleep over the course of one to a few nights. Chronic sleep deprivation happens when you don’t get enough sleep night after

night for many weeks, months, or years. Sleep can also be thought of in terms of sleep quantity and sleep quality. Quantity is how many hours you sleep each night and quality and how “well” you sleep overnight. Both decreased quantity and quality of sleep can poorly affect your health.

Most chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, and heart disease, for example, are all negatively affected by any amount of sleep deprivation.

There is no magic number on how much lost sleep it takes to cause impairments and/or health problems because each individual requires a different amount of sleep in order to prevent sleep deprivation. But generally speaking, most adults need seven to eight hours of good sleep each night to prevent sleep deprivation, which is again any amount of lost sleep that can negatively affect one’s mood, performance, and/or health. Therefore, it stands to reason that for the general population, going without sleep for just one night can have negative effects on your health.

Marcus Lumber

Where ere Quality and Service Make the Difference

Stop in to make your home building experience easy with our expansive showroom!

. ft 18,000 sq M! showroo

• Over 30 kitchen & bath displays • 25 window displays • 50 pre-hung door displays

800-658-5400 Marcuslumber.com 46

FEBRUARY 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

SQUIRRELING OUT OF

SUMMER CAMP

y

YOU WANT TO DISCIPLINE your child? Threaten him with summer camp.

The fear of having to sleep in a dank bunk with kids you didn’t know was enough to keep me quiet in the back seat for four hours.

The folks used that taunt when another didn’t work: “If you don’t behave we’re sending you to see Uncle Henry.”

Uncle Henry, you see, was in an asylum for, um, crazy people and it sounded pretty bleak. I never met him (did he even exist?) but dad would slow down enough when we came to his town and I was so still I could have posed for a Renaissance painter.

Clearly, my parents were smart enough to know how to deal with a precocious child. Sensing as much, I asked for a subscription to Parents magazine when I was 10. I said it was for the movie reviews but, actually, I was trying to see if I could gather some insight. By 12, I had read “Between Parent and Child” and its sequel “Between Parent and Teenager.”

Both gave me plenty of ammunition for those heart-to-heart talks designed to give an adult the upper hand. Mom and Dad realized that, took a look at the

books themselves and were quick on the draw with those infuriating, “Why do you say that?” responses.

By my teenage years, I viewed life through the eyes of a union steward. I negotiated everything (including contact lenses, which came with a three-page “contract” that spelled out the cost/benefit ratio) and, frequently, won the battle. (Often, it was just a matter of wearing them down. “If you shut up, I’ll say yes,” Dad would offer as his closing argument.)

Camp, though, was the low blow – the preemptive strike they’d use every time they wanted to win quickly.

It started early in life when camp was actually a viable summer alternative.

One visit, however, made it an impossibility. The place, you see, wasn’t as idyllic as something you’d find on Lake Okoboji.

This place looked like something out of “Friday the 13th.” The counselors weren’t much better than Jason Voorhees and the lake, more charitably, could be called a swamp.

The cabins defined the term “rustic.”

Water was filled with iron ore, beds had a vague urine smell and the cafeteria looked like it served the catch of last

week. There were crafts, too, but none of the skills they taught could lead to a goldmine on Etsy. This was everything a television-addicted child could spurn.

And, yes, electricity was considered a “perk” and ticks were part of the ambiance.

Needless to say, I didn’t spend a week there, even when friends thought it might be a good idea to go as a group. (I was the smart one. They hated it, too.)

Years later, my sister went to band camp (at a different place) and loved it so much she wound up working there as a college student. But even that – with the promise of competition – didn’t seem worth missing a week of “Another World” and “Days of Our Lives.” One look at rooms without air conditioning was enough to convince me my trombone skills were just fine.

Years later – when I was too old to care – Dad poked the bear and asked if I regretted not going to summer camp.

Nope, I said. “But I really wish we could have visited Uncle Henry a little more. He seemed like my kind of guy.”

Parents Magazine couldn’t have said it any better.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2016

47

Blackbird Bend Casino is the friendliest gaming experience you’ve ever imagined with all of the best amenities: • Hundreds of the latest and hottest slots • Table games including Blackjack, Poker, Pai Gow, Craps and Roulette • An exciting high-tech Bingo Hall • Great dining in the Upstream Café • Giveaways, promotions and fun

If you’ve never visited us before, we will make it worth your while! When you arrive, sign up for your free membership in Club Blackbird, our premier rewards program that gives you the ability to earn benefits for every dollar you spend. The more you play, the more you earn! And, when you sign up for the Club, we will give you $10 in Free Play just for joining.

JUST 35 MILES SOUTH OF SIOUX CITY 1-29 SOUTH TO ONAWA EXIT 112 CALL TOLL-FREE: 1.844.622.2121

·

Proudly hosted and operated by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa

Management reserves the right to alter or cancel promotions at any time without prior notice.

Gambling problem? Call 1.800.BETS OFF 48

February 2016

Siouxland Life