Siouxland Life - December 2017

Keep yourself safe over the break

Growing Christmas trees isn’t what it used to be

The story of Mr. Goodfellow

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

HOLIDAY READY WE’VE GOT IDEAS TO DECK THE HALLS AND EVERYWHERE ELSE

GREAT ENTERTAINING TIPS FROM THE PROS

DECEMBER 2017

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

gift

Give her the

she really wants!

Gift certificates available for quick and easy pickup

Free LASer TreATMeNT wiTh purchASe oF A giFT cerTiFicATe oF $100.00 or More!

4301 Sergeant Road Suite 120, Sioux City, IA 51106 • (712) 224-SKIN • midlandscosmetic.com • Facebook.com/MidlandsCosmetic 705 Sioux Point Road Suite 100, Dakota Dunes, SD 57049 • (605) 217-5500 • midlandsclinic.com • Facebook.com/midlandsclinicpc 2

December 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CONTENTS December

2017

Sometimes it takes a nudge to get the decorating done. Consider this edition our nudge. We’ve got plenty of ideas for every aspect of the season. Experts have given us tips for entertaining (which should hold us through New Year’s Eve) and designers have all the great looks for making your home look Santa-ready. We’ve got some cautionary tales, too, and some home stories that should make you smile a little broader this year.

From all of us at Siouxland Life, have a great holiday season!

14

GETTING IN THE HABITAT A Habitat for Humanity home is just what it takes to make the holidays a little brighter.

Discover how the process worked for one Siouxland family.

23

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD We’ve got ideas from the pros to help you entertain with ease this holiday season. Ready to dive in?

18 ON THE COVER Here’s one for the books: Donna and John Beier, owners of the Blooming House at Cherokee, Iowa, have raised 2,000 poinsettias since July. Photograph by Tim Gallagher FEATURES 4 HOME a new old home 14 HOLIDAY READY a reason to smile 16 HOLIDAY READY branch of the family 18 HOLIDAY READY seeing red 23 HOLIDAY READY perfect bite 26 HOLIDAY READY entertaining with ease 30 HOLIDAY READY serving with style

32 35 40 42 46 47

HOLIDAY READY decking the halls HOLIDAY READY the mod touch HOLIDAY READY Mr. Goodfellow HEALTH holiday injuries HEALTH medical answers PARTING SHOT

PUBLISHER Cynthia Donovan EDITOR Bruce Miller DESIGNERS April Burford, Sara Harvey, Jeffrey Randall, Emily Shullaw EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Mason Dockter PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan ADVERTISING SALES Kaylee Betterton ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming

32

©2017 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal.

For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6279. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.

DECKING THE HALLS The hot colors, the cool looks. We’ve got them all, thanks to two designers who know how to make the season sing.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

3

HOME

a new old home

AN OLD

HOME IS NEW AGAIN IN MAPLETON

Travis and Evie Kaufman enjoy their family/living room at their 1896 home on Ring Street in Mapleton, Iowa, where they’ve resided since Travis was named pastor at Faith Bible Church.

4

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Travis and Evie Kaufman bought his 1896 home in Mapleton, Iowa, out of foreclosure. Travis said it was a Fannie Mae home. A Christmas wreath above the back door signals the approaching Christmas season.

Pastoral couple relishes rebirth of 6-bedroom dwelling

m

Text by Tim Gallagher Photographs by Jim Lee

MAPLETON, IOWA | Evie Kaufman sighed and laughed, glancing at the Christmas wreath above the back door at her stately residence on Ring Street.

“I’ve got to get the Christmas decorations up,” she said. “We really haven’t started yet.”

One can’t blame Kaufman and her husband, Travis Kaufman. They put the finish on a kitchen table the night before.

The kitchen table followed the kitchen island, which followed the kitchen cabinets, which had to be altered prior to the arrival of the new refrigerator.

The kitchen followed the parlor, which followed the dining room, which followed the foyer, which followed the classroom, which followed the laundry room, which led to a pair of upstairs bedrooms.

And on and on and on. Such are the challenges when one purchases an 1896 three-story home. This tireless couple has been working steadily to return it to its former glory.

The Kaufman home is a labor of love —an almost unceasing one – for the couple and their five young children, who range in age from 12 to 4.

“We do treasure the moments with our kids,” Evie says. “The noise, the activity and, yes, the mess!”

Travis Kaufman landed in Mapleton

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

5

The 1920s-era carriage house and barn are located in back of the Travis and Evie Kaufman home.

The main floor foyer.

One potential hiccup involved housing. More specifically: A house built for seven.

“The homes for sale when we arrived either weren’t in our price range or didn’t have the room we needed,” Travis said.

“I envisioned having room for our kids to spread out, and room for Travis and I to host gatherings in the home,” Evie said, noting how important it can be for a church family to open their home to members of the congregation.

Enter the home on Ring Street, a dwelling that offers 3,400 square feet, six bedrooms and 2 1/2 (or 3 1/2) baths. The home has a barn and a carriage house out back.

What’s more? The home had been vacant for 18 months and in foreclosure.

If the Kaufmans took a leap of faith – and a plunge into a massive do-it-yourself project – they could have the home for an incredibly reasonable price.

“We were blown away when we learned it was a Fannie Mae home,” Travis said. “We could buy it, but with the requirements that we moved in within three months and then stayed for at least one year.”

That was three years ago, give or take.

The Kaufmans moved to Mapleton and resided for a short time across the street at “God’s Little House,” a dwelling adjacent to St. John’s United Methodist

Reinvent Your Kitchen

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

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

402-494-5411

creative-cabinetry.com SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

7

Church. That home is owned by the United Methodist Church and used for the occasional family in-need or person passing through town.

“We finished the game room/TV room first and all seven of us stayed in that room for months,” Evie said.

“When we moved here, all the plumbing had been frozen and the toilets cracked,” Travis recalled. “The house had been vacant for 18 months.”

At one time, the house had also been divided into apartment units. The Kaufmans quickly realized the former glory of the home and dug in, relying on Evie’s creative spirit, Travis’ know-how and some family members who were incredibly adept at mobilizing for behemoth weekend construction efforts.

They attacked the main floor, returning the hardwood floors throughout to their former glory. Once inside the door, guests move beneath glorious wooden doorways to transition from parlor to dining room to family room to foyer. A central fireplace expands on the main floor to a three-headed heating unit, the face of a fireplace showing in three different directions to serve three different rooms.

“Our wish is to one day get the fire place working,” Travis said. “They’re all so pretty with the cast-iron covers.”

This area of the main floor serves as classroom space for their five children, who are homeschooled. The stairway is one of two in this three-story home.

Your Kitchen in 2018 Your kitchen is most likely the most Darrel Bullock important room in President your house: where Sioux City Building Inspections the kids do their homework, where your friends come for coffee, where you pay your bills and — for most of us — where we cook our meals.

It’s also the first thing that home shoppers look at, and that’s why the experts on the National Association of Home Builders’ Design Committee pay close attention to color, pattern, lighting and appliance trends. Here’s what these experts are seeing as they look to the kitchen of 2018: Open floor plans The kitchen as a gathering place is here to stay, say these designers. And as islands get bigger, some are swapping the kitchen table and “command center” desk for a comfy armchair or two where you can sit and scroll through your tablet or phone while you enjoy a cup of tea.

Storage remains very important, and the clean lines of today’s kitchen design — fewer knickknacks and less clutter on the countertops — mean more home owners are asking for bigger mud rooms with ample shelves for everything from canned goods to vases.

Technology The “smart home”is becoming more evident in today’s kitchen. Just as thermostats and security devices can be controlled via a smart phone, so too can ovens, refrigerators and other appliances. This trend, designers say, is only growing.

And that oven? It’s still likely to be stainless steel, but in a black stainless steel, which is now among the most popular colors of kitchen appliances.

Other popular shades include deep jewel colors, especially navy blue, in high-end ovens.

Counters and Cabinets Granite countertops remain a classic choice for the traditionalist, but

there are plenty of new options to choose from. Quartz countertops have improved remarkably since they were first introduced — coming in larger slabs so having a seam between comes to cabinets, top designers are saying that intricate designs and fancy knobs are very “last century.” Think flat panels and clean lines, with a focus on maximizing storage.

And as more families use their kitchen as a hub for entertaining, the “beverage center” is coming into its own this year.

Having a cabinet and countertop section with a sink, icemaker and mini-fridge lets your guests pour their own drinks or hungry children get their own snacks without congesting the other areas of the kitchen.

You can find a builder or remodeler to help you find more design ideas as you think about your new home or remodeling project at http://www.siouxlandhba.com/members/.

712-255-3852 | siouxlandhba.com 8

December 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

9

Travis and Evie Kaufman redid their kitchen, opting with a color called abstract ash. Travis cut down the cabinets to allow space for the refrigerator. He also built the table, or island, at the center of the kitchen. Finally, he built the table at the far left, using framing lumber.

Until that time, the Kaufmans will rely upon a pair of furnace units in the basement and one upstairs, work done by Trucke Heating.

A friend, meantime, replaced all the wiring in the home, as Travis cut the kitchen cabinets down in order to allow for a modern-day refrigerator unit, the kind of which one wouldn’t have seen

more than a century ago.

Evie consulted a variety of outlets for creative solutions to kitchen nook areas (where a triangle table made by Travis from framing lumber has landed), a classroom space for her home-schooling efforts, and a kitchen door that now features a slate chalkboard in the center, one good for spiritual messages as well

& Happy New Year’s

from Central Kitchen & Bath

as “to-do” lists.

“The middle of the door had wire in it for some reason,” Evie said.

The kitchen color is an abstract ash, following a neutral color scheme found throughout their home. The dining room color is a thunder clap, while the parlor and living room have a hint of a coffee color, using a shade known as frappe.

We Go Above and Beyond…

That’s Just What We do!

844 Gordon Drive, Sioux City

712-255-6891

www.centralkitchenbath.com 10

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

carpet | tile & stone | Hardwood laminate | resilient

$1899 2Pc Sectional

we

leather

SALE

2414 Gordon dr., sioux city, ia 51106

7122522991

Mon.-Thurs.: 9am - 8pm, Fri.: 9am - 6pm Sat.: 9am - 5pm, Sun.: 12 - 5pm

“

Our experience is always grea eat!

We appreciate how kind and caring everyone is. We have been coming here with our children for years and we always feel genuinely loved.

Thank you! - happy family

Where Quality, Comfort & Value Meet equipped with the knowledge and skills to offer specialized care for your child and their mouth

Wheelock & Bursick Dentistry (712) 274-2038 4100 Morningside Ave., Sioux City, IA

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

11

An aunt provided the dining room table. Travis did the work on the ceiling, while the couple combined to restore the home’s hardwood floors.

A fireplace at the northeast corner of the room provided the heat for this area a century ago.

Hutches are built-in treasures found in corners throughout the home, as is an original chandelier and a stained glass window that helps the dining room stand out.

Family treasures like the dinning room and buffet dresser complement paintings created by Travis’ grandmother, Virginia Harimon, of Scottsbluff.

“We plan to have the board members from our church and their wives here for a Christmas gathering,” Evie said. “We will certainly try to be welcoming and we are finally at the point where we can have people over and it’s not dangerous, considering how much work were doing.”

Upstairs, the work continues as two bedrooms and a bathroom must still be 12

DECEMBER 2017

addressed. The other bedrooms, all of which feature transom windows above the doors, have all been restored to their original state.

Travis opened a door at the top of the staircase and pointed to a set of stairs that leads to the attic, another project that’s a year or two, at least, in the distance. Leading to the attic there’s yet another small door, one that leads to additional storage space.

“Everywhere they could, they put a door to maximize the space they had for storage,” he said.

The ingenuity elicited a laugh from Evie, who keeps busy chasing the pitterpatter of tiny feet on these immaculate hardwood floors. Her warm conclusion: “It’s a great hide-and-seek home!”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

The living/family room is adjoined by the dining room, left, and the foyer, back right. A fireplace unit helped heat this area for years after the 1896 home was built.

Above: Travis and Evie Kaufman sit together in the parlor serving their six-bedroom home on Ring Street in Mapleton, Iowa. The Kaufmans and their five children are working to restore the 1896 home to its former glory.

Left: Travis Kaufman shows one of three fireplaces that share a chimney at the center of his home in Mapleton, Iowa. Travis is standing in the living room. The dining room is shown on the left, with the fireplace unit visible.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

13

HOLIDAY READY a

reason to smile Elizabeth and Jose Garcia carry daughter, Amaya, from their home in Sioux Center, Iowa.

HOME OWNERSHIP PROMPTS FAMILY TO CONSIDER THEIR GIFTS

s

Habitat for Humanity group nears finish of Sioux Center house Text and Photographs by Tim Gallagher

SIOUX CENTER, IOWA | The second Habitat for Humanity home in less than a year is about to be completed in Sioux County, giving Jose and Elizabeth Garcia and their five children reason to celebrate this Christmas.

And give back.

“We’re going to volunteer at the ATLAS store in Sioux Center this Christmas,” said Jose, mentioning the nonprofit Christ-centered ministry that works with 14

DECEMBER 2017

area churches and resource organizations to help those in need.

The volunteer efforts help the family meet a 500-hour “sweat equity” requirement that allows them to purchase a Siouxland Habitat for Humanity Home on the northwest edge of Sioux Center, Jose’s hometown.

“Sioux Center is the only place I went to school, kindergarten through grade 12 here,” said Jose, a 2008 graduate of Sioux

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Center High School.

As an adult, though, Jose and his family have never owned a home. Rather, they’ve paid rent in each dwelling.

“To own a home gives me the feeling that my money is going to me,” he said of building equity.

Last year, the Garcias learned of the Siouxland Habitat for Humanity organization, and Jose inquired, seeing if he and Elizabeth and their four children

Elizabeth and Jose Garcia are shown holding daughter, Amaya, in their home in Sioux Center, Iowa.

(daughter Amaya was born on Nov. 16, 2016) might qualify. The organization has a home ownership program that allows the group to sell a home via a no-interest mortgage.

The homeowners, in this case, the Garcias, make mortgage payments that help the Habitat group continue to build more homes, assisting more families as they become homeowners.

A Realtor encouraged the Garcias to apply. Once their application was approved, Jose and Elizabeth met with a group of volunteers called the Family Selection Group, which conducted a roundtable interview.

Finalists were asked to share information about their income and their current residence. A home visit would follow.

“We live in an older, smaller house in Sioux Center,” said Jose. “It’s a 2-bedroom house that we rent.”

An older sewer line serving the home has proved problematic through

Above: The most recent Habitat for Humanity home in Sioux County will belong to Jose and Elizabeth Garcia, parents of five children. The Garcias, who have helped in the construction effort, hope to move into the home in January or February 2018. Left: Kurt Franje has helped direct construction efforts of a Siouxland Habit for Humanity home in Sioux Center, Iowa. Franje serves as the Sioux County director for the organization.

the years.

Those issues, and their growing family, led the Garcias to apply for the program directed by Sioux County Director of Siouxland Habitat for Humanity Kurt Franje, who helped oversee the effort of moving the home from Highway 75 to the northwest corner of town. The home, which was donated to Habitat by the Sioux Center Land Development organization, was moved last spring to make way for the construction of a new dental practice.

Franje said the effort will help the Garcias realize home-ownership dreams while keeping a dwelling on the tax rolls, filling Habitat’s last vacant lot in Sioux Center.

The Garcias said their children treated the occasion like Christmas, rushing in to claim their bedroom spots. There are two bedrooms on the main floor, one on

the top floor and two in the basement, both served with egress windows.

Their 4-year-old son, Jose, claimed the room with the Mickey Mouse border on the top level as his place.

Jose Garcia reported to the construction site as Franje worked with a host of business and civic volunteers in putting the additional touches on the home, making it ready for the family. Jose also helped construct an addition to the house, one allowing for a one-car attached garage.

Elizabeth cleaned windows and helped with another project in nearby Rock Valley, Iowa.

“We want to say thank you,” Elizabeth said.

“Projects like this help people who might need it,” Jose concluded. “This house opened a door for us. We now want to help others.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

15

HOLIDAY READY a

branch of the family

Mitchel Morse is shown, at his Morse’s Farm Market in Vermillion, South Dakota. Morse said his Christmas tree sales aren’t nearly what they once were, because of the trend toward artificial trees.

CHRISTMAS

TREES ARE A FAMILY BUSINESS FOR VERMILLION MAN

16

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

v

Text by Mason Dockter Photographs by Tim Hynds

VERMILLION, S.D. | Longtime (“63 years!”) Vermillion resident and University of South Dakota alum Mitchel Morse sells Christmas trees from his roadside fruit-and-vegetable stand just outside town. Just like his father and his grandfather before him, going back to the 1940s.

Back in the old days, the family was a leading purveyor of Christmas trees in Vermillion.

“Back in the ’50s and stuff, almost every classroom in the Vermillion public schools and a lot of the downtown merchants all had a Christmas tree in their front window,” he said.

Many of these classrooms and stores displayed Douglas firs sold to them by Morse’s grandfather and father.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Morse doesn’t grow the trees himself. Christmas trees grow best under specific conditions, and he’s not sure if the area has what it takes.

“It takes a certain type of soil,” he said.

“Mine all come out of Wisconsin.”

There’s a problem with buying a Christmas tree from the parking lot of a big box-style retailer, Morse said – they’ve been sitting out since early November, and they’re drier and burnt by the sun.

Morse has his trees trucked in around Thanksgiving (not much earlier) to ensure freshness.

“I don’t have something that’s going to dry out in 10 days,” he said.

Morse’s price range on trees ranges from $20 all the way to $250 for a “beautiful, 9-to-10-foot tree.”

“I sell trees for all ranges of people,” he said. “My primary goal – I want to satisfy all my customers.”

Customers have faith in Morse’s ability to select a tree.

“I’ve got my certain customers that, they don’t even come and look at them, they just call me up and say ‘Mitchel, we need a 6-foot tree, we need a 7-foot tree.’

And they rely on me to deliver them the perfect Christmas tree,” he said.

One of these customers is USD’s president, Jim Abbott, and his late wife, Colette.

“I said, ‘I’ll pick you out one, Colette, it’ll be nice – and if you don’t like it, why you can let me know,’” he said. “She just knew that I could do the best one.”

ARTIFICIAL TAKEOVER Morse has witnessed some changes in the Christmas tree industry over the years, with one fad giving way to another.

“We used to, what they call ‘flock’ trees, it’s where you sprayed them

Mitchel Morse is shown at his Morse’s Farm Market in Vermillion, South Dakota. Morse will start selling Christmas trees at the three-generation business after Thanksgiving.

“I’ve got my certain customers that, they don’t even come and look at them, they just call me up and say ‘Mitchel, we need a 6-foot tree, we need a 7-foot tree.’ And they rely on me to deliver them the perfect Christmas tree.”

MITCHEL MORSE white,” he said. “It’s kind of a lost art.”

But a far more lasting – and damaging – trend has taken hold of the Christmas tree market in the last 20 years or so.

Artificial trees have taken a massive bite out of the market.

In the old days, Morse said he sold perhaps 2,000 Christmas trees in a good year, compared to about 100 or 150 today.

“Years ago, we would get probably a semi-load of Christmas trees,” he said.

“And now, we’re down to just a partial semi-load.”

But while artificial trees can mimic the look of a natural tree to some extent, there is one aspect of natural trees that their plastic counterparts will never be able to reproduce.

“The smell,” Morse said. “The beautiful smell.”

FULL-SERVICE CHRISTMAS TREES For Vermillion buyers, Morse doesn’t just sell a Christmas tree and let the buyer figure the rest out. His trees come with free delivery – and if you bring him a tree stand, he’ll set the tree up in it before it’s delivered.

But what’s a customer to do on Dec. 26, when the tree is no longer needed?

“I charge $5 to pick them up after Christmas,” he said.

Like Santa Claus, Morse has some helpers when he delivers the trees.

“My sons have helped deliver, my daughters have helped deliver,” he said.

But, oddly enough, some people don’t take advantage of the free delivery Morse offers.

“Pretty much now, they just come and pick them up,” he said.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

17

HOLIDAY READY

seeing red

Donna and John Beier, owners of Blooming House at Cherokee, Iowa, grow and sell 2,000 poinsettias each year. The Beiers have operated the 1-acre business on the northern edge of Cherokee for 14 years.

There are local workers in Cherokee who find it therapeutic to spend a portion of their lunch hour walking in Blooming House greenhouse units this time of year.

18

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CHEROKEE GROWERS

ON-POINT

c

FOR POINSETTIAS

CHEROKEE, IOWA | John and Donna Beier heat one of their greenhouses on certain days in July.

And, more often, they haul out cooling pads in that unit.

Those are the measures these Blooming House business owners in Cherokee take to achieve a spectacular sea of red around the holidays. That’s what 2,000 blooming poinsettias can yield this time of year.

“Poinsettias are a big challenge to grow,” John Beier said as he stood in mid-November, awash in a blanket of bright red. “Poinsettias are so susceptible to disease and pests.

Few retailers grow them because they’re tricky.”

The Beiers, who employ one dozen people in a sprawling oneacre site on the northern edge of Cherokee, just east of Highway 59, obtain the plants as 2-inch cuttings. They house them in the enterprise’s fourth greenhouse, a place to which they run heat in an effort to keep temperatures above 68 at all times.

What if the mercury soars, as it does in July and August in Northwest Iowa? “Then we haul out the cooling pads,” John Beier said.

These plants, a holiday tradition for many, might be more pampered than the folks who sit by the fire and wait for St. Nicholas’ arrival.

Josh Anderson, a son-in-law to John and Donna, spends time each

Text by Tim Gallagher

summer and fall walking among the 2,000 plants, inspecting areas for pests, most notably the white fly, which likes to invade once corn dries across Northwest Iowa farm fields.

“We put this card (a yellow, sticky card) on a plant and a white fly will stick to it,” Anderson said.

“When we see one on a card, we check the whole plant over.”

Going to each plant may be time- and labor-intensive, John Beier said, but it beats blanketing hundreds of plants with a pesticide application. This eye-test scrutiny and a bug screen

outside the greenhouse have allowed staff members at Blooming House to reduce pesticide application by up to 90 percent.

“I remember going from plant to plant in 2013,” Anderson said of his first year with the business. “It was tedious.”

The payback comes in November and December when thousands make their way to Blooming House in search of poinsettia plants that bloom in seven different colors, 10 different

A poinsettia from Blooming House at Cherokee, Iowa, an enterprise owned and operated by John and Donna Beier, is one of 2,000 poinsettias the business has grown since July for retail and wholesale distribution this holiday season.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

19

HOME CARE John and Donna Beier of the Blooming House in Cherokee, Iowa, offer these home care tips for poinsettias: n Unwrap poinsettias carefully so as to not break any stems. n Place in a room where there is sufficient natural light to read fine print. n Avoid drafts or excess heat from appliances, radiators or ventilating ducts.Place the plant away from high-traffic areas and out of reach of children and animals. n Water the plant thoroughly when soil surface is dry to the touch. n Water should flow freely out of the bottom of the pot. n Remember to discard excess water. n Plant root systems can be damaged by sitting for long periods in saucers full of water. n To prolong the bright color of the bracts, the plants should be in a room with a temperature range between 60 and 70 degrees.

sizes. Fifty-percent of the crop here is sold on a wholesale basis, while a quarter of the crop goes to churches across the region. The last quarter is sold via retail.

“We double-bag each plant and make sure the customer’s vehicle is warm when they leave,” John Beier said.

“Poinsettias don’t like to be shipped or sleeved.”

A poinsettia that is sleeved, he explained, may sustain damage to a leaf or stem, thereby triggering production of ethylene, a death hormone for a poinsettia. That hormone causes the plant’s flowers and leaves to drop.

The poinsettia, named for Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who brought the plant north in 1825, are not poisonous, despite a popular and persistent myth.

“Poinsettias do have latex that, if you crack a leaf or a stem, you can get a little latex on your hands,” John Beier said. “And some people are allergic to latex. You’ll get a rash, but they’re not poisonous.”

Having dozens of long rows of poinsettias growing in this manner throughout the fall season is a benefit for the business. John Beier said there are workers in Cherokee, nurses, primarily, who occasionally spend a portion of their lunch hour just walking through their greenhouse units.

“It’s fascinating,” he said, “as people come here to walk because it’s therapeutic.”

Do the business owners mind?

“Oh no,” John answered, “that’s what we’re here for.”

20

December 2017

Josh Anderson, a staff member at the Blooming House in Cherokee, Iowa, shows a poinsettia that has a yellow strip, which can catch white flies, a pest that can damage the flower.

John and Donna Beier are here for more than that. These high school sweethearts from Freeman, South Dakota, came to Cherokee 14 years ago to purchase the popular Rhoadside Greenhouse, a Cherokee business staple for generations. John, a horticulture major at South Dakota State University, had served similar operations in Ames, Iowa, for three years, and Pella, Iowa, for 16 years.

Two years ago, the couple dropped the Rhoadside name, opting to focus solely on Blooming House, a name that decorates their signage, literature and business model.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

“Sometimes, our spring customers have no idea what we have in the winter,” Donna Beier added, noting how the business strives to serve as a Northwest Iowa destination. “You can always find blooming plants in our greenhouses.”

“We have a half-acre under-cover and another half-acre in outdoor production,” he said. “In the spring, we are all retail, no wholesale.”

The staff works to grow 8,000 perennials, 24,000 annuals that measure at the 4-inch level. Blooming House pros also grow 900 hanging baskets and 7,000 geraniums.

Miracles live here.

Expert Care. Close to Home.

• 99% of moms deliver with their preferred doctor • Routine checkups & ongoing wellness care • Neonatal Resuscitation Program certified staff • Classes, training & support from pre-birth through delivery • 24/7 access to doctors and staff

Accepting new patients. Call today!

712.546.7871 floydvalleyclinics.org 714 Lincoln Street NE, Le Mars, IA 51031

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

21

712-253-2014

We provide expert Orthopedic care so you can enjoy your life!

Michael J. Adler, M.D.

Eric S.Watson, M.D.

317 DakOTa DUNES blvD

Orthopedic Institute in Dakota Dunes!

To schedule an appointment, please call 888-331-5890.

No physician referral is needed unless required by insurance.

22

December 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

WWW.ORTHOPEDICINSTITUTESF.COM

HOLIDAY READY

the perfect bite Learning the fundamentals of cooking from her mom and grandfather, Texas A&M University graduate Cathy Bishop, of The Venue at Aggie’s, got into the catering business after a decade working as a bank examiner.

PARTIES WITH

PANACHE Text by Earl Horlyk | Photograph by Justin Wan

s

Hosting the perfect holiday soiree is easier than you think SERGEANT BLUFF | At the end of every holiday season, The Venue at Aggie’s owner Cathy Bishop said she is sick at the sight of salmon, tired of prime rib, and don’t even get her started about rumaki.

“After too many 16 hour days, I do feel like I’ve have it up to here with making party appetizers,” she said from her professional kitchen a few weeks before Thanksgiving. “But then I realize I

actually love what I do.”

This has been Bishop’s lifestyle for 23 years.

After graduating from Texas A&M, the Sergeant Bluff native worked as a bank examiner for more than a decade.

Still, Bishop remembered the good times she had when cooking with her mom and grandfather.

“I had never worked in a restaurant before opening the original Aggie’s (a popular barbecue restaurant) in 1994,” she said. “It turned out I had an affinity for it.”

Since repositioning Aggie’s from a restaurant to The Venue at Aggie’s (a full service, special events caterer), Bishop said she has never been busier.

“We make food for everyone from corporate parties to lunches at area preschools,” she admitted. “With that much variety, you’ve got to stay a step ahead.”

Which is why Bishop is the perfect expert when it comes to tips for throwing a seasonal soiree.

“Holiday parties can be fun when it revolves around food that you love to make and food that your guests will love,” she said.

GO GLOBAL WITH YOUR GOODIES When Bishop started catering events, there were a handful of dishes that appealed to everyone plus a few appetizers that turned up time after time.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

23

The Venue at Aggie’s Cathy Bishop knows how to provide panache to any holiday party.

Surprisingly, it’s easier than you think.

24

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Chicken satay with a spicy peanut sauce is a perfect example of a finger food appetizer. You can add to the eye by serving it on top on a bed of lettuce as well as with some sprigs of parsley and the skin of a tomato that is shaped like a rose.

Fruits kabobs are a colorful way to introduce fresh fruit to a holiday buffet. Don’t forget to add festive toothpicks for even more visual pop.

DETAILS WHAT: The Venue at Aggie’s WHERE: 107 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff PHONE: 712-943-8888 ONLINE: Aggiesbbq.com

Because of this predictability, things got old fast.

That’s why Bishop decided to change things by incorporating more international meals.

“I love making specialty pot stickers and egg rolls because they work so well as party finger foods,” she said. “So do nachos, taco dips and anything that comes from South of the Border.”

Can we mix and match foods by having a few Asian items and a few Mexican things?

Bishop doesn’t have a problem with that. In fact, she does it all the time.

“There’s no wrong way when you’re making things that you like,” she said.

HEATING THINGS UP WITH THE SCRUMPTIOUS SATAY One of the things that Bishop really likes is a skewered chicken satay that comes with a spicy peanut sauce.

“I’ve made this appetizer so many times that I don’t even go with a recipe,” she said. “I just know it takes a tablespoon, a punch of that and, still, it comes

Cathy Bishop founded Aggie’s, a popular Sergeant Bluff restaurant in 1994. Eight years ago, she repositioned the business to be a special events catering company.

out perfect every time.”

advantage of that.”

SQUEAL OVER THE ULTIMATE MEAT CANDY Another can’t miss item on any buffet is an hors d’oeuvre of Polynesian origin.

“My rumaki is brown sugar-sprinkled bacon wrapped water chestnuts that’s been marinated in a rich soy sauce,” Bishop said. “People say my rumaki is so good, they’re addictive. I agree.”

UP THE ANTE WITH EYE APPEAL Remember the old axiom “we eat with our eyes as well as with our stomachs”?

Bishop is a big believer in playing with your food.

“I like adding splashes of color onto holiday plates,” she said.

For instance, a simple-but-eye-catching way to make your food pop on a buffet table is to include red grapes that have been dredged in egg wash and drizzled in sugar.

“Not only are they pretty but they’re also delicious,” Bishop said.

Another trick of the trade includes taking a sharp knife, turning the skin of a tomato and sculpting it into a festive, rose-shaped garnish.

“It’s easy once you learn how to do it,” Bishop suggested. “It adds a nice elegance to any holiday buffet.”

This is exactly what everybody wants for a holiday get-together.

“Even the simplest things will add panache to your party,” she said.

RESEARCH RECIPES WHILE SWITCHING THINGS UP Bishop said she finds inspiration everywhere from the TV Food Network to social media sites like Pinterest.

“Pinterest is a great place to pick up creative ideas,” she said. “Even when I’m not looking for a specific recipe I’ll discover something that I’d like to try myself.”

Indeed, Bishop will play around with an idea, add a few personal steps of her own and create something original.

“There’s so much information about food around,” she suggested. “Take

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

25

HOLIDAY READY entertaining

26

December 2017

with ease

SIOUXLAND LIFE

ENTERTAINING THE

CENTERPLATE WAY

s

Text by Mason Dockter | Photograph by Justin Wan

Centerplate chef shares some holiday recipes SIOUX CITY | What kind of recipe could be better for Christmas than one of grandma’s? Written on a yellowed note card, and stained with grease – that’s how you know the recipe’s good. It’s been used a lot.

Robert Dowd, executive chef at Centerplate, said old recipes are about as good as it gets for the holidays.

There are several zillion recipes available online, but new-age, avocadoand-cilantro dishes don’t have the nostalgic zest of grandma’s Criscoand-brown sugar fare.

“It’s family time. It’s good to go back to some of grandma’s recipes, make something like that for the family,” he said. “Old family recipes are always good.”

This year it might be fun to try a few of grandma’s recipes along with a few of Dowd’s – his cooking has, after all, been named People’s Choice at the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction three years in a row.

PORK LOIN ROAST WITH APPLE CRANBERRY AND WALNUT STUFFING This recipe can be done with pork loin, pork tenderloin or beef tenderloin – but Dowd said that pork loin is probably best for a large family, because it’s cheaper and easier to prepare.

The loin stuffing (in this recipe, the loin is stuffed with apples, walnuts, cranberries and bread crumbs) can be whatever you want it to be. Want some spinach-and-garlic stuffing? Go for it!

Left: Centerplate executive chef Robert Dowd shows his popular ginger crinkle cookies.

Dowd’s ginger crinkle cookies are dusted on top with coarse sugar crystals.

Ingredients One boneless pork loin roast, about 3 or 3 1/2 pounds Three apples – peeled, cored and diced 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts 2/3 cup bread crumbs 1/3 cup melted butter Two teaspoons fresh minced thyme Salt and pepper to taste Butterfly the loin To stuff a pork loin, it first must be transformed into something more like a jelly roll. To do this, use a sharp knife and cut along the long side of the loin, about 1/3 of the way from the base of the loin.

Cutting evenly into the loin, stop about 1/2 an inch from the other side and open up the loin. One of the divided parts should be about twice as thick as the other.

Carefully cut along the middle, into the thicker portion of the loin. Open it up – the loin should now be cut into a spiral shape along its

length, with the meat cut more-or-less evenly.

Just like a very thick, rolled-up piece of paper, made of pork.

Use a meat mallet to flatten the sliced pork loin into a shape like a sheet.

“Laying it out, it’s like a blank canvas – you can put whatever flavors you want in there,” Dowd said.

Stuff the loin In a large bowl, make the loin stuffing by stirring together the diced apples, chopped walnuts, cranberries, bread crumbs, melted butter and thyme. This can be done prior to butterflying the loin.

Spread the stuffing across the butterflied pork loin, leaving a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. Roll up the loin and tie it using kitchen string.

Place in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Cook the loin Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place the stuffed loin on a roasting pan or baking sheet with a rack. Sprinkle salt and fresh

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

27

ground pepper on the loin.

Put the loin in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes. The temperature inside the loin needs to be 145-150 degrees to be safe to eat.

Remove the loin from the oven and let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes.

Slice and serve the loin.

SIDE DISHES

Dowd’s ginger crinkle cookies taste as good as they look – they’re a symphony of butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and molasses.

Durability of Commercial Elegance of Residential Comfort Series Vinyl & Rhino Aluminum

gerkin.com

The Home Builders Association of Greater Siouxland consists of quality builders, subcontractors, and suppliers.

If you are thinking about building a new home or have a remodeling project, please contact the association for a list of reputable contractors.

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 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

28

December 2017

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

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Roasted new potatoes make a good side for this dish, Dowd said. He’s a fan of grilled vegetables, but since December isn’t primetime for grilling, oven-roasted cauliflower or broccoli (cheese sauce-optional) makes a nice vegetable dish.

“Roasted cauliflower is really good, taste is totally different from when it’s cooked any other way,” he said.

And don’t forget the squash.

“Especially this time of year, some squash would be really good,” Dowd said. “Acorn squash... whether it be cubed, or you can bake them in the shell and then scrape it out, and mix it with a little bit of maple syrup or some pumpkin pie spice, a little brown sugar.”

All that pork loin, potatoes, cauliflower and squash should be washed down with some cookies. Dowd’s ginger crinkle cookies are a taste bud-symphony of butter, sugar, molasses, ginger and cinnamon.

GINGER CRINKLES This recipe makes a large quantity of cookies – about nine dozen. You may want to halve the recipe, or use another, smaller fraction. Or your family may want all 108 of these cookies.

Ingredients 2 pounds of butter 3 1/2 pounds of sugar Four eggs 1 1/4 cups of molasses Two tablespoons of baking soda Two tablespoons of ginger Two tablespoons of cinnamon Two tablespoons of salt 3 1/4 pounds of flour Directions In separate bowls, blend the butter and sugar together, whip the eggs, and mix all dry ingredients.

Mix all this together, and allow to chill for an hour.

Spoon out the batter onto baking sheet and press down the batter lumps a little. The finished cookies’ texture could vary somewhat based on how thick or thin the cookies are pressed – a thick cookie may be chewier, while a thin cookie might be more crisp.

Top with coarse sugar crystals.

See the Best!

Dunes Eye Consultants – a nationally recognized leader in well-vision and vision-medical care – welcomes Dr. Michael O’Neal.

As one of the country’s leading and most advanced well-vision and vision-medical centers, Dunes Eye Consultants focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease, diabetic eye care, glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and consultative LASIK diagnosis, as well as offering a large selection of eyewear, contacts and sunglasses.

Dr. O’Neal will be leading the new Myopia Control Center, where they can slow or even stop the progression of nearsightedness in kids, alleviating a host of eye problems later in life.

Dunes Eye Consultants participates in the following vision plans for well vision exams and treatment and accepts many insurance plans for vision medical treatment.

• National Vision • Avesis Administrators, L.L.C. • Davis Vision • Superior Vision • Eyemed • VSP

Call to make your appointment today or visit duneseye.com to learn more!

305 Dakota Dunes Blvd.

Dakota Dunes, SD 57049 (605) 232-6900

DunesEye.com

  Book your appointment and use your FLEX dollars before 2018.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

29

HOLIDAY READY

serving with style An executive chef with more than 30 years experience, Casey Benton likes to balance the flavors he serves as the general manager for Sodexo at Morningside College.

PERFECT BALANCE

s

Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Justin Wan

Morningside College executive chef ups the ante with complex flavors SIOUX CITY | In a few weeks, Casey Benton and his crew will make a truly memorable Christmas meal for students at Morningside College.

“Many of our students are from different parts of the country or, even, from different parts of the world,” he explained.

“Whether they’re able to go home for the holidays, we want to share the holiday spirit with the students.”

Since Benton is the general manger for Sodexo, the food

30

DECEMBER 2017

service provider for Morningside, that “holiday spirit” will mean a feast of epic proportions.

“Yeah, we go all out for Christmas,” he said, inside a large kitchen at the college’s Olsen Student Center. “It’s our way of showing off a bit.”

An executive chef with more than 30 years of experience, Benton has held positions at country clubs across the country. Since coming to Morningside nine years ago, he’s responsible for food service inside of the Wikert

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Dish composition is important to Casey Benton’s thyme and Dijon mustardcrusted lamb chops. The Sodexo at Morninngside College general manager said proper plating gives the entree a visual punch.

Left: A colorful mango and black bean salsa offers a fruity contrast to peppery ancho-rubbed tortilla chips.

Right: Never thought you’d see Bananas Foster offered at a college campus? Morningside College executive chef Casey Benton said the New Orleans-inspired dessert is even offered up flaming inside Wikert Dining Hall.

Dining Hall, as well as for the college’s Mustang Grill and Spoonholder Cafe.

Increasingly, the Rockford, Illinois, native is turning his attention to catering events, both on and off campus.

“I think it is important to be a part of the community,” Benton said. “Catering for special events allow to be more active and more visible.”

UNDERSTANDING THE THREE ‘F’S OF FOOD Such endeavors will allow him to follow the three rules of food.

“I always say keep things fresh, keep things flavorful and keep things funky,” Benton said with a smile.

He achieves this by making cuisine that has a boldness that balances out with other flavors.

“We’re always looking for meals that have complex flavors,” Benton explained.

“But in order to achieve that, the flavors must have a contrast.”

In other words, a spicy dish can benefit from a sweet element. Something meaty might require a note of acidity to change up the flavor profile.

THE YIN AND YANG OF FINE DINING Benton puts his theories to the test by creating a fruity and flavorful mango and black bean salsa, pairing it with tortilla chips that have been dusted with ancho chili powder.

“The salsa has no real heat to it,” he explained. “The heat comes from the chip. That way, it has a complex flavor.”

Benton continued with a plate of thyme and Dijon mustard-crusted lollipop lamb chops.

“The mustard crust gives the earthy flavor of the lamb chop a nice tang,” he said. “Adding a rich veal sauce completes the meal.”

Benton then paired the lamb chop with truffle duchess potatoes.

“The truffles give the potatoes a saltiness that works well with the meaty lamb chop,” he said.

So, there’s a real science component when it comes to food, right?

“I think so,” Benton said. “It’s all about knowing the flavor components of your food.”

THE SECRET LIFE OF A CHEF A cook at home as well as one at work, Benton admitted he hasn’t prepared a Thanksgiving meal for his family in years.

“We always celebrate Thanksgiving at the home of my wife’s parents,” he explained. “I get off easy because they make the turkey. The only thing I have to bring is the gravy and deviled eggs.”

Christmas dinner, on the other hand, is a big production at the Benton household.

“Our meal can consist of anything from prime rib to crab cakes to lobster tails,” he said. “It may not be the most conventional of holiday meals but it tastes really good.”

Which is actually all that matters to Benton.

MUSTANG MUNCHIES

While Casey Benton, general manager for Sodexo at Morningside College, loves savory cuisine, he also admits to having a bit of a sweet tooth.

Here is Benton’s recipe for collegiate favorite.

MORNINGSIDE S’MOREO BARS Ingredients • Three-and-one-half ounces, margarine • 12 ounces, mini marshmallows • Four ounces, semi-sweet chocolate chips • One pint, Oreo cookies, crumbled • Three-quarter of a teaspoon, vanilla extract • Two-and-one-eighth-quarts, Golden Grahams cereal Directions 1. Melt margarine in a heavy bottomed sauce pan 2. Add two-thirds of the marshmallows and all of the chocolate chips, Oreo cookie crumbs and vanilla. Heat gently to melt the mixture completely. Turn off the heat as the mixture begins to melt.

Stir continuously but don’t overheat the mixture.

3. Remove the mixture from the heat. fold in one-half of the cereal and the remainder of the marshmallows, stirring gently. Fold the remainder of the cereal.

4. Press the Golden Grahams mixture into even layers in a greased pan.

5. Cut into six-by-four slices while still warm.

6. Cool at room temperature for approximately one hour.

Source: Executive chef Casey Benton

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

31

HOLIDAY READY

decking the halls

Kathy Sorbe, proprietor of The Elements by K. Sorbe, said red-and-green is a popular color theme this Christmas season (as it is every year). But there’s also an overall trend toward softer, more relaxing, wintry colors like soft gray.

RED GREEN AND WINTRY COLORS

s

Kathy Sorbe talks Christmas décor Text by Mason Dockter | Photographs provided

STORM LAKE, IOWA | Three years ago, Kathy Sorbe, proprietor of Storm Lake design firm The Elements by K. Sorbe, boasted an impressive design feat – a 9-foot Christmas tree decorated in three-and-a-half minutes.

While it’s probably not a world record, it does illustrate one point: Sorbe and her design team know a thing or two about decking the halls with boughs of holly.

32

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Q: What colors and themes are going to be big this Christmas season?

A: Red-and-green have always been the biggest decorating colors. There’s so many people that have traditional ornaments and family, sentimental pieces that they bring out every year, and they go back quite a few years. So red and green are still really popular with a lot of people.

Sorbe

Sorbe said mercury glass ornaments are an ever-popular decoration at Christmastime – they can even be put into bowls as a decoration, rather than on a tree.

Secondary, though, people are tending to do something that will last a little bit longer. Redand-green is always very festive, and very traditional, and very bright and colorful, and kind of exciting – but there are trends now to do things that are just a little bit softer, and a little bit more wintry. And so, the in-trend colors right now are very soft grays, and very neutral colors.

The homes are decorating tone-on-tone, keeping the same colors throughout the house.

In a lot of those homes, we’re seeing more of a wintry look, with lots of white, snowy evergreen, for the greenery, and then soft golds and silvers mixed together a lot, or just by themselves. But something that lasts a little bit longer through the holiday season and into January.

A lot of people are decorating earlier, because they have permanent Christmas trees, which don’t get dry and, you know, dangerous. So they put them up earlier and they enjoy that season a little bit longer. But a lot of evergreen is, certainly wintry for many months.

So they’re going softer, a little bit more of a quiet, more of – not quite so exciting, a little bit quieter – lots of light. There are a whole bunch of different little mini-lights that are on timers, and either you need to plug them in or you can use battery-operated. But they come in probably 50 different kinds – you have snowflakes that are little lights, icicles, snowballs, star shapes. Some look like little pieces of ice. So I can’t even tell you how many there are.

But that enables the people to put them in places where, especially if they’re on a timer, where they don’t have to worry about them, they can come on a 6 o’clock at night, stay on until 10, then shut themselves off.

There was a trend about 10 years ago toward really rich, earthy colors – bronze and deep gold... those things are still very popular.

With more and more people opting to use artificial Christmas trees, they tend to keep them up and decorated for a longer period of time, Sorbe said.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

33

A lot of traditional, festive pieces, like bows, plaid and metallic elements, will continue to be big this Christmas season.

Sorbe said simple, unfussy décor is going to be a big factor in holiday decoration this year.

Christmas decorating, I think it’s about the only time of year where we really use bows and ribbons, that kind of thing. We probably don’t do a lot of that during the rest of the year, but it’s still very popular at Christmas. The plaids are still very popular, and the metallics are really popular still.

I think it’s probably the beginning of the time when people are using a lot of throws that are fur. Anything that pulls in kind of a natural, organic feel in the wintertime goes all the way through the holiday season. Very cozy and warm, and very natural.

Q: So red-and-green is still strong at Christmastime – is that a perennial thing, or are traditional holiday decorating elements making a comeback this year?

34

DECEMBER 2017

A: Those colors are always in. That doesn’t mean they’re the most popular, that just means that a lot of people still use those colors at Christmastime, and that’s what first comes to mind when they first think of Christmas.

Probably another thing that’s very popular right now and has been for quite a few years are mercury glass ornaments. They’re beautiful, and a lot of people buy a few every year, because they’re a bit more expensive.

But they’re ornaments that – you could actually fill a bowl with these ornaments, because they’re that beautiful – you don’t have to hang them on a tree.

Birch has been popular, year round, for about eight years now. So you’ll see a lot of porch pots that are filled with stems of birch and evergreen

SIOUXLAND LIFE

and red berries.

That’s a little bit of mother nature that’s never going to be out of style.

Q: Mercury glass ornaments are pretty old-school – are people going to thrift stores or flea markets to look for Christmas decorations of yesteryear?

A: Not so much. A lot of our collections that were really popular 10, 15, 20 years ago, like all the (miniature decorative) houses that were so popular for such a long time – they were the rage for a good 20 or 25 years. People have kind of gotten away from that a little bit.

I’m sure there are lots of people who still bring them out every year and put them around their house. But some of the people who collected have gone through that stage – it’s kind of hard to say that – but they’re smoothing out a little bit. They’re keeping their decorations a little bit simpler, especially in the house, so it’s not quite so overwhelming.

A little bit easier to keep under control, but still gives the feeling of the season.

Q: Does The Elements by K. Sorbe do Christmas interior design for clients?

A: We do. We have a team that comes in and does it while you’re at work. We try to use what we can of the client’s own materials, and then we usually add some new because they need to be updated.

Q: Where should Siouxland people go to look for Christmas decoration inspiration?

A: We’re in Sioux City about twice a week, so we’re very available for discussion on what they might need, and where they can use the pieces. We have a regular decorating seminar every year (in October), and we have a lot of people from Sioux City that come. We have actually people come from all over the Midwest for our decorating seminars.

HOLIDAY READY

the mod touch

Mod House Interiors’ Lisa Kalaher prefers decorating rooms that can last the entire winter season. This is why she gravitates toward deer and evergreens since they’re less specifically tied to Christmas.

DESIGNS ON THE HOLIDAYS

s

Decorating tips from the cutting edge

Text by Earl Horlyk Photographs by Justin Wan

SIOUX CITY | For Lisa Kalaher, it began feeling a lot like Christmas ... right around the Fourth of July.

“We’re always ordering merchandise six months ahead,” the Mod House Interiors owner said. “So in the middle of summer, our thoughts are usually on winter.”

Wait, did we say Kalaher’s mind is set six months in the future? Well, make that one year and six months.

“Some of our furnishings are cutting edge and they’re just hitting it big on the east and west coasts,” she said inside Mod House Interior’s 255 Fifth St. gallery.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

35

Is your leather couch too masculine? Add a frilly blanket or some glittery pillows to soften up the look.

“Since it takes a longer time for things to become popular in the Midwest, the stuff you see here today is possibly the stuff you’ll want a year from now.”

OK, we’re totally confused by Kalaher’s concept of time. But one thing that doesn’t confuse us is the fact that she has exceptionally good taste.

DETAILS As a mom WHAT: Mod House and an archiInteriors tect, Kalaher WHEN: 10 a.m. to knows com5 p.m., Monday fortable livthrough Saturday ing can also WHERE: 255 Fifth St. look good. In Sioux City a store that PHONE: 712-224-2555 mixes midcentury aesthetics with modern design, Kalaher and her crew of designers have the ability to select a few handpicked items that can turn a room into a showplace, which will be lovely and comfortable, as well as refreshing and timeless.

Just don’t tell Kalaher to create a room strictly for Christmas.

“I prefer doing a winter room,” she said. “There’s nothing sadder than 36

December 2017

Christmas themed decorations abound at Mod House Interiors in Sioux City. The 255 Fifth St. store has items that are cutting edge or have a retro feel. Decorator Lisa Kalaher said having both types of objects is important for a warm and inviting room.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

A fun way to protect you from the winter weather is to keep things bling-y inside your home. Glittery trees and glamorous art pieces add warmth on a cold December night, said Mod House Interiors’ Lisa Kalaher.

working on a room that will be torn apart on Dec. 26. I want to enjoy a room longer than that.”

This is why Kalaher stays away from a multitude of Santa Clauses. Instead, she favors decorating with seasonal snowmen, greens and non-Rudolph types of reindeer.

“Your home will feel as appropriate in January and February as it did in December,” she reasoned.

Well, we’re certainly in favor of extending the season.

What other tricks does Kalaher have up her sleeves?

change the objects on the tray every season. It doesn’t have to go away after winter.”

A JEWEL OF A COLOR What’s the new black?

According to Kalaher, it might be jewel tone colors like deep reds, blues and plums. Or perhaps, pastels might be making a comeback with rich pinks and a majestic mauve.

“Jewel tones and pastels are both ‘in’ right now,” she said.

“Both tones will look nice in any winter display.”

BECOME A MIX MASTER “I love pairing up something retro with something more modern,” Kalaher said, contrasting a pair of vintagelooking plates with a kitschy Christmas camper cookie jar.

“There’s no rule that says you have to stick to one or the other.”

GO GLITZY Everybody likes a leather sofa but it does have a very masculine look. You can give it a bit of femininity by adding a fluffy blanket or some shiny pillows.

“It’s totally fine to mix and match Welcome in the holiday with a selection of seasonal trees, said Mod House Interiors’ Lisa elements,” Kalaher Kalaher. She and her staff have been preparing said. “In fact, it adds for Christmas since July. a lot of interest to a space.”

A VISION IN VIGNETTES Ultimately, there’s no wrong or right What’s a vignette? It’s simply a way way to decorate one’s home for the holithat designers arrange objects into a days. grouping that feels pulled together.

“As a designer, I tend to be a bit of A designer can do this on a table top a minimalist,” Kalaher said. “But that or a shelf. Kalaher personally loves uschanges around the holidays. The ing elegant trays as the stage for her holidays are the perfect time to show vignettes. off the things that mean something to “You can put holiday candle holdyou. ers, festive boxes and glamorous vases “Whether it’s a family heirloom or on a beautiful tray for an easy designer something new that reminds you of your look,” she said. “Even better, you can childhood,” she added.

Trays are an easy way to arrange your favorite objects.

According to Mod House Interiors’ Lisa Kalaher, mixing opposite elements is an important part of design. For example, add a light-colored pillow to a black sofa or add something plush to contrast with something sleek.

Christmas coffee mugs and cookie jars become conversation pieces during the holidays.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

37

Here Comes

The Guide

Your local wedding planning resource

Kelly’s Catering Weddings • Anniversaries Parties & Special Events Book your event today!

Uptown Wedding

712-752-8741 712-548-7320

Wedding, Event Rental & Party Supplies

www.kellysdriveinn.com

712-224-2318

2318 East 3rd St. • Sioux City

Dakota Dunes Country Club

Banquet Room Seating Up To 250 Rachelle Muhlbauer, Events Coordinator rmuhlbauer@dakotadunescountryclub.com

605-232-3000

Midlands Cosmetic Say I Do to Perfect Skin

4301 Sgt. Rd. Suite 120 • Sioux City

www.midlandscosmetic.com

EMOCLEW

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME

712-224-7546

Call Kaylee Betterton to join our

Jaicee Post, DDS

Wheelock, Bursick & Post Dentistry 4100 Morningside Ave, Sioux City I 712.274.2038 or 800.728.2038

Wedding directory.

712-224-6279 KayleeBetterton@SiouxCityJournal.com

38

December 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Participate in the bridal magazine of the season...

Bridal

Magazine spring/suMMer 2018 Created especially for the bride, Don't miss

your chance to showcase your talents, services and merchandise with brides, their friends, family and others.

Contact: Kaylee Betterton (712) 224-6279 kaylee.betterton@lee.net for more information.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

39

HOLIDAY READY Mr.

Goodfellow

Larry Williams directs the All-America Concert Band in downtown Sioux City, Iowa.

GIVING

BACK

s

Mr. Goodfellow helps Siouxland children enjoy the holiday

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Jim Lee and Tim Hynds

Pat Kuehl, Auction Club board member, holds Aspen at the Ho-Chunk Centre in downtown Sioux City, Iowa.

In 2016, Aspen, a Maltese, was purchased for $16,000 by an anonymous buyer. The dog auction is the main fundraiser for the Sioux City Journal’s Mr. Goodfellows charity that provides Christmas toys to children.

40

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUX CITY | Jacquie Rygh fondly recalls visiting the Little Yellow Dog in his fenced-in doghouse in the lobby of the Martin Hotel, where her father worked.

The year was 1939; and the pup to be auctioned off to raise money for the Journal’s Mr. Goodfellow Charity was a black Scottish Terrier named “Zero.”

“I sat on the floor and played with that dog,” said Rygh, who was 9 years old at the time and crazy about the pooch.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

In fact, Rygh’s father, Worth Waltermire had founded the Ancient and Effervescent Order of the Little Yellow Dog Auction Club three years earlier in 1936.

Proceeds from the auction benefit the Mr. Goodfellow Charity, which provides gifts and books to underprivileged Siouxland children at Christmastime. The first pup, Skippy, was sold for $25.

The origins of the Mr. Goodfellow Charity, however, go back even further to

Jacquie Rygh, of Sioux City, left, talks to Sue Stusse, Sioux City Journal controller and Goodfellow Charities treasurer, during the Little Yellow Dog kickoff party at the Doxx Warehouse Bar. Rygh has been one of the fundraising volunteers – dubbed Tailwaggers – for three decades.

Auctioneer Bruce Brock speaks after being presented with an achievement award in 2016.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: 82nd Annual Little Yellow Dog auction WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 9. The All-America Concert Band will begin a program of Christmas music at 11 a.m. and will play throughout the proceedings.

Auction begins at noon.

WHERE: Ho-Chunk Centre, 600 Fourth St. More info: www. siouxcityjournal.com/ goodfellows

Truffles, the 2012 Little Yellow Dog, plays with her owner Gregg Lucken.

1914 when a reporter bought a needy boy and his sister a pair of mittens. That act of generosity sparked a desire to help others and the newspaper started a drive to help those in need.

Over the years, the charity has grown into a community event spearheaded by the Ancient and Effervescent Order of the Little Yellow Dog Auction Club.

Oscar Hoberg, a Sioux City jeweler, took notice of Rygh’s affection for Zero and told her father that he would place a single bid on the dog. If he ended up winning the auction, Hoberg said he would give the dog to Rygh.

“My dad told me all this and I was beyond belief being excited,” Rygh said.

On auction day, one week before Christmas, the Martin Hotel lobby was packed with onlookers, many were

farmers who had brought their own small farm animals to be put on the auction block, according to Rygh, who remembers the floor being covered with straw. She stood with her mother on a balcony scouring the crowd down below for Hoberg.

“I’m searching and searching for Mr. Hoberg, and I kept saying to my mother, ‘I don’t see Mr. Hoberg at all in this crowd,’” Rygh said. “I was beside myself.

‘He’s not down there. He’s not down there in that crowd.’”

Five minutes before the close of the hour-long auction, Rygh said she heard a man shout, “$300,” from the back of the lobby. The crowd grew silent. That bid was quite the chunk of change during the Great Depression.

“It knocked everybody for a loop,” Rygh said of Hoberg’s bid. “He walked forward and the action stopped at that point. ... I was presented the dog. He was playful and he never lost his beautiful black, glossy fur.”

Decades later, the Mr. Goodfellow Charity remains close to Rygh’s heart.

Rygh, a longtime volunteer, has collected donations year after year for the charity to purchase Christmas gifts for children.

Finally, in 2014, she became one of the first female members of the Auction Club.

“I was just absolutely thrilled by it. I’d been so involved over so many years,” she said.

Gregg Lucken, a member of the Auction Club who has been involved with the Mr. Goodfellow Charity for more than 30 years, was among a group of five anonymous donors who bid $14,500 on Truffles, the 2012 Little Yellow Dog. Lucken, who said he got involved with Mr. Goodfellow because he has a soft spot for children, unexpectedly became the chocolate-colored American water spaniel’s owner.

“It kind of happened on the spur of the moment. She came home to live with us and has been a wonderful dog,” he said of Truffles, who is a constant reminder of the Mr. Goodfellow Charity.

“She likes to run and retrieve. She likes to swim. Other than that, she’s just a very loving, cuddly dog that has been just a wonderful companion for us.”

Lucken said he thinks the Mr. Goodfellow Charity has endured more than 100 years because it hasn’t strayed from its mission and the need for it persists.

“The mission of Mr. Goodfellow is very simple and it’s been this way for 100 years – we feel that every child, no matter what their circumstances, deserves a gift at Christmastime. We don’t deviate from that,” he said.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

41

HEALTH holiday

injuries

INJURIES CAN MAKE THE HOLIDAYS LESS BRIGHT

s

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY | The holiday season can be a dangerous time.

During November and December 2015, there were six fatalities and an estimated 14,000 injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide, due to holiday decorating alone, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In the days and weeks leading up to and after Christmas, broken bones and bruises from falls on ice, cuts sustained while washing glasses and burns suffered while roasting the holiday ham comprise the brunt of mishaps treated by emergency room physicians like Joseph Liewer at Mercy Medical Center – Sioux City.

When families gather together to prepare food, Liewer said accidents happen and viruses spread. He gave the following tips to prevent a mishap and respond to injuries and illnesses when they happen.

42

DECEMBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CONDITION: Liewer said just the simple act of family

members gathering together can spread viruses, including influenza, which can hit the elderly, the very young and people with compromised immune systems particularly hard.

SYMPTOMS: This respiratory infection produces a cough, severe body aches, high fever and chills.

Liewer said it’s also possible that patients might experience nausea and vomiting.

“Generally, people aren’t gonna know that they have influenza,” he said. “They’re just going to feel terrible.”

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Whether a person should seek out medical care for influenza, Liewer said will depend on the severity of their symptoms, their age and any other chronic medical conditions they may have. If someone is having severe symptoms, such as high fever, vomiting, shortness of breath and severe persistent cough, or if they’re getting dehydrated, Liewer recommends seeing a doctor.

PREVENTION: Practice good handwashing and get vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says studies show the influenza vaccine reduces the risk of flu illness by 50 to 60 percent among the overall population. Strains of the influenza virus change a little each year.

The vaccine always includes three viruses: two influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus.

“Having an influenza vaccine is helpful,” Liewer said. “It’s not going to guarantee that you’re not going to get infected with influenza, but it would most likely decrease the severity of the symptoms that you have.”

Joseph Liewer, an emergency department physician at Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City, displays a reusable bag that can be filled with ice to apply cold to a bruise, sprain or fracture.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

DECEMBER 2017

43

HEALTH holiday

injuries

CONDITION: Slipping on icy stoops,

steps, sidewalks and driveways, Liewer said, often brings patients to the ER with bruises, sprains and/or fractures. “It might rain or sleet throughout the night.

You don’t know that happened and walk outside and slip on the front stoop,” Liewer said.

SYMPTOMS: Pain, swelling, bruising and inability to place weight on the limb.

“If you can’t walk because of the pain, that would indicate it’s more severe – potentially a fracture,” Liewer said.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Bruises and sprains can be treated with ice, according to Liewer, who said heating the injured area should be avoided during the first 26 hours. Over-the-counter medications, such as Aleve or ibuprofen, can be used to treat pain and inflammation. “You can use an ACE wrap to help support the area that’s injured and protect it from being bumped or stabilize it a little bit.” Injuries that indicate joint deformity and limit mobility, Liewer said should be evaluated by a physician.

PREVENTION: “Be aware of your environment. Be aware of the weather conditions,” Liewer said.

CONDITION: Be sure to use one cutting board for fresh produce and bread and a separate one for raw meat to prevent food-borne illness.

SYMPTOMS: Signs of foodborne illness include severe abdominal cramps, 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. “Usually folks will get fairly abrupt onset,” Liewer said.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: If you have very mild symptoms and are able to consume clear liquids without vomiting, Liewer said you might be able to overcome food-borne illness on your own with antacids or Pepto-Bismol. “If somebody’s going to get food poisoning, usually they get some pretty significant symptoms that they want to get checked out for and treated at the hospital.”

PREVENTION: Wash knives, cutting boards, food preparation surfaces and your hands with soap and hot water after contact with raw meat. Keep foods 44

December 2017

at safe temperatures. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, leftovers must be put in shallow containers for quick cooling and refrigerated at 40 degrees F or below within two hours.

CONDITION: Liewer said people have “a lot of irons in the fire” when preparing a holiday feast for family and friends.

Managing several dishes as one time, coupled with more bodies in the kitchen than usual, sometimes leads to stove or oven burns.

SYMPTOMS: Skin that is red, painful and or blistered.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: If the wound is blistered and very painful, Liewer recommends being evaluated by a professional. If blistering isn’t present, he said the burn can be managed at home.

Wash the wound with soap and water, apply antibiotic medication and wrap it in a bandage. Take Tylenol or ibuprofen for pain.

PREVENTION: “Take your time and know what you’re doing,” Liewer said.

CONDITION: Liewer said patients

might cut themselves on a knife while preparing food or placing their hand inside a glass to clean it out. “They’ll

SIOUXLAND LIFE

put a little too much pressure on the inside of the glass and it will break,” he said. “I’ve seen multiple people over the years that have a laceration of their hands related to that.”

SYMPTOMS: Open skin that looks like a cut, tear or gash. Lacerations in certain areas of the body may be very painful and bleed profusely.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: If you have a cut that’s fairly deep over an area of the body that might include tendons and joints, Liewer recommends seeking medical attention. “Frequently, people will show up here because they have a laceration and they’re unable to get the bleeding stopped,” he said. “If there are injuries that are over an area of hand that every time you move the hand, the wound might come open, that’s an issue that you’re going to want to be seen.” If the wound is minor, take the same steps that you would to treat a burn at home to avoid infection.

PREVENTION: Cut away from your body when using a knife. Avoid dull knives. Use non-slip cutting boards. “Be aware of the dangers associated with knives or being careful of what’s in the sink,” Liewer said.

We can provide health care & compassion in the home.

Call today and let us help.

800-727-1912

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME

“Professionals with Pride”

EMOCLEW

Home Healthcare Available.

Jaicee Post, DDS

Wheelock, Bursick & Post Dentistry 4100 Morningside Ave, Sioux City I 712.274.2038 or 800.728.2038

To advertise on this page call Kaylee Betterton at 712-224-6279 or email KayleeBetterton@SiouxCityJournal.com

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

45

HEALTH Medical

Answers

‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’ answers to your medical questions Can you really get sick from eating poinsettia leaves? Are there any other holiday decorations we need to be careful around?

While poinsettias are not truly poisonous, experts say eating a large number of their leaves can indeed make you sick. Symptoms most likely to ensue are abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Poinsettias are reported to have a very unpleasant taste, so it is unlikely that children and pets would eat a large enough quantity to make them sick. The holiday decorations that we do need to be careful around are holly and mistletoe, which are both poisonous. If any part of these two plants is eaten, it can cause blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood pressure changes and even death.

Is there a right way to fall if you feel like you’re slipping? I’m always afraid to go out in the winter, but I assume if you fall on the most padded part of your body you won’t get hurt.

There is not a correct way to fall, but many people tend to try and use their arms to brace their falls. This in return can result in fractures in the hands, wrists and arms and even shoulder dislocations.

While landing on the most padded part of your body, which is usually the hip or butt region, seems like a logical thought, it also can have negative outcomes such as broken hips and even broken and/or bruised tail bones. The best advice to take while going into the winter season, where slips and falls are more common, is to wear well-fitting shoes with good treads on the bottom and not tense up your body with falls. Studies have shown that the more relaxed a person is in times of trauma, the less likely they are to have serious injuries.

How do you know if you’ve got a carbon monoxide problem? Will you start vomiting? Fall asleep?

Carbon monoxide, also known as

46

December 2017

the silent killer, is a colorless, odorless gas that can come from sources such as central heating systems, water heaters, open fires, car exhaust and other sources. The signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, which include headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, blurred vision and loss of consciousness, can mimic many other illnesses. Thus, the only way to know if you have a carbon monoxide problem is if you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. One should be placed on every level of your house and when placing it on the wall, mount it at least five feet from the ground. As winter draws near and people begin using their wood burning stoves and fireplaces, it is important that you have your chimneys and smoke stacks in properly working condition as to prevent carbon monoxide buildup. Lastly, routinely check your carbon monoxide detector is working and has fresh batteries in it. If you suspect you have a carbon monoxide problem in your house, leave the house immediately and call 9-1-1.

What medical items would you suggest a family have around the house? I have children who are getting married and I’d like to make sure they have everything they could need. A thermometer?

A heating pad? Ice packs?

Depending on who you talk to, you will get different answers to this question. In my opinion, the most helpful item to have around the house is just a basic first-aid kit which will include items such as band aids, gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, etc. However, other items that I would recommended to have handy are Tylenol, Ibuprofen, hydrogen peroxide and/or rubbing alcohol, ice packs, thermometer, heating pad, ace wrap, tweezers, and hydrocortisone cream. With over the counter medications, many times

SIOUXLAND LIFE

MEET THE DOC Dr. Destiny Miller is a native of Vail, Iowa. She completed her undergraduate training at Briar Cliff University, where she majored in nursing and pre-med. Miller worked as a registered nurse for two years before starting medical school. She completed her medical school training at Ross University located on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean.

She is a family medicine resident physician at Siouxland Medical Education Foundation.

they can sit around for months and even years without being used. It is important to check the expiration dates prior to use and, if expired, throw them away and buy new.

Could anyone get kidney stones?

Or is there something that makes you more susceptible to them?

Do they strike at a certain age?

In theory, anyone can develop kidney stones but there are some people who are more susceptible to them than others. There are four types of kidney stones; calcium, struvite, uric acid and cystine. Calcium stones can be associated with people who have diets high in calcium, sodium and vitamin D, people with intestinal bypass surgery, metabolic disorders and certain medications. Struvite stones are formed usually in a response from specific bacteria causing urinary tract infections.

Uric acid stones tend to be associated with people who have gout, diets high in protein, certain genetic factors and being dehydrated. Cystine stones are formed primarily in people with cystinuria, which is a hereditary disorder affecting the kidneys. Kidney stones can occur at any age, however, most occur in adulthood, ages 30 to 50. Lastly, people who have had a kidney stone are at an increased risk of developing more throughout their lifetime.

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.

PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

MY MOM, THE CHAMPION

GRAVY MAKER

m

MY MOTHER WAS THE best gravy maker in her family.

I know this because her mother said so at a family dinner. “I could never make it as good,” she offered.

Coming from her, that was high praise. Grandma, you see, not only had her own café, she also was the head cook at her small town’s school. And she raised eight children.

She was – by anyone’s standard – a great cook.

She never measured anything but always got it to turn out right. Everything was a cuppa this, a pinch of that and a whole lot of what was in the cupboard.

If you went to grandma’s house, you were always going to have something good to eat. She baked like she was the only one on duty at an all-night truck stop. Her cookies were huge, her doughnuts were incredible and her lefse – which I haven’t had in decades – was so delicious we could have ended world wars had she been catering negotiations in Oslo.

Grandma never shared those recipes mainly because they weren’t written down. She promised to teach me someday but, to be honest, I was too busy taste-testing to pay attention.

Later in life, I took a doughnut-making class and realized they were so labor-intensive I’d never try again. Grandma churned them out like she was Krispy Kreme.

Because she wanted to make sure everyone had a little something sweet to end the meal, she always sent my mom out into the field to serve grandpa and the hired men when they were planting and harvesting. Bakeries didn’t stock this much stuff.

She made cupcakes one day and, mom said, the men liked them so much they ate the cupcake covers, too.

Mom didn’t have grandma’s broad repertoire but what she made she did very well. I don’t think there was a Sunday we didn’t have roast beef, mashed potatoes, some vegetable I didn’t eat and dessert.

She wasn’t about to surprise with rosettes, krumkake or assorted other things we associated with grandma. But she could always be counted on to make a mean chocolate chip cookie.

And then, of course, there was the gravy.

I don’t remember a time that it wasn’t delicious – truly. I have no clue what it was she put in it but she didn’t cheat and buy store-bought. I know, because one of her sisters dug through the garbage just to be sure.

I’d often ask what made it so good and she’d say, “a little of this, a little of that.” And, sure enough, it always turned out – the right consistency, the best flavor and the ideal sauce for anything on your plate, bad vegetables included.

A couple of years before she died, mom announced that she was no longer going to make a big Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. “It’s too hard to get it all to come out on time.”

We insisted timing didn’t matter, but she stuck to her guns and we went out to eat at places with inferior gravy.

Those were probably the only times mom actually sat with us during the meal because she was usually so busy getting each course out.

On those mom-cooking occasions, she’d sit down when we were just taking our last bites. “I don’t know how good this

meal is,” she’d say. It was a hollow statement.

One look at our faces revealed plenty.

After she died, I inherited her cookbooks, recipe box and assorted scraps of paper. I tried to find a clue to the gravy ingredients, but nothing.

Spills on various recipe cards suggested a lot of this was done by trial and error. One look at the spices in her cupboard was just as fruitless.

Was it paprika? Sage? Cinnamon? All-spice? Who knew?

I gave up before I resorted to looking up spice names on the internet.

I suspect, like so much of her life, the main ingredient wasn’t something on a shelf.

It was just plain love.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

December 2017

47

NEW YEAR’S EVE CASH BASH Join the party and ring in 2018 with us on Sunday, December 31 when we give away $500 in cash three times each hour from 6:00pm to Midnight in our Cash Bash. What’s more, one lucky guest will win $2,018 at Midnight. Collect one free entry daily at our kiosks, and earn additional entries by playing slots and blackjack.

We’ll also celebrate with Super Hot Seat drawings three times per hour. Each hot seat winner will have a chance to play our ball drop game to earn up to $500 in Free Play. We will also have a professional photographer in the casino to take complimentary New Year’s Eve pictures for our guests. Of course, we will pass out the party hats when you walk in the door. Plus, there will be complimentary champagne as midnight approaches.

We’re offering a great New Year’s Eve Buffet that will include grilled T-bone steaks, shrimp scampi, broasted chicken, roasted potatoes and herbs, asparagus, corn on the cob, creamy chicken and dumpling soup, and more – plus our salad and dessert bars – for just $15.99 per person. Or, opt for a Suft & Turf Special that includes an 8-ounce grilled ribeye steak, a cluster of crab legs, a baked potato and side salad for $12.99. Get 10 free drawing entries (per person) with the purchase of our New Year’s Eve Buffet or Surf & Turf Special. Come early and stay late. We’re open all night!

Start collecting free daily and earned entries on the kiosks on December 8 at 11:00pm.

48

December 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE