Hello, I’m Susan, your entertainment editor at the Des Moines Register. I was born in Omaha, but spent my elementary school years on a farm outside Eldridge. While we didn’t farm, we did have a giant garden filled with cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, radishes, onions and even green beans. We had a rhubarb patch and a grove of fruit trees, along with horses. I miss those carefree days.

Welcome to Off Hours, your free weekly newsletter from the Des Moines Register that highlights all things fun you can do in central Iowa. If you sign up for our newsletter, you get to see this early Thursday morning in your in box.

Here’s the deal: I love fresh produce. If I can find a way to sneak vegetables into a dish I'm cooking, I will. And I love cooking.

I like to add as many mushrooms, onions and peppers into my pastas and omelets as I can. Indian dish? Add some snow peas and carrots? Mexican? Lots of tomatoes, peppers and onions. Stir fry? Give me all the water chestnuts. 

I’m also pretty busy, so I order Blue Apron meal kits a lot so I don’t have to think about what to make for dinner. All of the ingredients I need are already measured out, so I just have to cook. And slice and dice. And clean up after. But I don't have to shop for the ingredients or think of clever new dishes to try to make every week. Someone else does the planning for me. 

I also like to save my favorite recipe cards and remake dishes, but I add more veggies every single time. I also tend to double the recipe so I have leftovers. So a pesto pasta recipe means I double the zucchini and grape tomatoes and add mushrooms.

An Italian pork sausage and asparagus recipe got the same treatment. And added mushrooms. And Graziano’s Italian sausage. Oh heck, why not? I added roasted red peppers too. The dish needed some color. 

One of my favorite dishes, garlic shrimp with Spanish-style potatoes, is always in the rotation. Those potatoes make my dreams come true. I tend to add more onions and red peppers. I like color on my plate.

It’s easy enough to think of your favorite ingredients, drop them in Google and add Blue Apron to the end of the search to find a recipe from the meal-plan giant. The recipes are free to use. Any of the dishes can be made for a vegetarian diet as well. I mean, that garlic shrimp would be great with tofu. 

And that brings me to my favorite time of year, farmers market season, where I can shop for fresh ingredients to stuff into my recipes. Green onions, asparagus, ramps and chives from local farmers all make their way into dishes for the week.

More:Find the best summer produce and more at one of these 16 Des Moines and metro farmers markets

And just because a recipe calls for asparagus, which is usually in season until late June, doesn't mean you can't swap that out for broccoli in the fall. Have some fun experimenting.  

Do you want to try Blue Apron? Drop me a line and I can share my super secret code for a discount. I get nothing for sharing it (no money, no free meals) except a warm feeling in my heart that I got to share something. Drop me a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

Speaking of farmers markets, I also love to shop for baked goods at the market. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

1. Pastries from L&L European Delight: This bakery from Chariton makes the trek to the Downtown Farmers’ Market every week with an assortment of pastries such as almond croissants, Nutella with white chocolate chips, and cherry cheese pastries, all for $2 each. The family hails from the Ukraine, so you can find pelmeni, delicate savory dumplings stuffed with veggies or meat, here too, either to eat hot for breakfast or to take home frozen.

2. Mast Family Farms whoopie pies: The Mast family out of Leon specializes in pies. Apple, cherry, strawberry rhubarb and peach all make an appearance. But what made me stop from my usual route through the market was whoopie pies, those fluffy chocolatey cakes that sandwich marshmallow fluff in the middle. I scooped up two for $2 each, one for me and one for a friend.

More:Your guide to Des Moines' Downtown Farmers' Market from parking to food and more in 2022

3. Bostock at Tami’s Tarts: This Des Moines pastry shop specializes in European pastries such as Bostock, tiramisu truffle, and of course namesake tarts. Each tart goes for $6, but try the Bostock, one of the lesser-known French pastries that's somewhere between a croissant and French toast, for $4 that tastes like an orange almond croissant. Owner Tami Johnson says she won't be at this weekend's market, but returns for the next four. 

Be sure to check out our Instagram page to see more of the awesome desserts at the Downtown Farmers' Market. Or, drop me a line at sstapleton@gannett.com to let me know what you want us to search for at the market. 

More:The 7 hottest restaurants in Des Moines right now: May 2022 edition

Candied bacon Benny, $15: Save your calories for this rich breakfast delight. The candied bacon alone is a reason to order this dish that comes with Hollandaise sauce, spinach and two poached eggs on an English muffin. Request the breakfast potatoes, little fingerlings smashed with a fork that expose the tender insides. For a real decadent breakfast, order a pancake ($4) for one of the fluffiest buttermilk versions you’ve ever had. I tasted a hint of orange in the pancake that hung over the sides of a dinner plate.

Get it: Joe and Alexandra Tripp have something special going at Little Brother, 6587 University Ave. in Windsor Heights. Summer hours mean the restaurant opens Tuesday through Sunday at 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch. Elevated diner fare on the rest of the menu includes a knish of the week, the Soon-To-Be Famous breakfast sandwich with a fluffy steamed egg, and corned hash.

Horchata, $4: Dreamy, creamy horchata combines white rice soaked in water and then pureed with sugar and cinnamon. Some places add milk, others might use vanilla or almonds. This tall drink with Mexican origins comes with ice and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. It’s rich and a little goes a long ways.

Get it: Newcomer Casa Cancun Mexican Bar & Grill is hiding a big secret inside. It not only took over the former Strudl Haus space at 1951 Indianola Ave. in Des Moines, but it has a tight menu of Venezuelan dishes. Try the tasty empanadas that use a corn dough that’s stuffed with chicken, beef or cheese and then deep fried for $3 each. The hallacas are a Venezuelan tamale stuffed with cornmeal, raisins and olives, then your choice of beef, pork or chicken for $13. The asado negro Venezolano is a cut of beef smothered in a dark sweet sauce for $15. Stop by on Tuesday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., or Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

More:The ultimate guide to Des Moines-area swimming pools for the 2022 season

Thursday night: Stop by Jasper Winery on Thursdays for the summer concert series, a free show with a different artist or band every week. Decoy, a Des Moines-based cover band, performsfrom 6 to 9 p.m. The dueling pianos of Pianopalooza Band take over the stage on June 9, and June 16 brings The Maytags, June 23 the Damon Dotson Band, and June 30 The Nadas. Find it on 2400 George Flagg Pkwy. in Des Moines, or call 515-282-9463 for more details.

Friday afternoon: Head to the Polk County Heritage Gallery at the Polk County Administration Building at 111 Court Ave. to stroll through “Who We Are: The Art of Identity” from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The free exhibit curated by Marissa Hernandez showcases artists who share their work on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation and body image. Their art shows the profound effects of perception, and the way we in turn perceive ourselves, especially when our identities are systemically targeted. Among the artists with works on display: Jill Wells, whose works investigate race, history, accessibility, stereotypes, and human experiences; Ben Millett, who designs “not so straight” quilts; Meanz Chan 陳明敏, a Chinese Interdisciplinary artist based in Des Moines; Jennifer Leatherby, a queer multimedia artist who lives in Des Moines; Samm Yu, a slam poet and professional portrait photographer; and Hernandez, a muralist, designer, and illustrator who uses shape, color, and portraiture to center Black, indigenous, and people of color.

Saturday morning: While we’re on the theme of farmers markets, try the Global Greens Farmers’ Market at 3200 University Ave. from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. near Drake University. Lutheran Services in Iowa organizes this farmers market that features refugee farmers who not only sell their produce but the market helps bolster their small farming businesses. One example, Alex Congera, who escaped Burundi, grows his favorite foods from his native land. This is a great way to try out new-to-you veggies. 

Saturday night: Make the drive up to Mistress Brewing Co., 1802 N. Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny for some cold beers and karaoke from 8 p.m. to midnight. Grab a Little Black Dress IPA that “looks great on everyone” or the Mistress Amber American Amber with its smooth, caramel malts mingled with subtle hoppiness. You can order by the flight or a 16-ounce pour. The karaoke is free; the beer, not so much. My favorites for karaoke include "Livin' on a Prayer" from Bon Jovi and James "Laid." 

Sunday night: Think you’re funny? You could have your own five minutes of fame at the open-mic night at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. Sure, you’re testing out your timing and comedic mettle in front of a crowd eating tacos, but you can consider it a safe space. No one is going to throw salsa at you. Stop by 300 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy., #120 in Des Moines, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. to try out your favorite jokes.

Des Moines sure does love its brunches, and now there are two more to add to your weekend itinerary.

Bellhop Tiki Bar, 440 E. Grand Ave. in the East Village, kicked off Late Checkout brunch menu on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Order chilaquiles for $10, waffles n chicken with hot maple honey for $8, hot cakes for $6 or huevos rancheros with scrambled eggs for $10. Order from the window.

And just to make it harder to choose, 503 Cocktail Lab + Tasting Room, 503 E. Locust St. also in the East Village, kicked off a brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a killer bloody mary, quiche and an eggs Benedict. Chef Lynn Pritchard likes to change up his menu all the time, so you never know what you will see.

More:Here are 11 must-try Des Moines brunches spanning classic diner breakfasts to hip-hop inspired plates

Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I cover what I consider all things fun in Des Moines, and this newsletter is just part of it. Lately I’ve written about the Iowa Craft Brew Festival this weekend, hot new restaurants in the Des Moines area, Olympian Shawn Johnson crowdsourcing infant formula, and what to buy at the farmers market. You can follow along here. 

Side note: We’re hiring a new dining reporter. Think you have the chops to cover the restaurant and bar scene in the Des Moines area? Drop your resume my way. The job posting is coming soon, but feel free to email me your intel in the meantime. 

Next week, Isaac Hamlet delves into all things board games, from where to play to what's hot.  

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