How to Cook

the Perfect Noodles

10

Ways
to Keep
Your Kitchen
Organized

Cooking Craze:

Cooking in College
Finding Yourself
and Your Tastebuds

An Inside look at an
Entreprenuer Caterer.

Cooking
Featuring

its the
potato
salad youve
dreamed
about...

table of

4
9

Contents

Letter
from the Editor
College Cooking:
Finding Your Tastebuds

Cindis Catering
Menu
Organizing Your
Kitchen in 10 steps

10

12

Cooking Craze:
Inside Look at Cindi

18
CINDIS CATERING
(563) 423-7346

How to Cook the

Perfect Noodles

20

Cooking through Generations:

Baking with the Bakers

Letter from
the Editor:

Inside look at Morgan Thias

rowing up in a small town in northeast Iowa, family

meals and cooking together was always a way to
bond. As a family, we have so many recipes that
have been passed down through the generations. The family
recipes are something each person in the family looks forward to during the holiday events and family affairs. On the
Baker side of my family, we look forward to grandmas soup
on Christmas Eve, Aunt Dianes party chicken and mashed
potatoes on Christmas, my mom, Cindis potato salad at
summer cook outs and so much more.
In Featuring Cooking, I aim to show cooking in the eyes
of our family. We look at cooking as an exciting way of expressing ourselves, but also a way to connect with other
people. Within the magazine there are articles about cooking through generations as well as a background story on
my mom. A lot of the aspects for the magazine are based
out of the traditions that can be found in my family. We all
enjoy cooking, but that is just in our blood and we have been
conditioned to enjoy it. This is proven in some of the main
articles. Throughout the generations, my family members
have opened restaurants, catering business and have been
known as good cooks by the local people.
When I left for college, I experienced quite the culture
shock when it came to the cooking side of things. I did not
know what to do or how to handle the change. Within the
magazine, I have explained the important ideas to keep in
mind when making the transition from family cooking to being on your own or being in the college setting specifically.
I hope everyone comes to enjoy cooking as much as myself and my family before me. With this magazine, I am able
to express important things in my life while sharing some
essential tips to go with it.
Yours Truly,

Morgan Thias, Editor

No one can make soup better than

Campbells
No One.

Not even
Grandma.
www.facebook.com/morgan.thias
https://twitter.com/morganjo10
http://morganthias.weebly.com/

College Cooking:
C

Finding Yourself
and Your Tastebuds

ollege. The place people go to meet their best friends,

find themselves and of course, gain the famous freshman fifteen. There are many reasons behind the terrible
weight gain in college, including the convenience of the dinning
centers, so many fast food restaurants at your fingertips and drinking. When people attend college, they are there for the experience and the idea of potentially gaining a great deal of weight
has never crossed their minds. So how do you prevent it? What
should you do to avoid the weight gain of moving away from
home?
First of all as a freshman, the dinning centers are the best things
in the world. They provide nearly every type of food you could
ever imagine, so why would you not pig out on your favorite
meals? Then as you continue throughout your college career,
you get into your own house or apartment and are forced to
fend for yourself. You get to the point where you have to start
buying groceries, planning your own meals and then cooking
it all for yourself. At this point, going out to eat and ordering in
sounds better every day.

College cooking is hard because youre

only cooking for one person, said
Stevie Lorenz.
College cooking is hard because youre only cooking for one
person, said Stevie Lorenz, senior at the University of Northern
Iowa. It is super important to find meals that you enjoy, but can
be saved as leftovers or that can be made in smaller portions
without wasting the valuable food. One way to use the food without having a huge amount of leftovers is split the bigger meals
with your roommates. The people you live with are struggling with
the same issues you are, so if you can work out a meal plan or a
system for splitting meals it becomes easier to share. I always eat
the same things over and over again. said Stevie Lorenz. With

I always eat the same things over and

over again. said Stevie Lorenz.
that being said, it is so important that you find something easy
enough to make, cheap enough for your budget and that you
can eat for every meal of the day.
Stevie Lorenz is pictured in the left column making some chocolate cupcakes that she later decorated with pink frosting for Valentines Day.
She used a box mix, but her roommates still enjoyed eating them.

Lorenz & Hesse prepare their measls.

But if you eat the same foods
on a regular basis, they need
to be relatively healthy. There
are certain frozen meals that
you can get for a dollar or two
that really do taste good, can
be somewhat healthy, but are
still very easy to prepare. They
come in every meal you could
ever want.
It is way easier to just eat frozen meals rather than taking the
time to make something good,
Stevie said. While every so often
a good cooked meal is a necessity, do not be afraid of the
frozen meals. They are better
than one would expect them
to be. Those are always my fall
back meals when I am not in the

mood to take all the individual ingredients to make a home

cooked meal.

In conclusion, college is a
great time that gives people an opportunity to experience many things they never
would have before. Food is
no exception. This is the time
that you have so many different types of restaurants in a
close distance, but it is also
a time which the tastes are
maturing. So use this time to
your advantage. Go out and
find yourself, but always keep
in mind your budget, your
tastes and most importantly,
your health.

In the right column, Mariah Hesse begins making one of her favorite meals--chicken wraps. She is shown preparing and cutting
the chicken bites. The bottom photo is the delicious finshed
product.

Pork Loin

Swiss Steak

beans

corn
carrots

mixed

Potato
Cheesy
Lettuce

3-bean

fruit
jell-O

potato
coleslaw
macaroni

Vegetable

Chicken
Roast Beef
Ham

BBQ

Meat peas

Salad

GET
SPARKED!

MENU

Augratin

Hashbrowns
Mashed

Baked

Garlic Mashed
Red Roasted
Contact Cindi today
to book any sized party

CINDIs
Catering
CINDIS CATERING Clermont, Iowa

Organize Your Kitchen

in 10 easy steps

Command Hooks. These cheap, easy

to use gagets are an organizers best
friend. They can be used in several
ways: hang towels, pans, lids and
utensils. The opportunities are endless.

One cause of a unorganized kitchen

is lack of space. This can be solved by
regularly emptying out your cabinets
and refridgerator to create space for
new and regularly used items in those
small spaces.

After going through your cabinets

and throwing out the things you no
longer need, sorting it in a way that
is easy to find is key. Keep like items
together, such as spices, cereals, cans,
baking items, storage containers, pots
and pans and etc.

Use a magnetic mailbox or clips to

keep papers sorted on the refrigerator.
This will keep papers out of the way
and in a place that is easy to find. You
could even make separate pockets for
coupons, bills, menus or notepads,

7
6

An easy way to store garbage bags and

avoid walking from place to place to get
them--keep them at the bottom of the
garbage container. When you take the
full one out, the new clean one is ready
and waiting at the bottom for you to use.

10

Lazy susans are no longer just good

for cabinets and serving trays; these
useful trays can be used to store
cans, spices and nearly anything
in your cabinets and refrigerator.

Containers are a big help when storing food, but when they arent in use
they take up a lot of room. Get rid of
the containers that do not have lids to
match and the stack them together or
hang them in a rack to store them.

Draw dividers are essential in all

the drawers. They create a place
for every item and makes it easy for
things to stay in their place without
causing clutter. You can buy them
in the store or easily create your own
personalized for your needs.

Lack of space is always an issue that

causes clutter in the kitchen, so it is
important to take advantage of the
vertical space. For example, hooks
under the cabinet or a ceiling rack for
pots and pans clear up counter space
and other cabinet space.

Most of us have those horrid junk

drawers that tend to collect random
knick-knacks that we arent sure
where to put. Now, we can organize
it by placing an ice cube trays and
small bowls in the drawer to keep
things in their place.

10

Cooking Craze
an amazing entrepreneur, a hard-working
woman and my mother

Cover Story by: Morgan Thias

s one of the most

hardworking people
I have ever met, my
motherCindi Thias,
has set a path for me to follow. She
works every day at maintaining her
full-time job, running her own successful catering business and taking
care of her family. She is always busy
and always striving to be the best
she can to make life easier for the
people in her family.
Born on January 15, 1963 in Postville, Iowa to Skip and Bev Baker,
Cindi was always surrounded by a
loving family that encouraged her to
follow her dreams. She has an older
brother, Steve, an older sister, Vicki,
and a younger brother, Mike. Growing up in this family of four, they
never had a lot of money to work
with. Each member of the Baker
family were forced to work for the
things they wanted, in turn they all
grew up to be hard workers and have
made their way in the world with
their own successful businesses.
Steve and his wife, Terri, bought
Quarry Lodge Restaurant and SkipA-Way Campground from his parents, Skip and Bev. Mike opened
and operates Baker Concrete and
Excavating with the help from older brother Steve. Vicki has made
her way creating and fixing odds
and ends type projects in Missouri.
All the children, besides Vicki, have
managed to keep their successful

Pictured above is Bill, Cindi and Morgan Thias in January of

2014. Cindis family are her biggest supporters in her busy life.
They help her in all of her old and new endeavors.
businesses in the small community
they grew up in Northeast Iowa.
Cindi has followed in the footsteps of the other women in the
family by staying in the food industry and opening a restaurant as well
as a successful catering business.
My mom and two grandmas were
great cooks, so thats probably why I
like it so much, says Cindi.
In 1978, while still attending
high school at Valley Community
School, my mom began waitressing at a small restaurant in Postville
called The Grill. She continued this
job as well as babysitting all through
school until 1981. Then after she

My mom and
two grandmas were
great cooks, so
thats probably why
I like it so much,
said Cindi.

The best thing about working in other

places before my own restaurant was that
I got to know a lot of people that in turn
came and supported me in my own place,
said Cindi Thias.
she graduated, she went to Monona,
Iowa to cook and waitress at a different restaurant known as East Side Pub.
Cindi stayed with East Side Pub until
1985. One year later she decided it was
time to take the next step and buy her
own business.
In 1986, she became the owner and
operator of Cindis Chanti in the little
town of Gunder, Iowa. Along with being the primary owner, she took care
of everything needed to make the
restaurant run including: the book
work, cleaning, waitressing and cooking. Cindi had many friends and family to thank when it came to the success of Cindis Chanti, The best thing
about working in other places before
my own restaurant was that I got to
know a lot of people that in turn came
and supported me in my own place.
Gunder, Iowa has a population of
about 20 people and if you are passing
through, chances are you wont even
realize you went through a town. It is
hard to believe how successful Cindis
Chanti became, but it was the center
of several small towns and the heart
of a farming community. This small
town restaurant became recognized
statewide by its one pound hamburger
known as the Gunderburger.
We needed a drawing card to get
people coming, explains Cindi when
asked about the creation of the famous
burger. They also served 16 ounce ri-

beyes that her customers loved. Today,

if you Google Gunder or Gunderburger you will find numerous articles and stories about the small restaurant, now called The Irish Shanti.
After creating a well-known business and a restaurant to be proud of,
the young entrepreneur decided it was
time to have a family of her own. In
1991, Cindi got married to my father,
Bill Thias. Together they continued
running Cindis Chanti, but sold the
business when they found out they
were expecting a child. Running the
business was a great experience, very
fulfilling, said Cindi when asked if
she was upset about selling.
Continued on page 9.

To the left, there are photos of

an inside look at what happens
before a large catering job. The
top picture is some of the storage area were large tupperware
like containers are kept. Continuing down the page, shows
a few steps in the process of
creating 20 pans of cheesecake
for the Pheasants Forever party
that Cindi and her crew catered
for on March 14, 2015. She
served nearly 350 people at this
event.

In 1993 they had a baby girl, myself,

Morgan Jo Thias. After spending a few
months home with me, my mother returned to the food industry world and
joined forces with her parents, Skip and
Bev at Quarry Lodge Skip-A-Way. This
was before Steve, their son, bought it
from Skip and Bev.
Cindi spent the next few years cooking and waitressing at the family restaurant, but also began doing some small
catering jobs at that time. Her business
slow started to take off and grow. A few
years later she began advertising her
business and continuously got busier.
In 2005, Cindi bought out a different local catering business and from then the
business expanded exponentially. Several years later, in 2013, she bought out
another successful catering business.
Today, Cindis Catering is a service that
many people know of and go to for the
food service needs.
We do weddings, funerals, class reunions, church events and graduations.
We do about any event that needs food.

I do all the cooking and Bill [husband]

and Morgan [daughter] help load, unload, serve and clean up. We work well
together. If I could start over, the only
thing I would change would be to start
earlierthats how much I enjoy it, explains Cindi.
Today, within our home there is a separate kitchen for the catering business.
My moms 30 feet by 30 feet kitchen is
fully equipped with a ten-burner stove, a
walk-in cooler, four ovens, three sink system, all different sizes of pans and dishes,
carry out containers and everything she
needs to keep the catering kitchen separate from the home kitchen. The separate
area used only for catering purpose is a
requirement by the law and health codes.
Cindis Catering is a state inspected and
fully insured business. Every year a person from the Food Standards Agency,
or FSA, comes to look over the property
and make sure the space and equipment
are safe and healthy to be served from.
On average, Cindis Catering will serve
about 30 large events per year.

Top Left: Bill Thias, Cindis husband, checks on the prime rib that they are
preparing to serve. Left: Three of the waitresses organize plates and prepare
to serve the Phesants Forever Banquet. Below: Cindis catering kitchen in
action preparing to serve the huge event.

But what is considered a large event?

A large event is probably about 300 or
more people, owner and operator, Cindi Thias explains her definition. Along
with these large parties or events, she
serves a huge amount of small jobs
throughout the year. She said, There
are too many small jobs to even mention
in a year. I feel that is very good because
we live in a small town of 600 people.

If I could start
over, the only thing
I would change
would be to start
earlierthats how
much I enjoy
it, explains Cindi
Thias.

Small jobs occur once or twice a week

for Cindi and can include anything from
a family reunion, town meetings, funerals, graduations and just about anything
else you can think of that needs food.
In the small community of Clermont, it
is a good feeling to have all of the local
support. It is also good for our family,
said Cindi.
On several occasions, first time customers will often return again and
again to enjoy Cindis Caterings food
and services. For example, Cindi has
been catering for the Pheasants Forever
Banquet for six years in a row. The pictures presented in this article are from
this specific event. Pheasants Forever is
a non-profit organization that has this
fundraiser once a year. This year Cindis
Catering served 350 people at a venue
this is only nine miles from our home
where the food is prepared. Each year
they are served a meal that consists of
prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, potatoes and green beans. The meal is always
a huge success and each year they return
to Cindis Catering.
Continued on page 12.

Above are a few photos of

the buffet table while servinat at Phesants Forever.

Similarly, the Luana Savings Bank

out of Luana, Iowa continually uses
Cindis services. Several years ago
when she began serving their Customer Appreciation event, they
asked to have a full meal for 1,500
people. In more current years, it is
a smaller version with a two-day
event only serving cold meat sandwiches, cookies and bars.
As huge supporters of my
moms business, my dad and I hope
to see her business continue to
prosper. My mom is just as big of
supporter of her family as well. My
father, Bill, has been driving truck
since 1993. He took a few years off
in the late 1990s and early 2000s to
open a cabinet building business. It
was successful for the first few years,
but in such a small community the
business didnt prosper as much as
he would have liked so he returned to
driving semi for Schneider Trucking
out of Gunder, Iowa. Today, he owns

Chocolate Revel Bars

Cindi Thias
1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of butter. Beat the remaining butter with mixer--slowly add brown sugar, eggs &
vanilla. In a different bowl, stir dry ingredients together.
Gradually stir into beaten mixutre.

two trucks and leases off of All-Seasons Trucking from Dubuque, Iowa.
He has become very successful in
hauling salt and fertilizer for the
state and counties. As for me, I will
be graduation from the University
of Northern Iowa in December of
2015. I currently work for Scheels
All-Sports in Cedar Falls, Iowa and

am an Independent Scentsy Consultant. My mom, Cindi is our biggest

enthusiast and is always there for us
to keep us on track to success.
As for the future of Cindis Catering, Even if it doesnt continue to
grow and the business stays steady,
I will be happy with the business.
But it has continually grown every
year, which is an exciting accomplishment, said Cindi. Along with
the hard work she puts into her own
business, she also has a full time job
at Norplex, a factory, in Postville.
My mom is truly happy with the
establishment she has created and
does not think she would make any
changes to the business. I hope to
continue, I love what I do. If I had
to pick a job, it would be Catering. I
absolutely love it, said Cindi.

Above: Cindi and her husband,

Bill pose in front of his truck.
Far Left: A Thias family photo.
Left: Morgan and co-worker,
Erica Jacobsen pose at a Scheels
work party.

I hope to continue, I love what I do. If I had to pick

a job, it would be catering. I absolutely love it, said Cindi.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining butter, sweet2 1/2 cups flour
ened condensed milk & chocolate. Cook over low heat
1 teaspoon baking soda
until melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
3 cups quick oats
3. Press 2/3 of the oatmeal mixutre into a bak1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
ing pan. Spread chocolate mixutre over the oat
1 12-ounce package of chocolate chips
mixture. Using the remaining oat mixture and
2 teaspoon vanilla
place dots on the top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until slightly browned. Serve warm or when cool.

Layered Lettuce Salad

Cindi Thias
Ingredients:
1 head crisp lettuce, chopped
1 cup celery, finely diced
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
8 slices crisp-cooked bacon, diced
2 tablespoon sugar
2 cups mayonnaise
grated cheddar cheese

1. Layer ingredients in the order listed, stopping at the bacon.

2. Combine sugar & mayonnaise then spread
on top of salad.
3. Sprinkle cheese and some bacon over the
top. Cover & refrigerate for one hour. Serve.

 How to Cook
the Perfect
Step Four: Add the pasta. All the pasta
needs to go in the pan at one time, so
make sure the pan is large enough.

Step Five: Place the lid back on pot until the

water boils. The pasta is more likely to stick
together in the beginning before starches are
released into water, so stir frequently until the
water starts to boil again.

Step Three: Add 2 teaspoons of

salt to boiling water. The salt adds
taste to pasta.

Step Two: Cover the pot and

heat water to rolling boil.

Step One: Use 4-6 quarts of cold

water per pound of pasta.

Step Nine: Dont rinse the pasta. It

removes starch from the surface,
making it hard for the sauce to
adhere. It also cools the pasta too
quickly and prevents the absorption of the sauce.

Step Six: Once the water starts

boiling, take the lid off to keep
from boiling over. Always cook
pasta uncovered at a rapid boil so
it circulates for uniform results.
Continue stirring regularly.

Step Seven: Never overcook the

noodles. Cooking time depends
on size, shape, and brand. Taste
test!

Cook Time for

Al Dente Pasta:

(general time, depends on amount)

Angel Hair:
3-5 minutes
Elbow:
6-8 minutes
Farfalle (Bow-Ties): 10-12 minutes
Fettuccine:
10-12 minutes
Rotini:

8-10 minutes
Jumbo Shells:
11-13 minutes
Linguine:
10-12 minutes
Pappardelle:
7-10 minutes
Penne:
10-12 minutes
Rigatoni:
11-13 minutes
Shells:
10-12 minutes
Spaghetti:
9-11 minutes
Ziti: 10-12 minutes

Step Eight: Drain immediately

cooked pasta into a colander. Shake
the colander once to remove excess
water. Keep it loosely drained to
allow the noodles to stick to sauce.

Tips:

A large sauce pot is best, crowding everything in a small

saucepot will cause pasta to stick together.

Dont add oil to the water to avoid pasta sticking together.

To keep pasta warm longer, serve on heated platter or
warmed bowls.
Keep one cup of the cooking water that can be used later
to adjust the consistency of your sauces. The starches in the
water are essential and is a miracle ingredient.
Dont add noodles before the water is at a rapid boil.

Step Ten:
Immediately add
sauce, stir well,
and serve.

Cooking
Through
Generations:

LEFT: Mother, Bev Baker, Daughter,

Cindi Baker Thias, and Granddaughter Ashley
Baker gather in the kitchen to prepare a meal
for the family.
RIGHT: The three women are preping
the broccoli and graham crackers to make the
soup and dessert.
BELOW: The refridgerated cheesecake was a delicious dessert to end the meal.

The
Photo Essay by: Morgan Thias

The Baker family has been around for many years and their Norwegian background has been a huge influencer in their cooking traditions.
Many recipes have been passed down generation to generation including favorites like lefsa, sugar cookies, soup and potato salad. In 1985, Skip and
Bev Baker opened the first restaurant and campground of the family in Clermont, Iowa. Soon after, in 1990, Cindi (Baker) Thias opened a restaurant,
which is now known for its famous Gunderburger. Cindi now owns a catering business as well. Cooking for the holidays has always been a tradition
for the Baker family. Baking is something everyone in the family enjoys and is good at.

TOP LEFT: Several years ago, Cindi (Baker) Thias and sister, Vicki
(Baker) Wallander prepare their meals to eat with their family.
TOP CENTER: This photo is from many years ago, where great
grandma, her sister, and great great grandma pose for the camera. All
three ladies were excellent cooks and began the cooking tradition in
the Baker family.
TOP RIGHT: Diane Baker rolls out cookies for the familiy. This photo
is from many years ago after she just joined the Baker family.
BOTTOM LEFT: Ashley Baker and J.R. Baker help their parents and
cousins decorate the cookies. Cooking has always been a bonding
time for the family.

MIDDLE LEFT: These two photographs are depicting the process Cindi is taking while
baking the cheesebake. First she mixes the ingredients with the mixer then pours each
layer into a pan.
RIGHT COLUMN: A watch pot never boils, so these three photos show the women patiently waiting for the meal to cook. The broccoli slowly bowls then Bev Baker carefully
drains the pot.
ABOVE: The bottom center photo is the finished product of the broccoli cheese soup. The meal was delicious when it was completed.
It is clear that the family has been cooking for a very long time and knew what they were doing.

Girl Scout Cookies

Peanut Butter Patties

GET THEM BEFORE THEYRE GONE...

for the messes you cant avoid

CINDIs Catering
With over

30

MENU options
there is something for everyone
Call Cindi today!
Book your event: Big or Small

CINDIS CATERING Clermont, Iowa

s
s
i
K ook

C
e
h
t prons
A

4 QUEENS
DAIRY CREAM

Big

or Small...
We can serve the party
of your dreams.
CINDIS CATERING (563) 423-7346