Like chocolate zucchini bread, pumpkin bread is a baked good that I love more than I really should. The typical recipe calls for two cups of sugar and a cup of oil, which is fine if you are a paragon...
I am terrible at rolling out pie dough. No matter what I do, it inevitably resembles an irregular land mass of jagged edges and jutting peninsulas. "No one's pie crust is perfect," my mom reassured me...
Until last week, I had never bought an actual block of Parmesan. This is mostly because we go through a ridiculous amount of grated Parmesan cheese for a family of two--Mike views the stuff as the...
In exchange for registering for the 2015 International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) at the discounted blogger rate, I agreed to write three posts about the conference. Additionally, Stonyfield...
The joke about Minnesota is that we have four seasons: June, July, August, and winter. Like all oft-repeated jokes, it's funny because of its half-truth. We do have picture-book falls, with piles of...
In exchange for registering for the 2015 International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) at the discounted blogger rate, I agreed to write three posts about the conference. Additionally, Oil & Vinegar...
Last month, I spent a whirlwind weekend in Seattle for the 2015 International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC). In addition to nibbling on samples and attending sessions on social media and freelance...
My weekends have always been busy, with laundry and grocery shopping and baking bread and going for long walks around Lake Harriet. But there's a difference between pleasantly productive and a hectic...
Last week, I traveled to Seattle for the 2015 International Food Blogger Conference. Seattle is an amazing food city, but sadly one can only eat so much in 48 hours. Luckily, the conference included two receptions featuring food samples from various local restaurants and producers. These were my favorite nibbles
If you believe the marketing hype, the summer/fall seasonal switch flipped last week in the moment between Labor Day and September 8th. One day, we were wearing flip flops and slurping ice cream; the next, everyone was wrapped up in woolen scarves and sipping lattes. While I have nothing against fall per se, it’s something I need to ease into, a season I’m not entirely sure about until I get to know it a little better.
Since Labor Day fell on September 7 this year, it seems like we cheated our way into a few extra days of summer--a little more ice cream, some more scorching days, an extra trip to the State Fair...
No matter how accomplished I become as a baker, despite my victories with from-scratch versions of biscuits, pretzel rolls, pie, and cake, Mike will always be most impressed with my homemade cookies...
The Minnesota State Fair: an annual celebration of the state's agriculture, industry, creative endeavors, educational institutions, and deep-fried food on a stick. Here's my annual round up of my 2015...
Every Saturday morning, I sit down at the kitchen table with a notepad, a pen, and a glass of ice water. Then, with a weighty and strategic approach typically reserved for chess and army invasions, I proceed to plan our meals for the week. I aspire to make my meal plan into a masterwork of logistical intricacy that takes into account produce seasonality, recipe preparation times, my planned workout schedule, Mike's fluctuating demand for leftovers, our current food preferences, and ingredient inventories.
Minnesota's most famous liquid is its water: the northeastern part of the state borders the largest freshwater lake in the world, and we have more shoreline than California and Hawaii combined. "Land...
Tomatoes and sweet corn are the stars of a Minnesota farmers market. Their first appearance is breathlessly anticipated, and as July melts into August, tomato recipes are featured in newspaper food sections while sweet corn anchors seasonally-based restaurant menus. Carefully arranged rainbows of heirloom tomatoes are the centerpiece of each market stall, and heaps of corn are sold straight from the backs of pickup trucks.
Sunday afternoon is my favorite time to cook. It's when I settle into the time-consuming recipes I dream of on weeknights and never quite get around to on hectic Saturdays: slow-simmering soups and...
I briefly mentioned in last month's anniversary post that I will be re-branding my blog in September. Although all of the existing content (recipes, restaurant reviews, travel posts, etc.) will be...
Sometimes I think this blog inaccurately portrays me as prolific culinary explorer, never eating the same thing twice and turning every dinner into a new adventure. I do try at least one new recipe a...
When I try to explain to acquaintances what sort of a person my father is, I tell them about how much he's done for me and Mike in the three years since we've bought our house. He started with...
