Throughout my twenties and early thirties, I regarded people who were into skincare with the same envious fascination that my teenage self reserved for the popular girls. I can't redo high school (nor do I want to—being a socially anxious nerd sent me down a far more interesting life path), but I eventually realized that I could get into skincare.
This will be my 12th season as an Untiedt's CSA member, and over the years I've noticed that family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances tend to ask me the same questions when they're considering CSA membership. If you're wondering if a CSA is right for you, here are those frequently asked questions, with my honest answers as a longtime CSA member.
Since I quit my day job, my freelance work has gone through so many different iterations (and oh yes, an ongoing pandemic). Here are my takeaways from the past year.
Spending the evening with Mike at the Mall of America (MOA) in Bloomington, Minnesota is one of my favorite date night traditions. As a child of the late 90s and early 00s, I really enjoy malls. I appreciate that they're walkable and climate-controlled, unlike the open-air "lifestyle centers" that are now all the rage. I revel in the sensory overload of having so many things to see and smell and eat.
In an inspired gift-giving move, Mike's parents presented us with an L.L. Bean tote bag filled with food for Christmas. Fancy tortilla chips and salsa that became the base for sheet pan nachos. Mixed...
Housed in a historic brick building in the heart of Minneapolis' Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, Alma is a lot of things. There's a fine dining restaurant on one side, and a more casual cafe on the other. Upstairs, you'll find a boutique hotel. There's even a retail aspect to the business, offering hand-crafted bath and body products, gourmet ingredients, and home goods. It seems like an odd mashup, but on a recent staycation...
Occasionally, I get invited to media previews and influencer events, like a party Wicked Foods hosted to celebrate their U.S. launch. I wasn't able to attend, but they kindly sent me a box of samples so that I could try their plant-based products at home. I've spent the past few months cooking my way through Wicked Foods' breakfasts, meal pots, meal kits, and condiments, so I wanted to share an honest review.
Pine forests, lake views, and a historic lodge straight out of central casting: Grand View Lodge is the quintessential Minnesota resort. It's located in Nisswa, a small town in the Brainerd Lakes area in central Minnesota.
Since I was a kid, I've been delighted by mushrooms. I love spotting them growing out of trees and popping up on lawns, and I also love eating them in risotto, soup, and on the grill. However, I was...
Mike and I recently visited Colorado for his cousin's wedding. Since we haven't had the chance to do much traveling recently (thanks, delta variant), we decided to splurge on a stay at the Edwards House, a boutique inn located in Fort Collins, Colorado.
There are people who are next-level hosts, who delight in having loads of people over for themed parties with impressive spreads of food and build-your-own cocktail bars. Then there are people like me—introverts with small houses and zero aptitude for creating classy place settings. This is where the low-key cheese party comes in.
We timed our trip to Seattle exactly right: mid-July 2021, post-vaccine but before the delta variant's spread. Crowds and indoor dining didn't concern us, and it was perfectly acceptable to wander around unmasked in Pike Place Market eating cherries. Two months later, I'm already nostalgic about it.
This is my ninth annual summer roundup post, and a couple of months ago, I thought it would be easy to write—a straightforward essay about my triumphant return to normalcy, including a trip to Ireland...
Despite its proximity to Seattle, Bainbridge Island has a low-key feel, with a small downtown neighborhood and plenty of green space. It's a great place to relax and decompress, and our visit to Bainbridge Island was one of the best parts of our trip to Seattle.
When I first subscribed to a CSA, I tried to track down a recipe for every type of produce we got in our share. However, the produce in my CSA share doesn't always exactly line up with a recipe—maybe I only have one zucchini instead of three, or twice as many green beans as the recipe calls for. That's where CSA meal templates come in.
On our recent trip to Seattle, waiting in line at the original Starbucks location was not high on my to-do list. But we did want to do some sort of Starbucks-related tourism, and Seattle happens to be home to one of the world's six Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations.
It's a classic travel conundrum: you have a late afternoon or evening flight, but you need to check out of your hotel several hours beforehand. You'd love to squeeze in some extra vacation time instead of heading to the airport, but how are you going to do that with a suitcase in tow?
Every year, we get several bunches of kale in our CSA over the course of the season. It's more tender than the kale at the grocery store, and it has a milder, sweeter flavor. I would know—I have to...
Suburbs have a reputation for soulless dining, home to nothing but mediocre chain restaurants and fast food outlets. In some cases, that's true—but increasingly, you can find unique local establishments and upscale options in the suburbs. My favorite Twin Cities suburb for dining is Anoka, which is located northwest of Minneapolis.
