How do you get kids to eat their vegetables? If you believe Hidden Valley, you just dip them in ranch. But growing up my mom had an even better solution – smother them in cheese, from a block of processed American cheese. She used to steam broccoli and carrots and then melt a little bit…
Meatloaf in Bell Pepper Rings
It’s sort of funny, I have a couple of favorite meals that my Mom used to make when Dana and I were growing up, like goulash and pot roast. However, one other meal that my Mom tended to make pretty regularly was meatloaf; I did not like meatloaf. A loaf of meat? No, loaves…
Sour Cucumbers
In my hometown of Ely, we like to ‘sour’ things. It can be lettuce, cucumbers, peas and more. Sour food is basically like a simple quick pickle that generally has nothing more than oil and vinegar. I’m not sure what part of Ely’s heritage it comes from or if it just became popular locally. Sour…
Spaghetti Pizza
It’s April and that means here in Minnesota we’re entering spring and the weather is warming up. It’s the perfect time to enjoy one last casserole before grilling and summer meal season is upon us. This recipe is simple but nostalgic for me. I first had spaghetti pizza at my [then future] mother-in-law’s house when…
Pudding’d Fruit
Living in Minnesota, when Easter comes around it’s not exactly the pinnacle of fresh fruit or berry season. Yet, when I’m hosting Easter dinner – I like to have something fresh and fruity as part of the meal. You know some form of a fruit salad. That’s when I turn to pudding’d fruit. This recipe…
Blueberry Muffins
Tory and I grew up on wild blueberries. Late July or early August we’d head out into the woods – to a secret spot that only my mom and her closest friends would share – and pick ice-cream buckets full of blueberries. Well Mom would pick by the ice-cream bucket and Tory and I would…
