August 2009

There are a few things that jump into my head when I think about my favorite things about living in Minneapolis: the lakes, the growing art community, the (mostly) bike-friendliness, and ready access to goat cheese from the Donnay Dairy.

It might sound a wee bit mundane, but it is seriously what I like to call an “everyday treat”. After the samples, there are few things I make a beeline for at Surdyk’s: chocolate, coffee, and goat cheese.

Now that we’re deep in the heart of summer, the grill is looking pretty appealing. For one thing, it doesn’t heat up the house like the oven. For another, a sausage or burger isn’t quite the same any other way. There are some fine producers of artisan sausages and some truly spectacular beef to be had around the Twin Cities.

Last Sunday, my family and I (and a few friends) took the opportunity to visit the Kingfield Farmers Market in South Minneapolis. It's been ages since I've been there, but pretty much everyone I know raves about it. It's easy to see why.

As a kid, I spent countless hours, days, weeks, months - heck, even years - thinking of nothing but baseball. With 2 brothers and 3 step-brothers in my family hanging around each summer, it was easy to get a game going any time, and each night was spent in front of the TV, watching our beloved Yankees (I'm from New York) attempt to destroy the competition. My brothers and I developed special cheers for Don Mattingly, Ricky Henderson, Dave Righetti, and the rest of the team. When I moved to Minnesota, I helped my family adjust to the idea by telling them that Dave Winfield was born in St. Paul.