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Ringing In a Summer of Good Eating with Chowgirls Killer Catering

I’ve always been lukewarm about solstice celebrations. While the winter solstice almost seems like a cruel joke – “welcoming” sunshine and longer days as we brace ourselves for four more months of blizzards and frigid temperatures – summer solstice is more joyful, but still is accompanied by that nagging thought in the back of my head. Wait! Summer has barely started – already we’re celebrating its peak? What about all my big plans of farmers market trips, bountiful garden harvests, dinner parties… 

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Chowgirls: Much More than Killer Catering!

Heidi Andermack and Amy Lynn Brown of Chowgirls

On Valentine's Day, my husband and I were guests of Chowgirls, best known for catering, at their inaugural fine-dining event, the Locavore Love Affair, held in the Rosalux Gallery next door to Chowgirls' kitchen and office in NE Minneapolis. I've enjoyed meals catered by Chowgirls before, so I was especially glad for the opportunity to check out their new venture and talk to founders Heidi Andermack and Amy Lynn Brown.

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Road Trip Granola: For When You're "On the Road Again"

McDonalds, Burger King, Hardee’s, Subway, Arby’s, TCBY, Taco Bell, Sbarro. Anything sound good? Didn’t think so. When a family hits the open road in the U.S. of A. and the excitement of the first few hours of tunes, wind, and unfurling pavement has worn off to be replaced by boredom and hunger, it will have little choice but to pull into an oasis to eat. Unfortunately, our oases give oases a bad name. Far from a place to relax and replenish, our U.S. highways seem to be lined with not much more than loud flushing toilets and purveyors of junk food. I always fantasize about the small, family-run diners tucked into the towns we roll by; but realistically, when you have three kids and seven hours of driving ahead of you, there is no extra time to dilly dally in search of homemade chicken soup and apple pie.

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Prairie Organic Vodka Celebrates Two Smooth Years

Dean Phillips and his cornDean Phillips and his cornWas it just two short years ago that Phillips Distilling Company, the fifth-generation, family-owned Minnesota beverage company, launched Prairie Organic Vodka? It seems like years since I first noticed the gorgeous, slender bottle, remarking to my friends that Phillips had finally created something as beautiful as it was tasty.

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Minnesota Cooks at the State Fair

I didn't know what to expect at the Minnesota Cooks stage, located outdoors at the Minnesota State Fair's Carousel Park, but I was pleasantly surprised at every turn.

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My New Favorite Drink: The Boozy Garden

Just before embarking on my week-long stay at a cabin with my in-laws and friends, I posted to Twitter and Facebook, hoping to find a local cocktail that would impress the crowd. My friends chimed in helpfully, offering suggestions such as "gin and lake water" (thanks Graeme!) and "lemonade with Shaker vodka, muddled local raspberries or Door County cherries, and mint (thanks nearly everyene else?)."

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Fresh Foods at the Minneapolis Farmers Market

The biggest kohlrabi I've ever seenThe biggest kohlrabi I've ever seenMy family and I had a great time at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market this past weekend, and not just because my son got to try grabbing green beans with his teeth during the "Aunty Oxident" show. We sampled all sorts of tasty foods from old favorites like Dehn's and Ames Farm, but also got to try a bunch of new things.

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