tracy morgan

Simple Good and Tasty Launches Its Own Bookclub Tonight

Tonight kicks off the first month of the SGT book club. And let me just tell you, books and food are two of my favorite things in the world, so I couldn’t be more excited to jump in! 

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Highlights from Last Week's Food & Wine Experience in Minneapolis

Over the weekend, I buzzed over to the Food and Wine Experience at the Minneapolis Convention Center on the hunt for things local, delicious and interesting. I’ve had a varied relationship with this show over the years and, is it me, or does it still feel like it’s trying to define itself?  Nevertheless, if you could put aside greater questions of “the point” of the show, it’s still a darned good time. The mix of attendees was encouraging (with a notable skew toward the younger demographic), the introduction of some fun new food/wine-adjacent products and services was cool, and the Iron Chef-like Local Chef Challenge turned out to be a fantastic addition.

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W7 Collective - St. Paul's "Uncommon Market" - Happens this Week

One of the best things about living in the Twin Cities is uncovering all the fun, creative things to do around town. Pop-up retail is hot these days. And occasional sales have long been a part of our vintage/antique market. But when you take those concepts and throw in a healthy dash of high-quality, artisan goods, well, what you have then is the new W7 Collective. And being a St. Paul native, I always love to see this kind of happenin’ gig on my side of the river!

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Cooking Up a Special Valentine's Day: What to Skip, Do Instead, and "While You're There"

“Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
  - Harriet Van Horne

I’ve always said that Valentine’s Day isn’t for the faint of heart. Between the overpriced roses, over-pinked shopping, and overly dramatic search for restaurant reservations, it’s enough to give any girl – or guy –  indigestion. And more than ever, I’m really thinking about the true value of gift giving, because, frankly, I just don’t need any more stuff.

What I truly want to give – and receive – for Valentine’s Day is a great experience to share with the one I adore. So, how about cooking at home this year?

With this in mind, I set out to find some great gift ideas for you, your honey and your home that just might lead to a romantic evening in. Let’s get started!

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Sampling Veganism: 2 Cookbooks for the Curious Omnivore

Let’s just get one thing straight, I’m probably never going to turn the corner to veganism. I just love goat cheese way too much. I’m not much of a vegetarian either, nor do I proclaim to be. But having gone through vegan-like cleanses a few times, I also know the incredible benefit that this kind of diet brings to my body. So this Christmas, as I was getting ready to embark on my January detox, one of my dear friends gave me a beautiful vegan cookbook.

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A Fresh Start: All Around the House

Are you thinking ahead to spring? I know it’s hard to fathom in the midst of our deep freeze, but spring really IS just around the corner. Sadly, spring is when my allergies rear their ugly mugs and turn the otherwise lovely experience of new life blooming into a major sneeze-fest. Whether you've got allergies or you’re just looking for a way to clear your home of allergens, toxins, and other not-so-pleasant environmental hazards, here are some ideas that may help. (Don’t forget to check out our previous articles on detoxing your kitchen and your bath and laundry.)

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A Fresh Start: Detox Your Bathroom and Laundry

A wise friend once said “awareness rocks!” I couldn’t agree more. When I started down the detox path myself, I realized that all of my researching, experimenting and learning about less toxic eating was coagulating into a new form of awareness. If I cared so much about how hard my poor liver was working, I reasoned, I should probably find a way to bring all of this glorious non-toxicity into the rest of my world as well. What we consume certainly plays a big role in how we bring toxins into our bodies, but the air we breathe and what touches our skin matters too. With this in mind, I started looking around my house for sources and solutions.

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Celebrating Our Community and Our Co-ops

Providing natural, fresh, organic and local foods has been at the core of Mississippi Market Co-op’s offering since they opened their first store in 1979. This past weekend, the market celebrated their 30th anniversary and an official grand opening at their newly opened West 7th Street store in St. Paul. It was also Annual Meeting time for the market’s 9,000-plus cooperative owners and the event brought together members, a distinguished speaker panel, and the co-op leadership to talk about the future of co-ops and how Mississippi Market can lead the way.

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What I Ate at the MN State Fair

I recently spent a day at the MN State Fair with my friend and cohort Tracy Morgan, and we did our best to eat as much local food we can could cram into our eager bellies. Here are a few of our favorites.

I started with a big ole turkey drumstick, the kind I've watched people carry around for ages at all sorts of festivals and fairs (Tracy passed on this). I had to admit to Tracy that I'm not much of a food "toucher" - I'm kind of a knife and fork guy - but the drumstick was tender and delicious, with a bit of sweet sauce on top. I didn't do too much gnawing on the bone, partly because it's not my thing, and partly beause I was saving room for more food.

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This Week at the St. Paul Farmers' Market: 5 Great Picks

tracy1There’s little question that Farmers’ Markets are an easy and affordable way to support your local food producers while getting out and enjoying the festive open-air environment. So I jumped at the chance to report from the fabulous St. Paul Farmers’ Market for the Simple Good and Tasty blog! My favorite part about shopping the St. Paul Farmers Market is knowing that the vast majority of the food sold there was produced within 50 miles of the place.

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