Just this week, our wonderful college student babysitter asked me about cooking and where to start. I told her the same thing I tell everyone: with soup. My first lessons in cooking came from the old school Moosewood Cookbook. The soup section was where I started and I learned the basic techniques and gained the ..read more

The first actual meal I remember my mom teaching me to make as a kid was Homemade Macaroni & Cheese. My sisters and I absolutely loved when my mom pulled out her old Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1960’s, stained with splatters, the front and back covers hanging by a thread and scattered with handwritten ..read more

Growing up in Minnesota, you learn that the 9×13 pan is a bit of an institution. Maybe it’s our love of church pot lucks combined with the custom of the “pan of bars” for dessert sprinkled with our defiant use of the term “hot dish” instead of “casserole.” Whatever it is – the ease of ..read more

Soup is my go-to dish – it usually involves just one pot, it’s deeply nourishing and paired with a loaf of sourdough and some butter, it’s a complete meal. And this may be an unpopular opinion but soup is totally ruined when it’s packaged in a can. There, I said it. Recently I posted a ..read more

Cooked carrots get a bad rap. They’re often soft and mushy and flavorless. But this week on Minnesota Live, I went out to the garden to harvest carrots and cook them up my favorite way: in a hot pan, seasoned liberally with fresh thyme and a drizzle of maple syrup for additional flavor. I make ..read more

It’s sweet corn season in these parts and it’s what I want to eat nonstop. This week on Minnesota Live, I shared my take on a Mexican style sweet corn salad – which is sort of a combo of elote and esquites. It’s delicious alongside a steak off the grill, piled on top of tacos ..read more

My nine year old daughter Bernadette is rarely without a drawing utensil of some sort in her hands. She’s constantly creating works of art, writing in diaries and sharing stories. Recently, she presented me with what is now my favorite of her creations. It’s titled: “My List of My Favorite Foods By My Mom!” and it nearly made my mama heart explode. This is better than a James Beard Award and far surpasses any sort of Michelin star in my kitchen and if you’re a longtime follower, you’ll likely recognize some of our dishes. My classic Chicken & Wild Rice Soup came in at number 6 and Chicke ..read more

It’s the perfect time of year – summer is here and there’s still plenty of time to enjoy it. We are looking ahead to family gatherings, the 4th of July celebration and cabin trips with friends. This week on Minnesota Live, I shared an egg bake recipe that will feed everyone at the lake and ensure the host isn’t doubling as a short order breakfast cook. The trick here is to assemble the egg bake the night before, leave it covered in the fridge and just pop in the oven in the morning. Set this out with some lightly dressed greens, fresh fruit and coffee and it’ll be a hit, I promise. Sausage ..read more

Today we are all about the unofficial kick off to summer. Memorial Day weekend is just days away – and that means we are looking ahead to long weekends, boat rides, beach days and dinners from the grill. I love having a grain-based salad in the fridge – it’s perfect to pull out and serve alongside sandwiches for lunch or any grilled meat or fish for dinner. Plus, it makes my husband feel like he lives in the deli counter of the grocery store which makes him incredibly happy. This week on Minnesota Live, I shared my Fresh Mediterranean Salad and I’m using farro in it. Farro is an ancient grain ..read more

The other night my daughter came home from gymnastics and was starving, per usual. I offered her a piece of sourdough toast with a thick smear of butter + jam. She came racing down the stairs after changing out of her leotard and declared, “ooooohhhh, I love the smell of toast!” Such a simple aroma that brings so much comfort. While I love toast with butter and jam as much as any 9 year old, I also adore what I call “Fancy Toast.” Making fancy toast requires a few extra ingredients but it’s always delicious, satisfying and pretty enough to be on the cover of any food magazine. My formula is ..read more