By the time construction wrapped up last fall at The Minne Stuga, I squeezed into the cabin to start taking pictures in between guest stays. However, the green leaves had given way to bare trees, and the grass, which barely had time to grow, had gone dormant. I couldn’t shoot the outdoor living spaces. And in between then and now, we had one of the snowiest seasons yet, with snow pilling as high as the base of the roof! So I waited and waited for the snow to melt and the trees to leaf out and the grass to green to get outside and show you the outdoor living spaces featuring our favorite Minne ..read more

I decided one day, 7 months or so ago, that I was going to start making hummus instead of buying it. I didn’t say it out loud because I didn’t want to be held accountable to such a huge habit shift. Habit shifts are hard and often unsuccessful. In fact, I only allow myself 1 to 2 a year. It’s about all I can tolerate successfully. But here I am still making hummus, lemon hummus to be exact, and not-so-quietly now that I’ve said it out loud on the internet. This bright and creamy lemon hummus is made from broken rules and canned chickpeas with the skins on plus a secret ingredient. It’s a simp ..read more

I know, I know. I’m late. We’re at the end of cold season and citrus season and winter season. But after our 37th cold of the season, or what felt like it, I had an idea. What if I started making my own immunity shots. There had to be a way without buying a fancy juicer. So I pulled out the blender and the tiny blender basin, the same one I used to make Linnie’s baby food, and threw in ginger, citrus, and a little water to get things whirling. It was simple but good, so good we started calling it Ginger Juice and making it again and again. I can’t claim that this ginger juice will actually c ..read more

I hope you wore your snow boots and puffy vest. We’re going to crunch around the outside of the cabin, between the tall trees and beneath the Milky Way, where the sky blackens to a darkness I barely know from living in the city. Where the trees wrap around the cabin like a gentle fortress and the water is a generous playground every season. I’d love to walk you around Cabin Exterior of The Minne Stuga, where we met love at first sight. DISCLOSURE We worked with Brava Roof Tile and Kebony to restore the exterior of the cabin. Before Let it be known, I loved the cabin as we found it. I loved t ..read more

As you wind through a sea, the parted green sea of tall evergreens, and pull up to the cabin, there’s a big homemade sign peaking out of this room letting you know you’ve arrived. “Way up north,” it says. Which is only really true if you’re coming from down south. But the navy flag hangs and the bed velvets and the lights shine, dim or brightly, you choose, and the wool wraps you into the cozy Downstairs Cabin Bedroom at The Minne Stuga. I’d love to show you around. This room was created in partnership with Minnesota’s own Room & Board, focusing on sustainable American-made furniture and ..read more

At the top of the stairs, at the back of the cabin, only if the lake is the front, is the A-frame bedroom with a pointy pitched ceiling and panoramic views of the trees. The curtains pull to a close for blackout sleeping conditions, and the chair in the corner, with the light and the table, await a good book and a warm body. I’d love to invite you into the A-frame Cabin Bedroom at The Minne Stuga.  Before When we first walked into this room, it felt like an A-frame within an A-frame. It felt like magic. Luckily the neon orange carpet, that floored the rest of the upstairs, stopped at th ..read more

I first made this recipe for Cauliflower Bolognese on Christmas Eve a couple years ago, before COVID was common when Linnie was still stowed safely inside my stretchy stomach. I chopped the mushrooms and riced the cauliflower and overcooked the cauliflower and maybe the tomato paste, too. Even still, I set the bolognese down on the dinner table, late but proud. It was a work of art. But it must have been a work of art too modern for these people as they turned up their nose. Maybe it was the mushrooms. It had to be the mushrooms. Years later and here I am still fiddling with this recipe, most ..read more

Did you catch the Downstairs Cabin Bathroom Reveal a couple days back? Take a peek in there first, and then let’s head to the upstairs cabin bathroom just off the loft, adjacent to the A-frame bedroom, where we added a happy pop of color on the floor, contributing to the 50 shades of green throughout. Where we also hung artwork purchased from an ad on Facebook. I’m just as embarrassed for myself as you are. Have I mentioned selecting artwork is not my strong suit? Before Prior to starting construction on The Minne Stuga, the upstairs bathroom was very similar to the downstairs bathroom, just ..read more

There’s going to be lots of potty talk on the blog this week. What a way to start the new year! Not the almost-two-year-old kind of potty talk that elicits giggles from words like poo-poo and pee-pee. (We’re currently knee-deep in that stage over here, and I may have giggled a time or three.) I’m talking about the toilets in the two main bathrooms at The Minne Stuga. To be honest, I can’t remember which toilets we went with, but I can remember everything else, like that stunning matte black tile that lines the floors of the bathroom and the walls of the shower. But before we dive into the pre ..read more

There’s a square of a room sandwiched between the kitchen and the living room with a window the size of a wall and a staircase wrapped around the backside, once covered in neon green carpet, with just enough space to cozily seat 6 people around the table and 2 at the nearby countertop. I’d love to take you on a walk through The Minne Stuga Cabin Dining Room and tell you more about the flooring that we thought about and fraught about for months. It’s finished. Before But first, here’s where we started. I wasn’t kidding about the neon carpet. It was so green, it changed the perceived color of ..read more