“When the stars make you drool just like pasta fazool, that’s amore.” I heard this Dean Martin lyric a little differently one day while preparing for a day at work. I asked myself “What is this dish he croons over?” After a little research, I stumbled upon a few recipes. My first reaction was not one of positive impression. My …
Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. But don’t tell that to those who consider the leftovers from a big feast such as “Turkey Day” a mere extension of the holiday. Not only do you have plenty of meat, potatoes, stuffing and gravy in the refrigerator for a nice day-after meal or two, there is the traditional turkey soup. Making soup is what’s on my agenda today. I have a pot …
Side dishes are just as important as the main course when it comes to holiday celebrations such as Thanksgiving Day dinner. It’s always been that way in our family. From the time we used to go to my Grandma and Grandpa Menard’s in the 1950s and ’60s to our smaller get-togethers these days, side dishes have played a big role …
Undoubtedly, you’ve heard someone say “it tastes just like chicken” when they are describing some other kind of meat. Sometimes, it’s said in jest. But more often, people really mean it. Pheasant fits into the latter category. And in my opinion, the game bird tastes just as good chicken, maybe even better. I ought to know, since pheasant has been a staple in …
No deer hunting camp would be complete without a pot of chili. And it doesn’t matter what it contains, just as long as the chili will warm you up after a cold day in the field or woods. Chili has always been a deer camp mainstay for me. Back in the day when I hunted North Dakota with the Durkin boys …
Two 5-gallon buckets of carrots. What’s a guy to do? Well, in my case, scrubbing and drying them is the No. 1 priority. After that, the fun begins. As you might have guessed, I recently dug the carrots from my garden. I waited until we had a good frost before harvesting them because the plants respond to the cold by turning starches into …
Anyone who has enjoyed a day in the field in pursuit of ringneck pheasants knows how nice it is to return to hunting camp for a tasty home-cooked meal. I recently returned from my third trip to western North Dakota, where wily roosters did their best to outsmart me. Luckily, I was in pretty good company, so a few birds …
TV dinners have been around for quite some time, probably almost as long as televisions, so we’re talking the late 1940s or early 1950s. As a kid, I remember chowing down on TV dinners before going away to college. And being a typical college kid ― with very little extra money ― I ate quite a few of them when living off-campus. Some of my …
The appetite for hot and spicy food is gaining in popularity across the country as is evidenced by the emergence of restaurant and fast-food establishment dishes such as Subway’s Buffalo Chicken, Red Lobster’s Extra Jumbo Spicy Sriracha-Grilled Shrimp and Wendy’s Ghost Pepper Fries. For me, if I had to choose between hot and spicy and bland and boring, there’s no question what …
Nachos are a popular appetizer for today’s football tailgaters. And there is no limit to the number of ways that this party food can be customized. Recently, I came across a recipe on Facebook that takes nachos to another level. It’s from Marit Mikkelson of Grand Forks, a University of North Dakota fan who posted a photo of “Tater Totchos” a …
People who love an assortment of outdoor activities face a dilemma this time of the year. There are just too many things to do in too short a time. To do one you, you have to give up the others. For me and a lot of my friends, pastimes such as hunting and sports clash with the end of the gardening season. …
Undoubtedly, many gardeners who grow tomatoes have more than they can handle — unless they do some canning. Even those who put up whole tomatoes, tomato juice, salsa or the like might have their hands full if they were overzealous and plotted too many plants, especially this summer in which there have been ideal growing conditions for those who have …
The was a time when 5-and-10-cent stores (also known as five-and-dime stores or dime stores) were a 20th-century fixture in American downtowns. Then came the emphasis on specialty stores, and the rest is history. But that can’t erase the memories of many people who are 50 or older. Going to the five-and-dime store was something we all grew up with and loved. …
Broccoli is one of those garden vegetables that keeps on giving. After the first cutting of a large center head, the plant will produce smaller side heads for several weeks. And for those like me who enjoy a good broccoli salad, that’s dandy. Just yesterday, I was able to harvest several smaller heads on my four plants, which Therese used to …
Shrimp and rice are staples of New Orleans and Cajun cooking. Jambalaya and gumbo are just two of the mouth-watering dishes that combine the two and have made Louisiana cuisine a favorite of many people. However, for those who work or are on the go, time is at a premium and preparing entrees such as those listed above is not always …
Most gardeners love large vegetables. So do the people who are the recipients of extra veggies from gardening friends whose bounty is beyond expectations. But there is an exception: large zucchini. Over my 40-plus years of gardening, I’ve never had any trouble giving away vegetables from my garden. That’s unless the vegetable is a humongous zucchini. (And in the case of one …
Anyone who has read one of Donna Leon’s best-selling novels knows about Commissario Guido Brunetti. Brunetti is the intelligent and capable police commissioner who confronts crime around his hometown of Venice, Italy. And he’s also the namesake of a cookbook by Leon and Roberta Pianaro, which features Venetian recipes such as orecchiette with asparagus; ravioli with squash, butter and sage; artichokes stuffed with …
Home-grown tomatoes are nothing like those that can be purchased in grocery stores or supermarkets. That might be an understatement. In fact, in the opinion of many gardeners, there probably isn’t any food better than the first tomato of summer. I just sampled my first of the season — with just a dab of salt — from our garden today. It …
Hand-me-down recipes are among the most treasured gifts our parents or grandparents can pass on to us. I’ve always had an affinity for them, no matter if they are mine or someone else’s. That is why I was intrigued when seeing Yvonne Wasvick-Kalka’s post on Facebook the other day. Yvonne, who teaches English and speech at Grand Forks Central and also coaches …
Anyone who cans knows that smaller cucumbers make better pickles. It doesn’t matter if you’re making dills, bread and butters or chunky sweet ones. Large cucumbers often tend to be seedy, which makes them unsuitable for every kind of pickle. Sometimes, just a day or two can make the difference between perfect pickling cucumbers and those that are better off being de-seeded and used …
Kale has become pretty popular the past couple of years, no longer just a fad or something found strictly in vegan establishments. It’s making frequent appearance in many restaurants and is being found at more and dinner tables across America. In fact, in some circles, it enjoys celebrity status. And there is good reason. Not only is kale readily available and cheap, …
The summer of 2015 is going to be one to remember for gardeners and grillers alike. Abundant rain and sunshine have resulted in bumper crops for a lot of people in the Northland, many of whom are fond of cooking outdoors. While many associate grilling mainly with meat, there’s a growing number of food aficionados who know that the veggies …
Some gardeners will tell you that the first picking of vegetables from their gardens is the best. I don’t really subscribe to that thought, though it’s hard to beat the initial home-grown radishes or tomatoes of the summer. But I can understand how people might feel that way. There is a certain amount of excitement associated with gathering garden bounty for the first …
There aren’t many places that have better fishing than Alaska. Anyone who lives there or has visited will tell you so. And if you have traveled there and been fortunate enough to experience casting a hook and line into either one of the state’s plentiful rivers or into the ocean, you’ve may have brought home a bounty of fish that would be …
What food do you most associate with a Fourth of July celebration? If asked, many people probably would say burgers or hot dogs or something else that’s cooked on the grill. Or perhaps corn on the cob or watermelon. And don’t forget about potato salad. Me? It’s baked beans, baby! In my book, no Independence Day get-together would be complete without some …
No Midwest garden would be complete without a rhubarb patch. Add to that a nice bed of strawberries, and you have the makings for some wonderful desserts. We are fortunate enough to have both. A stand of rhubarb was growing next to the garage when Therese bought our house about 25 years ago. And four years ago, I bought a bunch …
There are a lot of ways a family can stretch its budget. That’s important these days when salaries aren’t keeping up with the cost of living increases, and benefits to lower income families are being tightened at every turn. For example, one can clip coupons or grab them online for deals at the grocery store. Coupons are like free money to be used …
There’s no doubt that the cuisines of most countries are influenced by those of others. These days, when the culinary tastes of two or more cultures are combined, it is called fusion cooking. In this country, that is no more evident than in Tex-Mex food, which is a combination of Southwestern U.S. and Mexican cuisines. Another example of fusion cooking …
Cooks who are worth their salt know there are some recipes that just can’t be beaten. A lot of those recipes are ones that are passed down generation to generation. I have some of those recipes. For example, I still make stuffing the way my mom and grandma used make it. The baked oyster dressing I fix during the holidays is one that …
It’s hard to beat a bowl of beef stew on a cool, windy spring day, especially when it’s homemade. I remember as a kid the wonderful stew we used to have for school hot lunch and also the kind my mom used to make for us at home. After I moved away from home after college, about the closest my …
If ever there was a dish that hunters should embrace, it’s cacciatore. It means hunter’s style in Italian. (The French call it chasseur, the Spanish cazadores.) The stew, which is usually made with chicken, also includes mushrooms, onions, sometimes sweet bell peppers and an assortment of spices. It is fairly low-cal and quite tasty. Apparently, the dish originated during the …
Dry rubs can greatly enhance the flavor of meats such as beef and pork with very little effort. Combine that method with a nice sauce, and you’ve got something that would bring a smile to the face of any Kansas City barbecuer. That’s just what I did today to celebrate Memorial Day. I chose to accompany my applewood-rubbed baby back pork ribs with baked …
Rhubarb recipes are a dime a dozen, especially if you live in North Dakota or Minnesota, where this perennial vegetable is abundant and church funeral and wedding luncheons are never lacking for desserts made with it. Yes, rhubarb is a vegetable, which doesn’t seem right, since it’s mostly associated with sweet things. (If you’ve ever been to the annual spring Rhubarb …
Sometimes it’s hard to get kids to eat vegetables. But potatoes generally aren’t one of them. Show me a kid who doesn’t like almost any kind of spuds, and I’ll show you one who is fussy about just about everything. One of our favorite ways to prepare potatoes are roasted, coated with a bit of butter and olive oil and seasoned …
One of the harbingers of summer is the blooming apple trees of spring. The sight of a fully blossomed-out apple tree with the morning sun shining upon it is one of the more spectacular and pleasant views in nature. I’ve been enjoying this experience daily on my two to three neighborhood walks with my dog, Sweetie, all the while wishing it …
Are you one of those people who finds it hard to resist making soup on a cold spring day? I am. And throwing together a pot of delicious vegetables with a little pasta is a great way to spend an early afternoon when the temperatures are on a slow descent to reach 50 and the wind is blowing a bit. …
What started off as a remembrance of the Battle of Puebla, a national holiday in Mexico in honor of a military victory in 1862 over French forces of Napoleon III, Cinco de Mayo has become more of a celebration of food these days. That’s especially true in the United States. Many restaurants feature South-of-the-Border food, and more and more people …
Salmon is one of the most popular choices in the fine restaurants of the world when it comes to fish. And it’s no surprise that it’s also the favorite fish on American dinner plates. But did you know that you are much better off eating the wild-caught version as compared with those that are raised on fish farms? Wild-caught salmon …
Have you ever seen a recipe that looks so good that you know you are just going to have to try it? But maybe with a spin of your own. I came across one of those the other day. It was for a meatball lasagna. Meatballs and lasagna are two of my favorite foods, but never before had I thought …
Anyone who grew up in the Midwest knows about hotdishes. And if you’re from Minnesota, you probably know that more than most. Perhaps, that’s the reason Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken started the Minnesota congressional “Hotdish Off” back in 2011. Wednesday, the Minnesota delegation took part in the fifth annual event in Washington, D.C. And this year, Rep. Betty McCollum …
Ask a roomful of kids what their favorite treat is and you might get dozens of answers. But if you mention Rice Krispie bars, the response would be pretty positive, I suspect. Show me a kid who doesn’t like Rice Krispie bars and I’ll show you a kid who doesn’t like sweets. I know that when growing up, the bars …
Pesto and pasta. Now that’s a combination that’s surely made in heaven. And if you don’t believe me, see for yourself. There is nothing simpler than combining those two with the likes of seafood, sausage or ribs in a yummy sauce that might also include some tasty veggies. One of my favorite combos is pasta, pesto and shrimp with peas. …
There was a time that the only place you could get a good meatloaf sandwich was at home. But these days, more and more restaurants are featuring this comfort food on their menus. I was reminded of this recently when watching the Travel Channel, which regularly has a show about a particular kind of food that has gained popularity. The …
Bison or buffalo burgers have been quite popular in many households across the Midwest or Great Plains for quite a few years, even showing up on some local restaurant menus. But in the past five years or so, they’ve also become a hit in areas where you wouldn’t expect, including many of our nation’s largest cities. That’s not surprising to me, …