Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/patrice/page/2/)
We gather on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and recall the many years we’ve spent together as friends. We feast on mostly vegetarian fare in honor of those among us who don’t eat turkey, and every year the wine gets a little better, the roaring fire a little more comforting, and our bonds a little stronger. Every year I am more and more grateful for those bonds of friendship. Continue Reading
Yes, I went there. I went there deep. A weekday visit to a little diner billed as Korean fusion had us so excited about that we returned the next day to the Green Spoon near the University of Minnesota Campus in Minneapolis. Earlier in the week a colleague raved about the Kimchi Fries he enjoyed there, so on our second visit they graced the table. Continue Reading
Before everyone and their mother had a blog, before we all photographed every plate we encountered, before google and the Food Network guided every edible decision we made, I attended a cookbook signing at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Continue Reading
GRAVLAX: a Scandinavian dish of dry-cured salmon marinated in herbs. The word gravlax comes from the term gravadlax or “buried salmon,” which was the traditional way of fermenting the fish. Continue Reading
Our best food memories serve more than just the taste of a meal. They encompass place and time. For twenty-five years, more than half my lifetime, I’ve been searching for authentic yakisoba in Minnesota. I’ve been looking for a yakisoba that can bring me back to my youth and to the old Japanese man who fried noodles at his cart in the street. When I need comfort, I think of that vendor and his good soba. Continue Reading
Collide Theatrical’s “Class of ‘85” is midway through its two week spot at the Southern Theater. We scooped up tickets because, as self-appointed Gen X media monitors, we have a duty to support all plays, movies, and TV shows about the 1980s. There was another draw for our visit to the historic theater on Minneapolis’s West Bank as a high school buddy of mine is the lead female vocalist. There is a surreal sort of comfort watching your high school friend from the 80s perform in a play about high school in the 80s thirty years after the original spectacle. Continue Reading
Mark your calendars kids, October 4 is almost here. We are just hours away from one of the greatest celebrations the Swedes ever shared with the rest of the world: Kanelbullens Dag (a.k.a. Cinnamon Bun Day)! Continue Reading
If you’ve hung around me or my blog much you are likely aware that I am a total pizza fascist. It isn’t a trait that I wear proudly (Obviously I have some deep inner pie issues. Perhaps I suffered pizza trauma in my youth. Perhaps I’m just really bossy in the kitchen.) Continue Reading
Aebleskiver are pancake balls that are popular, especially during Christmas, as a snack or dessert in Denmark. Traditionally they are sweet, served with fruit preserves or filled with apples (the name is translated “apple slices”), although modern aebleskiver also skew savory. A well made aebleskiver is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Continue Reading
There is a great mystery and powerful music playing that we don’t
hear and stories full of magic, so many stories that life isn’t
long enough to tell them all. –Garrison Keillor
Yesterday was one of those days that everywhere I went I met cool people who told me their stories. Two characteristics they had in common: passion in the way they live their lives and a willingness to talk about it. Continue Reading