Have you tried to buy salt lately? The aisle has been overrun by grinders, Mediterranean sea salt, Celtic salt, pink Himalayan salt, kosher salt, the familiar iodized and many others. Cooking shows and recipe books specify “kosher salt” and “sea salt,” and there are even restaurants focused around one specific type of salt. How do you know which salt to use when in your everyday cooking? We typically have three varieties of salt in our house for cooking purposes: iodized... more

I’m not Japanese, I don’t claim to know anything about Japan.  I do watch Iron Chef, but the only things I learn from that are how to make fish ice cream and brain pudding.  You will not find these things in my posts.  I do, however, dabble in very Americanized Asian cuisine. A few years ago I found an easy recipe for teriyaki sauce, and since then, I have modified it, made it a dozen times and experimented with it on various meats.  Some have been successful, others have not, and... more

So, I realize that some of the things we do for meals may seem more involved than you want to get on your average weekday evening. Have you seen the Make-Ahead Meals section? Trust me. We have those nights too. In fact, we have those nights an average of 5 out of the 7 days in any given week…so we plan for them by alternating the involved with the less involved. However, some things that seem difficult are not. For instance, if you think guacamole takes a long time to make, you are mistaken.... more

There is a place in my heart that is occupied by a Chipotle burrito (or a bol). It’s a large place on account of the size factor, so it’s hard to miss. In fact, I don’t know that there are many days I would turn down a Chipotle burrito if it were offered to me. The appeal of Chipotle to me is the stretchy tortilla, the fragrant lime and cilantro rice, the guacamole mounded right near the end just before wrapping…the fact that I don’t need to get chili-corn salsa.... more

I have a relatively large backyard for living in an urban area, yet my herb gardens live in pots. There are many reasons for this, but I first became a believer in the potted herbs after my first attempt at growing them. I had purchased seedlings and planted them hoping to serve more flavorful dishes to my family without handing over $3.00 every time a recipe called for fresh herbs. It was going well, my plants were growing, and then June appeared and brought with it a rash of thunderstorms. ... more

Nothing screams potato salad like warm weather and eating outside in the backyard. Sure, you could buy that questionable yellow stuff behind the deli case at the supermarket, but I wouldn’t recommend it. This will make you much happier than any pickle relish and mustard-laden potato salad. Yes, I know you can get variety at the deli counter. They cost more than your standard yellow deli potato salad, though, and I don’t need a $15.00 container of potato salad. The first time I was... more

Minnesotans take great pride in telling people where their ancestors came from and for the most part there are only three places of origin.  Norway, Sweden or Germany.  If you have relatives who came from anywhere else, say, Poland, you are considered “exotic.”  I’m a 50/50 Norwegian/German; Shaina is less pure, much less pure, which makes her “exotic” by some standards.  I guess that makes our kids mostly nothing, but we like to think of them as little Vikings;... more