A Sustainable Living & Food-Themed Road Trip To Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Travel feeds my soul. When travel opportunities pop-up, I accept them whenever possible. There is no trip too near or far to thrill me. Once, my husband was lamenting about how he wished he had more...
View ArticleThe Every Bar In Mason City Quest Takes A Detour: The Other Place, Clear Lake
Most Iowans probably know what I’m talking about when I say “The O.P.” We have a popular local pizza chain called The Other Place. Yes, that’s actually the name. There are eight total restaurants, two...
View ArticleKindness & A Grain Co-op
I grew up learning nothing about farming. The closest I got to farm animals was the exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo and our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair. My dad recounts visiting a family...
View ArticleA Bakery That Smells Like Butter In Belmond, Iowa
Last weekend, Jake and I postponed our little getaway to the Twin Cities. So, obviously, my second choice of destination was Belmond, Iowa, a small town of about 2,300 located 40 minutes southwest of...
View ArticleMy Quest To Understand Ham Balls
I’m on a ham ball quest. Ham balls are a food I’d never heard of until I moved to North Iowa. Growing up in Minneapolis-St. Paul, we rarely ate pork. It never appeared on our school lunch menus, except...
View ArticleMy Five Favorite Food Reasons To Visit Clear Lake, Iowa
Disclosure: In exchange for traveling with the Clear Lake Chamber to Chicago, I have agreed to write five posts about the trip. It is my commitment to share my honest opinion about my experiences. This...
View ArticleBaking Pies With Food & Swine + Pork Tenderloin At Goldie’s
“You can cry or die or just bake pies all day.” – From “Making Pies” by Patty Griffin After our friend Amy Hild died in a car crash late February, I baked a pie and wrote this post about baking...
View ArticleNatural Plus Nursery Tour + Gardening Tips For People Who Treat Plants Like...
My mother and her mother grew beautiful roses. They loved to garden and my childhood home was surrounded by snapdragons and peonies. A magnolia tree grew beneath my bedroom window and I looked forward...
View ArticleCows Are Cool: Bottle-Feeding A Calf At SkyView Farms
I never stepped foot on a farm until moved to Iowa. Growing up, we only saw farm animals at the State Fair or the exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo. This is my first time hanging out with farmers and I’ve...
View ArticleNorthwestern Steakhouse
Jake and I finally made it to our city’s most famous restaurant, Northwestern Steakhouse. When I mentioned Northwestern Steakhouse on Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s podcast Off The Menu while speaking to...
View ArticleNorth Iowa: Notes Upon Leaving
Two years in North Iowa and I only have a few regrets. I never did catch a concert at the Surf Ballroom or complete my Every Bar in Mason City Quest. I didn’t make it to Bill’s BBQ or Band Fest or tour...
View ArticleA Long Minnesotan Goodbye: The Viking, The Landing & The Lady #FarewellTour2015
My farewell tour to North Iowa was like a Minnesota goodbye. It was long and drawn-out in the best possible way. Beth and I said many of our farewells together. As we unpack in St. Louis, she packs for...
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