I'm a big fan of local producers: I subscribe to a CSA, patronize farmers markets, and imbibe at local distilleries. My love of local flavor also includes wine—yes, even though I live in Minnesota. Thanks to in large part to the University of Minnesota's grape breeding program, the state has a robust wine industry with dozens of grape growers and wineries.

This chocolate chia pudding recipe is the latest addition to my "should've been on the blog by now" series of posts, along with sweet potato mushroom barley bowls. I've been making a batch nearly every week for the past few years, starting back when chia seeds were having a moment and I had gotten very tired of eating fruit and nut oatmeal bars.

My favorite thing to do when I'm traveling is to visit grocery stores. They're a peek into the home kitchens of another culture, a way to get an appreciation for what's similar to and what's different...

Some of the recipes on my blog have a story behind them, like Banoo's baklava cake or miso ginger sweet potato soup . Others are family recipes: my mom's chocolate chip cookies , my great-grandmother...

As I mentioned in my post about Fargo, many people have preconceived notions about the Midwest. Since I'm a travel writer who primarily covers the region, my perspective is likely a bit more informed. But I'm not immune to stereotypes. When I was planning my trip to Fargo and Bismarck last fall, I wasn't expecting North Dakota to surprise me.

Mike and I spend most of our weekends running in opposite directions (literally in my case, since I run seven miles on Saturday and three miles on Sunday). We use the weekends to catch up with friends, do chores, and work on hobbies and personal projects. After one too many weekends when the only significant chunk of time we spent together was grocery shopping, we realized that we needed to prioritize time with each other