A street lined with small shops, each decorated with fresh pine boughs and Christmas wreaths. Dozens of Christmas trees. Twinkling luminaries along the sidewalks. It sounds like an illustration from the front of a Christmas card, or maybe the opening scene of a Hallmark Channel holiday movie. But actually, I'm in Iowa's Amana Colonies.

The running joke about Minnesota is that we have two seasons: winter and road construction. Likewise, when it comes to what I'm cooking for dinner, there's CSA season and soup season. From June...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm working with Barlean's this month to promote their Seriously Delicious Omega-3s. Omega-3s are the healthy fats found in fish and flaxseeds, and Barlean's Seriously Delicious Omega-3s are a sweet and creamy way to add them to your diet.

Culinary truths my mom taught me: 1) The best part of a loaf of bread is the crusty end. My mom refers to it as the "gunta", a term she picked up from her Finnish-American grandmother—I think it's a...

This month, I'm working with Barlean's to promote their Seriously Delicious Omega-3s. What are Omega-3s? They're the healthy fats found in fish and flaxseeds. Barlean's Seriously Delicious Omega-3s are emulsified for three times better absorption than traditional liquid or soft gel fish or flax oils, so you get more Omega-3s without an aftertaste.

There are certain foods that are often associated with fall, like apples, pumpkin pie, and butternut squash. But there's something missing from that list—pears from the Northwest!