I've now hit the three-month mark as a full-time freelance writer (I've previously written about my efforts to set up a routine and my newfound leisure time/cookie baking habit), and the whole process has been a lot tougher than I expected. On some level, I thought that my side gig would transform magically into full-time employment...
After my recent stay in New Ulm, I decided to spend some time in nearby Mankato, Minnesota. Located along the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers, Mankato is best known for its many outdoor recreation opportunities: there are over 50 miles of paved trails perfect for running, cycling, and walking.
Brunch is one of the best meals of the week. Delicious baked goods, eggs, fruit, maybe even a mimosa—you can't go wrong. This month, Barlean's challenged me to create a brunch recipe with their Superfruit Seed Blend and Organic Culinary Coconut Oil, and both products seemed perfect for a brunch-worthy loaf of chocolate strawberry bread.
As I mentioned in my post on my day trip to Red Wing, this year I'm focusing on visiting as many Midwest destinations as possible. Since Germany is my favorite international destination, a visit to New Ulm, Minnesota was a must...
I've been on a cookie kick lately. Since quitting my paralegal job to write full-time , I've found myself with more free time than I've had in years. I'm starting to reacquaint myself with leisure...
Since I eat a primarily vegetarian diet, tofu is one of my go-to proteins. I actually didn't try tofu until college, when Mike introduced to me to the wonders of tofu stir fry. Since then, I've expanded my repertoire to include various cooking techniques, vinaigrettes, and sauces. Flavor-wise, tofu is a bit of a blank slate—it will soak up whatever seasonings you pair it with...
Hamburg is Germany's third-most visited city, hosting nearly seven million overnight visitors per year. However, relatively few of these tourists are from the United States. Maybe it's because Hamburg lacks the storybook charm of Bavaria, or maybe it just doesn't have the name recognition of Berlin.
It's impossible to miss—a stately white house on a hill overlooking Highway 169 in Anoka, Minnesota. Built in 1857, the house is now home to The Mad Hatter, a full-service restaurant that serves brunch and high tea. Since Mike and I developed a fondness for afternoon tea during our stay in London, we treated ourselves to a belated Valentine's Day tea last month.
I quit my paralegal job at the beginning of February to pursue my writing career full-time. It was the right decision, for a variety of reasons, and I'm incredibly fortunate to be in a situation where making the leap into self-employment was financially tenable. But even needed transitions can be difficult, especially when you are the sort of person who thrives on stability and routine.
I love to support local businesses, and recently I had the chance to take a sneak peak at some of the dozens of local artisans and craftspeople who will be selling their wares at Lowertown Pop, a maker event at St. Paul's Union Depot on Saturday, March 24, 2018. Featuring brewers, bakers, distillers, artists, musicians, and more, Lowertown Pop offers an opportunity to shop for unique local products.
My favorite thing to do at a cruise ship port is simple: get off the ship and explore by foot, checking out the port's museums, cafes, and other attractions. That strategy wasn't going to work in Geiranger. The village's population is about 250 people, and the main attractions are gift shops and restaurants crammed with fellow cruise ship passengers. The best thing to do on your port stop is to get out of town and explore the surrounding...
Most of the travel writing on my blog focuses on far-flung destinations: my cruise to Norway, a whirlwind visit to London, and a two-week trip through Germany. But travel doesn't need to be distant to be satisfying. Some of my favorite travel memories are closer to home: romantic getaways to Stillwater, the scenic drive up Lake Superior's North Shore, and a...
I love breakfast food: pancakes, French toast, waffles, muffins, cinnamon rolls. The problem is that nutritionally, these foods are more akin to a dessert than a meal that will give me the energy I need to satisfy me until lunch. When Barlean's challenged me develop a recipe for a treat using their Butter Flavored Coconut Oil, my first thought was breakfast.
You started 2018 with the best of intentions: this will be the year that you eat healthier, stick to a meal plan, and try new things. But it's already February, and those goals have gotten buried under your never-ending to-do list. Wondering how to get back on track? Consider subscribing to a CSA share!
While I always enjoy a good brewery tour and there is plenty of Minnesota wine in my future, at heart I'm a cocktail kind of person. One of my favorite places to sip in the Twin Cities is the industrial-chic cocktail room at Tattersall Distilling, a craft distillery located in northeast Minneapolis.
Several months ago, I was filling out one of those icebreaker questionnaires—the sort of thing with questions about what famous person you'd like to have over for dinner and how you spend a typical Friday night. One of the questions was "What six things can't you live without?" My list (in no particular order) was my husband, my running shoes, podcasts, oatmeal, the Internet, and indoor plumbing.
For many cruise ship passengers, the dramatic fjord scenery on the cruise into Flåm is the whole point of visiting this tiny port. Home to only a few hundred people, Flåm feels more like a tourist attraction than a village (this is actually true—the "real" town center is a few miles from the port, inland up the river).
I've been blogging for nearly seven years now: for most of 2011 and part of 2012 I baked and blogged my way through Beard on Bread ; once I finished that project, I started this site (which at the...
To be honest, the holiday season isn't my favorite time of year. I do love some parts—putting up my Christmas tree, spending time with friends and family, driving around my neighborhood to look at lights—but it's also a hectic, stressful time, and the deluge of sugary treats makes it hard to stay on track with healthy eating.
Bergen is Norway's second biggest city, with a population of about 278,000. The historic Bryggen district, vibrant museum scene, and bustling shops and fish market make the city popular with tourists, and Bergen's proximity to the fjords also means that it features prominently on many Norwegian cruise itineraries.
