Welcome to my 13th annual summer recap! I've been writing these posts every September since 2013 to cope with my bittersweet feelings at the end of my favorite season. In recent years, these recaps have also become an homage to the more personal, narrative style blogging of the late 00s/early 10s that inspired me to start Tangled Up In Food. From travel abroad to Twin Cities patios, here's how I spent the best months of the year.
Destinations visited:
- Golden Circle, South Coast, Reykjavik, Borgarnes, and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland
- Halifax, Lunenburg, and Wolfville, Nova Scotia
- St. Joseph, Minnesota
Usually Mike and I take our longer international trips in spring or fall so that we can be at home for Minnesota's all-to-brief summers. However, since Iceland's best weather overlaps with Minnesota's we happily made an exception for a 10-day trip to Iceland in June. I've been dreaming of this trip for years, and it surpassed my highest expectations—the beauty of the fjords, waterfalls, mountains, and volcanic landscapes was soul-restoring, plus I ate plenty of delicious food. We focused on the western and southern portions of the country, with scenic drives around the Golden Circle, South Coast, and Snæfellsnes Peninsula, plus stays in the small town of Borgarnes in the Reykholt Valley and Reykjavik, which felt a bit too touristy for my tastes. I loved the thermal baths, the sheep and horses, the lupines, the hiking...it was one of the best travel experiences of my life.
At the end of July, Josh and I flew to Nova Scotia for a four-day road trip around the western portion of the province. We spent time in the capital city of Halifax, the picturesque town of Lunenberg, and the Annapolis Valley wine region, plus we visited the Bay of Fundy to see the epic tides. Lots delicious food was consumed on that trip, too.
Much, much closer to home, Mike and I took a quick trip to St. Joseph so that we could finally see the Saint John's Bible and I could take photos for my St. Joseph day trip guide.
Favorite Twin Cities spots I revisited:
So many! It has not been a great year for the Twins, but we did see them win at Target Field on the Fourth of July with a walk-off home run. We visited Sebastian Joe's and Sonny's Ice Cream Cafe for frozen treats; got takeout from Pompeii Pizzeria and spent the evening at the downtown park in Elk River; got truffle popcorn from the Bread & Pickle; and walked around Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles, Lake Nokomis, and Bde Maka Ska, plus across the Stone Arch Bridge. It was lovely to return to the patios at Hai Hai, Aster Cafe, Saint Paul Brewing, Meritage, and Fulton.
Favorite new-to-me Twin Cities spots:
A pizza assignment took me to Red Wagon Pizza for the first time and wow, they make an incredible crust. The jackfruit dish I ate at Himalayan Restaurant will make my best things I ate in 2025 list, and their momos are tasty too. Both Red Wagon and Himalayan have nice patios, so I'm glad I got to visit during the summer months.
How I spent my birthday:
I spent the last six months of being 37 thinking I was already 38, so turning 38 was a bit anticlimactic. Mike and I started the day with pastries and coffee at Sunstreet Breads and then played mini golf at the Walker Art Center's Skyline Mini Golf course. After a low-key afternoon (I got a smoothie bowl from our local Nautical Bowls franchise and took a nap) we headed to St. Paul for dinner on the patio at Moscow on the Hill, ice cream at Grand Ole Creamery, and a walk down Summit Avenue.
How I spent my wedding anniversary:
Mike and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and 17th anniversary of being a couple at the State Fair! We had to skip the State Fair the year we got married due to the scheduling of our ceremony and honeymoon, so it felt especially fitting to celebrate a milestone anniversary by eating cheese curds, seeing the llama obstacle course competition, and admiring butter sculptures. We even exchanged anniversary cards on the SkyRide.
It was great to go on a weekday for somewhat more manageable crowds, plus since the fair has gotten so expensive it made sense to skip spending money on an anniversary dinner. We dropped a whopping $164.50(!) on food, non-alcoholic drinks, and one boozy soft serve cone, in addition to what we spent on admission tickets and a few souvenirs.
How many hours I spent at the Minnesota State Fair:
I spent 3.75 hours checking out new foods with Josh and the rest of the Heavy Table crew on opening day, and as mentioned above, Mike and I spent 13.5 hours at the fair on our anniversary. As current events become increasingly concerning, I especially appreciated the escapism of the fair this year. My favorite new foods from 2025 were the frozen fudge affogato from Blue Moon Dine In Cafe and the soft serve royal raspberry beer from West End Brews.
Professional accomplishments:
As those of you who read my annual freelance updates know, the turmoil of the current media landscape makes my work as a freelance journalist precarious at best. I've been strategizing about other streams of revenue to add to my portfolio of self-employment gigs and was honored to be tapped for a couple of neat opportunities this summer. Way back in March, I starting working with my Heavy Table colleague Amy Rea and the staff at the Minnesota History Center to develop food tours of St. Paul's West End, which Amy and I are leading in collaboration with a History Center guide through October. I also moderated a hospitality industry panel for the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce's leadership program in August, another chance to use my public speaking skills.
Life goals accomplished:
Song of the summer:
"Jerk It Out" by the Caesars. Although it was originally released in Sweden in 2002, it was re-released and became an international hit in 2005, the year I graduated from high school. It felt fitting to listen to it over and over again the summer of my 20th high school reunion (which I skipped for a variety of reasons).
I don't want to use this space to delve into what's going on the U.S. right now, so let's just say that if you feel overwhelmed and want to dance it out, there's no better song than this—that's the energy I'm taking with me into the rest of 2025.
More summer highlights posts: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.