If there were ever two foods that were made for each other, they’re grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It’s not only the perfect soup-and-sandwich combination, it’s a marriage made in heaven. When I was growing up, a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of Campbell’s Tomato Soup was a quick and easy meal for Mom to make for us …
Cooking for friends or family who are sick or are grieving the death of a loved one is probably a familiar act to a lot of us. I think many people who live around here in our rural communities can relate. It’s one of those things that is unique to small-town life. Over the years, I’ve delivered food many times …
One thing was for sure when I was growing up: We could always count on having a noodle hotdish at least once a week, whether it was at home or for school hot lunch. And a lot of people I know share the same experience. The reasoning was twofold: It was inexpensive and you were able to put one together in a hurry, …
Corned beef and cabbage undoubtedly will be on the menu at many Irish-American homes on St. Patrick’s Day, as well as on the menu of many restaurants throughout the U.S. But if you were to go to Ireland, hardly any of the people there will be eating it. That’s because corned beef and cabbage is more of an American tradition. …
What’s the most popular day of the year to make a pie? If you guessed today, March 14, I don’t know if you’d be right, but for sure, it would rank right up there with the day before holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. That’s because March 14 is known as Pi Day in mathematical circles, and it has …
Fried or braised cabbage is a popular dish in many parts of Europe, particularly in the countries of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Often, it is served with meat and potatoes. I’ve always been a big fan of cooked cabbage, no matter if it’s just steamed and smothered with butter, as my old friend Marsha Gunderson prefers, in a …
Growing up in the small northwestern Minnesota town of Crookston, I didn’t have very much interaction with minorities. In sixth grade, the only year I attended public school, Angela Mendez was in my class. I knew her older brother, Ruben, and a younger brother, Vincent. When I was in high school, one of my friends was Andy Villegas. Both the …
Why are sandwiches so popular? There are a lot of reasons. Perhaps the biggest one is the sheer number of ingredients that can be placed between two slices of bread or on a bun and be eaten anytime. In the morning, for example, a person can feast on a fried egg with bacon on two pieces of toast. Or one with tuna …
There was a time — back in the 1950s and ’60s — when Sunday dinner was the most special meal of the week. It most often featured a nice roast or chicken, along with potatoes, a vegetable and always a tasty dessert. When I was a kid, we could always look forward to a wonderful meal on Sunday. They were a …
Bemidji State’s women’s hockey team (21-16-10) upset No. 1-ranked University of Minnesota (31-3-4) 1-0 in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Faceoff on Saturday in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Beavers meet the University of Wisconsin (27-6-4) in the championship game today. The Badgers defeated the University of North Dakota (22-12-3) to advance to the title game.
It’s nice to have a go-to dish, one that you’ve fixed many, many times and probably could make in your sleep, especially if you’re hosting a family get-together or a party for a group of which you are a member. I have one. It’s sloppy Joes, or barbecues as we like to call them at our house. Actually, that’s what I’ve been calling …
Have you ever had the lyrics of a song rolling around inside your head that you just can’t get rid of, no matter what you do? I think just about everyone of us has experienced that. I remember years ago, a co-worker of mine, Andy Braford, used to get absolutely flustered when another colleague of ours would sing or recite the lines …
Anyone who hunts and also is handy around the kitchen knows that most of the game that can be taken in the field is interchangeable recipe-wise with meat that is raised domestically. And those who are familiar with me aren’t too surprised by the number of entrees I’ve prepared over the years that feature wild game. The total probably vastly exceeds any of those that makes use …
Sometimes, it’s difficult to find recipes that are easy and tasty as well as economical. But there’s one that is probably familiar to a lot of people who grew up in the 1950s and ’60s — meatloaf. I don’t know too many people who don’t have fond memories of their mom’s meatloaf. And if you’re like me, you can add the meatloaf …
There aren’t too many people who like overripe bananas. But of those who do, most of them prefer to use theirs in banana bread. I’m probably one of the few who don’t mind eating a banana that’s turned brown. In fact, I kind of like the taste of an overripe banana. And I like banana bread just as much or even …
A good meat sauce goes a long ways when it comes to pasta. Ask just about any kid, and they’ll tell you so. I can attest to that. One of my favorite meals as a youngster was a meat sauce that we used to have over pasta for school hot lunch. My Auntie Helen Tiedeman, who was the head cook, always made …
Nothing makes me think of spring more than rhubarb. So, when I come across some of it in the freezer during the dead of winter, my heart soars. Actually, we’re less than a month away from the official first day of spring. And even though those of us who’ve lived in the Northland all of our lives know that we …
You can never have too many fish or seafood recipes when Lent rolls around. After all, a person can eat only so much tuna casserole, fish sticks and salmon loaf. When I was growing up, there was no such thing as the Internet, so Mom couldn’t hop on a computer (a what?) and look for interesting meatless recipes to serve …
Do you know anybody who doesn’t like barbecued chicken? Of the many ways to prepare chicken, it’s probably the most popular of all. It’s the centerpiece of most summertime grilling events, perhaps even more so than hamburgers and hot dogs. But when the temperature is between 10 below and 20 below zero and it’s the last thing even avid grillers have on their minds, …
People who grew up in the ’60s and ’70s ate a lot of casseroles. I know because that’s my generation. I can’t vouch those who came later but suspect that’s also the case for them. We used to have casseroles — or hotdishes as they are called around here — for school hot lunch and at home when I was a …
There are many great sites on the Internet to find recipes. A good number of them feature not only tasty ones but healthy ones, too. One of my favorites in this genre is that of American Institute for Cancer Research, which features recipes that have been rigorously tested by and approved by AICR devolopers, dietitians and staff (www.aicr.org/test-kitchen/). I’m particularly fond or …
Pigs in a blanket come in many variations. Just about every culture across the world has its own way to make this sausage-based food. For example, if you’re from the United Kingdom, small sausages are wrapped in bacon and baked on a lightly greased oven tray. In Mexico, the sausage is wrapped in a tortilla and deep-fried in vegetable oil. …
A good beef roast always makes for tasty leftovers. For that matter, so does pork. And if you want to take a walk on the wild side, consider venison or elk. Another meat that ranks right up there is buffalo or bison. I know this for a fact because once or twice a month we cook a bison roast, which we purchase from Siouxland …
Lent starts this week. That means the end of Mardi Gras, which is celebrated for about two weeks before Ash Wednesday. But not before the biggest celebration of the season — Fat Tuesday. Among the traditions of Mardi Gras is a parade every day and a hefty dose of customary Cajun and Creole foods. My favorite dish that’s a mainstay during the New Orleans celebration …
Lent is just about upon us, and once again, I’ve been asked to kick off the season’s Friday night fish fries at Sacred Heart in East Grand Forks. It’s been an honor to work with all of the hard-working Catholic Church parishioners who volunteer their time for this fun undertaking. I particularly like seeing everyone who comes out for a …
National Heart Month, which is celebrated in February, has always held a special place in my heart, pardon the pun. If you guessed that I might have had a heart attack, you’re close. I suffered a stroke in November 1993. I was just 42 years old. I wondered how that could happen to me. But not for long. After chats …
Anyone who has access to their mom’s recipe box is lucky. And if Mom had lots of friends or relatives who cooked, you’re even luckier. I’m among the latter. Not only did my mom keep good track of her recipes — even recopying many of them on new cards because they were tattered or hard to read — she also had …
Casseroles are a mom’s best friend. They can be made in a jiffy, usually contain some nutritious ingredients and generally are loved by kids. I know that casseroles — or as we called them hotdish — were a favorite of mine and my brothers as kids. And it didn’t matter what kind Mom made. My favorites were her tuna hotdish, …
Anyone who grew up in Grand Forks, or East Grand Forks, knows about Widman’s Candy Shop. It’s located on South Third Street on the west side of the Red River, just across the railroad tracks from the old Metropolitan Opera House, soon to be the site of Rhombus Guys’ microbrewery. But a lot people don’t know that’s not where Widman’s …
The weather the past three to four months in the Northland has been welcome by most people. You can count those who grill among the happy campers. Grilling usually isn’t an activity most people associate with winter. But this year, I bet there have quite a few steaks and burgers and the like cooked on outdoor grills. Another popular food prepared on the …
Chicken is one of the most versatile meats around. It can be either fried, baked or roasted. It can stand on its own or be combined with a number of other foods. A Google search of chicken recipes yields 11 million hits. You get what I mean. We eat chicken more than a lot of households, buying chickens by the …
Anyone who grows a lot of onions in a summer garden knows that they will keep a long time in cool place over the winter months. But no matter how cool your spot is, the onions sooner or later will begin to sprout. We don’t have a really cold room where our onions are stored, but it’s good enough until …
It would be hard to convince a lot of people in puck-crazy Grand Forks that some things are more important than hockey. Especially if it’s a Central-Red River game with first place in the Eastern Dakota Conference on the line. But with Tuesday night’s contest at Purpur Arena less than 48 hours away, there’s something that trumps it in importance …
Parties that revolve around events such as the Super Bowl often don’t have a main course but rather a number of appetizers. Among the most popular appetizers are dips. They can accompany chips, crackers, veggies or even meats or seafood such as chicken wings and shrimp. One of my favorite dips is guacamole, which is made up of mostly avocados …
One thing is for a sure bet on Super Bowl Sunday — that a lot of Americans will be eating chicken wings. According to the National Chicken Council, we’ll be devouring 1.25 million of the on the big day. While the quarterbacks for the two teams — Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Russell Wilson of the Seattle …
Most kids like pasta, be it in spaghetti, lasagna or a good casserole. And not many of them would turn up their noses at a good hotdish that contains pasta, either. For that matter, the same goes for adults. Show me anyone who doesn’t like a pasta hotdish, and I’ll show you a picky eater. Take my grandson, for example. He loves his …
Former UND exec plans to publish book project When Dave Vorland retired in 2005 from the University of North Dakota after more than three decades as faculty member, director of public relations and executive assistant to the president, he said he hoped to stay busy professionally on a part-time basis. Since then, he has worked as a part-time freelance photographer, …
Washington’s Birthday is just around the corner. This year, it will be celebrated Monday. Contrary to what many Americans believe, it is not Presidents’ Day (as it is in Minnesota). Nor Presidents Day (North Dakota), nor Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday (Montana). (There are also more than a dozen other variations.) But one thing is for sure. Cherry pie is a …
Pheasant hunting season in the Northland has been over about three weeks, a little longer in some places. But on a day like Friday, with temperatures in the low to mid-40s, what I would like do is go out in the field to chase some roosters with my dog, Sweetie. Since that isn’t possible, unless I head to Nebraska to …
Just about everyone likes a good banana. But when the skin of that yellow fruit that has its roots in the tropics and is a good source of potassium starts to turn brown, all bets are off for a lot of people. A lot of brown bananas get thrown away just because of their looks. Probably just as many overripe …
Grand Forks Central vs. Red River Hockey. Russell Hons Photography Only five high schools — down from the usual eight — participated in the annual Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic last month in Grand Forks. Because of that, the two Grand Forks teams — Central and Red River — played only two games each to allow the visiting Bismarck High and …
First impressions can have a lasting effect. That’s why it’s always important to put on a good face when meeting someone for the first time. The same goes for food. I remember the first time my mom fixed scalloped potatoes and ham. Just the smell of it made me gag. Whenever she made it, I never ate it. Even the …
There aren’t many kids around who don’t like macaroni and cheese. It doesn’t matter how picky they are, kids just love this dish. Whether it’s the kind that comes out of a box like the one from Kraft or your own homemade version, mac ‘n’ cheese is classic comfort food. And it’s not just kids who love it. Take my friend …
Few things offer a respite from the cold and snow than the thought of baseball. And for those who needed a break from the weather, the 55th annual Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan provided just that Wednesday morning at Perkins restaurant in Grand Forks. Starting pitcher Kyle Gibson and reliever Caleb Thielbar were joined by radio announcer and former Twins outfielder …