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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Ever wonder why pork chops are such a popular entry? Maybe it’s because they can be fried, grilled, roasted or even stuffed. And they can be cooked at relatively low temperatures because of improved breeding techniques. One of my favorite ways to fix pork chops is in a barbecue sauce and cooked in a covered cast-iron pot inside my oven. But those …