Where to eat in Phoenix and other oddments

I (Laura) am just back from a week of spring break-ing in Phoenix with my two children. This trip seemed to be very largely about eating, and about meeting family I never knew. All in the space of one week, I seem to have acquired at least 4 more cousins (a second cousin, [...]

Good Eating in Phoenix

You know how there are some tastes from childhood that just can’t be duplicated? Well, I’ve been enjoying some of the favorites of my youth while I’ve been visiting family in Phoenix, Arizona. If you’re ever in town, these are some good bets.

Cha Da Thai

Boone has a new Thai restaurant and we snuck out tonight to try it. I always have to try the Pad Thai at a Thai restaurant….that is sort of my baseline menu item. If their Pad Thai is good, the rest of it is likely to be. I was pleased with dinner, although a little [...]

Well, I made an exciting discovery!

One of my very favorite places to eat is Panera Bread. We don’t have a Panera in our town, although the rumors are running that Panera is coming. Pretty much anything I can buy at Panera I like. So today, I went poking around on their website to see if I could verify those rumors. [...]

Jean’s Delicious Cheesy Potato Casserole

Almost 22 years ago, I met my in-laws for the very first time. Dave had already prepped me for the fact that his mom is an excellent cook. To be honest, I don’t recall what entree she served me for that very first dinner, but I remember well her cheesy potato casserole. Every special occasion [...]

Japanese food in St. Paul

I have a new place to recommend for good, simple Japanese food in downtown St. Paul.

Eating at the Minnesota State Fair

I happen to live in a state where the State Fair is a HUGE deal.  (As opposed to Arizona, where I grew up:  the AZ State Fair was a rather sorry event, in my opinion, and known for gang-banger trouble–it was a place to stay away from.)  I usually avoid the State Fair, as a [...]

More good places to eat in St. Paul, MN:

Tonight, because we had an Entertainment Book coupon, we ate at Dino’s Gyros, which is considered an institution in old St. Paul.  It’s near the State Fairgrounds, on Snelling Ave., and is a favorite hangout for students from Hamline Univ. and the St. Paul campus of “The U” (U. Minn.)  Of course, it’s not the [...]

The ends justify the beans

This is just a post to sing the praises of buying produce from a fruit stand or farmer’s market. If you honestly don’t live anywhere near a local fruit stand or farmer’s market, we grieve with you and encourage you to get going on that garden. For the rest of you, check it [...]

Doug Born’s Smokehouse & Sausage Kitchen

I have to give a quick plug for our favorite place in western Michigan to buy meats or cheeses.