Christmas is for Cookbooks

The New Midwestern Table by Amy Thielen

I'm a pretty simple person to buy Christmas gifts for, get me either a cookbook, kitchen gadget, garden gadget or garden supplies and you have a winner.  This year for Christmas Shannon got me "The New Midwestern Table" by Amy Thielen.  Now I haven't tried any of the recipes as of yet, but I've enjoyed reading it already.  Amy has great little stories in between recipes.  She talks about Midwest Crawfish (which all my southern friends call Crayfish), Natural Wild Rice, Birch Syrup and Booya.  Which tell us all from Minnesota that Amy truly is a Minnesota girl.  So far I've had the book almost a day and already have book marked the recipes I want to try.  Rhubarb Tarragon Sangria, Smoky Sauerkraut Soup, Wild Rice with Smoked Chicken Soup, Black Maple-Glazed Pork Belly and I haven't even got though most of the book!  If you got this cookbook, let me know what recipes you have tried and what recipes you want to try! Me, I'm thinking the first one will be Pasties for the boys going up north Snowmobiling.

Some of the Women

Grandma at Grand kids soccer game

Little Grandma 
Lucky for me mom does go on the internet that much.  Ok never, otherwise I may not live to my 54 birthday by posting this picture of her.  Little Grandma was 5'1" I think she's now 4'10" but is in her late 70's.  She and my dad winter in a city townhouse but summer up in Northern Minnesota on 10 acres of land.  Last year she had a hip replacement that kept them from going up north much.  This summer we plan on putting in 30-32 high raised beds for her, so she can continue to garden.  While growing up would tell me she wasn't a very good cook.  Well I think anyone would tell you she not a very good cook she an amazing cook.  But truthfully, my mom is a self taught cook.  She married into a family of amazing cooks with very little experience in the kitchen.  But being the kind of women she is, she quickly started picking up cook books and recipes and developed quite the reputation for herself.

Auntie Shannon and Rebel

Auntie Shannon  - This is my husband sister.  She soon to be in her sixties, she run's marathons, she has an amazing garden an great cook and probably in better shape than my kids.  I'd say she was in better shape than me, but that would be to obvious.  Her garden in Edina has clay soil so she raises her Tomotes in containers, she grows chard, kohlrabi, peas, beans, beets, potatoes, cucumbers and peppers.  She use to have a farm in southern Minnesota while working full time in St. Paul.  She and Greg have a Lake Cabin up north, as well as a 1937 Red Chevy Truck they hope to have fun with going to Car Shows.

Gardens, Cookbooks, Women and Wine

Cookbooks and Herbs in the Kitchen

“Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise.” 
― Horace

The scene is a Holiday Party; this isn’t a trendy New York get together.  This is a families and friends get together in Minnesota.  Women with glasses of wine near the kitchen buzzing around preparing, uncovering dishes to be shared.  The men near a large screen TV close to the appetizers drinking a beer from the can or bottle.  The men, who knows what they are talking about, I think sports.  But in the kitchen the women are talking about recipes, kids and men, in that order.  Occasionally, a man will walk into the kitchen to say, “Wow, honey the hot meatballs are great, you should get the recipe.” And then he walks out, all the women’s heads are down, the wife in question makes a loud sign and then says, “Shannon, is that your mother recipe?”  Shannon replies, “Yes it is, you got it, he’s just forgotten since we only make it once a year.”  And then the women all laugh, rolling their eyes at the silliness of the situation.  Then someone tastes the squash, “Oh my goodness, Dottie are these good!”  Which Dottie responds “Oh it’s so easy; I got the recipe out of the newspaper.  I’ll send you the recipe.”  This is a Midwest Holiday Party and Kitchen. 

The scene is a BBQ Party; this isn’t a trendy California get together.  This is a families and friends get together in Minnesota.  Women with glasses of wine in or near the kitchen buzzing around preparing, uncovering dishes to be shared.  The men near a grill close to the appetizers are drinking a beer from the can or bottle talking about sports or comparing grilling techniques.  I only know this because it outside you can actually hear what the men are talking about.  As families pick up their plates of food, women's conversation change from kids and work to recipes and kids.  The night will end with the exchange of recipes.

As our kids go off to college, a lot of the families start gardens.  Some of the men and women work together in the garden, some of separately.  However, most will tell you they start their gardens because they like to eat.  They like the taste of a tomato just off the vine, they like the taste of fresh pick green beans, or they love homemade salsa.  After a crazy day a work they suddenly crave the peace of their garden.  Sitting back in lawn chairs, listening to the bees while I drink a glass of wine and my husband has his beer has been one of the highlights in our house on a summer eve.  

So this year I’m going to explore gardens, recipe sharing, cookbooks and a bit of wine.  Add to that I want my husband and me to lose some weight.  I want to eat more locally.  I want to become more educated on organic foods and what GMO is.  I want to get more in touch with my roots.  This will be a journey that goes between the kitchen and the garden, a journey between family and friends, a journey between of the past and the changing world of today.  Which is a lot to explore, but should be interesting and entertaining!