Farmers Market and a Backyard Party: Creamy Fudge Sundae Pie

This past weekend I finally made it to the Mill City Farmers Market in downtown Minneapolis. If you have a chance to stop by one Saturday morning before they close in October, I highly recommend it. Not only do they have great fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers, but you can get ground buffalo, fresh baked bread, honey, beautiful flowers, woven goods, hear live music, and even see a cooking demonstration.

The Mill City Farmers Market

Making the Rounds with Rhubarb: Popular Rhubarb Cake & Rhubarb Dessert

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, this summer has gotten busy and I’ve fallen behind a bit. But I promise to catch up this week and I have some great recipes to share!

I have to admit, I’m not a fan of rhubarb. But when a friend handed me an armful of green and red stalks from her garden few weeks ago, I knew it would be a great opportunity to share more recipes from the box. Aside from all the learning experiences in the kitchen and eating great food, sharing the recipes with friends and family is one of my favorite parts of this project. I knew that all that rhubarb would go a long way, especially since I don’t eat it.

A Golden Celebration: Pumpkin Cake

Yesterday was Murphy’s 4th birthday. His big present was spending the day at doggy daycare, or “camp” as we call it (he knows that word and gets very excited when he hears it). Camp is Murphy’s favorite place in the whole world. He recognizes the route we take to get there and starts shaking miles before we even pull in the driveway. Once we arrive, he makes a mad dash for the door, dragging me along behind him. After he says hello to the staff and they prepare him for playtime, he’s turned loose into the large daycare room with all the other dogs. And every time it’s the same scene: they open the door to let him in, he takes enough steps to barely get his whole body in the room, and then he falls down on the floor with all four legs up in the air. All the dogs take turns sniffing him to make sure he’s O.K. and when they’re done, Murphy bounces up and runs around the room hoping someone will chase him. Chase is his favorite game. Whenever my husband and I are doing yard work that involves rakes or shovels, Murphy taunts the gardening tools until we chase him around the yard with them. I can’t imagine what our neighbors think of this game.

Learning to Improvise: Oatmeal Cookies

Every so often, I’m reintroduced to the idea of choosing a song as your personal mantra. I love music, it’s a huge part of my life (I have a post I want to write about this, it’s just waiting for the right recipe). And a few weeks ago, it felt as if music was seeking me out to send me a message. I was listening to the radio in the car, which I don’t do too often because I usually listen to my iPod, and a song came on that I haven’t heard in years. It’s one of those songs that immediately transports you back in time and conjures up memories of big hair, summer vacations, and junior high sock hops. But once I sifted through those images, I began to hear the song in a completely different way.