I know I was kind of obsessed last week with the monk and the Walk for Peace and this week with the place of NO PEACE–Minneapolis. It is bad enough what we see on the news, but I also have personal friends living in Minneapolis. They are on the front lines of the battle for … More Meatless Monday, Minnesota Edition: Chocolate Babka French Toast
Since my son became a vegetarian, I’ve mostly given up my Meatless Monday posts. Obviously, every day is meatless for him, and many are for me. I’ll sometimes have something different or I’ll add some shredded chicken or something to our vegetarian base. But if you’re interested in that practice, or just want some vegetarian … More Meatless Monday: MLK Day Edition–MLK Stir Fry
When I taught middle and high school literature classes, one of the books I commonly taught was George Orwell’s Animal Farm. In a 1946 essay (“Why I Write”), Orwell explained “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism.” This is the … More Remembering the Truth of January 6 Through Software, Storytelling, and Soup
OK, so they weren’t really baked. They were cooked in my air fryer because my grill isn’t working so I couldn’t BBQ them. But it’s hard to know how to write about things cooked in the Air Fryer. Is it Air Fried? Air Fryer-ed? Roasted? The important thing is that for our special Labor Day … More The Great Labor Day Hatch Chile Burger Bake Off
For me, one of the best things of this time of year is that it is Hatch Chile Season. We are a family who tends to love hot food. We rejoice that there are many different chile peppers at our local farmers market right now. However, one we can not get there is the Hatch … More Hatch Chile Season
One of the columnists in one of the newspapers I read wrote today that this Juneteenth felt hollow. To him, it seems that true freedom and equality between black and white people in the US seems farther away than it did in 2021 when Congress made ““Juneteenth National Independence Day” a federal holiday. I totally … More Celebrating Juneteenth with Two James and a Queen
Last week I wrote a post about Alton Brown’s concept of a personal Horcrux dish (see that post here if you missed it). After some contemplation, I came up with two….well, one dish and one category. I have to say my lifelong Horcrux dish is Spinach Lasagna. I’ve been making that consistently since I was … More My Horchux Food
An ongoing theme in my blog, and in my personal spiritual practices, is that we can be upset about certain circumstances in our lives and/or our country and still retain our bliss. One of my seasonal blissful moments occurred this weekend. Readers from previous years know that I refuse to buy fresh strawberries anymore EXCEPT … More Don’t Forget to be Blissful: It’s Strawberry Season
I just finished reading this book of essays about food and life by Alton Brown. I enjoyed it. But I have to admit, I have no idea why I read it. I got the book at the library because I put a hold on it. But looking at the cover, I knew I’d never seen … More What Is Your Horcrux Dish?
Last night I had a very special opportunity to celebrate the Islamic spiritual practice of Ramadan, even though I am not Muslim. Ramadan is one of the most sacred traditions in Islam. It commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an through a month in which Muslims shift their focus from their material world to their spiritual … More Celebrating Ramadan with Feasting and Philoxenia at the Divan Center
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