It's not like I had never wandered into a kitchen before marrying Carla, but cooking together became a teaching opportunity for her, a learning opportunity for me. We took them. Here is a tasting menu of what she taught me about cooking.
Be nice: share
Carla and I shared kitchen duties from the beginning of our marriage. She prepared most of our family meals. I helped her set the table, clear it and do dishes.
Carla first tasted tiramisu in Rome 30 years ago. Ever after she ordered tiramisu whenever it appeared on a menu and made versions of it at home. This recipe was cobbled together by my two daughters, Deborah and Alison, and me. It represents our memories of Carla’s tiramisu and our interpretation of notes we found in several of her cookbooks. It is modeled after a recipe in Favorite Brand Name Country Italian, 2001.
Beef tenderloin has become a Christmas tradition in the Piepho home. Serve this with a simple green vegetable or blended harvest mix.
Carolyn’s “special touch” is to add a bit of apple brandy to the sauce.
Family holiday meals always find Joyce’s potato dish on the menu.
Try low-fat dairy products to keep the calorie
count down.
My husband and I don’t travel well together. Besides our tendency to get lost, it’s a given that one of us will get sick on vacation. Our last vacation to Las Vegas went with the odds.
Our daughter agreed to care for our dog and six horses during our annual trip to visit Sin City friends. With no direct flight to Vegas from Rochester, we booked a flight out of Minneapolis, deciding to drive up to St. Paul a day early, take in the annual Horse Expo, get a hotel room near the airport and leave our car
at the hotel. It was going to be so simple.
Lots of friends my age are becoming grandmothers. Since I’m too young to be one myself, I’m vicariously enjoying their excitement. Yet, none of them really look old enough either.
When I picture a grandma, I see a tall, sturdy farm woman in a flowered cotton shirtwaist and ric-rac-trimmed apron. She has tight gray curls tucked in a hair net, big magnifying eyeglasses, and lots of wrinkles, especially when she smiles.
Nov/Dec
2011
Touring Amish Country - A closer look at a simple, humble way of life
Having lived in Amish country my whole life, the idea of going on an Amish tour seemed strange, yet I found myself excited when I was offered a tour by Joan Ruen from Bluffscape Amish Tours.
Ruen has been operating Bluffscape in Lanesboro since 2007 after purchasing an existing Amish tour business. Her background as a teacher was evident throughout the tour as we were given fascinating information on the history of Amish in America and the Amish culture in general.
Nov/Dec
2011
Mesmerizing Mosaics - Barbara Keith invites all to share in her shimmering work
From atop her home’s scenic perch on a hill overlooking the valleys and bluffs near Lanesboro, Minn., artist Barbara Keith works alone in her studio, carefully transforming sheets of glass into stunning mosaics. As her creations take shape, birds emerge to fly through the sky, women dance, cats crouch and birch trees cast long shadows on snow.
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