Decorah Memories

My post about Homecoming made me think back to a wonderful trip this summer, when my mother and I went to Decorah, Iowa for a weekend visit. When I was in college, we often talked about things we wanted to do around town. But whenever she and my father were in Decorah, they were busy picking me up, dropping me off or or attending some Luther event that didn't leave time for exploring.

A couple Christmases ago, I got my parents a gift certificate for a night at Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah. They didn't get around to using it, so finally my mom suggested that she and I go down for the weekend, which we did in July.

It was pretty jam-packed! Let's see...we:

• Ate at Mabe's...best pizza in Iowa!


• Walked around the Luther campus and saw the new union


• Went to Dunning's Springs


• Drove around Decorah and up to Phelps Park


• Got coffee from the Oneota Co-op


• Shopped at Van Beria, where I got the first blue and white tea cup for my collection


• Had dinner at the always-fabulous Rubaiyat


• Drank a few drinks at Albert's


• Enjoyed the night in our beautiful room at Hotel Winn

On Sunday, we headed home with a few stops...first off we went to Seed Savers Exchange on the edge of Decorah. Really a cool place. They are devoted to biodiversity and collect seeds from all sorts of heirloom fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. There were even a few rare chicken breeds. Mom bought some really cool tomatoes there...green, orange, yellow and red. I wanted to get the black tomatoes too...maybe next time!

We drove on to Burr Oak to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum there. I love the Little House books, so it was awesome to see a place where she lived...and I can't believe that many people crowded into beds at hotels of that era!

Lastly, we stopped in Lanesboro for lunch at this 50s-style diner before heading back to the Twin Cities. It was an amazing trip with my mom, and I am looking forward to doing it again next summer!

Fair Fun

The end of summer is the time for the Great Minnesota Get Together! Growing up near the Fairgrounds, the State Fair has always been easy for me to get to...good thing, since I don't last too long.

Unlike a lot of people, I avoid the Mighty Midway...I don't have the stomach for the rides! Seriously, how is getting swung around and flipped upside down fun? No, what I go there for is the food, the people watching and the animals.

This year I decided to be organized about my food consumption. I went to the Fair's website to figure out exactly what I wanted: cheese curds (A MUST!!!), corn on the cob, chocolate-covered watermelon on a stick and a Fudge Puppy. I missed the watermelon, which was OK, since I was quite full. And Sweet Martha's had about a hundred people in line, so we skipped that, too.

My mother, sister and I spent a lot of time just watching the crowds go by and looking at various barnyard animals, like these cute little piglets.

Here's Minnesota's largest boar. Looks similar to me after I finished those cheese curds! :)

Except for a cow deciding to explosively poop on Mom's shorts, a good time was had by all.

My Favorite Heirlooms

So, tomatoes. I don't know why, but I have just been craving them lately. And I don't mean the tomatoes you get at the supermarket that are hard yet somehow watery: I mean real summer heirloom tomatoes. Not watery, but juicy, with a real tomato flavor. Yum.

In July I had the chance to visit Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, where my mother bought yellow, orange, green and, of course, red tomatoes. I wanted her to get black tomatoes as well...maybe next time! Anyways, I am so excited for next summer when I can go pick all the wonderful fresh heirloom tomatoes that I want!! I found a recipe in my Moosewood cookbook for a tomato salad with a basil-pineapple dressing. Sounds weird, but the authors swear it tastes divine!

Until Mom's tomato plants grow, there's always Lucia's and their summer veggies (including tomatoes!).

Photo courtesy of expatkitchen on Flickr.