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VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 3532 Hwy 63 South • Rochester, MN 55904 Winter 2012 | SMM | 1
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EDITOR’S NOTE
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very year I can rely on a few time-honored name researching healthy areas of the world, family traditions whenever I celebrate the called Blue Zones, and led Albert Leans on a holidays with family. There’s the 20grand vitality project in 2009. He shares some minute Opus and Bill cartoon, “A Wish for Wings great advice for keeping healthy and happy durThat Work,” which we always watch before open- ing the holidays. ing presents. There are the presents to open on Food brings people together, and a great Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, the local cafe and sandwich shop like Gymocha has Christmas tree decorating, and the relatives in brought many Austin residents together for the Wisconsin to visit on Christmas Day. But the past two years. Owners Cindy and Russell thing I usually rememPihlstrom may not alber is the food. ways do things the same Oh, we do have — she’s orderly and good food at home. structured, while he’s a Dad worked in the free spirit — but their restaurant industry for love for each other and more than 20 years, of good food blend well and he would make the together, as you can see tastiest holiday ham on pag e 50. when I was young. Our For a sweet treat, family started a new check out our feature on tradition about six or Carrie Christopherson, seven years ago: A huge the one-woman creative helping of crab legs engine behind the popuevery Christmas Eve, lar Sugar Chic Cake Deand they’re always the signs in Albert Lea. You most succulent thing in can feel the passion she a list of great food, has for her work and her from stuffing to cranartistry by looking at one berry sauce, from of the delicious cakes baked bread to black she makes on p age 42, Linda Mullenbach mixes a gluten-free chili. olives. we could practically and Page 46 People often associtaste how good they ate good food with the holiday, which is why were when we photographed her making some of Southern Minnesota is showcasing some of the her well-known treats. best treats and stories around. Could you turn a Finally, our Final Word features local writer holiday tradition on its head if a loved one was Jennifer Vogt-Erickson, who writes about her unable to eat gluten products? That’s what Holmemories of her grandmother and the way she landale resident Cheryl Howard and her sister would make lefse, a popular Norwegian treat that Linda Mullenbach did after Linda’s husband, Jeff, brings plenty of good memories to my mind, and developed Celiac disease. Find out how they suc- we hope to many of you as well. cessfully changed the Thanksgiving menu on So get ready to delve in this page 46. issue of Southern Minnesota. If that leaves you feeling stuffed, try a few We’ve pulled out all the stops to healthy tips from New York Times bestselling-au- create a feast of stories for you thor Dan Buettner on page 28. Buettner made his to enjoy.
Trey Mewes, Editor
PUBLISHERS Scott Schmeltzer Crystal Miller EDITORIAL Editor Kelli Lageson Editor Trey Mewes Contributing Writers Kevin Coss Tim Engstrom Michelle Haacke Brandi Hagen Adam Harringa Angie Hoffman Jennifer Vogt-Erickson Jennifer Levisen Matt Peterson Terri Schlichenmeyer Jason Schoonover Sarah Stultz Contributing Photographers Danielle Boss Brandi Hagen Eric Johnson ART Art Director/Story Layout Colby Hansen Graphic Designers Stacey Bahr Susan Downey Kathy Johnson SALES & PROMOTION Sales Representatives Jana Gray Cyrstal Miller WINTER 2012 Volume 6, Number 5 EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Editors, Southern Minnesota Magazine, 808 W. Front St. Albert Lea, MN 56007. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without written permission. For comments, suggestions or story ideas call (507) 379-3433 or (507) 434-2230. To purchase advertising, call (507) 379-3427, or (507) 434-2220 © A Minnesota Publishers Inc. publication
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ADDING THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE These unexpected add-ons bring out the best in four classic New Year’s Eve looks.
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features
on the cover
WHAT’S INSIDE
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA | WINTER 2012
STYLISH SETTINGS We show off three decorative table settings for all your holiday needs.
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CLASSY CAKES This Albert Lea cake designer creates mouth-watering temptations.
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DISH IT UP Two sisters change Thanksgiving up by going gluten-free for their big meal.
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BALANCING ACT This husband-andwife team bring innovation to this local coffee shop.
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departments
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31 SEEN
MOVE
8 A BALL AT THE OPERA
28 A HEALTHY HOLIDAY
Albert Leans gather to watch the New York Metropolitan Opera.
9 COMING HOME
Dan Buettner shares four tips for eating right this winter.
31 SCENIC SKIING
Austin’s pride shows at the annual Austin High School Homecoming Parade.
10 ‘I DO’ WEDDINGS
SAVOR
Learn a little about cross-country skiing at the Jay. C. Hormel Nature Center.
16 A PARTY TREAT Elaborate arrangements for your hors d’oeuvres.
56 RAISING YOUR SPIRITS Here are eight wines for every seasonal occasion.
54 TAKE A STROLL Southern Minnesota showcases the best area parks for skiing and snowshoeing.
AND ENGAGEMENTS
extras
Share in the special moments of these area couples.
58 ASK THE EXPERT: MAKING A TOM & JERRY
61 BOOK REVIEW:
CREATE 34 TRENDY COOKWARE We’ve found the latest, greatest appliances and wares in the kitchen.
“TRICKSTER’S POINT”
62 FINAL WORD: LESSONS FROM GRANDMA
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SEEN | New York Metropolitan Opera Albert Lea opera fans gathered eagerly for the first high-definition simulcast of the New York Metropolitan Opera on Oct. 13. A gala was held at 11 a.m. at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center prior to the noon broadcast of “L’Elisir d’Amore.” Albert Lea Civic Music and Albert Lea Community Theatre partnered with The Metropolitan Opera of New York City to bring world-class operas to the Albert Lea area. The shows are broadcast on a new 16-foot-wide screen, and a projector and satellites were installed at the theater for the viewings. Operas are scheduled at the theater throughout the year.
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6 (1) Claire and Ruth Vermedahl, of Albert Lea. (2) Dave and Sally Furness, of Albert Lea. (3) Cynthia Nelson, Deb Stolarcek and Roger Nelson, all of Albert Lea. (4) Marge Hamersly, of Glenville, Kay Mortenson, of Northwood, Iowa, and Barbara Harris, of Northwood. (5) Marty Shepard, of Albert Lea, Angela Duis, of Austin, Joan Muschler, of Albert Lea, and Joyce Nixon, of Albert Lea. (6) Paul Overgaard, Dorothy Erlandson and Jan Overgaard, all of Albert Lea.
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SEEN | Austin Homecoming Hundreds of Austin residents proudly displayed their Packer Pride during the Austin High School Homecoming Parade on Sept. 28. The Austin Packers were fresh off a win against Mankato East the week before, and residents were ready for another game against Rochester Mayo that night. Crowds gathered on Main Street and Fourth Avenue to wish the Packers well.
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(1) Ariana Pizano and Leslie Lopez. (2) Ashley McLaren and Jackie Bumgardner. (3) Lon and Noah Sash. (4) Thad, Wendy and Kiley Kusick. (5) Steve Clennon, Bret Lukes, Alex Hepler, Zach Wessels and Noah Leuer. (6) Bob and Steve Justice. (7) Ann Sundal, Emily Sundal with Skippy, and Mike Olmsted. (8) Rod and Teresa Nelson. (9) Kevin and Mary Jane Kestner. (10) Kaylee Maxfield, Joseph Maxfield and Mert Scott. Winter 2012 | SMM | 9
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SEEN | Area Weddings & Engagements
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14 (10) Zach and Cassie Konken, of Austin. (11) Wesley and Deana Kosuge, of Austin. (12) Evan and Nicole Sorenson, of Austin. (13) Dawn Freeman and Michael Swalve, both of Albert Lea. (14) Stacey Sonnek, of Freeborn, and Eric Neubauer, of Wells. (15) Carrie Hubbard and Brian Eyler, both of Albert Lea. 10, 11 and 12 courtesy of Christopher Lee Photography Winter 2012 | SMM | 11
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SEEN | Chamber of Commerce annual dinner Residents from Albert Lea and the surrounding area gathered Oct. 25 for the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce’s annual membership dinner celebration at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club. Awards were handed out to businesses, and a dinner and silent auction were held. Guest speaker was Bob Kill of Enterprise Minnesota, who spoke about the importance of manufacturing in Minnesota. 1
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9 (1) Steve Bowron, Kent Hanson and Jim Krueger. (2) Ruth and Claire Vermedahl and Rachel and Dave Christensen. (3) Randy Kehr and Kelly and Bob Mithuen. (4) Annette Petersen and Deb Kolling. (5) Rhonda Allison, Janelle Merkouris and Brittany Rieland. (6) Gerry and Marian Gehling and Val Kvale. (7) Cindy and John Miller and Jerry Vogt. (8) Jon Murray, Nick Austin and Kellie Jordahl (9) Kathy and Bart Belshan and Lioba Forman. (10) Dave Vanderploeg, Kelly Goskeson, Diane Simon and Gerry Vogt.
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Daily e-mail news in your inbox, subscribe for FREE e-mail daily@albertleatribune.com newsroom@austindailyherald.com
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SAVOR | Holiday hors d’oeuvres
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BY KEVIN COSS PHOTOS BY ERIC JOHNSON There’s no better time to combine family, friends and food than the holidays. Why not put together an hors d’oeuvres party to make it happen? Take these tips from Sherri Tiker, dining room and banquet manager at the Austin Country Club, and you’ll learn to put together a perfect party faster than you can spell hors d’oeuvres.
Be smart with how many dishes you serve: Another dish means more cost, more prep time or both. House hosts will want to entertain their guests, not be glued to the kitchen. Plan fewer items that can be prepared in advance, like chocolate-covered strawberries, and use hot plates or slow cookers where needed. A party hosted at a local venue, on the other hand, will be more open to elaborate arrangements. “It depends on how extravagant you want to go or how simple you want to keep it,” Tiker said. A good rule is to plan five to six different dishes, with two to three pieces per person. Remember, women tend to take a little less than men. “A good way to think about it is: What would you put on your plate?” Tiker said.
Keep food options to bitesized pieces: Don’t trouble guests with finding a surface for their plates while they’re busying mingling.
Sherri Kiker brings together hors d'oeuvres for parties of all sizes with var ying styles.
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SAVOR | Holiday hors d’oeuvres
Philip Ryks works the pasta bar, described as a heavy hors d’oeuvres, during a party for Hormel at the Austin Countr y Club.
Salads can be used as hors d’oeuvres.
Jesse Boelman plates hors d’oeuvres.
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“If they’re holding a drink in their hand, they don’t want to have to hold onto something else,” Tiker said. Bite-sized food may also make for a cheaper party. When guests have a plate, they fill it up with what they think they’ll eat. But with smaller servings, they take only what they know they’ll eat, and you go through less food.
Determine the scope of your drink menu: Whether you’re simply picking up a few bottles of wine or you’d like something fancier, decide early on how to handle your beverage setup. A mixyour-own-drink station suits a smaller group well, but don’t hesitate to give it a personal touch. “Every party is different,” Tiker said. “You could have a signature beverage you serve.” Large groups will want bartenders or a wait staff. Your best bet is to stick with a cash bar and a rented venue if your guest list is more than 20 people.
Know your spending limit: At a venue like the country club, a nice hors d’oeuvres party could run between $16 and $30 per person, and that won’t include liquor costs. An alternate choice is to pay for a set amount of food, not the number of guests. Remember, some ingredients simply cost more. A shrimp and sushi bar, while well-received, won’t be gentle on the pocketbook, even if prepared at home.
Plan well in advance: If you’re an experienced, resourceful host and you don’t mind the tick of the clock, you can put together an in-house hors d’oeuvres party in as little as a day. But it’s safest to allow one to two weeks to prepare. Many local venues prefer between two weeks and a month advanced notice.
Dana Strom tries a variety of hors d’oeuvres during a party.
Marissa Ide prepares meatballs at the Austin Countr y Club.
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DAZZLE | New Year’s Eve ensembles
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STYLING
BY
CRYSTAL MILLER AND KELLI LAGESON PHOTOS BY BRANDI HAGEN
Who says sparkly clothes and accessories are only for teens on New Year’s Eve? Staff at Southern Minnesota were up for the challenge of finding fashionable, flattering and dazzling clothes for all ages for this fun holiday. Read on to find at least one fun unexpected twist to each outfit.
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Susie Petersen is an Albert Lea resident and the executive director at the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau. Susie was adventurous enough to trust us to pick out her outfit, and the end result is fabulous. Her unexpected twist was the addition of teal to the classic black and gold outfit. Small touches like the teal belt and earrings made the outfit stand out.
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Top: $34, Dressbarn at Medford Outlet. Boots: Calven Klein, $42 at Herberger始s/Younkers. Earrings: $8.50, Claire始s at Medford Outlet. Belt: $15.99, Gap Outlet at Medford Outlet. Bracelets: $16, Maurices. Ring: $14.99, Herberger始s/Younkers.
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Tami Yokiel is the public affairs manager at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin. Tami was a great sport for the photo shoot and didn’t mind trying many different poses before we found the perfect glamorous shot. The red heels as the unexpected addition made the silver and black getup really pop.
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Top: $40, Dressbarn at Medford Outlet. Black satin pants: $40, Dressbarn at Medford Outlet. Red heels: Madden, $49.99, Herbergerʼs/Younkers. Necklace: $46, Herbergerʼs/Younkers. Ring: $14.99, Herbergerʼs/Younkers. Bracelets: $10 and $14.99, Maurices and Herbergerʼs/Younkers.
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Mckenzie Zuniga, along with her older sister, Brittani, were up for both the dressy and more casual New Year’s Eve looks. McKenzie wore the purple skirt with confidence, and Brittani shined in the glitzy dress and heels. Mckenzie’s unexpected item was the shiny, purple animal-print scarf. It really ties the black and purple outfit together. Brittani’s unexpected addition was the black felt hat that added a cute touch to the sophisticated ensemble. 24 | SMM | Winter 2012
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Dress: $49, Maurices. Heels: Calvin Klein, $99, Herberger始s/Younkers. Hat: $25, Dressbarn at Medford Outlet. Bracelets: $7, Maurices. Earrings: $12.99, Herberger始s/Younkers.
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Top: $20, Maurices. Scarf: $14, Dressbarn at Medford Outlet. Skirt: $13.99, Gap Outlet at Medford Outlet. Boots: White Mountain, $79, Herberger始s/Younkers. Cuff bracelet: $9.99, Herberger始s/Younkers. Beaded bracelet: $20, Herberger始s/Younkers.
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BLUE ZONES
FOUNDER D AN B UETTNER SHARES SOME ADVICE ON REDUCING STRESS , EATING WELL BY SARAH STULTZ With the holiday season upon us, it may be easy to get caught up in the frenzy of shopping, parties and treats. In what can be one of the most stressful times of the year, how do you make your health a priority? New York Times best-selling author Dan Buettner has researched the Blue Zones, or the areas of the world where people live the longest. He led Albert Leans on the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project in 2009, which encouraged residents to make simple changes to help them live longer, healthier lives. As the busiest time of year approaches, Buettner is here with a few tips on keeping the holidays a healthy, happy time.
• STAY
INVOLVED WITH FRIENDS
In place of buying expensive gifts and rich foods, make friends the center of the holiday season, Buettner said. Instead of buying gifts for all friends, have a gift exchange or small get-together. Watch a holiday movie, go ice skating or have a potluck (and exchange recipes). Buettner said in Okinawa there are moais, or groups of lifelong friends who support each other through good and bad times. Social interaction with friends can act as a stress buffer.
• DON’T
EAT OR DRINK TO EXCESS
According to Buettner, the average person gains five pounds during the holiday season. He said overindulging may be tempting and some people may even replace a regular diet with holiday sweets. In which case, try not eating or drinking in excess to help prevent mood swings, weight gain and guilt. “Instead of substituting sweets for dinner, eat an occasional Christmas cookie,” Buettner said. He said people in the Blue Zones eat sweets occasionally, and treating yourself a little is fine. If you have a sweet tooth, try using an alternative to 28 | SMM | Winter 2012
sugar such as honey. People who drink alcohol should choose red wine and only have one or two glasses per day.
• STICK
TO A BUDGET
Rather than spending money on expensive gifts, take time to make memories with loved ones. Buettner said the holidays shouldn’t be about who gets the most expensive gift. Take a day or two to spend with family members or ask to help them run an errand or cook a meal. Include kids on the fun and planning. They can help make decorations and pick healthy, colorful fruits and veggies at the store for holiday platters. According to Buettner, people are happier spending money to make memories with family rather than spending money on material items.
• GO
EASY ON YOURSELF
Don’t feel obligated to say yes to every party or dinner invitation, Buettner said. Friends and family will understand there’s only so much that can be fit into a schedule. “If you find stress beginning to overwhelm you, stop and take a break,” he said. According to the National Sleep Foundation, even 15 to 30 minutes of extra sleep each day will boost alertness and help recharge. He said studies show taking short naps midday can even reduce risks of a heart attack. Meditation can also rejuvenate the body. — Buettner’s research is incorporated into two books: “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest” and “Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way.”
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• 3 Day Mattress • Acclaim Studio of Dance • Anytime Fitness • Artistery Wedding Events • Austin Area Art Center • Devriess Boutique • DFL Headquarters • GNC • Gypsy Imports & Consignment • Home Kitchen Warehouse • Just for Kix • Legacy Comics & Games • Mower County Human Services • Piece by Piece • Spirit Bear Academy • Two Bears Trading Post • Vision Works • Weight Watchers • Willow Cove
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Hometown Store
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MOVE | Cross country skiing
Try this activity to stay fit in the winter BY ROCKY HULNE PHOTOS BY ERIC JOHNSON Winter can be a tough time to find quality exercise. It’s cold outside, snow can be slippery for runners, and sometimes it’s just tough to get out of the house. For anyone who doesn’t mind getting outdoors in winter, cross country skiing is a great way to get some exercise and see nature at the same time. Julie Champlin and Larry Dolphin from the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center in Austin each enjoy cross country skiing and don’t mind sharing a bit of advice when it comes to strapping on the skis. • For beginners, it’s best to keep trying. “You need to go out four or five times a year at the very least,” Dolphin said. It will likely take at least one season to be comfortable with the sport. • Learn from those who know. “The most important thing is when you go for the first time is to have someone who can give you tips on what to do when you fall down, how do you speed up, and how do you go on a bridge,” Champlain said. • Wait for the right conditions. Ideally, the temperature should be around 15 to 25 degrees with at least four inches of snow on the ground. Each winter in Southern Minnesota it’s typical to get about six to eight weeks of weather that’s perfect for cross country skiing.
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• Prepare for a little pain. “You use muscles you forget you had,” Champlain said. “It takes a while to get your ski legs. After you’ve done it one time you won’t want do it again, but the more you do it, the more those muscles get used to it.” • Take a look at the stars. “I ski a lot after dark, but it’s not a good thing to try for a first time skier,” Dolphin said. Dolphin likes to ski at night at the Hormel Nature Center in Austin but recommends skiiers go in pairs for extra safety. • Remember to look around. “It’s a wonderful way to experience winter,” Champlain said. “I get busy looking at things and winter in Minnesota is absolutely gorgeous. I get thrilled when I see the snow fall.”
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The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center rents both skiies and boots for those wishing to take to the center’s trails this winter.
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Building or Remodeling? Your Home Deserves A Mendota! Come see the Mendota. It’s the fireplace of your dreams.
Heating & Cooling, LLC 103 3rd Street SE Austin, MN 433-5652 Winter 2012 | SMM | 33
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CREATE | Finds for your kitchen
BY TIM ENGSTROM
Herberger’s and Younkers are two stores in Albert Lea and Austin that don’t merely carry kitchen appliances, utensils and ware, they keep up on the trends. Here are some of the latest finds:
Top This! How many bowls do you have that don’t come with a lid? Most. This lid forms an airtight seal for any container 11 inches wide or smaller. It’s good for storing leftovers or keeping food warm. This lid, from the Rachael Ray line of products, is heat-resistant, dishwasher safe, microwaveable and good in the freezer or fridge. 11 1/4-inch suction lid: $12
Mixers and toasters Everything kitchen-related is coming in bright colors this season, and KitchenAid and Cuisinart are with the trend. Newlyweds want to mix and match. Cuisinart’s toaster comes with LED controls and can sit sideways or face forward. KitchenAid’s hand mixer comes in five speeds and has colors from green apple to tangerine to red. And red, you should know, is the most popular color of the bright selections. These products still come in black and white, too, in case you love the classic look. Cuisinart cool-touch 2-slice toaster: $55 KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer: $65
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Rachael Ray stoneware This bowl and evoo bottle are two examples of the bright and sunny designs that TV talk show host and food lover Rachael Ray has in stores. The designs are clearly intended to reflect her personality but easily grab the attention of your dinner guests. Bright colors are big in kitchen designs this season, and her products come in orange, purple or red. In addition, all of her stoneware has handles as a practical touch. Why don’t other designers think of that? 2-quart serving bowl: $60 24-ounce evoo bottle: $34
Lunch Crock Lunch is ready when you are. Users can fill their leftovers in this handy, single-serving warmer from Crock-Pot that comes in four colors. No more do you have to bring in a bowl, put your food on a plate and warm it in a microwave in the break room. Just plug in your Lunch Crock and eat it when you like. The Lunch Crock is dishwashersafe, and you can leave the base at work. 20-ounce Lunch Crock food warmer: $35
Guy Fieri skillets When you’re not frying up bacon and eggs, your hanging skillets ought to be art on your kitchen wall, so says restaurateur and TV personality Guy Fieri. His line of 10-inch and 12-inch nonstick aluminum frying pans come in wild designs, from smiling pigs wearing top hats to swimming fish to dancing flames, all designed by Fieri’s personal tattoo artist. 10-inch skillet: $50 Winter 2012 | SMM | 35
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BY JENNIFER LEVISEN | PHOTOS
BY
DANIELLE BOSS
Holiday table décor doesn’t need to be expensive or mind-boggling. Just take stock of what you already have and use the tips below to help think outside of the gift box. Southern Minnesota found three classic tables to decorate with help from Albert Lean Kathy Leidal, a self-professed design and craft enthusiast. Continued on page 38 36 | SMM | Winter 2012
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Dining room table Don’t be afraid to mismatch layers and textures — it can make an elegant table much more interesting. Leidal used a brown and gold tablecloth and offset it with placemats featuring other rich, earthy colors for the base of her elegant holiday table. “I purposefully used placemats that didn’t match the tablecloth, but mimicked some of the rich, earthy colors used,” she said. “I don’t like when things match, and I really appreciated the different textures in the two pieces. The more texture you have, the more elements involved, the more interest you create.” The ribbon Leidal used on the table was previously used on her Christmas tree as were the Christmas balls she placed on glass candlestick holders. From her chandelier, Leidal hung glass and gold ornaments to create the illusion of height. “When your centerpiece is low, it’s nice to include different elements to draw guests’ eyes upward,” she says. “It all goes back to the layers and creating a space that is visually appealing for your guests.” The plates used were from Leidal’s cupboard and were offset by red chargers. “Don’t be afraid to mix elegant pieces with more casual ones,” she says. As it is the gift-giving season, Leidal includes party favors for her guests adorned with handcrafted paper flowers. “I just cut flowers out of different sheets of colored paper and adhered them to the gifts with pins,” she said. “I also used different sizes and shapes of boxes, whatever I had available lying around the house. Don’t be afraid to wrap the gifts differently, either.”
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Coffee table
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Don’t get frostbite — bring a little of the outdoors in! Leidal used her backyard as inspiration for creating a casual, comfy setting (pillows for seats!) for a get-together with girlfriends. “Bringing the outdoors in adds easy texture and helps keep the seasonal theme,” she said. She used twigs, pine cones and dried plants and flowers from her backyard to create a visually appealing, textured centerpiece and table decorations. She also used candle sconces from her living room and placed a mirror under them to up the sparkle factor. The noel statue used on the table was a gift from her grandmother. “The tablecloth I’ve used I’ve had forever,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to bring some of your older pieces out of retirement. You might be surprised how pairing those with newer pieces can revitalize them.” Leidal also used cloth napkins and a scarf, straight out of her closet, to add texture. She also layered plates out of her cupboard for interest, and as a conversation starter, she folded cloth napkins into collared-shirts. “Cloth napkins are a great way to add interest to any table setting and easily up the elegance factor instead of paper napkins,” she said.
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A simple dinner for two becomes all the more special with easy holiday touches. It’s important not to forget romance during the busy holiday season. “The tablecloth is actually a piece of glitter fabric I’ve previously used as a tree skirt for my Christmas tree,” Leidal said. “To add some visual interest I also used a hardanger table runner my mom embroidered and the peace sign is an old ornament.” Leidal used other tree ornaments and candle scones from elsewhere in her house. The simple white plates really pop with the red chargers. Don’t be afraid to fold your cloth napkin and place it on the plate to create layers instead of placing it traditionally alongside the plate. “It can be so easy to get caught up in the season,” Leidal said. “Simple decorations like these can make even a midweek meal romantic.”
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Table for two
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BY TREY MEWES | PHOTOS
C
reativity practically drips from the walls at Sugar Chic Cake Designs, Albert Lea’s sweetest little secret. Its unassuming building off of South Broadway Avenue would have you thinking it was just another warehouse, but stepping inside grants visitors visions of handmade children’s clothes, colorful cupcakes and other baked goods. On display are the jewels of Sugar Chic owner Carrie Christopherson’s craft: the high-end, luxury wedding cakes for which she is known. These richly-designed monoliths, these sweet architectural wonders, are just a few of the many facets of this Albert Lea artist. Christopherson’s cake business has been in town for more than five years, but she’s kept it fairly low-key. She’s still the only employee, though her husband, Mark, will come in on occasion. She’ll sometimes advertise her business, but most customers find out about her through word of mouth as people recognize the passion, energy and great taste in her cakes.
BY
ERIC JOHNSON
Carrie spent decades learning and practicing the aspects of keeping a business like this open, and it shows by the way she works. “I’m a very artistic person,” she said. “I just come by it naturally.” Carrie first learned how to decorate a cake from her mother when she was young. A graduate of Albert Lea High School, she spent the next 10 years working at the now-defunct fabrics and crafts sections at Walmart, eventually becoming a department lead. It was here Carrie learned how to properly market products and how to sell products to customers. Yet she eventually burned out, feeling there wasn’t enough creativity to her day. That’s when her husband, who was working part-time at a bakery, came up with a good idea: Nelson’s Market Place was hiring a cake decorator.
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Carrie Christopherson fashions fondant on a cake during the decoration process.
Cakes and designs at the Sugar chic Cake Designs in Albert Lea, come from the mind of owner Carrie Christopherson.
“He told me, ‘Why don’t you decorate cakes?’” Carrie said. “And when he said ‘Oh, Carrie you can decorate cakes,’ I’m thinking ‘Wouldn’t that be fun?’” It was there she found her skill for baking. Starting in 1993, Carrie was on display making plenty of quality birthday and special event cakes, cupcakes and the other tasty baked goods Nelson’s is known for. “I was baking 80 cakes a day,” she said. Yet a higher-paying job at Frito-Lay came up, and in 1997 she decided to become a sales representative, a job she held for almost 10 years before her desire for creativity flickered once more. Though she loved Frito-Lay and the money was good, she was fast approaching 50 and wanted to become her own boss, wanted to do something artistic. “I needed to do something creative again,” she said. “I was absolutely not creative in any way.” She already had a building in mind: The warehouse at 1417 St. John Ave., which her father used during his almost four-decade career as a distributor for beauty products to area salons. By then, Carrie’s parents were using the top floor as a quaint apartment, and none of her five brothers and sisters was interested in the property. Armed with the experience she’s earned over the years, she and her husband came up with a plan: Leave Frito-Lay, and use some of the money they had put away from Carrie’s commissions. Take out a small business loan. Convert the warehouse, which was really just open, empty space into an open office/reception area, a kitchen and storage closets. Get the proper certification and health inspection by the state. Though Mark’s bakery experience helped, actually creating the space took a lot of work. Mark still remembers celebrating 44 | SMM | Winter 2012
Christmas Eve that year by taking a jackhammer to the warehouse floor to put in plumbing. “I kind of knew what I wanted to do, and we had to be creative with our space and make it work,” he said. It took every Sunday and a little help from Carrie’s brothers, but the Christophersons finally opened Sugar Chic in 2007, with a determined Carrie ready to take the area by storm. “I’m stubborn,” she said. “I told Mark it’s going to work. There’s no doubt. If I’m going to take the leap, it is going to work. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it work.” That meant making sure her business was a niche. She knew how Walmart, Nelson’s and other bakeries were doing, but she wanted to make sure she was different. Carrie needed her customers to know they were buying higher-end cakes for their weddings, birthdays or any other event, and it needed to show. That’s where her self-taught artistry comes in. Carrie uses fondant, a sugar-and-water-based coating to hold her cakes together, which is what gives many of her cakes, and many luxury cakes seen on popular cooking shows, the kind of sheen and texture not seen in a chain bakery. “Nobody was doing this,” Carrie said. “There was one guy that I knew of, and he was very helpful to me … he got me involved in some cake clubs where I learned some things.” Of course, Mark was there to provide his experience. A lover and creator of food since he was small, Mark designed the frosting recipe Carrie still uses, and often comes by on his days off to bake and help Carrie prep. “I tell everybody I make them taste good, she makes them look good,” he said.
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Cakes and photos greet customers who enter Sugar Chic Cake Designs in Albert Lea.
Yet it’s Carrie’s flair for decoration that separates her from other cake decorators in the region. Carrie is one of very few highend bakers in Southern Minnesota to create things like a multilayered castle for a birthday party — a cake she still displays in the store. She uses elements of architecture, paintings and other art she sees to inspire her own original works, often subconsciously. One of her display cakes features a sort of woodwork banister pattern reminiscent of a Victorian study, while another cake’s complicated diamond pattern resembles more of a soft cushion than a scrumptious treat. All of that just comes naturally and often manifests during her work. “I can be doing a cake that I thought was going to be [one way], and suddenly look at it and ask, ‘Well, why don’t I do this?’” she said. Yet she doesn’t look at other people’s cakes, either locally or online. Though she’s aware of cake decorating websites, she’s quite proud of her work and doesn’t want to follow in someone else’s footsteps. “I don’t want to copy anybody,” she said. “That’s not what I am. I’m a designer. I don’t need to look at somebody else’s stuff.” Quite frankly, she’s busy enough as it is throughout the week. She takes orders Tuesday through Thursday, creating a design for whatever cake or cupcake or baked goods her clients want, figuring out what materials to use, and prepping for the long days on Friday and Saturday. She’ll start decorating on Thursday, but it’s the long haul on Friday that makes up the foundation of her work. She’ll spend at least 12 hours making sure everything looks as exactingly, passionately perfect as possible. She’ll stay up all night
if necessary, but by Saturday afternoon — when her clients usually expect the goods — her work is ready for display, and for consumption. “She’s so creative, and she comes up with innovative things,” said Kisti Skaar, an Albert Lea realty agent. “Usually when you get that fancy, the taste seems to go away, but she makes it all work.” Skaar knew about Carrie from her days at Nelson’s and has gone to Sugar Chic for several cakes since it opened. When Skaar threw a themed party over the summer and her friends wanted an out-of-the-ordinary treat, she knew exactly who to go to. “I really didn’t have to explain much, she’s extremely creative,” Skaar said. “She said, ‘Absolutely, I can make you something fun.’” It’s that sort of work that cements Carrie’s sugary reputation, from her gorgeous cake displays every January at Northbridge Mall to the treasured detail in her cakes. “She’s just very good at anything she does,” Mark said. “From a guy who can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, I’m just totally impressed.” At only 53 years old, Carrie is in the enviable position of having a successful business. She isn’t hiring a second person to help her yet, as she’s not entirely sure she needs the help. But she’s busy enough to keep Sugar Chic profitable, even creating a few side businesses like her own line of children’s clothes to keep her occupied and creative. The only things Carrie could wish for now? More wedding cakes to design, more new ideas to create, more of her art to share. “I like to come up with things I haven’t seen before, because that’s the whole point!” she said excitedly. “We want to do things we haven’t seen.” Winter 2012 | SMM | 45
Chan ge of plan s
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STORY
PHOTOS SCHOONOVER
AND
BY J ASON
Two sisters eliminate gluten from their Thanksgiving menu Scan almost any item in your pantry and you’ll find that it contains wheat or is made in a facility that processes wheat. This wouldn’t normally be an issue — unless your husband was just diagnosed with celiac disease. Now imagine planning a Thanksgiving dinner, and you can understand the dilemma sisters Cheryl Howard and Linda Mullenbach faced a few years ago. After Linda’s husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with celiac disease, the family had to change their menu. Celiac disease is a condition where a body can’t properly process gluten, a compound most commonly found in wheat, barley and rye. Jeff’s newfound malady meant some changes were in order. He couldn’t enjoy the same foods he grew up on without issues, and it’s quite difficult to cut out specific grains from an everyday diet. This family had to be conscious of gluten possibly being in everything from the dinner rolls to the turkey and gravy. Thanks to some smart shopping, family communication and a gluten-free type of flour to make gravy, the family substituted out almost all the gluten from the holiday meal without sacrificing the taste.
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“No one even knew,” Cheryl said. Thanksgiving went off without a hitch for Cheryl, as she commonly hosts the holiday with her husband, Ron, at their Hollandale home.
A new dish
Though Linda and Jeff now live in Glencoe, cooking is still something the sisters do together, often in Cheryl’s large kitchen that offers plenty of space since it opens into the living room. Linda and Cheryl will often meet to,
as Cheryl describes it, “bake like crazy women” to prepare make-ahead meals. They’ll either cook and freeze a meal or combine the raw ingredients to cook later. That way, the family has a quick, easy meal if they’re busy later that week. “We have a lot of fun in the kitchen,” Cheryl said.
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Sisters Cher yl Howard, left, and Linda Mullenbach, right, often spend time together in Cher yl’s kitchen in Hollandale preparing make-ahead meals together. That became more difficult after Linda’s husband, Jeff was diagnosed with celiac disease.
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Linda Mullenbach pours green peppers into a gluten-free chili for her husband, Jeff, to eat on a hunting trip. Jeff was diagnosed with celiac disease and can’t process gluten. Though gluten is most commonly associated with wheat, barely and r ye, it can be found in ingredients like tomato soup and beans.
But cooking became a bit more complex after Jeff’s celiac diagnosis. Following a knee surgery, Jeff became sick with a chronic upset stomach, nausea and other issues that had doctors and family concerned. “He lost like 35 pounds in four weeks,” Linda said. “It was something we were really looking at closely. They weren’t sure what it was at first.” A doctor at Glencoe Regional Health Services suggested it may be due to something he was eating. A blood test and a biopsy confirmed that his surgery had triggered celiac. While gluten allergies are also common, celiac is different. It’s a condition where the body, particularly the intestines, can’t process and absorb gluten into the body. “Your body can’t process that because you have an intolerance to gluten,” Linda
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said. “A lot of people think it’s an allergy, and it’s not.” After the diagnosis, Linda found many foods around the kitchen Jeff could no longer eat. Though gluten is mainly in wheat and grains, a host of products use wheat germ, from licorice to types of tomato soup. “There are certain things you wouldn’t think have wheat in them, like licorice,” Linda said. “You have to be really careful when you read product labels.” Linda started by using resources at Glencoe Regional Health Services. The Mullenbachs talked to a work colleague who had a relative with celiac, and they received a book and help from the Celiac Sprue Foundation. “I started going through the book looking at what he could have and what he couldn’t have and what I could buy and what I couldn’t buy,” Linda said.
The gluten lookout
Armed with her research, Linda started by looking online for recipes, and she adjusted her own recipes however possible to remove gluten. In some recipes, Linda would substitute rice for bread crumbs, or she’d make gluten free bread. More types of gluten-free bread are becoming available now. At first, seemingly commonplace routines like grocery shopping or going out to eat could be tedious. Along with reading many of the product labels at the grocery store, Linda had to also look for cross contamination. Many food companies produce multiple products, so something that doesn’t contain wheat could have been contaminated with small amounts from another product. That’s why many products say things like, “May contain traces of wheat,” or, “May contain traces of peanuts,” for peanut allergies. Even sitting down to a meal at a restaurant proved difficult. Jim and Linda’s sons played hockey for many years, and it affected them when they would travel with tournaments and games. Unfortunately, steering clear of foods with gluten isn’t as simple as simply watching the menu.
“When you go traveling, you have to really be careful,” Linda said. “You can’t just go into a restaurant and order anything off the menu, because there’s crosscontamination.” Linda said they often have to talk to a cook to make sure they’re not cooking on a grill that’s contaminated with buns or other foods that may have gluten. However, the challenges faced by the family are easing, as gluten-free is gaining ground in the public’s consciousness. “A lot of companies are coming up with products that are gluten-free,” Linda said. Plus, those products taste better all the time. Jeff recently found a gluten-free bread he likes, while some many glutenfree products tend to taste grainy or gritty. After years of going gluten-free, Linda said it’s almost second-nature to her now when she shops, with Jeff having certain types of pasta, breads and products he can eat. Holidays are back to a routine, too. At his first Thanksgiving with Celiac, Jeff asked Cheryl what foods he could and could not eat. Now at Thanksgiving this year, Jeff can just dig in with the rest of the family. “He knows when gets here, everything he sees he can eat — except the rolls,” Cheryl said.
Cher yl Howard cuts green peppers for a gluten-free chili she and her sister, Linda Mullenbach, made for Linda’s husband, Jeff, who has celiac disease.
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Husband and wife team bring some balance to Gymocha BY ADAM HARRINGA PHOTOS BY ERIC JOHNSON Cindy Pihlstrom is a small business owner who prefers a tight ship. She and her husband, Russell, created Austin’s Gymocha coffee shop in February 2010, and Cindy has handled the day-to-day operations since then, working tirelessly for long hours as the manager, and filling in when needed on shifts, at the register, and making drinks and sandwiches. With Cindy in control, Gymocha runs smoothly; she’s the glue that holds the gourmet sandwich and coffee shop together. But when she’s looking for a fresh idea, a little creativity — like a unique sandwich, homemade soup or new made-from-scratch muffins — she turns to her husband.
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Russell Pihlstrom can’t stand a tight ship. He gets up most mornings not knowing what he’ll be working on, and that uncertainty drives him. He spent months when they first opened perfecting his muffin recipe. He built and designed the entire interior. Now he’s working on a sloppy joe and chili recipe. Russell’s always looking for ways to improve the business and a new project. He can usually be found cracking jokes and brightening the shop with a little of his patented oddball humor. But when business requires more structure he knows who to turn to. If Cindy is the structure, Russell is the visionary.
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But the original vision was by far different from what the well-known Austin café has become. The name reveals their plan for a children’s gym alongside the coffee shop, but after the Pihlstrom’s deal with the bank fell through, they didn’t have the financing for an indoor playground. So, after weighing their options — which included changing the name, looking elsewhere or pulling out entirely — and a lot of praying, they plunged forward with the coffee shop idea. Looking back, they’re certain they made the right call. They learn from their mistakes and successes, according to Cynthia, and they continue to move forward. Take their transformation from primarily a coffee shop to a gourmet sandwich café. This evolution is a direct result of customers’ requests for more homemade sandwiches. That flexibility is something larger chains can’t offer, Cynthia said. “Because it’s our own business, we don’t have to follow the rules a big business has to,” she said. “We could have something new next week.” Like the new pita breads and a pita pizza recipe Russell wants to try, or the take-and-bake goodies and frozen dough they’ve already started selling. Russell has also considered adding wine to the menu. “I can say, ‘I have a vision this morning. I’m going
to try this,’” he said. What started as a small coffee shop is a café with homemade breads, sandwiches, goodies and coffee and tea, and Russell said they will continue to evolve into what their customers want. What won’t change, he said, are the focus on artisan sandwiches and desserts and the convenience. “Our focus, we know convenience will always be there, but we believe people want something a little more upscale, more gourmet as conveniently as they can possibly get,” he said. Setting up shop The Pihlstroms moved from the Twin Cities to Austin in 2009 when Russell took a job at Hormel Foods Corp. Cynthia, a stay-at-home mom for their two children, worked part-time in food service before the move doing everything from waitressing to management. But she and her husband always had entrepreneurial aspirations, and they saw a niche they could fill in Austin. “It was quite an adventure,” Russell said. Gymocha was mostly Cindy’s to run for the first year while Russell was at Hormel, so when he left the Fortune 500 company to work full time at the café, it was an adjustment for both of them.
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“Living together and working together and doing everything together, it can be challenging, but we are learning and growing.” — Cindy Pihlstrom on running and owning Gymocha with her husband, Russell.
Gymocha co-owner Cynthia Pihlstrom mixes a chai latte behind the counter of Gymocha.
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Cynthia Pihlstrom reaches for an ingredient for a drink as she works behind the counter at the Austin coffeehouse.
“Living together and working together and doing everything together, it can be challenging, but we are learning and growing,” Cindy said. Like when Russell had myriad ideas for change. Cindy resisted some changes a little at first, but she’s getting better at going with the flow. “For him to come in and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to try this, we’re going to do that,’ I was like, ‘This is how it goes.’ That was hard, but I’m getting better,” she said. “Any time something new comes out, that takes her a little out of her process,” Russell added. Now the café is growing, but not as quickly as they had expected or hoped. “I’ve never done this before, so it’s hard to know in year two and a half, you should be here,” Russell said. “We work a lot of hours ourselves, and there’s little details that get neglected that we know we could do better, but after [a 15-hour day], your feet are tired, and you can’t focus on anything else.” Another setback came when Caribou Coffee opened last summer, a change that admittedly hurt, but something they said they’ve dealt with well. “As a business, we have to stand on our own two feet, no matter who comes in,” Cindy said. “If we don’t have the product to support ourselves, then we shouldn’t be here.” Opposites balance For every adjective that describes Russell, there’s an antonym just as fitting for Cindy. “She’s analytical. She’s structured,” Russell said. And at times, maybe she’s a little anal, he quipped.
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“Stable,” Cindy quickly corrected, which, Russell admits, probably makes him unstable. “I’m less comfortable in routine,” he said. “You can’t have me running the place.” But he loves interacting with customers, telling them in an upbeat tone what he sees when he sees it. “I like to kid,” he said. “If I think something, there’s no filter.” Still, Cindy joked, she wishes sometimes he would just keep his mouth shut. “My skin is crawling thinking, ‘He did not just say that,’” she said with a laugh. “But he must be able to read people so much better than me, because some of the things he says, I just think they’re going to turn around and smack him with their purse. But they just start giving it back, and it’s totally unexpected to me.” April Lobb, who has worked at Gymocha since the day it opened, said the two are a perfect pair but couldn’t be more opposite. “It’s night and day,” she said. “They balance each other really well. They both bring something different, and it’s the blend of the two of them that makes it work so well.” Still, Russell said, you couldn’t have two of him or two of her. The result is complementary personalities that the Pihlstroms say form a pretty good business structure and an enjoyable environment for customers. “Russell means growth and excitement,” Cindy said. What does Russell think of Cindy? “Cindy, she’s the rock.”
Gymocha offers plenty of places within its walls for simple, relaxed conversations along with the ability to accommodate larger groups.
Russel Pihlstrom watches as his wife tries a new sloppy joe recipe in the kitchen of Gymocha. The couple is constantly working on introducing new things to their evolving menu.
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WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND BY BRANDI HAGEN There’s nothing like taking a stroll, a snowmobile or a pair of skis through a picturesque country scene in the midst of winter, especially when you can share the experience with your loved ones. Be sure to bring your family and friends along to visit some of these great winter destinations for a nice, quiet, relaxing outdoor trip. 54 | SMM | Winter 2012
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park State Highway 246 & County Road 29 Nerstrand, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • groomed snowmobile trail • snowshoes available
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park 21071 County Road 118 Preston, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • groomed snowmobile trail • snowshoes available
Camden State Park 1897 Camden Park Road Lynd, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • groomed snowmobile trail
Rice Lake State Park 8485 Rose St. Owatonna, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • groomed snowmobile trail
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Photos courtesy Explore Minnesota Tourism
Frontenac State Park 29223 County 28 Blvd. Frontenac, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • groomed snowmobile trail • snowshoes available Great River Bluffs State Park 43605 Kipp Drive Winona, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • snowshoes available Flandrau State Park 1300 Summit Ave. New Ulm, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • cross country ski rental • snowshoes available
Minneopa State Park 54497 Gadwall Road Mankato, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail Myre-Big Island State Park 19499 780th Ave. Albert Lea, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail • groomed snowmobile trail • snowshoes available • winter hiking trail Carley State Park Wabasha County Road 4 Altura, Minn. • groomed cross country skiing trail
Whitewater State Park 19041 Highway 74 Altura, Minn. • groomed country skiing trail • snowshoes available Dec. 3: Natural resources career exploration series Dec. 9: Beavers in winter Dec. 28: Owl prowl by snowshoe Jan. 1: 17th annual Christmas bird count Jan. 5: Introduction to winter trout fishing Jan. 7: Natural resources career exploration series Jan. 12: Whitewater’s CCC camp by snowshoe Jan. 19: Golden eagle count Jan. 26: Moonlight snowshoe
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STORY AND PHOTOS BY KELLI LAGESON
Joel Gott cabernet sauvignon, $15.99 This cabernet pairs best with light foods or cheeses, or can be served before or after a meal.
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Allure bubbly pink moscato, $13.29 Now here’s a wine that will easily replace that tired, plain champagne for New Year’s Eve. This festive, bubbly wine is easy to drink alone or can be served throughout a meal, including dessert.
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ChocoVine, $11.49
This Hollandmade wine is created using Dutch chocolate and red wine. It can be served chilled or on the rocks like other cream liqueurs.
Reindeer Ranch California red, $6.59 This is the most economical holiday wine at Cheers Liquor. There’s also a white wine if that’s more your style. The bottle says, “This special cuvée is offered in the spirit of joy and friendship of the season.”
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Concannon Conservancy’s Crimson & Clover red table wine, $9.59
Starling Castle limited edition sweet riesling, $9.59
This table red is made up of sirah, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel. It pairs best with filet mignon, goat cheese and grilled artichoke.
This winter edition of a classic wine will pair well with salads, chicken, spicy dishes or fruit.
Entwine chardonnay, $10.69 Food Network paired with Wente Vineyards to create entwine. The bottle gives a hearty list of foods the wine will pair with including potato chips, grilled cheese, shellfish, goat cheese, cream sauces, roast chicken and hanging out with friends.
All wines can be found at Cheers Liquor in Austin and Albert Lea.
Ruffino moscato d’asti, $14.29 Looking for something bubbly but not as sweet as the pink moscato? This bubbly moscato d’asti will pair with any dessert, as well as with fresh bread, salami or spicy Asian food.
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ASK THE EXPERT
BY MICHELLE HAACKE | PHOTO
BY
KELLI LAGESON
Do you know how to make the perfect Tom & Jerry for your holiday party? We didn’t either. That’s why Southern Minnesota asked Bill Christenson, who has mixed these delightful holiday spirits for more than 50 years at the Leo Carey American Legion Post 56 of Albert Lea, for a few tips to mixing this retro holiday spirit.
1 . KEEP
IT SI MP L E There are many recipes for mixing Tom & Jerry’s, but Christenson sticks to the basics: Eggs, sugar, rum, brandy and hot water.
2 . MAK E
F RO M S C RAT CH Batter is available for this holiday drink at local grocery store, but the drink is most tasty when made from scratch, according to Christenson.
3 . W HI P
I T G O OD Christenson first divides the egg yolks from the egg whites and blends each separately with superfine sugar until they become stiff and “fluff up.” He then folds the yolk and white mixtures together.
4 . FI NE GR ANUL ATED SU GAR V S. P O W D E RE D S U G A R While some recipes call for fine granulated sugar, others recommend powdered sugar. Christenson only uses fine granulated sugar. “Powdered sugar doesn’t blend as well; it doesn’t dissolve as good,” he said.
5 . HALF
AN D H ALF The liquor ratio is equal: half rum, half brandy. Christenson has no preference as to which brands of each he uses so pick your favorite rum and brandy to make the drink your own.
6 . T H RE E
EA S Y ST E P S Now it’s time to mix your drink. Grab a mug. Put hot water in the mug, followed by the liquor mix and top with the egg batter.
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7. T OP
IT O FF Some recipes call for mixing in a variety of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, vanilla and cream of tartar. Christenson doesn’t mix any spices into his batter but offers a few flavor enhancers on the side. He said some of the Legion patrons enjoy sprinkling a dash of cinnamon on top, while others prefer to splash a shot of blackberry brandy on top — for a little extra flavor.
8. MI X
IN A DVA N CE ? When Christenson prepares these warm spirits each Thanksgiving and New Year’s, he waits until that very day to make the mixture and doesn’t plan to save any to serve at a later date. “It’s hard to save because it flattens and gets very liquidy,” Christenson said.
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Scan this bar code to view a 60 second video about NIACC. 60 | SMM | Winter 2012
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REVIEW | “Trickster’s Point”
THE SECRETS WE KEEP BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
How well did you know the hunting grounds known as Trickkids you played with? ster’s Point. The Ojibwe claimed Back when you were young, that strange things happened you might have said you knew there, and Cork couldn’t think of them well. You had sleepovers and anything stranger than Jubal’s shared secrets and toys. Their murder … until another body mothers were nice ladies whose showed up; a stranger with a fake names all started with “Mrs.” Their ID and an arrow through his skull. dads were always tinkering and An arrow like that which killed loved to tease you about someJubal, one that looked exactly like thing-or-other. Yep, those kids you those Cork crafted. played with all the time? You Jubal’s family seemed happy to knew all about them. point fingers and others wanted to Or did you? lay blame on the obvious, but Cork Cork O’Connor thought he’d O’Conner didn’t kill Jubal Little, seen the soul of the man he’d and he didn’t kill the stranger, eiknown since they were children. ther. Still, he — like many others But in the new book “Trickster’s who lived in their northern MinPoint” by Minnesota author nesota area — had plenty of reason William Kent Krueger, Cork didn’t to do so … I really love mysteries know a thing. like this. It took three hours for Jubal Instead of making murder the Little to die. sole means for the story, Krueger Cork O’Connor watched his adds richness to his plots in the friend bleed to death, knowing he form of a full life for his characters, should go for help but not knowespecially Cork O’Connor. ing if there was time. He waffled, We learn a lot about Krueger’s “Trickster’s Point” but Jubal didn’t want to die alone so Cork fisleuth in this book: we’re given peeks at O’Conby William Kent Krueger © 2012, Atria nally sat, listening, while Jubal died with one of nor’s childhood, his love life and his sense of $24.99, 329 pages Cork’s arrows in his heart. morals and righteousness. We’re seeing him as They met when Cork was just 14. he mellows and ages, which helps fans to underHe’d been walking around that day with Willie Crane, who stand more about Krueger’s character, and which lends to readers was born with cerebral palsy, and Willie’s sister, Winona, when a who are new to this series enough back-story to keep confusion group of bullies showed up and Jubal, big as a bear, swept in and at bay. rescued them from a sure beating. That was the day Jubal beAnd that’s partly why I enjoy this series so much; that, and came a sort of protector for Willie Crane. That was also the day because Krueger knows how to keep the tension taut and pages Cork, who loved Winona with adolescent fervor, understood that turning. If you’re a mystery fan, you know what I mean and you he’d never win her heart because Jubal Little captured it. know you need to find this book, because “Trickster’s Point” But now Jubal was dead, killed with a handmade weapon in plays out well. Winter 2012 | SMM | 61
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FINAL WORD
My grandmother, Hazel Oien Gjellstad, was a Phidias of lefsemaking. Her lefse draped over my hand the way cloth swathed the perfect bodies of Greek statues. Let me first tell you a little bit about her. She was barely 3 pounds at birth, and her mother drew her last consumptive breath a few weeks later. Her father, who caught gold fever, left his three young children for Alaska. Her mother’s friend, Marie Munson, nursed my infant grandmother to health and raised her as her own daughter in the Dakotas. Marie taught my grandmother to be a first-rate cook and baker. She tutored her in the art of making fattigman, rosettes, rommegrot, sand bakkels, spritz, krumkake and, of course, lefse. Lefse, a flatbread made with potatoes. The innermost ring of my Norwegian identity. My grandmother dropped out of high school as a junior, figuring she was more useful to her parents working full-time in their family restaurant. She rose at 4 a.m. to make a hundred doughnuts and a dozen pies. Later her lack of education made her feel like she had fewer choices in life. She waitressed and worked as a cook and housecleaner during the Depression, helping to support her parents. She married my grandfather in her late 20s in 1939, when optimism was returning to the plains. She gave birth to her fifth child before the oldest turned 7. My mother remembers her bringing them all to the barn, and they played while she milked cows. By the time she caught up enough to change their wet diapers, they had sometimes already dried. She sewed most of their clothing. In her later years, she lamented not reading to her children when they were young. She was nearly 70 by the time I remember her. Her stooping back accentuated her short stature, and arthritis had wickedly gnarled her thumbs. Chronic pain made
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BY JENNIFER VOGT-ERICKSON
her testy, but she still cooked and baked half the day in the kitchen during family visits. When she finally sat down in the living room, she picked up her knitting. Later I learned she had a lively sense of humor, even after having all those children so close together. When it was lefse-making time, she set up shop in the basement to keep the flour dust out of her kitchen. She rolled the lefse out thinly with her grooved pin, and her daughters took turns flipping them on the grill with flat sticks. She often made the lefse so large her helpers had to take care not to let them hang over the grill when turning them. We kids eagerly sampled the fresh lefse, spreading butter and sprinkling sugar over the light surface pebbled with brown spots. The warm, rolled-up treat melted away on our tongues, a fleeting taste of heaven. Nothing could be as good as the first one, but the second was surely close. We swiveled blissfully in Grandma’s vinyl kitchen chairs as we licked our fingers, counting the hours until supper when we could indulge in our next one. It was no surprise when I later learned my grandmother was known as one of the best lefse makers in her community. I started rolling lefse with my mother as a teenager, shortly after Grandma died. My mom rolls more than 100 every year, for church bake sales, family and neighbors. We both make them smaller than her mother, but we weigh our best ones against Grandma’s gold standard. We lay them across our palms and critique them on thinness and softness. They sometimes come within a respectable range, but we are lesser masters. My mother gave me a Bethany grill, grooved rolling pin and turning sticks years ago when I was in graduate school. I’ve thought about making a batch this year, though I’m reluctant to go through the hassle with an infant and a preschooler. I imagine my grandmother would call that a “piddly” excuse. She was never afraid to dive in. For all my years of education and the books I read to my children each night, I will never compare to my grandmother in many skills and strengths. Her lefse, especially, will always be my idea of perfection.
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INSIDE SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE FASHION SHOOT
Our models were more than willing to try out different poses all over the Brick Hall. With beautiful built-in booths and a special seating area on the balcony, we had our choice of locales. Here Crystal Miller adjusts model Tami Yokiel’s outfit while photographer Brandi Hagen prepares to snap more shots.
For our New Year’s Eve fashion shoot we traveled to the Brick Hall in Myrtle, which is a few miles southeast of Hayward. The building was built in 1909 as a gathering place for early Bohemian, or Czech, settlers in the area. The building, which is full of beautiful woodwork, a stage and a large open space that can be used for dances or tables and chairs, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The rustic hall is still used for lodge meetings of the Zare Zapadu, reunions and weddings.
We weren’t afraid of adding too much sparkle to any of the New Year’s Eve getups because we know that’s the one night a year you can go a bit crazy with shiny accessories. Mixing and matching was also key, so don’t be afraid to wear five different silver bracelets, some on each arm, to add some dazzle to your holiday outfit!
Each of the ensembles we put together had at least one unexpected feature. Not only did Brittani Zuniga’s outfit have the adorable felt hat, but her high heels had the barely-there scaly look. Winter 2012 | SMM | 63
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food
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entertaining
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celebrations
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Whole Turkey 1 100% all-natural. Self-basting pop-up timer for worry-free roasting. #392344/392400
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Wolfgang Wolfgang ang Puck® 16.5” Stainless ess Steel Roaster and Rack Features es heavy-gauge stainless steel construction, raised roasting rack and angled double-riveted handles. s. Holds up to 25 lbs. Also online.
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1 Available Available in clubs with a Fresh Meat department. partment. Consuming raw or uncooked meats, poultry, poultry, sseafood, shellfish or eggs may increase the risk of food borne illness, especially pecially if you have certain medical conditions. 3 Available Available in clubs with a Fresh Bakery department. epartment. 4 Available Available in clubs with a Frozen Foods department. epartment.
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Visit Visitt your your Rochester Rochester club at: 3410 0 55th St. N. W. 3410 N.W. Roches hester Rochester 507.281.8355 507.281.8355
W. N.W. 41st St. N. 41st
Sam’s Sam’s Club Advertised Merchandise Policy – It is our firm intention to have every advertised item in stock. Occasionally Occasionally, y, however, however oweverr, an advertised d item may not be available for purchase due to unforeseen seen difficulties. W We e reserve the right to limit quantities to normal retail purchases ses or one-per one-per-member -member or household, and to exclude resellers. esellers. We We have done our best to ensure all information on in this piece is accurate rate and up-to-date. Errors and omissions occasionallyy occur and are subject to correction. Items and prices are g good ood only at your Rochester Rochester,r, MN club location. Pricing good through December ember 26, 2012.