Welcome @SallyMcGraw and everyone following today’s @MNMOmag Twitterview! Lets learn about Sally and what she’s been up to.

Sally:    Delighted to be here!

Share with us a little bit about your background. Where you grew up, what kinds of things were you interested in?

Sally:    I grew up in Chicago suburbs. Back then I was very studious, but also a big performer: Singing, drama, band …

I loved writing from an early age. At 8, I had a teacher tell me I was talented. From then, pro writing was a goal.

So you new early on what you wanted to do. Where did you go to college and what did you major in? Good student?

Sally:    I went to @binghamtonu in upstate NY. Studied creative writing, which was a BLAST. Terrific program. I had a 3.9 GPA!

@binghamtonu I did learn that I suck at fiction. Ended up doing some journalism courses, which were more my speed.

Good for you! So when did you get into writing, and how did you choose to be a style & body-image writer?

Sally:    I worked as a copy editor and web producer right out of college. But I did some album reviews for http://Amazon.com

It wasn’t until I moved to MN that I wrote seriously. For local free papers. It was frustrating, tho, and I stopped

Around 2005 I kinda gave up. Then a friend suggested I blog about style in 2007, and I launched http://www.alreadypretty.com/

For me, style & body image are married. When I dress in ways that make me feel good, my body image soars. I love that.

And I wanted to share my ideas about the overlap with other women. Many of whom struggle with body image.

Share what you know or have experienced. Awesome! Who do you write for now, and any book news?

Sally:    I contribute fashion features to @StarTribune & posts to @TheFrisky, & continue my work on http://www.alreadypretty.com/

And yes! My first book is now available! Via Amazon: Book

It’s structured as a fun and accessible self-guided makeover. Non-judgmental, reader-friendly, and body-positive!

Is it new content, points from your blog or a combination of both? Were you overwhelmed by working on a book?

Sally:    I’d say that 10% is drawn from the blog, 15% from my work with individual style consult clients, & the rest original.

Working on the book while juggling writing, consulting, and various other work duties was overwhelming. But worth it!

I’ve wanted to publish a book since I was just a kid, and it’s amazing to have achieved that goal.

Oh! We’ll be having a launch party for the book @ArcValueVillage on August 17! More details on the blog soon.

Congratulations! Who would you say is the target audience for your book?

Sally:    Target audience for the book is anyone who feels excluded from traditional style guides.

Or hates being told that there are “right” and “wrong” ways to do style and fashion. The book is customizable.

I hope the book will help women see that they CAN be stylish in unique ways, and no matter their size/shape.

What are 2 simple tips you’d suggest women could apply to gain more confidence in their look?

Sally:    Find out if your body works better with skirts or pants. If you’ve been wearing one, try the other. See how you feel.

Some bodies work naturally with pants, others with skirts. Knowing which flatters your figure is key.

Tip #2 would be learn to accessorize. It takes time and practice, but it’s SO worth it! Accessories add polish.

Nearly all of my style consult clients omit accessories entirely. Until I show them how transformative they can be!

Good suggestions! To close, what can your blog readers expect from the next few posts?

Sally:    Later this week I’ll be talking about wardrobe multi-taskers – ways to use garments and accessories in unexpected ways.

And also the double-edged sword of non-conformism. Benefits to standing our and blending in, sartorially speaking.

Joel:    Good. Well thanks for your time and sharing your book release news! I hope that your launch party goes well.

Sally:    Thanks for a great Twitterview!

Good Thursday morning to everyone. Welcome to today’s #jectv Twitterivew with Jeremy Iggers. We’ll talk about food, himself & the TC’s.

Joel:    To begin with. Where did you grow up and go to school? What was your focus growing up?

Jeremy:    Didn’t really get into food until my college years, traveling around the world.

I grew up all over – Arkansas, Louisiana, Chicago, Buffalo, and a couple of years overseas in France and Germany

A traveling man! :)  So how did you get started in writing about food?

Jeremy:    I came to MN to go to grad school in philosophy, and thought it would be fun to review restaurants as a hobby.

I found a room in an apartment in Dinkytown, and one of my roommates turned out to be the first editor of TC Reader!

I showed him – DR Martin – some sample reviews, and he hired me – but I had no idea what I was doing.

But there weren’t a lot of pro restaurant critics in 1976. Three years later, the Minneapolis Star hired me freelance.

Back in those days, the local restaurant scene was pretty bad – hardly any ethnic restaurants, just meat and potatoes.

So you got to “pioneer” an industry that was changing locally. When would you say the “shift” happened locally?

Jeremy:    The shift really hit in the 80s, I went to work for the Detroit Free Press, but got hired back in 84 by the Star

Lots of new restaurants opened in that era, both haute cuisine, and ethnic – big explosion of Vietnamese places.

There was a lot of national food media, too – Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey, that drove local interest

I see. So you were with the @StarTribune up until when, and when did you start your food website?

Jeremy:    I was with the Strib until 2007, mostly reviewing restaurants. I left in 2007, and started http://TCFoodies.com in 2009

The restaurant scene changed dramatically over those years – first Vietnamese, then everything else Szechuan

Northern Italian, Ethiopian, Korean, Thai, plus a lot of new more authentic Mexican restaurants

And of course a lot of interesting haute and nouvelle cuisine places – Quatre Amis, Aquavit, etc., etc.

The food options have been really expanding in the Twin Cities. What happened with www.tcfoodies.com yesterday?

Jeremy:    We moved TCFoodies to a new home as part of the Twin Cities Daily Planet, now @tcdailyplanet.net/tcfoodies.

It’s a great fit – TCDailyPlanet – which I started w. friends in 2005 – has lots of food content & great interactivity

Our motto is Fresh Food News Daily, and we’ll be dishing up food stories that you can’t find anywhere else.

What kind of sharing will people find on the website? (i.e Reviews? Cooking tips? Trends?)

Jeremy:    Like Lu Lippold, a terrific blogger – every Tuesday. Check out her recent story about Candyland : http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/column/lu-lippold/saint-pauls-tiny-candyland-stands-corporate-snack-giants

Anybody can have their own blog on the Daily Planet – and we want new blogging partners. Contact me.

We’ll also feature lots of food and restaurant stories from our ethnic, neighborhood and community media partners…

Sounds like a good site for people to bookmark on their web browser! Will you be a contributor as well?

Jeremy:    Yup! My column will appear every Wednesday – here’s the one I posted yesterday:  http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/jeremy-iggers/what-i-learned-north-coast-nosh

I almost forgot to mention – we have a new weekly TCFoodies newsletter – go to http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/subscribe to sign up.

To close, what’s your “Big Picture” for your foodies website?

Jeremy:    I’m excited about it. It’s going to be a place for foodies to share info about everything food policy & healthy eating

to fine dining and gastronomic adventures. And we’re hoping to add special foodie events as well…

Joel:    Super! It’s going to be exciting to watch, especially for all of the Twin Cities “foodies” out there. Have a great day!

Jeremy:    Thanks! The tcfoodies link hasn’t completely transferred yet, so go to http://tcdailyplanet.net/foodies instead. Happy Eating!

Happy Friday everyone! Today’s Food-Friday Twitterview is with Mr. @thymeinrkitchen. So lets get to Tweeting with Matt Weber.

Matt:    woohoo! Glad to be here with you Joel

Q – #1    To start, please share with us where you grew up, went to school, and what your interests were growing up.

Matt:    I’m originally from Seattle but since being married have lived all over the place. Rexburg, ID, New Orleans, LA

Now I live with my wife and three kids in Farmington, MN. I did my undergrad at BYU-Idaho and MBA at St Cloud State.

Growing up, I loved the outdoors. Hiking, Mtn Biking and Snow Skiing. Always loved to cook as well.

Q – #2    I see. So after you finished your schooling, what kind of work have you done?

Matt:    My first job was as a Sales Manager for Schwan Food. Did some marketing for them, which is what brought us to MN

I then did some Project Mgmt Consulting for a few years for UHG, Thrivent and Wells Fargo

Now I’m back at Thrivent Financial as a Business Risk Manager and loving it!

Working for Schwan’s is what moved us all around the country. Moved us to New Orelans the day before Hurricane Katrina!

Q – #3     A numbers AND food guy. So where did the interest in food and blogging about come from?

Matt:    Grew up cooking alongside my Mom. She was amazing and taught her 6 boys to be very comfortable in the kitchen.

Blogging came later as I was looking for a way to keep track of everything that I was making and wanted to share

Was originally supposed to be a blog with my mom contributing as well but that never really took off

Q – #4    What elements of food and cooking do you incorporate into your blog?

Matt:    I typically try to make more challenging, “gourmet” food but it really just comes down to what I feel like eating!

I like challenging myself to try something new, whether it be a new ingredient or technique that would be fun to learn

We also do a lot of entertaining, so finding new things to share with friends

Q – #5    Can you share a few examples of some new things that you’ve tried lately?

Matt:    I made marshmallows for the first time last night! http://thymeinourkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/hot-cocoa-and-homemade-marshmallows.html

Also working on perfecting my donut recipe. We throw a donut party each month at our house for friends

I make about 200 donuts at a time and we have about 70-80 people over. Crazy night but fun to experiment on them

Q – #6    A donut party? Sounds like the next #MNFoodBloggers event. (hint, hint). Do you like baking or cooking more?

Matt:    You’re not the first to suggest that! I’d say I like baking better. I make all my own bread too. Best.smell.ever

You’re not the first to suggest that! I’d say I like baking better. I make all my own bread too. Best.smell.ever

Q – #7    Now for your FAVORTIE(S): Restaurant, comfort food, vegetable, local chef and national chef. Kitchen tool.

Matt:    That’s quite the list… Restaurant would have to be Cafe Levain with @AdamVickerman. Love his food

Comfort Food would be Lasagna – good one with lots of cheese and meat. Veggie would be Asparagus. Grilled to perfection

Local chef I think I mentioned already, National Chef: hmmm. I really enjoy watching @bflay or @altonbrown cook.

I just got a sweet potato ricer from @WilliamsSonoma that I love. I couldn’t live without my KitchenAid though

Q – #8    I have to ask. What did you go though in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit the day after you moved there?

Matt:    It was pretty crazy. We had no idea what do to. Just got in the car and drove north. Took 10hrs to get about 2hrs away

Got my family out of there and then I turned around and went back for my 1st day of work! I had no idea..

Slept in my car a few days and then 2 months in a hotel before we found somewhere to live.

I have to say though, after all that we still loved it there. People were amazing and we’d go back in a second

Thanks Joel. It was great talking with you!

@JoelECarlson:    That’s some story. Maybe blog some of your experience sometime. Thanks Matt for sharing today. Have a good weekend!

Matt:    Thanks Joel. It was great talking with you!

Good morning everyone! Lets start off the day with a Twitterview with a #CyberQueen like @VeraSweeney. Time for the fun to start! #jectv

Q – #1    So to begin @VeraSweeney, please share with us where you grew up and went to High School?

Vera:    I grew up in Astoria Queens – and went to St. John’s Prep

Q – #2    I see, so what was your next “life step” after High School? What interested you as far as job opportunities?

Vera:    I went to college in Albany and became a business consultant for both Accenture and Ernst and Young

I loved it but I wanted to do more coding and they kept putting me in front of the client.

Q – #3    Interesting. So how long did you stay on that course until you shifted to @imnotobsessed and other cyber ventures?

Vera:    After 9/11 I decided that I didn’t want to stay in a job that I didn’t LOVE. It took me a year, but I finally quit

Ended up teaching computers to K-8 at a local school in Queens. Did that for a few years and was happy

But then I got pregnant, was placed on bedrest, and then eventually became a stay at home mom

After 3 months or so of being home, I started to look for outlet. That’s when @imnotobsessed was born

It started out as a hobby – but then it just really caught on. Thats when I started to take it seriously

Q – #4    Great story! So about how many regular followers do you have for @imnotobsessed? An entertainment or gossip blog?

Vera:    I think we get about 5 million views a month on @imnotobsessed

Uniques are around 1.5 million

we write about gossip but it’s always PG rated

that was important for me because – as a mom – I never wanted to feel bad about my gig

Q – #5    Good for you! :) What is your source or sources for photos and info that you post? What has trended lately?

Vera:    I buy all my photos from WENN, FAME, and FLYNET

And after 6 years of blogging, I’ve ended up on a TON of PR blasts. I get most of my info from my email.

whats trending lately? Anything Twilight, pregnancies, Lohan, and Kardashian lol!

Q – #6    Is there any person or couple that you’re just TIRED of hearing about at this point?

Vera:    lol @JoelECarlson I dont want to insult anyone. There are some die hard fans out there. I never write negatively about celebs

Q – #7    I understand. Have you been able to parlay your @imnotobsessed blog to other biz opportunities or star connections?

Vera:    Ive had some great opportunities – done a few red carpet events, got a trip to costa rica to be on set for reality show

I’m so thankful @JoelECarlson ive been very blessed. It’s been a great ride. And I hope I have a few more years in me

Truthfully, these days most of my event invites come from http://ladyandtheblog.com though…

Q – #8    When you’re not taking care of your family and working on @imnotobsessed, what other interests take up your time?

Vera:    I love to read (when I can), play tennis during the warmer months, TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL. My fav hobby

I spend all day on the computer – so all my hobbies are offline.

Q – #9    Now some of your FAVORITES: Restaurant, comfort food, social media platform, recent book and celeb blogger.

Vera:    Ok! @JoelECarlson Fav Restaurant – La Nonna Bella in Long Island, Rosa Mexicana in NYC, Benihana (yeah I said it), Otto in NYC

Fav comfort food @JoelECarlson : fried chicken and colombian food (steak, rice, beans, plaintains)

Fav social media platform @JoelECarlson – Facebook – I find more interaction on that tool (twitter is second)

Fav recent book @JoelECarlson The Black Dagger Brotherhood (entire series) it’s like vampire porn so watch out, and The Hunger Games

Fav celeb blogger @JoelECarlson – dont have any. Is that bad? :)

Q – #10    Nope. You are your own creative leader. Do you think @imnotobsessed will ever include videos? (YouTube)

Vera:    I embed video (trailers etc) but I dont think I do enough to have my own YouTube channel.

Q – #11    To close. If you could have a meal with any one person (dead/alive), who would you pick and why?

Vera:    aw man that is a hard one. I guess I would pick… @JensenAckles__ (just kidding… or am i?)

no seriously I would choose my grandfather – miss him dearly.

@JoelECarlson:    That’s sweet! :) Thank you very much for your time and comments today. Enjoy the rest of your week. Regards! :)

Vera:    thank you for interviewing me! had fun :)

@JoelECarlson:    Hello everyone! Welcome to the Food-Friday Twitterview with my Food Blogging guest @EatDrinkLifeLuv (Lynne). Lets get started!

Lynne:    Hi Joel and everyone in the Twitterverse!

Q – #1    Lets start from the beginning @EatDrinkLifeLuv, where did you grown up and where did you go to school?

Lynne:    Born in Duluth, MN, moved to the Twin Cities about age 6, grew up in St. Anthony Village, went to college @ U of MN.

Q – #2    @EatDrinkLifeLuv Isn’t it Da’lute? :) So what did you study at the #UofMN?

Lynne:    My dad still calls it Da-lute. :) And I still visit both of my lovely grandmas there (one age 86, the other age 91)!

From the U of MN I have a BA in journalism/public relations.

Q – #3    So after college, what kind of work have you done, and who have you worked for?

Lynne:    I worked w/various non-profit orgs for awhile then started my own communications consulting biz 6 years ago

Through http://t.co/iB49a63 I do all types of communications, writing & PR

And a colleague & I just started http://t.co/kan01Jx and are writing web content & working w/business messaging

Q – #4    So you’re saying you have lots of FREE TIME right? j/k  :) What kinds of businesses do you prefer to work with?

Lynne:    I enjoy working w/businesses that will pay me. = ) I REALLY enjoy working with small to med. businesses, esp. locally.

Q – #5    The best kind! :)  Lets now shift attention to you and your blog: @EatDrinkLifeLuv. When did you start it, and what is it’s focus?

Lynne:    When my hubby & I first started dating we were watching @BravoTopChef Masters & started cooking the food ourselves.

What started as a fun Wednesday nite ritual, turned into a blog about one yr. ago when I needed a creative outlet.

I write about our cooking adventures & the restaurants we visit around the country.

Q – #6    So a real family-bonding cooking experience. Do you have some specialties? What cities have you been able to visit?

Lynne:    K & I have definitely become a great team through our cooking/eating experiences!

There are so many foods/recipes to try we almost never cook the same thing twice. We do good gnocchi, pasta & pot pie.

We’ve visited Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Vegas & most recently our honeymoon where we ate our way thru New York City.

Q – #7    Share 1 item/meal from each city that you enjoyed.

Lynne:    The tasting menu @ Atlanta’s Woodfire Grill, gorgeous trout amandine @ Bouchon in Vegas, local honey from Seattle…

We ate at Le Bernardin in NYC, but my favorite meal was @ Anita Lo’s Anissa & @Mariobatali Manzo in Eately

Q – #8    It all sounds good! FAVORITES: Restaurant(s), store, comfort food, national chef, recent book or blog.

Lynne:    Our top 3 fave Twin Cities restaurants are: @piccolo_mpls @HeidisMpls and Bar La Grassa. We LUV @pizzanea too.

I don’t like to shop so my fave store is probably @LindenHillsCoop Nat’l chef Jose Andreas = pure entertainment!

Great recent book, “Blood, Bones & Butter” and I dig all of the #MNFoodBloggers blogs! Also Tastespotting.com

Comfort food? My grandma’s homemade yeasty dinner rolls or raisin-y Easter bread.

Q – #9    If you could invite 1 person (dead/alive) for a meal with you, who would you invite, and why?

Lynne:    Maybe @Mariobatali Rumor has it a meal with him is a joyful party with never ending, amazing food & free-flowing wine.

Or maybe @NeilTyson so I could learn anything & everything about space. It would be a fascinating meal!

@JoelECarlson:    Well thank you @EatDrinkLifeLuv for your time and comments today on #jectv! Have a great weekend, and keep on cookin’!

Lynne:    Thanks Joel! Have a great weekend!

@JoelECarlson: Hello everyone! Today’s special Food-Friday guest is Twin Cities food phenom @susanpowers. Lets find out what she’s been cook’n.

Susan: Hey Joel

Q – #1    To start, share with us where you grew up, went to school and what your 1st adult job was.

Susan: I grew up in the Lake Minnetonka area.

First adult job was as a usher at the Old Log Theater and Bacon Drug in Excelsior.

Maybe that isn’t an adult job…lol.

First adult job, out of college was a clothing designer.

Q – #2    So where did you go to college, what was your major and how long did you design clothes for?

Susan: I went to the U of M, I majored in Applied Design and I designed clothes for a few years, until I had my first daughter

at that point I was more interested in being a mom. They are only small for a short amount of time.

Q – #3    When then did you get back to working outside the home, and what led you to working in raw food?

Susan: I always worked, but would run businesses out of my home. My interest in raw food came about when I realized that I

wasn’t feeling the best I could and I realized it was the way I was eating. I started having some health issues. I

Figured that if eating wrong got me there, eating well could help fix the problems.

I started experimenting with raw and was amazed at how good I felt.

Q – #4    How did the publishing and photography come from your work?

Susan: When I started http://www.rawmazing.com, I was writing recipes and I new I had to take pictures of them for the blog.

I kept shooting, and the photos kept getting better. I decided to learn as much as I possibly could about food

photography and shot thousands of images, perfecting my shooting.

My books were an outgrowth of Rawmazing. A way to monetize., and also get some books out there.

Q – #5    Self taught photography? Amazing! What were some of the foods you figured out that you liked raw?

Susan: Yes, self taught. Raw Foods, I love food. So my biggest challenge was to make the dishes I normally enjoy raw.

I honestly love everything I make, or I wouldn’t make it. Raw can be very interesting and vast

But for me, it is always about experimenting and creating new stuff.

My raw food is more of the gourmet raw….not so much compost on a plate, raw. :-)

Q – #6    You recently started @ShootTheKitch with @FreshTartSteph. Explain what that is about.

Susan: It is an adventure into the sides of chef’s and restaurants that you normally don’t get to see.

I love shooting food and people. What better way to combine those two loves.

@freshtartsteph volunteered to do the recipes because I didn’t want to work with certain ingredients.It has been great

Q – #7    It’s great to do work that you love! Any new projects or books coming up in the near future?

Susan: I am working on a transitional raw food book and we have some amazing shoots coming up on @shootthekitch

I am completely in love with the photography so will be doing as much of that as I can.

@freshtartsteph has been a gas to work with. Her energy is amazing and a great contribution to @shootthekitch

Q – #8    More about YOU! Favorite(s): Restaurant, store, co-op/market, vegetable, fruit, TC neighborhood and book/movie.

Susan: Wow! ok…Restaurant. That is like asking which is my favorite kid. I love them both with all my heart, but I love

different things about them. That said, Lurcat has been a fav for a long time. I always completely relax when I sink

into those white chairs. Co-op, love them all for different reasons. I shop Lakewinds mostly.

Vegetable: Kale, Fruit: Watermelon but I am having a pineapple obsession right now…

Neighborhood….no clue…I live west of the TC, we really don’t have neighborhoods, Book: “Like Water for Chocolate

Movie: Sense and Sensibility, I am a romantic.

Q – #9    I forgot to ask, when you need a “pick-me-up” comfort food, what do you eat?

Susan: lol…that is an oxymoron. Pick me up would be a green drink….2 handfuls of greens, some fruit, very good.

Comfort food…Chocolate chip cookies…homemade by me, not raw…lol.

Q – #10    Raw cookie dough? :)  If you could invite 1 person (dead/alive) for a meal, who would you ask and why?

Susan: Probably the Dalai Lama His peace, power, energy, knowledge, serenity, those are all things I would love to experience.

I hear he also has a great sense of humor. #jectv And no…no raw cookies. Bake those babies.

Q – #11    To close today, what advice would you give to newbies in the blog/food/photo world?

Susan: Be prepared to work your butt off, strive to do the best you can do, find your own voice and niche and go for it!

@JoelECarlson: Good points! Thanks @susanpowers for participating in today’s Food-Friday Twitterview and sharing some of your life on #jectv. Take care!

Susan: Thank you!!

@JoelECarlson: Hello everyone, and welcome to this weeks Food-Friday Twitterview with my guest @LaureJKul.

Laurie: Hi Joel! Thanks for having me.

Q – #1    So @LaurieJKul, start us off telling us where you grew up, where you went to school and your 1st adult job.

Laurie: I grew up in a small town in western NoDak called Regent. Population 300. It’s about eight hours west of here.

I went to NDSU, majored in early childhood education. I taught pre-school for 11 years, now I stay home with my kids.

Q – #2    Why did you have kids in pre-school for 11 years? LOL! j/k Where did you teach,and when did you decide to start blogging?

Laurie: I started with pre-schoolers in Fargo, then my husband and I moved out here in ’99. I taught in Woodbury ’til 2006.

I threw around the idea of a food blog for a year or so, now that I have time to cook (kids are 2 and 4).

Q – #3    So what’s your blog called? (Share a link?) What style of cooking or focus is your blog going to have?

Laurie: I began reading several food blogs– it was a new world. I like photography, so I decided to give it a shot.

It’s Relish It, and can be found at www.relishit.wordpress.com (yes I know that the HTML appears to be a swear word. :)

As for focus, it’s quite varied. The recipes are a mix of my own, cookbooks, and magazines.

Q – #4    Are you more of a baker, main dish, side-dish or a variety or things?

Laurie: The food is a mix of baking, traditional and contemporary dishes (i.e. soups, savory dishes, locally sourced)

I enjoy all of it. I didn’t want to focus on one particular style, and I make what interests me at the time.

Q – #5    How long does a typical food-shoot for you take, and how many photos will you use in a typical blog post?

Laurie: The making of the dish can be quite lengthy. I recently made fresh pasta along with a slowly-simmered bolognese.

The trick then is to get the timing right– finish the dish and get set up for the photos, along with natural light.

Throw in making that same meal for my family at the same time, and the timing gets quite complicated.

Overall, I can take between 30-50 photos for one shoot. Lighting is difficult in my kitchen. I use 3-4 for a post.

Q – #6    Is it safe to say then that the long/gray winter made photo shooting more difficult? re: natural light

Laurie: Ha! You anticipated my last response. Yes, the lighting can be quite challenging. Especially in my kitchen.

Q – #7    Lets learn more about YOU! Favorite(s): restaurant, store, comfort food, favorite vegetable, spice and National chef.

Laurie: Restaurant=Heartland. Love what L. Russo does with locally-sourced ingredients. Also love Punch Pizza– soo good.

Love Cooks of Crocus Hill, also Mississippi Market is my happy place. As for comfort food, pasta and paprikash…

…which is a German stew. Veggie=asparagus, red peppers, green beans. Really into ramps right now.

Favorite spice– I’ll choose and herb. I like them better. I love rosemary and sage. National chef=Alice Waters…

…though I love Lidia B., Melissa Clark, and Dorie Greenspan. All are fantastic and inspirational.

Forgot to mention Mark Bittman– good for most anything I need to find.

Q – #8    Since you’re still relatively new to MN, what are some things that you’ve enjoyed doing in MN and areas you’ve explored?

Laurie: We’ve mostly stayed in the Cities, though we love the N. Shore. Growing up in a rural area, I didn’t have access to…

…great restaurants. We’ve spent A LOT of time trying out all of the places to eat over the last 12 years. Also…

…with babies it was difficult to get out and explore much. Now that they’re growing, we’re looking forward to a…

…great summer of exploration. Going to try camping, take in a few ballgames, a few concerts,and fight the humidity.

Q – #9    Cooking/hosting question – If you could have any 1 person (dead/alive) over for a meal, who would you ask and why?

Laurie: For the company, it would be my Grandmother Jesch who died in 1994. For cooking AND company, Melissa Clark @goodappetite …

…because she seems fun and down to earth. Talking food would be fun. Bittman would be second. @bittman

Q – #10    To end, for people exploring the idea of blogging or even food blogging, what advice would you give someone?

Laurie: First, spend a fair amount of time exploring blogs in your area of interest for ideas. Next, take the leap…

…or you’ll never do it. Once I started, I realized it wasn’t difficult– technically, with photos, or writing.

@JoelECarlson: Good points! Thank you very much for your time and comments today. Have a great weekend and keep cooking!

Laurie: Thanks so much Joel, and everyone else. Have a great weekend. The blog is http://www.relishit.wordpress.com. Stop by.