On any given day, I probably browse through at least 100 different blogs. Fortunately, Google Reader makes this practical as it allows me to organize and look for interesting new posts without the need to individually visit every interesting site on my “favorites” list.
Since I am a self-proclaimed “foodie”, I follow a few sites that focus on food. Some of my favorites are:

The Pioneer Woman Cooks
101 Cookbooks
Smitten Kitchen
The Amateur Gourmet

It was the last one on the list – the Amateur Gourmet – that caught my attention with a recent post …

As I’ve indicated in previous posts, I have fashion aspirations but little capability of pulling them off. I see many things I like, but never get the gumption to take action while browsing around a store. I’m a steady reader of The Sartorialist blog and envy those who put themselves out there with their clothing choices. It might be the reserve from my Scandinavian heritage holding me back, but I just can’t go there. At least not yet.
But, I’ve had some recent revelations that have led me to pursue items …

Saturday was spent in my car. We probably put in at least five hours worth of travel, but they were good miles. I had a mix of podcasts on my iPod (catching up with Bandana Blues, All Songs Considered, and The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack). Erin was plugged into her iPod Touch she got at Christmas and watched Pirates of the Caribbean or listened to Linkin Park (she’s not a typical 13 year old girl when it comes to her music).
I decided to head out to Glenwood since …

Since I moved here before I got back into biking, I did not realize that my house is located in one of the greatest Twin Cities locations for cycling. While many people find themselves mounting their bikes to their roof racks and driving 30 minutes to begin an unencumbered ride, I simply roll out from my open garage door and am on traffic-light-free roads within minutes.
This is because I live in the west metro which is still “rural” enough in spots to allow for limited traffic. The roads are fairly …

In an effort to break away from the onsetting cabin fever and actually enjoy the Minnesota winter for a brief moment, I convinced my daughter and her friend to throw the skates in a bag and head out to Wayzata for a little afternoon time at their large outdoor rink.
Skating outside is a mainstay in Minnesota. I’ve had my share of indoor skating (in a climate controlled rink with smooth, flat ice) and it doesn’t hold up to the real thing. I cannot even recall how young I had been …

It’s not too often I come across some music that really moves me. I’ve got a lot of varied music in my small collection, but haven’t been compelled to add anything new over the past few months. Thus, when flicking through the channels shortly before bed this past weekend, I stumbled upon Austin City Limits (almost never a bad show), saw the night’s lineup contained a group named “The Avett Brothers“, and didn’t think much of it.
Austin City Limits has done me well over its years. It’s given me exposure …

I’ll bet there is a whole group of active cyclist out there who don’t know why the current pedal technology is called “clipless”. They probably accept it as simple fact – that pedals are now called “clipless pedals” just because they are.
Having been actively engaged with cycling for over 25 years, I’ve participated in the evolution of pedals to not only know why clipless pedals are called “clipless pedals”, but have firsthand experience with the pedal technology that has lead up to the removal of clips.
I really shouldn’t be too …

I don’t think Sesame Street was quite this edgy when I was growing up. Not only does Ricky Gervais move the jokes about celebrities into the grown-up spectrum, the lyrics involving “nummies” yields some interesting Google search results.

Maybe it’s because I enjoying eating so much – but I really love to cook. I get a tremendous amount of joy from taking the time to assemble the right ingredients, properly time the coming together of multiple cooked items, and plating a meal in a way that looks as scrumptious as it tastes.
When I cook, I like to go to the absolute basics and control the ingredients from the fundamental items. My tongue seems to be noticing how overly salted most prepared food is from the grocery store and …

Growing up in the predominately Scandinavian, Midwest culture of the 70s and 80s, food’s primary role was to provide only the most basic aspects of nourishment. That’s not to say the food was bad – it just seemed to be on a steady race to mediocrity. Vegetables came from a can, fruit needed to be drained before incorporating into some type of dairy or wiggly medium, and breads were whiter than a December snowfall. It was rare to see a dish that did not incorporate yellow-dyed cheese, a potato in …