Minnesota State Fair 201: An Advanced Fairgoers Guide

On 09/02/201509/02/2015 By Kat at travelgardeneatIn Eat, Travel11 Comments

That red-letter day is almost here – our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair!

I have written before of my love for the Great Minnesota Get-Together, in my post “One in 164,694 (People): A Day at the Minnesota State Fair.” As my boys became teens, and now with one now in college and the other poised to leave the nest next year, I have treasured this tradition of quality mother-son time that is often hard to come by! Recognizing that we may not have the chance to keep up our tradition attending together every year as they pursue their studies and whatever life holds for them beyond, we make sure to maximize our visits to the Fair — the food, the bargains, the exhibits …. you can’t see it all, but you sure can try. How do you pack it all in? Follow me, friend.

1. Do Your Homework.

The Minnesota State Fair website is your go-to resource for daily event schedules, entertainment options, logistics, and more. We map out exhibits and any special music or culutural shows we want to watch, in addition to annual standards. Key sections of the website to check out?

Food Finder
Fun Finder
Deals, Drawings and Giveaways
Blue Ribbon Bargain Book ~ scout out coupons and deals to use and then buy your book at the Fair if you missed a pre-Fair sale opportunity

Download the free Minnesota State Fair mobile app. You can flag the food, merchandise and fun things you want to do while at the Fair, and then scroll through the list of marked items while at the Fair. The app’s map feature is particularly useful at the Fair, as it has a feature that allows you to follow the blinking blue dot marking your location to the food, merchandise or fun items on your list. And if you are craving a certain food item at some point during the day, pull up the app, and use the proximity-based search tool to view the options near you.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune publishes a guide to the Minnesota State Fair the Sunday before it opens. Then once the Fair opens, the newspaper has helpful and entertaining updates in their Minneapolis Star Tribune online edition. Rick Nelson, the Star Tribune’s restaurant critic, is always spot-on with his food recommendations (on Twitter @RickNelsonStrib).

Another Minnesota foodie worth following is Andrew Zimmern (on Twitter @andrewzimmern), who outlines his “Top Picks” for the Minnesota State Fair, as well as previewing new foods each year. And be sure to bookmark Zimmern’s Instagram Scavenger Hunt to join in some photo fun.

2. Park & Ride is the Only Way to Go.

Parking on the fairgrounds can be a reasonable option if you arrive early in the day and are willing to pay $13.00. The convenient and free options at any time of day, however, are the Park & Ride lots. Park your car in one of the many lots scattered around the Twin Cities and hop a shuttle bus to the Fair. Some lots are popular and may fill by noon on busier days, but a short distance away you are likely to find an alternate option. Buses run from 8:00 a.m. to midnight.

3. Support the MN State Fair Foundation and Enjoy a Cool Drink, Air Conditioning, and Clean, Uncrowded Bathrooms!

Supporting the Minnesota State Fair with a donation to the Minnesota State Fair Foundation provides multiple benefits — not the least of which is helping to perpetuate the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Become a “Friend of the Fair” and stop by the Foundation’s J.V. Bailey House when you arrive at the Fair to pick up your Blue Ribbon Bargain Book, calendar, supporter ribbon (contribution level may determine eligibility for different Fair gifts), and enjoy the old-fashioned setting and hospitality of the old groundskeeper’s house. Contributions made after early August will go toward the following year’s Fair, so make your donation now and look forward to that clean, uncrowded bathroom option next year.

4. Don’t Miss the Crop Art.

Crop Art Gallery

Crop Art Fairy Tales

Creative Crop Art

Cropped Art

Crop Art Music

Crop art can be found in the Agriculture Horticulture Building, as can the display of fantastical scarecrows. What is crop art?! I provided some background information on this fascinating creative display in this earlier post.

5. Pet a Piglet.

While the avian flu concerns have emptied the poultry barns of the noisy array of chickens and roosters this year, the animal barns still have plenty to keep you entertained. Baby farm animals have that universal “aawwwwww” factor, and the Miracle of Birth Center is aptly named. Seeing a newborn lamb or piglet always invokes a sense of wonder.

6. Prioritize Your Food List — You Can Try, But You Simply Can’t Eat It All.

Saving the best for last: At its heart, the Minnesota State Fair is all about the food! Any regular fairgoer has a list of food favorites, and everyone’s list is different. We have our favorites, but always try a few of the new foods for the year (see #1 above, with research resources for scouting new foods before you arrive). With our trip looming, here’s our food plan — the key is having several people to share some items, so you each get a taste without getting so full you can’t sample the next selection.

Our tried-and-true?

Fruit and whipped cream crepe from the French Creperie ~ we each get our own to kick off our day at the Fair, no matter what time our day starts.
Cheese curds ~ from the Original Cheese Curds
Corn Roast ~ roasted ears of corn dipped in a vat of butter, with big composting bins nearby to collect the cobs
Mediterranean lemonade smoothie at Holy Land Deli at the International Bazaar ~ THE most refreshing drink on a hot day!
Pronto Pup
A new favorite after the 2014 Fair? The Blue Barn’s Blue Cheese & Corn Fritz with Chimichurri Sauce and their Blueberry Basil Lemonade

We often share a shake from the Gopher Dairy Bar or a treat from the Dairy Goodness Bar in the Dairy Barn , after viewing the Princess Kay butter head carvings, of course!

And, finally, the new foods (either new to us or new to the Fair) we intend to add to the list this year!?

Butter Queen Coffee Ice Cream from the Hamline Dining Hall
Chocolate-Dipped Cherry on a Spoon from Jonny Pops
A Salad Named Soo at the Rabbit Hole in the Midtwn Global Market ~ a watermelon, basil, mint, and arugula salad with chili honey lime sauce
Minneapple Pie
Maple Bacon Funnel Cake from Funnel Cakes

What are your Minnesota State Fair favorites? Share your tips and Fair traditions in the comments below.

Ciao! ~ Kat

Happy Third Anniversary (to me)!

On 08/11/201508/11/2015 By Kat at travelgardeneatIn Eat, Garden, Gratitude, Travel13 Comments

Three years ago this week, I took the leap and hit the “publish” button for the first time. The blog “Travel. Garden. Eat.” entered the blogosphere. Three years of blogging = 314 posts, 21,118 visitors, and 48,048 views.

As I begin year four of my blogging journey, it is interesting to look back on posts of interest — whether yours or mine. Some have been shared far and wide, others that I hold dear because of the memories they evoke may have stayed closer to home – it’s all good. When one first tentatively puts that post out for public consumption, whether the effort is viewed or “liked” holds more importance, but I think over time that becomes less and less a point of attention. Instead, this blog continues to be my creative outlet, for words and images.

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

~ Anaïs Nin

The topics of traveling, gardening and eating merely serve as a base — life is rich and varied, and I think blogging often provides the opportunity to remind oneself that the little things in life are often the most rewarding. A walk in the woods can be just as rejuvenating and eye-opening as a journey across the sea. Our own backyards often yield just as much interest as the backyards of our neighbors far and near.

The most viewed posts over the past few years reflect that philosophy of interest near and far. For the five months I blogged in 2012, the posts with the highest views were all in response to Weekly Photo Challenges — a great way to engage bloggers on a wide variety of topics, and help inspire a little creative stretch from time to time! The challenges of Big, Renewal, and Everyday Life generated the most traffic that first year.

In 2013, traveling and eating both were reflected in the most viewed posts:

Moving on to 2014, one of the most popular posts for visitors was my visit to the Apostle Islands’ Ice Caves, “It’s Not Too Late for the Party: Day-Tripping to the Apostle Islands Ice Caves.”

And, finally, 2015 — a year not over yet, but one in which I finally returned to gardening in “Gardener’s Mecca in Minnesota: An Illustration of the ‘Why’” for the most viewed post this year-to-date. Interestingly, one of my older posts, “Iceberg Lake Trail ~ Glacier National Park” also has been a popular post this year — it is a favorite travel memory, so always happy to revisit that one!

“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.”

~ Ansel Adams

Iceberg Lake Trail ~ Glacier National Park

Thank you to all who have followed along since the first year, as well as those who have joined more recently — all 989 of you (spammers and all — I don’t flatter myself to think that I have almost 1000 engaged followers, but I am grateful and amazed by how many truly interesting and engaging bloggers and readers I have met along the way!). For a little celebratory fun, I updated the look of the blog, and welcome any feedback you have — Font hard to read? Like the layout? Miss the old look? All comments welcome.

Thanks for reading – blog on!

Ciao! ~ Kat

Indian Summer: Fennel-Spiced Pork Ribs with Onion Cilantro Tempering

On 07/04/201507/04/2015 By Kat at travelgardeneatIn Eat, Recipes4 Comments

Summertime is perfect for lazy afternoons on the patio, with a book in one hand and a beer in the other. Grilling ribs is an art that requires several hours, so it is a perfect companion for the lazy afternoon on the patio (especially if it is your spouse or partner doing the grilling while you sit with the beer and book!).

My boys and I decided to improve the probability of this scenario by splurging on my husband’s 50th birthday present …… a Primo Oval XL 400 Grill. Yep, that’s 400 square inches of cooking surface and a ceramic grill construction that allows for perfection in grilling and smoking. Some men have their dream sports cars, my husband has his dream grill. When I went shopping for the grill, I texted my sons jokingly, “Do we love him that much?” My oldest replied, “Well, the grill is a show of love as well as an investment in future meals for ourselves, making the deal substantially more attractive.” With meals like this Fennel-Spiced Pork Ribs with Onion Cilantro Tempering, we have been quickly realizing that return on our investment!

The grill was actually the perfect opportunity for my husband to try one of the recipes he had been eyeing in the cookbook I recently purchased from one of my favorite bloggers — Tikka, Tikki & Spicy Bites, authored by Peri Avari and Rohit Kapoor, over at Peri’s Spice Ladle. The Fennel-Spiced Pork Ribs with Onion Cilantro Tempering did not disappoint!

After marinating the pork ribs overnight, they were ready for hours of slow roasting on the grill. In order to help keep the ribs moist, my husband sprays them down every 20 minutes or so with a mixture of juice, vinegar and water.

After smoking the ribs in the rack, and cooking them for a couple hours, he then wraps them in foil to cook for another hour. The last stage is to put the ribs directly on the grill with indirect heat to finish them with a glaze.

Using a silicone brush, he glazes with a heated mixture of mango chutney and chicken broth.

After the grilling stage is done, the ribs are transferred to the kitchen for application of the Onion Cilantro Tempering.

We served the ribs with a side of cucumber raita, and bookmarked this recipe for a repeat performance!

Peri’s newest cookbook, Tikka, Tikki & Spicy Bites, is a bargain at only $5.99 (USD) through Amazon, and also available through Amazon’s international sites. I have followed Peri’s blog since I began blogging several years ago. If you are not familiar with Peri’s Spice Ladle, it is a feast for the senses with delicious recipes and food ideas (ranging from family-friendly weeknight meals to more sophisticated dinner and party options), as well as interesting writing on the Indian culture and cooking techniques.

Ciao! ~ Kat

Sorry, I Burned the Pine Nuts

On 01/29/201501/29/2015 By Kat at travelgardeneatIn Eat, Recipes10 Comments

In digging through my draft posts, the ones that never quite saw the light of the blogosphere, I came across this one … sharing an easy pasta recipe with sautéed spinach on the side. I have mentioned before that my husband is the primary cook in this house; not that I don’t know how or am not willing, but for him it is a hobby and an art, and I willingly enjoy the products of his creativity. Often when I cook, it is because my husband and boys are gone for the evening or weekend, and I go looking for something quick to put together, so I can pour a glass of wine and hunker down with a good chick flick!

On one of these occasions when I found myself on the cooking rather than eating side of the food equation, and felt my blog had been sparse on the food posts, I tried to keep the mayhem (and cat hair) in the kitchen at a minimum as I cooked, with an occasional photo along the way.

Four ingredients: whole wheat pasta, broccoli, brie and pine nuts. Really can’t get much simpler than that.

The challenge is to not eat the brie while chopping it into cubes as the pasta boils!

Actually, the real challenge is not getting distracted while the pine nuts are toasting in the skillet. As usual, I multi-tasked one too many things, and soon the smell of burnt pine nuts was filling the house …. but it was not a loss, and I took one for the team, filling a bowl with a healthy portion.

And for an additional dose of green leafy vegetables, and another of my favorite quick and easy sides, I couldn’t screw up the Barefoot Contessa’s Garlic Sautéed Spinach (my kind of recipe — advertised prep time: 6 minutes, cook time: 4 minutes!).

A good olive oil, generous portion of garlic cloves, and fresh spinach leaves mix together for a wonderful wilted dish. It stands alone or would be tasty mixed in with pasta for another pasta with greens option.

For the Garlic Sautéed Spinach recipe, click here.

For the Creamy Rigatoni with Broccoli and Brie recipe, click here.

Ciao! ~ Kat

Weekly Photo Challenge: Angular

On 11/24/201412/28/2014 By Kat at travelgardeneatIn Eat, Photography6 Comments

Angular need not be dull and scientific, as this colorful trio of martinis on the rooftop bar of the Market Pavilion Hotel in Charleston reminds us.

Ciao! ~ Kat

This post was in response to the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge. ”Angular” was this week’s theme. Everyone is welcome to join in the Challenge; further details on how to participate and links to others’ responses are found here.

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