Girl From The North Country  Serves 1 1 1/2 oz. dry gin 1/2 ounces pear Brandy 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice 1/2 oz lingonberry syrup or raspberry syrup 1 slice of pear, for garnish Shake the gin, brandy, lemon juice, and syrup with ice until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a […]

  Camping Sangria Serves 6  32 oz. red wine, like Merlot 8 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice   1/4 cup sugar Juice of one lime 1 cup chopped Strawberries Combine the wine, grapefruit juice, sugar, and lime juice in a large pitcher,  stir until the sugar dissolves. Add ice and berries and enjoy!   *note the addition […]

South Dakota in the fall   I kept hearing great things about visiting S.D. in the fall because it isn’t as hot and there are less tourists. So we decided to go in October when the kids had a few days off from school. It was just long enough for a quick road trip. While […]

We LOVE going to Franconia Art Park. Only about an hour outside of the twin cities, located in the scenic St. Croix River Valley, not far from Taylor’s Falls. Franconia Sculpture Park is a beautiful 43-acre outdoor sculpture park with active artist residency, and community arts programming. Open from dawn to dusk 365 days a […]

A favorite hike of ours is close to home and easily accessible by car or bike for us, PIKE ISLAND (Dakota name Wita Tanka). This is a hiking trail within FORT SNELLING STATE PARK. From the entrance of the park, follow the road to the Visitors Center. Once you park you will see trail maps […]

Looking for something to do this weekend?! The holidazzle in Loring Park is free and open to the public. See their website for specific times. 2019 Holidazzle schedule: Thursdays through Sundays, November 29-December 22   According to their website, “This year’s Holidazzle features stories highlighting local people, products and places that showcase the food scene, […]

If you are deciding to opt-outside this holiday season here’s one idea: Old Cedar Bridge in Bloomington MN If you’ve never explored the River Bottoms in Bloomington MN I highly recommend it. I managed to convince a few families and some extra neighbors to come explore it with us. It’s an easy walk with many […]