Hello From the North Shore

Little Pringle pup and I are lucky to be traveling in Northern Minnesota this week! We are staying at just the cutest Airbnb in Tofte, MN. I have to say that stays up here get super pricy super fast, so be sure to book well in advance (we booked this cabin with no running water in December to ensure a good deal).

One of my favorite things to do up here is to listen to WTIP, North Shore Community Radio. Not only do they have great shows and local volunteer DJs, but they also keep you in the loop about community events. I'm currently listening to Swing Session, and Polka Time is up next. Honestly, what's not to love?

Pringle and I went for a great hike this morning at Carlton Peak. The pup was a trooper, although he did get the zoomies and run around like a loony toon at unpredictable times. The trail, part of the SHT, was very well maintained and beautiful the whole way out and back. The view from the top was perfection. The only issue was the mosquitos, which I hear are particularly bad this year. Overall, I give it a 9/10, pretty good for our first hike.

We also visited the Grand Marais Arts Festival, and had the pleasure of meeting the one and only Betsy Bowen! Betsy is well known in Minnesota for her woodblock prints and illustrated children's books. I was first exposed to printmaking through her work, and it was incredible to meet the woman behind the press. She inspired me to continue searching for somewhere to make relief prints in the Twin Cities.

I would be remiss if I didn't give Voyageur Brewing a shoutout here as well. Voyageur was where I had my first legal beer in the US back in 2015. Since then, they have expanded and now have a dog-friendly patio with a full menu! Pringle enjoyed trying to eat the deck while I enjoyed a blueberry sour (honestly a little too sweet for my taste, but when in Rome!).

We're excited to be up here all week before we go into the Boundary Waters next Sunday, so if you have any North Shore recommendations, please send them our way!

Happy Trails!

Coastal Maine Food Review

This weekend was my 5th college reunion at Bowdoin College. There’s a lot to unpack from the weekend, but before we do that, let’s do a Maine Food Review.

Let’s start with my old haunt and former employer, Wild Oats Bakery. To say that this bakery is on point would be to vastly undersell it. Their curried tempeh salad is absolutely to die for. The addition of pickled onions to their menu is enlightened. This was the perfect weekend for me to visit, because they were also doing a fundraiser for another of my former employers, Oasis Free Clinics. The ED at Oasis, Anita, is the reason I got my MPH. Cupcakes for a Cause was a success, and I have to say that the buttercream frosting at Wild Oats really puts other frostings to shame.

Next, I have to highlight my longtime heartthrob, The Gelato Fiasco. I truly don’t know how they manage to make their gelato so fresh and vibrant, but it is pure magic. Strawberry balsamic is my long time favorite flavor, and it did not disappoint. They also have a gelato truck which we saw at the Eastern Prom in Portland, which is very fun.

As part of reunion, Bowdoin brought food trucks to campus, and I was excited to try a charcuterie box from The Portland Board. With absolutely delicious and locally sourced components, this board exceeded my already high expectations. I was especially enamored with the crackers, which I believe are from Mill Cove Baking Co.

I also visited the new gluten-free bakery in Brunswick, The Butchers and Bakers. On the old site of Wild Oats, it’s great to have a new cafe and bakery in downtown Brunswick.

Last but not least, I have to give a quick shout-out to Standard Baking Co. in Portland. They have some of the finest gluten-full bread I’ve had anywhere. And of course, Bowdoin Dining pulled out all of the stops for the reunion itself! Thank you for everything, Bowdoin Dining <3

Until next time,

A very full Sarah

Nice is Nice

I'm happy to report that Nice lives up to its name. This week has been full steam ahead tourism with some nice relaxing beach time mixed in. My mom and I have been walking about 10 miles a day, so the blog has slowed down quite a bit, my apologies.

We covered a lot of ground in our six days in Nice and the Cote d'Azur, including day trips to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Cannes and Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, and Monaco, as well as a cooking class and a walking tour in Nice.

I can highly recommend the Niçoise salads here (no potatoes or cooked vegetables in the original recipe), as well as the Pan bagnat, which is a Niçoise salad in a sandwich form. The plentiful (and not quite local) rosé pairs nicely with the vegetable-based Niçoise cuisine. Honestly I think I prefer the cuisine here to the heavy butter-based delicacies of Paris (although of course I still have a croissant or pain au chocolat every morning for breakfast).

We were lucky to get an Airbnb this week since we were here during both the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix of Monaco. It was a lovely spot not far from the Nice Ville train station, or from the beach, with adorable balconies for happy hour and for drying laundry out the window.

Since we did so much, I'll summarize with a list of Best-Ofs (according to me).

1. Best Museum: Chagall Museum

2. Best Villa: Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

3. Best Aquarium: Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

4. Best Cooking Class: Les Petits Farcis - sign up for her newsletter!

5. Best Ice Cream Boat: On the beach of Sainte-Marguerite Island

6. Best Mom: my mom!

All in all, I give it a 10/10 mark and hope to visit again soon! À bientôt mes amis!