Recent content from Kim Ode
Review: 'City of Hustle,' edited by Jon K. Lauck and Patrick Hicks
NONFICTION: This collection of essays — and a bit of fiction — defines the city of Sioux Falls.
Review: 'The Divorce Colony,' by April White
NONFICTION: How a South Dakota town became a haven for divorce.
Review: 'Skiing Into the Bright Open,' by Liv Arnesen, translated from the Norwegian by Roland Huntford
NONFICTION: Liv Arnesen recounts her 1994 solo journey to the South Pole.
Rhubarb evokes fond memories and tasty recipes, sweet and savory
Rhubarb season is memorable but fleeting: Here's how to make the most of it.
Review: 'Northernmost,' by Peter Geye
FICTION: The final volume of Peter Geye's trilogy takes readers to Minnesota's North Shore, and to 19th-century Norway.
Review: 'Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe?' by Brock Clarke
FICTION: A lonely middle-aged man takes off with his aunt on a trip of adventures and crimes. And yes, you've read something like this before.
![Three cheesy appetizers to keep on hand during the holiday season, photographed in the studio in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. ]](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/323KR5545D4R2TIFM4RM7BK6EU.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Baking Central: Make cheese hors d'oeuvres for the holidays
Whether you're kicking off a meal, hosting a happy hour or contributing to a holiday potluck, here are three cheese-centric hors d'oeuvres to serve and savor.
Holiday shopping for the baker in your life? The 12 best new baking books
Add these to your list of holiday must-haves, whether it's for a gift for a favorite baker or for yourself.
Review: 'A Woman of No Importance,' by Sonia Purnell
NONFICTION: The riveting and sometimes harrowing story of Virginia Hall, the one-legged American spy who confounded the Germans.
Review: 'Deep Creek,' by Pam Houston
NONFICTION: In this quietly stunning memoir, Pam Houston finds kindness and solace in unusual places.
Minneapolis bakers tell you how to make holiday breads in 5 minutes
The bread-in-5 duo is back, this time with more butter, to the delight of one of the authors.
There are no stupid questions when it comes to Thanksgiving hot lines
Need help for Thanksgiving? There's lots of advice out there for everyone hosting their first Thanksgiving, or even old hands wondering how to rev up their traditional feast.
Thanksgiving hot lines offer last-minute help for cooks
Last minute questions as you're putting the early (or final) touch to the big meal? Help is nearby.
Feast your eyes on the best baking books of the year
Whether it's for you or a holiday gift, these new baking books will send many to the kitchen in a flurry of flour and sugar.
The baking mysteries of the incredible, edible egg ... explained
Medium, large or jumbo. Room temperature or cold. These are some of the questions that stump many bakers.
If the reader disagrees with the critic, who is right?
If you read a review that disagrees with your opinion of the book, do you wonder what you missed?
Expand your baking repertoire with the use of nuts and seeds
A simple addition adds more flavor and texture to baked goods. And it looks pretty, too.
'Hamilton' biographer comes to St. Paul with another poignant portrait
"Hamilton" biographer sets his sights on another U.S. icon, but don't expect a Broadway musical.
Review: 'Killing It: An Education,' by Camas Davis
NONFICTION: An American food writer heads to France to learn about butchering meat.
Choose the right fat when making pastries (there are plenty of options)
Butter, lard, shortening or oil — which you choose makes a difference in how good the resulting baked good will be.
Review: 'Into the Raging Sea,' by Rachel Slade
NONFICTION: Corporate greed and human error combine for one of shipping's great disasters.
For daring sailors, Lake Superior beckons with moments of terror and serenity
The beauty and danger of sailing a great, untamed lake.
Baking Central: Buttermilk Biscuits show how leavening works
Your choice of leavener when baking will depend on the finished product.
Know your sugars, from demerara to muscovado to confectioner's
White or brown, sugar is essential to most baked goods. But each kind has its own character.
Review: 'Gunflint Burning: Fire in the Boundary Waters,' by Cary J. Griffith
NONFICTION: "Gunflint Burning" is a riveting account of the Ham Lake Fire — a disaster that didn't have to happen.
Death doulas provide comfort on final journey: 'We know how to die'
End-of-life doulas fill an emotional gap between doctors, family and attitudes about dying.
Rebuilding Together Twin Cities' Ramp Crew helps people navigate way back into homes
The group of retired Honeywell employees has, since forming in 2012, built more than 30 ramps for people in need.
Confused about bittersweet? Dutch cocoa? And what's up with white chocolate?
Baking with chocolate has its rules, but mostly it boils down to how intense we like our flavors.
Jane Freeman, mother of Mike Freeman and a founding force of the DFL Party, dies at 96
The former first lady of Minnesota forged new roles for women.
St. Paul grad works to revitalize indigenous languages through children's books
Skyler Kuczaboski, now a freshman at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., has created a children's book in the Ojibwe language.
Art in Bloom draws aspiring Minnesota floral designers: 'It's spring!'
An annual ritual at the Minneapolis Institute of Art begins with a lot of fingers crossed.
Don't call it plain – vanilla is complex, even smoky, and may be a baker's best friend
Despite its reputation as bland, vanilla is a baker's best friend.
Minnesota's gold medal hockey champ Hannah Brandt celebrated on Kemps milk
Milk jugs elbow cereal boxes as Olympic honor comes to dairy cases.
Two Mpls. families' weekly commitment to each other, over dinner, spans 30 years
The two households' weekly dinners are a testament to intention and connection.
Minneapolis man finds 'soul's purpose' in historical photographs of Indians
A Minneapolis man has dedicated his life to the legacy of photographer Edward S. Curtis.
Lake Superior has its own Twitter account – and it's even sassier than Mount St. Helens'
Feel the earth move? Nope, that's just Twitter, home to geologic features that tweet.
Review: 'The Great Alone,' by Kristin Hannah
FICTION: Heart-pounding novel about starting over is set in Alaskan wilderness in '70s.
![The Father of Waters statue in City Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Monday June 29, 2015. ] RACHEL WOOLF · rachel.woolf@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/6MPNSZCS7YJOUNBBXHHXYKLUEY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
For stroke of luck, try Father of Waters statue in Mpls. City Hall
Superstitious sightseers entering the spectacular five-story rotunda will see "Mississippi: The Father of Waters" lounging in modest Minnesotan nudity.
What's up with different cinnamons? Can I choose wrong? Not really.
Don't worry too much about different cinnamon varieties when baking.
Chaska man bakes bread to share happiness and sustenance
What Chris Boles wants people — especially kids — to understand is that you can do amazing things with your own two hands. The heart often follows.
Review: 'The Stowaway,' by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
NONFICTION: The tale of a young stowaway to Antarctica illuminates American culture as it emerges from the 1920s.
It's January in Minnesota, so just make like a bear and hibernate
Hibernating is rejuvenating, and January is cold, so hunker down.
REVIEW: 'This Could Hurt,' by Jillian Medoff
FICTION: A cast of characters pursue their aspirations against the backdrop of the bottom line.
Regretting that last martini? Here's how to ease a hangover
Did you party heartily and are paying the price? Read on. (But don't hold your breath.)
Deck the halls with an upside-down Christmas tree — really, it's a thing
If "Tree Christmas the Around Rockin' " makes sense to you, here's a trend to match.
Oft-burned Vikings fans temper joy to avoid Super Bowl jinx
Vikings fans whisper "Skol!" trying not to tempt their Super Bowl karma.
Edina teen athlete and budding scientist wins national poetry award
A Twin Cities high school student aims to help kids discover through poetry that "it's cool to be you."
Winter is taking its time; November among least snowy ever
Looking for snow? Don't hold your breath. The next 10 days may be flake-free.
Need another baking book? Here's the (not so) skinny on some of best
The season's best baking books span a wide range from Zingerman's coffee cakes to a five-volume set only about bread.
What happens if your kids don't cherish books the way you raised them to?
You can't nag someone to read for pleasure.
Disabled Anoka teen: 'I feel like nothing's in my path'
Despite her physical limitations, an Anoka teen tackles archery, cello and climbing.
Why eclectic Minnesota accompanist Dan Chouinard is 'everyone's go-to guy'
Twin Cities music man Dan Chouinard wants you to put away your ear buds and sing with him.
Twin Cities cook offers love letter to classic Swedish holiday fare in 'Jul'
Patrice Johnson celebrates our "immigrant nation" in new cookbook.
Is trick-or-treating dead? Not really, but it's been tamed
Kids are still celebrating Halloween, but in a safer — if still candy-fueled — way.
'It'll always be Camp Snoopy': Airing it all out with #MinnesotaConfessions
Minnesotans shared a few shameful secrets on Twitter this week — and couldn't stop.
Let pumpkin shine anew in a marbled brownie
Pumpkin gets a reprieve from the spice trend when swirled into a chocolately brownie.
Minnesota's Michele Tafoya: A sports reporter in a man's world
The popular sports reporter reigns by ignoring crowd catcalls, prepping hard and staying focused on the game.
'Kid-inspired' UnitedHealthcare joke books have a serious purpose
Project aims to make sick children laugh and help pay medical bills.
'Fake Food' writer warns consumers about 'pure audacity' of food makers
Author of "fake food" exposé asks: What's really in that burger?
Review: 'Nomadland,' by Jessica Bruder
NONFICTION: Journalist looks at the growing number of "houseless" folks forced to move between seasonal jobs.
Making homemade apple strudel calls for some bare-knuckle baking
Apple strudel is a trifecta of desserts: It's fun to say ("struuuu-dle"), fun to eat and — trust us — fun to make.
'Witness activism' drew Minnesota couple to live outdoors in BWCA for a year
A Minnesota couple's purposeful year in the Boundary Waters is revealed in a new book.
U's Dr. Davis Logsdon is an expert on everything — too bad he's not real
A fictional University of Minnesota professor's quotes fill satirist Andy Borowitz's column in the New Yorker.
Review: 'This Blessed Earth,' by Ted Genoways
NONFICTION: A Nebraska family struggles to keep a small farm afloat.
Review: 'The History of Bees,' by Maja Lunde, is about chemistry, both agricultural and familial
FICTION: A Norwegian novel explores a dark future without bees, as well as the struggle among parents and children.
Got beets? Got zucchini? Then you have the secrets to tasty quick breads
No sneaky nutrition here. Vegetables are proud ingredients in these quick breads.
Piecaken — yes, a pie inside a cake! — gets a makeover that kids can bake
How do you get a pie inside a cake? Let your kids figure out this puzzle of a dessert challenge.
Beer Choir combines love of suds and singing: 'Zero talent is required'
In the words of the official theme song: "The Beer Choir is the choir that sings while drinking beer."
We're more distrusting than we used to be, but expert on lying says all is not lost
Amid fake news and alternative facts, it's funny how trusting we remain.
Carve wood, make potica: Minnesota's folk schools teach heritage crafts
Growing movement enables people to learn traditional skills, as well as connect with others.
REVIEW: 'South Pole Station,' by Ashley Shelby.
FICTION: Science needn't fear scrutiny — that is, if it's any good. Same with people.
