What's Cooking: Norske Nook cookbook, pancake fundraiser and a Pollinator Party

The day has come: "The Norske Nook Book of Pies and Other Recipes" has been published, making such delights as its award-winning lemon cream cheese pie available to all. Written by Jerry Bechard and Cindee Borton-Parker and published by the University of Wisconsin Press, the hardcover book tells the story of a landmark founded as a small-town cafe in Osseo, Wis., in 1973. Informed by Scandinavian roots and surrounded by the bounty of America's Dairyland, the restaurant thrived. Today, there are Nooks in Eau Claire, Hayward and Rice Lake, Wis., and the Nooks' recipes have won 36 blue ribbons at the National Pie Championships in Florida. The book, priced at $29.95, is filled with color photos, handy tips and the stories behind many recipes. As for the towering meringues on many of the pies, well, that's what you get when the recipe for an 11-inch pie calls for 15 egg whites. To order, visit uwpress.wisc.edu/books/5406.htm.

The Northeast Farmers Market hosts its annual Pancake Breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, promising that this is "not your typical pancake breakfast," given its local and organic menu. It will include organic Whole Grain Milling pancakes, local syrup from Sapsucker Farms, butter and half-and-half from Co-op Partners Warehouse, milk and buttermilk from Kalona SuperNatural, OJ from Sno-Pac, sausages from Gerhard's, gluten-free pancakes from Domata and espresso from longtime market vendor SiP Coffee Bar. The event also will be zero-waste, with market sponsor Chowgirls providing compost service. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 13. East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 NE. 2nd St., Mpls. For more information, go to www.northeastmarket.org.

Mississippi Market's co-op at 622 Selby Av. in St. Paul is hosting a Pollinator Party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday to celebrate the bees, bats and other creatures that pollinate more than 75 percent of our fruits and vegetables. There will be samples and a chance to meet producers such as folks from Ames Honey Farm, Peace Coffee and the University of Minnesota Bee Squad, which will share ideas for creating more bee-friendly communities. Visit www.msmarket.coop for details.

Oops. The crust in the banana cream pie recipe last week had an error in the amount of nutmeg in it. The measurement should be ¼ teaspoon.

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