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Monday, May 20th, 2013
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Overnight Asparagus Strata


By Kathy Little

Fri, May 17th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

Asparagus is such a sexy vegetable. Its most delicate taste is in the tips. The French called them “love tips” and served them to the mistress of the king. She was called Madame de Pompadour.

A recipe for asparagus is in the oldest surviving book of recipes from the third century A.D. It supposedly counteracted fatigue and was considered an aphrodisiac. Serve large amounts of this vegetable with caution!

Asparagus is healthy, too! It is low in calories and sodium and high in fiber. Of course because of its “powers” and taste it costs more than carrots. My mother served it at Easter as a sign of spring. Unfortunately, because of the price and the fact that everyone loved it (even my brother Larry who wouldn’t eat pizza as a kid), we each got about 3 spears.

Later in life I learned that even parts of the stem could be served raw with dip. It could also enhance the flavor of many other dishes.

When I started working, I would buy 2 or 3 pounds of asparagus at a time. My husband also loves it, so the “asparagus fights” continue. Sharing doesn’t come naturally to me so I eat some on-the-sly in the kitchen before I serve it. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt me.

I tried growing asparagus but because it takes time, patience and weeding; I wasn’t successful. That was sad because eventually people hide when you bring them zucchini but not asparagus.

The birds planted raspberries for me in my garden patch. The berries were a cross between black caps and red raspberries and, they thived. Soon I had a raspberry bramble which my mother and my sister, Barbie, would invade to pick berries. First, we would suit up in long pants and shirts with long sleeves and sturdy shoes and socks. Raspberry branches have thorns. Raspberries attract bees. We needed to be prepared. It was worth it to eat fresh raspberries and cream. Also the jelly was superb. My finicky brother said it was the best jelly he had ever tasted!

I am a “low maintenance” woman when it comes to clothes and make-up but a “high maintenance” woman when it comes to food. My favorite foods include asparagus, raspberries, shrimp, lobster and steak. (You get the picture) My husband complains about me being fussy about food. Fortunately, his mother taught him to eat everything. He even loves leftovers!

O.K. I admit I love labor intensive, short shelf-life fruits and vegetables. A .....
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SMG Computer Solutions

More notes from a country kitchen.

By Vicki Christianson

Fri, May 17th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

When I learned how to drive a car it had an automatic transmission. I figured that was the only kind there was. I didn’t know a thing about driving a “stick” shift till I got married. My husband only owned and drove 3-speed or 4-speed vehic ..... 
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Tech Bytes - YouTube Viewer Fees on the Horizon

By Mitchell Walbridge

Fri, May 17th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

YouTube Viewer Fees on the Horizon While sitting at school, at work or even at home, it’s not an uncommon scenario for your co-workers, friends, or family to ecstatically gather around the computer to watch the exciting trending video that you di ..... 
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Tech Bytes - An Amazon/Ebay Alliance?

By Mitchell Walbridge

Fri, May 10th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

An Amazon/Ebay Alliance? Online shopping is a revolution of our modern world. Web-based companies such as Amazon and Ebay dominate online sales of almost anything—electronics, books, collectibles, jewelry, office supplies. You name it, they’ll ..... 
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The Working Mom - Happy Mother’s Day

By Tammy Danielson

Fri, May 3rd, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

Happy Mother’s Day With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I thought it is a great time to celebrate the importance of a Mom. From having a Mom, being a Mom, and loving a Mom, this column could fill pages of this paper with accolades for Mom ..... 
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Tech Bytes - The Newest Form of “Stranger Danger”

By Mitchell Walbridge

Fri, May 3rd, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

The Newest Form of “Stranger Danger” Last week in the news there was a headline of a Texas man, Steve Correa-Franca, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for enticing a 9-year-old girl from Minnesota to send him nude photographs through e ..... 
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A View From The Woods

By Loni Kemp

Fri, Apr 26th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

Let the Sand Mining Begin, Says County It was just sixteen months ago when this column first broke the news locally about frac sand mining coming to Lake Wobegon—namely, Fillmore County. Two mine proposals had already been put forth, and we could ..... 
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Tech Bytes - 24-Hour Surveillance

By Mitchell Walbridge

Fri, Apr 26th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

24-Hour Surveillance In this day and age, the question ‘Are you ever alone?’ is a plausible interrogative statement. Whether someone is zooming in on your house via Google Earth, tapping your phone lines, hacking your email account, trying to ..... 
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Tech Bytes - Spring Cleaning: Don’t forget your electronics

By Mitchell Walbridge

Fri, Apr 19th, 2013
Posted in All Columnists

Spring Cleaning: Don’t forget your electronics It’s April, and although it may not feel like our typical Minnesota spring, many people are beginning their spring cleaning if they haven’t already completed it. Cleaning out storage, washing win ..... 
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