Archive for April, 2010

By Jim McCaffrey

My brother, Pete, loves a good party. Especially on May 5th, his birthday. Coincidentally, it’s also the date of the Mexican holiday Cinco De Mayo. Primarily a regional holiday in the Mexican state of Puebla, it celebrates the unlikely 1862 victory of an under-armed Mexican militia of just 4000 troops over a French army that was double its size and vastly more equipped. Significant for the United States, the defeat stopped Napoleon III from supplying arms and money to Confederate rebels engaged in the Civil War against the Union Army. That helped the Union defeat the Confederates in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Worldwide, Cinco De Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Beyond the flamenco dancing and mariachi bands, it is a wonderful opportunity to experience local cuisines from different regions of our southern neighbors. Brenda and I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to Mexico several times. Our first trip was to Mazatlan on the Pacific coast. We stayed at the Riviera Beach Resort otherwise known as “Party Central.” An ice-cold bucket of beers (8) was $6. Every other hour was Happy Hour and you got TWO buckets of beer for $6. No extra charge for slices of lime. Having not studied Spanish, we felt that it was of immediate importance to immerse ourselves in the language. Hector Cortez, the head bartender, graciously accepted the role of teacher. The two phrases of greatest significance he taught us were, “Dos cervesas, por favor” (Two beers, please) and “Donde este el bano?” (Where is the bathroom?). A wise man, that Hector.

All joking aside, Brenda and I have found the people we met in Mexico to be warm, gracious, and very giving. Family and friends always seem to be at the core of life there. When a party happens, everyone is invited. Aunts and uncles, matriarchs and patriarchs, siblings, nieces and nephews, etc., etc., etc. People dress up in their Sunday best to pay respect to the family putting on the extravaganza. Food is always the star attraction, shared by one and all. I think one of the reasons that Cinco De Mayo is so popular in the United States is that it affords Mexican immigrants and descendants an opportunity to remember and carry on their family cultural heritage. And lucky for all the rest of us, we can participate too.

Since Napoleon III and future French attempts failed to colonize Mexico and turn the Gulf of Mexico into The New World French Riviera complete with little bistros serving baguettes and lattes, Spanish and Portuguese influences on local cuisine were more predominant. One of these influences was the introduction of limes in the mid 1600s. Limes could be used for many purposes but one of the most significant was the ability to pickle fresh fish and other seafood with their acidic juices. A combination of lime juice and local indigenous ingredients such as chiles, tomatoes and avocado produced the Mexican version of ceviche. Ceviche is a wonderful appetizer served up and down both coasts of Mexico as well as Central and South America. I like to serve it in footed sundae glasses accompanied by tortilla chips. Throw in a few Corona or Dos Equis beers complete with wedges of lime and you will have a great beginning for a Cinco De Mayo party of your own. And don’t forget to invite my brother, Pete.

The daily bread of Mexican cuisine is the tortilla. It has provided sustenance for hundreds of years. Actually, evidence has been produced that a basic version of the tortilla dated back to 10,000 B.C. The versatility of the tortilla is seemingly endless. It is the backbone for tacos, tostadas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and more. The primary ingredient is corn but in Northern Mexico wheat has been introduced as an alternative ingredient. The age-old dilemma of what to do with leftover bread, in this instance, tortillas, exists in Mexico also. In French cuisine, day-old crusty baguettes are sliced, put in a rich hot sautéed onion beef broth, and covered with gruyere cheese that is then placed under a broiler. French Onion soup becomes a fantastic venue for leftover bread. Lesser known – but equally fantastic – is Mexico’s favorite son, Tortilla Soup. When Brenda and I stayed at the Riviera Beach Resort for the first time, we found it necessary after a couple hours of “Happy Hour” festivities to head over to the resort restaurant, El Ancla. Proper nourishment was in order. Brenda chose soup and salad, her custom request. I opted for chicken fajitas. When our food came, Brenda had a spoonful of her soup and said, “Jim, you have to try this.” I did. I felt I had just grabbed the brass ring on the merry-go-round at the county fair. It was Tortilla Soup and the taste was out of this world. I had to have the recipe. I asked our waiter if I could speak to the chef. “Si, Si.” The head chef, Ignacio, came out. He could speak about as much English as I could speak Spanish. I eventually went out and corralled Hector, who was able to convey my request. A couple of days later, when we went down for breakfast, Ignacio slipped me a piece of paper handwritten in Spanish. The Holy Grail of soup. It took me a couple of years to get it translated correctly but it is certainly worthy to adorn your Cinco De Mayo table.

Hasta la vista! Time for me to round up a few Coronas and a Mariachi band for Pete’s birthday. Anybody know any flamenco dancers? Have a great Cinco De Mayo!

Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah.  He is author of a humorous cookbook titled “Midwest Cornfusion”.  He has been in the food industry in one way or another for 40 years.

Seafood Ceviche
8 oz. precooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small red onion, sliced thin 2 ripe avocados
8 oz. bay scallops
2 tsp. Mexican oregano 8 oz. fresh or thawed haddock or cod cut in ½ inch cubes
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
10-12 limes
Fresh parsley or cilantro sprigs
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Tortilla chips

In a 9 x 13 non-metallic baking dish, combine seafood, tomatoes and onion. Cover completely with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours. Drain. Place in large bowl. Cut avocados in half lengthwise. Twist sides and remove pit. Scoop out avocado meat and dice into ½ inch pieces. Add with oregano to seafood mixture.

Salt and pepper to taste. Plate up, garnish with sprigs and pass the tortilla chips. Serves 6.

Ignacio’s Tortilla Soup
3 T olive oil
32 oz chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
white pepper
1 medium onion, diced fine
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 lb shredded Chihuahua cheese
1oz.fresh basil, shredded small
1- 28 oz tomato sauce (fresh or canned)
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
24 tortilla chips

Saute garlic and onion until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, oregano, basil and white pepper to taste. Simmer twenty minutes. Place 3 tortilla chips in the bottom of a soup bowl. Add some milk and cheese. Pour soup over top. Garnish with avocado. Serves 8.

KDEC Review: Corinne Bailey Rae – “The Sea”

By Jason Hettinger

At some point and time, we’ve all lost somebody very close. Whether it is loss by death, moving away, or some other reason, it is human nature to be overwhelmed with questions while mourning some type of loss. Why did this happen? How did this happen? Is there something I could’ve done to prevent this from happening? These questions accompany any serious loss, and they’re precisely the topics Corinne Bailey Rae’s sophomore album, “The Sea,” explores.

Singer/Songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae hit the music scene with a big splash with her eponymous 2006 self-titled debut, powered by the uplifting neo-soul single “Put Your Records On,” resulting in plenty of critical acclaim, and a handful of Grammy nominations. In the spring of 2008 Bailey Rae was in the process of recording her follow-up album when her husband/saxophonist Jason Rae died of an accidental methadone overdose, causing Baily Rae to spend the next two years in isolation, stricken with grief. But after her musical hiatus, she returned to the studio to finish what really is a remarkable, eloquent comeback album.

“The Sea” begins with a pair of songs that ask plenty of questions, like the album opener “Are You Here?” The fascinating idea about the opening songs is that the questions are never explained or answered… only asked. The lyrics of the next track “I’d Do it All Again” are even trickier, centering around an argument she and her husband had before his surprising death. Yet Bailey Rae sings of her love in the present tense throughout the entire length of the album.

After the delicate opening of “The Sea,” Bailey Rae goes back to her neo-soul roots, and busts out some numbers seemingly from left field, including the slithering, Rolling Stones-esque “The Blackest Lily,” a nod to Philadelphia’s neo-soul party The Black Lily. But not every song unfolds so neatly. There are several tracks that don’t really have a hook at all. Songs like “Love’s On Its Way” and “Diving for Hearts” have elements of soul, jazz, and even some heavy rock, but aren’t pop songs. Instead, Bailey Rae almost stubbornly crafts them to become a vehicle for her wandering, inconsistent thoughts.

The most powerful song is the title track that masterfully brings the record to a close. Bailey Rae’s tender, oh-so-soft voice sings about generations of loss, and the endless sea of time that “Breaks everything/Crushes everything/Cleans everything.” It all seems quite incongruous, but so is the recovery process one must face after a loss. “The Sea” (both the album and the title track) go through almost an entire cycle of mourning, reminiscing, and wistful yearning, so it isn’t unfamiliar, but is at times uncomfortable.

As I said, “The Sea” is an album about loss and grief that asks questions but answers none. After numerous listens, I can only locate one nugget of comforting information buried within its context. After a serious loss, you are still you. You are still yourself plus the loss, plus the pain, plus the suffering that comes with it. The recovery process isn’t so much about “getting over it” as it is incorporating these new emotions, absorbing what is necessary, and somehow finding the strength to remain the person you’ve always been.

Jason is a 24-year-old “Ad-Guy” who works at KDEC FM 100.5 in Decorah. Jason is excited for spring, as springtime in Decorah truly is special. Catch Jason on FM 100.5 weekend afternoons.

Ambrose “Spec” Wilmes, 85, Ida Grove, IA – Interviewed by Molly Wilmes.

Father of Mark Wilmes (Calmar), Grandfather of John (Decorah) & Molly (Ames).

Spec Wilmes is a living history book; a father and Grandpa, a veteran, entrepreneur, and a heck of a guy. From hopping freights to singing for barn dances, surviving The Great Depression or fighting in WWII, “Spec” is not short of stories. All it takes is the slap of your arm and the statement “Hey, have I ever told you of the time…” and suddenly you are there, in another world, sharing the memories of a man who no one could call dull.

What did you want to be when you grew up?I was in the plays at country school when I was seven or eight and always liked that. I also really liked baseball. There was no radio then to listen to the games, but we had our own team. We played in the pasture without gloves and a ball made of socks because we couldn’t afford to buy one.

What jobs did you do?When I was a really little kid my first job was as a water boy. I had a cart and pony and drove water out to the threshers in the fields. I made good money doing that, $.50 a day.
When I got older I worked as a hired farm worker from Missouri to Canada and hopped a freight train to CA where I even topped sugar beets. I went on to do construction, work in a souvenir shop, bottle Coca-Cola, and ended up in the Marine Corps as a Radar Gunner. I spent my service time with an experimental night flying and bombing unit. We were the first unit to work with this new technology. After I got out of the service I worked as a railroad telegraph operator for 20 years, and then opened my own store in Brushy Creek, and then businesses in Ida Grove.

Can you tell me what the Great Depression was like for you?Just before the Depression, my father bought a 240-acre farm – he died shortly after that. I was nine, and had 2 sisters and 5 brothers. When the depression hit, we lost the farm but we moved to a little rental farm near Maryville, MO. My mother was able to keep the whole family together and she never turned away a beggar from town. At some point she sold off some animals and was able to get ahead a little, with that we put a down payment on a farm – one of my siblings and I were able to go to High School (we were the only two in my family to do that), and the rest worked the farm.

What was a defining moment in your life?
The first time I learned to stand up for my rights was when I was working as a hired farm worker. We were working for a very large man in Fargo, SD and we were supposed to meet him in a bar in town to receive our wages. When we got to the bar, he was not there. The other guy I was working with wanted to just forget the pay and leave, but I just couldn’t do it. We went and found the guy and I stood up to him face to face and told him to pay us our money. I wouldn’t budge. The guy tried to say that my team had damaged a grain spout and I had to pay for that. I said that was ok and he could take that cost out of my wages but we WOULD get paid for the rest of the summer. That was the first time I was scared in my life but the man paid us our money.

Interviewed by daughter Elizabeth Breuning – Cowie

Duane Bruening, husband of Eileen, Father of eight, Grandfather of 17, and Korean War Veteran reflects on eight decades of life.

What was the best advice anyone has offered you?
It came from Art Hass – my high school football coach. He had been a marine officer in WWII and urged me to follow if another war broke out. I took his advice the summer before my jr. year at Loras College and enlisted in the US Marine Corps as Korea erupted. The Marines instilled in me a sense of how to manage men- how to earn their trust and loyalty by first giving them mine! I took this and many other lessons and used them in one way or another in our family business.

What did you want to be when you grew up?When I was a small boy I wanted to be many things from a cowboy to a race car driver. But my first clear memory was to be an engineer as I enjoyed building things. When I entered college, I declared my major as an electrical engineer –but transferred from Iowa State to Loras College and became a double major in economics and accounting.

What did you do?
After graduating from Loras College I reported back to the Marines with my wife and two children. We were stationed in North Carolina at camp Lejeune and I stayed in the Marines for two years and ended my career as a captain. The next fifty years I was an excavating contractor with Bruening Rock Products, Inc. When I moved back to Decorah I bought half of the business with my Father. Two of my sons have made a career with BRP as well as my Grandson, Tyler. I celebrated my 80th birthday this past September and my family hosted a party for me at the office. I couldn’t help but reflect on all the wonderful memories I have from my life with the company.

If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you want with you?
If I were stranded on a deserted island I would wish to have a most comfortable beach chair, a hammock strung between two

trees, and last but not least a Coast Guard Helicopter over head with a young man aboard ready to deliver a large double cheese, double sausage, double pepperoni pizza from Mabe’s!

Tell us about…. your wedding day:
On an unusually warm and sunny December first day in 1951 I wed my best gal, Eileen Marie Murphy. We wed at Nativity Church in Dubuque, IA at 9:30 am. All of my Loras buddies, family, and friends were there. The details of the day are now a little foggy, but when I said “I do” I know my heart was filled with joy and I knew I was a lucky man to be Eileen’s husband – she was so beautiful in her wedding gown. We celebrated with a breakfast at my In-Laws, pictures, and an early dinner at Timmerman’s. To cap off our big day Eileen’s parents hosted a reception for us at the Elm’s home. One of the memories that sticks out is the spiked punch. The party was to be free of alcohol, and the first batch of punch was as intended. My college pals eventually spiked the punch though and the fun began! The Loras gang had a good time, and my new Mother-in-law eventually noted a different taste in the punch and was concerned… but she was a nice lady and my new bride took it in stride so the day ended with love in all our hearts. The real kicker of the day was by night fall I took my bride home to our new apartment only to leave her in order to report for my holiday hours shift at the post office.

Orville Magnus Running

Answers recalled by daughters Marit Pudas and Marjorie Wharton, published April 2010.

An Inspire(d) Probituary in honor of the great artist, mentor, role model, educator, and spiritual leader as he enters his 99^th year. Running’s artwork has been shown across the world and can frequently be seen throughout the Luther College Campus and in private collections across the upper Midwest. He now resides at the Aase Haugen home in Decorah.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
One day, young Orville wasn’t getting his way so he threw a tantrum. His father looked at him calmly and said: Orville is very angry and no one is afraid.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Orville loved chemistry, thought he’d like to continue studying it— until he found out it was a disguised form of math.

What do/did you do?
“Most of what I have done is based on what I learned in 8th grade shop.”  He loved mechanical drawing; he discovered the wonders of India ink. He learned respect for tools and materials. He drew the plans for a printing press; Decorah machinist Mr. Karnik fabricated it following those plans. He also spent summers building silos – his crew could build a silo in one week.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
Work gloves, cap, shop apron. Or perhaps a sketchbook, pencil, pocketknife ­– always carried one – it also functioned as a letter opener. Luther’s Catechisms, the Bible, and the old ELC Black Hymnary, although most of those were well memorized.

Try to describe yourself in one sentence.
Old Crock!

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Spam.

Multiple choice: tell us about… your wedding day.
Ordained to the Lutheran ministry and married to Marjorie Olney on the same day.  It was the depression. Their families could not afford two parties; their guests could not afford two trips.

Second marriage to Mildred Lund. The reception was in the big dining room at Mildred’s Retirement residence. The caterer especially enjoyed the events because she usually prepared nice receptions for funerals.

By Jason Stonerook

A Badly Broken Code by Dessa
“I came to write a letter/ But my pen was full of hymns,” raps Dessa, a member of the Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree. This is one philosophy major who knows what to do with her degree. As righteous as Ani DiFranco, as tough as Eminem, as lilting as Janet Jackson, and as scrappy and nimble as Maggie Fitzgerald, Dessa can reference Billie Holliday, the Ninja Turtles, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez without missing a beat. Featuring inventive production, impeccable flow, and surprising harmonies, this dense, soulful album is simply beautiful. If you listen to hip-hop, you need this record; if you don’t, start here.

The Big To-Do by Drive-By Truckers
Perhaps America’s best rock band, this Georgia group infuses its work with grungy Neil Young/Lynyrd Skynyrd guitar riffs and stories that would suit Flannery O’Connor just fine. The characters in these songs are on four day benders, literally falling from grace and crossing all the lines Johnny Cash tried to walk, but given the Great Recession and its accompanying cynicism, not even the-forces-that-be give a dang anymore. “Eyes Like Glue” concludes the album with an uneasy and devastating reflection on the American Dream. This record better be blasting out of every pick-up with its windows down this summer.

I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling
One part Joni, one part Sinead, twenty-year-old Laura Marling’s second album is a brooding, poetic work of English folk. “Devil’s Spoke” – which wonders if the tree that falls in the forest observes her – feels ripped out of Led Zeppelin III. Throughout the album, Marling chronicles a harsh world that draws monsters out of men who then lash out at their daughters, lovers, and mothers. Marling knows her search for inner strength and insistence upon compassion is a story as old as civilization, so she gives the final words to Penelope, who vents for all the Ladies of the Canon.

Broken Bells by Broken Bells
Gnarls Barkley producer Danger Mouse teams with James Mercer, lead singer of indie band the Shins, for an album that portrays yesteryear’s Obama volunteer as today’s version of Benjamin Braddock – a vacant-eyed college graduate uninterested in plastics who’s just fled the church to find himself sitting in the back of the bus, wondering what’s next. (“I was lost then and I am lost now/ And I doubt I’ll ever know which way to go.”) By evoking the sanitized psychedelia of late 60s soft pop, Broken Bells implies we’re still riding that bus, although, admittedly, Benjamin’s a rather witless passenger.

CLASSIC REVIEW:

#1 Record by Big Star (1972)
On the day Davy Crockett died, we also lost another Tennessee hero, Alex Chilton, the mastermind behind Big Star, whose Byrdsian jangle pop influenced Tom Petty, R.E.M., and the Replacements. Due to a handful of bad breaks, few know the group recorded two rock classics: Radio City, and my favorite, (their debut,) #1 Record. “Feel” and “In the Street,” (which Cheap Trick covered for the theme of That 70s Show) are power pop treasures, but the ballad “Thirteen” epitomizes the band: Its honest, innocent depiction of teenage heartache links Lennon-McCartney to Taylor Swift and puts emo’s whining boys to shame.

Jason Stonerook is the author of Rock ‘N’ Politics: A State of the Union Address. Line Score: 3-4, 0-2, 6. Rebounds 4. Assists 0. Turnovers 2.

Joyce Cote – Approaching 85 with laughter, curiosity, and an eternal love for ‘the water.’

Interviewed by Benji Nichols

Joyce (Hewett) Cote grew up swimming endless hours in Lake Michigan between Sheboygan and Milwaukee. She has always loved being close to ‘the water’ whether in Lake Michigan, on the Mississippi, or at the Decorah & Waukon public pools. Joyce married Paul Cote in 1947, and had four kids; Mary, Paul (Jr.), Lisa, and Luke. She was a founding member of the “Fat School” with Eleanor Nichols, Laura Hoeg, Grace Spilde, Mae Doubendiek, Blanche Overland, and Ruth Branae – and enjoyed her friends and their antics to no end. She now resides in the assisted living wing of the Aase Haugen Home in Decorah, but her joie de vivre is to be out raising a ruckus and making your acquaintance.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Be Considerate to people of their time and thoughts – don’t be flippant.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be different! (laughing hysterically). But really, I remember my mother absolutely refusing to let me ride a motorcycle, even when my brother had one. I never did… not sure why….

What do/did you do?
Swam – always. I grew up in Wisconsin, and ended up going to college in Berkeley, CA and then back at the University of Iowa – with a major in math. I worked at a Fox West Coast movie theatre while in CA, but got in the fastest moving vehicle east that I could to get back here and chase down my husband – so I could tackle him – I did. I  also taught so many kids at both the Waukon and Decorah pools, and we ended up running the movie theatre in Waukon for many years. (Ed. note: The Cote family opened a silent movie theater in Waukon, and then a second theater for the “talkies”, successfully running both for many years.)

If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you want with you?
Eleanor & Carl (Nichols), and my peach of a husband, Paul. For what it’s worth, I’d give both my right arms to have the gang back together – I have a great family, and have had so many friends – miss them all like the dickens.”

Describe yourself in one sentence:
Your grandmother Eleanor & I always said we’d never been to jail, but we wouldn’t mind knowing what it’s like… (laughter…) As long as we could both go! We may have made the police blotter a time or two, but not into jail. No, don’t print that…. Oh, to heck with it… (much more laughter…) I grew up rather formally but really enjoyed kicking up my toes too!

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Something home made- good stuff!

Name one thing you couldn’t live without:
Laughter. I always try to laugh before I go to sleep.

Chef on the Block: It’s a new Inspire(d) section! Each issue we’ll interview a chef in the Driftless Region and highlight them here. Let us know if you have suggestions and we’ll add them to the queue. Email aryn@theinspiredmedia.com.

It’s fitting to start the newest section of Inspire(d) with one of the newest restaurants on the “block,” so to speak. Chef Stephen Larson and his wife, Lisa Flicker, opened the doors of QUARTER/quarter Restaurant and Wine Bar in Harmony, Minnesota, in January 2010. Inside you’ll find a décor that’s both comfortable and modern – with a Scandinavian flair, of course – and a menu full of fun, unique, delicious dishes starting with bite-sized appetizers like house-made chorizo meatballs, white bean paté, or fried mozzarella; entrees ranging from Sketty Meatballs or Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf to a New York Strip or Lump Crab Cakes; and desserts like the Lucky Boy Sundae (chocolate cake topped with vanilla gelato, warm peanut butter fudge sauce and chopped peanuts).
The name, QUARTER/quarter, also has historical and playful significance. A quarter/quarter, in rural terms, is 40 acres of land. That size parcel became entrenched in American mythology, commonly referenced in history. “To our ancestors,” the QUARTER/quarter website reads, “40 acres was synonymous with the word opportunity. A quarter/quarter was the opportunity to earn a living, become a productive part of a farming community, and provide for your family.” The playful part? Their address is 25 CENTer Street.

Name: Stephen Larson
Age: 46
Restaurant: QUARTER/quarter Restaurant and Wine Bar
Number of Years Cooking: 30

Formal training or live-and-learn?
Both! I went to St. Paul Technical College (class of ‘84) for my formal training, but going to chef’s school only provides a basic background of culinary training. I started cooking fulltime when I was 16, which allowed me to learn a great deal about professional cooking before I went to culinary school. Then, after formal training, learning on the job is where a chef is exposed to the new ideas and techniques that allow him or her to develop their own cooking style and make the discoveries that shape the direction of their own personal culinary journey.

What’s your earliest or most significant memory of cooking or being cooked for?
As a young child my family was very poor. Consequently there was only one night a week when we could eat all we wanted and that was “Saturday Spaghetti Night.” My father would spend hours making the sauce, then boil the noodles and heat up the garlic bread in the oven (you remember the split loaf that came in the foil bags don’t you?). Then the whole family would sit down together and absolutely pig out. There were rarely any leftovers.

Why did you decide to become a chef?
Three reasons really. On a practical level, my older brother is a chef and it seemed natural to follow in his footsteps. The security of knowing you’ll always have a job and at least one good meal a day offers a very strong appeal. On a psychological level it is a career that creates very strong bonds of camaraderie. The apprenticeship in Minneapolis that I went through when I was 16 was a hard-core physical and emotional nightmare, but I learned and I persevered and I flourished. After that I was one of THEM, I belonged like I had never belonged to any group before; I was accepted. On a spiritual and emotional level, I’ve always enjoyed feeding people. As humans food is our main source of nourishment and I’ve always felt that my food truly nourished the people that ate it. It is extremely gratifying and humbling to have people tell you how wonderful the food is that they just ate.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever made?
Hard question to answer! My current favorite is the Heart of Darkness Chocolate Torte. It’s on our dessert menu right now. It starts with an ultra moist dark chocolate cake that uses beet purée and extra cocoa, then spread a milk chocolate mousse between the layers, then coat the whole thing in a blanket of bittersweet chocolate ganache. Heaven.

Do you have any monumental food fails you’d like to share with us?
Back when I had my cooking school open, I was going to make ladyfingers in order to teach my students how to make a traditional tiramisu dessert. Over two days I must have made a dozen batches of ladyfingers, none of which turned out like I wanted. Ladyfingers are essentially just a sponge cake batter, which isn’t the easiest thing to make, but come on! I was throwing my failures out the front door and discovered a raccoon eating them. I’m sure after the second day of eating “failures” the raccoon ended up in a diabetic coma somewhere. In the end, I just made the batter into a single sponge cake that I then cut into wide strips and the “Tiramisu Torte” was born.

How about secret food indulgences you don’t normally talk about? Will you tell us?
For the record EVERY chef has a secret junk food favorite, any of them that tells you different is lying. For me, Chili Cheese Fritos are the most delicious pure evil you can buy, but like all indulgences, no harm no foul if one indulges only occasionally.

What’s your favorite:
Ingredient – Really good extra virgin olive oil.
Dish – Fish tacos. Blue corn tortillas, fried fresh tilapia, finely shredded cabbage with lime juice and cilantro, green chile mayo. ‘Nuf said! (I am soooo going to put that on the Summer menu) - cookbook – The Art of Cooking Volumes 1&2 by Jacques Pepin.
Random (or not so random) kitchen tool – Shun Japanese 8-inch cooks knife.
Vegetable – The carrot. So versatile, so tasty, so essential.
Fruit – Just picked strawberries warm from the garden sun.

By Maren Stumme-Diers

Originally published in the April/May 2010 Inspire(d) Magazine, updated for 2011

Can you believe it? 2010 marked the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (so 2011 is the 41st anniversary!)! April 22 has been one of my favorite days since I was a little girl so it seems perfect that part of my job as the college’s Assistant Sustainability Coordinator is to help Luther celebrate Earth Day…every day. Here are some things we’ve been doing:

This winter more than 10,000 worms inched their way into seven of the college’s student housing locations – and it wasn’t an accident! When students wanted a way to compost fruit and vegetable peelings, and dispose of newspapers and coffee grounds in the residence halls, we responded with a bin and some Redworms. Students are proud to say worms eat their garbage.

Luther plans to cut its carbon footprint 50 percent in the next few years and recently developed an Energy Conservation Program, which sets out the goal of reducing energy consumption 2 percent through behavioral changes and another 3 percent through energy efficiency. And plans are still in the works for a wind turbine!

Starting this fall, 10 students will live together in Luther’s Environmentally, Fiscally and Socially Responsible Edifice (LEFSE) where they will explore community and find ways to live more sustainably. Follow the house on their blog (available Fall 2010).

Nearly 100 percent of beef and pork served on campus is local (thank you Grass Run Farm), and we are working toward a goal of sourcing 35 percent of campus food locally. Plus, this year 110,000 seeds were purchased for use in Luther’s production, heirloom and edible landscaping gardens. Lettuce and tomatoes and basil, oh my!

For more information about Luther’s Sustainability initiatives visit sustainability.luther.edu

So in honor of Earth Day’s 40^th 41st Birthday, here are 40 ways YOU can show a little Earth love too!

1. Bury your car in your backyard (or at least pretend you did). Don’t drive for a day. A week. A month?

2. Stick Around! Rather than packing up the car and heading to New York or San Francisco, kick it local. You’ll save money AND have fun. Bike the Elroy-Sparta Trail, canoe the Turkey River or take a trip to Effigy Mounds.

3. Play disc golf. Disc golf courses typically use natural surroundings and obstacles to create fairways and holes, which connects players to the natural environment. As local disc golf guru Dan Bellrichard says, “Playing is like a walk in the park…only so much better!” You can find courses at Luther College, Waukon City Park, Upper Iowa University, Cresco, New Hampton, Hokah, Sparta, La Crosse and Lanesboro.  (For more information visit discgolfdan.com)

4. Check out a new trail. For ideas on where to go, visit exploredecorah.com or read past Inspire(d) trail reviews in the “Read: Driftless Trails” section.

5. Sign the kids up for Summer Discovery Camps at Luther. Campers will learn about woodland, wetland and prairie ecology, wilderness camping and survival, alternative energy, and more. (environment.luther.edu/discovery)

6. Let the worms eat your garbage. If vermicomposting can be successful in the Luther Residence Halls (yes, it’s true), then it can definitely work in your home, office space or classroom. Worms enjoy a vegan diet and love to crawl around in your shredded up newspaper or confidential documents. If you are a teacher, make a worm bin for your classroom and nominate a student to be the official “wormkeeper.” All you need are worms (can be purchased online at happydranch.com), a Rubbermaid container with holes drilled around the top, newspaper and food scraps. Population will double in three to six months, so you will get to share the worm love with favorite friends and colleagues. For an entertaining video on Luther’s vermicomposting initiative, visit luther.edu/sustainability. Reducing waste has never been so fun.

7. Throw your television out the window (or pretend you did) and spend time reading, writing, drawing, telling stories making music or (insert favorite activity here).

8. Pick up a copy of the “Better World Handbook” co-authored by Luther College Environmental Sociology Professor Brett Johnson. In this easy-to-use book you will find tips on responsible shopping and investing, as well as resources that will help you make the world, fittingly, a better place. Find copies in the Luther bookstore or online at betterworldhandbook.com.

9. Use your dollars as votes for a better world. Explore opportunities for socially and environmentally responsible investing, support entrepreneurs in developing countries by providing microloans through organizations like KIVA (kiva.org) and pay attention to the practices, people and businesses you are supporting when you spend your money.

10. Live like we’re in an “ession” (depr- or rec-…you choose). Er…wait…that’s now.

11. Pay your bills online. If every house in the United States did this we would save 18 million trees every year

12. Buy used. You will be amazed at what you can find at places like the Depot, Goodwill, DecorahNow.com, Rien de Nouveau and Toys Go Round and more. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months on Luther’s reuse store, which will be housed in our iconic red barn and check out the Second Hand Shopping story in this Inspire(d).

13. Ask your utilities providers for an energy audit. You may be surprised at the rebates and incentives available for making your home more energy efficient.

14. Switch out incandescent light bulbs for their more energy efficient counterpart: the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). This small, inexpensive action can have quite an impact on your electricity bill.

15. Wash your laundry in cold water and ditch the dryer – use a clothesline or drying rack.

16. Replace your showerhead with a low flow model.  Or…shower with a buddy (it’s more fun and it saves H20)!

17. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down. If it’s green…you may be taking this whole “loving the earth” thing a little too far.

18. Un-load (the “phantom load,” that is). Did you know that cell phone and computer chargers always use energy when plugged into the wall – even if nothing is attached to them? To save energy unplug chargers when not in use.

19. Switch to cloth napkins.

20. Conduct a waste audit of your home/office/classroom/church. If recyclables are ending up in the trash, perhaps you need a more convenient recycling system. If compostables are in the trash, it sounds like you may just need a worm bin (see a theme here?). If there are large quantities of items that can’t be recycled, composted, or reused in your trash, you may need to reevaluate what you are purchasing. Seek out products with less associated waste or talk to companies and let them know that you want less packaging. They will listen.

21. Visit Terry at the Winneshiek County Recycling Center (or at least become a friend of the Winneshiek County Recycling Center on Facebook). His passion for recycling is contagious and I assure you that he will be able to answer any questions you have about recycling in this area.

22. Slow down! Don’t drive so fast.

23. Help to eradicate invasive species like Garlic Mustard and Buckthorn!
Garlic Mustard: This invasive species crowds out woodland plants, prevents tree seedlings from growing, and can spread at a prodigious rate. Learn how to identify and weed this destructive plant at local events.

24. While doing small things, think big. Think about redesigning cities, restructuring the economy and reconnecting humanity with the natural world.

25. Help promote Sustainable Decorah!  Join the online network at www.sustainabledecorah.ning.com.

26. Reuse containers before you recycle them. Remember this order: reduse (buy less packaging and stuff), reuse (that pickle jar can hold chicken stock too!), recycle (don’t throw away what can be made new again!).

27. Expand your knowledge of gardening by attending Seed Savers Garden Workshops (www.seedsavers.org)

28. Plant a Garden! This could be as simple as a container garden on your patio. Or if you just want to take a field trip, come visit the Luther Gardens (I may even give you a personal tour). While in Decorah you should also visit the Winneshiek Medical Center’s garden (Learn more at the Pepperfield Project).

29. Collect rainwater and use it in those gardens.

30. Head to Lanesboro for the Root River Valley Earth Day Celebration, April 30 from 10 am to 2 pm at Sylvan Park. This free, fun event features kids activities, informational booths, farmers market, plant sale, and more!

31. Go the the Oneota Co-op’s Earth Day Celebration and CSA Fair April 21, 2011, 5-7 pm!

32. Eat your Earth Day Dinner on the Bluff. April 30, 5:30 pm at Eagle Bluff. Mike Link and Kate Crowley as they discuss their findings and share their photos of their 5 month expedition circumnavigating Lake Superior on foot. Gourmet dinner of locally grown foods to follow at 6:45. Cost is $20 and reservations are required.

33. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (Thanks, Michael Pollan). And when you aren’t in the mood to eat mostly plants, be sure to support local meat producers.

34. Visit your local farmers market to meet the faces behind your food. Decorah Farmers Market opens on Saturday, May 1 (barring weather constraints) and runs through October. The market is open on Wednesday from 3-6 pm and Saturdays from 8-11 am. Goodbye snow, hello fresh veggies! Or find a market near you at www.localharvest.org.

35. Give your palate many reasons to celebrate the seasons. I recommend picking up two cookbooks:
-From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by the Madison Area Community Support Agriculture Coalition. Recipes are presented according to ingredient.
-Simply In Season not only provides delicious recipes, but also explores how the food we put on our tables affects our global and local neighbors.
**Once you find your favorite recipes, host a local foods potluck or dinner party.

36. Get locally buzzed. Forget about Belgian beer, Argentine wine and Irish whiskey. Visit Toppling Goliath, the new microbrewery in Decorah, and taste what they have brewing (I love the Naughty 90). Winneshiek Wildberry Winery is located outside of Decorah and offers a wide variety of local wines. A newfound personal favorite is Templeton Rye, which is delicious whiskey that is produced in Iowa.

37. Check out the Seed Savers Bird and Wildflower Walk Saturday, April 30, 2011. Walks begin at 8 am and  11 am. Bonus: a pancake breakfast with local maple syrup  – $5/person.

38. Mark your calendar: July 30, the 8th Annual Kickapoo Country Fair. Food, music, bike and farm tours, cooking demonstrations, theater, kids’ activities, dancing, author readings, and speakers. Held at the Organic Valley Headquarters in LaFarge, Wisconsin, this is the Midwest’s Largest Organic and Sustainable Foods Festival. www.organicvalley.coop/kickapoo

39. And again: In big, bold, green letters write, “Put the ECO in d-ECO-rah” across September 16-18, 2011. You won’t want to accidentally miss off the grid home and sustainable farm tours, local food samplings and the opportunity to be greenly inspire(d) at the 3rd annual Dig-IN (Decorah Iowa Green Initiative).

40. Like B Kind 2 Earth Day on Facebook and socially pledge how you’ll love the earth on earth day and beyond.

And one to grow on…

41. Learn more about the Winneshiek Energy District in the Inspire(d) Winter 2010-11 issue (pg.24), or on their website. And sign up for a Home Energy Check-Up! You can save money AND the earth!

When she’s not busy finding ways for Luther to love the Earth, Maren enjoys cooking, yoga, and moonlit morel hunts and welcomes any outdoor adventure that comes her way.

By Aryn Henning Nichols

Decorah artist John Kjome is a patient man, that’s for sure. He thinks, plans, and meticulously strategizes his next move – both in life and art. Probably checkers too.

Maybe that’s why, after more than four decades creating in one form or another, John is coming back to his artist roots and joining for the first time in studio tours like April’s Bluff Country Studio Art Tour. One thing’s for sure: John has learned in life that no matter what, there’s always a process.

Walking into the Kjome household, you are immediately greeted by art – actually, you’re first greeted by the family dog, Vonnegut, but then it’s art. Limestone countertops, custom cabinets – even the stair risers are things of limestone and geode-marked beauty. In the basement walkout studio, John has, of course, planned every piece of furniture. Heavy things are on castors and most are multipurpose – first it’s a pottery wheel, then it’s a table. The space is efficiently used, to say the least. Their two cats – Seba and Jazz – lounge lazily, one inside a box, the other with a paw hanging over the edge of a shelf, right next to tile cutters and art supplies. For the past 30 years, John, along with his whole family – wife Gail and children Eric, Randi, Jordan and Kaija – have worked together to build a magical, inspiring home where they can comfortably create.

“When we bought it back in 1980, it was the first house sold in Decorah that year – and that was June. Times were tough. It was only this small area then,” John says, gesturing to the front of the house. “But we were happy to have a home.” They’ve since added countless upgrades, stunning improvements, and an addition, part of which houses the art studio. It’s only fitting that a house full of artists would live in a house of art. But if John hadn’t explored his creative side on a whim at the University of Northern Iowa, his life may not have directed him here.

“I had a friend who was taking some classes in the art department and I thought what they were doing was pretty cool. I went to check out it out and I was hooked,” John says. “I took everything from jewelry-making to printmaking. I realized how interesting the processes were – that was really the magic behind it all.”

But it was the 60s, and there was a war going on. John signed up for the Navy. After four years and almost arriving in Viet Nam twice, he decided to go back to school. San Diego State University continued to foster John’s artistic side, and in 1971, he met Gail.

“She lived upstairs and I lived downstairs,” he says. “I sliced up peaches and honey and offered to share. We have been sharing ever since.”

Things were good in California, but when his brother called with the suggestion, “We should build Norwegian looms,” John said, “Okay!”

“I think that was always the plan: to get me back here,” he says. “When I got here, my brother was in Norway. He said, ‘Well, since you’re there, why don’t you enroll at Luther?’”

So he did. That’s when John met famed Northeast Iowa potter and teacher Dean Schwartz.

“I wanted to take the advanced class because I thought I had soooo much experience at San Diego State. But he insisted I start at the beginning,” John says. “Within two hours, I understood. It was the process. It wasn’t, ‘Here’s a pottery wheel; here’s some clay.’ It was about acquiring skills. Master one and move on to the next.”

John loved Schwartz’s teaching so much that he decided to work with him at South Bear that summer as well, taking classes and learning. After, he headed back to San Diego State to finish his BA.

“By that time I realized – I guess we weren’t making looms,” he says.

The semester and summer with Schwartz fueled a fire, so to speak, within John. It also afforded him some good connections. After graduation, he spent two summers working with a colleague of Schwartz’s. Yet another famed potter: Marguerite Wildenhain. Countless hours, days, and nights were spent at Pond Farm, the remote mountaintop home and studio near Guerneville in Northern California. Despite that, John came out of it with only two pots. “And even those I had to sneak out!” It was more about the processes, the learning, than it was about producing.

“It was just a wonderful experience,” he says. “Every moment of it, you just relished.”

So much so that he and Gail, along with their son Eric, wanted to stay Northern California. But at that time, there was literally nowhere to stay; people were living under bridges, waiting for houses and apartments to become available. A flipped a coin directed the Kjomes to Texas, where Gail had relatives. It was there that John learned about carpentry and building houses, which eventually led to his tile work and what he’s well known for: building bathrooms from scratch.

Fate eventually brought the Kjomes back to Decorah. And for John, back to art. In his current projects, John recycles old metal tires. He turns them into tables, making a custom base then tiling the tops. Every piece is unique – different numbers of spokes lead to different kinds of tables, sizes vary greatly, and each tells a story of the past.

“These wheels have a history. I really appreciate the aspect of storytelling,” he says. “It’s not just something I go down to the lumberyard and buy, and that’s fun!”

John is happy to do projects that don’t require hours of time on his hands and knees; tile work is grueling. He hopes to be working on more pots soon as well. The furniture and furnishings seem to be a natural next step for the process that is John’s life.

“I’ve built theses places,” he says with a smile. “Now I want to furnish them.”

John and some of his work will be at the Lanesboro Community Center during the 10^th annual Bluff Country Studio Art Tour. The tour runs from April 23 through 25 from 10 am to 5 pm. Maps and more information on artists on the tour can be found at
www. bluffcountrystudioarttour.com.

Aryn Henning Nichols also enjoys the processes of things. She wishes she could be a little more patient though. She thinks John’s tables are amazing.