Well, tonight's the big night, Bizarre Foods - Minnesota! I'm very curious to see how our meal at Heartland, with Andrew and our friend Aaron Mack, plays! Yeah, we ate various and sundry parts, but it was all so deliciously and attractively prepared that it was easy to dig in. Chef Lenny Russo certainly deserves the attention - he's a nice man, terrific chef, and has been preparing locally-sourced, best-quality ingredients for years. And Zim and Aaron are charming dinner guests, even off camera (ha). So here we go, wheeeee! Tune in and let me know what you think - Travel Channel 9 pm CST/10 pm EST. For Andrew's thoughts on the episode, check out his Bizzare Foods blog.

Pretty low-key on the food front since my return from San Fran. My usual post-trip, post-indulgence, de-puff plan - lots of hot tea and plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. That means no brains, tongue, or wild boar balls, just a simple souffle for dinner last night (a peek in the pre-grocery-shop fridge revealed a few eggs and a small piece of gruyere), to which I added plenty of tender-crisp broccoli and mushrooms (luckily in pretty good shape in the crisper; funny how John hadn't dug into them while I was away...). I'm also still enjoying the pot of navy beans I simmered yesterday - tonight I made a simple "white" chili with chicken to ladle over them. Spicy, with a hint of cream, nicely hit the spot on yes, another cold day in Minnesota.

Yeah, yeah, dullsville, sorry - but even Andrew has to come home from trips and just eat a salad once in awhile, you know?