I inherited the whip-up-something-out-of-nothing gene from my mother, a talent for creating ingenious meals out of necessity. We grew up in a woodsy, secluded neighborhood in Minnesota, and my father drove our only car to work. That meant Mom had no way to get to the supermarket during the week and had to improvise. ...more

November 11, 2009

A local political spokesperson said the reason there are so many people listed as independent voters these days is due to motor vehicle registrations, when people don't know what to put down for party affiliation. That's partially true, but there's something much bigger going on that neither major party seems to grasp. People are tired of the candidates they elect being so out of touch with their needs. During campaigns, these politicians seem all ears on the issues of the day. They talk about the problems, offer multiple-point plans on how to address then. Then, once elected, nothing is improved and special interests always hold much more sway than constituents. It's no wonder so many people are dropping party affiliations and becoming independents. ...more

January 10, 2008