Category Archives: Kitchen

We have a bit of a peach problem here at the Hjelmeland house. As in, 150+ peaches ready to eat and getting riper by the day! It’s going to take some time to eat or preserve all those peaches, yet it’s a problem I’m glad to have. There’s nothing better than a soft, ripe peach that...

Hello summer! Our summer bucket list is already getting several things crossed off the list. For Hayden’s birthday, we crossed off Jester Park in Saylorville and Miracle Park in Ankeny. We have gone on a bike ride and packed a picnic at Red Rock. Of course, we have been checking out plenty of books at...

For many years now, our family’s typical wedding gift has consisted of a recipe box and a set of custom-printed recipe cards. There have been many iterations of this recipe collection as it has grown.  Originally, it was contained in a small 3x5 card binder I had discovered when looking for a way to organize...

June is the month to celebrate the dairy industry. Even though we do not milk cows, our family is tied to the dairy industry in two ways! Raising Holstein steers associates us with the industry, and our son-in-law, Braden, depends on the dairy industry as he is a professional hoof trimmer, and most of his...

As I write this kitchen article, we are at the halfway point of June. Summer is flying by, like usual! How different from when I was a kid and the summer months felt like they would last forever. We’ve already fit in our summer vacation. My husband (a middle school teacher) checked out of his classroom...

With school out for the summer, I have come up with a brief summer bucket list for the kids and me to accomplish. Some of them are more elaborate than others, but almost all of them are inexpensive or even free activities to make it a memorable summer. Our Summer Bucket List:

• Take a driving tour...

The decadent desserts at La Rose Marie Bakery in Sully have hold of my heart and tastebuds, especially the simply named sweet treat, “chocolate pastry.” Disneyland may claim to be the happiest place on earth, but when I enter a bakery and marvel at the array of sweet treats displayed in the cases, I am pretty...