North Dakota true

Could you get any more “North Dakota” than that?

It’s what I asked myself after talking to State Sen. Merrill Piepkorn and Congressman Kelly Armstrong about an idea I had for this month’s recipe section: What if we featured favorite recipes from North Dakota’s gubernatorial candidates?

A light accompaniment to a weightier issue of North Dakota Living. A side of broccoli with lasagna, if you will.

One candidate shares his favorite dessert recipe – a layered sherbet cake from an old small-town cookbook. It will please Midwestern palates at any summer picnic, church potluck or neighborhood party.

The other candidate shares his mother’s wild rice soup recipe, which warms up the hungry crew after a long fall hunt, before the main course of venison backstrap is prepared and served by the candidate himself.

Seriously, could you get any more “North Dakota” than that?

As election season heats up, let this recipe feature be a reminder the local candidates are our neighbors, too. They are North Dakotans. They bring a dish to pass at church. They enjoy the North Dakota outdoors. And they care about the future of North Dakota, even if their visions look a little different.

Here are the concluding responses of this issue’s candidate Q&A, from the Republican and Democratic-NPL candidates for governor of North Dakota, along with their favorite recipes.
 

GOVERNOR AND LT. GOVERNOR  (4-year term)

North Dakotans will vote in November on a ballot measure that would abolish property taxes in the state. The measure requires the state to provide annual property tax replacement payments to political subdivisions at 2024 levels. Legislative Council estimates the measure would cost the state about $1.3 billion each fiscal year. Is this measure good or bad for North Dakota, and how will it impact your term as governor, if elected?
 

KELLY ARMSTRONG
(AND MICHELLE STRINDEN)
Republican
www.armstrongnd.com

Kelly Armstrong is devoted to making North Dakota the best place to live, work and raise a family. He earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of North Dakota. He has served in the N.D. Senate, as chairman of the N.D. Republican Party and in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I do not support the measure and would encourage all of North Dakota to vote against it.

The measure will eliminate local control, forcing smaller communities like Carson, Oakes and Rugby to go in front of the legislative body every two years to beg for their funding needs. Our smaller communities are already facing unique challenges, and this will increase the rate of our smaller communities dying.

The other problem is the benefit this will give to out-of-state landowners like Bill Gates, or future investors looking for a place to park money with no tax liability. The measure is problematic as it will force a rewrite of over 40% of N.D. Century Code, making the Legislature figure out how to revamp how to run the state of North Dakota.

I have consistently fought to lower taxes for the people of North Dakota. There has been some work done on this issue, but it hasn’t led to substantial cuts. My No. 1 priority will be to collaborate with community leaders, county officials and stakeholders to find a solution that will benefit all North Dakotans, while delivering meaningful reform.
 

KELLY’S AFTER THE HUNT MEAL
Kelly Armstrong caps off a good hunt in the North Dakota outdoors with a good meal.

It starts with his mom’s wild rice soup.

“It’s a great appetizer coming out of the field to warm up,” Kelly says.

Connie, Kelly’s mom, has made different versions of this soup over the years. It’s delicious and easily customizable. Add different veggies, or try a North Dakota spin and swap out the chicken for pheasant!

Connie’s soup is often followed by Kelly’s venison backstrap, prepared the way Hank Biesiot, his best friend Tony’s dad, taught him.

Season the backstrap with a rub of choice, then sear it in a grill pan on all sides in about a ½-inch of oil. Remove from grill and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the middle is about 127 degrees.

Kelly serves the backstrap with a side of bowtie pasta, made the “North Dakota way” from a tip by his Italian American high school principal, Jim Gentile: Use Newman’s Own brand marinara sauce and add whipping cream after heating to cut the acidity. Because North Dakotans can’t make marinara sauce the way Italians do!
 

MERRILL PIEPKORN
(AND PATRICK HART)
Democratic-NPL
www.merrillfornd.com

Merrill Piepkorn is a business owner, state senator, musician and former public broadcaster. Born in Stanley, he took his western North Dakota roots to Fargo, where he graduated from high school and Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. He and his wife, Connie, have a son and two granddaughters.

Property taxes are collected by local governments to meet local needs. We have to ask ourselves if we really want the state Legislature to hold the purse strings over local decisions about schools, fire departments and emergency services, public works like road maintenance, and community services like libraries and parks. I don’t think so, but I do understand the concern that rising property values are raising taxes and hurting those who can least afford it.

Let’s look at where we can reduce, but not eliminate, property taxes with state support, while making tax assessments more reasonable. Current tax rebate programs can be made permanent, eliminating annual reapplications. Tax increases can be frozen for seniors meeting eligibility requirements, so they are not taxed out of their homes.

We should consider a reduction in local costs with more support from the state legacy fund for local school facilities and infrastructure. According to the N.D. Century Code, this is a responsibility of the state, and one we should live up to. Our local schools need support for buildings, repairs and upgrades. With schools accounting for about half of property taxes, we can reduce how much needs to be raised locally.
 

MERRILL’S FAVORITE DESSERT
Merrill Piepkorn’s favorite sherbet cake recipe is beautiful, easy to make and holds sentimental value.

The recipe is from a community cookbook created by the mothers of the Wilton band. Piepkorn was gifted a copy from his sister’s mother-in-law, Lydia, decades ago, complete with a heartfelt note and encouragement about finding a “Mrs. Piepkorn.”

A musician himself, Merrill speaks fondly of her artistic abilities.

“She was a very special person, kind of a renaissance woman,” he says. “She played piano and sang. She wrote poetry. She was also an artist.”

Merrill uses the cookbook to this day for casseroles, hotdishes and, of course, sherbet cakes.

He often brings his sherbet cake to block parties and family dinners, and people love it. Merrill says he will bring it to his watch party on Nov. 5!

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Cally Peterson is editor of North Dakota Living. She can be reached at cpeterson@ndarec.com.