Recipe Roundup

As I have been exploring genealogy with my son, we are finding connections to earlier generations. Through the technology of online searching and the translation of marriage, baptism and death certificates into English, we have reached the mid-1600s on our family tree.

Like many of us in the Midwest, our family members were mostly farmers in their home countries. My maiden name meant “rural farm” in Norwegian. My distant grandparents came to America for all the usual reasons: They sought new opportunities while escaping political issues and seeking religious freedom.

Facing the challenge of finding and recruiting teachers to fill eight openings at the start of the 2023-24 school year, the Mott-Regent School District looked across borders to find talent in the Philippines. The rural school district eventually hired two North Dakotans and six Filipino educators, who are teaching kindergarten, first grade, science, math, music and special education this year. Beyond sharing their teaching talents, the Filipino teachers are also sharing their culture, with students, the school and the local community.

Americans like food. A lot. In fact, the United States has a long list of national days dedicated to certain foods, which have been carefully researched and catalogued by Marlo Anderson in the National Day Calendar – the official, authoritative source for fun, unusual and unique national days. (Read about it on page 6.)

In honor of Veterans Day, North Dakota Living features two veteran-owned Pride of Dakota businesses.

Jaydobo is owned by Jayson Parsons, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, whose line of seasonings brings the zest of the Southwest to the heart of the Midwest.

The Jolly Jalapeno is owned by Alfredo and Tabatha Lugo, who balance their salsa-making business with their military careers in the U.S. Air Force.

Read their stories here!

Chet Yoder, director of Father’s Farm in Wolford, a longer-term, faith-centered rehabilitation center for men reentering the community, shares two of his family’s favorite recipes.

His daughter, Kiera Yoder, is to thank for this stovetop mac and cheese, a quick-and-easy comfort meal your family will request time and again. And the juneberry pie – as delicious as it is beautiful – comes from Chet’s sister, Chalon Yoder.

Read about Chet and Father’s Farm here!

In “Cinderella,” the fairy godmother waves her wand, turning a pumpkin coach into a carriage. The pumpkin served as a vessel – helping Cinderella find her prince.

Like the fairy godmother, one woman's pumpkins help people find Jesus.

For two decades, Cheryl Erickson planted seeds in the ground. She hoped they’d grow to the heavens, or rather, help people find heaven themselves.
 

In May 1957, the magazine’s “Recipe Roundup” was born. Through the decades, the recipe pages in North Dakota Living have remained a reader favorite (as Lucille shares with us in her “Reader Reply”). We even published a series of cookbooks with the recipes featured in this magazine and shared by our cooperative members, readers and home cooks.

This month’s recipes come from the 1987 “REC Family Cookbook.” To celebrate 70 years of North Dakota Living, we made the original version of each recipe, plus a version with a new twist (see recipe notes).

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How can children have fun this summer while not forgetting the information they learned during the school year? Try exploring some kitchen science!

Kids may think they are making ice cream or fruit leather, but they’re actually engaged in food science, including biology, chemistry, math, physics and other scientific disciplines.

Whether you’re packing for a picnic or packing a lunch, these pack-worthy recipes are sure to please.

The picnic pasta salad is light and packs a lemony punch. It can be assembled and served in a large bowl, or try it layered in a jar for a picnic-perfect look and easy transport.

These delectable s’mores bars pack the nostalgia and fun to elevate this classic campfire treat. The bars can be individually wrapped and frozen for a grab-and-go treat or to pack in your picnic basket. Wrap in plastic wrap, then tinfoil for the campfire feel.

These recipes come from Black Leg Ranch in rural McKenzie, where six generations of the Doan family have built their lives in the cattle business. The ranch predates North Dakota statehood, having been homesteaded in 1882 by George Doan, and was the first to bring Black Angus cattle to the region. Today, the Doans raise Black Angus and bison, operate a 13,000-square-foot event space called the Copper Jewell Barn and even opened a microbrewery in 2018, which brews a line of craft beer using the ranch’s well water.