Staff Directory 6370652

Kim Ode

Reporter | Features
Recent content from Kim Ode
Patrick Hicks

Review: 'City of Hustle,' edited by Jon K. Lauck and Patrick Hicks

NONFICTION: This collection of essays — and a bit of fiction — defines the city of Sioux Falls.
April White

Review: 'The Divorce Colony,' by April White

NONFICTION: How a South Dakota town became a haven for divorce.
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Review: 'Skiing Into the Bright Open,' by Liv Arnesen, translated from the Norwegian by Roland Huntford

NONFICTION: Liv Arnesen recounts her 1994 solo journey to the South Pole.
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Rhubarb evokes fond memories and tasty recipes, sweet and savory

Rhubarb season is memorable but fleeting: Here's how to make the most of it.
Peter Geye photo by Michael Lionstar

Review: 'Northernmost,' by Peter Geye

FICTION: The final volume of Peter Geye's trilogy takes readers to Minnesota's North Shore, and to 19th-century Norway.
Brock Clarke

Review: 'Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe?' by Brock Clarke

FICTION: A lonely middle-aged man takes off with his aunt on a trip of adventures and crimes. And yes, you've read something like this before.
Three cheesy appetizers to keep on hand during the holiday season, photographed in the studio in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. ]

Baking Central: Make cheese hors d'oeuvres for the holidays

Whether you're kicking off a meal, hosting a happy hour or contributing to a holiday potluck, here are three cheese-centric hors d'oeuvres to serve and savor.
Lemon Angel Pie

Holiday shopping for the baker in your life? The 12 best new baking books

Add these to your list of holiday must-haves, whether it's for a gift for a favorite baker or for yourself.
Virginia Hall was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Gen. William Donovan, chief of Office of Strategic Services, in 1945.

Review: 'A Woman of No Importance,' by Sonia Purnell

NONFICTION: The riveting and sometimes harrowing story of Virginia Hall, the one-legged American spy who confounded the Germans.
"Rural scene in Colorado, USA."

Review: 'Deep Creek,' by Pam Houston

NONFICTION: In this quietly stunning memoir, Pam Houston finds kindness and solace in unusual places.
Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois offer seasonal treats in "Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day."

Minneapolis bakers tell you how to make holiday breads in 5 minutes

The bread-in-5 duo is back, this time with more butter, to the delight of one of the authors.
The Thanksgiving meal.

There are no stupid questions when it comes to Thanksgiving hot lines

Need help for Thanksgiving? There's lots of advice out there for everyone hosting their first Thanksgiving, or even old hands wondering how to rev up their traditional feast.
Canned cranberry sauce is a tradition in Amanda Rettke's family.

Thanksgiving hot lines offer last-minute help for cooks

Last minute questions as you're putting the early (or final) touch to the big meal? Help is nearby.
Almond Cake from "Food52 Genius Desserts." Photo by James Ransom/Ten Speed Press

Feast your eyes on the best baking books of the year

Whether it's for you or a holiday gift, these new baking books will send many to the kitchen in a flurry of flour and sugar.
Do egg sizes matter? It depends on your recipe.

The baking mysteries of the incredible, edible egg ... explained

Medium, large or jumbo. Room temperature or cold. These are some of the questions that stump many bakers.
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If the reader disagrees with the critic, who is right?

If you read a review that disagrees with your opinion of the book, do you wonder what you missed?
Baking Central looks at homemade crackers.

Expand your baking repertoire with the use of nuts and seeds

A simple addition adds more flavor and texture to baked goods. And it looks pretty, too.
Ron Chernow at his home in Brooklyn.

'Hamilton' biographer comes to St. Paul with another poignant portrait

"Hamilton" biographer sets his sights on another U.S. icon, but don't expect a Broadway musical.
Camas Davis
Photo by Cheryl Juetten

Review: 'Killing It: An Education,' by Camas Davis

NONFICTION: An American food writer heads to France to learn about butchering meat.
Bluebarb Slab Pie.

Choose the right fat when making pastries (there are plenty of options)

Butter, lard, shortening or oil — which you choose makes a difference in how good the resulting baked good will be.
Into the Raging Sea, by Rachel Slade

Review: 'Into the Raging Sea,' by Rachel Slade

NONFICTION: Corporate greed and human error combine for one of shipping's great disasters.
Mark and Katya Gordon sail Amicus out of Knife River, shown here with the Apostle Islands on the horizon.

For daring sailors, Lake Superior beckons with moments of terror and serenity

The beauty and danger of sailing a great, untamed lake.
The buttermilk in these biscuits serves as the acid necessary to activate the baking soda in the ingredients. The liquid also adds extra flavor and he

Baking Central: Buttermilk Biscuits show how leavening works

Your choice of leavener when baking will depend on the finished product.
From left, muscovado sugar, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Know your sugars, from demerara to muscovado to confectioner's

White or brown, sugar is essential to most baked goods. But each kind has its own character.
Bruce Kerfoot, owner of the Gunflint Lodge, surveyed the charred remains of a home after the 2007 fire.

Review: 'Gunflint Burning: Fire in the Boundary Waters,' by Cary J. Griffith

NONFICTION: "Gunflint Burning" is a riveting account of the Ham Lake Fire — a disaster that didn't have to happen.
Christy Marek, a certified death doula from Lakeville, is part of a new field that reflects gradually more open attitudes toward death.

Death doulas provide comfort on final journey: 'We know how to die'

End-of-life doulas fill an emotional gap between doctors, family and attitudes about dying.
Honeywell retirees who form the Ramp Crew have built more than 30 ramps since 2012 and donated almost 4,400 hours.

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities' Ramp Crew helps people navigate way back into homes

The group of retired Honeywell employees has, since forming in 2012, built more than 30 ramps for people in need.
So many chocolates: bittersweet, semisweet, milk, all the percentages.

Confused about bittersweet? Dutch cocoa? And what's up with white chocolate?

Baking with chocolate has its rules, but mostly it boils down to how intense we like our flavors.
Photo project puts cameras in hands of parents with gravely ill children

Photo project puts cameras in hands of parents with gravely ill children

Jane Freeman was on an airplane bound for Japan with her husband, Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, when she heard the news about President Ke

Jane Freeman, mother of Mike Freeman and a founding force of the DFL Party, dies at 96

The former first lady of Minnesota forged new roles for women.
Mary Julia Anderson

Mary Anderson, pioneer of women's baseball, dies at 100

Skyler Kuczaboski translated a Dartmouth College instructor's children's book into Ojibwe, which "is a passion of mine," she said.

St. Paul grad works to revitalize indigenous languages through children's books

Skyler Kuczaboski, now a freshman at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., has created a children's book in the Ojibwe language.
People waited in line for the doors to open so the process of choosing who could interpret artwork in the MIA could begin.

Art in Bloom draws aspiring Minnesota floral designers: 'It's spring!'

An annual ritual at the Minneapolis Institute of Art begins with a lot of fingers crossed.
Illustration for Baking Central as it explores the ingredient, vanilla.

Don't call it plain – vanilla is complex, even smoky, and may be a baker's best friend

Despite its reputation as bland, vanilla is a baker's best friend.
Hannah Brandt, the pride of Vadnais Heights and member of the U.S. women's hockey team, appears on a jug of Kemps.

Minnesota's gold medal hockey champ Hannah Brandt celebrated on Kemps milk

Milk jugs elbow cereal boxes as Olympic honor comes to dairy cases.
Two families, their children and occasionally friends have been dining together weekly for about 30 years. Here, Don Luce prepares the chicken dish as

Two Mpls. families' weekly commitment to each other, over dinner, spans 30 years

The two households' weekly dinners are a testament to intention and connection.
"Kutenai Duck Hunter," from northern Montana in 1910, captures daily life.
Edward S. Curtis' photos of North American Indians documented cultures unde

Minneapolis man finds 'soul's purpose' in historical photographs of Indians

A Minneapolis man has dedicated his life to the legacy of photographer Edward S. Curtis.
Lake Superior is deep into a Twitter battle with Mount St. Helens.

Lake Superior has its own Twitter account – and it's even sassier than Mount St. Helens'

Feel the earth move? Nope, that's just Twitter, home to geologic features that tweet.
After trekking on frozen Lake Superior, visitors admire the striking Apostle Islands Ice Caves

Lake Superior explains why it loves Twitter

Kristin Hannah Photo by Kevin Lynch

Review: 'The Great Alone,' by Kristin Hannah

FICTION: Heart-pounding novel about starting over is set in Alaskan wilderness in '70s.
The Father of Waters statue in City Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Monday June 29, 2015. ] RACHEL WOOLF · rachel.woolf@startribune.com

For stroke of luck, try Father of Waters statue in Mpls. City Hall

Superstitious sightseers entering the spectacular five-story rotunda will see "Mississippi: The Father of Waters" lounging in modest Minnesotan nudity.
Delving into the world of various cinnamons.

What's up with different cinnamons? Can I choose wrong? Not really.

Don't worry too much about different cinnamon varieties when baking.
Chris Boles said he gives bread away when "my heart moves me."

Chaska man bakes bread to share happiness and sustenance

What Chris Boles wants people — especially kids — to understand is that you can do amazing things with your own two hands. The heart often follows.
The ice breaker "City of New York" sails from New York Harbour, USA, Sept. 6, 1928, with explorer Commander Richard Byrd aboard, at the start of its 1

Review: 'The Stowaway,' by Laurie Gwen Shapiro

NONFICTION: The tale of a young stowaway to Antarctica illuminates American culture as it emerges from the 1920s.
That looks cozy.

It's January in Minnesota, so just make like a bear and hibernate

Hibernating is rejuvenating, and January is cold, so hunker down.
Jillian Medoff

REVIEW: 'This Could Hurt,' by Jillian Medoff

FICTION: A cast of characters pursue their aspirations against the backdrop of the bottom line.
Man with a hangover

Regretting that last martini? Here's how to ease a hangover

Did you party heartily and are paying the price? Read on. (But don't hold your breath.)
Virginia Corrick

Virginia Corrick, textile artist who helped found Wearable Art MidWest, dies at 94

An upside-down Christmas tree.

Deck the halls with an upside-down Christmas tree — really, it's a thing

If "Tree Christmas the Around Rockin' " makes sense to you, here's a trend to match.
Vikings fans try to temper their expectations leading up to the Super Bowl.

Oft-burned Vikings fans temper joy to avoid Super Bowl jinx

Vikings fans whisper "Skol!" trying not to tempt their Super Bowl karma.
during the 2017 National Student Poets Ceremony at the Library of Congress James Madison Memorial Building on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Washington.

Edina teen athlete and budding scientist wins national poetry award

A Twin Cities high school student aims to help kids discover through poetry that "it's cool to be you."
Winter is taking its time; November among least snowy ever

Winter is taking its time; November among least snowy ever

Looking for snow? Don't hold your breath. The next 10 days may be flake-free.
Loaves of bread from "Modernist Bread," the five-volume, 2,000-page cookbook by Nathan Myhrvold. The entire set has 1,200 bread recipes and costs $625

Need another baking book? Here's the (not so) skinny on some of best

The season's best baking books span a wide range from Zingerman's coffee cakes to a five-volume set only about bread.
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What happens if your kids don't cherish books the way you raised them to?

You can't nag someone to read for pleasure.
Izzy Blanchard's hard work and can-do spirit prompted Shriners Hospitals for Children to ask her to represent them at its annual PGA event.

Disabled Anoka teen: 'I feel like nothing's in my path'

Despite her physical limitations, an Anoka teen tackles archery, cello and climbing.
Dan Chouinard led a singalong at the Luther Seminary's Olson Student Center in St. Paul.

Why eclectic Minnesota accompanist Dan Chouinard is 'everyone's go-to guy'

Twin Cities music man Dan Chouinard wants you to put away your ear buds and sing with him.
Patrice Johnson

Twin Cities cook offers love letter to classic Swedish holiday fare in 'Jul'

Patrice Johnson celebrates our "immigrant nation" in new cookbook.
Halloween Jack o Lantern candy collector filled with candy over a white background

Is trick-or-treating dead? Not really, but it's been tamed

Kids are still celebrating Halloween, but in a safer — if still candy-fueled — way.
" Am retail mecca for tourists from all over the world and a mega vacation destination."

'It'll always be Camp Snoopy': Airing it all out with #MinnesotaConfessions

Minnesotans shared a few shameful secrets on Twitter this week — and couldn't stop.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.

Let pumpkin shine anew in a marbled brownie

Pumpkin gets a reprieve from the spice trend when swirled into a chocolately brownie.
Michele Tafoya arrives hours before kickoff, observing and prepping for the game.

Minnesota's Michele Tafoya: A sports reporter in a man's world

The popular sports reporter reigns by ignoring crowd catcalls, prepping hard and staying focused on the game.
The books are geared toward kids ages 4 through 12 who have health issues and could use a few laughs.

'Kid-inspired' UnitedHealthcare joke books have a serious purpose

Project aims to make sick children laugh and help pay medical bills.
Author Larry Olmsted

'Fake Food' writer warns consumers about 'pure audacity' of food makers

Author of "fake food" exposé asks: What's really in that burger?
Compact travel trailer glowing with warm light through windows in a forest RV park in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.

Review: 'Nomadland,' by Jessica Bruder

NONFICTION: Journalist looks at the growing number of "houseless" folks forced to move between seasonal jobs.
Baking Central features a seasonal treat: apple strudel

Making homemade apple strudel calls for some bare-knuckle baking

Apple strudel is a trifecta of desserts: It's fun to say ("struuuu-dle"), fun to eat and — trust us — fun to make.
Dave and Amy Freeman have a book documenting their year in the BWCA to raise awareness of mining's consequences.
Photo by Amy and Dave Freeman

'Witness activism' drew Minnesota couple to live outdoors in BWCA for a year

A Minnesota couple's purposeful year in the Boundary Waters is revealed in a new book.
The LinkedIn profile of University of Minnesota Prof. Davis Logsdon. "There's a very dogged Logsdon superfan out there," says Andy Borowitz.

U's Dr. Davis Logsdon is an expert on everything — too bad he's not real

A fictional University of Minnesota professor's quotes fill satirist Andy Borowitz's column in the New Yorker.
Jack Wheatley, owner of Level Best Ranch and Anderson Hay Elevators, baled hay on his farm on Saturday, August 22, 2015, in Thorp, Wash.

Review: 'This Blessed Earth,' by Ted Genoways

NONFICTION: A Nebraska family struggles to keep a small farm afloat.
Bees.

Review: 'The History of Bees,' by Maja Lunde, is about chemistry, both agricultural and familial

FICTION: A Norwegian novel explores a dark future without bees, as well as the struggle among parents and children.
Veggies can make a great quick bread.

Got beets? Got zucchini? Then you have the secrets to tasty quick breads

No sneaky nutrition here. Vegetables are proud ingredients in these quick breads.
Piecaken — yes, a pie inside a cake! — gets a makeover that kids can bake

Piecaken — yes, a pie inside a cake! — gets a makeover that kids can bake

How do you get a pie inside a cake? Let your kids figure out this puzzle of a dessert challenge.
From the left; Sean Barker, of Chanhassen, Becca Buck, of Minneapolis, Casey Barker, of Chanhassen and jay Broeker, of St. Paul, sang along during a B

Beer Choir combines love of suds and singing: 'Zero talent is required'

In the words of the official theme song: "The Beer Choir is the choir that sings while drinking beer."
Despite all the focus on lying, experts say all is not lost.

We're more distrusting than we used to be, but expert on lying says all is not lost

Amid fake news and alternative facts, it's funny how trusting we remain.
North House Folk School instructor Jock Holmen carved a Norwegian-style acanthus in the classroom at his home in Burnsville.

Carve wood, make potica: Minnesota's folk schools teach heritage crafts

Growing movement enables people to learn traditional skills, as well as connect with others.
Ashley Shelby Photo by Erica Hanna

REVIEW: 'South Pole Station,' by Ashley Shelby.

FICTION: Science needn't fear scrutiny — that is, if it's any good. Same with people.