Whenever anyone comes to visit us here in Minnesota, we try to tell them to stop at this place called the “Norske Nook”, which is famous for their pies. The bakery is in this tiny town called Osseo, Wisconsin, which is off I-94 between Tomah, WI and Eau Claire, WI. We stopped there on the way home from Chicago:

and took this amazing Dutch Apple Pie with us:

It is SO worth the 5 minute detour off the interstate. To get there, take the Osseo exit off I-94 — I think it’s Exit #88 — and follow the arrows to Osseo. You’ll be on 10th street; make a left on Harmony (there will be a sign for Rt. 53 at this intersection); and then make a right on 7th street. There are actually two Norske eateries on that street, one is the “Kaffe Hus”, and across the street is the restaurant/bakery (where the pies live). They often have about 30+ varieties of pie there for your enjoyment… mmmmmm.

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted – thanks Alice for keeping us afloat! I just wanted to share two great restaurants that my husband Mike and I discovered during our trip to northern New England last week. First up is the Lobster Dock, located in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. WOW – such incredible lobster! And other seafood! And beer! If you happen to be north of Portland, ME on Route 1, you HAVE to stop by this amazing place. You can (and should, if at all possible) eat outdoors, where there is a wonderful view of the harbor. We had the twin lobster dinner, as well as an order of the “famous Throwdown crabcakes” which were featured on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. MMMMM.

Lobster bin and pots, Lobster Dock

The second place I’d recommend – south of Portland, in Wells, ME – is the Maine Diner. There are actually quite a few diners on Route 1, but this one has excellent seafood chowder (pictured below), strong breakfast offerings, and of course, a famous lobster roll (served hot, with butter, or cold, with a mayo based lobster salad). YUMMMMMM.

Seafood Chowder, Maine Diner

If you get a chance, definitely check these places out!

This weekend, I went out for breakfast at a local place called Lazy Jane’s Café and Bakery. This place is famous for it’s scones, and I can attest that they make the second best scones in town (after Masako’s, naturally).Lazy Janes is one of those places where you stand in line, order your food, give them your name, and then go sit until they call your name to tell your food is ready.Often, whenever I am asked for my name in a situation like this I give my last name, which tends to cause much less confusion and anxiety and clumsy name-mangling than “Padraig.” But I learned a nice trick that makes my, and pretty much everyone else’s, day. I give my name as “His Majesty.”Usually, everyone gets a big kick out of it, and I get to walk slowly and regally to pick up my food.