Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens

You are going to love today’s guest—my friend and a true Midwesterner, Leah Brink has lived in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and for nearly 20 years, she’s called Brookings, South Dakota home. She’s the kind of person who brings the fun to a party. It was her idea to start our show making strawberry daiquiris in my kitchen, and I certainly didn’t argue with that!   She speaks frankly about the influenc...

Today my North Dakota brother-in-law, Russell Ziegler, a coal miner and former United States Marine, joins us to talk about cold-smoking cheese, smoking pork butt, and how he turns a plain old pork shoulder into an incredibly flavorful smoked ham that practically shreds itself at the sight of a fork. You'll learn where he uses maple syrup, what’s in his brine that turns a pork shoulder into sm...

In this episode, my North Dakota sister-in-law Betsy Ziegler joins me to talk about the German dessert, Kuchen, Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, beloved maple bacon long johns at Bearscat, and cruising the Missouri River and drinking blood-red cocktail pouches.   She shares her recipes, most of them using the “eyeball” method, for a non-mayo-based German potato salad, bacon and cheddar ranch dip,...

It's a busy week at my house. Our daughter graduates from college and I'm making the food for her party. So come bake with me in my kitchen on this episode as I make tangled caramel peanut butter corn chips , a sweet & salty favorite and one of the most popular recipes on randomsweets.com. It's one of those snacks that's hard to stop eating once you start. https://randomsweets....

Joining us today is Ashley Rhodes-Courter, author of the New York Times and international bestselling memoir, “ Three Little Words ,” and its sequal, “ Three More Words .” She’s an international keynote speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and founder of  The Foundation for Sustainable Families .  Since her first national keynote at age 14, Ashley has shared her story with thousands in the Un...

It’s time to talk all things funeral potatoes. Cheesy hash brown casserole has more names than any dish I know—funeral potatoes, hash brown casserole, cheesy hash browns, party potatoes, company potatoes, Cracker Barrel potatoes, hash brown baked potatoes, taco potato casserole, hash brown potatoes, company potato casserole, and many others.  In addition to sharing our recipes and the stories behi...

My mother-in-law, Marie Mergenthal, is giving away her secrets for tangy dill pickle pasta salad, and the calico beans she is so well known for in the family. And if you like a Dairy Queen Peanut Buster Parfait, stick around because Marie has a recipe to make it at home in a 9x13 pan. I’ve posted photos and these recipes on randomsweets dot com. She also shares a funny story about a time I brought...

Welcome to part 2 of our Gulf of Mexico getaway. This episode is all about the restaurants and delicious food we enjoyed while on vacation in Alabama’s Gulf Shores area this past February. My husband Jason and I share our top five meals and places to eat, like a smoked turkey sandwich, dry aged Delmonico steak, key lime pie, eggs Benedict atop a waffle, fried pickles and fried chicken, candied yam...

Yearn for a sugary soft, white sand beach vacation, but prefer a destination within the United States? You’ll find unforgettable spring break fun, romantic getaways, activities with the kiddos or teens, snowbird adventures, or time away with your friends in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama. Located on a 32-mile stretch of beach along the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay, Gulf Shores and Orange be...

Imagine, it’s Saturday afternoon and you’re craving something sweet and homemade. But you want something quick and easy, and you don’t feel like running to the store. I’m sharing the ingredients I keep on hand for a few fast and simple recipes that you can bake (or no-bake) on a whim. From sweet and savory caramel corn chips for a night of Netflix, popcorn and a cozy blanket, a giant chocolate chi...

My friend Jill Coene joins me on this episode to share her love of the Midwest, the three restaurants she's sure to eat at when she's back in Brookings, South Dakota, her family’s favorite recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers galette, French toast casserole, and snickurtle pie (a mash-up that tastes like Snickers candy bars and no-bake turtle cheesecake), plus, what she’s discovered about macaroni s...

My husband Jason joins me in this episode as we share a few of our favorite experiences in the Phoenix and Tempe Arizona area this past January. From the strawberry cocktail on our hotel rooftop bar and the biggest breakfast burrito I've ever seen, to memorable Mexican food in Scottsdale, to the buffalo wings Jason has been talking about for years and the burgers at a place he assumed was long ago...

Because my favorite birthday cake frosting is a recipe my mom has made for many of my 50 birthdays, I asked her to share her cocoa fudge cake and snow frosting, also known as 7-minute frosting, recipes. I was surprised to learn that both recipes came from her mom, my grandma Janet, when my mom and dad got married in 1969. We walk through the steps to making snow frosting, and how humidity affects...

Do you have childhood favorite meals? In this episode, my son, Sajen Perry, shares a few of his favorite childhood comfort meals like beer chili spaghetti, hot dog casserole with potato chips, Chicken In A Biskit chicken strips, pepperoni pasta bake, and chip and mint ice cream brownie dessert with hot fudge…and, he tells me a little story about the butterscotch muffins and breakfast egg bake that...

This episode is all about appetizers. We’re sharing a few of our go-to game day recipes – whether for tailgating, a house party, or watching the big game on TV with our families. We talk about South Dakota sushi, slow cooker cowboy beans, buffalo chicken dip, cream cheese wrapped olives, baked cheesy bacon dip, and our different versions of taco dip. Plus, you’ll hear what books my sisters are rea...

My daughter Kalani Perry joins me to share our spicy vodka pasta with chicken recipe, and she gives us a suggestion for how to use up that carton of heavy cream you need to make it, what it’s like to experience Cossetta, an Italian restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, especially what she likes most to eat there, and she gives us a list of seven restaurants in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that she likes...

Christianne Beringer shares her family recipes for two quintessential comfort foods—her mom’s meatloaf and her grandma’s macaroni and cheese. You'll learn how to elevate your classic meatloaf by topping it with a sweet and savory brown sugar sauce that caramelizes as it bakes. Whether you like meatloaf or not, if you have ties to the Midwest, emotions of nostalgia will drench over you like ketchup...

After more than 20 years, the most common questions I get are about baking cheesecakes—like how to know when it’s ready to come out of the oven, what causes cheesecake to crack, how to remove it from the springform pan, how to store it, and how long it should thaw before serving it. In this episode, I share my tips for making cheesecake at home—from the casual and easy ways of making it in a cake...

December birthdays can be hard. On this episode, I sit down with my dad in South Dakota, while he shares how he started his homemade ice cream birthday tradition, how, as the youngest of the family, he would get his brothers to turn the crank on the ice cream maker at his party, why my sister thought the ice cream would maybe taste like slough water, and dad’s tip for making smooth and creamy home...

Visiting Bemidji Minnesota and wondering where to eat, stay and get in a little shopping and hiking? My husband, Jason, joins us on this episode as we reminice about our October trip to Bemidji for hockey, dining, hiking, shopping and lakeside lodging. From a hearty meal at Fozzie's Smokin Bar-B-Q, gourmet hot dogs at Lucky Dogs, to whipped honeymooners at Raphael's Bakery Cafe and Funeral Potatoe...

There are hundreds of bakeries across the Midwest. Come along with me as we explore 26 of them in Minnesota and South Dakota. From chocolate croissants and kouign-amann at Red Bench Bakery in Chaska and Excelsior Minnesota, and the famous and trademarked Zebra doughnuts in Centerville, South Dakota to a surprise menu item at Taste of Scandinavia, I briefly share about 26 bakeries I have enjoyed. W...

What do you make for breakfast when you have overnight houseguests? In this episode, I share recipes for two meat, egg, and cheese breakfast casseroles, plus my favorite recipes for muffins, butterscotch monkey bread, mini cinnamon sugar doughnuts (much easier than you think), coffee cakes, amaretto pistachio Bundt cake with booze, and cake batter pancakes with sprinkles for the kids. Rise and shi...

As I’m wrapping up my Christmas shopping, I’m thinking about how much I like to give and receive cookbooks as gifts. I’d like to hear from you which cookbooks you’d give as presents so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites. It turns out, it’s like trying to pick a favorite child, which is impossible. So on this episode of Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens I’m sharing 13 cookbooks, 14 actually, t...

On today’s episode, we’re talking about why I started this podcast and where the name came from, what you can expect, and a personal look into my history of baking. My funny and talented friend Jen Miller joins me with all kinds of questions, and you’ll learn what happened the first time I brought homemade cheesecake to a food day at work and why I like living in the Midwest. Random Sweets Blog: h...

How do you make contest-winning caramel brownies? Smoke Cheez-It crackers? Where is the best bakery in Minnesota to get a glazed blueberry or old-fashioned doughnut? Staci Perry Mergenthal, freelance writer, author of Random Sweets blog, TV guest baker, and speaker talks to people who embrace the warm and cozy spirit of everyday living and comfort food in the Midwest. Get the recipes at randomswee...