Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens

If anyone knows how to host a cozy, joyful Thanksgiving dinner, it's my friend Leah Brink. She's been welcoming anywhere from 10 to 29 family and friends around her tables for the past 15 years. Her holiday spreads could be straight out of Better Homes & Gardens or Martha Stewart Living, yet her heart for hospitality is all about warmth, gratitude and joy.

In this cozy and practical episode of Funeral Potatoes & Wool...

I’m joined by Darla Bakker and her three daughters—Andrea Kolstad, Danielle Brandt, and Laura Feller. Darla and her husband, Jeff, live on a farm near Ruthton, Minnesota, where they raised their girls. Today, their daughters are raising families of their own in Minnesota and Nebraska—but one thing hasn’t changed: their love of gathering around the table.

This spring, Darla published her third cookbook—Darla Bakker’s Family Favorites...

In 1987, friends Patty Kratochvil and Carolyn Dotson opened Threads of Memories Antique Mall in Brookings, South Dakota, with a simple idea: combine alterations with the love for antiques—and keep them in the community. Fast forward to 2021, Carolyn’s daughter, Emily Braun, took over the shop and continues the legacy with her own modern touch.

In this episode, Emily and I talk about the journey stepping into small business ownership...

Step into the heart of the home in this episode as we explore Cooking Up History: The Evolution of Kitchens and Cookbooks, a featured exhibit at the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Host Staci Mergenthal talks with Jill Van Veldhuizen, Education Assistant, Molly Engquist, Curator of Exhibits, and Jessie Nesseim, Curator of Collections about how American kitchens—and the cookbooks that fill them—have transformed o...

If you’ve ever found joy in a perfectly rusted garden gate, an old Pyrex bowl like Grandma’s, or the thrill of repurposing a forgotten item into something useful again—this episode is for you.

In Season 3, Episode 9 of Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens, I head to rural Tracy, Minnesota, to visit with Sharon Hohler, the creative and kind-hearted owner of ⁠Homeless Treasures⁠. Tucked away on an acreage just south of town, Homeless T...

Born and raised in South Dakota, Alice Klopstad stayed for college and the start of her corporate career. Then Alaska captured her heart and now she calls it home.

Join me as Alice tells her adventurous and inspiring story of moving to a place where she’s embraced the outdoor lifestyle—hiking, snow machining, fishing, foraging, and filling an entire freezer with fresh-caught halibut and salmon. 

When she’s not exploring Alaska, Ali...

Step into the warm and inviting kitchen of Minnesota native Leah Rodriguez, where baking isn’t just a pastime for her, it’s a way to honor tradition, celebrate family, and embrace joy and faith even in life’s hardest seasons. 

Get ready to laugh and cry in this episode as Leah shares what she puts in her pumpkin bars that make them extra special, a recipe for funeral hot dish with an Asian flare, and how growing up in a family of ...

Today, I’m introducing you to Stacy Brallier, a South Dakota mom, grandma, and keeper of family food traditions. Stacy shares recipes that hold a special place in her heart, including Funfetti cookies, her mom’s peanut butter whirlygigs cookies, and her great-grandma Elsie Edgecomb’s watermelon pickles, and a co-worker’s more updated recipe for watermelon pickles—each one tied to cherished memories. 

For Stacy, food isn't just ab...

Today’s guest is Amanda Runia, a busy mom, South Dakota business owner of In-House Ally, and self-proclaimed non-cook who has still managed to gather an abundance of beloved Midwest comfort food recipes from her family.

Drawing from the kitchens of her mother-in-law, grandmother, and mom, Amanda shares her approach to keeping mealtime manageable and delicious, plus her go-to resources for recipes that bring a little warmth and nos...

You don’t need walking shoes for the Lake Campbell Lutheran Church Cookie Walk. Just an appetite for homemade, tried-and-true Midwestern treats and a giving heart to support local non-profits. 

This year's bake sale is on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 9a.m. Be there early to get in line! They run out of cookies quickly. The church address is 46610 219th Street, Volga, South Dakota. Cash or check only.

Three big-hearted women, the ...

Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm has been more than just a place to pick your own perfect tree—it's been at the heart of holiday traditions for families in the Lake Elmo and Twin Cities Minnesota area for 70 years and counting. 

Spanning four generations, the Krueger family has cultivated not just evergreens but cherished memories, as they continue to welcome visitors with the warmth and magic of the Christmas season. From the fresh...

If you like meat or stories about family businesses that connect producers directly to their customers, you’re going to love this episode with Bruce and Jodie Drager, Allie and Michael Drager, and Mackenzie Drager, half of the Minnesota family of farmers and food enthusiasts behind The Meatery MN.

While sharing meals together on vacation in Oregon, the Drager family dreamed up an ecommerce business that connects the producers of ...

If you drink South Dakota-made wine or beer, Jim Schade and Eldon Nygaard are the guys to thank. Because prior to the South Dakota 1996 Farm Winery Act legalized commercial production of wine in South Dakota, you couldn’t make an alcoholic beverage in South Dakota and sell it since Prohibition. 

So, Eldon came up with the idea to start a legal license for making and selling wine, wrote the legislation and Jim took it to the legisla...

Today’s story is a reminder that not all kids have the luxury of celebrating their birthday with a fun cake, but it’s also a reminder that just one small act of kindness, and a little frosting and sprinkles, can light up a child’s special day, showing them that people care about them and they are not forgotten. 

Meet ⁠For Goodness Cakes Twin Cities⁠ co-chapter leads Carolyn McGovern and Katie Lipe, plus five sprinkle squad voluntee...

This is a classic story of two Midwesterners becoming friends over a grandma's handed-down rhubarb muffin recipe.

Growing up in New Richmond, Wisconsin, Shannon's grandmothers, aunts and mom were great Midwestern cooks. Even so, she didn't watch or pay attention to how they worked their culinary magic in the kitchen or with recipes. Her job was to set the table and clean up after dinner.

Eventually, they rubbed off on h...

He had a self-checkout long before Walmart and Target and he still updates his telephone hotline with garden patch conditions and produce availability. Just call 605-693-4871.

Meet Sanderson Gardens owner Jan Sanderson, the Rhubarb King and developer of the Sanderson Red rhubarb variety.

A visit to Sanderson Gardens on the I-29 corridor just four miles east of Brookings, South Dakota, can mean a quick stop for a pail of strawberri...

What began with a tent purchased from an anonymous $200 donation and Dawnna Berndt’s idea to grow a garden to bring in more income, turned into a family-based vegetable farm market business (Berndt Family Produce) that’s been serving their community of customers in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota for 24 years.

At the time, she and her husband, David, had five young children and even though she admits she knew zilch abou...

Roots go deep in today’s show. Come with me to meet fifth-generation farmers, Taylor and Cassandra Sumption, the founders of Anthem Oats. The couple grows and packages premium, gluten-free oats for retail on nearly 400 acres near Frederick, South Dakota, 27 miles north of Aberdeen on US Highway 281, just seven miles south of the North Dakota border, and their packing and offices operation in Frederick. 

Taylor’s great, great grandp...

It’s almost summer, which means pool and lake parties, family reunions and picnics, camping, and smoking out the neighborhood with your backyard grilling. It’s also time to dig out your library card, visit your local indie bookstore, and pack your beach bag with books on your “want to read” list. 

Today I’m bringing back my friend and book goals hero, Christianne Beringer. First, we are talking about easy appetizers and sides de...