The kids will love the train, you’ll love the time to yourself

Need to get out of the house? Head over to the Java Train Cafe in St. Paul for a midmorning getaway that’ll please both you and the kids.

Inside the Java Train Cafe.

Hanging out inside the two-story train.

There’s a train playhouse inside this cafe. The top floor offers a bird’s-eye view of the cafe, and is eye-level with a model train that clickity-clacks around the kids. If you go in the summer, there’s another playhouse outside. I love a restaurant that provides activities for kids so their parents can enjoy a real conversation with other adults.

The Java Train menu is extensive, with sandwich options such as quesadillas, beef and horseradish and  chicken ceasar wraps. Or, make your own pizza. You can also opt for breakfast, which is served all day.

The drink menu includes espressos, cold-press coffee, hot chocolates and a variety of teas, as well as a wild berry yogurt smoothie, steamers and Italian sodas.

And did I mention they have ice cream?

Yep, the owners of Java Cafe definitely had families in mind when they fashioned this cafe, situated just off Como between the state fairgrounds and Como Park.

The Java Train Cafe is midway between the state fairgrounds and Como Zoo.

Java Train Cafe

1341 Pascal Street N.

St. Paul, MN 55108

http://javatraincafe.com

651-646-9179

Hours: Sunday - Thursday 7am - 9pm, Friday & Saturday 7am - 9pm

When I need to do SOMETHING for the sick

When someone’s sick, I feel compelled to DO SOMETHING. And so, I cook them casseroles.  Or more precisely, “bakes”, because I had the word “casserole.” It’s too church potlucky for me.

I think these disposable aluminum baking pans are useful when sending casseroles to others. Then no one has to worry about returning a dish. I also pick up used glass ones at garage sales and thrift shops.

I’ll never forget when my husband’s friend stopped by after I gave birth to my daughter. She had two frozen pizzas in her hands. What a lifesaver. There was no way I was thinking about cooking dinner, and because of those two frozen pizzas I didn’t have to for a few days.

And so since, I’ve decided that cooking and freezing a few meals is something I can do after someone has a baby or after they’ve been in the hospital. It’s often hard to figure out what you can do when, say, someone’s been diagnosed with cancer. You really want to help, but how? Making meals is a great option.

I bought “Can I freeze it?”, a book about freezing foods, in order to discover what I can and cannot put in a casserole. There are some recipes in the book, but not really what I was looking for: too complicated. What I most appreciate is the short section at the start where author Susie Theodorou talks about how to freeze foods and what foods don’t freeze well. Stay away from eggs, mayonnaise, cabbage, celery, and salad greens. I haven’t experiemented much with recipes that require rice or potatoes, but I do a lot with noodles. Plus, I think  that spaghetti-type meals are comfort food for most Americans. A better "How to" source is www.budget101.com/tips-n-tricks/59819-how-freeze-casseroles.html.

I like to pop an extra bit of “health” in all the stuff I cook, so I use frozen spinach like herbs (it’s high in iron and other great nutrients): break it up with your fingers as you add it to a dish. I am known to throw shredded carrots into lots of different stuff. I also like to throw beans into casseroles for that extra protein punch.

I buy those disposible tin pans to freeze the bakes in. That way neither I nor the folks I send the food home with have to worry about returning dishes.

Be sure to write the name of the dish and recipes for cooking it on the cover. It takes longer to cook a frozen casserole; a good rule of thumb is one hour at 350º.

Another option is to freeze part of a batch of soup you make. Throw it in a ziplock bag and then spread it flat in the freezer so it is easier to stack when fully frozen.

Here are a few recipes I like. I’ve removed the bake at for how long information, as you don’t need to bake the casseroles before you freeze them.

Italian Pasta and Bean Casserole

(Taste of Home web site)

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 can (28 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (15-1/2 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 pound mostaccioli, rigatoni or macaroni, cooked and drained

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound shredded Fontina or mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, saute first six ingredients, crumbling with a fork, until the meat is browned

and done. Drain. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and kidney beans; heat through.

Add pasta, Parmesan cheese and parsley; toss well. Spoon into a greased shallow 4-qt. baking

dish; sprinkle with Fontina or mozzarella cheese.  Yield: 8-10 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 579 calories, 26 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 96 mg

cholesterol, 1,417 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 36 g protein.

PIzza Casserole

(Taste of Home web site)

3 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce

2 jars (4-1/2 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Dash pepper

1 package (16 ounces) wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

2 packages (3-1/2 ounces each) sliced pepperoni

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a Dutch oven, brown beef and onion over medium heat until meat is

no longer pink; drain. Add spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, salt, garlic

powder, oregano and pepper; heat through. Spoon 4 cups of meat mixture into your dish. Top with half of the noodles, pepperoni and cheeses. Repeat layers. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 534 calories, 26 g fat (13 g

saturated fat), 131 mg cholesterol, 1,009 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate,

3 g fiber, 37 g protein.

Greek Pasta Bake

(Taste of Home web site)

1 package (13-1/4 ounces) whole wheat penne pasta

4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped green pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, olives, onion, green pepper, basil and oregano. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheeses.  Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: One serving: 1-1/2 cups; Calories: 366; Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 62 mg; Sodium: 847 mg; Carbohydrate: 43 g; Fiber: 6 g; Protein: 32 g

Diabetic Exchange: 3 very lean meat,2-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

And the coolest bookstore award goes to...

The coolest bookstore in the world is located in downtown Rochester, Minn. You’ll agree with me as soon as you step inside.

My friends and I stumbled into the bookstore while walking through Rochester’s skyways last winter. We rounded a corner and suddenly we were inside a French castle, filled with books. Our mouths dropped open as we took in the elaborately painted side walls. Then our gaze went upwards and we viewed a midnight sky on the ceiling.

Like any Barnes and Noble, this one is full of books and a Starbucks coffee shop. Grab a cup of coffee and sit a spell. There’s a lot to look at. Truly, you won’t want to leave. We started on the second floor and then headed downstairs and out the elaborate main doors, stepping out under the grand entrance. We were up and were as amazed by the outside structure as the inside design. What a place.

It is well deserving of its designation to the National Register of Historic Places.





HERE IS A BIT MORE FROM THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE
• Although the theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, it closed on October 2, 1983, with the 1934 movie classic "It Happened One Night," starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Following nearly 11 years of debate, negotiation, and ultimately $4 million of renovation, Barnes & Noble reopened the doors of the Chateau Theatre on July 1, 1994.

• With construction costs of a then-unheard-of $400,000, the theatre opened on October 26, 1927.


• The theatre originally had 1,487 red velvet seats, compared to today's "theaters," which generally seat 200 at most.

• The Chateau Theatre was one of Rochester's first air-conditioned buildings, presenting plays, concerts, operas, silent and later talking movies, and vaudeville: In 1940, 25 cents' admission provided audiences 3 acts of music/magic/juggling, "Pathé news," comedy, and a main show.

• The original film projection booth sits above the second floor balcony, hidden behind the giant Barnes & Noble mural. Because of the theatre's historic nature and a desire not to disturb its decorative side walls — which replicate an early French (Normandy) village — the floor is attached only at the building's front and back walls while also supported by main floor pillars. The castle, with 40 balconies and 20' high turrets, resembles a 10 century French castle (chateau). Originally, passageways extended for actors to appear at the numerous windows and balconies.

• The theatre ceiling is still the same dark blue as the original. The constellations, which once twinkled as dramatic scenes gradually changed from day to night, are still visible although difficult to see because of the larger spotlights later installed by Barnes & Noble. In addition to a "moon machine," also still present but no longer functioning is a cloud machine, once used to project shadows of clouds across the ceiling. The pipe organ playing for melodrama and silent movies was located on the west side of the current children's book section; organ pipes were housed in the castle gate. The proscenium arch at the top of the escalator rises above the Chateau Theatre's former stage, which measured 33 feet across and along with the organ rose to audience eye level at the start of each performance. Along with multiple dressing rooms, backstage included metal stairs climbing five flights, with showers and toilets at every other level.



IF YOU GO
Rochester Downtown
Chateau Theatre
15 First Street SW
Rochester, MN 55902
507-288-3848
Store Hours
Sun 11:00AM-8:00PM | Mon-Fri 8:00AM-9:00PM | Sat 9:00AM-9:00PM

Up close and personal with a famous author -- does being in the audience count as up close?

What I have always loved about the city is the opportunities to see amazing theatrical performances, hear live music and listen to talented authors. We certainly got talent in Cambridge, but there’s a lot more of it in the Twin Cities.

Recently I had the opportunity to hear Leslie Marmon Silko speak, the author who wrote “Ceremony,” which has sold 1 million copies. (I want to write a book that popular some day!) She read the audience at the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis excerpts from her newly released memoir, “The Turquoise Ledge.” 

Silko told the packed room that she agreed to write a memoir before realizing what the genre had become. After doing some research she decided to do things differently. “It looked like the genre needed help,” she remarked. So she made her memoir into an article of history. It has lots of rattlesnakes and few humans. “I was a bit tired of humans at the time,” she admitted.

She realized that one of the most disturbing things in writing about your own life is learning “the bald facts” about one’s own family. That’s why she typically writes fiction.

Silko reminisced about how some called her book, “Almanac of the Dead,” prophetic after the Zapistas revolted just as she’d written years earlier. She was interviewed by her local television station. “As if I knew anything. I’m just a novelist,” she stated.

Join fight for Chloe

Chloe is an amazing little girl who died last year of MLD. I wrote a story about her and her family for the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. On Saturday, Oct. 8 there will be a benefit for her. This is an amazing family who could use your support. Attend the 5K/Coffee Stroll around Lake Nokomis; registration starts at 8 a.m. and the race/walk starts at 9 a.m. More details can be found at ChloesFight.org.  


100% of the proceeds will go to the MLD foundation and will be dedicated to research conducted by Dr Paul Orchard from the Inherited Metabolic and Storage Disease Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at the University of Minnesota and research conducted by Brains4Brain at the European Task Force on Brain and Neurodegenerative Lysomal Storage Diseases. Taking part in “Chloe’s Fight” race is your opportunity to do something meaningful while having a lot of fun.


Read my story here: http://stories-i-tell.blogspot.com/2011/10/join-fight-for-chloe.html

My first year as city girl

I have been a Minneapolis resident for one full year.

This is one of bridges I love best in Minneapolis. It provides a way for those on the Greenway to travel safely across Hiawatha Avenue.

I still haven’t eaten at all of the restaurants within a 10-block radius. Back home, I had not only eaten at all the restaurants in town, but I’d worked at half of them. I don’t have a favorite grocery store, although I’m narrowing my choices down. Sadly, there isn’t a natural foods co-op closer than 15 minutes away, but many of the groceries stores have a good selection of organic foods. (And I don’t think I should drive more than five minutes for anything.)

I’m learning new routes to avoid the traffic jams. I picked this house because of it’s proximity to a major street, Hiawatha Ave., but now I avoid that road at all costs. Driving on Hiawatha Avenue is a sure way to get me boiling mad and frustrated. It’s all about waiting for traffic. That’s the reason why I didn’t move to the suburbs; the wait at lights can be 7 to 10 minutes. And so I take Cedar. It’s narrower, but the lights change quick.

I’m not a city girl by any means, but I’m figuring out how to survive down here.

HERE ARE THE IMPORTANT LESSONS I’VE LEARNED SO THIS COUNTRY GIRL CAN SURVIVE:
•Just stay home between 3 and 7 p.m. The roads are clogged and getting around is a lesson in frustration. So, I save myself the hassle and stay home.
• Even though the distance isn’t far on a map doesn’t mean you’ll get there in five minutes. Nope. Better plan on 10 or 15 or 20 — 30 during rush hour or if there’s construction. There are lots of stoplights, cars and people. I used to be envious of city folks because everything was just 20 minutes away. That was when I had one store to buy clothes at in my hometown. But now I realize that EVERYTHING is 20 minutes away — whether I’m heading for a surburb and just going down the street.
• Use GPS. Always. Now, I’ve always been the kind of girl who couldn’t get lost. I never lost North. But down here... I’m lost. A lot. Exits curve off in a different direction. Buildings are tall. I’m coming from the south rather than the north, so exits are different. I can’t count on the route being the same that I was used to. And so I plug my destination in my phone’s GPS unit every time. Then, if I don’t need it I can congratulate myself. And when I do (which is usually, though it’s getting to be less and less), I can make it where I’m heading - instead of drving round and round.
• Driving takes a lot of concentration. A lot. I’ve always prided myself on being a good driver. No accidents on my record. Just the occassional speeding ticket. But down here there is SO MUCH to look out for. Other cars with driver’s who don’t know what they’re doing. Pedestrians. Bicyclists. Mopeds. Trains. Stop lights that hard to see because they aren’t above the lanes but just on the side of the road. Construction workers. Buses that stop frequently.
• Watch out for the bicylists. They think they own the road and that you shouldn’t be driving a gas-hogging vehicle. Because of that, they won’t watch out for you. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to hit a bicylist.  I sure don’t.

Get wet - indoor water parks 2 of 2

If you’re like me, you’re mourning the hot weather and want to get back in the water. Tis the season for indoor water parks. There are plenty around.

As a mother of a toddler, I know the things I look for in a water park are specific to my daughter’s age. I want her to be able to splash around without getting too close to really deep water. She likes slides that aren’t too big. Right now one that is about four feet off the ground means we are both happy. I don’t like slides that are covered because I can’t go down it with her.

The first indoor waterpark I took my daughter to in Brooklyn Center (Grand Rios at the Ramada) has been shut down after someone drowned on one of the big slides. This would be a good place to remind folks that if you don’t know how to swim, a waterpark might not be the best place for you. Consider swim lessons first, and use lifejackets and close supervision for the small ones. (The best lifejacket out there is a puddlejumper for kids. Gives them so much confidence.)

Last winter, we swam several times at Lifetime Fitness pools. Most of them are pretty basic (the St. Louis Park one has a saltwater pool!), but they serve the purpose of getting wet and exercising a bit. Plus, when you get out, you can head straight to the hot tub. Ah. So relaxing. Maybe I should be writing a list of best hot tubs...

Here are two indoor waterparks I recommend:

For more information, browse http://www.ci.maple-grove.mn.us/content/149/305/default.aspx

• Maple Grove Community Center, The Grove Cove
This pool with fun features is shared with the adjacent Lifetime Fitness. There are several areas: a lap pool that’s seperate from the others, and another that starts with zero entry and eventually becomes a deep pool. A waterslide empties into that area. I’ve hard that the outside pool is fun in the summer, but alas, we didn’t make it there this year. (Summers are just too short!)

This is pretty much all the little girls had to play on.

The place definitely LOOKS cool!

I loved the decor. The hotel rooms were great. Nothing ugly here.

• Chaos Water Park, Eau Claire, Wis.
Looking for an overnight trip? Eau Claire only an hour or so from the Twin Cities; it’s just far enough that you’ll feel like you’re leaving town but you won’t have to hear too many “Are we there yets?!” I have to confess I was more enamoured of the hotel rooms than the water park. They are just so cool! It’s a brand new hotel and it’s very stylish without being overdone. (But they don’t have mini-fridges in the rooms. Bummer.) There are numerous room/waterpark packages, but mostly just for families of four. It didn’t do my family of three much good. I thought the waterpark area could have been better designed. There was very little for the ones under three to do. I’m not a fan of covered slides because I can’t go down them with my kid, and that’s all they had. They have three big slides — which were tons of fun for the older kids and adults. We were on the lazy river a lot. And that was about it. You won’t want to stay longer than one night, but you’re sure to enjoy yourself.

This is what the way home looks like.

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