Warm Up, Minnesota, to this Chicken Chili

Serve your hungry crew a bowl of beautiful, broth-y, home-cooked Minnesota Chicken Chili and you’ll warm their hearts first while their fingers and toes follow. This recipe tastes so darn good on a crisp fall or cool wintery day, especially after coming in from the breezy Lutsen Mountain slopes, hiking the Cascade River State Park trails, snowshoeing the SHT or riding snowmobile trails. It also doubles as a winning game-day pick fit for hungry fans. And, with Super Bowl LII headed for our home state, the timing is right!

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Road Trip: Grand Portage

These wild and remote lands that stretch wide open across Northern Minnesota’s tip of the Arrowhead fill our hearts. Beauty shines and evolves from season to season…a vast gift to take in, appreciating and trying to comprehend the depth of what all this beloved and sacred spanse of Superior shoreline and forest has meant to many, for many generations through centuries of time.

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It’s a Wrap! North Shore Gift Guide

There is so much joy and happiness in choosing special gifts for those we love the most…yet finding the perfect item can be a perfectly exhausting experience. Fortunately (go Minnesota!) we live in a state that may have more amazing makers and crafty creators per capita than anywhere in the world. Well…I don’t have data to support that claim; but, take a peek at this MN-inspired gift round-up and I think you may agree…

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Warm, Woodsy & Welcoming: Duluth’s Detour-Worthy Coffee Shop

Cruising I-35 north toward the Superior Shore, Duluth welcomes travelers like a great aunt…never a cordial handshake, always a collossal hug. There’s the anticipation of the view that awaits around the Thompson Hill bend…a spectacular vista of Lake Superior, spotting the city’s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge in miniature, eyes searching quickly for ships in and near the harbor and zipping along feeling darn pleased to be almost 150 miles closer to vacation! Making tracks toward the heart of the city, we’re typically in need of a quick stretch and a refuel for both the car, the kids and grownups alike. On my last trip to Lutsen, my midway pit stop discovery…Dunn Brothers in Duluth—what a super spot!

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Superior-Made Art Found in Lutsen

Nestled just to the north of Lutsen, MN, there’s a treasure trove of made-from-the-heart art, collectibles, gifts & beautiful goods waiting to be discovered at Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery. Split into a charming two-building haven, this art playground features the works and wares of wonderful North Shore-based and regional artists. The welcoming gallery also offers hands-on painting and crafting workshops for wannabes like me. They even rent cabins near the shore, which are BFF approved for those of us with best furry friends in tow! You’ve got to see the depth of beauty and artistic talent on display at Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery…

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North Shore Décor & More

Strolling through Grand Marais last week, my dear friend Dawn and I were enjoying the welcoming mini-city sights, Superior sounds of the lake’s waves & winds and pretty snowflakes fluttering about. I was excited to pop in to Picnic & Pine, a Minn-spiring storefront on Wisconsin Avenue—it just doesn’t get much more North Shore-friendly! I had met Kelsey, the co-owner, on Facebook a while ago. And she kindly agreed to share a bit about Picnic & Pine, a retail store bursting with cute, clever and cuddly North Shore décor and more. Hope you enjoy this post highlighting an outstanding local shop that is mother-daughter created, owned and operated. Be sure to stop in next time you’re poking around Grand Marais! Continue reading “North Shore Décor & More” →

Minne-Apple Season

Fall in Minnesota…it’s an obsession. The sights, sounds, smells and heart-swells appear at any given moment. Around every single corner you’ll spot autumn’s changing leaves, pumpkins ripening on the vine and pom-pom shaped marigolds blooming till frost. Yet, when it comes to pinpointing a favorite flavor that represents MN around here, apples take the cake…in more ways than one! Continue reading “Minne-Apple Season” →

Lutsen’s Lovely Vista

It’s fall along Minnesota’s North Shore and golden days await, friends. The Sawtooth Mountains that encircle Lutsen become illuminated with autumn’s favorite colors: the yellow-green poplar, amber-hued aspen, flaxen birch, orange and crimson maple. Off-set this striking forested landscape against a magnificent Lake Superior backdrop and prepare for your heart to burst wide open with humble affection for this wondrous state we call home! Earlier this month, our amazing photographer friend Elizabeth_after60 on Instagram visited 142C to take in the October vistas and she captured these amazing images of her Lutsen Mountain gondola adventure for us to enjoy. Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing!

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Panda Lost & Found…in Lutsen!

Oh, those friendly panda bears…they steal our hearts with their dark-chocolate-drop eyes, color-block patterned fur and cuddly disposition. Please know that despite the sensational headline and attention-grabbing photo, Teeny, the bear we’re featuring today, is not real. Rather he’s a really special friend to a really cool kiddo…. Continue reading “Panda Lost & Found…in Lutsen!” →

Lofty Updates from A»Zzz

Hey, there! Thanks for stopping by to sneak a peek at the latest “up”dates Eric and I tackled during our 24-hour blitz visit to Lutsen last weekend. It was a whirlwind tour! The really good news—there are big improvements happening inside our little 142C condo at Caribou Highlands Resort…

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Superior adventures await year round in Lutsen, MN!

Stay and play in Lutsen, along the North Shore of Lake Superior