Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

“Love your neighbor” as the Rice County Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign kicks off November 18, 2025

People gather for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign Kickoff. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

MINI RED DONATION KETTLES decorated tables in the Faribault Lutheran School gym, site of the annual Rice County Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign Kickoff on Sunday, November 16. I was among the many who showed up to support this faith-based social services organization serving people in need. It is a non-profit that takes the biblical words, “Love your neighbor,” and puts them into action.

Via this kickoff event and also from donations received throughout the holiday bell-ringing campaign and into 2026, the county chapter aims to raise $100,000. Those monies will provide assistance for food, clothing, housing, travel expenses and more in addition to emergency aid for those in need and/or during a natural disaster. If the goal is reached, $88,000 stays in the county with the rest going to the larger Salvation Army organization for administrative costs.

Volunteer Mary Sanborn greets people as they arrive for the event. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

The all volunteer-run county chapter works with the Community Action Center, Three Rivers Community Action and Rice County to provide assistance. The organization does a lot with housing and helping the homeless, according to local board members who spoke.

Additionally, Rice County’s Salvation Army unit offers a shoe program for school-age children, free camping adventures and Shop-with-a-Cop providing free winter gear to eligible elementary school students. Personal care items are also given to local organizations offering meal programs. All of these require lots of dollars and the need is anticipated to grow.

At Sunday’s event, donations flowed as county chapter secretary Rose Marraccini encouraged the crowd to give to their neighbors. “Do what you can with what you have where you are at.” I like that simple, clear directive recognizing that some can give more than others, but that every gift helps no matter how big or small.

Mini donation kettles with a message of gratitude. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

Atop each tabletop red kettle, a thank you message read, “Gratitude is the music of the heart, when its chords are swept by the breeze of kindness.”

Old Country Boys provided musical entertainment. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)
Signage identifies the band playing on the gymnasium stage. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)
The music got this couple up and dancing. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

Music by the Old Country Boys was part of Sunday’s fundraising event. From Simon & Garfunkel to Johnny Cash, the tunes created a fun and relaxing vibe as folks visited and enjoyed complimentary slices of homemade pie purchased from and made by the Trinity Piemakers.

A volunteer helps with the pies. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)
A woman carries a variety of pies to her tablemates. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)
Auctioning off pies. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

Later, whole pies were auctioned off. An apple pie fetched a winning $100 bid. A peach pie got $55. Strawberry-rhubarb, Dutch apple and cherry got $50 bids. On and on the bidding went of blueberry, apple-cranberry and more with all monies going to the Salvation Army.

Looking at and dropping raffle tickets in baskets. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)
A string of raffle tickets stretches along a tabletop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)
A large poster on the gym wall thanks supporters of the kickoff event. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

And then the basket raffle, with items donated by businesses and individuals, raised even more funds to help our neighbors in need in Rice County. Strings of tickets covered tables and even flowed onto the floor as donors compared the numbers on their tickets to the winning numbers called. My hopes of winning a one-hour massage did not come to fruition. Randy and I won nothing.

Karen Twiehoff listens and watches during the event. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

But in a way we did. We, like others attending, won by giving. We experienced the satisfaction which comes in knowing that, in some small way, our monetary contributions will help our neighbors in need. Thus far in 2025, the local Salvation Army unit has assisted 274 Rice County families in crisis.

In reality, we are all only a crisis away from needing help. And that’s important to remember as we go about our daily lives while some of our neighbors struggle just to put food on the table.

Randy Twiehoff has been a long-time volunteer and leader with the Rice County Salvation Army. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

FYI: Volunteers are still needed to ring bells during the holiday season. Sign up at RegisterToRing.com. A local office with a social worker is based at 617 Third Avenue Northwest in Faribault.

Additionally, there’s another opportunity to “love your neighbor.” Little Prairie United Methodist Church, 2980 130th St. E., rural Dundas, is hosting a Fall Ham Dinner from 4-8 pm Saturday, November 22. All profits will go equally to the Community Action Center food shelves in Faribault and Northfield. The Masonic Lodge of Northfield is matching donations to the CAC at this event, up to $10,000. For details on the dinner, click here.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Pi or pie March 14, 2025

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 2:54 PM
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Pecan pie served at a church event. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

MY GRANDSON UNDERSTANDS pi. I don’t. Did I mention that Isaac only recently turned six and is in kindergarten? His dad, a math major and actuary, taught him about pi some time ago.

Today my daughter texted a photo of Isaac displaying the pi formula, as he wrote it number-by-number. Isaac wanted to stay home from school so he didn’t miss Pi Day. Not sure what he would miss since his mom is, like me, mathematically-challenged and Dad was working. But who understands how a six-year-old mathematician’s mind works? Not me.

Given he couldn’t skip school, Isaac informed his mom that he would drink an infinite amount of water today because pi is infinite. That seems logical, although I would opt for an infinite amount of pie.

To all of you math nerds (and I mean that in the kindest way)—and that includes my son, a son-in-law, granddaughter, Isaac and a sister-in-law—enjoy your pi. I’ll never understand. But pie? Yup, that I understand.

One of my favorite places to purchase homemade pie is at the North Morristown Fourth of July celebration. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

For all you pie lovers, here’s an easy-to-make, healthy pie that is a family favorite. What types of pie do you especially like?

Chocolate Tofu Pie

10-12 oz. soft silken tofu

10 oz. dark chocolate chips

1-2 tsp. vanilla

9” graham cracker pie crust

In blender, blend tofu until smooth. Add vanilla. Blend again. Melt chocolate chips. Add melted chocolate to tofu in blender and mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours minimum. This keeps well in the fridge for several days. Serve with sliced strawberries, optional.

Tips: If you can’t find soft silken tofu, soft or firm will work. It just takes a lot more time to blend. Cut the tofu into chunks for easier blending. Also, if you are serving this to kids or picky adults, don’t mention the word “tofu.”

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Make that pie, please, not pi March 14, 2023

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 12:06 PM
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A sign marks the pie booth at the North Morristown, Minnesota, Fourth of July celebration. This is my kind of “pi.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

ON THIS, PI DAY and the International Day of Mathematics, I openly admit that I dislike math. I’ve never been good with numbers, never got the early intervention in grade school to help me with the dreaded fractions and other math challenges. And let’s not even discuss how much I disliked word problems. Reflecting as an adult, those problems seem particularly useful in everyday mathematics application. But back in the day, I could not wrap my brain around solving them. And back in the day, my school did not offer extra help to students struggling in any subject.

Moving into junior high school, my dislike of math only intensified. One particular math teacher, who shall go unnamed, scared me to death. He would call students to the blackboard to solve math equations. Talk about intimidating, terrifying and humiliating for those of us who were not good in math, but which he expected to be good in math because, hey, he was. I hope teachers no longer do that—call students to the front of the class to solve math problems.

Then came high school and the dreaded, required algebra. That I made it through that class without failing is still almost incomprehensible. Again, my brain could not understand what letters and exponents had to do with numbers. To this day, I don’t get it and I’m all too happy to leave algebra back in the early 1970s.

Thankfully, the next generations have not inherited my math deficiencies. My son holds a math minor to supplement his computer science degree. And my two grandchildren excel in math. The first grader is in an advanced math class. I can ask Isabelle to solve a math equation well beyond what a nearly 7-year-old should know and I can almost see her brain spinning as she pops out the answer, boom, just like that.

A previous wristwatch of mine. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Isaac, who recently turned four, shows the same developing math strengths. When he stayed with us last week, he was writing digital time in squares across sheets of paper. He started with 1:00, finished at 1:59 and then started with 2:00, reaching 2:59. Early on, he was fascinated by my wristwatch, which I often removed from my arm and slipped onto his. He also liked my vintage alarm clock collection and our wall clock. But mostly, Isaac simply loves numbers.

That their dad, Marc, holds a math degree and works as an actuary likely factors into the grandkids’ math interests and skills. I am grateful they won’t struggle with math like their grandma did all through school.

And then there’s my sister-in-law Rosie, a retired math teacher. No questioning that she loves math.

Homemade blueberry pie purchased at the North Morristown Fourth of July celebration. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

But me? Nope. Math-lovers may be celebrating Pi Day today (what does “pi” even mean?), but not me. I’d rather have the pie you can eat, thank you.

TELL ME: Are you good in math? Do you like math? Did you have any experiences like mine in school?

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Yes, please, to pie October 17, 2022

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
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Perkins in Monticello advertised free pie. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2022)

PIE. Who loves a good pie? I do.

A few months back while passing through Monticello on the way to a family reunion, I noticed an eye-catching FREE PIE MONDAY sign and cherry pie graphic on the window of Perkins® Restaurant & Bakery. It was enough to make me wish the day was Monday rather than Saturday.

I can’t tell you the last time I dined at Perkins, but it’s probably been decades. I prefer home-grown to chain restaurants.

Yet, the offer of free pie…

As far as I can tell, the 11 am – 9 pm free pie on Monday comes with the purchase of an entree. Reviews of Perkins’ pie point to good pie. I’d need to sample it to offer my opinion. Make that blueberry, please, or French Silk.

Now it’s your turn. If you’ve indulged in Perkins’ pie, how is it? Or where have you found really good pie? What’s your favorite type? This is, after all, pie season.

© Copyright 2022 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Looking for the “best of” places to dine in small towns & two recommendations April 10, 2018

Sapporo Ramen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo May 2016.

 

MY FIRST AND ONLY ATTEMPT ever to eat with chopsticks happened nearly two years ago at Sapporo Ramen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I tried to position my fingers like my son demonstrated, to clamp the slippery ramen noodles between thin sticks and then maneuver the food to my mouth. I failed.

 

A ramen dish at Sapporo Ramen, Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo May 2016.

 

I was hungry. A spoon would work just fine, thank you.

I’ll admit, I haven’t had all that much exposure to ethnic foods. Choices are limited here in Greater Minnesota, the name tagged to any place outside the Twin Cities metro. Typical restaurant fare around here is standard American. Any ethnic restaurants are primarily Mexican.

 

One of my favorite burgers, the Strawberry Hill Burger, served at Fielder’s Choice in Northfield, Minnesota. The burger features peanut butter, strawberry jam, pepperjack cheese and bacon. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

I often wish we had more creative choices in dining. But the reality is that folks seem to like the usual burgers and fries, chicken sandwiches, deep-fried fish, the occasional steak—familiar foods to Minnesotans.

 

The Amboy Cottage Cafe. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo July 2013.

 

Because of cost, I don’t dine out all that often. So when I do, I want something different, something I can’t prepare at home, something tasty and fresh and definitely something made from scratch. When I think about really good food that I’ve eaten at Minnesota restaurants, two places pop to mind—The Amboy Cottage Cafe and The Good Life Cafe.

 

My incredible raspberry chicken salad. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo July 2013.

 

Spaghetti with homemade meatballs and sauce. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo July 2013.

 

Homemade blackberry pie. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo July 2013.

 

Five years ago Randy and I ate at the Cottage Cafe in Amboy south of Mankato. We specifically stopped in this small town to dine in the 1928 cottage style former gas station. I’d read about the great homemade food. There I enjoyed the best salad ever—raspberry chicken—while Randy had spaghetti with homemade meatballs and sauce. Both were superb as was our shared slice of blackberry pie. I need to revisit this restaurant.

 

My Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish with salad and bread on the side from The Good Life Cafe. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo September 2017.

 

Some 4.5 hours to the north in the tourist community of Park Rapids I found another hometown restaurant that served up one memorable dish. That would be The Good Life Cafe and the Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish. I loved the creamy, savory flavor of the hotdish (casserole to those of you not from Minnesota), so comforting and delicious on a cool and rainy September day.

How about you? What do you look for when dining out? Tell me about a favorite restaurant and/or meal. I’m especially interested in hearing about restaurants in small (Minnesota) towns.

 

© Copyright 2018 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A healthier version of your typical Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, plus chocolate November 17, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:23 AM
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MY FRIEND MANDY is sweet and giving and super smart.

She is also a two-time cancer survivor, an avid gardener and a bit of a health food nut. Her enthusiasm for eating healthy is contagious, although contagious is not really the correct word to correlate with healthy.

Let’s just say she is convincing. And she does not simply talk the talk. This 36-year-old nurse practitioner by profession and parish nurse via volunteerism eats healthy and is leading healthy living workshops, offering food samples and recipes, striving to drive home her message.

She cans and freezes all that produce goodness grown on the rural acreage she shares with her husband, Jeff, east of Faribault.

And then she gives it away. Not everything. But plenty.

Just a few days ago, while attending bible study at Mandy and Jeff’s house, I left with two 16-ounce pouches of frozen pumpkin and another packet of green beans. Only two days earlier she had handed me two sealed pouches of still-warm-from-the-oven pumpkin.

My friend insisted that none of us should buy canned pumpkin and I had to confess that I had two cans in the cupboard. Mandy said she would forgive me this time.

And just to prove that healthy eating can be as tasty as she claims, Mandy served our bible study group two pies. Not until afterward, however, did she reveal that both include tofu. I knew, though, as Mandy had informed me ahead of time and I’ve actually made the chocolate pie several times.

So, if you are looking for a healthier alternative to the typical pies you may be baking for Thanksgiving, here are two recipes that will fool those tofu naysayers. I’m making these. But not until after my brother-in-law and a few other family members have finished off their slices of pie will I reveal the ingredients. Or, perhaps I should remain silent.

Pumpkin and other pies, not the healthy variety that includes tofu, at an event I attended last year.

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

1 can (16 ounces) 100% pumpkin puree
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 package (12 or 12 ½ ounces) soft tofu, processed in blender until smooth
9-inch unbaked, whole wheat pie shell (or you can use a regular unbaked crust in a deep dish pie pan, but this is not quite as healthy)

Preparation: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream together pumpkin and sugar. Add salt, spices and tofu; mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 – 50 minutes. Chill and serve. Makes 8 servings.

Source: The Anti-Cancer Cookbook via Mandy

You could choose to make this calorie and fat-laden (but super delicous) chocolate cheesecake or try the healthier chocoloate pie recipe below. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert and I will never give it up, FYI.

Chocolate Cream Pie

10 -12 oz. soft silken tofu
10 oz. dark chocolate chips
1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla
9-inch graham cracker crust

Blend the soft silken tofu in a blender until smooth. Add vanilla. Blend again. Melt chocolate. Add chocolate to tofu in blender and blend until thoroughly mixed. Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate 1 – 2 hours. May top with sliced strawberries and chopped walnuts if desired.

Source: from Mandy and her source, unknown by me

I HAVE MADE the chocolate pie several times to rave reviews from guests and the husband and teenage son, who likely would not have tried this had they heard the word “tofu.” This pie is super simple to make and delicious.

Make certain you purchase soft silken tofu, not firm, if you make these recipes. I have not made the pumpkin pie, but can vouch that it tastes just like regular pumpkin pie and was especially delicious with pumpkin from Mandy’s garden.

Note that I shopped at two different grocery stores here in Faribault during the last several days for soft silken tofu without success. The one Faribault grocery store where I’ve purchased tofu in the past was out of the soft variety. The other store never carries it, nor do two other grocery stores in town. My point: Plan ahead.

© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

One final visit to Stockholm. Wisconsin. Not Sweden. November 8, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:18 AM
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Shops, eateries and more line the streets of Stockholm, a quaint village along Lake Pepin. This photo was taken in early October. To the left you'll see blue bikes, available for visitors to use at no cost.

TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN in Stockholm (Wisconsin. Not Sweden):

If only I had known about the bribe.

I would have accepted your offer, the one I found listed under “Stockholm News & Media” on your website:

Are you a writer, blogger, reviewer, photographer with a web site? Let us bribe you (how about a fresh cup of expresso from Stockholm General, a piece of pie from the Stockholm Pie Company, lunch at Bogus Creek Café, a beer at Gelly’s, a ticket to an event at the Widespot?) in exchange for your coverage!

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And, yes.

While I’ve never drank an expresso, I’m certainly open to trying one. I like pie. A lot. I do lunch. Yes, I’ll toast your town with an icy mug of beer. And, yes, I always enjoy being entertained.

I was too full from lunch across the river in Wabasha to try the Stockholm Pie Company's pie, made completely from scratch. Not that I wasn't tempted to try a slice of caramel apple crunch or key lime or peanut butter fudge. I even stepped inside this tiny shop to smell the baking pies. Next time I'll save room for dessert.

However, dear people of Stockholm (Wisconsin. Not Sweden.) and dear readers of Minnesota Prairie Roots, my writing has not been influenced, not one teeny bit, by offers of free anything. My three previous, glowing posts from Stockholm were written from the heart. Simply put, I fell head-over-heels for this quaint Lake Pepin-side village of 89 without any undue influence.

Today I’ll take you on one last visit to this destination town just across the Mississippi River from Minnesota. Enjoy. And if you’ve been to Stockholm, Wisconsin, not Sweden, I’d like to hear what you most appreciate/relish/savor about this riverside get-away.

And if you own a business or live in Stockholm, submit a comment and tell readers why you love your village and why they should visit.

P.S. I’ll be back for the pie and the lunch and the…

One of the many shops lining the streets of Stockholm.

One of my favorite finds, a lizzard crafted from old silverware and more and lounging outside a shop. No, I didn't purchase this critter, but I certainly admired the creativity.

I notice details, especially signs, windows and doors, including this door on the Stockholm Museum.

The Stockholm Museum, home to the Stockholm Institute which preserves and celebrates the history of the Stockholm area, is housed in a former post office.

On the museum exterior, I discovered this handcrafted tribute to WW II vets.

The lovely Abode gallery, where my artist friend Arlene Rolf of Faribault has artwork displayed.

Another business door and signage that caught my eye. It's all about the details, my friends, all about the details.

A residence, I assume, since the steps were marked with a "private" sign. So inviting and lovely, just like all of Stockholm.

To read my previous posts from Stockholm, click on each story link below:

Russell, the Bookseller of Stockholm

A bit of Sweden in Wisconsin

A garage sale in Stockholm, Wisconsin

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Bottled apple pie and Amish butter in Tomah November 2, 2011

UP UNTIL SUNDAY, Tomah, Wisconsin, meant little to me except as the half-way point between my home 2 ½ hours away in southeastern Minnesota and my daughter Miranda’s home 2 ½ hours away in eastern Wisconsin.

Located near the intersection of Interstates 90 and 94, this town of around 10,000 has been the ideal place to stop and stretch before jumping onto two-lane, wood-edged Wisconsin State Highway 21 which runs through umpteen mostly tiny towns all the way to Oshkosh. Not that I have an issue with small towns and woods and such. But if you want to make time and avoid deer, this highway is not the one to take.

Sorry, I got sidetracked there for a minute thinking of the long stretches of woods without a home in sight, miles and miles without cell phone service, cranberry bogs hugging the roadway, dead muskrats and dead deer.

Oh, and one other tidbit you should know about Highway 21. Amish travel this narrow and busy state highway. In their buggies. Day or night. And especially on Sundays.

But back to Tomah, which, by the way, also happens to have a fabulous cheese shop, Humbird Cheese, conveniently positioned right off I-94 at its intersection with Highway 21.

Humbird Cheese, a popular tourist stop at Tomah, Wisconsin.

On Sunday, I wasn’t looking for a cheese shop, but rather a place where my husband and I could meet our daughter and her friend Gerardo for lunch and a car swap. That’s how we ended up at Burnstad’s European Restaurant, Village and Pub. I found information about this shopping and eating complex online and determined it would be the ideal place to connect. If one or the other of us had to wait, we’d have something to do.

Burnstad’s, as it turns out, offers plenty of time-killing shopping options. I was most happy to see Amish products sold here as I am fascinated by the Amish. Not that I bought anything Amish, like a log of Amish butter or cheese or chocolate candy or egg noodles or preserves.

Amish Country Roll Butter from ALCAM Creamery Co. and sold at Burnstad's.

But…I could have…if my husband hadn’t dropped money on a bottle of semi-sweet cranberry wine from Three Lakes Winery; Travis Hasse’s Original Apple Pie Liqueur produced by Drink Pie Company in Temperance, Michigan, but originating from the Missouri Tavern near Madison (and which we may serve to our Thanksgiving dinner guests if there’s any left by then); and blueberry craisins, which I thought were dried blueberries (they’re not; they’re dried cranberries with grape and blueberry juice concentrate). Lesson learned here—read ingredient lists and know the definition of “craisin.”

Wisconsin cranberry wine displayed in, of all things, a high-heeled shoe. Huh?

"People are looking at you," my husband said when I asked him to hold this bottle of Apple Pie Liqueur so I could photograph it. I replied: "I don't care. I'll never see them again."

All that aside, Burnstad’s rates as one impressive place. Impresssive to me primarily because of the atmosphere—including a cobblestone pathway meandering past the restaurant and pub and gift shops—and cleanliness. Honestly, in the European market/grocery store, the spotless, shiny floor reflected like a lake surface on a calm and sunny summer afternoon. I’ve never seen such a clean floor in a grocery store, or maybe anywhere.

I didn't photograph the floor of the grocery store, because shoppers really would have stared at me. But I did photograph this sign, which so impressed me with its support of Wisconsin farmers.

Then there’s the pie. Oh, the pie. Typically my family doesn’t order dessert in a restaurant. But the pie in the rotating display case proved too tempting, especially when I inquired and learned that the pies are made fresh daily. So Miranda and Gerardo each selected a piece—Door County cherry and rhubarb/raspberry—which the four of us promptly devoured. We were celebrating Gerardo’s October 29 birthday and Miranda’s soon-to-be birthday. If you like pie, Burnstad’s pie is the pie to try. I wonder if it’s made by the Amish?

Speaking of which, right outside the gift shop entrance you’ll see an Amish buggy. I wanted Miranda and Gerardo to pose for a photo. My daughter was having none of that. Since I’m the one semi-possessed by all things Amish, she insisted I climb into the buggy for a photo op. I refused to wedge myself inside the close confines of that buggy. So instead, I stood next to it and smiled a tourist smile like any good Minnesotan would.

I put on my tourist face for this Amish buggy photo. Just down Highway 21 you'll see authentic Amish buggies.

Packers fans will find Packers fans for sale in Burnstad's gift shop, in the Packers section.

A particularly amusing sign I spotted in the gift shop and suitable for either a Minnesotan or a Wisconsinite.

SORRY FOR FAILING to photograph exterior and interior shots of Burnstad’s. I was just too excited about seeing my daughter for the first time in three months that I didn’t get carried away with photo-taking like I typically do.

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling