Hamburger
Cubed potatoes
Stewed tomatoes
Tomatoe sauce
Corn
Green beans
Carrot
Salt
Pepper
Brown hamburger, add all to instant pot. Drain corn and green beans.
Cook 40 minutes.
Hamburger Soup
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Chicken in Instant Pot
Gather the following ingredients:
Chicken
Cup of water
Seasoning
Use the rack in the instant pot
Place chicken on the rack. Do not put more in than the line at the top
Add a liquid. I add water up to the bottom of the rack. You can use chicken broth or Crockery Gourmet for chicken mix which will also make gravy.
Season the chicken as you like. If you used water you can pour vinaigrette like salad dressings over the chicken to add flaver.
If frozen cook for about 40 minutes. If thawed it should only take 15- 20 minutes.
Put the lid on and set to seal. Hit manual and set the time. Walk away.
When it is done cooking the timer will count up. You can vent the steam, do not put hand over steam. You can open when the steam has fully released.
If it is bone in chicken it may fall apart.
Serve.
Black Bean, Corn, and Cherry Tomatoes
Gather the following ingredients:
Can of black beans drained
Can of whole kernel corn (no salt is the best) drained
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion (optional)
Salt and fresh pepper
Olive oil
Drain the black beans and rinse in a colander, put in bowl
Drain corn and add to bowl
Cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to bowl
Chop red onion and add to bowl
Add salt (salt is optional) and pepper, lots of pepper
Drizzle olive oil over everything and stir
Serve
Ham and Bean Soup – Instant Pot
Gather the following ingredients:
Cubed ham
15 bean mix – cajun is best even if you don’t use the seasoning
7-8 cups of water
Add all of the ingredients to the pot – you do not need the rack
Put on lid and set venting to seal
Hit manual and set time to 1hr 45 minutes – walk away
When the time has ended the instant pot will count up.
When ready to eat set the top to vent, do not put hand over steam. Once fully vented you can open the lid.
Taste a bean to make sure it is done. If not fully cooked cook for another 15 minutes. It should look more like soup then water and beans when it is ready.
Serve
Hyatt Place Park City, UT
Hyatt Place, 4377 N Hwy 224, Park City, UT 84098
This is the one farthest from Park City and closest to Snyderville, but honestly the two cities are just one long city.
Here is the thing about Hyatt Place, it is trendy. People tend to confuse this with nice and upscale. At this price range I prefer a classic to trendy. I don’t like sliding bathroom doors made out of glass. Glass does not muffle sound and if you are on a romantic vacation there are some sounds you just don’t want to hear.
I will give this hotel one major thumbs up, the breakfast was really good, and better than a typical continental breakfast. The food tasted real and fresh versus reheated like you get at all of the average hotels. I didn’t get a picture and I wished I had, but let’s just say I hate breakfast and I actually looked forward to getting up and going to eat at this particular breakfast spread. It is the level I would expect at a really nice hotel. The breakfast was probably the best thing about this hotel.
The rooms were temperature controlled which means you cannot open a window for fresh air. Being located high up, near really fresh air, that was disappointing, but not completely unexpected. You don’t want guests leaving the windows open in the dead of winter.
The hotel room is expensive because it is a Hyatt and due to the location. There are a lot of things to do in Park City, especially in the winter so the prices shoot up at that time.
Again, location was a plus. We needed to go into Salt Lake City and that was a short drive, scary, but short. We also wanted to go hiking which was everywhere around us. Park City really is a great location for an outdoor adventure: hiking, biking, or skiing.
They do have a swimming pool outdoors if you enjoy that. No one was in it.
If you like trendy the Hyatt Place is the hotel for you. If you like privacy you might want to look at other options. Again, the breakfast was really good so that might be a determining factor, but the price is high as well.
Minnesota Renaissance Festival
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a must see event just southwest of the twin cities. In the past it has been in Shakopee, MN and it sounds like it will be until 2020. It is a grand event that lasts for weeks. Each week has a different theme so choose your weekend wisely. It is only open Saturday and Sunday during the festival.
Weapons are allowed (no firearms, it is the renaissance, not the old west), but you will need to keep your sword peace-tied. They need to be able to add a cable tie that will prevent you from unsheathing your sword. Check out the festival’s FAQ‘s section for more details.
Get your tickets ahead of time to save a little cash. It is open sun or shine so there is no worries about getting rained out.
There are great shows, some of them are even family friendly. Puke and Snot is probably my favorite, super funny show. If the guy who reads poetry shoos your family away from his show there is a reason for it. Of course there is the jousting event held three times a day. If you are lucky you will catch the daily parade.
There are many activities for the children. You can force your children to dual to the death, or until the balloons pop. You can make them climb a tower. We saw a kid make it to the top. It was impressive. There are tons of games and henna tattoos and other stuff.
Last, but not least you will want to bring a few dollars for the food (just ok), drink (Mead honey wine is a must), and clothing and other goods. You can find the clothes you need to dress up for next year at the festival. There are a lot of trade goods like soap, leathers, trinkets, and swords to name a few.
They always suggest eating a turkey leg. It seems cool, but it isn’t actually that great in my opinion. Others love it. I am all about the Mead honey wine even though it is the one alcohol that pushes me down after just one sip. Literally I start stumbling and spilling after a single sip. I don’t know why.
The first year I went to this festival with the girl who would become my first roommate in college. She was really into the festival. I didn’t get it but I had a lot of fun. Now it is something I enjoy doing every couple of years. I like to see all of the outfits people wear and watch the shows. It is just an all around good time.
Wilderness Bay Resort, Park Rapids, MN
Wilderness Bay Resort, 36701 Wilderness Bay Dr, Park Rapids, MN 56470
We were looking for a place close to Itasca State Park to stay and Jon found Wilderness Bay Resort. It was fairly easy to find. It consists of family friendly cabins. Most visitors are return guests.
The owner that was on staff while we were there has a hard time getting around so you need to give her time to get to you. We checked in and were handed the keys to our cabin.
It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it was really pretty nice inside. Ours was a two bedroom (small), with a nice big living room and a convenient kitchen area. You are expected to clean up after yourself before you leave. I think I killed over a dozen flies in that place, but they do provide the fly swatter.
This resort seems to be about fishing since it is on a lake. There is a place where you can clean your fish. They have life jackets and you can rent equipment. There were some paddle boats available that we almost took for a spin, but then didn’t.
There was enough room between neighbors that we didn’t feel crowded. it is the type of place my parents would have taken us as kids.
The view from the enclosed porch was nice. There was a grill and a fire pit available. The porch even had a table and chairs so you could eat out there if you didn’t want to eat inside.
It was a very sweet and laid back place to stay. If you have kids, want to go fishing, or want to stay at a small cabin near Itasca State Park, Wilderness Bay Resort is a good choice.
Super 8, Bemidji, MN
Super 8, 1815 Paul Bunyan Dr NW, Bemidji, MN 56601
We were going to stay at a resort near Bemidji or at a cabin in Lake Bemidji State Park and decided to drive up the night before so that we could get a jump on the vacation. I am pretty sure it was the resort, Wilderness Bay Resort, and our trip to Lake Itasca State Park.
Either way we arrived at Super 8 in Bemidji and were relieved to find a pretty nice, simple hotel. I remember thinking that it was very clean and the management really cared. The front desk was really friendly.
Our room was on the second floor and down a short hallway. Just up the stairs there was an overlook so that you could see the front desk from above and they had items hanging on the wall. I found the decoration to be very neat, it was hockey themed.
The room was clean and pretty big. We got a king I think. The bathroom was very obviously clean. I remember the room being fairly quiet. I think we were away from the other guests.
The breakfast was spot on. It was exactly what you would expect from a continental breakfast in America, but clearly the best parts of that type of breakfast. I am always so happy when they have waffles.
We didn’t know where to eat in Bemidji when we arrived, but luckily this hotel was right next to Four Points Bar and Grill. This place had a delicious and messy burger that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, it seems that the restaurant didn’t make it as I can no longer find it on Google.
If you need a place to rest your head the Super 8 in Bemidji is a good, and affordable option.
The only negative that I found regarding this hotel is getting out of it. There are two paths out, and the front staff will try to steer you in the right direction, but one of those paths is a very sharp left, directly into a right hand turn with heavy traffic circulating through it. You need a quick vehicle with great maneuverability to leave that way. It wasn’t an issue for us, but I could see some people having a hard time leaving via that route. There are other options, but it is something to think about.
Overall I recommend the hotel. That breakfast was pretty good.
Schroeder Baking Company, Schroeder, MN
Schroeder Baking Company, Schroeder, MN
Schroeder Baking Company is one of those little gems that you hope to find in your travels. Every small town has a place where the locals go to visit and eat and drink coffee. Schroeder Baking Company is one of those places. Granted I am pretty sure this bakery is possibly the only places in Schroeder, but if there were fifty places you could go, this would still be the place to go.
The food, wow, you cannot go wrong with whatever you decide to order. We ordered breakfast sandwiches one morning. They heat them up when you order them and hand them to you in a foil wrapper. We took ours outside and wiped the morning dew of the picnic table so that we could sit and enjoy these mouthwatering sandwiches.
Jon sampled a few of their different coffees and he loved them. That says a lot about the taste and quality. They have a few different beans and flavors. It is imported from wherever and clearly the good beans. It is way more than you would expect from a small town and better than a lot of chain coffee shops.
The establishment calls themselves a bakery and they deliver on that statement. Every morning a new selection of baked goods is displayed so that you may make your selection. The thing is, when it is gone, it is gone, and they sell everything, everyday, so get there early.
The food selections don’t end there. Schroeder Baking Company also offers pizza, really good pizza. It is a thinner crust pizza with an incredibly delicious red sauce. The toppings aren’t “fresh”, the mushrooms come out of a can, but you are in the middle of nowhere and it isn’t a frozen pizza that they are unwrapping and cooking for you. They put it all together and cook you a fresh pizza which was delicious. They do simple pizzas so much better up north.
The place is small. Inside you will find two tables and some chairs. If you sit at one expect to share it with others. Outside there is a picnic table or you could put down a blanket and have a picnic. It is a completely picnic worthy area and there is a very a nice view of nature all around you.
The bakery is just down the street from Superior Ridge Resort Motel if you decide to stay there and not far from the Lutsen Resort. Temperance River State Park is right in that area as well. If you are looking for a trail to hike the locals or the staff can point you in the right direction. They have hiked them all.
The place is busy all the time, but not chaos busy, more like a steady stream. Again, the food is really, really good, and reasonably priced. Eat there or take it to go, but stop if you get a chance. You will not be disappointed.
Rocky’s Pizza House, Park Rapids, MN
Rocky’s Pizza House, Park Rapids, MN
South of Itasca State Park is the little town of Park Rapids. There are quite a few places to eat in this town. Some even require reservations. Rocky’s Pizza House is this long log cabin like building with pizza. It was delicious pizza, and not that thick crust that you get in the cities.
This is the kind of pizza that you and a friend order together. You go over to the vending machine, and choose one of the glass bottle drinks that you won’t find at most places.
You sit at one of the booths or tables. Generally families head upstairs, so expect noise if you join them. The upstairs booths are decorated with license plates and other items and the downstairs booths have a clearly different feel.
Your pizza arrives and the two of you devour the entire thing, because, yum. It is cheesy just like a remember pizza as a kid. The sauce is tasty. The crust is thin enough that you can have more than a piece or two, but not crispy like a cracker which some thin crust pizza’s become. It is the perfect pizza.
The upstairs looked like a great environment for the kids, so if you have a family they will enjoy it. The downstairs is perfect for adults that don’t want to deal with all of that excitement. I would highly recommend putting this on your list if you are just north visiting Lake Itasca, or anywhere in the neighborhood of Park Rapids, MN.