This article was originally published in the 2008-2009 Ely Winter Times. 2008 editor’s note: The following is a blog entry I stumbled on when I was Googling something else. Better written than 90% of the blogs I’ve read, it stuck with me. I joined the blogspot (my first!) in Albuquerque where it originated – Duke…
It’s 6:30 am on a January morning. Granite, the sled dog, pulls his tail away from his nose to look over the dog yard in hopes that his human is bringing soup. Chris, a dogsledding guide and Granite’s human for the season, has just arrived at the mushers’ shed and is mixing up 10 gallons…
Books for Blizzards: Land of 10,000 Lakes by Patrice Johnson Land of 10,000 Lakes mixes recipes and stories with Minnesota heritage to cook up a book that’s equal parts sentimental and practical. Although she gives a nod to the bland Scandinavian style of Minnesota traditional food, author Patrice Johnson steps boldly into “seasonings outside the…
No-Can Tater Tot Hotdish Serves 9-12 (depending on hunger levels & how blustery it is outside) This recipe comes from Land of 10,000 Plates by Patrice Johnson, one of the featured books from our Books for Blizzards segment in the 2020-2021 Ely Winter Times. For the sauce: 2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1…
This article was originally published in the 2009-2010 edition of the Ely Winter Times. In 1970 a group of ambitious Ely citizens put together a winter event that was to become as big a draw in winter as the Blueberry Festival has become in summer. The booklet for the first race explained, “It is…
This mulled wine recipe is inspired by that served at W.A. Frost, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 1 bottle dry red wine 3/4 cup Triple Sec 1 Tbsp bitters 1 cup cranberry juice 1 cup raisins 3/4 oz fresh ginger 6 whole cardamom pods 8 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1/2 cup sugar Zest of…
This article was originally published in the 2001 Ely Winter Times. Perhaps it was a hold over from the Depression, or maybe it was the power of tradition, but picking out a good Christmas tree was one of the things Dad always took care of for our family. One tough winter when an early…
This article originally appeared in the 2006 Ely Winter Times. It is a cold December night in a garage near Ely. Predictions are for twenty-below. Two figures trudge between the house and the garage, lugging heavy pails, taking advantage of these perfect conditions to work on the project that is their gift to Ely…
Richard Willits first started looking at the night sky through a telescope that his twelve year old son purchased at the Minnesota Science Museum. That son is now 55 years old. Willits went on to develop a hobby for deep space astrophotography in retirement. He spent the last seven years learning the technology and software…
Nordlys Ingredients: 2oz Aalborg Jubileums Aquavit 1oz Green Absinthe 1oz spruce tip infused simple syrup—plain is fine too Juice of one fresh lemon 1/2oz Creme de Violet White from one egg Small handful of ice Shaker Fine cone strainer Coupe glass – Place egg white in shaker and dry shake (no other liquids or ice…