I just returned from a reverse migration to Minnesota. It was a short but packed trip to the Northland. All in all a good mix of friends and family. Thanks to my buddy for providing his house as a venue for the great McKinzie’s Back in Town Roundup.
I did get to see my friend and high school/college hockey mate coach the Rosemout Boys’ Hockey team in the 1st and 2nd rounds of playoffs. The had a solid first game against Eastview before meeting #1 ranked Academy of Holy Angels. The Irish put up a good fight, but finally fell to a high school with a power play on par with most NCAA Division I hockey teams.
I received a gift from my aunt for working on her website, www.maryellendesigns.com. The torch has been passed and now I am the proud owner of a Bethany Housewares Heritage Grill for making the family recipe Lefse. With great power comes great responsibility. I accept humbly.
Also on this trip, I rectified a grave culinary offense committed against my home state by finally having a Jucy Lucy at Matt’s Bar in South Minneapolis. After years of having iconic sandwiches in other cities (Cheesesteak in Philly and Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh), I finally found and partook in the Minnesota equivalent. Top-notch in every way, even though it can inflict a mortal wound on your pie hole if the liquid hot magma cheddar center is not properly respected.
To top the trip off, we caught a Wild game Sunday at the Excel Energy Center. The Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1. I got so caught up in the moment believing I was the one on the ice burning calories at a phenomenal rate that I had a inordinate amount of fried cheese curds. Of course, what is a trip home to Minnesota without one incident of dairy overdose.