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Articles by Melody Bergman
Hometown Focus Recipes
Father’s Day is on June 21, which also happens to be the summer solstice, the day with the longest period of daylight in the year. Here’s hoping for good weather so we can get outside and enjoy it! The following are recipes for the grill, and one for the slow cooker, that fathers will enjoy on their big day. Happy Father’s Day and enjoy these recipes courtesy of tasteofhome.com. CHIMICHURRI STEAK Recipe by Laureen Pittman Serves 8 • 2 c. fresh parsley leaves • 1-1/2 c.
Hometown Focus Recipes
National Iced Tea Day is on June 10, so here are some iced tea recipes to keep you feeling cool this summer. It may take some trial and error to perfect the ratios of ingredients to suit your taste, especially when it comes to sugar. How a person drinks their tea is a personal preference and varies widely for tea drinkers. Some people like their tea incredibly sweet, while others prefer just a hint of sugar. As a big fan of tea, I don’t like sweet teas.
Hometown Focus Recipes
Fishing opener is on Saturday, May 9, followed by Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10. I used fish recipes from four local cookbooks in honor of fishing opener, which include pike, walleye, trout and smelt. I also included a special recipe from my mom in honor of Mother’s Day. Her cabbage rolls, which she learned to make from her mom, were my favorite meal growing up. There is something so cozy about them—maybe it’s all the butter. Grandma’s cabbage rolls are still one of my favorite meals today.
Hometown Focus Recipes
This week’s recipes are from the 1992 Treasured Recipes from Arrowhead’s Collection of Recipes Old and New by St. Michael’s Health and Rehabilitation Center in Virginia. It’s fun looking through these older local cookbooks. I had to laugh as I paged through countless hotdish and casserole recipes. Count on Minnesotans to be obsessed with hotdish. I thought this would be a nice collection to feature in the HTF Anniversary Edition, considering it’s close to home.
Hometown Focus Recipes
According to Harvard Health, diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s have been linked to chronic inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods help reduce inflammation in the body. These foods include tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, nuts, fatty fish, and fruits. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating a “rainbow” of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
The price of plastic: What I learned at Earth Fest 2025
Last year was the first time I attended Earth Fest, held at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia. HTF had a table in the vendor hall where we promoted the paper, and in between holding down the fort and talking with readers, I wandered the festival and learned a lot from vendors and information boards placed throughout the building. The theme of Earth Fest last year was “The price of plastic,” and the information presented opened my eyes.
Hometown Focus Recipes
National Banana Day is on Wednesday, April 15. It is not known when or where this annual tradition started, but it is recognized to highlight the nutritional benefits of bananas and celebrate them as a wonderful snack and baking ingredient. This week’s recipes, from allrecipes.com, will help you turn the browning bananas on your counter into something delicious! BANANA CHEESECAKE Recipe by Michelle K Serves 10 • 2 c. crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreo• 1 Tbsp.
Hometown Focus Recipes
Happy 2026! This year I’d like to feature at least one “national food day” per month on this page, or at least give a nod to one and use it as inspiration. That’s the case for this week’s list of recipes. National Spaghetti Day is on Sunday, January 4. While these aren’t strictly spaghetti recipes, they use pasta in some way, and a couple are recipes you can incorporate in your spaghetti, like the sauce and meatballs.
Hometown Focus Recipes
The holiday season is nearly over, with one last end-of-the-year bash before we start anew on January 1. If you’re planning a New Year’s get-together or want to make a treat just for fun, here are some hors d’oeuvres you can whip up in your kitchen. Enjoy these recipes from allrecipes.com, and have a happy New Year! BAKED STUFFED BRIE Recipe by John Mitzewich Serves 8 • 1 small wheel of Brie (about 6 – 8 in.), chilled • 1/4 c. dried cranberries • 1/4 c.
Hometown Focus Recipes
Squash, along with soup, is one of my favorite fall/winter foods. I have an acorn squash and a butternut squash sitting on my kitchen counter right now, waiting to be made into something delicious. What’s not to love about squash? It’s healthy, filling, and it’s extra special because it’s a seasonal food. Sure, we can get our hands on it any time of year, but the flavor is always best when it’s in season. I’ve compiled some recipes I’m excited to try, courtesy of allrecipes.com.
Veterans Day events honoring our local veterans
VETERANS MEAL Eveleth, November 9 On Sunday, November 9, enjoy ham, salad, scalloped potatoes, corn, a roll, and homemade pie from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Elks Lodge in Eveleth. The meal is free to current and retired servicemembers and their spouses. Donations from non-veteran attendees are appreciated.
The friendliest ghost you know: A childhood favorite
Halloween is just around the corner, and in lieu of writing a Film Files column about a scary movie—this is HTF’s “Sweet” Halloween Edition, after all—I decided to revisit a beloved movie from my childhood, Casper. Casper is a PG-rated fantasy/comedy film from 1995, starring Bill Pullman as Dr. James Harvey, Christina Ricci as Kat Harvey, Cathy Moriarty as Carrigan Crittenden, and Malachi Pearson and Devon Sawa as Casper.
Halloween fun for all to enjoy: Tricks, treats and more
TRUNK-OR-TREAT CALUMET Calumet, October 24 Wear your costumes, enjoy the decorated cars, and trick-or-treat at the Greenway Snowmobile Club in Calumet from 5 – 6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 24. COMMUNITY HALLOWEEN PARTY Hibbing, October 24 Wear your costumes and attend a family Halloween party at Wesley United Methodist Church in Hibbing from 5 – 7 p.m. on Friday, October 24.
Virginia’s new public safety facility: The people’s building
A project to construct a new building along Second Avenue in Virginia came to fruition on Thursday, October 2, with the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the city’s new 50,000 square-foot public safety facility. The public gathered outside the state-of-the-art facility for the ceremony, which included speakers and ribbon cuttings, followed by tours of the building.
Hometown Focus Recipes
We’re in the midst of football season, and pizza is always a go-to food for game day. However, if you’re looking for something a little different (but still classic) for a tailgate party or game-day gathering in your living room, here are some appetizer recipes you can try from tasteofhome.com. Enjoy and good luck to your team! GROUND BEEF AND PEPPERONI STROMBOLI Recipe by Shelley Banzhaf Serves 16 • 2 loaves (1 lb. each) frozen bread dough, thawed • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten • 1/3 c.
A miner’s life, from Finland to the Range and home again
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final part of a two-part series about the experiences of an Iron Range miner working in an underground mine from 1908 – 1913. We return to Ready to Descend: A Minnesota Iron Ore Miner in the Underground, 1908 – 1913, The Journals of Matti Hallila Pelto, compiled using Pelto’s journal entries from when he’d worked in the Pettit Mine in Gilbert.
Hometown Focus Recipes
If you’re craving a warm meal but still don’t want to heat up the whole kitchen in summer, the slow cooker is the way to go. I love anything with a set-it-and-forget-it method. Meal prep is easy enough, and I find it relaxing. I like to put on a podcast or listen to music while I slice and dice ingredients. Standing around and watching something cook, however, can be a little hard for me.
U.S. Steel sponsors international curling competition
EVELETH/VIRGINIA—An exciting international tournament will soon be played on the Iron Range, ushering professional curlers from around the world to a place where ice is very well known. On July 15, the Pan Continental Curling Championships Organizing Committee hosted a press conference at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center (ITMEC) in Virginia to announce U.S. Steel as the title sponsor of the 2025 Pan Continental Curling Championships.
Hometown Focus Recipes
As I was trying to pin down a theme for this week’s recipes page, I was thinking about going to the farmers market after work, then it hit me—recipes that incorporate some of your farmers market ingredients. There’s almost nothing better than a locally-grown vegetable or fruit. So many delicious foods are being harvested now, and it’s a great time to try out some refreshing recipes. I hope you enjoy them, courtesy of allrecipes.com. GREEK ISLAND SHISH KEBABS Recipe by Dolce Cuoco Serves 6 • 1/4 c.
Diane Twite’s memorial, new AED at Eveleth Golf Course
On August 23, 2024, my article “Honoring the legacy of Diane Twite: A memorial to family, friendship, and the love of golf” was published in HTF. A year prior on August 23, 2023, Diane had suffered a fatal heart attack on the Eveleth Golf Course, the course where she’d spent her whole life playing.
Community festivals and events: Summertime fun across the Range
DOC “MOONLIGHT” GRAHAM DAYS Chisholm, July 30 – August 3 Parade, car show, food trucks, and free axe throwing. The parade is on Saturday at 12 p.m. along Lake Street, followed by a car show and the “Bounce Around Town” kids event from 1 – 3 p.m. For more information, see page 7. TALL TIMBER DAYS Grand Rapids, August 1 – 3 The biggest timber festival in the Northland with lumberjack demonstrations, log rolling pool, parade, arts and crafts, a variety of food stalls and more. The parade is on Sunday.
Hometown Focus Recipes
The Minnesota State Fair is scheduled for August 21 – September 1, and they have just announced the new foods on offer this year. Vendors have yet again flexed their creativity with intriguing combinations of flavors to wow the crowds. If you head down to the fair, be sure to try some of these interesting creations! To see the full list of all the new foods at the Minnesota State Fair, visit mnstatefair.org/new/food.
Plastics are everywhere:
Film Files happened to land in the health edition this month, so I felt it was important to write about a health-related documentary and share some of the impactful information it explored. We’re All Plastic People Now is a 2023 film directed by Rory F. Fielding. I first watched this hour-long documentary, which won an Emmy Award in 2023, this past April at Earth Fest in Virginia.
The joy of almonds
At the International Day of Women in Mining Luncheon at the Minnesota Discovery Center on June 16, one of the delicious catering items was a vanilla cake with berries, mascarpone frosting, and slivered almonds. I raved about that cake for a good week, and I thought to myself – have we ever done a recipes page dedicated to almonds? I couldn’t find one, so now is the time. Here are some recipes that incorporate almonds, courtesy of allrecipes.com. Enjoy! ALMOND PORK Recipe by Diane N. Serves 4 • 1 lb.
Celebrate the 4th with a cookout
Summer is just starting to heat up, so it’s time for the grill to follow suit. Here are some great recipes for a cookout from allrecipes.com, perfect to prepare on Independence Day and all summer long. For the 4th of July, you can’t go wrong with traditional American food. Barbecue, coleslaw, apple pie, and iced tea? They’re classics for a reason.
Hometown Focus Recipes
As much as we’d like to, we can’t all hop on a plane at any time and travel the globe in search of new flavors. But if you think about it, you can take a trip around the world without having to leave your kitchen. The world is full of delicious recipes, and thanks to the internet, we have access to the world of food right at our fingertips. Here are some delicious recipes from across our great planet, courtesy of allrecipes.com.
Hometown Focus Recipes
Minnesota’s fishing opener was on Saturday, May 10, and I hope everyone fishing out there kicked off the season with a great catch! I’m not a fisher myself, but I’m hoping to get my hands on some fresh walleye. For something so inherent to Minnesota culture as fishing opener, it’s important to me to include local recipes. I browsed several of the recipe books I’ve collected since I started working for HTF, and I hope this selection is a hit.
Hometown Focus Recipes
For this Health Edition, I focused on healthy mains you can incorporate into your meals, courtesy of allrecipes.com. Along with these you may consider adding healthy, easy-to-make sides, such as brown rice, quinoa, or your favorite vegetable, seasoned to your liking. If you have a hankering for dessert, too, try some simple chopped fruit or berries, with or without plain Greek yogurt and chopped nuts or chia seeds.
Hometown Focus Recipes
With the rise in grocery prices, I thought it would be a great idea to feature budget-friendly recipes. I’ve been eating a lot of tofu, quinoa, and beans lately, along with whatever vegetables I can find that are on sale, and it’s definitely been a wallet saver. I hope you find these recipes from allrecipes.com helpful and tasty! EASY PORK CHOP CASSEROLE Recipe by SheCooks2 Serves 4 • 10.75 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup • 1 packet dry onion soup mix • 10.75 oz. can water • 1 c.
MN hockey legend Henry Boucha honored by a film
The Electric Indian is a 56-minute documentary about the life and career of hockey star Henry Boucha, directed and produced by Leya Hale of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and Diné Nations. The title derives from the nickname given to Boucha of the Ojibwe Nation, from Warroad, MN. “He was referred to as ‘The Electric Indian’ because he was so explosive,” said Murray Williamson, Henry Boucha’s Olympic hockey coach. “Quick, agile, and could shoot and skate.
U.S. Steel partner program builds reading champions
VIRGINIA—Through 20 minutes of reading per day, North Star Elementary third graders have become champions of reading. United States Steel Corporation partnered with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on fostering education, youth hockey, wellness, and community, to form the Reading Champions program.
Hometown Focus Recipes
Back in November I dedicated a recipes page to soup, and I couldn’t let the winter season pass without doing another one. Long ingredient lists can be a little intimidating, but the flavor the ingredients pack into the soup is well worth it. There’s nothing I love more than a little extra something in my meals, and soup is the perfect medium for that. I hope these recipes from allrecipes.com help you warm up and push through the rest of winter.
Hometown Focus Recipes
Ramen noodles are a fun, inexpensive comfort food, but there is so much that can be done to make such a simple meal more interesting. Adding texture, flavor, vegetables, and protein can take a basic bowl of ramen to another level. Here are some great ramen recipes from allrecipes.com. Experiment with the ingredients to see what suits your taste, and enjoy! HIYASHI CHUKA NOODLES Recipe by Mimi Serves 2 • 3 Tbsp. soy sauce • 2 Tbsp. white sugar • 3 Tbsp. white vinegar • 5 Tbsp. chicken stock • 1 tsp.
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man: A Complete Unknown review
I’ve been a Bob Dylan fan since I was in high school, and I still listen to my favorites like “Lay, Lady, Lay,” “It’s Alright, Ma,” and “Girl from the North Country” on at least a weekly basis. When it was announced that a biopic was being made about him, I have to admit I was skeptical about how it would turn out. Hollywood has become a nostalgia machine, cranking out revisions of all the same things they’ve done before, and biopics can be very hit-or-miss. I decided to keep an open mind.
A hundred years of Makinen recipes
This week’s recipes come from the Makinen Centennial Cookbook, given to me by staff writer Janna Goerdt. This collection from residents of Makinen was published in 2000 in celebration of “100 years of recipes and remembrance.” The book’s cover is a piece of art titled “Heart of North Pine Country” by Julia S. Perala. She created it in 1938 for a contest celebrating National Air Mail week, and it was chosen as the most beautiful piece by a committee of the Minneapolis Civic and Commerce Association.
An abundance of casseroles
Fall, winter, and early spring are the ideal seasons for cooking casseroles. The heat from the oven is warm and cozy, carrying the scents of home-cooked meals throughout every room. Each recipe I’ve chosen today, courtesy of tasteofhome.com, is one I personally find intriguing, and I’ll be testing them out myself throughout the chilly months. I hope you enjoy them as well! CHICKEN ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE Recipe by Bev Dutro Serves 6 • 6 oz. pkg. stuffing mix • 3/4 c. butter, melted • 3 c.
Recipes for your Thanksgiving feast
I’m sure everyone who aims to cook a turkey on Thanksgiving already has a well-oiled plan in place for the big bird, so I wanted to focus on some other fun recipe ideas you may want to include in your meal, whether you’re cooking for a gathering right at home or planning to bring something for a potluck. I wish you a happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones, and I hope you enjoy these recipes from tasteofhome.com.
Soup is good for the soul
Last fall I finally fell in love with soup. I don’t know what led me to this conclusion, but for years I felt that soup was boring. Sure, I’d go for a tomato basil or a wild rice soup every once in a while, but I didn’t have an appreciation for everything soup had to offer. Something finally clicked, and I realized that soup is a perfect meal. It’s versatile, often healthy, easy to cook, and comforting when we step into the dark half of the year.
Venison recipes: The hunt is on!
Firearm deer hunting season starts on November 9, and I wish all the hunters a good harvest! I wasn’t raised in a hunting family, though one of my aunts and her husband took part in the seasonal tradition. As a child I was fascinated with the buck they mounted on their living room wall – it looked so big it may as well have been a moose. I haven’t eaten venison often, but I do like it.
A vet’s experience as a radio operator in the Libyan desert
Time is a challenge for us all. It’s been 66 years since Gordon Kennedy enlisted in the service, 66 years chockfull of life experiences and memories. If we’re lucky, we have photographs and videos to cement certain events in our lives, things we can look back on, visual cues to inspire threads of memories nearly forgotten – memories that come flooding back at the drop of a hat.
Healthy sheet pan dinners for fall and winter
Sheet pan dinners are some of my favorite meals to cook during the cold months. They’re easy to prepare and cook, warming, and customizable depending on your taste and cravings. When the weather is chilly and the warmth of our ovens is comforting, cook up these sheet pan meals from allrecipes.com. MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN DINNER Recipe by Nicole Serves 4 • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil • 2 lemons, 1 juiced, 1 sliced • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar • 1 tsp. dried tarragon • 1 tsp. dried oregano • 1 tsp.
Halloween: My second favorite holiday still to this day
Halloween was my second favorite holiday as a child, after Christmas, of course. I remember the excitement of looking through racks of Halloween costumes once they landed in stores and trying to decide what I wanted to be every year. The concept of choosing to be anything you wanted for one night a year – a princess, witch, astronaut, a favorite character from a movie or show – was thrilling. Above all, that was my favorite part of Halloween – the self-expression.
Sunscreen Film Fest: The Range and the world onscreen
The Iron Range has always had a rich culture and an appreciation for the arts, and it continues to bloom before our eyes as time ticks on. We have a deep pride and love for our home, and the artists in our area help inspire this love within our community and the world outside our doors. The Sunscreen Film Festival is a new opportunity for us to embrace the arts, inspire burgeoning artists in our community, and watch great movies.
Build the ultimate hot drink bar for the holidays
One of the coziest, most whimsical ways to step into the cold part of the year is to set up a hot drink bar in your home. It’s a lovely treat for yourself, family, and guests, and it helps soften the blow of waking up with aching bones on those dreaded freezing mornings in winter. Making your morning coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at your bar can be an excellent way to start your day, especially when you give it some fun and flair.
Hometown Focus Recipes
It happens every year, doesn’t it? It feels like summer just started, but here we are with one foot in August and the other in September. Let’s make the most of it and raise a toast to summer’s end with a Labor Day weekend cookout! It’s a great holiday to spend with family and friends, honor the American workforce, and eat some good food. Here are some recipes courtesy of allrecipes.com. Happy Labor Day! PRIZE-WINNING BABY BACK RIBS Serves 6 • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin • 1 Tbsp. chili powder • 1 Tbsp.
Honoring the legacy of Diane Twite
“For Diane, life was about friendship,” said Betsy Gorski, Diane’s friend and fellow golf-enthusiast. They played together in the Eveleth Women’s Golf League for 35 years, but they first met as ski patrol volunteers at Giants Ridge. “When I first started, I didn’t know anybody on ski patrol. The Twite family kind of embraced me and picked me up at the door.
Hometown Focus Recipes
I’ve never been much of a breakfast food kind of girl. When I’m at a diner, I always go for a sandwich rather than pancakes and sausage, though I do love a good plate of eggs Benedict. Breakfast food is so classic, but every once in a blue moon when I’m craving breakfast, I get a hankering for something a little different. I found some fun breakfast recipes to get me out of my comfort zone from tasteofhome.com.
Hometown Focus Recipes
As a great source of fiber and antioxidants, blueberries are a healthy addition to your diet and the perfect staple food for this time of year. Blueberries are my favorite fruit. I have fond childhood memories of picking them near Lake Vermilion, and when they’re in season and I bite into the biggest, sweetest blueberry I’ve seen in months, I’m always taken back to that time. There’s nothing quite like a summer blueberry.
It’s FAIR time in the Northland!
JULY 31 – AUGUST 4 139th Annual St. Louis County Fair Chisholm Wednesday, July 31 • 3 p.m.: Gates open; free treat for the first 100 kids through the main gate • 5 – 11 p.m.: All Midway rides $30 with wristband • 9 p.m.: Buildings close • 11 p.m.: Gates and Midway close Thursday, August 1 • 11 a.m.: Gates open; free treat for the first 100 kids through the main gate • 12 – 11 p.m.: Unlimited Midway rides $30 with wristband • 7 p.m.: Triple T Rodeo bull riding • 8 – 11:30 p.m.: Live music • 9...
Iron Range community festivals: some of the best times of summer
DOC “MOONLIGHT” GRAHAM DAYS Chisholm, July 31 – August 4 The annual celebration will include a parade, bingo, car cruise, car show and more. The parade will be on Saturday, August 3, at 12 p.m. along Lake Street. For more information, visit chisholmchamber.com or the Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days Facebook page.
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