As a columnist for The Star Tribune's Taste Section, restaurant critic for Mpls/St.Paul Magazine, and roving food reporter for KARE-11 TV, I'm always on the look out for simple ways to boost flavor and cut down on time. I work with chefs and translate professional methods and techniques for the home kitchen. I cover farmers and producers to learn how food is grown and made. I share recipes and stories with good cooks from across the country so we can bring a world of taste into our homes. The stories and recipes from these adventures and my own home cooking (for a family of three hungry teen age boys) are woven through my six cookbooks (including Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland, co-authored with Lucia Watson, nominated for a James Beard Award). There are so many more tales to tell and meals to cook, the journey continues here.