By: Tasha Cudinski

In Minnesota there are a total of 66 state parks. All state parks have fees for renting campsites or entering the park. In Minnesota the entrance fee is $7 for a day pass or $35 for a year round pass. Camping sites are about $20-$25 a night depending on what type of campsite it is.

The first state park established in Minnesota is Itasca State Park, established in 1891. Itasca is the state park that protects the lake at the head of the Mississippi River, and is the third most visited state park in all of Minnesota. The most visited state parks are Gooseberry Falls, followed by Fort Snelling and then Itasca state park.

The state parks all have lots to do. All state parks have beautiful views of nature and miles of hiking trails to explore, and some even have the option to do activities like boating, fishing, or even swimming. From the rushing waterfalls at Nerstrand and Interstate state park, to the beautiful sandy beaches of the St. Croix River at Afton state park, every state park has something different to find and something new to see.

Minnesota’s state parks are scattered all over the state, but the five state parks closest to St. Paul are: Fort Snelling, Afton, William O’Brien, Interstate, and Nerstrand. All of these parks are less than 60 miles away from St. Paul and would be a good option for a day trip to explore the park. So if you are looking for something to do this weekend, you might want to consider visiting one of these state parks.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fees.html
• https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/faq/mnfacts/state_parks.html#:~:text=Minnesota%20state%20parks%20include%3A,9%20waysides

By: Audrey Smith

Summer in Minnesota is my favorite time of year. The weather is hot, but the many activities and lakes Minnesota has to offer makes this weather even better. I’ve put together some of the best things to do and places to go in Minnesota in the summer.

The first fun thing to do is spending a day on the lakes in Minneapolis. Some of my personal favorite lakes are lake Nokomis and lake Bde Maka Ska. Both of these lakes have activities such as boat rentals, bike rentals, and places to eat along the shore. I recommend renting a canoe and spending a day on the water.

The next fun thing to do is traveling on the north shore of Lake Superior. Northern Minnesota is a beautiful area of the state, and driving along the Great Lake is an amazing view and experience. My favorite thing to do near the north shore is picking blueberries at Palisade Head at high season in July, and hiking in the area. Palisade Head is in my opinion one of the most beautiful spots in Minnesota.

I also enjoy traveling to Duluth Minnesota. There are many things to do in Duluth, including hikes, places to eat, beautiful beaches, and more.

I also enjoy stopping at pie places along the shore up North. The two spots I visit are Betty’s Pies and the Rustic Cafe.

One more fun thing to do in the summer is go to the Minnesota State Fair. This is one of the largest State Fairs in the country and you wouldn’t want to miss it. It is about a week at the end of the summer before school starts up again, and it’s a fun activity to do for one last summer event before the school year. There are many activities such as trying all the famous foods, like Sweet Martha’s cookies and Key Lime pie on a stick. Many people also enjoy seeing all the animals and fish in the wildlife center. It’s also super fun to go to the midway and go on the rides.

By: Mushtaq Yonis

Bur/mandazi is an East African street food dish that is a deep fried dough ball. It’s wildly popular in places like Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It’s also a traditional dish across the continent of Africa like in West Africa their fried bread is called puff puff!

What is it?

Bur/mandazi is a somewhat sweet fried bread that is either shaped like a ball or a flat triangular/square shape, a bit like beignets. It’s common to be eaten for breakfast or as a snack.

It’s a simple snack to make but at the same time it’s easy to mess it up. Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
• 2 1⁄2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of milk
• Any oil to use for frying

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients
2. Knead the dough
3. Cover it up with a cloth and wait for the dough to rise double in size (around 4 hours)
4. Take the dough out and roll it out
5. Cut the dough into portions
6. Heat the oil for frying
7. Fry until it puffs up for around 1-2 mins
8. Take it out of the frying pan when you see a golden brown color

Enjoy your Bur/mandazi!

Ajmal Abdirahman

This is a recipe that my mom would make every Ramadan or on special occasions! It’s a Somali desert that is also made by Yemenis. In Somali we also call it Rooti Shinnidhaab.

Something I really like about this bread is it is very alterable, you can almost fill it with anything, savory or sweet. Fillings like, fruits, chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, vegetables, meatballs, and chicken. There’s a lot of freedom to it but this recipe is the way my family has grown up on!

Ingredients:
Bread-

• 2⁄3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 cups of flour
• 3 more tablespoons of sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt
  1⁄4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• 3⁄4 cup of cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of milk (for brushing)
• 1 tablespoon of butter (for pan)

Syrup-

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1⁄2 tablespoon lemon juice OR Condensed milk (drizzle on top)

Instructions on how to make Honeycomb Bread:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine lukewarm milk, yeast, and the 1 tablespoon of sugar, let the yeast mixture activate for 10 minutes
3. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and butter and then add yeast mixture
4. Knead for 5 minutes and cover with dampened towel and let rise for 1 hour
5. Cut dough in half and shape each half into cylinder, cut each cylinder into 16 pieces, roll all 32 pieces into balls
6. Place the balls into your buttered pan and brush the tops of them with milk
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes
8. When out of the oven pour on your boiled together syrup or condensed milk drizzle or serve the buns without syrup!

Then you are ready to enjoy the honeycomb bread! It’s best eaten warm and fresh out the oven with a nice glass of milk or tea! Enjoy!

For more information, please visit:

• “Honeycomb Bread (Rooti Shinnidhaab) Pain Nid d’Abeille خلیة النحل” Xawaash.com

By: Mae Skold

Tony’s restaurant is a quaint Italian restaurant in the heart of Monaco. Monaco is a luxurious, beautiful city-state right next to France on the sea. Being just a few hours away from Italy, Tony’s restaurant knows how to cook real, authentic Italian food. The outdoor seating and hospitality right when you get to the door lure people into the restaurant.

When walking down the beautiful street the restaurant’s on, the owners of Tony’s are there to greet you. After getting seated at the table, the menu given is filled with endless pastas, pizzas, salads, each one better than the next.

For an appetizer I recommend the Caprese salad. It has fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and garden grown basil that all tie together beautifully. The balsamic glaze and olive oil served with it are also great flavor enhancers. This dish is the perfect start to your meal.

For entrees I recommend two, the carbonara and the pesto pasta. The pasta is home made fresh in the restaurant and cooked to a perfection. The carbonara is tossed in a creamy, peppery sauce and topped with prosciutto. This salty, creamy pasta is a must when ordering. The pesto is made with the same fresh pasta but cooked in a butter, basil pesto sauce. This pasta is light and a more refreshing option on the menu; perfect for warm weather.

To finish off your meal Tony’s offers a variety of traditional Italian gelato flavors. They make their own gelato in house and have up to 15 flavors to choose from. A fan favorite is the espresso flavored gelato that has espresso churned into the gelato. This desert is the perfect end to a delicious meal.

Tony’s truly has everything to offer when it comes to a restaurant. Not only is the food delicious, the people and charm is its hook. If visiting Monaco, make sure you stop in Tony’s restaurant.

By: Jessica Garcia Saligan

This pastry called chocoflan is a traditional Mexican pastry that has a rich taste. Chocoflan is a two layer cake: chocolate cake on the bottom and flan (the custard on the top layer) that has caramel sauce all over it.

Ingredients

Cake

• Any type of Chocolate cake
• Cooking spray
• Carmel sauce

Flan

• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Evaporated Milk
• Softened Cream Cheese
• 1 Large Egg
• Vanilla Extract

First, you’re going to want to preheat the oven to 350 for it to heat up when it’s time to put the chocoflan in.

Then in a spray a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.

You’re going to want to spread an even layer of any kind of Carmel sauce.

In a large bowl you are going to be mixing the cake batter. It could either be homemade chocolate cake or out of a box cake; either one works.

Once you’re done, you’re going to pour the chocolate batter into the pan carefully.

In a blender, you’re going to place all the ingredients to make the flan part of the cake.

Blend on a high speed for 20 seconds or until the mixture becomes smooth.

Very carefully pour the flan mixture into the cake batter, both batters are going to mix but they will separate while baking forming a two layer cake.

Place a sheet of foil and spray cooking spray on it, then place it on the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Place the cake pan in the large roasting pan; add 1 inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, to make sure your cake and flan mixture is baked completely, get a tooth pick and stick in the middle. If it comes out clean it means it’s ready but if you notice some batter on the stick leave it in for a few more minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake pan from the water and set it on a cooling rack; remove the foil.

Let it cool to room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.

Once it’s done cooling, run a metal spatula around the outer and inside of the pan to loosen the cake.

Place a plate on the bottom of the pan, turning it over and slowly removing the pan.

Remove the extra Carmel, that was left on the, pan onto the cake.

All done. Enjoy!

By: Lauren Kottke & Ella Sutherland

St. Paul has some great restaurants and places to eat. Here are some of our favorites!

One of our favorite places is The Nook. The Nook is a family owned business located on Hamline Ave. We love this place because it has great food, atmosphere and fun activities. The burger is great, and we would definitely recommend getting it from here. They are best known for their Juicy Lucy Burger.

It’s also a great place to bring your kids and family. Downstairs they have a bowling alley connected to another part of the restaurant. You can go bowling for a very cheap price and then grab some great food all right there.

Another great thing about this place is the wall they have downstairs in the bowling alley. The Nook is known for their great burgers, but also their money wall. In the bowling alley restaurant, they have the walls and ceilings filled with $1 bills decorated. You can decorate a $1 bill and then put it anywhere on the wall!

Another great place we recommend is French Meadow. French Meadow is another amazing restaurant close by, it’s located on Grand Ave. We have been there many times and we have always had a good experience. They have great food and service. Our favorites are the soups, salads and fries. They also have a very good chicken wrap during lunch.

If you go there, you must check out the deserts! They have different types of brownies, pastries and cakes. Our go-to is the caramel brownie. Although this place is very different from The Nook, it is still a great place to visit!

The family restaurant DeGidio’s has been around since 1933. They are known for their amazing Italian food, but they also do have some great American food, like burgers. Our favorites are the Chicken Parmesan and the Lasagna. They also are known for their bread that they give out. It’s fluffy bread with seasoned butter. Definitely one of our favorites!

Every experience we have had there, has been a great one. Another thing that makes this place so special is the service. Anytime we have been there it has been busy, but never a long wait. The workers make sure you don’t wait too long for a table. And they always make sure you have a good time!

Sakana is one of our favorite places to go out to eat. It has such a wide range of sushi. There are so many different kinds of sushi you can get, whether that be having raw fish, cooked fish, or no fish. The atmosphere is great with trendy music playing as well as excellent service. The prices are very reasonable and affordable.

You may also sit at the bar where they have TVs and they serve drinks. There is also a place where you can sit and watch the chef make the sushi right in front of you. They have great appetizers as well as great soups. This place is overall just great!

The last restaurant we recommend is Punch Pizza. This restaurant has a few locations that are scattered around Minnesota, but there is one located right on Grand Ave. They have so many different kinds of authentic Neapolitan pizza that are cooked with a 900 degree wood-burning oven.

The restaurant itself has such a lively atmosphere and it is always overflowing with customers. They have amazing side salads as well, that are quite filling. This is a great place to go with friends and family!

These are just a few of the places that Saint Paul has to offer, and our favorites!

By: Hannah Gliedman

A recent trend taking over food TikTok and Instagram, is accordion potatoes. It’s a form of cutting the potatoes so they make a sort of accordion shape. It’s a very simple and creative way to incorporate a bit of flavor and uniqueness to a dish or meal.

They are very easy and fast to make. They only require simple ingredients and a couple of utensils. Adding this form of potatoes to your meal is a way to visually spice up a plate. They are also very customizable, adding different spices and sauces can change this side. The way of cutting the potatoes is also popular in other foods, such as cucumbers.

What you need
The only ingredient essential to making this side is potatoes. However, I will be sharing different sauces to add to the potatoes. Other things you’ll need, include an air fryer or stove top.

How to make the accordion potatoes

1. Wash as many potatoes as you would like; each potato can make 2-3 accordions.
2. Cut the potatoes into about 1⁄4 inch slices, the thinner the slice the more stretch you will get.
3. Then place the potato on the counter and put 2 chopsticks or skewers on either of the longer sides.
4. Then cut a lot of lines perpendicular to the skewers; make the cuts close together
5. Then cut a lot more lines in the same way but diagonal
6. Then stretch out the potato to create the accordion

To cook

1. Oven: Add potatoes to a tray, preheat oven to 355 degrees, and bake for 30-40 mins, or until golden and crispy
2. Air fryer: Add potatoes to the air fryer and fry at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Sauce
Garlic and herb butter
Heat 1⁄4 cup of butter and add 2 tbsp of chopped parsley, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1⁄2 tsp paprika, 1⁄4 tsp black pepper, and salt to taste. Brush on potatoes before cooking.

Homemade Canes sauces
Add in a bowl 1⁄2 cup of mayo, 1⁄3 cup of ketchup, 1⁄2 tbsp of pickle ranch, 1⁄2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1⁄2 tsp of paprika, 1⁄4 tsp of salt. Whisk together.

Other sauces to use can include ketchup, sriracha mayo, ranch or BBQ sauce.