By: Violet Hirman

In the past, tea was a reason to get-together daily, and was a huge part of so many cultures. Today, it still is for some. But a lot of knowledge and practice has faded into the background, obscuring the countless medicinal and mood-boosting benefits of tea.

Studies have shown that the majority of Americans don’t own a teapot or kettle, and that those who do don’t use them daily. Caffeinated coffee has taken the country by storm and replaced tea as the staple energy drink. There are several replacements for coffee in the tea industry that offer a natural energizing alternative.

One word. Matcha.

Matcha can be found on its own for making smoothies and drinks, even baked into pastries. It’s also a common ingredient in generic green tea, which you can find cheap at any grocery store.

Now, most people don’t like it because of the bitter aftertaste, but it’s easily sweetened with a little bit of honey.

Some other teas containing caffeine are chai tea (my favorite), black tea (also known as English Breakfast tea), white tea, purple tea, and oolong tea.

Natural energy isn’t the only benefit of tea, however. Chamomile, for example, is great for a restful sleep, and you can drink a cup before bed to help with sleep quality. Peppermint tea is helpful in easing stomach aches and digestion, and the Echinacea flower can be made into tea to shield against colds and fevers.

Tea ingredients can—and often are—combined with others possessing similar qualities to make an herbal mix, which can help to amplify their uses and benefits. For example, an herbal tea mixture of sarsaparilla, burdock, stinging nettle, and dandelion can help to clear up acne from the inside out. Topical mixtures and compresses can also be made from these ingredients and applied externally for the same use.

Certain herbal mixtures shouldn’t be taken too often or for too long, and by no means should they replace the presence of any medicine provided by a doctor, but they have their benefits and can certainly be used to ease the nerves.

It’s possible to grow and harvest many ingredients in your backyard to make your own herbal teas. But keep in mind that it’s a delicate practice, and it’s greatly recommended to talk to a local botanist or herbologist to get helpful tips and advice.

The benefits of tea are endless, and their medicinal qualities are bountiful. Next time you see a kettle in a store, consider making a simple cup of tea.

By: Calla Fragassi & Mackenzie Malek

The Bean Factory is a small coffee shop located in St. Paul, just off of Randolph. The name JS, or Just Steves, comes from the owner Steve who established the shop in 2001 and now runs the independently owned, local coffee shop and roastery.

Now that you know a little bit about The Bean Factory, let’s take you inside.

The menu is filled with a large variety of drinks, from different coffees to Italian sodas. We can’t forget about the choice of pastries such as donuts and croissants. They also sell a selection of local art, skin and body care products, as well as some of their own merchandise, such as hats and sweatshirts.

The Bean Factory, hence the name, produces their own coffee beans, so you will be guaranteed to have a fresh cup every time. They serve three different coffees daily; one decaf and two regular coffees from different countries. If you don’t find your favorite coffee on the menu, they will make you an individual cup of coffee at their brew bar. Just ask and they will brew it for you!

They are also able to make accommodations or changes to any drink you want to suit you. The Bean Factory offers a punch card where once you buy nine drinks, you get the tenth one free for a drink of your choice. They also offer seasonal drinks like apple cider, pumpkin flavored drinks, and more.

JS is very environmentally friendly, having all compostable lids, cups, straws, and napkins!

Some of our favorite things to get at the Bean Factory are an iced chai latte or a blended mocha for on the go! If we have a bit of time to sit and study or catch up we either get hot chocolate or Steve’s double smoky coffee. If you’re planning on sitting in, you can get your drink in a JS coffee mug, or if you’re on the go you can get one of their compostable cups.

When the temperature is warming up there are outdoor seating options along with the inside seating all year long. The outside patio has an overhead shelter and is decorated with festive lights. If you are lucky enough you will get to hear some local live music that plays at JS every once in a while.

JS is right between the Macalester Groveland and Highland Park neighborhoods, which is a very welcoming community. Welcoming communities build connections between newcomers and long-term residents by strengthening relationships, and communicating shared values. Along with the community itself, the staff is very friendly and inviting.

In 2019-2020, a new Starbucks was supposed to be built on the corner of Randolph and Snelling Ave, but the community expressed their opinions on the new building and how it would take away business for The Bean Factory. After a communal vote was held, the project was moved down to the corner of Snelling and Stanford Ave which is far enough away that the small coffee shop was able to keep their business and their customers.

Their mission is to serve the community by bringing only the best coffees, roasted to perfection. They are dedicated to providing their customers with the highest quality coffee beans from a variety of different countries. The Bean Factory has also been very thoughtful to the HPSH community as they are one of our hockey team’s silver sponsors this year! They have continuously supported the team and our players throughout the season, and we cannot wait for the partnership to grow!

After many visits to the bean factory and getting to know the friendly staff and welcoming community, trying the variety of drinks and food, buying the merchandise, and getting to enjoy the local coffee shop feel, JS has become one of our favorite places, because of all it has to offer.

For more information, please visit their website at:

• http://juststevesbeanfactory.com/

By: Gabe Kleiber

This recipe is from http://reciperobber.com/viewrecipe.php?recipe_id=248

This is from my mom’s own personal food website, and I wanted to make this because it usually only takes her half an hour to cook, but is still one of my favorites.

It has less than 10 ingredients and only 4 steps, could easily be made by a middle schooler, but still manages to cover every base a taco should. It is easily better than many of its restaurant counterparts. If anyone is interested in learning to cook, this would probably be my number one suggestion.

Even though the recipe says to grill, a cast iron skillet does the job just fine. This is the only thing you actually have to cook, the rest is just prep and assembly. The night I made this I was in a time crunch, so I just microwaved the tortillas. In total, it took around 25-30 minutes. For an experienced cook, it is easily doable in under 20.

With all the talk about speed, I don’t mean to understate how good the taco itself is. A beautiful golden crust on well seasoned shrimp, mixed with the acidity from the lime is already a good dish on its own. But combined with the texture and freshness of avocado, and the multi-layered flavors of pico de gallo with a slight dash of hot sauce elevates it to extraordinary new heights.

This would certainly be an accepted dish at a fine dining restaurant, but it was made by a home cook in half an hour. This is truly a gem among dishes. I could eat this every week and be left with an appetite for more and plenty of time to spare. One of the best and easiest meals to make I have ever seen in all my years of eating. 10/10

By: Mia David and Emilia Moberg

The school year is about halfway done now, and we have been able to try a wide variety of lunches this year. We have seen a few new meals introduced and some classics returning.

One significant difference in lunches this year is the glaring lack of spicy chicken patties. What was once a meal that appeared almost once a week has unfortunately slowly been seen less and less in the lunch room. Further, when this meal does occur, there are many times when the school only serves the regular chicken sandwich, and not the spicy one.

To remedy this problem, we have both tried multiple types of spicy chicken sandwiches from different restaurants. Hopefully, the following reviews of these sandwiches, that we have written, will help decide where you will get your next spicy chicken patty.

First up, we have Culver’s spicy chicken sandwich. This sandwich is simple, with tomato, lettuce, and pickle. There are only specific sauces on the sandwich if asked for. The spice level is relatively low, and there isn’t a massive difference between the regular and spicy patty. Overall, the sandwich is quite similar to the school lunch sandwich, and we would rate it an 8/10.

Our next sandwich comes from Buffalo Wild Wings, which they call the saucy chicken sandwich. This sandwich only comes with pickles on it and could use some lettuce or tomato. Unlike the Culver’s and school lunch sandwiches, this chicken has a more flakey sort of breading, and instead of the breading being spicy, there is a buffalo sauce drizzled on top. This adds a strong spice level to the sandwich but makes it quite messy, and the bun gets soggy quickly. Overall, we would say this sandwich is very different from the school sandwich but is still good, and we would give it a 6/10.

Next up are the spicy chicken sandwiches from McDonalds. At McDonald’s, there are two different options when it comes to spicy chicken sandwiches – the regular sandwich and the deluxe. The regular sandwich comes with spicy sauce and pickles, whereas the deluxe sandwich includes lettuce and tomato as well. We would say that the regular sandwich gives the closest resemblance to the school chicken patty, but both are good options to try. The greatest difference between these two sandwiches and the school chicken patty is, like the sandwich from Buffalo Wild Wings, the McDonalds sandwiches are spicy because of the sauce, and school chicken patties are spicy because of the breading. Overall, the spice level is relatively low, but still noticeable. These sandwiches get a 7.5/10.

Popeyes also has a spicy chicken sandwich that is worth checking out. Similarly to the regular McDonalds sandwich, this sandwich includes spicy sauce and pickles. There is also a notably good ratio of the bun and the chicken to balance the spice from the sauce. The chicken itself, however, is much crunchier and flakier than the McDonalds sandwich and school patty. This creates a much different eating experience than the school chicken patty, but still provides much of the same flavor. Overall, the Popeyes sandwich gets an 8/10.

Hopefully, the school spicy chicken patty will soon make its way back into the lunch room. Until then though, if you are someone who has been missing the spicy chicken patty or never got the chance to try it, this list gives you a starting point to try to introduce some more spicy chicken sandwiches into your life.

By: Gabe Kleiber

Today we will be reviewing an enchilada recipe from Skinnytaste:

• https://www.skinnytaste.com/cheesy-rotisserie-chicken-enchilada-skillet/?fbclid=IwAR0Bi8owYR sD8DskV3zl-Zyqb16PqZ8B8iVsMBvOR42iVpi3pegH-b5cujE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

This has nothing to do with the food itself, I enjoyed eating with the skillet on the table. My family doesn’t usually eat like that, but it was nice because everyone could have the exact portions they wanted. It was also right in front of you and the leftovers were extremely easy to store. Because everyone plates right on the table from the same dish, in a weird way, it makes you feel closer as a family. Anyway, onto the food.

As with a lot of homestyle meals similar to this one, not much is super vibrant flavor wise. That isn’t to say this wasn’t good though. The tortillas, chicken, beans and cheese make up a very big portion of the dish but only really shine when combined with enchilada sauce. This is the most memorable and unique part of the dish, and everything else takes a supporting role. If you want to add more depth to it, cilantro and/or jalapeños are a great way to add freshness and spice. I really recommend doing this because the little things are what make a dish complete.

This dish was not the most extravagant flavor wise. Everything was at the very least decent, but nothing really made an impact that made me dying to make it again anytime soon. However, it was pretty easy, quick, filling, and pretty tasty. It is probably best for a busy day, or a day you just don’t feel like cooking a lot, but still want to make a good meal for your family to enjoy together. 6.5/10

By: Ann McMullen

In 2001, Nathan Bentley began decorating his house in Esko, MN, for Christmas, making it more extravagant each year. This became quite an attraction in the small town, and drew enough people that it was able to move to Duluth’s Festival Park in 2009.

Since then, this display of Christmas lights has only grown. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are invested in new decorations each year.

Bentleyville’s total attendance reached 330,000 people in 2018, and has likely only increased since then. Still, it is exclusively a walking tour, so you’ll feel the cold Minnesota weather the whole time and get a true “winter wonderland” experience. If you’re lucky, it might even snow during your visit!

A tall cone lit to look like a Christmas tree, which must be at least a hundred feet tall, is Bentleyville’s most long-standing, iconic, and unchanged display. An “#OnlyinMN” sign stands at the base of it, making the tree a popular place to take fun, touristy photos.

Bentleyville remains free to visit, and even provides free cookies and hot chocolate as of last time I was there, but a $10 fee is required to use their parking lots. They also accept donations of non-perishable food and toys to give to people in need.

The attraction is open from 5-9pm on weeknights, and 5-10pm on weekends, and will close for the season on December 26th. If you can’t make it this year, Bentleyville generally opens about a week prior to Thanksgiving annually.

I do enjoy Bentleyville, and think it’s definitely worth a stop if you end up in Duluth over the holidays. That being said, I wouldn’t schedule a trip there for the sole reason of seeing the light show – but I’m sure some holiday enthusiasts might.

The official Bentleyville website can be found at:

• https://www.bentleyvilleusa.org

By: Julia Sikorski Roehsne

With the month of December comes the many winter holidays, and with the holidays comes baking—cakes, pies, breads, and cookies. Especially cookies.

Some of the most commonly consumed are sugar cookies, gingerbread, peanut butter blossoms, and jam thumbprint cookies. These are all well and good, but sometimes there might be a desire to try something new.

Therefore, I present a vegan, gluten-free twist on the classics: gingerbread snickerdoodle sandwich cookies. This recipe yields 24 cookies, or 12 sandwiches.

Gingerdoodle ingredients

• –  3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) vegan butter
• –  1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• –  1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• –  1 tsp vanilla extract
• –  1⁄4 cup molasses
• –  1⁄4 cup applesauce
• –  2 1⁄4 cups almond flour
• –  1 tsp baking soda
• –  2 tsp baking powder
• –  2 tsp ground ginger
• –  1 1⁄2 tsp cream of tartar
• –  1 tsp cinnamon
• –  1⁄2 tsp ground cloves
• –  1⁄2 tsp salt

Gingerdoodle sugar coating ingredients

• –  1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• –  1 tsp cinnamon

Buttercream frosting ingredients

• –  1⁄2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter
• –  2 cups powdered sugar
• –  1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• –  2 tbsp almond milk
• –  1⁄2 tsp cinnamon

Start by making the dough for the gingerdoodle cookies. To begin, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the ingredients are fully combined. The butter should be soft, either at room temperature or partially melted. You can use an electric mixer or stir the ingredients by hand.

Next, add the vanilla extract, molasses, and applesauce to the same mixing bowl. These should also be electrically or manually stirred until fully combined.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients—almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.

Stir the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients until fully combined. This is your gingerdoodle dough.

Cover the mixing bowl containing the dough tightly with plastic wrap or some other form of secure covering and place it in the refrigerator. The dough will need to chill for at least 30 minutes, so in the meantime, prepare the sugar coating for the cookies.

Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Stir the two until they’re combined. Depending on exactly how much dough you have, or how many cookies you plan to bake, the amounts of sugar and cinnamon can be adjusted.

As you prepare the sugar coating, preheat the oven to 350°F. As well, line a large baking sheet (or sheets) with parchment paper, making sure that there isn’t excess paper hanging over the edges.

After the 30 minutes have passed, remove the dough from the fridge. Shape it into balls of 1 to 2 tbsp, or however large you would like the cookies to be; be aware that they can spread a great deal when baked.

Roll each dough ball thoroughly in the sugar coating mixture before placing them on the baking sheet a minimum of 2 inches apart.

When the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet with dough balls in. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are fully cooked. I would advise checking on them several minutes before you think they will be done.

While the cookies bake, or when you have a spare moment, prepare the buttercream frosting. Soften the butter without melting it completely and add it to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, slowly beat the butter on low until it’s fluffy.

Add in roughly half of the powdered sugar and continue mixing on low until combined. Add in the vanilla extract, almond milk, and cinnamon, followed by the remaining half of the powdered sugar. Continue mixing on low until all the ingredients are combined. You can add additional small amounts of almond milk or powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your preferred consistency.

Remove the cookies from the oven when they have finished baking. You’ll want to allow them to cool completely on the sheet before handling to avoid breaking them.

Once the cookies have cooled, spread the buttercream frosting on half of them at your desired level of thickness. Place the remaining unfrosted cookies on top of the frosted ones to form sandwiches. An example image is shown to the side.

Though best enjoyed fresh, these gingerdoodle sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. If there is leftover dough or frosting, both can be stored in the freezer for about 3 months.

Happy baking! Recipe adapted from:

• https://goodfoodbaddie.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-snickerdoodle-cookies-vegan/
• https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/vegan-gingerbread-snickerdoodles/
• https://www.cookingoncaffeine.com/easiest-vegan-buttercream-ever/