Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens

You may have met this week’s podcast guest Stacie Suedkamp, the owner, artist, and cookie engineer behind the South Dakota luxury cookie company, Fig Tales. But how well do you know her?
Tune in to Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens S2 E5 to learn:
1. What’s the one word Stacie doesn’t allow people to use?
2. How is Stacie using high-tech engineering tools like a 3D printer and AutoCAD?
3. Why does Stacie use emulsion instead of extract?
4. What’s the one question Stacie asks each of her clients?

You'll hear all about the interesting jobs she's had like selling mini doughnut machines and a Catholic youth minister, and what she sold to help pay for college, to her time owning the Bean & Vine coffee shop in Flandreau to finally starting her dream cookie business.

She teaches and entertains during her cookie classes, engineers and bakes cookies for special occasions like birthday parties, weddings, hockey tournaments and funerals, fills corporate orders, and she's even made cookies for the Sanford International PGA Tour. 

And it wouldn't be Stacie without a sprinkling of her family and faith. Stacie shares expert sugar cookie making tips and a chocolate fudge bundt cake recipe from her seventh-grade science teacher, Mrs. Chandler.

Get the recipe for Mrs. Chandler’s Chocolate Fudge cake, links and photos from this episode on Randomsweets.com.

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Stacie:

Website: Figtales.com

Instagram: @figtales

TickTok: @figtales

Facebook: Fig Tales

Email: [email protected]

Stacie's Newsletter for Cookie Tips

Stacie's segments on KELOLAND Living 

Meet the Creative Stacie Suedkamp, 605 Magazine article from 2022

#foodpodcast

Today you’ll hear from my first Michigan (the Mitten State!) guest, Alicia Wright. We cover a lot of topics in this episode—from mud water and allergen-free chocolate chip cookies, and Alicia’s favorite spots in Holland, to her motivation behind becoming a boutique vacation rental owner in Gulf Shores Alabama, to the Venezuelan arepa recipe her dad brought with him when he came to America with just a suitcase and his guitar.

If you've been thinking about vacationing to Gulf Shores, you’re in for a treat because Alicia surprises us with a discount code to both of her Alabama properties. So, while you’re listening, check out her properties at bluepalmgetaways.com, and get the recipes, links and photos from this episode on randomsweets.com.

Randomsweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

Email: [email protected]

Alicia Wright/Blue Palm Getaways

bluepalmgetaways.com discount code: staci10

[email protected]

Facebook: Blue Palm Getaways

Instagram: @bluepalmgetaway

Allergen-free chocolate chip cookies

Kin Coffee and Craft House

Itty Bitty Bar

Playa Tacos + Tequila

LuLu’s Gulf Shores

GT’s on the Bay

Stacey St. John (The STR Sisterhood podcast episode with Alicia)

Ed Mylett

Mud\WTR

Short-Term Rental, Long-Term Wealth by Avery Carl

P.A.N. for the arepa recipe

Danielle Herberg and her 7-year-old daughter, Carly, join me by phone at their home in Browns Valley, Minnesota. 

Danielle talks about who influenced her love of baking, what happened when she and her daycare kids experimented growing seeds from a tomato, and she pulls out some of her favorite recipes from her go-to community cookbook and her grandma Ileta’s recipe box. 

Plus, she gives the local scoop on a coffee shop in Wilmot, South Dakota, and the Pub in Beardsley, Minnesota where they’re cooking up great burgers, and the restaurant and bakery in Sisseton South Dakota where her mom, Connie works. 

And Carly pops in to tell us what her favorite part of baking is, what breakfast item they only make homemade, and what books she likes to read.

Photos and recipes from this episode are on randomsweets.com, including easy chicken pot pie with biscuits, creamed chicken on a biscuit, s’mores bars, pumpkin dessert, breakfast-stuffed French toast, and Grandma Leet’s quickie stickie buns.

The Grind Coffee + Cafe

Big G’s Pub & Grub

Rosalie’s Restaurant, Bakery and Lounge

Kirby Science Discovery Center at Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD

Children's Museum of South Dakota, Brookings, SD

Randomsweets.com

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website: randomsweets.com 

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

Email: [email protected]

When Gaylen Backus was in his peak popcorn growing season, he was popping out nearly half a million pounds of popcorn seed on his 350 acres of South Dakota farmland near Wentworth. He went from selling most of his crop to wholesalers, to his family popping and packaging his wife Shirley’s homemade caramel corn and selling it at farmers markets and vendor shows. 

People loved it and demand exploded. So much so that in 2015 he and Shirley and their youngest son, Tyler, converted their 2-stall garage into a commercial business. In this episode, Tyler Backus shares about the growth of the family business, where they moved their popcorn showroom to, Gaylen’s services like corporate gifts, fundraisers and subscription boxes, their most popular flavors, and the one people are most hesitant to try. Tyler also tells us the flavor he’s tried to create but just hasn’t gotten right yet.

Each year, they not only grow their business by adding new flavors—like cranberry crave, birthday cake, chocolate drizzle, caramel green apple, Santa’s snack, dill pickle, cheesy pizza, buffalo ranch, parmesan garlic—but they also expand the number of local products they sell in their showroom and on gaylenspopcorn.com. Photos available on Randomsweets.com.

Gaylen's Gourmet Popcorn, 118 E. Center Street, Madison, South Dakota

Website: gaylenspopcorn.com

Facebook: Gaylen's Gourmet Popcorn

Instagram: @gaylenspopcorn

TikTok: @gaylenspopcorn

Email: [email protected]

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website: randomsweets.com

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

Email: [email protected]

SDSU Ice Cream

Halogi Hot Sauce

Twisted Noodle Ramen Noodles

Adee Honey Farms

Dimock Dairy Cheese

Char’s Kitchen

Four Families Pasta

Uptown Sauce Company

Home Porch Gifts

The Merc

Dimock Dairy

Corn Palace

Sioux Falls Regional Airport

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Calli and Tate Williams' love story began when they met at the South Dakota State Fair. Tate asked Calli to show his heifer. Having grown up on a farm with a small herd of cattle and a love for 4-H, she did it. 

And that's all it took to begin their lives together building a family and pouring their hearts and hard work into TW Angus, their purebred Angus seedstock operation and direct to consumer beef business near Letcher, South Dakota. 

In addition to talking about her days on the ranch with their boys, Jack and Tommy, we discuss Angus marketing, selling bulls and genetics, their Angus seedstock operation, why they started their retail beef business and how you can buy it, challenges of being first-generation ranchers, agriculture organizations she and Tate support, children's books, coffee and restaurant recommendations in Mitchell and Sioux Falls, and what she loves about the Midwest.

We talk about food, like tacos and day-two (leftover) shredded beef chuck roast burritos. Calli reminisces about her grandma's graham coffee cake recipe that will now replace the one that I've used for years.

Where to Find Calli, Tate and TW Angus

TWAngus.com

[email protected]

605.695.1990

Instagram: @calli_williams

Facebook: TW Angus

Recipes and links from this episode: randomsweets.com

The Source Coffee Roastery + Taproom 421 N Phillips Ave, Sioux Falls, SD

The Back 40 511 N. Main, Mitchell, SD, 

Mitchell Depot Pub & Grill 210 South Main Street, Mitchell, SD

Hot Shots Espresso 322 E Havens Ave, Mitchell, SD

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle. It's a full series of books—Little Blue Truck Goes to School, Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend, etc. 

A is for Angus. Written and Illustrated by C.J. Brown.

Contact Staci Mergenthal at [email protected].

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

After seven months and 32 episodes, Season 1 has come to an end. But not without a huge thank you to guests, listeners and supporters. What's next? Tune in to find out.

Random Sweets:

Website: randomsweets.com

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

Email: [email protected]

#ourSweetMidwestLife

You are in for a sweet and sticky treat today! Joining me are Adee Honey Farms’ second and third generation family members, Marla Hoyer, and Sarah Hauge.

We cover everything from the history of Adee Honey, way back to even before Richard and his brother Stanley purchased the South Dakota honey operation of about 1,000 honeybee colonies in 1957, to how they’ve grown the business to 100,000 colonies of bees that journey thousands of miles between producing honey in several states, and pollinating almonds in California and apple orchards in Washington. 

As with any agricultural industry, growth comes with challenges and honey production is not immune.  

Sarah shares about the company’s rebrand and adding new merch like hats, hoodies, stickers and T-shirts. We cover a few health benefits and the healing power of honey, tips to enhancing your baking, and how to be a smart consumer when it comes to fraudulent honey. 

Plus, after many years of mostly selling to the wholesale market, they let us in on a few development ideas as the company expands their retail line to meet the needs and wants of consumers. 

We wrap up the episode with a mocktail recipe using a simple syrup made of honey, the sought-after recipe for honey of a fudge sauce, and Marla is so kind to share her grandma Mae Adee’s Honey Apple Crisp recipe. 

This episode is jam-packed with so much more good stuff like Bruce Honey Days, how the color of your honey affects the flavor of the dish you are making, and tips for substituting honey for sugar, maple syrup and corn syrups. And you’ll learn why you should add honey to your first aid kit, and why you want to turn honey bottles upside down and watch how the bubble flows through the honey. Recipes, links, and photos are on randomsweets.com

Adee Honey Farms

adeehoneyfarms.com

Instagram: @adee.honey.farms

Facebook: Adee Honey Farms

Pinterest: Adee Honey Farms

Random Sweets:

Website: randomsweets.com

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Many Midwestern towns host annual festivities in celebration of characteristics unique to their community—like the city celebration we’re talking about today—the 32nd annual Honey Days in Bruce, South Dakota. 

Joining me for today’s show are longtime parade emcee, Mary Bjerke, and her husband, Russ, and their daughter, Christianne Beringer.

Mary shares the itinerary for the 3-day weekend of events, kicking off with KCountry 102.3’s cookout in Museum Park at noon on Friday, July 28, and other traditional events like a parade and craft show, competitive activities like basketball, bean bags, volleyball, horseshoes, and baseball, to the 5K run, walk or pedal where Denise Ulvestad shares her beloved honey protein energy balls, a kids bike parade, Legion pancake breakfast, car show, street dance, yard games, cow pie bingo, and wrapping it all up with the town vs. country softball tournament on Sunday evening. 

If you’ve listened to episode 8 of Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens, you already have Mary’s meatloaf recipe. Today, the family is sharing 5 recipes with honey as a main ingredient—sloppy joes, BBQ ribs, fudge sauce, barbecue sauce (all from a South Dakota honey cookbook I will be eagerly scouring antique and thrift stores for), plus the Greek Loukamades recipe Mary and her family used the year they won the honey bake-off competition. Recipes and photos they share are on random sweets dot com, along with links to Bruce Honey Days on Facebook. https://randomsweets.com/bruce-honey-days-2023-and-community-cookbook-honey-recipes/

We'll hear all things Bruce Honey Days from Mary, Christianne, and Russ. I also have an announcement about the end of season 1.

Bruce Honey Days

Instagram: @brucecomunityclub

Facebook: Bruce Honey Days

Random Sweets:

Website: randomsweets.com

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

#ourSweetMidwestLife

I’m talking all things summer gardening with two special guests—Lynn Darnall and her daughter Sarah Alfano, owners of Medary Acres Greenhouse—a 71-year-old, third-generation business in Brookings, South Dakota. We cover a variety of topics, from basics like watering and deadheading, to the value of mulching tomato plants, how to properly cut stems so you can bring the beauty of your flowers indoors, natural ways to keep plants healthy, and how to divide peonies. And when I ask how to protect my plants and vegetables from critters like rabbits, raccoons and deer, Lynn surprises me with a super special spray that was hard for her to say.

I don’t want to think about it yet, but we talk about how to prepare for winter, from what to do with our pots and perennials, to a fun way for plant lovers to get through the cold months. 

If you’ve listened to at least a few episodes of Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens, you know we always find a way to talk about food and today is perfect because what’s better than eating foods fresh from your garden? Sarah shares a mocktail recipe with a fresh herb, and a salsa recipe and Lynn has a secret natural sweetener up her sleeve—the stevia plant.  

Lynn and Sarah leave us with gardening advice for novice gardeners and the more seasoned gardeners who may have been around long enough to remember what gardening was like in the late 1960s. This episode is so full of information, you’ll learn about rhizomes, nubs and a beer fridge. All recipes available on https://randomsweets.com/gardening-salsa-and-mocktails-with-medary-acres-greenhouse/.

Thyme Mocktail and Salsa Recipes

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Sarah’s band: Hot Freaks

Medary Acres Greenhouse

1100 8th St. S., Brookings, SD

medaryacres.com

Instagram: @medaryacres

Facebook: Medary Acres Greenhouses, Inc.

Random Sweets:

Website: randomsweets.com

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Today on the show, South Dakota native Sydney Andera talks about who inspired her to make homemade strawberry apricot jam, her favorite flavor of birthday cake since she doesn’t like chocolate, the meal she likes most that her mom, Michelle, makes, her Grandma Naomi’s broiled parmesan potatoes, and a barbecue joint and a doughnut shop she and her boyfriend, Sajen, enjoyed on a recent trip to Colorado. All that, plus a funny story about how Sydney broke her electric hand mixer with potatoes. Photos from this episode and the recipes are on https://randomsweets.com/homemade-strawberry-apricot-jam-with-sydney-andera/.

Links from this episode:

Sydney's Strawberry Apricot Jam Recipe

G-Cue Barbecue

Voodoo Doughnut

Beano's Classical White Pizza Sauce with Oregano

Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe

Vodka Pasta Recipe

Spaghetti Bake Recipe

Beer Chili Spaghetti Recipe

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website: randomsweets.com 

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets