It is spring in Minnesota! For Episode 9 (recorded 4/16/26), I crawled into my closet for better sound quality at the suggestion of UMD’s Jennifer Moore. I was happy and nervous to have Cody Cook-Parrott, writer, quilter, podcaster, teacher, dancer, and also avid eater of french toast join us. They discussed kitchens, sustenance, and: 

• The rituals of returning
• A daily commitment to tend to your body
• Finding the right dose of pleasure in food and celebrating that you care for yourself in this way
• Delight in seasonality
• Gathering, talking, plantain chips
• Prioritizing serenity, simplicity, and chillness in the kitchen and in life

Dear Cody: Thank you for being my guest. Dear listeners: Hope you have the chance to experiment with all or some of the above.  

---

Suggested podcast pairings:

Baked french toast with sliced strawberries in sauce, toasted cornflakes, whipped cream, syrup, and butter. Maybe saffron, maybe cinnamon, maybe not. 

A side of bacon

Coffee with half and half

The song Return by Javi Lobe

The light fragrance of purple crocuses

---

If you’d like to connect more with Cody, visit their website, pick up a copy of their new book, The Practice of Attention, or subscribe to their newsletter, Monday Monday. 

Episode artwork by Nico Sakiki. You can subscribe to their Substack “Unfinished Alchemy” here. 

This episode was recorded around the time of the pink full moon. Laura Lee, local evening news anchor and co executive producer, talks about her home kitchen and weaves a story of the love, intuition, and excellence that have guided the cooks in her family across generations. Her interview also touches on how you can care for children with food. We met in my kitchen; Laura was a wonderful guest. Keep an eye out for her upcoming show, Cooking with Laura Lee, on Northern News Now. 

I sometimes will set a 15-minute kitchen timer and do dishes for that long. For our interview, we set the kitchen timer for 12 minutes and did an AMQAP (as many questions as possible). We go over time jussst a bit. 

Bonus at the start of this episode is a tribute/ad for The Blue Heron Trading Company, a place that is a kitchen store, but so much more. Thanks, Sam Connolly, for this contribution. The Blue Heron is best visited in person at 394 S Lake Ave.

Suggested podcast pairings:

Rice

Boiled rack of spare ribs 

Fresh turnip greens

Hibiscus gingerade (Chef Lachelle Cunningham’s recipe)

The song Tourniquet by Zach Bryan 

Hope you can create love in the spaces where you find yourself. 💚

--------

Episode cover art "Tenacidad" by Gubits.Art from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Visit @galeriacopal or @gubitsart for more. Also @gabrielo.gr. 

This episode is a recap, grounding, and look forward while recognizing the change that has been a fruit of this podcasting process. In this episode, the host (that’s me) speaks. 

I am still scared to share my thoughts in this public venue! Here, I do so anyway. I can hear the anxiety in my voice a bit. Ina Garten says:

“I think people stand at the edge of the pond talking about the pond. Is it hot? Is it cold? Is it deep? Are there murky things in there? I think you have to jump in.” Vanity Fair, 2017

———-

Episode artwork by Lex MB Studio. Order a Trust the Process sticker (this week’s cover art) from her website or join her Patreon for yet-to-be-released stickers! You won’t regret it. 

———-

Recommended podcast pairings:

Hard boiled egg

Toasted multi-grain bagel with Philadelphia whipped mixed berry cream cheese

A large strawberry

Aged earl grey tea

A glass of cold water

RIDIN - Jessie Reyez feat Lil Wayne (explicit)

Jasmine essential oil

———-

Yes I did interview my mom for an episode. My dishwasher was running in the background but for some reason you can’t hear it. We go back in time to my great-grandma’s kitchen. My great-grandma immigrated from Hungary to the U.S. as a child and never quite learned to read in English. But oh, could she cook! The events described in this episode take place in the 1970s in New Jersey, USA. 

Suggested pairings:

Chicken paprikash with dumplings

Milk or soda pop, your choice 

Egészségedre!

This is the second of a subseries of episodes exploring the roots of how I am in the kitchen. It takes place in the 1960s and 1970s in Minnesota, USA (Dakota and Anishinaabe lands). The protagonist is my aunt, my mom’s younger sister. We talk double dishwashers and tongue and butt. Thanks for listening. 

Suggested pairings:

Salad (iceberg lettuce, sliced dill pickles, & mayonnaise)

Beef tongue sandwich

Red Velvet Cake

Whatever beer is on sale

Dry deserts (acoustic) by Zach Bryan

Mesquite incense 

First, prepare hibiscus tea with lime, mix a Manhattan, or do both! Then, listen to the host speak with her aunt about her aunt’s childhood kitchen. Much is learned! Finally, listen to Red Moon by Big Thief. That’s all for this episode, thank you for listening, I hope that each of us gets the chance to explore our roots. 

Herein, the host interviews herself. Or rather, talks about how she is - and is not! - feeling at home in her own kitchen. She shares some of her ideas for change. She mentions using a picture of a dirty dish that has the burnt remains of tofu on it for the episode cover photo. However, in post-production, she decides to focus more on what’s going well & instead use the picture of the tofu before it went into the oven as the episode cover pic.

I talk with a new dad who has modified his kitchen habits to match the demands of parenthood. He shares his top favorite baking ingredient, which begins with a c and ends with an e. 

Welcome to the very first episode of Home! You'll notice that this episode calls the podcast, "Questionable." That title is no more. The podcast is Home.