2026, Family, Food, Travel, Uncategorized

How Far Would You Go?

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The other night I got some mushroom ravioli out of the freezer. It was some pasta we moved from ND. It was purchased at our local ND Family Fare store.

The pasta was somewhat remarkable for being imported from Italy. It is a brand that Family Fare regularly stocks. I am not a big mushroom fan, but the pasta was pretty good. Our Boommate thought it was absolutely superb. She loves mushrooms.

It had porcini and champagne mushrooms in the filling. We looked up where we might find the brand, and it is specific to Family Fare. The closest stores to us are in Cannon Falls, Litchfield, and Northfield.

The day after we had the pasta, Boommate drove to St. Cloud for a quilt show. She reported massive construction detours, one of which took her close enough to Litchfield for her to justify a side trip to the Family Fare store. It had the pasta brand, but no mushrooms ravioli. Sigh.

I have made ravioli from scratch in the past, but I don’t think I could replicate the mushroom filling. I admire her determination to get to Litchfield. These days the farthest I drive for things is Sioux Falls.

What is the farthest you have gone to get something you really wanted? Ever made pasta from scratch? How are construction season and detours going for you?

43 thoughts on “How Far Would You Go?”

      1. She’s all excited about Bring Jacque’s dog to Work Day. And we’re also hoping McGee might like some play dates with another dog soon. Fingers crossed.

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  2. I haven’t had too much trouble with construction zones so far this season. They usually get me on the freeway to Duluth, when I just want to get up there so badly.

    I guess if I really want something that is some distance away, and it’s something I can afford, I just go get it. I know that isn’t the usual response, but I’m used to being very independent.

    I’ll go to Family Fare and look for that pasta. What’s the brand? If it’s there, I’ll buy a few packages and see if it’s possible to get them to you somehow. I’m not sure how to keep it frozen in shipping though.

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    1. Krista, that is above and beyond the Baboon Call of Duty, and I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that. If you do find some, just eat them yourself and see if they are as good as we claim.

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  3. Sandra and I have taken two separate day trips to eat BBQ at Smokey D’s in Des Moines. Some of the best ‘cue we’ve ever had, including two great places in KC.

    Of course, I annually drive 6-7 hours to the BWCAW for my annual fix of inspiring nature.

    I made ravioli once from scratch. Tasty, but too much work for the result. I’ll buy ravioli at a restaurant. We also made spaghetti once or twice years ago. Again, not worth the time/effort. Pasta is merely the delivery vehicle for the sauce, and I’m not a purist who must have freshly made pasta. I’ll let the Italian restaurants wow me with their fresh pasta.

    Construction season around here is pretty light. A few things are going to happen downtown soon, but freeway driving has been construction free around here other than the perpetual construction on I-90 in Austin that I endure a few times when going that way. Not a big deal because traffic is usually light there.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  4. Rise and Take a Detour, Baboons,

    There is road construction almost everywhere I travel right now, especially in town. The most irritating zones have been on 35W and 494. These projects seem to have been going for years–at least two I think. The one on 35W often seems dangerous to me with many trucks and little space.

    I have not made pasta–too putsy for me. But otherwise I go great distances for experiences I want. In mid-winter when I want sun and warmth I am willing to go south. I have enjoyed Europe in all seasons, and I love the experience of old cultures there.

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  5. A month or so back, they closed the Nicollet Avenue Bridge between 50th and 54th. They are apparently going to bring it down and build a new one. What that means is that most of the folks who would normally be going north and south on that stretch are almost all coming over to Lyndale. It took me six minutes to get out of my driveway on Saturday afternoon. Bridge is not scheduled to reopen until fall of 2027. Yuck.

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  6. I have made pasta a few times, even had an electric pasta mixer for awhile (it was dreadful) but like Jacque, it’s just too much trouble when there are so many great places to buy pasta around here.

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    1. As with many things, it’s interesting to make pasta at least once to get a sense of what goes into it. We had a manual pasta maker and used it a few times until the handle broke.
      Having said that, it seems to me that an electric pasta maker would obscure that appreciation of the pasta making process.
      If you were going to compete with ready-made pasta, you would, among other things, have to procure the proper durham flour and I suppose you would have to make it often enough that your ingredients didn’t get stale. As I said, it’s interesting and not difficult but for a small family not really practical.

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    2. all you people who have made pasta before thinking about making the Seola pasta with an egg in the middle and that’s too patchy and too much work to flatten out when you do it with fresh mushrooms it’s a whole different deal and it’s definitely worth it. give it a try I don’t know if those two mushrooms are the two best but I’m sure they’re wonderful and you can try others. I have signed up for a botany class this year at Hennepin technical College, and one of the classes I signed up for is a write your own curriculum and part of the curriculum I will be writing is to do a deep dive on Mushrooms.

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  7. These days with almost no travel, I try to catch the Rochester Trader Joe’s if we have another errand in Rochester, but that’s rare. I will head to Red Wing or Nelson (Wisc.) Creamery to see friends/rels from Twin Cities…

    I would travel a half hour to LaCrosse for Pearl Street Books – if you’re ever there – check it out.

    I have not made pasta from scratch, but have benefited from others doing that.

    There are pockets of construction here, and some of it (replacing underground pipes?) is a block from us, so our street has a little more traffic than usual, but not really problematic.

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  9. Since retiring from Taiwan 8 years ago, and becoming citizens there just before leaving, we travel all those 8,000 miles each way to vote in presidential elections. For the next one, in 2028, we’ll have to make 2 trips… the first just to get our registrations renewed, and the second to do the voting. Politics are messy everywhere, but compared to these United States, they’re wonderfully transparent in Taiwan.

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        1. are you concerned the wrong guy would sneak in if you didnt vote?
          could you go to register then holiday in china or japan for a week save some money and chill out in cool locations or is there a check in place to make sure you dont?

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  10. A few years ago I went a few miles out of my way to get Wiley Wallaby licorice from Tractor Supply. Since then I have had to forsake licorice because of my high blood pressure.
    Very sad.
    Minor “construction” at Main Street as a spiral is being painted at a major (for downtown Franklin, OH) intersection.
    If it had been like the Yellow Brick Road that would have been something but it’s not. Maybe later the city will put up photos that I can share.

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  11. OT: It was very good to see PJ today! Maggie was very shy at first (I hope this timidity is just a phase), but by the time our visit was ending, Maggie was very comfortable around her. Maggie showed PJ her gratitude by disemboweling a dog toy! Thanks for the visit, PJ!

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    1. The pleasure was entirely mine, Krista. So good to meet Maggie, and to catch up with you.

      And thanks for the wonderful gift of freshly made pesto. We had some for dinner tonight with grilled bratwurst. What a treat.

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  12. When we lived in Winnipeg we had landlords from Calabria. Angela was really excited to teach me how to make homemade pasta. It was easy to get the right flour in the Italian grocery stores there.

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  16. Construction.
    Blegh. Downtown Rochester is all torn up. Has been for a couple years and will be for a few more. All part of the “Destonation Medical Center”.
    So it’s a mess. And then a few other roads closed for “normal” construction.
    Mumble mumble.

    I think visiting a friend 35 years ago, they made pasta by hand. I didn’t even know that was a thing you could do!

    I bought a tractor in New Richmond WI.
    And a corn planter in Durand WI.
    Oh, and that Track Wacker near Alexandria.

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  18. It’s hard to beat VS for distance traveled. We drive to the North Shore at least once a year for smoked fish (Russ Kendall), maple syrup (Caribou Cream), and granola (Grand Marais Coop). Last year, we drove to Virginia just to see Mary Chapin Carpenter at Wolf Trap. She comes through the Twin Cities from time to time, but Wolf Trap is her “home” space and her shows there are extra special. It was worth it.

    I’ve made fresh pasta a few times but not lately. I have a manual pasta maker that weighs a ton. It’s a lot of work, and you need space to dry the pasta, which can be a challenge if you have a cat.

    The entire Twin Cities area becomes one big construction zone in the warm months. Getting from point A to point B requires careful planning, and work commutes can double in time. Thankfully, I’m able to take side roads on days I work in the office.

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