Four Lessons One Year In

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Kym Zest

It’s almost our one year anniversary from the launch of our dream business.  It was quite the journey to get to the starting line. It was two agonizing years of what often felt like going nowhere getting nothing done (Things Not Done – A Story of Progress). But the last 9 months have flown by and my project whiteboard tells the story.

January to March
This was a lot of catching up on the things that hadn’t gotten done before the launch.  And to keep with the theme, 22 things didn’t get done (but 13 of those did get done eventually!)

January 24th 2018
March 18th 2018

March to May
13 things got done and 4 more in progress! Continue reading →

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Halloween Buckeye Mutation

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Kym Zest

They started out so sweet and innocent. Simple homemade peanut butter chocolate candies.  The original recipe (Smitten Kitchen) makes them look so elegant.  image-5But for Halloween 2012, in my hands they developed adorable eyes.   Which was what my original buckeye recipe post showed.  The mutating started very slowly, at first with just a couple developing a simple slit for a mouth. By 2014 they had taken on whole new characters.

2015 was the first sighting of blood and knives. Things escalated quickly from there. Continue reading →

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Berry Red Cabbage

Posted on September 8, 2018 by Kym Zest

It’s good warm or cold.  It’s both summery and wintery at the same time.  Fruity and earthy. Enough for a crowd or leftovers for the week.  I have a yellowed recipe clipping from the Star Tribune.  I’m guessing from around 2007 when I had my own studio apartment and I felt very grown-up having my own newspaper delivered.  I’ve modified it only a little over the years and realized that it is easy to modify and hard to screw up.

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Continue reading →

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Mango Chicken Curry

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Kym Zest

This meal that has taken almost ten years of fussing and simplifying to become a regular in my kitchen. It all started January 14th 2008, and I know because the printer put a time stamp on it.

This was during my year of Monday Night Dinners. Every Monday morning I’d call a list of friends and announce “It’s Monday! Are you coming to dinner?”

Then I’d search the internet for cooking inspiration. That Monday at 10:25am I printed a Bon Appetit recipe on Epicurious for Chicken Curry with Dried Apricots. It called for a jar of mango chutney. But I was ambitious so I also printed a recipe from Alton Brown on the Food Network for mango chutney.

In the intervening years I’d occasionally make it with purchased mango chutney. I even blogged about it once before. It was ok, but too simple and not nearly as good as the original. But making chutney separately was too much of an extra step. Now I use fresh mangos in a hodgepodge of a one-pot recipe. It’s way tastier than the purchased version and super flexible with ingredients. I love it.img_0570

Continue reading →

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Rituals of Preparation

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Kym Zest

Being primarily self employed is both delightful and maddeningly frustrating.

The delightful part is being able to do work at breweries, or outdoors, or having sweet and fuzzy work partners.


But it is also maddeningly frustrating when I want to be productive, and I set out to be successful and then just keep getting in my own way, and there is no one to blame but myself. Continue reading →

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5 Handstand Lessons

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Kym Zest

Three years can seem like a long time to be on this weird Alice in Wonderland journey into the world of handstands.  But really my acrobatic training age is barely out of it’s infancy.  It stands in contrast to my triathlon training age.  I just did my 21st consecutive year of the Heart Of the Lakes Triathlon (HOLT).  While I love finding new ways to make mistakes (like the other week when I kept trying to put on my goggles for the run) I’ve racked up more lessons than I can count.  In handstands, I can finally count the five most critical things I’ve learned.

1) Fucking log it. Continue reading →

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Garlic Scape Salad

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Kym Zest

They’re here!  After weeks and weeks of anticipation and asking the produce people at my co-op, they are finally in stock.

Garlic scapes are one of my favorite very seasonal items.  If you love garlic you need to get some now!  Their season is short so don’t delay.  You can eat them raw or cooked.  Just do some googling and you’ll find a recipe or idea that suits you.

This is my go-to garlic scape salad.
img_0196I’ve had all the ingredients in the pantry just waiting for the garlic scapes to arrive. Continue reading →

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Type 1 Fun in the BWCA

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Kym Zest

It was so easy, and so much fun there is no story, but there is video!
(It’s best with the sound on.)

Last October, 2017 we had our traditional BWCA paddling vacation.  It was our five year honeymoon anniversary and everything went strangely smoothly.

Five years ago we paddled and portaged 245 miles of the Canadian border in 19 days and most of it was not fun.  It was fantastically type 2 fun; filled with being dirty or tired or cold or hungry.  So while 2017 didn’t give us any paddling stories, I still love our epic adventure stories from 2012.

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Handstand Goals. So Far Away.

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Kym Zest

I took on this goal because it was something I always dreamed of.  I had no idea how difficult it would be for me.

My journey officially started in January 2016.  I wanted to be able to do many amazing
things but I thought I’d focus on the simple stalder press to handstand.

Hahahahahah!

I was utterly naive.  I just threw myself upside-down against a wall a bunch and figured that would do it.  I had no idea what was actually involved or how far away I was. Like a toddler declaring that she would be an astronaut tomorrow.  Then preparing by eating freeze dried food in her snow suit. Continue reading →

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Well Above Zero

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Kym Zest

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There are nice things about camping when it’s way below zero.  No one goes through the ice.  Everything is dry.  All the gear feels appropriate and well used.

And when you asked “Hey, what temperature is it?”
“Well above zero!” said Will.

And it was actually 3ºF

There was so much laughing on this trip.

Will and I had done five winter camping trips just the two of us.  This year included Annalesa.

It started on Monday September 18th at Lakes and Legends Brewing Adventure Film showing.  Will and I were preparing to go on our annual BWCA paddling trip when Annalesa said “I’ve always wanted to go on a trip with both of you.”
I said “You could come on the winter trip.”  But I was probably a little drunk and didn’t think it would really happen.

First, there is so much gear involved.  It’s quite a commitment to acquiring things that are unlikely to be used for anything else.  I sent her a document listing all the needed gear.

Second, it’s really not fun.  Will and I spent a front step evening trying to communicate how much work it is to winter camp.  How it’s really not like camping at any other time of year.  How much risk is involved and how the planning and preparation to make it safe is serious business.  How it’s really not a vacation.

And then she bought the most expensive item on the list.  So it was real.  She was coming.

And it was so much fun.
Or at least it was in hindsight, which makes it classic Type 2 Fun. Continue reading →

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