Category Archives: Uncategorized

All in With Ayoub

Posted on March 11, 2026 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

The following piece appeared in the Owatonna People’s Press on February 26, 2026 It’s alarming to consider, but it will be 50 years ago this spring that I first set an Owatonna High School record in the 2-mile run (now … Continue reading →

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Anchovies on the Brain

Posted on February 19, 2025 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

In addition to my fondness for offal and meat with a “gamey” quality (not just duck and lamb but elk, deer, pheasant, and grouse…that sort of thing), my culinary proclivities include the little fishies: anchovies and sardines. In fact, two … Continue reading →

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riverrun

Posted on December 6, 2024 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

The river leaves Not knowing where it is going Or how it will get there. It runs Blind-folded, bluffing Over sticks and stones Then arrives The moment it leaves Having learned nothing Photograph credit: Joe Nabbefeld

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Cheers Revisited

Posted on September 13, 2024 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

Well, it has been just over a year since I took the plunge of drastically moderating my alcohol consumption and I am checking in with a progress report. Aside from the “special occasions” of vacations, I have strictly adhered to … Continue reading →

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All Knotted Up

Posted on June 24, 2024 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

We were floating the river, the Mighty Mo (Montana’s Missouri River) in the usual places. I was seated in the bow while my friend the Birddog occupied the stern.  While neither of us is from anywhere close to Montana (where … Continue reading →

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Sea Bench

Posted on March 22, 2024 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

I sat on a bench today.    I sat on a bench overseeing the ocean  On a high sea cliff  Squinting in the sun.  I sat on the bench and three pelicans skimmed by below me  Wings fixed, searching baitfish.  Today, … Continue reading →

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Cheers

Posted on December 19, 2023 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

Well, friends and gentle readers, the holidays are upon us, complete with carols, presents, the fat man, and – for some of us – copious cups of Christmas cheer. In past years, you would find me on or around this … Continue reading →

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Truly, Offal

Posted on August 4, 2023 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

“Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls.  He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liver slices stuffed with crustcrumbs, fried hencod’s roes.  Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys, which … Continue reading →

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Labor Day

Posted on September 8, 2020 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

She sitsShe sits on a folding chairShe sits on a folding chair in the sun next to a flatbed truck piled high with cornIt’s 92 in the shade but there is no shadeJust sunAnd a truckAnd corn on the cobParked … Continue reading →

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Bean There/Done That

Posted on May 19, 2020 by John Idstrom - Eater, Angler, Writer, Cook

By popular demand (as in someone asked) I am sharing my recipe for black bean and corn salad.  This is a summertime staple, I make a batch a couple time a months in the warmer months, or when attending those … Continue reading →

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