I talk with Cookbook authors and Makers obsessed with food <br/><br/><a href="https://stephaniehansen.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">stephaniehansen.substack.com</a>

Dishing with Stephanie's Dish
Claim This Podcastby Stephanie Hansen - @StephaniesDish
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I talk with Cookbook authors and Makers obsessed with food <br/><br/><a href="https://stephaniehansen.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">stephaniehansen.substack.com</a>
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Recent Episodes

July 10, 2026
Dishing With Stephanies Dish
Host Stephanie Hansen interviews co-author Kurt Johnson about their culinary romance novel, "The Moon Tavern," exploring Croatian islands, family secrets, and finding love.

April 24, 2026
South Africa on Safari is our next group trip Destination
<p><strong>Original Episode Transcript Follows</strong></p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie’s Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space. And also today, we’re going to talk travel, because whenever I travel, food’s always a big part of it. I’m here with my friend Michael Kenny, and he owns the travel agency Defined Destinations. And Michael and I met and have gone on a number of trips. We’ve gone to Croatia together. We’re just about to embark on Turkey. We are also planning a new trip that we just launched, that is a trip to South Africa. And a lot of times the best way to get people excited about these trips is to talk about them.</p><p>And Michael does more than that. He scouts them out for me first. So, Michael, you went to this trip?</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>I did. I’m your personal scout, but I love it. There’s not a. There’s not a better deal than being able to do that and then going on with you and Kurt and with everybody else. So we’ve had some fun adventures. But, yes, I recently got back with my family. We went scouted this South Africa trip out, or Southern Africa, I should say that we visit four different countries. And it was.</p><p>I’ve been on a safari before, but it was in. In Kenya, which was fabulous as well. But this is a whole different experience. So I brought my wife and my two kids, and we had one of the best experiences, from seeing Cape Town to Johannesburg and then all the wildlife, different lodges and on boats. So we do all these different sorts of transportation and see four different countries. And it was unbelievable. I came back really, really excited. I was excited in the beginning, but having gone on it and then really first experiencing it firsthand was phenomenal.</p><p>And. And I knew you and Kurt would love it. And of course, everyone that follows you as well. It was just. It’s really a trip of a lifetime.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>So we put the trip out there. It is a more expensive trip, and we had a limited number of seats we had that could join the trip. And, you know, I’ve never done a trip that is on the higher end like that in terms of expense. And you’re just. You have a lot of in flight situations within the country. You have a lot of different lodging situations. There’s a boat, like, in order to do all the things we wanted to do, there were a lot of moving parts.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yep.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>So we put the trip out there and it sold out, like, right away. Right. So then Michael was like, okay, do we want to try and do another one? And of course we do, because I want you guys to have as many of these experiences as we can put together. Because I think traveling this way is great. I love traveling in a group for destinations that maybe I’m not comfortable in fully by myself. So Michael has secured another trip, a second round that is the same itinerary, but they leave. I think it’s a day later.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yes. And let me just touch on that. You hit some good points in there. Yeah. One reason the trip, it’s, it’s. It’s definitely at the highest price point we’ve ever offered a trip. But I think if you’re going out there and you’re shopping in African safari, you see that as well. So the value is there with all the different.</p><p>Essentially all the meals are included where we’re at on, on this trip, the inner flights inside the countries as well. From a couple smaller bush planes to the larger flights that go from Cape Town to Johannesburg, Johannesburg up towards Victoria Falls, etc. Those are already included in all the transfers. And this is a different trip too, Stephanie, because it’s not like a typical motor coach group that you’re going with all these big lodges and motor coaches coming in. This trip is. Can only take 16 people. It’s not because we design it that way, it’s the ship only handles 16 people. So if you go on our website, you take a look at it, you’ll see this small intimate cruiser on this river slash lake, Lake Kariba, which is part of the Zambezi.</p><p><p>Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>And in the game lodge that we stayed at too for four nights as well there, there’s only eight cabins for 16 people. So it’s a real intimate experience and it will only be for our group. Same thing for your departure on May 8 and the 1 that we still have, there’s only. We just sold one another cabin online just, just now. So there’s four cabins left May 9th through the 25th of 2027. Same thing is gonna be true for that. It’s only gonna be our group as well. So there’s no other groups going to be in, on, on the ship and then in the lodge too.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>So it’s a real small intimate experience and it’s just real, real lovely.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Can you walk us through like some of the high points having done this trip?</p><p></p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah. Oh, what do you start? I think this is just. Sometimes you use the word potpourri too much, but it’s, it’s really a bit of different. You know, you think you go to Africa just for the safari itself, but we go in and we visit Cape Town and Cape Town blew me away. It was one of the most beautiful cities and I’m not necessarily a city person, but it was just beautiful sitting under Table Mountain. We’ll go up to Table Mountain, we’ll go visit the areas around it, we’ll go visit some vineyards. South African wine is to die for. We’ll visit that.</p><p>We have a wine tasting included. We get to see penguins on this penguin beach in South Africa, which I didn’t know there was penguins in, in South Africa. So we’re actually good to go see those. And you actually get up pretty close too, so that was a real highlight. Nelson Mandela’s home in the prison, we’re going to go visit that. So we have a cultural experience as well. But then we fly into Johannesburg. We’ll get to hear the history in Johannesburg for a night.</p><p>And then we fly further north and we go into the. Our game lodge. We spend for four days right on the Zambezi River. You’ll absolutely love this place. You’re. You’re really well taken care of. You eat really well and you see the wildlife all around you right from your lodge. You sit in your plunge pool and there could be hippos down below you.</p><p>It’s incredible. It’s just a real amazing experience. And then we fly to Lake Kariba, we get on the boat itself and we have four nights again. There’s just 16 of us total. And it’s. This is where it’s really different. You glide up into shore and there can be elephants, giraffes, lions feeding in the water itself. It’s.</p><p>This isn’t a zoo. This is incredible. You are right there with it. That a real slow experience. You’re really able to take it in. So I invite, you know, anybody that’s watching this to go online. Just take a look at our photos. It’s free to do that and we pride ourselves.</p><p>The majority of all the photos on it were taken while on the trip, especially with me and my family. So you’ll get to really see what it really was, was like. So say you’ve done a trip to Tanzania or Kenya and have done a safari. This is. This is different. You see four different countries. It’s a slower pace, smaller groups. It lovely.</p><p>So those are really the experiences that I enjoyed the most, were the penguins seeing around Cape Town. Of course, the different game drives all the different wildlife. Victoria Falls, which is one of the most stunning waterfalls you’ll ever see. It was. It was really enlightening and it was fabulous and everything’s taken care of for you. So to Be able to do something on this on your own. To do the same trip would be really difficult. Putting all the flights together, the meals, what are we going to do? We’ve taken care of all of that.</p><p>All you have to do essentially is register for the trip and then we can help you with getting international airfare when it does come available later in the summer for this May 9th through the 25th, 2027 trip. So it, it was just an amazing experience.</p><p></p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>So can you talk a little bit about the food? Because I have no idea what African food is going to be like.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah, I, I think this, it’s not like we’re out eating street food, you know, in some of the villages we’re not doing that. It’s all in a controlled environment from the salads to things like that because you want to drink bottled water. We never got sick while on the trip itself, but it’s, it’s real, it’s westernized, let’s say that. So a lot of meat and potatoes and fish and different things like that. So there won’t be anything a little bit, I think outside of your comfort zone. So I, we really, really. Well, like lots of beef, chicken, sometimes there’d be lamb, but you can have choices too. So they’re really great with diets with that.</p><p>But again, the food was really safe. Nothing too exotic. You have a chance. Maybe you want to try ostrich or something like that. You can do that. But it’s a real, it’s really high level too. Especially at the lodges and the boats itself. All sit down plated meals.</p><p>Really, really nice. But again it’s, it’s, it’s safer on the meat and potato side on that. But it’s, it’s really nice high end food which you’ll, I think I, I know you’ll enjoy.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Yeah. And was there different fruit?</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah, some of the fruits, I can’t remember. You’d be like, well, what is that? I don’t know. Honestly, I wish I had the list on there. Like, well, what is that? Well, let’s, let’s try it. If you’re in the markets and things like that. But they, they do, especially in the mornings they’ll bring some fruits on, on the plate and you’ll have, you’re like, well what? And you just try it. So yeah, I’m not really good to help you on that. I’m sorry.</p><p>No, but it’s there exotic fruits whenever</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>we’re traveling because we went to Thailand together. We’ve been to Vietnam, Cambodia, whenever we’re Traveling in these countries, there’s always fruits that I’ve never, I don’t even know what they are like. I’m just always amazed by how many fruits there are in the world.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah, it’s crazy. Like I said, you go through and you’re like, what is that? Especially on our Vietnam, Cambodia trip here, it’s, that’s, that’s really exotic with the food. This is a little bit different, but yeah, we’re in the southern hemisphere, right down to the Cape of Good Hope, which you’ll actually see too. So you see different, different foods for sure, so they’ll point that out too. But it’s. The main course is definitely not exotic, but you’ll see some really neat, neat, different fruits, things like that.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>We talked about South African wines, so I’m glad we’re doing that because that was a blast. So this second itinerary leaves a day later. Will there ever be an opportunity where I will overlap and interact with the second? It’s kind of hard to tell at this point.</p><p></p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah, it, it really is. And we’ll know a little bit more later on because we’re in, in contact because we’ll have they. The ships. We have two different ships on it and it’s just a day apart, like you said. But we’re in the lodge for four days. Our lodges are different, they’re close by. But we’re working on trying to see maybe if we get a couple game drives together, maybe maybe a meal somewhere that we could see each other once or twice during, or maybe even three times with Cape Town too, that we could run into each other as well. So if you decide to book, because you won’t be on the second trip, the second departure, we’re hoping two or three times we’ll be able to, to, to run in each other.</p><p>But again, it’s not guaranteed. But we’re very hopeful because both of the ships are completely ours. So I’m sure we can, we can do a little overlapping in our two lodge stays. They’re relatively close, but they’re, they’re different from each other. So we might be able to pop in and visit each other maybe for a happy hour on one of our boats, because each lodge has got like its own beautiful pontoon to go out and go look at the wildlife and we might run into that too, but. Yeah, but other than that, and you’re not being on the second one, their tenders are the same, just different lodges. And they’re both very, very amazing, high quality lodges. And again, if you go Online, you can see both the different boats and the lodges too, which you’ll absolutely love.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>I love too, Michael, that you actually took these trips. When I travel with you, you’re very upfront about what, you know, what, you don’t know. We get in country guides if we need more expertise, and a lot of times you want that because you want a local person to share with you the local feel of the place and to give you information based on their perspective of living there or being familiar with the country.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah, I think that that’s, that’s, that’s really important. People want to not just get the information to make sure it’s correct, but just like what’s life like being you’re from Namibia or Zimbabwe or South Africa and we have these local guides. We have, you know, the folks with us in the lodge and when we’re doing the game drives a professional that will tell you, you know, what you’re seeing, how they, you know, migration or whatever they’re doing and what they consume, all of that. So you’ve got that, that credibility too. So we have that throughout, from our city guides to our, our on land folks as well. You’ll really get that expertise. So you’ll, you’ll come back feeling, you know, about the people itself, which there’s. We could have different podcast talking about that.</p><p>I loved it. And then, you know, the animals that you’re going to sing like, oh, I didn’t know. It’s, it’s a really educational but rewarding, relaxing trip as well, which you, you, I know you’ll, you’ll enjoy.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. And people say that the African people are like just fabulous.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>They are it. And again, I’ve been to Africa a few times not, not to, to these parts. The people are wonderful. And I don’t know if you’re going to bring it up, but the languages. So revisiting different four countries and, and they, they speak different dialects of in. In the different countries and different languages as well, from English to African and wherever, you know, from where their group is from. But they use English as kind of the common language. So you’ll.</p><p>If we have a little overlap with some of our guides from Namibia to Botswana, they’re going to speak English with each other, which was. I was like, oh, wow. I didn’t, you know, really realize that. So the language is never a problem. Everything’s in English. Even in. Through all of the countries visited. You would see the road signs.</p><p>It’s all in English, which was like, oh, wow, that’s interesting. But then you get to hear them speaking with each other, their languages and they’ll talk about that too. But I was, I was really surprised about the whole language situation being it really a lot of English.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Yeah, I’m excited about that. Okay, so when we say expensive, can you just say on the podcast how much the trip is? Because I don’t want people not to explore it.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Oh yeah.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>You get so many things and a lot of people that are, you know, TV hosts and that sort of thing are hosting week long trips places and they cost more than this trip costs.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>So yeah, for the, for the land only per person It’s $12,000. And so you, other than that you just need to get your international airfare to and from South Africa. And we have that all written down if you want to look at and for it yourself. But like I mentioned earlier, rates don’t come out availability about 10 months prior to departure. So it’ll be sometime later this summer, maybe in July that you’ll start seeing what rates would be to fly into to Cape Town with that. But again the value is really there. It’s typically double the price that we usually have for our trips going to Europe and other places like that. But I think if you go through it and if you’ve done your research, if you’ve looked at trips to Africa before, you’ll see the value there with all the, all the flights, all the meals, all that included and it, like you said it, it’s sold out right away.</p><p>People I think understand that too. And we only have a few cabins left on the second departure so hopefully you’re able to join it. But take a look at the website again, it’s free to do that. Look at all the things that we offer, all the inclusions. I think everyone will see the value there for sure.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Yeah, I was just noticing another person going somewhere for a week and it was like 15,000. And I was like, wait, we’re going to Africa, we’re doing all of this great stuff, all the meals are included, it’s over, it’s two week long trip and we’re going on all these game drives. Like this is more than maybe most people would spend on a vacation. But like for a trip of a lifetime it’s very, I thought really well priced. And I went and looked at Nat Geo. I looked at some of the other trips were actually cheaper than those too.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yeah. And I think a lot of people are just looking when you, you first look at it too, you want to make sure you’re comparing apples to Apple. So, you know, we encourage you to go out there and shop and look at other companies because I know you’ll come back and you’ll see our value. A lot of them are just maybe doing similar game drives that we’re doing, but they’re not including like Cape Town in it and we are, which is huge. Again, you might not be a city person, but you’re gonna love Cape Town. Not just the city itself, the drives around there, going to, to see the penguins and to go up into the area where the, the vineyards are, it’s abso stunning. So there’s a lot to it. So I encourage everybody to take a look and you’ll again see the value and all the different experiences you’ll have</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>on this trip and the vibes. Because I’ll be there on the first trip, hopefully I’ll get to overlap with you on the second trip. I don’t want to make any promises we can’t keep, but I feel good that I’ll see you at least once and then we can like talk about all the stuff that we saw when we get back. So it’s going to be just great vibes.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Exactly. And I already know the majority of the people that from previous trips that have already booked the second departure. So if you’re thinking about it, I’m looking at the name list. There’s some really good people on this, on this trip. So you’re going to have fun. You’ll have a great guides throughout. So it’s yes, they won’t have you incurred on the trip, which is sad, but I think at the same time you’re really going to love, if you’re going for this experience, you’re absolutely going to love it for sure. And we encourage.</p><p>Send an email to us. Give me a call. I’d be happy to talk to you about the trip itself. But again, having just a few cabins left, I know this one will sell out too. So if you’re on the fence again, give me a call, send me an email. I’d be happy to get you on it because this will be our Last one for 2027, so we’d love to have anybody else join.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>I’ll put all that information in the podcast release. Also, it pays to be traveler with us because we have a pretty good list now of people that are repeat travelers and I think that says a lot about you as someone coordinating these trips. I think it says a lot about me as someone that is fun to go on these trips with, like we have someone that’s coming up on, this will be their fourth trip with us. They’re, they’re high end experiences, they’re fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have a good time. The pacing is right. If you need to peel off because you need a day to just relax, you can usually do that at the different places.</p><p>It really, I, I feel like while we’re leading a trip, we also understand it’s your trip, not ours. So if you need to do, you know, like, I remember when we did a cooking class, Lori standing up on the bus and saying, well, who wants to do that? And everyone went except for her. And then Kurt went with her, so she wasn’t alone. But again, if the cooking class isn’t your jam, then you can find some way to do something else. So just to see a good time?</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>No, it is if this is your vacation. But I honestly think everything that’s in this itinerary, you’re going to want to, to join in. And again, this is a relaxed pace too. But sometimes we have some earlier game drives to, to go see the animals that are out there early in the morning, which you want to do. But then we’ll usually have the afternoon free that you can go into your plunge pool, sit by one of the beautiful trees and have having a cocktail or something like that. So it’s really relaxed as well and you have time to take it in and I think that’s really important. Sometimes everything’s just go, go, go and see how much you can see and do. I mean, we are, we’re going, but we still have that time to sit back and relax.</p><p>And that’s what’s really fun about even being on the ship. Second, because we’re moving around and, and popping into small little bays and seeing when animals come up through these savannahs. It’s stunning. You’re like, you’re in the comfort of a beautiful boat and you’re going up and there’s, you know, elephants coming down to water, which I loved, or the hippos just down below you. We go fishing one time or a couple times, whatever we want to do. And just the wildlife around you. And it’s like, oh, I’m not in a Minnesota northern lake right now. It’s, it’s pretty spectacular.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>So, Kurt, no swimming off the boat, please. Unlike Kariba with, with knowing, uh, there’s a tiger fish in there. There’s these world famous fish that people like to fish for, the sharp teeth, but it’s more so you got to watch out for those hippos. Of course.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Yeah. Are there crocodiles?</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>Yes, there are. So, yes, there’s the crocodiles and the hippos in there. So don’t go in the water.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Yeah.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>But it’s fun to be on our big boat, so it’s, it’s safe and you get up really up close to everything, which is super cool.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>All right, well, I’m looking forward to it, Michael. Again, I’ll put all the information in the podcast notes here. Thanks for joining us and I’ll see you. Well, I won’t see you tomorrow because I’m leaving for Turkey a few days early because I like to get there and get fresh before you guys all arrive so that I have a personality. But I’ll see you in a couple days in Turkey.</p><p><strong>Michael Kenney:</strong></p><p>That sounds great. Thanks so much, Stephanie.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen:</strong></p><p>Okay, bye. Bye.</p><p><p>Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe</a>

April 11, 2026
Cookbook Author Sarah Peterson, "Vintage Dish and Tell" and I talk sandwich loaf and the keepers of family recipes
<p>Welcome to "Dishing with Stephanie's Dish," the show where we dive into the stories of people passionate about food, family traditions, and the recipes that connect us all. I'm your host, Stephanie Hansen, and today, I'm thrilled to sit down with cookbook author Sarah Peterson, whose new book,<a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/41hpxtK"> </a><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/41hpxtK">Dish and Tell: Recipes from the Heart</a><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/41hpxtK">, </a>celebrates the beauty of vintage family recipes and the memories shared around the table. </p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/4maH6Fi">Dish and Tell: Recipes from the Heart</a> highlights celebrated dishes from Peterson’s recipe box—and collects stories from other passionate home cooks who opened their kitchens to share their own tried-and-true recipes. Peterson takes readers along as she visits, cooks, and bakes with friends old and new to present a smorgasbord of family favorites. She serves up stories about the people behind the dishes and offers special tips and tricks from the keepers of these recipes.</p><p>Whether you're an avid home cook, a lover of kitchen nostalgia, or just here for some culinary inspiration, get ready to hear heartfelt stories, tips on cookbook writing, and a delicious conversation that will leave you hungry for more!</p><p><strong>Original Episode Transcript Follows:</strong><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:00:02]:</strong></p><p>Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Dishing with Stephanie’s Dish podcast, where we talk to people in the food space who are as obsessed about food as we are. And today we’re talking to the cookbook author Sarah Peterson. She is the author of Dish and Tell Recipes from the Heart. I’m going to hold up her book so that you guys can see it. It looks so cute. It’s pink. Sarah, I am really excited to talk to you because I don’t normally get to know people sort of along the whole journey of them writing a book and then seeing it released into the world. But that did happen with you and I.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:00:37]:</strong></p><p>Yes, it did. We’ve known each other a little while, or at least I’ve known you. I’ve followed your career, and so it’s been really great to have you to consult with a little bit, and you’ve really been a mentor to me throughout this process.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:00:50]:</strong></p><p>Well, and I think for you, coming from the PR world, which was where your background was, and then taking it into a cookbook, I’m seeing so many, like, similarities of how you’re approaching things, and I think it’s just super smart, and I can’t wait to talk to you. So can you just give the viewer, the listener, a little bit of backstory about the book and why you wrote it and why it’s special to you?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:01:17]:</strong></p><p>Yes.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:01:18]:</strong></p><p>So.</p><p></p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:01:18]:</strong></p><p>So about five years ago, maybe more, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my career. I’d been in PR a long time, telling other people’s stories, writing in the voice of other people. I wanted to do something of my own. I had this love of everything vintage. I’m very nostalgic. I love any opportunity to, like, go back to my grandma’s kitchens in my mind and, like, imagine them in their homes. And so this idea started brewing about, you know, what if I blogged about family recipes and shared some of these handwritten recipe cards, recipe boxes, my love of vintage. So I started with Instagram first, and I was posting a little bit, and then I.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:02:00]:</strong></p><p>That kind of evolved into a blog, and that just really grew and grew, and it was just not my own family’s recipes, but other people’s families, too. Like, I started to just talk to my friends and my neighbors and ask them what are the recipes in their families that I’ve been handing down through the generations that are really close, you know, to their hearts, and started to share those stories on the blog and then thought, well, this could be a book. A book is daunting as you know, to write, but I had some encouragement from my dad and some other people and just pitched it to the Historical Society, and I’m just so grateful that they decided to publish it.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:02:37]:</strong></p><p>And what we’re seeing in terms of trends for cookbooks is cookbooks that are AI proof, In other words, cookbooks that have a real narrative point of view on a story. And this book seems like it is exactly that and more. Did you feel uncomfortable or were you nervous about, like, being the keeper, the seed keeper, as it were, or the storykeeper of these stories and how you would translate them into an actual book?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:03:07]:</strong></p><p>Yes. You mean for, like, other families? Yeah, absolutely. And I think what gave me maybe a little bit of confidence is that something that I had done in my career as a PR person and in one particular project for a client, I was tasked with shining the spotlight on small independent restaurants and the special role that they play in their communities. And so I had this chance to really interview them and tell their stories and talk about how they were making a difference in their communities. And so I was thinking about what I wanted to do with recipes and family stories, kind of drawing on that past experience of the storytelling, the type of storytelling I had done for restaurants and, like, small restaurant owners. And I think that helped give me some confidence. I think just seeing the difference it makes in someone’s life, too, when they see a story printed about them. And I also love to shine the spotlight on, like, the underdogs.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:04:03]:</strong></p><p>And I feel like home cooks don’t get a lot of time in the sun, you know, So I wanted to do that. But, yeah, I do think there’s a lot of responsibility you carry when you’re telling somebody else’s story. And it’s not something I take lightly. So when I approach a story, I really, you know, lean on my journalistic background. I have a degree in journalism, try to get all the facts straight, run things by people, do fact checking, that kind of thing, too.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:04:33]:</strong></p><p>So you assembled all these stories and put them into a book along with your own family stories. And how has the book been received? Because it’s really beautiful. It’s super charming. There’s lots of photos, recipe cards. It’s very stylized in a sweet way.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:04:51]:</strong></p><p>Thank you. I think it’s been received really well. It’s fun to see. Like, I’ve done a couple of events where people come up and they’re just like, oh, this book is just so sweet. It reminds me of my grandma, and I can’t wait to go look through her recipe box. That’s like, the biggest compliment I can get. The Star Tribune editor, Nicole, she said she’s the editor of Taste. She said it was like opening the book is like getting a big hug.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:05:15]:</strong></p><p>And I think that’s just so sweet, too. Like, I really wanted people to, of course, love the recipes and the stories, but I think, like, the imagery of vintage dishes, of recipe boxes, of grandmas and aprons, I mean, that’s just like, so me. And I love all that, and I’m happy that other people seem to really love that as well.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:05:34]:</strong></p><p>I know it’s hard to answer this question so soon after having the book come out, but this really does feel like it could continue on and be a series and continue to live on in your Instagram. Could even be like, audio, you know, version, or you could do television things with it because there’s so much historical narrative in there. Has that occurred to you at all?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:06:00]:</strong></p><p>Not so much yet. I mean, I’m trying to figure that all out now. Like, what do I want to do next? And I think, like, I would love to do more storytelling, more sharing of recipes, maybe more on my sub stack and my Instagram. But yeah, I mean, it could, there could be future editions of the book. But that’s just so ambitious for me right now. Just kind of in the thick of it. Maybe I’ll have to tap you for some more knowledge later on. But I mean, I do have, like, in talking to these families that I interviewed for the book, other stories would come up that they’re, you know, other recipes.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:06:34]:</strong></p><p>And certainly people that I’ve been meeting, doing events are telling me about their recipes. I had this woman come to see me at a book event at Kowalski’s last weekend, and she brought her family cookbook that she had made, you know, just something that she had pieced together but was sharing with her family. And so it was really sweet, and I love seeing that, too. And I think, you know, sharing some of the recipes that other people share with me at events, but also talking about how they’re recording their family recipes. Like, I think, if anything, I’d love to be an inspiration for other people or give people an inspiration to collect those recipes and show some of the formats that other families are using to share those with with their extended family.</p><p></p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:07:15]:</strong></p><p>As we talk about the nuts and bolts of making a cookbook, what was the hardest part for you in putting this book together?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:07:25]:</strong></p><p>I think it was. It seemed so massive in the beginning, like, the organization of a cookbook. I’ve learned a lot in the process and, like, Have a rockin spreadsheet now. But that was very daunting in the beginning. Then I got into the thick of it, and I think toward the end, like, the editing. Oh, my gosh, that was really something because you don’t know exactly when it’s going to hit. Like, when are you going to have to look through this whole thing? Like, after. Even before it was in layout, like, just getting the manuscript and after the editor had done a first pass, and then you have to reread it all again, and you just have to, like, carve out a bunch of time and just get into it.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:08:07]:</strong></p><p>And I thought that was really hard. It reminded me of being back in college when you’re cramming for a final.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:08:11]:</strong></p><p>Yeah.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:08:13]:</strong></p><p>So I didn’t, like, love that. But, I mean, it’s just part of the process.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:08:18]:</strong></p><p>Yeah. Because the manuscript comes back and you don’t know when. And then all of a sudden, like, your entire life is put on hold for however long it takes you to get through it.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:08:25]:</strong></p><p>And for me, it was like a summer weekend. Like, oh, okay. I guess I’m gonna just be doing this for the next two weekend. Yeah.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:08:33]:</strong></p><p>How did you feel about the photographing of the book? Because that can be a challenging part that stops people.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:08:40]:</strong></p><p>I’m glad you asked about that because as you know, we have the same publisher. And it’s really like, they were so great. They’re like, sarah, just take photos like you’re, you know, doing on your Instagram. These will be great. We’ll make it work. Well, yes, but I just was, like, feeling I’m not a food stylist. You know, I do my thing and I take pictures in the moment when I’m making food, but I’m like, I don’t know if these are cookbook worthy. And I do everything on my iPhone.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:09:08]:</strong></p><p>I’m not gonna get a fancy camera. So as I got further along the process, pretty late in the process, I’m like, I just need some help, because I want somebody to help me get a really pretty shot for the COVID Help me shoot some of the things. Like, meat is so hard to take a pretty picture.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:09:24]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, for sure.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:09:25]:</strong></p><p>Meatball. Or, you know, like, just. Oh. I was just really struggling, and I listened to your podcast and I know that you interviewed Rachel White of Set the Table Photography, who happens to be a food stylist as well. And I’d been following her on Instagram and really liked her style. So I reached out to her after hearing her on your podcast, and we met, and I just told her what I was doing. I said, I don’t have a lot of money, but here’s a few shots that I’d like to get. And she also took some headshots of me.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:09:52]:</strong></p><p>But she came to my house for a few days, and we just banged out as much as we could. Not even like three full days. Like, two and a half days. I just was, like, cooking up a storm. We did headshots and lifestyle shots one morning, and then just a bunch of recipes and then, like, a bunch. A brunch spread one day, too.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:10:10]:</strong></p><p>So what that translated to me when looking at the book was we’ll call them, like, some hero shots.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:10:16]:</strong></p><p>Exactly.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:10:18]:</strong></p><p>That were. They were. It was funny because I couldn’t necessarily tell when I was looking at the book, but I could see, like, just from the perspective of the stylized nature of the background and the more complete shot. Like, let’s see if I can just find one that I can hold up.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:10:44]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, A lot of the shots in, you know, the chapter intros.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:10:49]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, it’s like, that one maybe.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:10:52]:</strong></p><p>Yes, yes.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:10:53]:</strong></p><p>And I thought maybe that one.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:10:56]:</strong></p><p>I took that one, actually. But I think just having Rachel, like, in. In the end, too, I was like, well, people are gonna. Is this gonna be weird to have a mix of really good professional pictures than my pictures? And then it was really important for me to have pictures that the families submitted, so candids and snapshots. And I know feature a lot of those in your cookbook, too. And I think those are so important, and I think they all came together. I hope so. Yeah, I did that one, too.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:11:28]:</strong></p><p>Oh, see, look at.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:11:30]:</strong></p><p>I can’t even tell if you look in the back. We credit which pages are definitely her pictures. But, you know, she did the COVID</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:11:37]:</strong></p><p>shot, and that’s this one. Yeah. No, I. I knew you had worked with her, but when I looked through the book, I thought I could tell, but I couldn’t, so. Good for you.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:11:49]:</strong></p><p>She helped me do the. The Dutch pancake.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:11:52]:</strong></p><p>Yep. Those are so hard to get because they deflate.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:11:58]:</strong></p><p>I know. And the day that we did it, I just made the most gigantic one ever in my largest lodge skillet. And it worked. And, like, screaming in excitement that it came out so beautiful. And then it did deflate, but we made it look pretty with berries and powder. Powdered sugar. I did that one, too. That one.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:12:16]:</strong></p><p>Handballs. But, like, she did these really pretty pictures of my recipe cards and recipe boxes, and she took pictures of me with my grandma’s dishes. So she got a lot of shots, too, that obviously I Couldn’t take because I was in them. Yeah, it was really nice. And I’ve been using her photos like crazy and all of my Instagram and marketing efforts, so I’m just so grateful that I had her. I wish I could have hired her for the whole thing. But I think, too, when you’re making a cookbook, I don’t know about you, but I like to eat what I make. And I’m, like, photographing it in the moment.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:12:49]:</strong></p><p>Yes.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:12:50]:</strong></p><p>And I do like those kind of pictures too, so I’m really glad I have a mix.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:12:54]:</strong></p><p>I. I feel like, for me, if I’m not living that life or I’m not like, that is the life I live. So the intention is that it’s happening in real time. I’m. I felt like this. Making this thing today, when I made it, this is what it looked like. This is how I ate it. This is how it.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:13:14]:</strong></p><p>The dishes I served it in. To me, that’s what makes this food life fun. So when it becomes like a complete chore or a list or a job, that’s when I find I don’t like it as much.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:13:26]:</strong></p><p>Right. And I do think that people resonate to real life pictures.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:13:31]:</strong></p><p>Yeah. We’re lucky in that way, because if we would have been doing this during the fussy Instagram, first coming alive and everything being blown out white, beautiful shots,</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:13:42]:</strong></p><p>I don’t know that we have to do that. And especially with AI now, you want things to look a little imperfect.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:13:47]:</strong></p><p>Tell me about how you scheduled your book tour and how you worked with your publishing company, because I feel like you’re approaching it very methodically from a publicist standpoint, and I think that’s helpful for cookbook writers.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:14:05]:</strong></p><p>Well, I’m glad it appears so, because that is. That’s been like a big surprise, like, book tour. Okay. I. You know, I didn’t really know what to expect, and I’ve seen everything you’ve done, and you’ve done a phenomenal job. And I’m like, if I can do a fraction of what Stephanie does, that would be great. So really, right now, I’m in the thick of it. The book came out in February, but it was a little bit slow in getting events because I had a vacation and some other things planned.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:14:33]:</strong></p><p>But then now, coming into April, I’ve got a lot more going on, and I’ve just been fielding requests that have come through the publisher or through my website, and I haven’t said no to a lot. Although, know, like, there’s things that come up, like speaking Opportunities. And I don’t know that I’m there yet to do that kind of thing. So I’m just doing a mix of like, traditional book signings. The independent bookstores I absolutely love. I had a really sweet event in New at a bookstore called Luca. It was like, seriously, the set of the Gilmore Girls. It was so cute.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:15:10]:</strong></p><p>That bookstore is amazing. And they had addition tell event where we talked about this. Like, how fun would it be to have people bring a recipe from their recipe box and we do a little recipe card swap. So we did that. And then they also made some of the dishes from the cookbook and we had like a potluck style event. So that was really sweet. So I think, you know, some of these events that come up are people that request them. Yeah, I do put on my PR hat and I’m like, well, how can we make this extra special and make it more an experience? And so I’ve been bringing.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:15:42]:</strong></p><p>I’ve been hauling my grandma’s china teacups to all these events filled with flowers. I gave you one places I use doilies made by my Aunt Jeannie. I bring pictures of the women in my family that I call the keepers that have been the keepers of our food traditions. So I sort of have this traveling roadshow.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:16:02]:</strong></p><p>A kid. Yeah.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:16:04]:</strong></p><p>But in terms of the events that I’m doing, I’ve just. Whatever comes my way, I’m kind of doing. I am not like seeking out things. I will say, though I do love the independent bookstores are really fun. And then this week I have an event at Fickers up in Duluth, which is my home. You know, Duluth and Cloquet. So that will be really exciting to do something like that where they’re making the food and I just, you know, come in and speak and mingle with people. That will be.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:16:32]:</strong></p><p>That will be nice.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:16:34]:</strong></p><p>We have an or we have a Taste Buds with Stephanie episode coming up with you. I know Michelle is editing it right now, and it is where we made sandwich loaf. And you have the recipe and the techniques for sandwich loaf in your book. Can you just talk a little bit about why sandwich loaf is important to you?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:16:57]:</strong></p><p>I would love to talk about sandwich loaf.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:17:00]:</strong></p><p>It was the funnest thing I’ve done.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:17:03]:</strong></p><p>Sandwich loaf is something that I just. I just love it so much. And for people who don’t know what it is, it’s basically a layered sandwich that comes in a loaf. It looks really pretty, like almost like a wedding cake. And then you slice it so it’s like layers. It’s Bread with layers of tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, pimento cheese, whatever you want to put on the inside. And then it’s all encased in cream cheese and decorated with. You can decorate it with, like, piped cream cheese that’s tinted so it truly does look like a pretty cake.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:17:35]:</strong></p><p>Or. My friend Tony and I like to do it with vegetables and herbs and just make little flowers and whimsical butterflies. So my passion for sandwich loaf started when I was probably growing up. It just showed up at, like, wedding showers, baby showers, graduations. And I always loved it. I mean, I loved how it tasted, and it was just kind of enamored by how charming it is. And then my friend Tony had it at her wedding, and we just. We.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:18:01]:</strong></p><p>We share a bond over sandwich loaf. And part of it. She has an aunt that works at the Super One Deli up in Cloquet and made these things. And that’s how we’d get them growing up. They’re always ordered from the deli. They didn’t make them. But Tony and I were like, we should. We should make one of these.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:18:17]:</strong></p><p>You know, we can buy the. It’s called Pullman bread. It’s that long, rectangular bread. She’s like, we can just order that from the deli and make our own sandwich loaf. And wouldn’t this be fun? And I think we were probably influenced by Instagram seeing other kinds of decorated cakes.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:18:33]:</strong></p><p>Yeah.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:18:33]:</strong></p><p>Pasture breads, where people are doing, like, fun, fun scenes. So we just started doing it a few years ago around Mother’s Day. We’ve done it at her house. We’ve done it at my house, my parents house. And we’d share it with ladies in our life that we know would appreciate it. And we got such a great response. People that know sandwich loaf love it, and they’re just so excited to get it. So we make, like, the big ones, then we’d cut them up and do little smaller ones, decorate them really cute and hand them out around town.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:19:03]:</strong></p><p>It was so fun to make that with you. I had seen sandwich loaf, but when Michelle, my producer, was like, hey, she wants to make a sandwich loaf. I was like, yeah, we can make whatever she wants to make. And then when I got there, I was like, oh, yeah, like, this is how we do it. And just making the pimento cheese and, you know, do you put tuna in? Because some people feel weird about fish. And then we had this. Do you have a salmon loaf? Like, do you have egg salad? Just such a blast making that. And I can’t wait for us to show people what that’s like on television.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:19:40]:</strong></p><p>This weekend it’ll air Saturday at 8.30am it will launch on Instagram or, excuse me, it will launch on YouTube on Thursday and then it lives into perpetuity. And I’m sure they’ll air it again. So it’s nicely timed for your book. Thank goodness.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:19:55]:</strong></p><p>And it’s sandwich loaf season, I mean, in my world. So I’ll be up in Duluth around Mother’s Day and my friend Tony and I are planning to get together and make some. And it’s just such a pretty spring thing and I think it would be great if people started serving them again at showers.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:20:08]:</strong></p><p>Yes, yes.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:20:11]:</strong></p><p>Beautiful food item. And it’s, it’s tasty. You can customize it how you want. You know, you can make more than one if somebody doesn’t like tuna or if you want to add some other salad. Yeah, I think it’s going to be great. And it would be a fun group activity, wouldn’t it, with your girlfriends?</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:20:27]:</strong></p><p>Like. Yes.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:20:28]:</strong></p><p>I love it because we just have fun decorating them together.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:20:31]:</strong></p><p>I also think it’s a good multi generational thing, like for Mother’s Day where, you know, you can have the kids, the grandkids, really, everyone can sort of get involved if they’re, you know, I guess they have to be 10 or older probably. Unless they’re. I mean, you see these little kids on Instagram making gourmet meals now. I don’t know how that works. That wasn’t.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:20:51]:</strong></p><p>Well, you could make a peanut butter and jelly one. Like you could really modify the ingredients. I mean, that’s not the way that I grew up with it, but it’d be fun to see what people do with it.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:21:00]:</strong></p><p>Yeah. And you could think you could frost it with peanut butter. Like that’d be pretty easy to do, actually.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:21:04]:</strong></p><p>Yeah.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:21:05]:</strong></p><p>Or just frosting in and of itself and then have like a, a sweet with jam and kind of. That would be really good too. Or like a cream cheese buttercream for sure.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:21:17]:</strong></p><p>And I just think it’s so pretty when you cut into it too. Like it’s pretty on its own when it’s decorated in its loaf form. But when you slice into it, the picture of, you know, just how it looks when, when it’s on the plate I think is really pretty.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:21:32]:</strong></p><p>I’m just gonna see if I can find it here so I can show it.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:21:35]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, here’s the. It looks kind of funny on the camera there.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:21:39]:</strong></p><p>Can you see it pull back a little bit? Yes, now I can. Yep. It looks great.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:21:45]:</strong></p><p>That’s like in its full, complete form. And then here it is sliced. And I like it on vintage luncheon plates that, you know, the kind our grandmas and our moms used years ago. And they have the little indentation for the coffee mug.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:22:01]:</strong></p><p>We just had Easter yesterday and my mother in law is 94, I think, and came for Easter dinner. And over the years she keeps giving me, you know, dishes and things that she’s offloading, as it were, but I kept. I’ve kept stuff. And we used to have Easter all the time in Nebraska with her at her house there. So I made the Easter spread. I used her tablecloth, I used her silverware forks. I used these little paper mache bunnies that she used to put on the table that I still kept. And it was so sweet to see her come to the house yesterday and sit down and like recognize all this stuff that we had when Ellie was little and we would have Easter with her.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:22:46]:</strong></p><p>It was. I was so glad I kept it all. You know, it’s kind of a pain, but I’m so glad I did.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:22:51]:</strong></p><p>Oh, and you’ll have that to enjoy for years. And what a great memory. I mean, and I bet Dolores was just tickled.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:22:56]:</strong></p><p>She was, she really, she. She really was. And the funny thing, I said, well, you know, that’s your tablecloth. And she said, well, where are the napkins? And I didn’t really remember that there were napkins because they were in a closet and probably in a box and I didn’t unearth them. So I was like, oh, I have the napkins. I just didn’t get them out. Like, you know, where are the napkins? All right, so we are going to feature you on the Taste Buds episode. It’s a Dec.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:23:22]:</strong></p><p>Decades episode where we had to think of recipes that were important to us like through the decades. So sandwich loaf was one. Then I did a Chicken Marbella, which I don’t know if you did any dinner parties in the 80s, but if you did, that was what everybody made into like probably the early 90s too.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:23:44]:</strong></p><p>I can’t wait to try that. I have not had that dish.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:23:47]:</strong></p><p>It is the simplest thing to make and it has a power punch of flavor. I always double the sauce just because I like it. Really saucy, but it sounds gross. And my producer was like, oh, wait, we’re putting prunes in this. I was like, yeah, you just gotta trust me. It’s gonna be really great. And then by the time it’s all done, you have this really delicious Sauce and the cooked chicken and you can just throw it in one big pan or one big pot and then serve it right from the pot. So it’s an easy dinner party.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:24:19]:</strong></p><p>Dinner party, yeah. That sounds really good.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:24:22]:</strong></p><p>Do you have any, like 80s or 90s dishes that you. Not actual dishes, but things to make that you’re like, oh, I. If I had to do a decades theme, what would you make?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:24:32]:</strong></p><p>You know, let’s see. So the 80s, I wasn’t cooking too much, but I love.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:24:37]:</strong></p><p>Because you’re so much younger than me.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:24:38]:</strong></p><p>I’m not so much younger, but I was in that time of life where it was like high school. School.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:24:43]:</strong></p><p>Yep.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:24:44]:</strong></p><p>Not doing a lot of entertaining or anything. I can’t think of. I don’t know if this is. I mean, we love Dorito. The taco salad with Doritos. I don’t know if that’s 80s or 90s, but like.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:24:56]:</strong></p><p>No, it’s. I think it’s 90s. And we actually talked about taco salads when we were trying to think about, like, what would be we. I couldn’t think of anything of the 90s. And then my producer Michelle, like came up with a bunch of stuff. And taco salad was actually also mud pie.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:25:14]:</strong></p><p>Yes.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:25:15]:</strong></p><p>So we ended up making a mud pie bar that was actually a recipe that my stepmom had. But, like, people were eating a lot of mud pie apparently in the 90s. And chocolate lava cakes.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:25:27]:</strong></p><p>Oh my gosh. And chocolate lava cakes. Are they. They’re back. I mean, I see they are back. My daughter Lucy is a big fan, so anytime we’re out to eat, she’s got to get a chocolate lava cake.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:25:36]:</strong></p><p>Have you ever made one?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:25:38]:</strong></p><p>No, have you?</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:25:39]:</strong></p><p>I have attempted it like three different times and it never works. I always get a delicious brownie but like getting that molten lava piece in the middle have not succeeded yet. So I didn’t want to do that on camera because I was like, oh, I just don’t know.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:25:56]:</strong></p><p>So, yeah, in 90s dishes. I was just thinking of one thing that my mom has made throughout my life and is in the cookbook are Italian shells. So the big pasta shells. Yes, we ate them a lot in the 90s. We probably ate them definitely after. But just the big pasta shells loaded with Italian sausage, some torn up bread, a, you know, an egg base in there and some pasta sauce and cheese and then smothered with more sauce and cheese. That was like at every big occasion in my life.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:26:28]:</strong></p><p>I love it. So delicious. Well, Sarah, congratulations on the book. I’m happy to be on this journey with you, and I’m real proud of you. I think the book is beautiful, and I’m glad you’re having so much success. And I can’t wait till people see us make sandwich loaf on taste buds this weekend.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:26:46]:</strong></p><p>Well, thank you. And I just have to thank you for everything, Stephanie. It’s been so fun to watch your career and how you’ve evolved and. And done all these amazing things with your radio show, with your books, all your books and the TV show, too. It’s been really fun to follow along.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:27:01]:</strong></p><p>Thanks. I. I had people that helped me along the way, so I feel like it’s my obligation, but also my joy to help other people because, you know, I. There are things about being a freelance creator and freelance writer and cookbook writer that no one can answer for you unless they’ve done it. And, you know that first person that told you, like, how much they made and how long it took and what to expect for food costs and, like, those were really valuable lessons that I was so glad that I learned and that people gave me the real deal because I think that is part of, you know, some people write books for fame and fortune. Some people write them to document a historical time in their life or something that’s important to them. And then some people just do it because they think it’s fun. But all of it and getting, you know, the historical background about what it’s going to cost and how long it’s going to take, it’s important information, I think, to learn before you set out on the journey.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:28:01]:</strong></p><p>Right. And you’re doing such a great service to find that information and share it with the world. So.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:28:07]:</strong></p><p>Yeah. And I think your story about the food stylist, too, like, people, you don’t have to have a food stylist. Do the whole book. Like, you could have 10 shots or hero shots or the beginning of chapter shots. That’s a great way to do.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:28:19]:</strong></p><p>And just like spending that time with Rachel, too, for those two or three days, like, I just learned so much. So I’ve taken some of that experience and been able to piggyback on that and some of the photography and things that I’m doing now.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:28:33]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, she’s really good at it. So I’m glad that Rachel was a resource for you. Her podcast, you can find it in the archives, too, of Dishing with Stephanie’s Dish, because it’s in there and it’s a good one to listen to. So, Sarah, thanks for being with me today. Congratulations on the book. It is Dish and Tell. And where can people get the book and how do you want them to</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:28:53]:</strong></p><p>follow you so they can find the book at, you know, online through the major retailers. And then if you’re in the Twin Cities, it’s at, like, Kowalski’s and a lot of independent bookstores. It’s even at Barnes and Noble. I went by and visited it this weekend at the Barnes and Noble in Roseville. I’ve been going around and seeing my book at different places. It’s so exciting, and people can follow me. My website is vintagedishandtel.com. my social media handles are the same.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:29:19]:</strong></p><p>Vintage, Dish and Tell. And then I have a sub stack too, which, if you can’t find, just go to my website and you’ll be able to link to it.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:29:26]:</strong></p><p>Has anyone told you that when you see your book in the wild, you’re supposed to sign them?</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:29:31]:</strong></p><p>No, I’ve thought about that. Do you, like. Do you talk to the bookstore manager or the.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:29:38]:</strong></p><p>Sometimes I wouldn’t. At a Barnes and Noble, I’d probably just do it. But there’s a real rationale behind it, because booksellers can return books that don’t sell. They can’t return books that are signed.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:29:50]:</strong></p><p>I’m gonna go sign every one I can find.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:29:52]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, I. Whenever I’m out and about, and if it’s a small store, I will tell them, okay. But if I see it, I’m. I’ll just. I go to the bookseller and I’m like, hey, I’m here and my book is here. Do you mind if I sign a couple? A lot of them have stickers and they’ll put, you know, signed edition. But if I’m at, like, Barnes and Noble, I just sit there with my pen and sign them all.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:30:11]:</strong></p><p>Oh, that’s great. Yeah.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:30:12]:</strong></p><p>So make sure you sign them.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:30:13]:</strong></p><p>Thanks for that. Hot tip.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:30:14]:</strong></p><p>Yeah, hot tip. Hot tip. All right, Sarah, thanks for joining me today.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:30:18]:</strong></p><p>Thank you.</p><p><strong>Stephanie Hansen [00:30:18]:</strong></p><p>Okay, bye. Bye.</p><p><strong>Sarah Peterson [00:30:20]:</strong></p><p>Bye.</p><p><p>Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe</a>
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