This time last year  we’d just gotten married and returned from our honeymoon to Portland, Oregon. A few days after our return to Minneapolis, Tom ran his first marathon. This weekend we had a great time spectating the marathon by bike, enjoying the warm weather and the fall colors lining the city streets. Tom rounded off Sunday by bottling his second batch of home-brewed beer. But TODAY is the big day! Happy Birthday, Tom. You continue to be my favorite travel companion, dining partner, and my official biking and skiing coach. You are the most talented, disciplined, and kind (readers feel free to add your own adjectives in the comments) person I know.

I was on the fence with what to order from Tatt.ly (a new web shop for designy temporary tattoos) after the beta launch two weeks ago, but after today’s release of four new designs including kitchen utensils… I got out my credit card. As they say at Tatt.ly: “Wear them as a set or cut them into individual utensils. We can’t wait to see what you cook up!”

 image via tatt.ly

All of this is great for those of you familiar with RSS and Twitter, but I’ve been wondering… would any of our readers be interested in subscribing to (old-fashioned?) updates via email? This isn’t something we’ve made available at this point but I imagine I might be able to employ Tom to figure out the technical bits if we know there’s a demand. Let us know in the comments, and enjoy the weekend!

• Saturday, November 21st, 2009
• 10am to 5pm
• Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis on Lake St. & Chicago. Ave.
• FREE entrance (vendors accepting cash or check only, though, so come prepared!)

Do It Green! Minnesota’s Green Gifts Fair takes place this Saturday, conveniently before the crazed post-Thanksgiving shopping. Organizers envision the event as an introduction to green giving and low impact ideas to celebrate the holidays with over 70 vendors to explore. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bags and coffee mugs. If you plan to eat at Midtown while you shop, consider bringing silverware and a reusable napkin as well. Those who bike, bus, or carpool will receive a free gift at the event. More information doitgreen.org.

Gastro Non Grata: A Salute to Comfort Food and Cans

• Sunday, November 22, 2009
• Doors at 6pm
• 21+
• At the TRIPLE ROCK, 629 Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis
• $5 at the door, additional donations help Craig & Jeff break even.

Beer, food, and music! What more could you want? Northern Brewer will start the night with a Lambic tasting and chef Landon Schoenfeld will present three sample courses as the night goes on. The beer guest for the night is 21st Amendment Brewery. Music by Falcon Crest, Arctic Universe, School of Rock, Cadillac Kolstad, Cornbread Harris, and The Annandale Cardinals. As before, Clancey’s Meat and Fish will provide meat door prizes as only they can. More info at Gastro Non Grata’s blog.

Midtown Farmers’ Market‘s Thanksgiving Market

• Wednesday, November 25, 2009
• 1pm to 4pm
• Lake Street and 22nd Ave S near the Light Rail in Minneapolis

Meat, vegetables, apples, bread, chocolates, and canned goods will all be available. Weather permitting there may be crafts as well. Real Bread bread will be available by advanced order: contact Brett at brettlaidlaw (at) eckmeier (dot) com for options. Hilltop Pastures will be at the market as well. According to the market website, they have a waiting list for turkeys, but they’ll be dropping off orders and selling other products on Wednesday. Thanks to midtownfarmersmarket.org for the details!

No exclamation points were harmed in the writing of this post!

Couldn’t resist re-blogging this (via Oh Joy! by Dominic Episcopo). I’m just sorry the U.P. is missing… and that isn’t the best depiction of the L.P. either. But hey, when’s the last time you sculpted a steak?

See two more at Oh Joy! and check out Episcopo’s amazing food photography by navigating to the portfolio’s food section on the aforelinked site.