Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase

Ladies and gentlemen, I have located the mothership, and surprisingly, it's right in my backyard.


Oops, no, that was the Fargo AC/DC concert. Maybe the mothership for some...but it looks a little alien-like, don't you think? At least the most mothership-looking picture I had...


Ah yes, there it is. The mothership for local ND foodies - the Pride of Dakota holiday showcase! And that exclamation point is well deserved. This isn't just a bake sale or a craft show. This is an event!

For one weekend, the Bismarck Exhibition Center is set up for North Dakota vendors selling their North Dakota wares. I beat the Saturday crowds and stopped by on Friday evening - although there is no guarantee that you won't see me there again tomorrow. I mean, check out this table of kuchen. It took all my energy not to rip the wrapping off that apple one and just plow my entire face right into it.


Thankfully, Red Roaster Coffee from Minot was set up near by to revive my energy with coffee beans to use as sniffing salts. I don't even make coffee at home and I was still trying to decide between the Christmas Blend and the Caramel Cinnamon Roll beans.


I heart my ND flax seed, and these flax cookies stole the show for me. I'm a sucker for any cookie I can justify as delicious AND good for me. There WILL be a crowd around the sample platter. Be polite but persistant in getting in there to try them. Trust me on this one.


As I brushed cookie crumbs off my black sweater, I came across the NDSU Germans from Russia heritage table and thought I died and went to Cookbook Heaven. Forget Food Network - the church and community cookbooks are where it's at and this group is collecting and preserving as many as they can get. God bless their little German-from-Russia hearts for that.


But if I'm misspelling anything or blathering on here, I know who to blame for my lazy grammar: Maple River Winery, Dakota Hills Winery, and Vintner's Cellar. Clearly, I can't resist samples of rhubarb wine...and even rhubarb vodka!


If you make it to Pride of Dakota this weekend, let me know what some of your favorites were. If you can't make it there, you can still check out the products here. Good people and good products make for very happy holidays. Cheers!

PS - Tickets are $2, but bring your own reusable bag and you only get charged $1. Hours are from 10-5 on Saturday, 11-5 on Sunday. Be warned: cheerful people in holiday aprons will charm you into buying mass quantities of wild plum jam - as if buying homemade jams requires any arm twisting.