living our sweet midwest life

From “too much social talking” to podcast host.

Welcome to Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens podcast, a show for people who embrace the warm and cozy spirit of everyday living in the Midwest. Whether you cook, bake, or have food delivery on speed dial, everyone has a comforting recipe or story to share. We bake cookies for our kids’ hockey teams and bring cheesy hash browns to funerals. Lefse and krumkake are in our DNA. Candy bars and apples make a salad. We’ll ditch work for a lake day, drive an hour for an old-fashioned bakery, and don wool mittens at -20°F and shorts once it’s 50°F. 

A Feast of Friendship: From Friendsgiving to Dinner Club Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens

Friendsgiving started as a practical solution for three families juggling hockey schedules—but it grew into a treasured annual feast and eventually a monthly dinner club. In this episode, Ann Park, Lisa Svobodny, and Michelle Bouchard share how their Friendsgiving tradition began, who gathers around their tables, the stories that make it unforgettable, plus two recipes they bring each year—including sugared cranberries and butternut squash with bacon and spinach—and a recipe for an apple pie–inspired cocktail. Cheers to a cozy celebration of friendship, food, and creating traditions that last.Get the recipes and photos at RandomSweets.com.
  1. A Feast of Friendship: From Friendsgiving to Dinner Club
  2. Thanksgiving Hosting and Homemade Gravy with Leah Brink
  3. “Is this recipe in your book?”—Darla Bakker’s Family Favorites
  4. Threads of Memories Antique Mall with Emily Braun
  5. Cooking Up History: The Evolution of Kitchens and Cookbooks at the Old Courthouse Museum
  6. Junking Angels and Vintage Finds: Meet Sharon Hohler of Homeless Treasures, Tracy, MN
  7. Fishing, Foraging and Exploring: Midwestern Alice’s Alaskan Adventures
  8. Leah Rodriguez’s Magical Oven and How Joy, Faith, and Family Rise Together
  9. Whirlygigs and Watermelon Pickles: Keeping Family Traditions Alive with Stacy Brallier
  10. Cooking Without Loving It: Inherited Recipes from the Heart with Amanda Runia