Two Top Ten Teams
Kitchens of the Great Midwest, Towson Trio, Sierra Hull, Elden Campbell, Furry Furniture
Welcome to my 165th weekly newsletter. This issue the top five scorers from both Michigan and Michigan State, a novel about food and family, three Maryland meals in and near Towson, a magnificent mandolinist/singer, the former Piston center known as “Easy,” and a chest with something extra. I hope you like the picks and pics.
I was able to see Roger coach Loyola Blakefield to a thrilling one-point victory over Concordia Prep on Saturday.
The Dons scored only two points in the third quarter, but overcame an 11-point deficit to win, 45-44.
Michigan and Michigan State each moved up 4 spots in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, to #3 and #7 respectively. And Michigan is #1 in the Net Rankings. Every year I hope to see both teams at the Final Four, and this season, they may come through for me to reach Indy in April. Go Blue! Go Green! Go White! It’s been 25 years since the last Big Ten team won the NCAA tournament (MSU won it in Indy in 2000), so it’s about time for another. Here’s hoping it happens again, once more from the state of Michigan.
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Fave Five 165: Two Top Ten Teams
Minnesota Meals (Kitchens of the Great Midwest), Towson Trio (Mo’s Seafood, Red Pepper, The Peppermill), Mandolin Master (Sierra Hull), Easy Elden (Elden Campbell), and Furry Furniture.
Fave Five List: Michigan and Michigan State Top Five
Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson are a formidable frontcourt for the Wolverines, as are Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, and Coen Carr for the Spartans. Roddy Gale and Jeremy Fears have been excellent in the backcourt for Michigan and Michigan State respectively. Fabulous freshmen Trey McKenney (UM) and Cam Ward (MSU) have shown great promise. It will be fun to see the teams clash twice — in East Lansing on January 30 at 8 pm and in Ann Arbor on March 8 at 5:30 pm.
Book Best Bet
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
A novel about food matches two of my Fave Five topics, and this one was delectable.
From Amazon:
“A sweet and savory treat.” —People
“An impressive feat of narrative jujitsu . . . that keeps readers turning the pages too fast to realize just how ingenious they are.”—The New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Pick
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is a novel about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country’s most coveted dinner reservation.
When Lars Thorvald’s wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine—and a dashing sommelier—he’s left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He’s determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter—starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva’s journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that’s a testament to her spirit and resilience.
Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal’s startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life—its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent.
J. Ryan Stradal is the author of New York Times bestseller Kitchens of the Great Midwest and national bestsellers Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club and The Lager Queen of Minnesota. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Granta, The Rumpus, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. His debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, won the American Booksellers Association Indie’s Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year. Born and raised in Minnesota, he currently lives in California with his family.
Restaurant Recommendations
Towson Trio
Last week’s meals included Monday lunch, Wednesday carryout, and Saturday dinner following Loyola Blakefield’s exciting victory.
Mo’s Seafood 1528 E. Joppa Rd, Towson MD 21286
This place was close to our hotel, so I took Barb there for lunch after her flight arrived on Monday. The cream of crab soup, oysters Rockefeller, shrimp po’ boy, and oyster po’ boy were all fine.
Fried Oyster Po’ Boy
Red Pepper Sichuan Bistro 11 Allegheny Ave, Towson, MD 21204
I ordered carryout for our family. Of the five dishes, this was the only one that I liked.
Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce
The Peppermill 1301 York Road, Lutherville, MD 21093
We became wary immediately upon entering this establishment — there appeared to be mostly octogenarians dining there, and even with two septuagenarians in our party of six, we were well below the average age. Our fears were soon realized, due to an overly loud server and lackluster food and beverage offerings. However, I managed to order the one decent item at our table — a shrimp appetizer as my main course, heavy on the Old Bay seasoning. The menu proclaimed, “WE PEEL THEM FOR YOU!” which was probably a good thing due to the likelihood of arthritis and hand tremors in many of the customers.
Steamed Shrimp: ½ lb. of jumbo shrimp steamed with Old Bay, served with cocktail sauce.
Marvelous Musician
I have heard many great things about her but have yet to see her perform. In creating my playlist of her music, I found out that she is an outstanding mandolin player, singer, and collaborator.
From Wikipedia: Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. She was born and raised in Byrdstown, Tennessee and attended Pickett County High School before accepting a Presidential Scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music.
Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, Secrets, in 2008 at the age of 16. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. She has won ten International Bluegrass Music Association awards between 2010 and 2023, including winning best mandolin player in 6 out of the past 8 years (2016-2023).
Hull received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, on October 19, 2013. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage.
Released on March 7, 2025, A Tip Toe High Wire is her first self-published album since her debut, Angel Mountain, in 2002. It features Tim O’Brien, Aoife O’Donovan, and Béla Fleck. Rolling Stone reported that the album name is a “[nod] to the fine line that Hull walks, keeping one foot in tradition and the other in the progressive quest.”
Sierra married fellow bluegrass musician Justin Moses on May 14, 2017 and they tour together. She lives in Nashville.
Bombshell
Lord, That’s A Long Way
Muddy Water
Black Muddy River
Black River
My Playlist
Sports Star
Elden passed away yesterday. I remember joking with Roger about how “the Elden Campbell era has begun!” when he joined the Detroit Pistons in 2003. He helped them win the NBA Championship that season and return to the NBA Finals the next season.
Former Laker Elden Campbell, known for his effortless style, dies at 57
Former Laker Byron Scott, who said he knew Campbell’s family because Scott also grew up in Inglewood and went to Morningside, said the news was painful to hear. Scott and Campbell were teammates on the Lakers for Campbell’s first three seasons from 1990-1993 and then when Scott returned for his final NBA season with L.A. in 1996-97.
“I just remember his demeanor. That’s why we nicknamed him ‘Easy E,’ ” Scott told The Times. “He was just so cool, nothing speeding him up. He was going to take his time. He was just easy. He was such a good dude. I loved Easy, man.”
“I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell’s passing,” Cliff Ellis, Campbell’s coach at Clemson, said in a statement. “Elden was a great player for four years, especially in 1989-90 when he was a major reason we won Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship. But most of all, Elden was an outstanding, giving person. This is a sad day for the Clemson family.”
From Wikipedia: Elden Jerome Campbell (born July 23, 1968 in Los Angeles; died December 2, 2025) was an American professional basketball player who played as a power forward and center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1990 to 2005. He spent his first nine years with the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest with various other teams.
Campbell attended Morningside High School in Inglewood, California before playing college basketball at Clemson University. Campbell scored 1,880 points at Clemson and holds the school record for points, and is second in career blocks with 334. In the 1990 NCAA Tournament, Clemson lost in the Sweet 16 to Connecticut on a buzzer-beater. That same year, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Campbell with the 27th pick in the 1990 NBA draft.
On March 10, 1999, Campbell was traded by the Lakers along with Eddie Jones to the Charlotte Hornets for Glen Rice, J. R. Reid and B. J. Armstrong.
Campbell’s longest tenures were with the Lakers and the Hornets (in both Charlotte and New Orleans); he would also play with the Seattle SuperSonics and briefly for the New Jersey Nets. He played most of the final two seasons of his career as a member of the Detroit Pistons, winning a championship in 2004. During Campbell’s tenure with the Pistons, perhaps his most important contribution was his defense against center Shaquille O’Neal in the two playoff series in which the Pistons engaged O’Neal’s teams (against the Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals and against the Miami Heat in the 2005 NBA Eastern Conference Finals); because of his enormous bulk and strength, he presented a unique challenge to O’Neal in the low post and was one of the few NBA players who could pose a serious physical challenge to O’Neal on defense.
Campbell’s 15-year career comprised 1,044 games, of which he started 671, and 106 playoff games, of which he started 53. In 15 seasons, Campbell averaged 10.3 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks. He was especially known for his shot-blocking ability, with 1,602 career blocks; he is 34th all time in blocks. Notably, Campbell was the Los Angeles Lakers’ leading scorer between 1990–91 and 1998–99. His nicknames were “Easy,” “Easy E,” and “Big E.”
Elden Campbell’s Underrated NBA Finals Defense on Shaquille O’Neal
Picture Pun
I need to get something off my chest.
