BEMIDJI — You never know quite where a KAXE Morning Show will go on any given morning.
When Amy Thielen dropped by, Andrew Dziengel and Heidi Holtan were right in the thick of a monumental debate.
Sloppy Joes: Is cheese on top OK?
Andrew said yes, describing melty cheddar on top of saucy, messy meat on a bun, and Heidi said no, without any real reason.
"There are no wrong answers here, but maybe you are edging into chili-without-beans-territory."Amy Thielen
"It just seems weird."
And then in walked Ham Radio host and the James Beard award-winning Amy Thielen. Though she has never claimed to be a sloppy Joe expert, she was willing to jump in.
"There are no wrong answers here," Amy said. "But maybe you are edging into chili-without-beans-territory."
Texts poured in, with mixed results. We'd still like to hear from you though, send us your sloppy Joe vote!
Fall food talk
Turns out there's more than just sloppy Joe talk this time of year, including fall favorites like apples, cabbages, beans and the beginning of soup season.
Besides putting up 36 quarts of apple cider, which filled up her deep freezers, Amy's most recent kitchen experiment was made from a giant cabbage from her garden.
"So basically think like Saturday Night Live coneheads," Amy said, explaining the size and shape of this year's cabbage.
The cabbage was so comically large, Amy felt like she was a butcher. "I feel like I'm cutting up a roast or something."
Amy blanched the cabbage leaves and lined a springform pan, then filled it with a meatloaf-like mixture layered with more cabbage, and of course butter on top to brown it.
"It was really rich," she explained, much like a giant cabbage roll.
Soup's on!
Andrew asked Amy about moving into soup season in Northern Minnesota. With her woodstove up and running, it is naturally the time to have a pot of soup simmering away throughout the day.
Amy gave tips about making a great soup, including sautéing vegetables to bring out flavor and seasoning at every step along the way.
Send us your favorite soup recipes!
And check out the recipe from Ham Radio for Holodnik or Summer Beet Soup. This recipe was written by Alena Levina and first published in Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home, by University of Minnesota Press (2025).
Where's my Ham Radio?
Amy and Heidi talked about future plans for Ham Radio: Cooking with Amy Thielen. Plans are underway for two new episodes before the end of 2025. With federal and state funding cuts, KAXE is working hard behind the scenes to figure out ways to bring you more!
Listen to the full conversation above and check out our Ham Radio podcasts here.
You can do your part and keep independent KAXE strong and on the air with your support now.
