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R egular viewers of Food Network's "Heartland Table" – returning for a second season Saturday, March 8 – know that host Amy Thielen is a big advocate for sourcing locally raised produce and meats. And she certainly walks the talk, buying poultry and beef from neighbors near her rural Minnesota home and growing vegetables in her large garden to use in recipes she prepares on the show and for her husband and 6-year-old son. But in northern Minnesota, growing season is short, so in cold-weather months she must resort to more conventional sources such as supermarkets. She also freezes, vacuum-packs and cans. In fact, she's a trained canner. "I've never told the Food Network that," Thielen says, laughing. "I've taken classes at the University of Minnesota because at one point early on, I wanted to manufacture jams and pickles. That was a very short-lived obsession that kind of fizzled out, but I kept the knowledge. So between that course and then my grandma telling me all the stuff she did, I'm a pretty good canner." Turns out there's quite a bit of science to canning. "I completed a course called Better Process School," she says. "And it was like a three-day seminar, and you go there, and they teach you the principles of safe canning. So you learn about water mobility, and you learn about pH. So I have a pH meter. "And this is actually really fascinating," she continues. "You can take a pH meter, which measures acidity ... and shove it into a tomato – a tomato that you grow – and it's really useful in the North because our tomatoes don't get that acidic. So then you realize, 'Oh, my gosh! I have to add quite a bit of lemon juice to this because I have a very base tomato.' I don't know, it's very nerdy." Amy Thielen BY GEORGE DICKIE What are you currently reading? "I just read one of the best food memoirs that I've ever read, and it's called 'Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking' by Anya Von Bremzen. ... And this book was amazing because it has a lot of Soviet history, and it's totally entwined with a personal memoir story." What did you have for dinner last night? "I made for myself a very odd and supersatisfying little stir-fry of scallops with snow pea pods, asparagus and actually walnuts – which sounds weird, but it's great – and ginger and a little sesame oil." What is your next project? "I'm working on a book of stories about food, and I'm always working on recipes." When was the last vacation you took – where and why? "We went out to San Francisco. My husband is curating an art show out there, and I didn't have any work to do. ... And we went out with (son) Hank, and we brought a scooter, and we scooted around, and I really got to enjoy just the food and the people and everything in San Francisco. I thought it was lovely." BEST OSCAR RUNNERS-UP "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) Frank Capra's fantasy then wasn't the classic it is now, but it still impressed enough Oscar voters to land in the race for best picture. Gloria Swanson, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) Maybe her iconic portrayal of faded star Norma Desmond hit too close to home for voters, but Swanson was a deserving best actress nominee anyway. Alfred Hitchcock, "Psycho" (1960) It largely defined his directing career, but "Hitch" didn't win an Academy Award for the suspense classic. "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Graduate" (1967) They didn't win best picture. And Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman didn't win for them either. Stanley Kubrick, "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) He wasn't named best director, possibly because the sci-fi epic wasn't nominated for best picture. "Jaws" (1975) What Drew Barrymore rightfully called "a perfect movie" recently on Turner Classic Movies' "The Essentials" also fell short in the best-picture contest. Laurence Olivier, "Marathon Man" (1976) The acting legend became one of screen history's most chilling villains as a war criminal with a knack for dentistry. Jack Nicholson, "A Few Good Men" (1992) He owns three Oscars, and Nicholson was up for another as a mercurial "You can't handle the truth!" colonel. "The Social Network" (2010) Aaron Sorkin's Oscar-winning screenplay made this superb recounting of the rise of Facebook a best-picture candidate. Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids" (2011) Comedies often have a tough time winning Oscars, but McCarthy's bawdy work and best supporting actress nomination still blasted her career wide open. "It's a Wonderful Life" BY JAY BOBBIN "Jaws" Justin Timberlake (left) and Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network" 8 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • March 3-9, 2014

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