...can be found in a grocery store located in Green Bay, Wisco.
Nom.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Monday, January 23, 2012 -
...can be found in a grocery store located in Green Bay, Wisco.
Nom.
Showing posts with label Wisconsin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisconsin. Show all posts
...can be found in a grocery store located in Green Bay, Wisco.
Nom.
Pierre - Good One...
Friday, July 8, 2011 -
And try to name all the state capitals...
Try it. Pierre may surprise you...
Anyway, from Indy to Eagle River, Wisconsin we drove. I was happy to spend time in the big W for the holiday weekend once again, but this time with friends in tow. Once we arrived, there was plenty of lake, beverages, cheese, brats and more cheese to be had (have you ever dipped a Cheese-It into Ron's Cream Cheese? If not, you are missing the high life my friend.) Of course, we bought ice cream from the lake ice cream vendor. Delicious Choco Taco!
I even introduced the non-Wisconsinites to the concept of a Supper Club. Sipped Capital Brewing for the first time - even included a brew named Supper Club. And of course, New Glarus brewing company is always top of my list in Wisconsin...
Mom and dad were absolutely fantastic - thank you everything; I loved seeing you and spending time with you! Here are a few more photos:
Hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day. And now, it is just about time for the weekend - enjoy yourself again!
It's a Family Affair
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 -
The immediate family got together for a cookout on Saturday night just to relax and see each other. I played chess with both my niece and nephew (and yes, I won), drank wine with my mom & sister-in-law, played with my brother's dog (her name is Malibu) and ate some great steaks from dad. Oh, and of course, we placed a friendly wager on the Kentucky Derby. I of course picked the one Disney reference, Animal Kingdom. Once again, I won....not to brag or anything.
Yup, lots of steak, which also meant leftovers. We also had fresh fruit, potato salad, corn, cheesy brocolli, foccacia and a berry tiramisu for dessert. Lots of wine too - did I mention that?
Love them. Hugs to my family!
Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Vanden Avond
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 -
- The true spelling of his name is Michael. A long time ago, he decided Myk was a better fit, and so that is how he is referenced by not only himself, but everyone else. I have always called him Michael, and I refuse to change that. Thus, I've amended Michael to Mykael to satisfy his i vs. y thing he has going on.
- We have known each other since prior to birth. Our parents are besties (they met because our father's are in the same industry), thus we grew up together and have always been close due to our age (which is exactly 9 months apart, he is July 17, whereas I am April 17). We have spent countless summers camping with our families growing up - we even used to waterski together. Matching hoodies were also part of history.
- He's a fire fighter. All buff and like, he saves lives. Awesome guy.
- I love him to pieces like a brother. We used to tell people we were half siblings and everyone believed us. It did take a while for people to understand that we weren't once high school graduation occurred and everything (we went to different high schools). Not to mention the different parent thing.
 |
| Some of the old camping crew! |
 |
| Love my hubs |
 |
| My adorable parents |
 |
| And my adorable brother and sister-in-law |
 |
| Beautiful bride! |
 |
| With dear friend Matthew, Mykael's brother |
 |
| LOVE these kids! |
 |
| The groom with his wonderful parents! |
::sigh:: I just love weddings.
How was your weekend?
Respectfully on Cloud 9
Monday, January 24, 2011 -
The Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl! Whether you are a fan or not, hear me out.Born and raised in Green Bay, I have always loved my Pack. I don't fully remember my first game because I am fortunate to have season tickets in my family name. Yes, the classic "they were my grandfather's and now my dad and uncle each have a set" type of situation. Would I love to have those tickets someday? Why yes, yes I would (hint mom and dad - I know you read this!) I am passionate about my team.
When I was in college at UMass-Amherst, I wore my cheesehead proudly. And now here in Indy, I still have it on display with my signed helmet from Donald Driver. Love. The. Packers. It is tough not being in Titletown when it comes to the love, but I do my best to support the team.
But why was this game a big deal? Not only because it was on Championship Sunday, but because it was the Bears.
But, I still love to hate them. I mean, it is a rivalry after all. I did raise my glass at the end of the game in a salute because it was a battle. I am extremely happy that the Packers came out victorious, but I will not be the one who gloats to the Bears fans. If roles were reversed, I would hope they would do the same for me. Respectable fans are the best fans.
Here's to February 6 and the great road that we took to get there. No matter the outcome, I'll wear my cheesehead proudly and raise my glass of cold beer (let us hope it is draft PBR) in freezing temperatures to support my team. Always.
Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl, and why?
Dulce de Leche Blondies
Sunday, January 16, 2011 -
Due to some strange reason, many of my friends think that I'm a baker. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it isn't my strong suit. All the measuring and timing, sometimes it is just more than I want to think about while I'm in the kitchen. However, by friends request, I was informed I'd be bringing some desserts for an evening potluck (pitch-in, etc., whatever you call it, it works for me). The timing was perfect for some baking and I began with some of Tim's favorite brownies, Ducle de Leche Blondies.
I had found this recipe in a $4 cookbook entitled, "The Cookie Bible," which I had bought when I first moved to Indy six years ago. I've used it maybe 3 times, and this is a recipe I've made twice now. They are sweet, full of caramel flavor while holding up the brownie name.
I began by prepping the oven at 350 degrees and then greasing a 13x9 pan. I sifted the flour, baking soda and salt together and set them aside. Then, I turned to the mixer to beat the butter and sugar until creamy.
Slowly, I added the eggs and vanilla. I like to crack the eggs into a separate bowl and add one by one. This guarantees no egg shells and blends all of the ingredients together thoroughly. Then, slowly add in the flour mixture (while of course turning down the speed so you don't end up covered in flour.)
Pour 2/3 of the batter into the greased pan, spreading it out as you go. This bakes for 7-8 minutes - it won't be completely done, just partial, so don't be surprised by this. Cool it for a few minutes on a wire rack (it helps for ventilation underneath the ban if you wonder why people say to use a wire rack.)
All during this baking process, I started on the caramels. Taking a small saucepan, melt the caramels (which husband has helped you unwrap without any type of sighing of course) in evaporated milk on low heat.
Once these are melted (of course, you've resisted sticking your finger into the hot liquid to taste the sweetness) and the baked brownies are cooled for a bit, pour the caramels over the baked layer. Take the remaining batter and drop dollops over the caramel layer - swirl with knife. You can swirl as little or as much as you like - I like to get it throughout the whole pan so each bite has a good combination of the flavors. Then, bake 25 more minutes or until golden brown.
Ingredients
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tea. baking soda
- 1 tea. salt
- 1 c. unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tea. vanilla
- 14 oz. caramels (one package)
- 1/2 c. evaporated milk
These brownies are addictive. The first time I made them, I didn't put enough of the batter down for the first layer, so instead of a soft, chewy brownie I ended up with a crunchier type of bar. The taste was still there, but the texture was off. I shrug my shoulders to this because I liked both versions to be honest. And I guess others did too, because there weren't any left over after I brought them to work. Another piece of advise, don't cut them big - since they are so sweet, I advise on small squares (think 1 inch, or at max 1.5 inches).
Lots of love to my family and thank you for all the kind thoughts and words our friends have given us. Every day will get easier we know, and we appreciate your support. But I'm back and moving forward - thanks for understanding the week of silence. And for those wondering - Gerbert is just fine - personally, I think he is enjoying not sharing the food or his sleeping hut.
Lobster Mac & Cheese
Thursday, January 6, 2011 -
While in Wisconsin, hubby and I always stop at Maplewood Meats and Festival Foods. We stock up our cooler (yup, as Michelle pointed out, we do travel with a cooler!) full of meat from the butcher and around the holidays, seafood from Festival. Yes - seafood in Wisconsin.
Festival always has amazing products for a great price. We stocked up on Alaskan King Crab legs (two pounds worth and we enjoyed every morsel), prawns and lobster. Honestly, all reasonably priced and fantastic in taste. We had already enjoyed the crab legs, so next up was one of the lobster tails. We bought two of them, each over a pound, and decided to split them into two meals.
As many of you know, I love cheese. I've always said that it is not because I am from Wisconsin - I just love the dairy - but honestly, who knows. All I know is that I love the cheese. So when we were debating on how to eat our lovely seafood purchase, I knew I had to have lobster mac & cheese.
While a variety of noodles cooked (I used what was in our pantry rather than making my own, so we had some rotini and macaroni,) hubby got to preparing the broth to cook the lobster. He added a variety of spices to some water, and then when the time was right, he added the lobster to cook that delicious meat. Now of course, buying the seafood in Wisco, the delicious lobster tail was frozen. And this lobster was also very large, over a pound, so it took about 8-10 minutes to cook .As Tim prepped the lobster mania, I took control over - you guessed it - the cheese. I began to make a version of the mother of French sauces, Bechamel. Bechamel is a basic sauce of milk, flour and butter plus a few extra flavorings (depending on what you are making.) I began with heating my milk in a small saucepan (don't boil - you don't want it to burn!) as I shredded the cheese.
I used some gouda, sharp cheddar, an Italian mix (Asiago, Parmesan and Mozzarella) and a few tablespoons of goat cheese. I then melted some butter and whisked in flour to get a thickened rue as I cooked it over low heat. I whisked in the warm milk and added nutmeg and pepper until I got a pretty thick sauce. Then, I slowly melted in the cheese - and just like that - a cheese sauce.
After I added the pasta and Tim chopped up the lobster, we were ready to dive into this cheesy mess that we had created. I would have liked to take it a step further and bake it with panko to give it an extra crunch too, but hubby isn't a fan of the baked mac.It was creamy - I would say maybe even a little too cheesy (I know, I said it, too cheesy) but maybe the baking would have helped it? It wasn't the fantastic lobster mac and cheese from Capital Grille, but it was a great home version for us. And the leftovers the following day hit the spot for me - despite it not being the "healthiest" dish, I still gobbled it up.
What dish have you eaten at a restaurant that you wish you could make at home?
Grilled Romaine Salad (yes, in the Winter)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010 -
I have been wanting to use this for quite sometime...
My mom had an extra tube and insisted that I take it with me when we left Wisconsin after the holiday. On Monday, I decided to make the most simple item I could think of out of the paste - Caesar dressing.
This all really started with the fact that hubby and I had these fantastic kabobs to eat. Whenever we are in Green Bay, we always stop at Maplewood Meats - this insane meat market. The quality and variety of the meat products is abundant and we always end up running around like kids in a candy store, drooling over the counters and waiting patiently as we take a number and wait to be called upon to order. It is quite an experience, and I love everything about it. We purchased beef sticks (which we ate for dinner on Sunday after we arrived home), stuffed pork chops, beef teryaki kabobs, pizza burgers (mmm...), breakfast sausage, andouille sausage, and so much more. I knew when we bought the kabobs that I wasn't about to freeze those, so we kept them in the cooler (yes, we travel with a cooler due to our anticipation of the butcher shop) for our Monday night dinner. They are large portions, and both the veggies (mushrooms, peppers and onions) and meat are always tender. And might I add that it isn't just beef tenderloin, but they throw hunks of ham on their too. I love you Maplewood Meats...nom nom...
Thus, on Monday, we fired up the grill and I pondered, "what shall we have on the side?" Then, I thought about the delicious grilled romaine salad I had at Pizzology a few weeks ago. And rather than an herb salad, why not make some Caesar from the anchovy paste? I gathered up some garlic, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mayo and some herbs along with the anchovy paste and started pulsing while adding olive oil. And just like that - Caesar dressing. Delish.
As hubs grilled the kabobs, I decided our salad needed croutons as well. I buttered up some bread that we had and sprinkled Italian herbs and a healthy dose of garlic powder on top before popping them in the oven. I also prepped some mozzarella and Indiana tomatoes for the salad.
Once the kabobs were just about ready, hubs added the lightly oiled romaine halves to the grill. When they were done, we had a meal that was perfect for the summer - or in our case, a Wisconsin-ites winter, because outdoor grilling is year round of course. The kabobs were tender and delicious, bursting with flavor that had me yearning for an al fresco dining session. And the salad, crisp and warm, was dressed perfectly and had the subtle char taste we were looking forward to.
It was a great meal, not too heavy, especially since I didn't eat all of the kabob. Leftovers were saved, and as I sit here writing this, I'm enjoying this:
Yup, I sauteed the remaining peppers, onions and tenderloin, added some tomatoes and made an egg scramble. And don't judge - I like to cut up my toast and make it mini for easier eating. Plus, mini is just adorable.
We also LOVE to shop at Festival Foods when in Green Bay, but that is for a different post (teaser - let's just say that remember I said my husband was jealous of the amazing King Crab I had in Vegas? Well, after Thursday, he won't be jealous much longer...
Is there a place that you just HAVE to stock up when visiting?
I'll Be Home for Christmas...
Monday, December 27, 2010 -
We spent Christmas Eve with my family and ate a lot of great food, including prime rib, roasted Brussels sprouts and corn, creamy bleu potatoes and other delicious sides. And of course, we drank some merry concoctions of peppermint martini's (peppermint schnapps, whipped vodka and Bailey's) as well as Creamsicle martini's (whipped vodka with orange juice) and of course, Manhattan's, Old Fashion's and wine.
Christmas Day was spent with Tim's family. We were able to spend sometime with our darling nephews, including our two week old nephew who we met for the first time, nieces, and both Tim's immediate family and their significant others and his extended family of aunts and uncles. Socializing over lunch of prime rib, roasted chicken, baked ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, dumplings and little nibbles of candies and apps, we had a great time (and of course, watched the Disney parade!) watching all the children open their presents. The smiles are priceless!
How was your holiday?