Supporting, Cooking, Shopping & Zoo-ing - All in a Weekend

Wow - what a whirlwind weekend this was for me but 100% fun and enjoyable too! It went by way too fast as most weekends do, but here is a quick recap.

It started Thursday with Good Friend Inc.'s Holiday Open House to show off the new digs. Quality Fireplace purchased a building on North Grand Ave. in Waukesha and Good Friend Inc. is renting the bottom of the building for their offices. Finally brick and mortar for the non-profit!!!

Using the term fixer-upper doesn't justify the time and effort put into making "Lady Grand" what she is today. The house was in complete disrepair with water damage and more, and what the team did to make this building what it is today, is purely remarkable. They worked with the Historical Society of Waukesha to keep it a historical site in the city and show off the building's amazing features. A Facebook page was created for the progress on the home and I'm absolutely amazed with the amazing work done to make "her" who she is today.

Original fireplace

Parlor all decorated for the holidays

Amazing appetizers by Jolanta and team :)

Friday night consisted of watching Frozen finally (great flick, very cute), and packaging up goodies or the #mkefoodies Cookies for Kids Cancer Bake Sale. The sale was a HUGE success and we were almost sold out in 1 1/2 hours. We definitely want to have more bakers next year, so if you are interested and want to donate to this great organization, I will gladly deliver your cookies to them. Just let me know if you are interested :)

Oreo Cream Brownies - more on these later this week

Applesauce gum drops - more on these later this week

#mkefoodies bake sale goodies

Saturday I worked the bake sale in the afternoon and then met up with my guy for dinner and some holiday shopping at the Art Crawl in downtown Waukesha. Although he has lived in the city for a while, he isn't too familiar with all the downtown shops, so after dinner at La Estacion that he described as PHENOMENAL (more on that later), we hit up the Art Crawl.

La Estacion Raspberry Margarita

It was so cute seeing the horse carriage around downtown and we made stops at Allo! Chocolat, Poppin' on Broadway, Picky Picky Resale Shop and Antiques & Uniques on Main. I helped my guy put together a great gift basket of goodies from downtown Waukesha for him to give to his parents that are from out of town. We would have shopped more, but we were both pretty tired from the day.

We started the next day bright and early (OK.....9 am because I wanted to be a little lazy) and grabbed a satisfying breakfast at Broadway Cafe in Waukesha. Another hit for us that I will share about at a later time.

Broadway Cafe Texas French Toast

Then it was off to the Milwaukee County Zoo. The zoo is open year round and yesterday there weren't too many folks on the grounds. This allowed us to see everything we wanted too and enjoy a nice walk on a brisk December day. So much has changed at the zoo, but some things really brought back the nostalgia for me. These monkeys all cuddling together were just too cute to not get a picture.

And I found Nemo in his anemonnemonee (saying that just how Nemo did in the movie!). I didn't find Dory so they can continue production on the movie.

I think the last time I was at the zoo was 9 years ago when the Big Cats area was being redone. That area looks great now, but the giraffe area is really awesome. Before it had leaves painted on the walls that the giraffes would lick and it was all glassed in. Now it's gorgeous with beautiful wood and it's open with just wires dividing us from the giraffes. I have always been fascinated by them and glad they have a great new facility. Hopefully the hippos & rhinos will get a redone home soon; it's looking quite dated.

 The little guy in this pic was so playful and adorable. I wanted to take him home.

There was no Packer game yesterday, so it was a great day to swing through the zoo and get some exercise and fresh air. The trains weren't running anymore for the season, or that would have totally made my year! But the whole trip made me quite sleepy and I needed a nap while watching a movie.

Next weekend I have more fun planned because I am helping my mom prep for her big Christmas party that is the next weekend and I'm going to see Tim Hawkins at River Glen Christian Church. He is a hilarious and clean comedian and I'm so excited to see him live.

MKEFoodies Bake Sale 2014

Today(Saturday) is the #MKEFoodies Bake Sale for Cookies for Kids Cancer. The bake sale is at the Hudson Business Lounge in the Historic Third Ward, from 1 - 4 pm. Please stop on out and pickup some great baked goods from area food bloggers, bakers, chefs and the like.

I baked a lot of treats for this year - some of my classic favorites and some new ones.

All of my bags have my business card attached to them and the recipes are below with my tweaks.

100 Good Cookies - I make this cookie every year and it's the cookie I always remembered my grandma having around her house. The batch truly makes 100 cookies, because you need to keep them small as they are rich.

Mint Chocolate Chip Grinch Cookies - I picked up some mini mint chocolate chips at Simple Life Country Store. So instead of 3 oz of chocolate chips and 3 oz of mint, I did 2 regular and 4 of the mint. I also added Rumchata instead of the Creme de Menthe as I used what I had in the house. I think it was a nice addition.

Gum Drops - This is another treat I remember my grandma making for the holidays. She used to let them dry out in her cellar and my brother and I would sneak down there and eat a few before Christmas, but we weren't smart enough to hide the wrappers so we were caught. I decided on Raspberry and Green Apple and they are delicious!

Shortbread Sandwich Cookies - The recipe says these are Kit Kat cookies, but I find them tasting more like a shortbread with chocolate in the middle. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate as that's what I had at home, but they were still delicious.

Oreo Cream Brownies - These are FANTASTIC and my new favorite treat. It's dangerous that I now know how to make Oreo cream! They were a little more complicated to make than I thought, but they are 100% worth it with the end result.

I hope you can come out and support the cause tomorrow. The Third Ward is also having their Holiday Sale, so it's another reason to come check out the sale and get other holiday shopping done!

Downtown Waukesha Holiday Shopping Success

Sorry for my absence lately folks. Life has gotten busy and it's not even the holidays yet.

I have a few things to tell you, but I'll keep it brief in hopes of getting more posts up soon.

I have been baking like crazy. I am participating in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap again this year and got my packages out in the mail this week. I have received two so far and their treats are just divine. Not to mention, I love finding new blogs to read! And then I'm also baking for the MKEFoodies Bake Sale this Saturday that benefits the Cookies For Kids Cancer Foundation. The Bake Sale is this Saturday from 1 - 4 pm at the Hudson Business Lounge in the Historic Third Ward of downtown Milwaukee. (I'll share my recipes soon - I was hoping to create some videos, but I had a little issue with the videos being sideways and couldn't get them edited and up soon enough.)

I did a little Black Friday shopping at the Big Box stores with my mom. It was until about the third store that we finally bought something for someone else besides ourselves, but that's how my mom and I do Black Friday. It's a nice day for the two of us to shop together and treat ourselves.

People's Park all decked out for Christmas

Small Business Saturday was an even bigger success for my parents and I. We met up in downtown Waukesha and by the time I met them, they already went to Poppin' on Broadway and stocked up. I'm sure I'll be hitting up the store before Christmas for a few more treats. They also found some nice things at Burlap & Lace. We grabbed a bite at People's Park and received a coupon for showing our sales receipt that will get a Buy One Get One offer for January - March because we shopped local.

GreenBee display

We wandered downtown in and out of shops and took advantage of great sales and offerings. Of course we went into Plowshare at it is my mom's favorite shop. Then down to the other end of Main Street for Restyle Studio and GreenBee (more on this new store soon). Then back to the other end of Main Street to Metropolitan Antiques and I fell in love with a table. I wasn't sure if I really wanted it, so we left and I said I would come back and if it was still there, I would get it. My dad wanted to find The Doors CD and I remembered we had a CD shop downtown called Music Records and Collectibles, so we went there and found a Greatest Hits album.

My new gateleg table

I headed back to Metropolitan Antiques and the table was still there. And because my parents had their truck, I was able to get it home right away. It needs some TLC and because I'm unsure of the age, I have to be careful with the paint removal - could be lead based paints. But I'm hoping to strip the top and just stain it lightly and then paint the bottom a brown espresso color to go with my couch and table.

Gateleg table behind my couch - will need some work but love it already!

This was a very successful trip and I love our downtown and it's local flare. I have already given suggestions of gift baskets from Waukesha to give to out of town friends. Some popcorn, chocolate, oatmeal, tea, coffee and you have a great foodie basket. Or some soaps, lotions, scarves and you have a great basket for a lady in your life. I didn't venture into the Picky Picky or the Mantiques stores on Grand, but I'm sure a great basket for men could be created with sports or beer memorabilia.

I plan to head to downtown Waukesha for the Art Crawl this Saturday. It starts at 4 pm and stores are open until 10 pm. There will be carriage rides as well around town. Hopefully I can find a few more unique gifts that are local as I really hope to spend more locally than big box this year!

#MKEfoodies Bake Sale 2013

Today is the #MKEfoodies Bake Sale for Cookies for Kids' Cancer. We have a new location this year in the Historic Third Ward at the Hudson Business Lounge. The sale goes from 1 - 4 pm, but if it's anything like in years past, we will sell out quickly - which is an amazing feat!

Many members of the #MKEfoodies group and others in the community bake scrumptious treats to donate to the organization. Everything looks so great and the room smells heavenly when all the treats are in. Santa will even be making an appearance for the children of all ages to enjoy and take pictures with.

Bake sales are held across the nation for Cookies for Kids' Cancer and some corporate sponsors have jumped on board to up our earnings for the organization. OXO has pledged to match bake sale proceeds dollar for dollar up to $100,000 and Glad Corporation will match all donations in the month of December up to $25,000! So every dollar counts THREE TIMES! 

Here are the wonderful treats that I have made and the recipes that go along with them. Pinterest helped me find a few recipes that I wanted to try out this year and I pulled a few family favorites as well. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cookies - I found the recipe on this blog but modified it accidentally. I followed the cake box directions instead of the recipe they provided and they still turned out. And I bought miniature Reese's instead of mini Reese's and had to chop mine into 4 pieces before putting them in the recipe. They still taste wonderful!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies - Another recipe from Pinterest that I just had to try. You don't need quite as many oreos and I made my cookies a lot smaller so I got 36 cookies instead of the 15 the recipe says it makes.. 

Applesauce Gum Drops: My grandma would always have these for Christmas Eve but because she would make them weeks in advance, my brother and I would sneak into her cellar and steal a few. We were never smart enough to hide the wrappers so she always knew but never cared. 

1 - 6 oz. box of any flavor Jell-O (I used Strawberry and Lime for my two batches)
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Mix all ingredients together in a 1-2 qt. kettle over medium-high heat and stir continuous until it boils. Continue stirring while boiling for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a 9 X 5 greased (cooking sprayed) loaf pan. Set on a flat surface until firm. 

Then, rim pan with a knife and cut into long even strips. Place long strips on a lightly sugared cookie sheet or pan. Cut strips into squares (1/2 inch) and make sure all sides are sugared. Set out to dry for at least 1 week turning daily. 

100 Good Cookies: Another cookie that was passed down to me from my grandma. These cookies were one I remember my grandma always having in her cookie jar. The batch makes 100 or more if you make them smaller and because they are a rich cookie, you do want to make them rather small. 

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup margarine
1 cup oil
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup Rice Krispies
1 cup coconut
1 cup oatmeal
3 1/2 cup flour

Mix in sugars, margarine, oil, egg, salt, baking soda, vanilla and cream of tartar. Slowly add flour until dough forms. By hand, mix in Rice Krispies, coconut and oatmeal. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a non greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 - 10 mins or until lightly browned. 

*Consider adding 1 cup butterscotch chips to half the batch for an even sweeter treat! 

If you can't make it to the Bake Sale, consider making a donation online to Cookies for Kids Cancer  online. Every bit helps those that can't help themselves against cancer. Maybe someday we will live in a cancer-free world. 

Pin-It Tuesday: Mock Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

I cannot quite explain my obsession with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, especially the holiday shaped ones. Trees, hearts, eggs, pumpkins -I love them all! The sweet and salty combination is my kryptonite. I have an extremely hard time resisting, but I try with all my willpower.

But when I found this recipe on Pinterest to make them at home, I just had to give it a whirl.

The ingredients are simple enough that I had everything already at home!

I had to mash up some graham crackers and it ended up being a bit more than one of the three packages in the box.

All dry ingredients are mixed together.

Although I had a little issue measuring the powdered sugar - whoops! Mom loves when I make a mess in her kitchen :)

Then the wet and dry ingredients are combined into the heavenly peanut butter filling!

Then you have to spread it into a pan and let it set up in the freezer for a bit before putting the chocolate over the top.

Here is where my fail came in. Who would have known that 20 seconds too long in the microwave can destroy chocolate? (I do now!)

My mom came and saved the day, but Matt stopped by and distracted me so I didn't get the final picture. Yes he laughed at me and my chocolate debacle but couldn't wait to try the final product. I took some over to his place the night we had the pulled pork burritos.

They are a pretty good mock version of them and now I know just how bad they are for me. However making them myself means that I can cut them as small as I need for a PB/Chocolate fix. Matt loved them and ate a few after the burritos and had the rest that I left him in the next few days.

This will definitely go on my repertoire of amazing desserts that need to be rationed! :) Or sold at a bake sale!

My 12 Highlights of 2012

Happy New Year!!  2013 is here and the Mayans were obviously wrong, and I am so happy about that. There are so many more things that I want to do with my time on this earth.

Reflecting back on 2012, I accomplished much more than I thought I did and I can't wait to continue and add onto those things this year.

I already gave you the Top 12 most viewed posts of 2012 earlier this week, but now I want to share some highlights that may not be the most viewed or not read at all (as I didn't blog about all of them!). They are what made 2012 so awesome for me.

12. Camping & Dave Matthews Band

Dave on the jumbo screen at Alpine Valley

This summer was unlike any in recent years-- DRY & EXTREMELY HOT. We had drought warnings for well over a month which meant you couldn't grill out with charcoal or gas grills. My cousin and I planned our annual trip to Dave Matthews at Alpine Valley right in the middle of the drought. Camping was HOT and you were awake by 7 am if you wanted to be or not. Swimming wasn't refreshing because the lake was like a hot tub. We had to use extreme caution grilling out at the campsite and NO fires could be made. We even brought cold sandwiches to Dave to be on the safe side.

But as usual, Dave put on an amazing show and I wish I could have gone to both days. I am so in love with his music and him as an artist and I hope he comes back in 2013.

11. Volunteering

I love volunteering and sharing my skills with those that need them. This year, I continued my service to the United Way Marketing Board and #MKEFoodies Cookies for Kids' Cancer Bake Sale. In addition to volunteering for Good Friend Inc., I was also asking to join their board of directors this year! I attended my first board meeting in October and cannot express enough how awesome these ladies are with the message they are out sharing.

I also helped out with the Drug Collection of Waukesha County on a very wet day.

Robin and I freezing for a good cause!

10. Patio Parties

Although I have no pictures of this, there isn't much more to be said than grilling out on a summer night with some cocktails, great friends, good conversations and laughs. I hope that by the end of next summer, I will have a patio of my own to share with my friends and continue this (cross your fingers for me!!!)

9. CityTins

I am glad that I followed through on the use of my CityTin this year. I tried some great new restaurants in the area that I most likely wouldn't have without. I found new food faves that I can make at home this year, including hush puppies from Maxie's Southern Comfort, the potato skins at Cafe Manna, fried goat cheese from La Merenda, and olive tapenade from Cafe Lulu.

Potato Skins at Cafe Manna

I also was able to use the CityTin at Cafe Benelux and Swig. I didn't buy one in 2013 as I am really trying my hardest to save for a new home. 

Beautiful summer night at Swig.

   8. #MKEFoodies

Staying on the Foodie ride, I was able to attend quite a few events with the #mkefoodies group. I am so thankful to Lori and Paul and all of their hard work to make the events absolutely wonderful. Bartolotta's Rumpus Room provided us great food samples,explanations of why they do what they do and swag bags. I found out about the potato skins at Cafe Manna because of the group. I was able to check out Joey Gerard's in Greendale and found out that they make all of their own cocktail mixes from scratch. Ginger was another Milwaukee restaurant I was able to try with friends and baking for the #MKEFoodies Cookies for Kids' Cancer Bake Sale is always a blast.

7. Beerclub & Beer

Mondays nights at 8 pm on Twitter, a group of Milwaukee-area beer lovers get together and share a drink and their thoughts on it using #beerclub. I was able to participate quite a few times this year, even once while tailgating at Miller Park, and enjoyed most of the selections. I hope to be able to participate more in 2013, but I have a boot camp the first 12 weeks of the year that is held from 6-8 pm. I might just have to join late. This club and friends that really enjoy beer, have really opened my eyes to the world beyond Blue Moon and Spotted Cow!

My friend Jacob even had an Oktoberfest Birthday party and had a perfect beer & cheese tasting. I learned so much and have many new faves!

Bourbon County Stout - The super rare one!

6. Storm the Bastille

Again, with the summer being extremely HOT, running at night was about the only time I could get in a run without feeling I would pass out. So when my friend suggested that we Storm the Bastille, I was in. Some bars and stores even turned their hoses on us to cool us down. This will definitely be in the mix for 2013.

 5. The Color Run - Chicago

I hadn't been to Chicago in years prior to this run and man was it a blast. The weather was picturesque, we ran on the beach and I have never participated in such a fun event that involves fitness since I was on the Poms Team at Mukwonago (Go Indians!!). I was instantly hooked and signed up for Milwaukee one with my friends (and Mom) right after.

Color Run - Chicago

4. New Waukesha Restaurants

New stores and restaurants opened in Waukesha in 2012 and I was able to visit quite a few of them and enjoy a decent meal. I still haven't eaten food at Montecito, but they know how to mix good cocktails. I highly recommend the Huckleberry Lemonade.

O' What A Day Cafe has some scrumptious cupcakes in very unique flavors and now serves lunch--Best Butternut Squash soup I have had yet!

Bernie's Tap Room is really doing all it can to become a staple in Waukesha, and I think they have figured it out - gourmet bar food. The Duck pizza and beer cheese soup are sooooooo good.

Beer Cheese Soup at Bernie's Tap Room

Maid-Rite is really getting out there in the social media world to advertise the daily specials and suggest different options for lunch and dinner! I have to get back there for some soup.

I can't wait to try some more new places in 2013!

3. Green Bay Packers Game

I went to my first Packers Game in nine years this year and the icing on the cake....I won the tickets in an office drawing! My friend Tory had never been, so we met up in Appleton, drove in together and took it all in. I am ADDICTED to seeing in live and can't wait to go back. We are hopefully going to make it an annual trip!

2. Nephew Time

Little Alexander has completely stolen my heart and every time I see him, our buddy bond gets stronger and stronger. He turned one this year with a cookies and milk party and I think next year he will be out on the boat with his dad and grandpa fishing up a storm. He already wants to drive the boat as you can see.

Let's go people - I'll steer!

Family is so important to me and being able to spend time with my little buddy is something that I cherish sooooo much. I can't wait to see him so much more in 2013.

1.  Brewers Games

This year, my friend Tiffany and I bought a 10 pack of tickets that included Opening Day tickets for free in the pack. So my dad and I bonded while making the Jumbo Jenga for such an occasion as Tailgating on Opening Day. The game was a huge hit with all our neighboring Brewer Fans and for some cookouts I brought it too throughout the summer. I haven't found the right sized tote to carry it in yet as my trunk is small and the blocks are big, but I still love it.

And after Opening Day, Tiffany and I were able to enjoy some great food at Miller Park and some food  that was just ok.

Miller Park Poutine - AH-MAZING!

I even ran the Brewers 5k and Color Run, both held at Miller Park. I love my brew crew and the stadium appeal.

Brewers 5k - pre-race

Note To Self: Chalk drifts in the wind, watch where you park :)

Tiffany and I didn't purchase another 10 pack this year as we are both choosing to travel more in 2013, starting with a trip to LA for her for her 30th bday, and then we are both going to Salt Lake City in mid-February. After that....who knows!? Suggestions welcome!

Well that is all of them - whew what a year to review!! Of course there were other great things that happened this year (Grant Park, Foodie Penpal, Runner groups and cooking), but no one wants to read that much about me! Coming up later this week, I will give you my 2013 goals as I'm still tweaking them, but I want to thank all of you for the blog support in 2012 and hope you continue to read in 2013. If you have suggestion, lay them on me. I'm always up to making the reading more enjoyable!!! :)

Happy New Year!