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. 

November is Busy!

With the holidays right around the corner, I feel the amount of foodie opportunities seem to increase. I don't mind it one bit - but the wallet gets a little upset. So here is a recap and moving forward of some of my experiences.

Friday I had a meeting on the east side of Waukesha and after, I introduced my coworkers to Andrea's Red Rooster. I used to work there way back in the day and have gone a few times for drinks on the patio over the summer, but never for lunch. The food was great and we found another great spot. More on this place soon!

Then, Friday evening, I convinced my parents to check out Jackson's Blue Ribbon Pub in Waukesha and we were very impressed. It's new and has a few kinks to work out, but those kinks don't affect the food (which is the whole point of me going.) I'll write more on that soon, but here is my fish fry from Friday.

Saturday, I went to the Best of the Best Bridal Show with my friend Shauna that is getting married in August (and I'm her Maid of Honor!!!). I tried a mini almond flavored cupcake with raspberry filling and it was heavenly. I have to seek out the name of the vendor and then I will share it with you all - definitely recommend her desserts.

After the show, I met my boyfriend and his friends at Fox Run Lanes, a little bar off of Sunset that we used to go to all the time when I worked at Fox Run Sentry Liquor. Now we go maybe once every few weeks, but I have made quite a few appearances lately (Thursday, Saturday and going again tonight!)

The drinks are made usually decently strong, the beer selection is a solid variety and the food is excellent. It's not just your typical bar food. Sure they have mozzarella sticks and cheese curds, but they have burgers, chili, pizza, wings, chicken wraps and more. We got a pizza and the crust and sauce are excellent. It seemed to have a lot of cheese on it, but we didn't complain. We had plenty of leftovers as well to enjoy later in the day.

Sunday, I made a veggie pasta dish for during the Packer game, and although I make this meal a lot, I think I need to add the cheese later in the process as it all melts away and you lose the flavor. But Tim really enjoyed it and that is what matters. More on this recipe soon!

 

And I picked up some of my favorite cookies from my childhood - Melody Cookies from Milwaukee's south side. The spritz cookies bring me back to stealing them out of my grandma's cookie jar when I would visit her. They have a nice buttery taste. People might be getting these from me for the holidays :)

Tonight, I'm heading to Fox Run again for wings and saying goodbye to a friend as she moves back up to Green Bay. We will definitely be staying in touch and road trips are already being planned.

Tuesday, I scored two tickets to the Taste of Home Cooking School at Waukesha Expo tomorrow. My friend Tiffany and I are going to learn some holiday recipes and try some food.

Wednesday, I am meeting up with my grade school girls at BW3s in New Berlin. I haven't seen some of them since Confirmation retreat and maybe even earlier. We have about 6 of us going and I'm so excited for fun conversation, good eats and plentiful drinks :)

November 26, I'm attending a Special Holiday Cheese Event at Clock Shadow Creamery (Hello yummy  Quark cheese!!) I'm going to learn how to create the best holiday cheese spread for my guests and more! So excited. 

Then, in just a few weeks is the MKEFoodies, Cookies for Kids Cancer Bake Sale. Mark down Dec. 7 as the date to some buy treats from Milwaukee's blogger community and support a great cause.

#MKEFoodies - Wild Earth Cucina Italiana

Tonight, I had the opportunity to experience a dining venue at Potawatomi Bingo Casino like many won't be able to. Wild Earth Cucina Italiana is not typically open on Mondays, but for the #mkefoodies group, we were treated to a special night of food and drinks in a food station atmosphere.

The restaurant ambiance has a warm, earthy feel to it, with natural stone on the pillars, brown tones and foliage. Large booths were against the walls and tables filled the middle of the dining room.

We were greeted by Paul & Lori of the #mkefoodies group and provided aprons from Wild Earth with a pocket full of swag. The swag included poker chip mints, green apple lip balm, a recipe, info on Potawatomi and menus from the restaurant. Prices were extremely reasonable for what the ambiance portrayed and I couldn't wait to dig in.

The first stop we made was to the "make your own flatbread" line. A counter of toppings was laid out for us to fill our plates with. Then we put our name on a card and chose our sauce and in about 10 minutes our name would be called for our flatbread as they made it fresh in their wood fire grill.

If you have been following along, I am on a flatbread kick lately (see this too, and this)! I chose sausage, tomatoes, marinated red peppers, mushrooms, and artichokes and they added fresh mozzarella to it for cooking.

We stopped at the Italian soda station next and asked what was recommended. Our Barista suggested a sugar free Raspberry soda with lime and Tiffany went for that. I am still on a Mango kick and she suggested getting the soda with cream for a true dreamsicle experience. The whole station took me back to childhood with getting phosphates from Chocolate Factory with my grandma. And before the Carroll University bookstore cafe changed hands, they used to have Italian creme sodas and I would treat myself to those quite often between classes. It was delicious and hit the spot. 

We then went and got carved beef over mashed potatoes. I'm a meat and potatoes kid and the potatoes were buttery, garlicky goodness. The meat was a little too rare for me in the middle, but had great flavor on the outer edge. Tiffany went back for a second piece that was a bit more done later in the night and thought it was spectacular.

Tiffany brought back the Salmon Penne for us to split and it reminded me of a widely-loved special from Gondola Grille (now Jose's Blue Sombrero on Bluemound) with a rich buttery, cream sauce. It was soooo delicious. I always forget how much flavor peas and asparagus can add to a dish. I will definitely be making this at home because they provided us the recipe.

Next our flatbreads came and it looked so much better than I could have imagined. I selected the garlic and oil as that is what I used on mine at home. The veggies did make the middle of the flatbread a little soggy, but the flatbread itself was really good. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the dough or oil that was used had a nutty taste. I didn't mind, but I couldn't figure it out.

Tiffany went wandering for a bit while I captured a few more pictures and found the Caprese salads. The fresh mozzarella was salted and peppered lightly over a ripe juicy tomato and drizzled with oil. A piece of their dinner Ciabatta bread was put on the side and I used it to soak up the olive oil. This was delicious.

And then there was even dessert - pistachio, cherry and chocolate gelato with a vanilla wafer cone and chocolate biscotti. The gelato was nice and creamy and I used the cone to scoop my gelato with for a good crunchy bite. The biscotti tasted like a deliciously fudge brownie edge with a sweetness in the aftertaste that was somewhat fruity. Again, another unexpected, but lovely flavor. 

After the event ended, we went to the Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill for a nightcap and were greeted by two handsome, young and fun bartenders. Not only was I mistaken by a security guard for being 22 (+10 mister but thanks!), but the bartenders were really fun to chat with and it was a great way to end our evening.

I highly recommend checking out Wild Earth Cucina Italiana and really any of the other restaurants in the Casino. I have eaten at Spit Fires before and I have heard good things about the new buffet, nothing about the Asian place, but it's been there for a while so it must be good.

Consider coming to an #mkefoodies event soon. This even was a $20 charge for all that food, but most events are much less than that. Follow the group on Facebook and Twitter for updates about upcoming events.