National Sandwich Day

In honor of today being National Sandwich Day, I want to share my top sandwiches that I love in downtown Waukesha. There are a lot to choose from so I had to slim it down to my top five. Please share your favorites as well.

1. The Cranberry Bog - The Steaming Cup--This sandwich is the epitome of Thanksgiving. It has turkey, cranberry, mustard and pecans on a cranberry bread. Though ownership of the Cup has changed, this sandwich has stayed a staple and is so delicious.

2. Chicken Breast Salad - The Rochester Deli--Savory, delicious and always a great lunch option, this sandwich comes loaded with chicken in just enough mayo sauce, but not too much that it saturates the bread.

3. The Veg Head - Daylee Public House--I think it's the cheese spread that puts this sandwich so high for me. The spread gets extra creamy when grilled and the veg combo is on point. Pair with the delicious tomato bisque and you are set!

4. Sandwich Capri - People's Park--Another go-to for me. Juicy tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic on a crusty baguette. Simple but packs in so much flavor. Pair with the cucumber salad for a real delight!

5. The Beatles - Roots Coffeebar & Cafe--I'm a sucker for melted brie and sweet jam and this does it for me. The toasted bread, turkey and raspberry pair so well with the cheese. Some kettle chips on the side and I'm a happy girl.

So take some time today and celebrate deliciousness between two great pieces of grainy goodness. What will you choose?

Summer Fun Has Begun

Sky Above Pewaukee Beach

Memorial Day weekend was very busy for us, but an absolute blast. I'm still recovering from all the fun, thus the delay in getting this post out. Here's the breakdown starting with Thursday.

Got home from work and went to his daughter's school for their spring concert. After we headed to Murf's for a bite to eat. 

Murf's in Waukesha

Friday we both put in our eight work hours and ran for the doors for the weekend. We grabbed dinner with our friend Kacey at Rox Bar and Grille and then headed back to our place. The guys planned a movie night and I was along for the ride as I had no plans until.......

Rox Bar & Grille, Waukesha

Tory's plans changed for the night and we headed to downtown Waukesha to leave the guys with their movies. We checked out Daylee Public House and People's Park. Daylee Public House is going to have pitchers of New Age wine - first place I have ever found that does that and I'm overjoyed - see you regularly! 

Daylee Public House Outdoor Deck Seating

Daylee Public House libations

People's Park Rooftop

Saturday morning started early with my fiance and I meeting my parents at the Waukesha Farmers' Market and picked up some plants and bread. Then it was over to Roots Coffee Bar and Cafe for breakfast before heading to my parents to hang out. They need to take down a few trees this year so we walked the yard and assessed. Then my fiance and I headed home to grocery shop. 

Roots Coffee Bar & Cafe - Waukesha

Sunday we hosted a Memorial Day grill out with lots of laughter and good eats. People stayed late and it was a gorgeous night.  My wine bottle Tiki torches worked well for decor but aren't strong enough for mosquito resistance. 

Pinterest Wine Bottle Tiki Torches for the win!

Monday I headed out to Pewaukee Lake with Tory and we got their just in time for the parade. We watched the 21-gun salute before finding a nice spot on the sand. After a few hours, we decided to check out the rental option for kayaks and before I knew it, I was heading towards a fun island on the lake. This is by far my new favorite hobby and I will make sure my next vehicle has roof rack so I can do this all the time with my own kayak. I might have also worked out a storage option with an awesome friend with lake property :)

Pewaukee Beach

Kayaking at Pewaukee Beach

By Monday night I was exhausted but we still played some games at a friends' house and enjoyed another great evening. I was pretty much done by 9 pm and my back was screaming at me for lacking in the sunscreen department (paying for that now with itching and peeling!). 

I'm on a boat!

Tuesday was sad to see come, but it was definitely an awesome way to kick off the summer. I plan to get some posts up soon about all this awesomeness in more detail so you can enjoy it for yourself. But any place that I listed in this post is highly rated by this girl! 

People's Park Roof Top Dining

People's Park has been a staple in downtown Waukesha for over 7 years, and I really enjoy the atmosphere and quality of food. After a fire in February of 2011, the restaurant expanded to include a second floor bar and eating area and rooftop dining. I have been on the roof a few times and the views of downtown are really cool. In addition to tables with umbrellas, they have heaters for cooler summer nights and a full bar with stool seating.

Last week, my coworker and I decided to grab lunch outside because the temps would be in the high 70s. We knew that People's was going to be a great destination because they have the rooftop tables, sidewalk tables and they open the windows throughout the restaurant for fresh air. It was a rather windy day, but as we walked to lunch, we saw customers already on the roof and hoped one table for two would be left for us.

We were in luck and got the last table on the roof in the corner. It was pretty windy but the temps were perfect for us to enjoy our lunch and get out of the office for an hour. There were two servers managing both the diners and the bar. One had a radio walkie-talkie to let the hostess know if tables were available or if they needed anything - very smart!

Our server was really friendly and brought our lemonades over to us right away. Lunchtime can always be a little hectic for restaurants because everyone comes at the same time and needs to get in and out quickly. My coworker and I just ordered salads so we know our food wouldn't take too long.

We sat back and enjoyed the atmosphere while chatting about work and non-work things. Our salads arrived pretty quickly and they looked excellent. I ordered Frankie's Garden because of the goat cheese that I love so much. My coworker ordered the Caesar salad and it looked amazing. The only problem I was having was that the wind was launching my lettuce at the patrons at the table next to us. Whoops! They didn't notice luckily.

I did my best to tame the salad and block it from the wind but a few did still manage to take flight. The breeze felt amazing and the sun was out our entire lunch. I got a little tan (OK more like a burn as I barely ever tan) on the back of my neck -- my first color of the season! It was absolutely gorgeous and I didn't want to go back to work.


We really enjoyed our quick lunch break from the office and definitely will make this a regular stop with the warmer weather. (Hey Wisconsin, bring back that warmer weather please!). The salads were nice and refreshing and just the perfect size. We were both able to finish them and didn't feel overly full.

My coworker told me she was recently at People's for brunch and it was really good. I told her of a few other spots to check out for brunch but I too agree that People's is really good.

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!