Pieper Porch Winery

Pieper Porch Winery has been around for about five years, but recently it has been picking up steam and popularity. More and more of my friends are talking about the business and it was about time I checked it out. The opportunity arose about a month ago and my friend and I decided to enjoy a nice sunny Saturday afternoon at the winery. 

The winery is located on the edge of Waukesha/Mukwonago off Hwy. I/River Rd. It's just a short drive from my house and is a residence that has been turned into the winery and vineyard. 

The tasting room is located in the basement of their home and the family/staff is smiling and ready to serve you. The winery provides five samples as part of the complimentary tasting from their lengthy list of varietals. They even provide further explanation than what the sheet provides on each wine if needed, and then you have some time to choose your samples. 

I tried some sweet wines, but mostly stuck to the dry varietals and was very happily surprised with how bold their wines are. When you think Wisconsin wines, sweet and fruity come to mind a lot of the time. Peiper Porch knows how to do both kinds of wines and does them well! The reds are very deep in flavor and are dry. 

After our samples, we decided to split a bottle to enjoy on their covered porch and have some girl talk. The winery was quite busy, but the crowd seems to rotate well and we found a spot with no problem. They have two silo areas that can be reserved for special events in the vineyard, and the grape vines were really impressive. You can also bring in your own food to enjoy at the winery--we took notes for next time. 

We watched kids play in the open field while parents enjoyed each other's company. I also ran into a friend from high school and it was her first time here as well. It was good to see her and I found out that if you aren't a wine fan, they do have some beers to offer to help please more of their crowds (not her, but her husband isn't a wine guy).

After about an hour, we noticed the sky getting a little darker and started to make plans for what to do for dinner, realizing our wine time was nearing an end. The winery is only open Friday-Sunday 11 am - 5 pm, so regardless of the rain, we were about to get the boot.

It did rain and so we went inside, wrapped up our sales, and asked to take the rest of our bottle home. They gladly recorked it for us and sent us on our way. We told them we would definitely be back. I will be keeping them in mind for presents as well #shoplocal!

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and quality of their products. They have a solid business and you can see the pride they have for it in the wine and the vineyard. I also recently saw their wines for sale at Sentry Fox Run--not sure where else they are available, but this was a good find for the winter.  I know I will be back soon to enjoy more.

Zymbiotics for your health

I have known about Zymbiotics for about a year -- first hearing about the company from my friends in the #mkefoodies group. After reading about it, I was a bit intrigued. Then I saw the products at Good Harvest Market and my interest peaked even more. I still wasn't 100% sure what it was, but I knew the products were supposed to be good for you.

I recently reached out to the owner Jeff after he introduced himself to the Wisconsin Whisk group that I am a member. I asked him more about his products, and he suggested that we meet up so that I could try them and ask anything that I wanted to know about them.

Here's a bit about the company from the website: "Zymbiotics are fine naturally fermented foods including Jeff’s Zauerkraut, Jeff’s Ginger Zarrots, Jeff Zimchi, and Jeff’s Vegan Zimchi.  These prebiotic and probiotic ferments are delicious and nutritious. We strive to use locally sourced produce for our products to reduce the environmental impact wherever possible.  Educating our community  on the health benefits of fermentation is a fundamental part of our mission."

Jeff and I met at Good Harvest Market and sat down in the cafe area. Did you know that Good Harvest Market has a full cafe, smoothie bar, and beer on tap? You can enjoy these treats while shopping or take a meal home. There is even a loft area above the cafe to get a better view of the store while you dine.

Jeff told me a bit about his products, Zymbiotics. The product are kept in the cooler case because they aren't pasteurized and are fresh. The products will last over a year opened or unopened if kept refrigerated. On your first time opening them, its recommended to open them over the sink--the CO2 builds up and could cause a little spill.

The company recommends at least two tablespoons of the products a day for maximum results. Here are more of the benefits of these products.

Zymbiotics Zauerkraut

I tried the Zauerkraut first - a bright, beautiful purple color. It was delicious and puts the kraut at Miller Park and the green can(Franks?) to shame. I want to only have this with my brats and hot dogs in the future. However, I was told to not get it over 104 degrees or it will lose the good bacteria and health benefits.

Zymbiotics Ginger Zarrots

Next I tried the Ginger Zarrots. I was a little hesitant as I didn't believe these flavors would go together at all. I was very pleasantly surprised - this was a great combination. I could eat this as a between-meal snack for sure. Or have them with a nice grilled chicken breast. Two tablespoons of this daily will be no problem. And there are some great recipes for this product on their website.

Zymbiotics Zimchi

Next up was the Zimchi - As someone that has never had Kimchi, I wasn't sure what to expect except Asian flavors. It has beautiful color and a great variety of products in it. There is a kick of spice, but if I had some rice with dinner, it would be just fine for my palette. I didn't try the Vegan Zimchi, but I was told the flavor is very similar, just doesn't have the fish sauce in it.

Jeff was nice enough to send me home with the Zauerkraut, Ginger Zarrots, and Zimchi. I have had Ginger Zarrots a few times and can't wait to make a few of the recipes from the website. Stay tuned for posts on that.

Jeff's wife has her masters in nutrition and culinary arts and she oversees the recipes to make sure they are healthy and that the prebiotic and probiotic dignity of the products are in tact.

Zymbiotics can be found at Good Harvest Market, Woodman's, Albrechts Sentry, B&K  Sentry, and the Sendik's on Capitol in Brookfield. The local food stores have welcomed his products and really supported his mission. I love seeing local work together.

I recommend you try these products for improved digestion and quality bacteria in your gut. In just a couple weeks, you will notice a change. Eating fermented foods increases the vitamin content and helps us absorb the vitamins.

Downtown Waukesha - Don't Fear the Construction

I took a walk around downtown yesterday on my lunch and took a few pictures. The snow is melting and they are predicting 40s and 50s for the next few days. I'm excited to see all the snow melt!

As I headed over the river on one of the bridges, I couldn't help but notice the right side of the river looks like winter and the left looks like Fall. Come on sunshine, melt that snow and bring us some greenery!

Downtown Waukesha is going to need its faithful followers now more than ever to help share the word that everything is still open despite the construction. Bring your friends and family and don't be discouraged that the roads are under construction. Last year it was Clinton and Main - this year (and into next year) it's the rest of Main Street. But have no fear, businesses are open and you can get to them rather easily.

Here is an article from WaukeshaNow.com about the construction and a timeline.

Sidewalks are still open and a lot of businesses on the north side of Main Street have back entrances as well. Those on the south side do not, but I know the city has taken that into account and will make sure that people can get to those businesses as much as possible. There is no getting around this construction - it is necessary and when finished, I'm sure it will bring us an even better downtown.

I walked up from the Riverfront Road to Main Street between the Main Street Apartments and the Antique store. This will definitely see a lot more use during the construction as it's a way to get from behind the businesses to Main Street. And it's a pretty walk as well.

Next I saw that the old Jackson's is having some Time Warner/Road Runner assistance today. I hope that means its nearing it's new opening. I'm so excited for this restaurant to open. My parents loved Mia Famiglia in Hales Corners and this will be the same family.

South Street is going to be alive with new renters in the Prairieville Apartments this summer. The skywalk is in and work was going steadily in the parking garage and units when I walked by. 

Next up I walked down Grand to Main Street and couldn't help notice these two brightly painted buildings on Broadway. What a welcome site for Spring! Burlap & Lace opened a clothing and accessories store to compliment their other shop on Grand. 

I turned left at the five points and headed down Main Street.I couldn't help but notice the large diggers in the road. But I believe I read they are already ahead of schedule!

I turned left onto Clinton and then right on Wisconsin. I noticed this sign helping guide people into the Maple Street lot. This lot is behind Couri insurance and the other main street businesses and is often forgotten. I think it's going to get plenty of use. This entrance is on Wisconsin, just west of Clinton. 

I walked down Wisconsin to Maple and took a closer look at the construction. It's only between Maple and Main Street currently, so you can get to the Clinton lot from Main Street at this time. You can also access this lot from Clinton Street by Hannon's Pub. This lot goes behind a lot of the businesses on Main Street and these businesses do have back entrances from this lot.

In the Clinton lot is a bridge that goes over the Fox River and connects to the Waukesha State Bank employee lot. I believe during business hours, the lot is only for employees, but after hours and on weekends, you can park in this lot.

I also found this map on the City of Waukesha website that shows how many spots are in each lot. Plenty of options when Main Street doesn't allow for street parking. 

So let's not be afraid of the construction and let's embrace it and I'll see you in downtown!

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.

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!

Holiday Happenings in Downtown Waukesha

Mark Your Calendars as there are some great events coming up in downtown Waukesha for the holidays. I highlighted a few of the bigger events but I see that OurDowntown.com & Waukesha Silver Bells have rather extensive calendar with great events each night of the week in Waukesha. Live music, trivia nights, poker, karaoke, open mic, dance lessons and so much more fill each night of the week in Waukesha. There is always something going on.

11/21 - TREE LIGHTING - 8 PM - 9:30 PM
I have actually never attended this but I enjoy taking pictures of the gorgeous tree every year. I might just have the opportunity to be downtown during the tree lighting and might sing a song or too with the crowd. Listen for the tone deaf girl - that's me! 

11/23 - HOLIDAY STROLL - 12 PM -4 PM
Enjoy the wonderful shops that will be all decorated for the season and take advantage of some great sales and discounts.

11/23 - PHOTOS WITH SANTA - 12 PM - 3PM
Leticia Guzman American Family Insurance Agency on South & Grand.

11/23 - OPEN HOUSE AT THE WAUKESHA COUNTY MUSEUM - 1PM - 4PM
Enjoy a FREE afternoon at the museum before the Parade! 

11/23 - 52nd ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE - 4 PM - 7PM
I have made it a tradition with my friends to watch the parade every year. For the last few years we have watched the parade from the warmth of a local business on Main Street but I want to keep that a secret for fear of the place getting overcrowded. And the Packers game is at noon so no interference there. Maybe we will have to make it a day-long event with my friends again.

11/28 - BLACK FRIDAY
I'm sure the shops in downtown Waukesha will have some sort of specials for the day after Turkey Day but I haven't heard of anything specific.

11/28 - 12/20 - HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES - $5 per person or $12 for a family of 3 or more.
Fridays - 6 - 9 PM
Saturdays - 1 - 5 PM

11/29 - SANTA'S BREAKFAST - 8 AM - 10 AM
Martha Merrill's Bookshop - Advanced Reservations Required - 262-547-1060


11/29 - SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
You better believe I will be in downtown Waukesha on Saturday supporting our local shops and buying my holiday presents. I cannot think of a better way to personalize gifts than buying local. And you truly can find something for everyone. I urge all of you to Shop Local for at least some of your gifts this year. The more money you spend locally, the more stays locally to benefit the local communities.

11/29 - FREE PHOTOS WITH SANTA - 1 PM - 3 PM
Waukesha Wireless Store - They are offering this every Saturday until Christmas

12/6 - GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS CELEBRATION - 4 - 5 PM
Last year, Downtown Waukesha broke the record for the most carolers in one area singing together and we are celebrating that amazing feat this year. 


12/6 - ROCKIN' KRINGLE ART CRAWL - 4 - 10 PM
The downtown shops stay open extra late and offer great deals and discounts to get that one of a kind, unique gift for that special someone in your life. 

12/7 - SANTA RUN/WALK - 10:30 AM
I participated in this a few times and both times there was a snowfall. Last year, it was even snowing during the run and I truly had snowflakes that stayed on my nose and eyelashes. I plan to participate again this year with friends.

12/13 - UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER SATURDAY- ALL DAY
If you are wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, local establishments in downtown will offer you a special discount. If you have ever needed a reason to wear an ugly sweater more than just to the office party or friend's holiday party - this is it.

Walking Around Waukesha

I attempted to sit outside my work yesterday and enjoy my lunch in the sun, but the bees had another plan for me. They tried to steal my lunch and get their germs all over it. I feared if I swatted them away one more time, I was going to be stung. So I went off on a walk around downtown Waukesha instead.

 I love how the sun comes through this bridge on the Riverwalk.

The Fox River really is beautiful this time of year.

 This ugly building will soon become apartments with a skywalk (South Street)

 Hard to see but Jackson's added a garage door to the front for windows making it easier to see in as well as let in the fresh air!

 This gorgeous plant takes up half the steps to Chill, but it's really vibrant. (Gaspar Street)

 Generations at 5 Points has taken over RiverMill Foods and the windows are all papered up while they work on the pub!

 Yellow Cab seems to be gone in Waukesha so this spot on the 5 points is available (Broadway)

 I like the expanded sidewalks for outdoor seating. Can't believe no one was enjoying it on this beautiful day! (Clinton Street)

 A new salon has gone in on Clinton and they accept Carroll University card holders. I think this counts for Alumni too!

I love Cafe de Arts and you can't miss this place in Waukesha with it's purple color and bright sunflower.

 Brook Street Little Free Library! Look for a post on these soon!