Divino Gelato

**Updated

The weather has been absolutely perfect for enjoying a noon time stroll around the city. And with it being August, planters are full of gorgeous foliage and everything looks great. I did a few laps last week through downtown while deciding what I wanted for lunch.

There are quite a few options for lunch, many of which I frequent, but I forgot that a place that serves up some of Waukesha's favorite cold treats has lunch options too!

The place I am referring too is Divino Gelato Cafe - located in the Avalon building on the east end of downtown. Though most people go there for the amazing Gelato, they have pizzas and an Italian beef sandwich on the menu too. I decided I would order the sandwich, and it was extremely hard to resist the Gelato, but I did (somehow!)

It was just a few minutes for my sandwich to be made, so I took a seat and relaxed. The inside of Divino Gelato makes you feel like you are outside, the walls have buildings painted on them and the ceiling looks like a sky.

Two freezers are full of Gelato flavors just begging for you to try them. If you have never had Gelato, it is worth the slightly higher than ice cream charge - very creamy, even though it has less buttermilk than ice cream!

My sandwich was ready and I took it back to the office to enjoy-- I was not disappointed. The beef was thinly sliced and piled high, the cheese was melty, and the seasonings were spot on. The au jus soaked into the bun just enough to add flavor but not a soggy mess. I asked for the mild gardinieara (hot is available too) on the side as I'm not much of a spice person. It was good, but even that was a bit much for me. I'm glad I asked for it on the side.

I'll have to keep this place on my radar and come more frequently! They have locations in Racine and Brookfield Square Mall, but those are just Gelato. They also own Sloppy Joe's Soda Fountain in downtown Waukesha on the Five Points. **Allo! Chocolat on Main Street sells Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, headquarted in Madison. It's a premium ice cream that is very smooth and creamy. I haven't tried it yet, but I think the next time I'm downtown, I'll have to stop in and get a cone! 


So when its warm out and you looking for a frosty, delicious treat, or hungry and want a sandwich, Divino Gelato is where it's at!

Curry Chicken Salad - I'll Leave it to the Pros at Sprizzo's

Last Fall, I met my friend for lunch at Sprizzo's in downtown Waukesha. She had never been so I wanted to introduce her to someplace different and delicious.

Sprizzo's happened to have a curry chicken salad lettuce wrap as a special that day. Both of us said it sounded wonderful but (and these are her exact words) "something doesn't like chicken right now. I love chicken but something else doesn't." With a small point to her stomach, it was my friend's super cute way of telling me that she was going to be having a baby! The baby was anti-chicken at that point in her pregnancy. I jumped up and hugged her immediately and was so excited for her.

I still ordered the curry chicken lettuce wrap and was majorly impressed. I even went so far as to review Sprizzo's on Facebook and told them to keep it around.

I'm embarrassed to say but even the ridiculously cold weather kept me out of downtown Waukesha more than I wanted it to this past winter. I shouldn't have let it be an excuse, but I did, and I apologize to the city for my lack of support during those frigid months. 

BUT, last week was gorgeous finally and I took full advantage of walking downtown and seeing what's new and changed. More on that in a future post.

I ended up stopping into Sprizzo's after doing a mile walking loop around downtown and saw that Chicken Curry Lettuce Wrap as the special. SOLD! No doubt about it - I knew I was having that for lunch.

It was just as wonderful as I remembered. Not to spicy, a good amount of sweet and the chicken was so nicely chopped up.

I decided to try making this at home with a recipe I found online that seemed to have similar ingredients to what I could taste in Sprizzo's version. I would say that I made a solid effort and liked the outcome for the most part, but I overdid it on the curry powder and it overwhelmed my 'buds. When I tasted it right after I made it and didn't allow the flavors to meld, it tasted bland, so I added some more curry. That was my mistake. I had to have it with crackers or on bread and couldn't just have it with lettuce wraps. I needed something to help absorb the spice.

I do have more sensitive buds than the average mouth so maybe this recipe will be fine for some, but I think I am going to leave it up to the chef at Sprizzo's to make my curry chicken salad from here forward. This doesn't mean I won't try again with less curry or a sweeter curry powder, but I do know that Sprizzo's knows what they are doing and I will definitely keep ordering it from them.

Here is how I altered the online recipe:
-I started with 1 1/2 Tbsp. curry and added just 1 more tsp. It ended up really peppery so I would suggest 1 1/2 Tbsp. or use a sweet curry.
-I used 1/2 cup Miracle Whip and 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt. I ended up added 1/4 cup more Miracle Whip to reduce the peppery spice. 
-Didn't have mango chutney, so I took 4 frozen peach slices, 1 Tbsp. strawberry preserves and a Tbsp. of sugar and pureed it in my blender. I ended up adding more strawberry preserves to help kill the pepper of the curry.
- I didn't have whole peppercorns, so I used black pepper on the chicken, but I tasted the chicken and it wasn't peppery then.
-I didn't have cloves, so I used all spice and it worked well in this instance.

Overall, I modified a bit to try to get the flavor I was looking for and definitely gave it my best effort, but Sprizzo's, you make it better and I'll keep coming back for it. Don't take this special away :)

Cranberry Sandwiches in Waukesha

When it comes to sandwiches, Waukesha has the cream of the crop. There are so many options and there is definitely something for everyone's taste.

Waukesha Riverwalk

This past week, I took some walks around downtown and made the decision twice this week to get a sandwich that had cranberries on it. I know it's not cranberry season, but I love the tartness of the berry when it's paired with cheese and other savory treats.

So weird to see so much of downtown now that the old buildings are torn down. What will take it's place?

Allison Art House

Gazebo that used to be at the 5 Points - Never noticed the stained glass before.

Avalon Square water feature - at night it's illuminated by color changing LED lights

My first cranberry sandwich was from Rochester Deli. I took a stroll through downtown and then swung by for a sandwich. I choose the Turkey Cheddar Panini - made with homemade cranberry relish, mayo and grilled on Vienna bread.

Rochester Deli Turkey Cheddar Panini

It was delicious and definitely hit the spot. The cranberries were large and really paired against the cheddar well. Warm, melty, and crisp bread - everything that makes a great panini. I chose the potato salad as a side and it too was great. A little more mustard than I typically like, but I ate it all. And a crisp pickle to finish the meal.

Rochester Deli

Oh and I can't forget to mention that I splurged on a lemon bar - fan-freaking-tastic. Due to the overwhelming response on the desserts and cakes that Rochester Deli is known for, Periwinkles Bakery was opened just next door to provide more dedicated space to the sweeter side of the deli. I will definitely consider this bakery the next time I need a treat for a group.

My next cranberry sandwich was the Cranberry Bog from The Steaming Cup. The road construction on Clinton Street does make it a little more challenging to get to this shop, but it's definitely worth it. I have had the bog before and it does not disappoint. It has cranberry cream cheese, mustard, turkey and pecans on a cranberry role. The cranberry role makes this one so unique, and although I am not a big mustard fan, the mustard on this one really adds a nice bite to the sandwich. 

The Steaming Cup - Cranberry Bog

While in The Steaming Cup I saw that they have some new sandwiches and one was an ambrosia chicken salad. I will have to stop back and try that too.

Waukesha Riverwalk

Waukesha's famous river bears

Downtown Waukesha's restaurants really set the bar high for quality and flavorful food. I don't have bad experiences when I eat downtown and I feel good supporting the local businesses. Not to mention my walk to and from these businesses is really pretty now that spring as finally sprung! 

Healthy Living Week 4

This week was a lot better for me. Though I did have one quite indulgent meal, I really was very well behaved for the rest of the week. I really watched my portion sizes and made sure that I knew exactly what I was putting in my body.

Friday night, my guy and I attempted to check out Tubby's outside of Whitewater. We pulled into the lot and already realized we were going to be waiting. We got inside and it was very crowded and we just decided to go somewhere else as we were starving. 

He suggested the Duck Inn and not being familiar with the area, I agreed. He used to be a bus boy back in the day, so I figured he knew what he was talking about. The place is a really cute old supper club style place with a very warm and inviting atmosphere. I'll do a full review next week, but we did enjoy ourselves.

Relish trays scream supper club in Wisconsin! Veggies with house made buttermilk ranch and two types of cold press cheeses for the cracker and breadstick basket. I sampled but didn't indulge.

Cashew Crusted Duck and T-Bone steak - Both were DEEEEE-lisious. Highly recommend ordering either. Full review to come. I only ate one piece of duck and that was plenty after filling up on the salad.

Saturday was Grill Day for me - I was so excited to get the grill and so thankful for my handy guy to put it together with a little help from the directions interpreter. Seriously Brinkman, I understand you provided multiple languages, but one of them written clearly would have sufficed.

Side note: Make sure the grill is going to fit in the vehicle before purchase. We had to take it out of the box to fit it in his Passat, which I would call an average size car. How to people buy larger things without owning a truck?

Anyways, She (I will have to name my grill soon -suggestions?) lit up just fine and grilled up some awesome bacon wrapped fillets, cheddar brats and pineapple. See the pineapple chunk under the grate - first fail by the operator of the tongs (yep that was me!)

Grilled veggies also accompanied the meal and I tried to fill up on those. They were spectacular. I am so excited to make many more meals on the grill.

Monday, I tried to copycat the Pairdd  meal. The salad turned out fantastic and my guy liked it too - he was skeptical at first but I got him to eat more than I thought he would. The salmon I made on the grill and I overcooked it just a little bit. It was still really tasty, but I think the Pairdd salmon was of higher quality and I will take that into account the next time I cook on the grill.

Do you like my new plate to display food on? That is compliments of my mother and my trip to IKEA on Sunday after my cousin's bridal shower. I think it makes my food stand out much better than my burgundy plates.

And now I'm back on my flat bread kick. This was an asparagus, onion, kale, spinach, pub cheese and mozzarella flat bread. I was trying really hard to get the flavor from the duck confit flat bread at Bernie's. This was my closest attempt yet, but still not quite there. And I didn't get the middle of the crust to crisp, even on "holy aluminum foil" Regardless, the flavors worked really well and I like the combo of kale and spinach a lot.

Yesterday I checked out my neighborhood and bit and found this nice trail to walk to get to Pick N Save.

When I got home, I was starving and realized a flat bread was again in my future after going down the frozen pizza aisle at the store and seeing some yummy DiGiorno crispy thin crust pesto pizzas. I had some pesto in my fridge, so I put a thin, very thin layer of pesto on the crust. Then I loaded it up with tomatoes, onion, spinach, mushrooms, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. I put the flat bread right on the rack this time and guess what....success! A deliciously crispy, crunchy flatbread in just 7 minutes!

So now that I have found the walking path and have found my love for veggies again (I haven't had meat in two days and I don't miss it!) I'm thinking week 5 is going to show some great progress. I just have to not eat the whole flatbread (whoops!). Probably would help if I only cook half the crust at a time.

So cheers to a new month being here already and warmer weather is coming, it just has to right? Let's keep up the good work together and Happy Eating!

#MinimizeInMay - My Goals

May is here and Wisconsin is finally starting to reflect April with the temperatures. Hopefully May weather will show up soon and stay :) 

I have decided that May is going to be a month of reduction of many things in my life. And thus the launch of #MinimizeInMay. All month long, I will be blogging about things that I am doing to minimize different aspects of my life. I invite you to join my efforts this month and minimize something in your life that needs it. You will be surprised what a difference one month can make :)

1) Minimize Spending - I have plenty of clothes that I bought in the past years (and even months) so I don't need anything new for a spring wardrobe. Hopefully I can make it the whole month without a single splurge. I know I will be tempted, but if I just cut down a few pounds, I will so much more to wear in my current wardrobe. And thanks to Pinterest, I have learned to pair elements of my wardrobe that I wouldn't have before. 

2) Minimize My Waist - I really need to get some of this pesky weight off that seems to have decided to make permanent residence on me. With the change in the weather, I hope to get out on my bike, my feet and maybe even my rollerblades and get in a lot more fitness. I still have classes remaining on my punch card for EnergizeZone, and because I already paid for it, I can go for "free" in May. 

3) Minimize My Junk Food - With not spending much this month, I will only be able to eat what I have available and not impulse buy lunch/dinner at the grocery store or make trips over to Walgreens for snacks during the day. I have already started this plan this week with bringing peasant lunches or leftovers.

Homemade gnocchi marsala - recipe posted soon!

Peasant lunch - berries, carrots w/ hummus, cheese, crackers, tea

4) Minimize My Clutter - I have obtained quite a few things in the past few years and it's time to purge. I am planning to have a rummage sale mid-month to unload these things from my life. The rummage will consist of clothes, candle holders, books, CDs, knickknacks and whatever else my parents feel they want to part with between now and mid-May. I know that this will give me less to move when I do that as well as free up some space at my parents house for them :)

Another level of clutter is my personal email Inbox - There are soooo many old emails in there that I need to file or delete and I hope to get a solid handle on that. Who needs 5,000 emails just sitting in their inbox? This girl doesn't anymore. And with this, I will hopefully remove my name from some email lists and cancel accounts for companies that I don't need to be a part of anymore and not be tempted about "sales" and events. 

So True!

5) Minimize My TV Addiction - In the last month, I really got addicted to TV and I can't even say it was for new shows. Big Bang Theory being on for three straight hours every evening isn't a necessity in life. Sure I will still DVR my shows and catch up on them when I can, but I hope to have the TV off and my eyes in a book or be outside more. The weather has changed, I can blog, read, write and have fun instead of glue myself to a TV. 

LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

6) Minimize My Carbon Footprint - I drive to work and can't get around that, but I don't need to drive around on my lunch "just cuz." I should go for a walk on my lunch and after work, I should bike if feasible. Unfortunately, I do live too far from my friends to practically ride my bike to them for a night, but I will carpool when I can and try to use less gas. 

By doing all these things, I am hoping to maximize my savings and my overall happiness by living a cleaner lifestyle all around. I'm sure things will come up and I'm not going to become a hermit for May, but I just have to start working on readjusting my goals and it takes consistent effort to make anything happen. Wish me luck - Here's to #MinimizeInMay

Move-It Monday

April was an extremely busy month and I'm excited for it to be over actually. I had so many things come up out of the blue that I felt I had zero time for extra things. Unfortunately the blog fell into the extra things category. Hopefully May will free up more of my time. And maybe I need to read the book above??

Another thing that didn't seem to fit into my schedule was working out as much as I wanted to. But I got back to the gym yesterday for a kickboxing class and boy-oh-boy am I feeling it today. It's a different workout than the boot camps that I do, but I worked just as hard or harder and sweat just as much or more in this class. Boot camp usually makes me feel it in my core and quads, but kickboxing killed my upper calves and arms.

Tracie, the kickboxing instructor at Energize Zone comes up with some great combinations and she keeps a good speed to get us adjusted to the moves before picking up the pace. Because of all of the boxer stances and back-and-forths, I know that is why my calves are so tight.

My arms are sore from really going all out on the jabs, cross and hammers. I feel like I'm back in Poms and I'm hitting each move precisely - thus the sore arms today.

With my legs being so tight, I decided a walk would be the best for me. Big Bend is under construction so I took a gander down Clark Street to see the progress. It's pretty much down to one lane with large equipment and gravel everywhere. I hope they stay on schedule and get the road done quickly.

I headed down into the park to check out the river and although it was high, I got this amazing shot of the sunset. It really was so peaceful down there -- minus the bugs that kept flying in my face :)

I hope to get out for a lot more walks and runs and get to more kickboxing and boot camp classes in May. I must do it in order to hit my goal I set for myself. :)

I am also in search of my next run for 2013. I don't have anything on my plate until August, so if you have suggestions, I'm open to them -- 7k and under as I'm still working my way to a 10k and am not there yet.