Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Matt & I aren't much for always celebrating smaller holidays (ie: Valentines Day, St.Patricks Day Flag Day... you get the idea) but we have been trying to a bit more because it does make an ordinary day a bit brighter and we can have something to look forward to. Plus one day down the road when we have kids I think little things like this could be really fun!

SO I thought Cinco de Mayo would be a good day to try out a meal that I LOVE to order when going out for Mexican but have always thought it would be too hard to make at home, which is Chili Rellenos, which I happen to turn into more of a Chili Rellenos cassorole. Damn, it was soooooo good! The husband said its one of the best meals I have made in a long ass time and I couldn't agree more!

The Finished product.

Basically Chili Rellenos is egg battered chili's stuffed with cheese & such. Well, turns out with a bit of planning I can make this awesome meal at home now!! Now I now Cinco de Mayo isn't really a big thing in Wisconsin (it REALLY was when I lived in Arizona of course) but hey, it's got cheese in it so thats Wisconsiny enough, right?! Here are the rest of the photos on how I made this fun dish!

The tools for some homemade guacamole Matt made.

Charred and blistered chilis before they were pealed.

The filling: refried beans, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spices and shredded cheese.

Starting to layering everything - oh and MORE cheese :-)

The egg batter topping.

Hot bubbly yummyness, strait from the oven!! So good!

Of course we washed it down with a tasty brew!

Lumber Inn

Since due to a crazy few weeks of work for both Matt & I for the first time ever I think we are not traveling for a holiday weekend but instead are just staying home (though for the record we are Northwoods bound next weekend.) We love breakfast though we don't go out for it all that often but decided today we would hit up one of our favorite breakfast joints, the Lumber Inn in Delafield Wisconsin. Tasty food, quick, priced right and diner style bar... you can't ask for much more!

It was only fitting to look the lumberjack part at the Lumber Inn...

I got what I am going to have to refer to as the "Michele Special" (after my sister who LOVES this). What it is, is a blueberry pancake with over easy eggs on top. I guess it might sound gross to some but it really hit the spot today- thanks Michele!

Enjoying a tasty cup o' joe!

Vegetarian "Meat" Loaf

This was my first attempt at a Vegetarian "Meat" Loaf or should I say "Mushroom Loaf". The weather has been still a bit hit or miss for a Wisconsin spring and as much as I have been trying to will spring into appearing by wearing bright cloths, nail polish and wearing sandals its not really helping... SO to help take the edge off the chill I tried making a dish I have been brainstorming about for awhile.

Overall it turned out really good in terms of flavor and texture however I think next time I need to improve on the cooking time and maybe add an extra to help it come together a bit better (and not be so mushy). Here it is!

OK! Its a few days later and after a few days in the fridge and an additional hour THIS is how the meal was supposed to turn out! Plus I made a side of smashed cauliflower and garlic bread- pretty damn good!

Cleanse Dinner

Simple but easy and tasty dinner of asparagus and a fried egg. Nothing special and not really "Wisconsiny" but I have been on a cleanse for about a month and this has been one of my typical meals. So far so good! Heres to a healthier & lighter spring!!

Kringle Wisconsin Style

Some fresh Danish Kringle from O & H in Racine... pecan oh yeah, this is the best! If you are not Danish or from Wisconsin you may not know what Kringle is but it's an AWESOME treat and is great with coffee!

Figs!!!!!

I think I have a new food favorite and it's figs! I have never had a strait up regular fig until this weekend. Sure I've smelled it in candles and fragrance but I have never had one before. WOW~ they are amazing! They are like naturally brown sugar flavored treats (if you ask me)! Later today I think I am going to make a salad with them too, for now this was my breakfast figs & iced coffee. Yum!

Dark Side of Oz :: Fish Fry & a Flick

This is something I have been wanting to do since last summer and this so go to one of the Fish Fry & a Flick movies on Milwaukee's Lakefront at Discover World. It turned out to be really awesome! The fish fry was really yummy (you totally get what you pay for), the Pointskis were going down smooth (and priced right) and the movie was cool with no little kids running around and knocking over your beer. (I love kids but sometimes at some events parents need to leave them home and in the case of this event all of the movies are "grown up" movies.) Also, as a teenager I never did get the chance to watch the Wizard of Oz set to the Dark Side of the Moon so I was really thrilled to finally get to do this too!

Summer Bounty

Well, this appears to be the last of what my sister has gathered from her garden... I was able to manage and to find a few other scraps and other random things. There was some squash blossoms that I found and since the beginning of summer and reading a recipe for them I have been dying to make them so I did! Sadly it happened so fast there is no picture but I just gently sauted them up w/ a little evoo, a touch of butter and salt & pepper and they were great! Can't wait to find them next summer!

Leon's Frozen Custard Stand

On our way home from a BBQ with friends we were in the neighborhood of Leon's Frozen Custard, something that is pretty well known in Milwaukee that Matt & I never had. Living in Wisconsin there are MANY frozen custard locations and believe me we have tried our share but never this one, so considering it was like 80 degrees plus w/ humidity last night we swung in for a treat.

Very simple items treat items on the menu and little food but it was good and hit the spot. The only disappointment (in terms of the custard) was that I really wanted to try the homemade plain mint custard but I would have had to buy a pint of it and I really didn't NEED a pint. Also, the place was packed, no where to sit but your car and the crowd was bit too rowdy for even us.

Not saying we would never go back, but it's really not in our neck of the woods and I don't think we would make a special trip back just for it. Never the less, it was good, tasty custard and that helped us beat the heat a bit!

Lakefront Brewery Friday Night Fish Fry, Milwaukee Wisconsin

Oh yes, the Wisconsin Fish Fry... how you folks not from Wisconsin or select other parts of the Midwest even miss out on this fantastic phenomenon! I never truly understood that it was specifically Wisconsin/Midwest related until I moved to Arizona for a few years (yes, I know it's the desert) too but I just seemed weird not having it on Friday nights. Later after even meeting my husband from Central Illinois I learned they they do not have Friday Night Fish Fry their either... bummer.

So as a Wisconsinite (and an otherwise vegetarian except when it comes to fish on occasion) it seems as though you are always seeking out a new/better/different Fish Fry than the next. Last night we checked out Lakefront Brewery's take on it. Though we have been to this brewery before we have not gotten the chance to have the Fish Fry... I would have to say it was really yummy! The only part we didn't *love* was the communal/family style seating, but we really lucked out and our table mates were pretty friendly. Not sure if it's all you can eat as we didn't have to ask since the husband and I were pretty satisfied with one helping.

I would recommend if you are in Milwaukee and like good beer to check this out on a Friday night! They even have brewery tours running to late so you can enjoy both in the same night! I didn't get a picture of the food because by the time I remembered to do so it was gone ;-)

Yummo Alterra

WOW, just had to share this AMAZING sandwich I got today from Alterra for lunch! I was their special of the day, roasted asparagus with Gouda, pesto and other goodness! Yum yum!

Fried Zucchini

So I actually made this last week thanks to my friend and coworker Amy who was kind enough to bring in some awesome zucchini from her garden! I very rarely fry things but I wasn't sure what to make and this fried zucchini concoction is what I ended up with and it turned out quite yummy! After a fun weekend Up North I now have even more zucchini and next time I am thinking zucchini bread or muffins. Stay tuned!

Work and Bits....

So it's that time of year at work (I work at Wisconsin brewery) and we happen to sponsor a day at the Wisconsin State Fair. That means two things, my work load is at it's peak for the year with graphic demands every which way plus some AND the State Fair people feel as though it's their duty to hand delivery throughout the city one of the things our state fair is know for.... CREAM PUFFS... Yes they are both delicious yet sickening at the same time. Hey, at least I didn't eat a whole one, I split it with my friend Tammy!

Dessert :: Balsamic Strawberries with Cracked Pepper served over Soy Mango / Vanilla Ice Cream

I normally don't "make" dessert, I simply settle for a small bite of dark chocolate but I keep hearing about all of these new, exotic ice cream flavors that are on trend right now and thought I would give it a DIY try!

A simple Balsamic Strawberries with Cracked Pepper served over Soy Mango / Vanilla Ice Cream is what it was (with a piece of pistachio dark chocolate toffee on the side) WOW was this flavorful and amazing! LOVED IT!!!

Dinner :: Roasted Peppers with Kalamata Olives, Garbanzo Beans & Goat Cheese

Not sure why but I have been really craving red peppers this week (Monday I made vegan stuffed peppers) and dinner tonight sort of came to me this afternoon. This dish was made with roasted peppers, Kalamata olives, garbanzo beans & goat cheese served with a simple side salad that had just cucumber, tomatoes, croutons and poppy seed dressing.

Everything turned out really great as it was just fresh and yummy! Perfect for a hot summer day and it was pretty to look at to boot! Enjoy!

Pittsburgh :: Primanti Bros

After seeing Primanti Bros on the Travel Channel many years ago this was the only place (in terms of a restaurant) that I made a special request for us to visit NO MATTER WHAT while in Steel City and it didn't disappoint!

After a day in Pittsburgh I quickly realized that Primanti Bros is sort of like the Pittsburgh version of Portillos in Chicago. Thankfully we were able to go to the original in the Strip District, I had a cheese combo and Matt had a pastrami and swiss and we washed them down with one of the local PA beers from Yuengling.... so good!

Pittsburgh :: Peace, Love & Little Donuts

If you come to Pittsburgh you need to go to this place in the Strip District! People were so nice and gave us free donuts just for being from out of town!