Oconomowoc German Christmas Market

Hello everyone! Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I sure did. Mike and I spent most of our thanksgiving week participating in Wisconsin's gun deer season. We did alright, and now have a little more meat in our freezer.  Waking up early just to sit in the cold wind was a little rough for me but getting some exersize ( a.k.a burning off all the extra slices of Thanksgiving pie) and spending time with my husband made was worth it.
Saturday night, I took a break from hunting to visit the German Christmas Market In Oconomowoc with my sister, Rachelle. The annual, open air market has joyous atmosphere and an European feel. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by the sweet scent of roasting nuts and the sound of cheerful Hoffbrauhaus polkas. Strands of twinkling white lights intertwined the rows of local food and craft vendors.
The first things to catch our eye were the adorable baby lederhosen and dirndls made by Ada's Accessories. My mini me is, sadly, already too big to wear most of the cute outfits she was selling but they would be awesome Christmas gifts for your own little ones. The festive clothes can be found at https://www.etsy.com/shop/adasaccessories4me .
The second item to grab our attention was a sparkly knit winter headband. I can't my recall the shop name but similar ones can be found on etsy. Rachelle bought a dark blue one for herself and a pink one for me (Sorry the photo is blurry, the market was very busy and we didn't want to pause long to take a picture).
Our third stop was to buy some Gluhwein (German mulled red wine). It was a cold night so we both took a moment to warm up and sip our wine out of styrofoam cups next to the bon fire. Confession: I actually preferred my wine more after it had cooled. Maybe hot wine is an acquired taste, or maybe I'm just not a wine lover to begin with. What I do love, however, is good German food. So our next destination was the food vendors. I was excited to see they were selling a couple varieties of schnitzel but was disappointed that they were actually sold out of them all. We split a giant pretzel and obatzer cheese dip instead. The obatzer was wonderful. It was slightly garlicky and thick. The regular processed pretzel "cheese" doesn't compare at all.
The German Christmas Market is officially going to be an annual destination for us. We could easily find gifts for everyone there. There was no shortage of beer, food, sweets, and even dog treats. My favorites, besides what I already mentioned, were some soft alpaca gloves, and dilly lemongrass goat's milk soap from Swiss Frau Farms. Rachelle is obsessed with their lavender hand balm as well. The alpaca gloves were a little too pricey for me to buy at the time but all the Swiss Frau products were more reasonable. They can be found at Swissfraufarmproductsllc.com.
If you went to the market, I'd love to hear about it. Otherwise, be sure to make time on your calander to visit the Christmas market next holiday season!

Almond shortbread cookie update

Today I made Almond shortbread cookies using regular wheat flour instead of almond flour. I halved my original recipe and made a smaller batch. Resulting in cookies that  weren't gluten free, but were slightly more delicious. I also skipped the dough log/ refrigerator slice method and chose to press the dough into the pan instead. It took way less time and didn't create a mess. The  cookies turned out perfectly!  Don't they look delicious?

Here's the recipe:

1 stick room temperature butter
1 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract  (or almond if you have it)
1/4 cup sugar

First I preheated the oven to 350F. Then I mixed the sugar, butter, and vanilla. Next I added in the nuts. Followed by the flour. It didn't take long to mix. Don't worry if the dough seems crumbly. The cookies stay together nicely after the dough is pressed into a pan and baked. Take them out of the oven at the first hint of golden edges. Shortbread is supposed to look light colored, not golden brown. Enjoy!

Almond Shortbread Cookies

I'm currently obsessed with shortbead cookies. Since trying them for the first time (read my last post), I have spent hours at work dreaming up possible shortbread combinations. The first I made was a gluten free, almond shortbread. I'd be lying if I said they turned out well. But that's the my failt not the recipe's. They didn't turn out as planned for three reasons.

1) I added a whole cup of sugar, not half (I would like to use the distracted mom excuse.

2) I don't think I chilled my dough as long as I should have (Once again, I was distracted.)

3) My chocolate didn't harden. (I probably  added a smidge too much oil.)

But practice makes perfect, Right? I hope it does. I love baking so much, but it ends badley more often than not. That's partly why I started this blog. To motivate me to practice and to share a laugh when things don't  turn out.

Here's the correct recipe I created (Don't be like me and add too much sugar or rush the chilling.)

2 sticks room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped almonds.

Mix sugar, butter, and vanilla together. Then add in the flour and chopped nuts. Form the cookie dough into a cylinder shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Then place it in the refrigerator to cool for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. After the dough is done chilling, take off the plastic wrap and cut it into 1/2 in. slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. You can melt chocolate and dip  them for decoration or eat them plain.

P.s. I might try a regular, wheat flour version soon. I will post an update if I do.

Book Club and Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Layla will be two in December and we had the bad habit of laying her down to sleep with a bottle. Then, last week, we stopped cold turkey. She has been a little irritable ever since. Bedtime isn't a struggle but nap time is not going so well. The first few days she didn't nap at all. Now she whines for nearly an hour before briefly falling asleep.  The loss of nap time and my concurrent hour of peace and quiet are the main reasons new blog posts are overdue. It's too hard to focus with a stubborn toddler yelling in the backround. Even now I can hear her calling. "Bye, bye" she says, "see ya," "night, night."
I've been meaning to tell all of you about the book club I started. It's call "Books with a Side of Bacon" a book club for ladies who brunch. You can check out the Facebook page if you're interested in joining. Our October book was "Outlander " by Diana Gabaldon. A time travel romance set in the Scottish highlands. It inspired my sister and I to bake our own Scottish treats. Scottland isn't exactly known for their cuisine so we settled for  simple, three ingredient, Scottish shortbread cookies.
They were so easy to make and I couldn't stop eating them. I must have gobbled atleast five throughout the day. I am so infatuated with shortbead that I'm going to make more simple ones to eat, with coffee, for breakfast and definitely baking a couple of chocolatey, nutty versions for the upcoming holidays. Stay tuned for more updates on other shortbread variations.

Amy's Gourmet Apples - Cedarburg, WI

Amy's Candy Kitchen in Cedarburg creates the best caramel apples ever. Like ever, ever. Sure they sell just about every other kind of gourmet candy too, but your eyes probably won't look past the giant apples lounging in the display window. My favorite kind is the dark chocolate sea salt (bottom right). Other flavors pictured are dark chocolate pistachio (bottom left) and triple chocolate dunked caramel (top middle). Amy's makes other amazing flavor combinations too. They vary from a simple caramel coated apple, all the way to dark-chocolate dunked caramel apples dusted with Aztec chili powder.  What kind of toppings would you try?

Yellowbellies food truck - Cedarburg, Wi

Yellowbellies food truck was parked right down the street from the french bakery in Cedarburg. There are no food trucks near where my sister and I live so we couldn't pass up the food truck allure of Yellowbellies rotisserie chicken sandwiches. Rachelle and I split their most popular sandwich, the O.C. (original chicken). It had shredded rotisserie chicken, bacon, aged cheddar cheese, and an awesome bacon aoili. Their seasoned fries were phenomenal, as well. Half an order was all it took to fill me up. Next time, I'm looking forward to trying either "The Mess" or their Thai chicken sandwich, or maybe both if I share. Which kind would you try?

Boulangerie du Monde - Cedarburg, WI

Last Friday, I spent a relaxing day in Cedarburg with my sister, Rachelle. We started by grabbing breakfast from Boulangerie du Monde. I picked out a spinach feta croissant for Layla and a gibassier for myself. Rachelle selected a variety of french macarons to try.
The spinach feta croissant was so buttery and flakey. The spinach feta filling was well balanced and there was just enough of it to satisfy. In contrast, the gibassier had a sweet, anise-orange flavor. It made me wish I had a mug of hot coffee to go with it.
The macarons, on the other hand, tasted less than magnificent. They were a complete let down, in fact. For starters, they were much smaller (almost mini) than any macarons I've ever seen before. Which made the price, $1.50 each, seem a little steep for their adorable size. But the price would have been worth it had they actually tasted good. Truthfully, I've had fresher tasting macarons from boxes they sell in the frozen foods aisle. We will think twice before buying macarons here again but I'll definitely go back to get more croissants and gibassiers, and to try other new goodies.

Oktoberfest in New Glarus

Last weekend Mike and I went to an "Oktoberfest" themed housewarming party in New Glarus. We slipped away  after dinner, to explore the larger Oktoberfest festivities going on downtown.
First we stopped at the Limburger stand. Where burly men, dressed like traditional Swiss women, persuaded me to try their notoriously stinky cheese. It smelled like nasty feet, but tasted surprisingly mild and creamy.
Next we got ice cream. Layla had her favorite, mint chocolate chip. While I tried two, new-to-me flavors. One flavor called "The Exhausted Parent" was the first to catch my eye. It's bourbon-spiked coffee flavor and dark chocolate chunks certainly lived up to this ice cream's name.
The second flavor, called "This  $&@! Just Got Serious" was my personal favorite. The salted caramel and crunchy cashews were a seriously great combination. If I could, I'd go back and buy the whole bucket.
We listened to an awesome band for a few minutes, but soon it was time to go. I can't wait to go back again next year. See you there!

Pine Hill Orchard

If ice cream is the best dessert of summer then caramel apples are the favorite treat in fall. Seriously, fall is the only time that I actually eat an apple a day. Only when they are smothered in caramel, of course! 
On the way home from the Art Farm, last weekend, we stopped at Pine Hill Orchard, to pick some apples up. Their road side stand has definitely upgraded. The first time I was there, They sold apples from small, portable tent. Recently, their stand has become such a hit that they built a permanent building and offer space to other vendors for more tents next to the apple building.
After sampling Pine Hill's cider and fruit, we purchase a few caramel apples.  I got plain caramel. The kids had "dirt cake" style apples, which were caramel apples rolled in oreo crumbs and topped with a gummy worm. It was hard for any of us to resist eating them in the car.
Tell me, what are your favorite caramel apples. Do you like them plain and simple like me or with nuts, sprinkles, or maybe even Oreos?

Holy Hill Art Farm

A few times a year, the Holy Hill Art Farm hosts a small craft fair hidden at the end of a long driveway. It's easily missed because the name deceptively implies that it's located closer to the Holy Hill basilica than it actually is. Despite that, the drive was pleasant because of the beautiful,  woodsy Kettle Moraine roads.
After arrival, it didn't take Mike and I long to find quality snacks. He picked out apple butter, smoked trout, and molasses cookies. We've only tried the later, so far. The  molasses cookies were from Wild Flour bakery in South Milwaukee. They were fairly large and had a well balanced flavor. The molasses wasn't heavy or overpowering like some molasses  cookies tend to get. We saved them for later to enjoy during the packer game.
I also bought Cinnamon Plum tea from the Spice and Tea exchange in Mequon. At first, I was unsure if the cinnamon or licorice would be too strong. But I'm sipping some right now and it's clear that I had nothing to worry about. The spicey, fruity blend is  perfect for fall. The package recommends mulling it into cider but I don't  have cider so that's going to have to wait until tomorrow.
My two favorite buys of the day had to be the pecan praline caramels and pumpkin seed toffee we got. My sweet tooth couldn't resist Cream City Caramel's large selection. We sampled their basic vanilla caramel. Then purchased a bag of pecan praline caramels, intending to save them as an occasional snack. We all know that didn't  happen though. It's only  three days later and the bag is already empty. Can you could blame me, though? Cream City Caramels made some of the best caramel I have ever had. The pecan praline had just enough nuts to give the caramel a nice crunch while still retaining its ideal chewyness.
The toffee, while made by a different confectionery, was equally as good. The brand, Sweet P's Pantry, offered so much variety at a price that's worth it. I selected their white chocolate coated, pumpkin seed toffee. The toffee, itself, had a hint of sweet fall spices but not a gross, "chemically" flavor. Additionally, the white chocolate wasn't too sweet and there was a good balance of nutty seeds throughout. Such a good balance, in fact, that I refused to share even when asked.
All together, we bought molasses cookies, apple butter, smoked trout, caramels, toffee, and tea. You can see our complete haul in a photo below.  According to their website, The Holy Hill Art Farm is open again on October 17th and 18th. So go and check it out for yourself!

Beechwood Cheese in Beechwood (Adell), WI

Last Saturday morning we went on a family adventure to Beechwood Cheese, a small cheese factory in Beechwood, WI. The kids happily tasted samples while the adults  focused on more serious business in the cheese cases. First I picked out a bag of squeaky white cheddar curds for the kids. Unsurprisingly, the curds were gone before I could take a picture.
Then I grabbed Mike some smoked gouda (he loves smoked cheese) and something called Snappy Jack.  The Snappy Jack differed from a typical pepper jack because its made with only red peppers. Which, according to the store clerk, results in a sweeter spice.
Finally, an exotic cheese called Juustoleipa caught my attention. The clerk helpfully informed us that it is pronounced "Hoo-stah-lee-pa". She explained that its a Finnish "bread" cheese. I couldn't resist buying it. Especially after learning that Juustoleipa is traditionally served warm. Picture hot, buttery cheese cubes mixed with sautéed vegetables. Doesn't that sound heavenly?

**UPDATE: I made the Juustoleipa, but not with sautéed vegetables. We ate it with chicken, green beans, and zucchini bread instead. The picture is below.

Blog Update

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that there are going to be a lot of upcoming changes to the blog. First, I've started a facebook page. Be sure to follow it so you don't miss anything. Then I'm  going to be purchasing my own web domain soon. Thus losing that annoying  blogspot.com suffix. It will make my blog much easier to find. I will let you know the minute that changes. Finally I'm going to take my blog in a slightly different but still delicious direction by sharing alot more of my favorite places to go and eat. In the mean time, here's a cute picture of Layla picking flowers in our front patio garden.

Lazy Labor Day Weekend

It may be Septemember, but it sure didnt feel like fall last weekend. Mike and I had to work Saturday but we made sure to squeeze in time for a beautiful beach day, at one of my favorite parks, before hand. We arrived at the Kohler-Andrae State Park early, before the fog cleared, which getting only three hours of sleep worthwile. The kids snoozed for most of the drive up to Sheboygan but woke immediately after I parked in our favorite spot. They didn't waste any time jumping out of the car to run, shouting, through the flock of relaxing seagulls on the beach. The Grandparents and I followed with our beach supplies, including a box of doughnuts to enjoy while listening to the waves roll into shore. Despite being overcast all day, the kids couldn't wait to get into the frigid Lake Michigan water. So Grandma watched them play while my dad and I went for a long walk down the beach until I hit my Fitbit goal. Along the way we talked about work, collected a handful of perfect lake stones to accent my potted houseplants, and rescued a few monarch butterflies. They had landed too close to the lake and were struggling to climb away from the waves. On the way back we walked on the cordwalk through the giant sand dunes. Afterwards we rushed to grill Polish brats for lunch before I hustled back to work another night shift.

Not Your Grandma's Pumpkin Pie

Hey remember that time I dropped the whole mixing bowl into the pie crust I was trying to fill? It seems like it just happened. Oh wait, thats probably because it did just happen. Just kidding! But for a split second I was afraid  it was going too!
Autumn is here. The world has begun it's annual pumpkin craze and so have Layla and I. The first  pumpkin  treat we chose to make were classic pumpkin pies. There was no scraping out pumpkin guts for these girls, though . We made them from a can. Well, two cans actually, one thirty ounce can of Libby's easy pumpkin pie mix and half a twelve ounce can of carnation evaporated milk.  Also, two eggs and a crust that you unroll from a box.
I know your grandma is probably turning over in her grave at the thought of not  baking from scratch, but its ok. These weren't her pies and I have no problems taking a shortcut sometimes. Our home still smells as wonderful as if I had started these pies from scratch and each slice taste will taste just as delicious. Especially  the piece I'm going to have for breakfast tomorrow. (Don't lie, you know you've had pie and coffee as a 'healthy' breakfast before too).
Even Layla couldn't  wait to try the pumpkin pie. I caught her with her finger it it soon after I set it out too cool.

Goodbye August, Hello Fall!

I've been in an autumn mood for the past few weeks but I'm forcing myself to wait until August is completely over before breaking out the fall sweaters and baking pumpkin treats. I'm so not ready for summer to be over yet anyway. I definitely don't want to rush it away. I have, however, been unable to resist whipping up a batch of chai tea concentrate using the Pioneer Woman's recipe. It's my favorite coffee substitute. Actually, more than  a substitute since I seem to drink way more iced chai tea lattes than I would cups of coffee. It's cool spicyness simply sums up fall in tall glass.
So, here's a chai tea toast to the end of summer and the beginning of a beautiful autumn. Cheers!

Trader Joe's Macarons

Today we went to the Milwaukee County Zoo. On the way home we stopped to check out  Trader Joe's in Brookfield. Apparently Mike and I were both feeling french because among the handfull of items we bought were french macarons, french onion soup,  and french salted caramel butter cookies.
I haven't tried anything besides the macarons yet but I can tell you that I'm hooked on them already!
Eating macarons has been on my bucket list for years and today I finally had the opportunity to try them!  Who knows, maybe this was the closest I will ever get to trying a freshly made macaron france.
The package I bought contained salted caramel,  pistachio,  fig, apricot, coconut and lemon. It's probably a good thing that there was only two of each flavor,  otherwise I would have eaten way more! There are only two left as it is. My favorite flavors were salted caramel and pistachio. Followed by lemon or fig. But they all lived up to my delicious expectations. Have you ever had a macaron?  What flavor do you recommend?

Cactus Collection

I used to have a green thumb. I had a lot of plants around my house. I started many plants from cuttings and would sprout the plants for my garden in a small greenhouse each spring. But it all changed when I moved into our current appartment. I don't know if it's the poor lighting, the dry air, or my own lack of time. Somehow nothing thrives here. Nothing except cacti, that is. Here's the newest little guy I've added to my collection. Isn't he cute?

Black Tea Binge

My coffee pot broke a few weeks ago. Coincidentally,  my sister surprised me with an assortment of teas. There were alot of black teas in the mix, and I never realized how much I liked its boldness before. I mean any tea has always been ok in my book, but my first choice is usually green. Now I'm seriously considering postponing the replacement coffee pot purchase, and switching from coffee to black tea instead.
My favorites this week are Irish breakfast tea or lady grey taken with a splash of milk and a spoonful of sugar. What should I try next? What are your favorite teas?

1 Timothy 1:15 and Humility

The sermon theme at my grandfather's funeral was about humility. Which leaves me wondering how humble I actually am.
Is it possible to blog and have humility at the same time?
I know I want to write, but I must make sure that my motivation isn't to breed envy in others. So I am still unsure what feeling I want to create.
If you have any insight be sure to let me know!

Goodbye Juli

July, month full of life.
Colorful plants fruited, ripened, and were harvested in preparation for winter. Which, as usual, is coming way sooner than I want considering I'm denying that it is August already.
Ironically,  my grandfather was called to heaven in the middle of it all. It was sudden, but I know he is enjoying himself in heaven with other long passed family and friends. It's probably just coincidence but his middle name was Julius, July's namesake. It was his month, and what a beautiful month it was.

Freezing Beans and Peas

Spent the morning blanching and freezing green and wax beans, and snow peas. The cleaning and cutting took longer than I anticipated but eating homegrown produce all winter is well worth my time.
What veggies do you like to freeze for the winter?

Beet Jelly

Our landlord gave us some homemade beet jelly.  I've never even heard of it before.  Any suggestions on how I should use it?

Ice Cream Makes Everyone Feel Better

My grandfather passed away last weekend. His death was unexpected because he wasn't sick, but he was in his nineties.
I missed his birthday last month and had been meaning to visit.  I even thought about it the day before he passed, but decided I was too busy. Now I regret that I will never see him again in this life, but there's nothing I can do.
So, instead of moping, the family went out for ice cream before going to the funeral home to make plans. Even Grandpa would have agreed that ice cream makes everyone feel better.

Blackberry picking

Last weekend we met some friends to pick blackberries for jam. After spraying ourselves down with a sticky coating of bug spray, we braved the mosquitos for about an hour. Resulting in three, one-gallon bags full of juicy berries. Not counting all the pints we ate while we were picking. Layla couldn't get enough berries!
Afterward, I rinsed and froze the berries until the end of season. Which is only another week, or so away. We will turn them into blackberry jam. It's our second year making jam and I can't wait! It's so much better than store bought!
Have you ever tried to make home made jam? I'd love to hear about it.

Goodbye June

June is gone for another year. As alway, it's perfect summer days passed far too quickly. For me, June tasted like ice cream and strawberries and it smelled like peonies and basil. What was June like for you?

My weekend : June 13-14, 2015

Our Saturday morning included the usual country drives through the marsh followed grocery shopping. Afterwards I turned the abundance of canned beans in our pantry into a batch of satisfying calico beans. (The recipe I used can be found at crockpotladies.com. (I didn't use a crock pot, and take no credit for the creation of their delicious recipe.) Later on we put black plastic between the rows of our garden keep the weeds down. Then we met some of Mike's family and went Catfishing. We caught alot of bullheads, but no large cats like we were after. After I caught a little more than a dozen before I was fished out so I spent the rest of the time roasting s'mores over the fire Pat, my brother in law, lit on the riverbank. Usually,  I look forward to eating S'mores for months and had just enough time to eat two before we got rained out. While I was roasting my last marshmallow the wind picked up and we heard thr rain coming over the water. We packed up and dashed back to the truck just as it started to pour.

Sunday had more scenic drives. We looked for new houses for sale and stopped so I could help a turtle cross the road. Then we took Layla to a nearby petting zoo. Where I injured my toe while trying to take a snapchat.  We spent the rest of the day lounging, sipping strawberry basil water (super easy to make, I cut two strawberries and a couple basil leaves and soak them for a half hour in a glass of water in the fridge), and resting my toe until my sister picked us up for a spontaneous ice cream trip to a local drive in.
Despite hurting my toe, it was the perfect, relaxing weekend.

Fitbit Flex Causes Wrist Pain

I received a fitbit flex last christmas and have worn it every day since then. More recently, I've experienced frequent wrist pain, similar to that of carpal tunnel,  seemingly out of nowhere. At first I thought the pain was just because I was getting older or doing to many repetitive hand motions. Then I came up with a new theory. That the pain was caused by wearing my fit bit too long. I undid my band immediately,  and the pain vanished instantly.  After that, I Googled it. Sure enough, internet research showed I'm not the only in the internet universe to experience this fitbit induced "faux" carpal tunnel.
It was terrible, like an addict. I couldn't part with my fitbit despite knowing I should for health reasons. I just love its ability to track my sleep and excersise so much. But, In the end, I had to compromise. For the last few nights I've sacrificed knowing how well I actually slept by taking the band off at night. The result?  My wrist has been predictably pain free.
Have you ever  experienced a similar problem with wearing your fitbit?

My weekend: June 5-7, 2015

Started the weekend off right with a barbecue at my parents house friday night. I had an avacado burger. It really hit the spot.
Then we woke up early Saturday morning and headed to our local farmers market in search of some smoked fish. Shortly after arriving,  however,  we ran into our boss and ended up going out for breakfast with him instead. The fish will have to wait until next time but I managed to pick up a pretty pink bouquet on our way out.
Later that afternoon we went to another barbecue at an old friends house. After a few drinks and eating our fill of fresh corn on the cobb we headed to a church festival.  It was much bigger than any church festival I had ever been too. Layla rode on her first carnival rides. Her favorite was the carousel. Meanwhile Mike and the others went to watch a country band.
On Sunday I spent most of the day at a friends bridal shower. Layla was whiney from staying up too late at the carnival the night before. She couldn't sit still and kept trying to stick her finger in the frosting on the beautiful lemon poppyseed and chocolate cupcakes.  The shower was nice regardless.