A Foodie Journey

[brendaperyea-blog]

Where I Would Eat In Las Vegas

Las Vegas is one of the greatest food cities in the world. There are so many unbelievable restaurants that choosing only a few was nearly impossible. I found some, though.

These restaurants were chosen for different reasons: unusual food, the reputation of the chef, classic offerings that aren’t available everywhere.

I am certain that I would find about one hundred other places to eat in Las Vegas, but this is the list that I would start with.

1. Culinary Dropout – They offer all kinds of outrageous and delicious-looking foods. This is one of those restaurants that is so quirky and cool that I just have to go there. Their indulgent menu is perfect for the land of excess.

These are some of the items from their Weekend Menu.

Breakfast

Cap’N Crunch Crusted French Toast - $10 – Just the ingredients are enough to get me on a plane to Vegas. Cap’N Crunch and French toast? Awesome.

Entrees

Sweet Corn Cannelloni - $16 – This seems like such an odd combination that I really want to try it.

Desserts

Monkey Bread - $10 – My sister-in-law makes this every holiday season. I would love to taste how a professional chef handles this classic sticky dish. They make theirs a cinnamon apple brioche. That’s a lot of decadent things in one dish.

Bourbon Black Bottom Pie - $7 – Chocolate ganache and a graham cracker crust. Yes, please.

http://www.culinarydropout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CDO_Vegas_Full_Weekend_web.pdf

2. Mr. Lucky’s in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – There is a lot of great food in the world and Mr. Lucky’s has seemed to draw tons of it onto their menu. Their breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are fun and playful. These are not meals for people who aren’t ready to feel really full.

Breakfast

The King - $23.99 -14 banana pancakes, 14 strips of bacon, peanut butter glaze, maple syrup – I am not sure that there is anything more to say. I do know that I might bring friends to share this dish though.

If you want an unusual and interesting burger, Lucky’s has a wild burger menu that includes a turkey burger that will convert even the most hardcore beefatarian.

https://www.hardrockhotel.com/las-vegas-restaurants/24-7-diner

3. Bouchon at The Venetian – Headed by legendary chef Thomas Keller, this is a foodie’s dream – to eat food created by a culinary giant.

Breakfast

Croissant - $3.75 – After I have lost almost all of my money at the roulette table, I will still be able to buy a croissant for less than the price of McDonald’s breakfast.

Beignets de Jour - $7 – Beignets might be the greatest gift the French ever gave the world. A daily special of beignets is just another reason to spend time in Vegas.

Baguette with butter, jam and Nutella spread - $4 – Life has many simple pleasures and a baguette is one of the best. A wonderful crusty bread and tasty spreads is a perfect way to start the day.

Dinner

Hors-D’Oeuvres

Oeufs Mimosa - $5 –This plate is simply 4 deviled eggs, but I am betting that they taste very different from the deviled eggs Grandma used to make.

Beignets de Fleurs de Courgettes -$9 – Fried zucchini blossoms are a delicacy that I simply can’t do at home. They are so classic and amazing, I would have to have them.

Debut

Escargots a la Bourguignonne - $17.50 - Burgundy snails, parsley-garlic butter and Bouchon Bakery puff pastry – Oo la la! French snails. Escargots is so classically French and infamous in the US that I need to know what Thomas Keller can do with them.

Main Plate

Moelle Rotie - $17.50  - Um, roasted bone marrow with garlic, parsley, shallots and sherry vinegar? Apparently bone marrow is rich and wonderful, but I have never tried it. I think that a legendary chef is the one to introduce me to it.

http://www.venetian.com/restaurants/french/bouchon.html

4. The Heart Attack Grill – I don’t know what to say. I just have to. I know that this is not fine dining but I just have to be able to say I was there. Check out this menu and you will see why.

http://www.heartattackgrill.com/heart-attack-grill-menu.html

5. Veggie House – After I leave the Heart Attack Grill, I will need to redeem my soul (and unclog my arteries) somehow. What kinds of insanely delicious creations do you need to make in order to survive in the land of all-you-can-eat lobster buffets? I intend to find out. I am not sure what a ‘veggie fish’ is, but I want to try it.

http://www.beyondmenu.com/25320/las-vegas/veggie-house-las-vegas-89146.aspx?r=25320

6. Gordon Ramsay’s Steak House in the Paris Hotel – I have spent so many hours watching almost everything that Gordon Ramsay has done on TV that I have to taste his food. I think that to make it simple, I will just walk in and order one of everything.

Appetizer

Maine Lobster - $27 – I need to know what a chorizo-stuffed lobster tastes like. It just sounds outstanding!

Entrée

Roasted Beef Wellington - $56 – Anyone who has watched his shows knows that this is one of his signature dishes. It seems to me that it is a must-have. You have to order it 45 minutes ahead so I will call from the airport.

https://www.caesars.com/content/dam/plv/Dining/Upscale/GordonRamsay/GRS_Dinner_Summer%202015.pdf

 With all of these decadent possibilities, you may not have time left over to lose your money gambling. It’s a win-win.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Foodie Trip To Middleton,WI

Last weekend my family and I went to Middleton, WI for two unique stops.

First stop was The National Mustard Museum. http://mustardmuseum.com/

It might seem like a crazy thing to have a museum for, but there is a lot more to mustard than I would have ever thought.

The downstairs is the museum proper where they have a plethora or mustards from around the world as well as a large variety of mustard pots, small pots that were used to serve mustard in the past.

Upstairs there are hundreds of kinds of mustard that you can buy. What is really awesome is that you can taste almost every mustard they sell. There is tasting bar where you can just ask for a taste of anything you see on the shelf.

The gift shop for the museum has mustards that are made with fruits, horseradish, hot peppers, and sugary glazes. No matter what your tastes are, there is a mustard for you.

I highly recommend that you make it there and while you are in town stop at the Hubbard Avenue Diner. http://www.hubbardavenuediner.com/

If you are a diner fan, this is a great place to be. There is an amazing menu that has all kinds of food.

I went with my husband, Bob, and my parents. Since my parents are vegetarians Bob and I have a tendency to eat vegetarian with them. I love it because it makes us try new things. My husband and father had a Sheldon. It’s a Reuben sandwich made with marinated tofu. It was delicious. 

My mother had a huge salad that was perfect for her. 

I had the Veggie Benedict. 

It’s Eggs Benedict with sautéed vegetables instead of Canadian bacon. It was ok. The hash browns were rubbery and the hollandaise had no flavor but I know that they are not famous for their food but for their pies and those were amazing!

I had the Lemon Meringue pie. The lemon curd and the meringue weren’t too sweet. I actually enjoyed the meringue as much as my mother’s meringue and that was something I had not found yet.  

My father had a Silk Duo, which is a French chocolate silk pie and a peanut butter silk pie in one crust. The peanut butter was dense which played well with the lightness of the chocolate silk. Plus, on both pies the crust was delicious.

I highly recommend that you take a trip to Middleton, WI and visit these two interesting locations.

[brendaperyea-blog]

BlackWelder Mexican Single Origin Coffee Review

Over the past weekend, we had my parents over to try a new coffee that I got my hands on.

It was the Mexican Single Origin coffee from BlackWelder Coffee (www.blackweldercoffee.com) that was roasted on October 19.  I have never had coffee that boasted about the roasting date. Fresh is never a bad thing.

We used my Cuisinart K-cup brewer, since we are all familiar with the type of coffee it brews. It was a lighter roast than my father was used to, but he really enjoyed it because of its smooth, full flavor. It has notes of chocolate and nuts, with an undertone of grass and perhaps Hearts of Palm.

My mother enjoyed it so much that she gave her rave review: that she would drink it without Coffee-Mate, which she has actually been known to carry in her purse.

I don’t want this taken the wrong way, but it reminded me of great diner coffee. It woke up the sides of my tongue, but was overall smooth with no kick-back as it goes down. My mother and I have battled heartburn issues for decades and so we do judge our coffee on that. This one passes with flying colors.

I am known to think outside the box and not be afraid to look silly, so I aerated it in my mouth like you would while tasting a wine. It brought out notes of citrus and flowers. In the world of Starbuck’s over-roasted coffees, it is nice to be able to get a well roasted bean.

Later, my husband and I tried the Blackwelder in our French press. It was much bolder, but not bitter when it was hot. It got bitter as it cooled off, but at no point was it unpleasant.

We don’t own a drip coffee maker, but our assumption is that with some trial and error, you can adjust it to match your coffee preference.

At $12.99 per pound plus shipping, it’s a great coffee to have around and would make a wonderful Christmas gift for almost all of the coffee lovers in your life.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Burnt – A Foodie’s Movie

My husband and I went to see Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, last Friday and we really enjoyed it. I can see it not being that interesting for someone who is not a foodie though.

The parts of the movie that really made us swoon were the beautiful close-ups on the amazing ingredients that were used to create the succulent dishes.

We also enjoyed Mr. Cooper’s portrayal of a frustrated, driven and more than slightly dysfunctional chef.

If you are a fan of cooking shows, you will be interested to know that Gordon Ramsey and Mario Batali worked on the film, giving their advice and experience.

Now, if you are not a foodie, I don’t recommend this movie. The character development is strictly for the benefit of slightly exaggerating the portrayal of typical restaurant personalities. If you are not familiar with that then you may not enjoy the characters.

Simply put, if you are a foodie or a restaurant veteran, this is a good movie to see. It was food porn with a plot.

[brendaperyea-blog]

List of Walworth County Fish Frys

Here’s a starter list of 43 Friday night fish frys in and some slightly out of Walworth County. I say starter list because these are just the ones that I could find on Yahoo Local. I encourage you to contact me with your favorite fish fry location.  I will keep updating this list with more places as I get them.

Thanks to Amy for asking me to help her find new places to try.

Have a delicious day!

1. Bobby's Rockets        

Burlington  

https://www.facebook.com/bobbyrocketsbar

 2. Napoli Restaurant      

Burlington  

http://www.napoliburlington.com/menuDinner1.html

 3. Chris' USA        

Burlington  

http://www.chrissusa.com/20601/20901.html

 4. Local Folks      

Burlington  

https://www.facebook.com/Local-Folks-365408446872432/

 5. The Waterfront

Burlington  

http://thewaterfrontbrownslake.com/menu/#entrees

 6. Westwind Diner          

Darien        

https://www.facebook.com/West-Wind-Diner-184849374866359/

 7. Snug Harbor    

Delavan      

http://snugharborwi.com/pub-restaurant/menu/

 8. Village Supper Club    

Delavan      

http://villagesupperclub.net/the-village-supper-club-dinner-menu.html

 9. Clubhouse Inn  

Delavan      

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g59823-d4783158-Reviews-Greenie_s_Clubhouse_At_Delbrook-Delavan_Wisconsin.html

 10. Brickhouse      

Delavan      

http://www.brickhousedelavan.com/specials.html

11. Elizabeth's Café      

Delavan      

https://www.facebook.com/Elizabeths-Cafe-100870226624841/

 12. Duck Inn        

Delavan      

http://duckinndelavan.com/menu/specials.php

 13. Coyote Canyon        

Eagle

http://www.coyotecanyongrille.com/

 14. Gus' Drive In  

East Troy    

http://www.gussdrivein.com/index.php

 15. Ivan's on the Square

East Troy    

http://www.ivansonthesquare.com/1003/Page.aspx

 16. The Grist Mill  

East Troy    

http://easttroygristmill.com/menu/

 17. Roma's Ristorante    

East Troy    

http://www.romaswi.com/#!specials/cq54

 18. Dockside        

East Troy    

http://www.thedockside.net/about.html

 19. Calabria

Elkhorn      

https://www.facebook.com/Calabria-Restaurant-115329758495830/

 20. Someplace Else        

Elkhorn      

http://www.someplaceelserestaurant.com/

 21. Elk Restaurant          

Elkhorn      

https://www.facebook.com/The-Elk-Restaurant-280330437854/

 22. Sperino''s        

Elkhorn      

http://www.sperinos.com/little-italy/

 23. Evergreen Golf Club

Elkhorn      

http://www.evergreengolf.com/

 24. Lauderdale Landings          

Elkhorn      

http://www.lauderdalelanding.com/

 25. Gordy's Boathouse  

Fontana      

http://www.gordysboats.com/dining/boat-house-bar-restaurant

 26. The Waterfront        

Fontana      

http://www.theabbeyresort.com/dining/the-waterfront.aspx

 27. Fitzgerald's    

Genoa City  

http://www.fitzgeraldsfishboil.com/

 28. Popeyes

Lake Geneva        

http://www.popeyeslkg.com/home

 29. Red Geranium

Lake Geneva        

http://redgeraniumrestaurant.com/

 30. Freddie's West          

Lake Geneva        

http://www.yelp.com/biz/freddies-west-end-lake-geneva

 31. Hemingway's  

Lake Geneva        

http://hemingwaysportofcall.com/?page_id=23

 32. Anthony's Steak      

Lake Geneva        

http://www.anthonyssteakhouselg.com/menu.html

 33. Ye Olde Hotel

Lyons

http://www.yeoldehotel.com/menu.html

 34. Eagle Springs Pub    

Mukwanego

http://eaglespringpub.mfbiz.com/

 35. Double D's      

Mukwanego

http://doubledspub.com/

 36. Half-time Sports      

Mukwanego

http://www.halftimesportsgrille.com/dinners

 37. Mario's Natural        

Mukwanego

http://www.mariospizza-mukwonago.com/

 38. The Boneyard

Mukwanego

http://www.boneyardwings.com/MENU.pdf

 39. Night Cap Inn  

Palmyra

https://www.google.com/search?q=Delavan+Snug+Harbor&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS552US554&oq=Delavan+Snug+Harbor&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.1912j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=Palmyra%09Night+Cap+Inn

 40. Edge of Town Café  

Palmyra

https://www.facebook.com/EdgeOfTownCafe?rf=134242970014742

 41. Pinot's Last Call        

Walworth  

http://www.pinoslastcall.com/menu.html

 42. Sammy's on the Square      

Walworth  

https://www.facebook.com/Sammys-on-the-Square-222684361156607/

 43. Rick's Eastside          

Whitewater

http://www.rickspubandgrill.com/

[brendaperyea-blog]

White Pepper – The Unsung Hero of the Pepper World

Everyone has black pepper on the kitchen table, but white pepper gets no love. That’s a shame since it is awesome.

White and black pepper is the same fruit of the pepper plant. The difference is that black peppercorns still have the outer layer on them, whereas white ones have that layer removed.

I really like the clean taste and slightly spicier flavor of the white pepper. It is doesn’t have the complexity of black pepper, but I really like that.

One important point is that without the outer skin it tends to go stale faster.

White pepper is a very French spice. The French use it for aesthetic reasons; there are no black flecks in the white sauce. Chinese and Vietnamese dishes use white pepper a great deal. The Swedes also like white pepper.

The paler pepper works very well with pork and vegetables. The subtle spiciness also goes great with chicken.

I found this really good recipe, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. Let me know if you do. http://www.food.com/recipe/white-pepper-butter-chicken-106402

The author, Blanket Girl, says that white pepper makes all the difference. I can see why. The rest of the spices are bold enough, but the real heat will come from the white pepper.

If you don’t have white pepper, be sure to pick some up. It is best when it is freshly ground, but if you can only find pre-ground, it will still be a great new flavor profile for your cooking.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Apple Fans – Head to Quednow’s Heirloom Apple Orchard

There are hundreds of varieties of apples, but your average grocery store will only ever carry five or 10 varieties.

Quednow’s Heirloom Apple Orchard in Abells Corners, WI, makes it easy to find some amazing varieties. I went there last week and grabbed two types of apples I have never heard of, Golden Russet and Kandil Sinap.

The Golden Russet had a little spiciness to it and had a nice firm texture. The Kandil Sinap was very silky inside and sweet. They were delicious.

Rather than being just the same old golden and red delicious, Quedow’s sell over 90 varieties of organic apples. If you want a particular apple, you need to get there when it is picked. They only sell the apples fresh. They also offer cider, peaches, pears, and sweet and tart cherries.

What makes Quednow’s truly outstanding is their commitment to natural and honest food. Everything they sell is grown on-site and sold fresh.

It’s really a great place to discover new fruits and flavors.

Quednow’s is located at W5098 County Road ES, in Abells Corners, WI. It’s just north of Elkhorn. Their website is http://www.quednowsappleorchard.com/ and they keep their customers updated on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/quednowsheirloomappleorchard?ref=hl.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Pizza Dip: Do Something Different for the Game This Weekend

I am married to a pizza freak. If I let him, he would eat pizza every day. Me, I’m a bit tired of pizza. I decided to try something a little different to satisfy his pizza needs and my needs for a bit of variety: Pizza Dip

Ingredients:

2 small containers of whipped cream cheese

1 bag of shredded pizza blend cheese

Pepperoni (vegetarian or regular)

Italian spices

 Directions:

Place the cream cheese in a bowl.

Chop the pepperoni finely and add to the bowl.

Add all eight ounces of pizza cheese.

Add the Italian spice mix to taste, but it should be easily visible.

Mix together and place in a baking dish.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the cream cheese is soft enough to stir.                                                                                                        

We had ours, served hot, with soft pretzels.

It was good enough that I made it for a party the next week, served cold with crunchy breadsticks, and everyone loved it. It tastes just like pizza, except you can dip it with anything you want. My husband spread it on some homemade Italian bread and was very happy.

Give it a try for the next game day. It will make a nice change from the usual chips and dip.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Freshwater Fish Recipes

Over Labor Day weekend my neighbor Rick asked me to find some interesting fish recipes for the Bluegills, Crappies and Perch that he catches locally.

Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, I found some great resources for recipes.

The first group of recipes for bluegill all come from one place, www.misshomemade.com.

On her Bluegill Recipes page, she has:

·         Cornmeal Fried Bluegill

·         Bluegill Stir-fry

·         Grilled Bluegill

·         Bluegill Fajitas

·         Fried Bluegill.

Miss Homemade also has a great Crappie Recipe page. The recipes there include:

·         Deep-Fried Crappie

·         Potato and Crappie Chowder

·         Homemade Crappie Patties

·         Crappie Scampi

The perch recipes I found come from different locations.

From Sparkpeople, here is a Grilled Perch with Citrus Salsa recipe.

HouseandHome.com posted this great looking Yellow Perch and Risotto with Peas recipe.

Panko Crusted Lake Perch with Parmesan Kale Chips is a simple recipe, but delicious. It was posted by Johnny Prep.

Two great tastes that taste great together are lemon and ginger. You can try them in Lemony and Gingery Baked Perch Fillets with Onions and Potatoes from Amateur Cook, Professional Eater. It’s served with a fresh herb pesto. Yum!

Rick, I think that all of these recipes will be perfect for you, and to everyone else, enjoy these great tastes. Fresh, local, freshwater fish are a great canvas for a plethora of interesting flavors. Enjoy!

[brendaperyea-blog]

Leek Soup

Recently my mother gave me what seemed like 2 pounds of leeks. Now, I love leeks, but I wasn’t sure what to do with so many. So, they sat in my fridge for a while, until I was worried that they would go bad before I got to them.

So I pulled them out, cleaned them up, and threw them into a stock pot with one can of coconut milk, about 6 potatoes, some bouillon and water.

That’s it. I let all of that sit at medium heat on the stove for about 3 hours. I mashed it once in a while with a potato masher to help everything break apart. At the end of 3 hours, the soup had cooked down.

I let it sit on the stove top overnight.

The next morning, I put it in my blender and puréed it.

Then I heated it for lunch with a nice loaf of homemade bread.

I love the simplicity of the soup so much that I am going to try it with carrots next.

I would love to hear about your simple soup recipes. Feel free to comment and share your cooking wisdom.  

[brendaperyea-blog]

Taste of Lake Geneva

This past weekend I went to Taste of Lake Geneva. 

What a wonderful event!!! For only a $2 entrance fee and $6 or less per item of food, you get to pick and try items from the following local food purveyors:

Bona’s Italian Kitchen

Constant Cravings

Geneva Java

Good Vibes

Grand Grille

Highland Farm Creamery

Mama Cimino’s

Oakfire

Peet’s Coffee & Tea

Popeye’s

Simple Bakery & Market

Speedo’s Harborside

Sprecher’s Restaurant & Pub

The Cheese Box

Tuscan Tavern & Grill

Wilson Farm Meats

When I go to an event like this I don’t focus on the usual foods; I look for the items that I have never had before.

This is why I first focused in on the Beet Burger Sliders from Good Vibes. 

They made a delicious burger with roasted beet, cole slaw, and caramelized onions on a Hawaiian sweet bun. It was outstanding. In fact it was better than many of the meat burgers that I have had in my life.

I love that Good Vibes put up a vegetarian burger option that wasn’t the usual bean and grain burger.

This is an item on their regular menu, so if you have a chance, stop by and check it out.

The next thing we had were pepperoni rolls from Mama Cimino’s. 

My husband is a pizza freak from New Jersey. Here’s what he said, “The pizza rolls are excellent. The crust was fresh, the sauce was delicious, and there was just the right amount of unctuousness. Their marinara/pizza sauce leans a bit to the sweet side, which works very well with a traditional pepperoni. If there was anything I would have liked better, it would have been to be able to get them hot out of the oven.”

The last thing we ate for the day was an arancini from Oakfire. We had to ask what this was. It turned out to be amazing.

The arancini is an Arborio rice dumpling filled with meat. It is kind of like Italian dim sum. It’s filled with ground beef, prosciutto, peas, saffron, and smoked mozzarella. This is all then deep fried. It was served with a house marinara on the side, which was so fresh you could still taste the sun on the tomatoes. By this time I was getting very full and still I could not stop eating it.

Overall, we were very impressed with the Taste of Lake Geneva for several reasons:

1.    The food was all excellent as you would expect it to be.

2.    Everyone was very nice and didn’t mind you asking about the details of their items.

3.    The prices were great. We spent about $20 for everything, including admission.

4.    The food was excellent! (I know I said that, but it’s worth repeating.)

So go see some of these folks and tell them that Brenda the Foodie sent you. It won’t get you anything special, but they will like to know that they are being thought of.

And make sure to put Taste of Lake Geneva on your calendar for next September. It is well worth the trip!

[brendaperyea-blog]

Lay’s Do Us A Flavor 2015 Taste Test

Last weekend my family and I sat down and tried all 4 of the new Lay’s Flavors. Here is our opinions on them in the order that we tasted them. We choose the order based on how flavorful it seemed they were going to be and so we tried to go from least to most flavorful. The order we choose seemed to work out for us.

1. Southern Biscuits and Gravy

Four words: Sour Cream and Onion

This ended up being my parents favorite but I still say, “What is the difference between these and the Sour Cream and Onion flavored chips that Lays has had for years?” They weren’t bad, but they didn’t taste like Biscuits and Gravy. Where were the sausage flavors? I happen to know from the Rueben flavor that you can make a chip taste like marble rye. If you can work that kind of magic, there is no excuse for how you let down the submitter of this flavor.

2. Truffle Fries

The first two bites of this blew me away. I loved it. But… then the flavor disappeared. I don’t know if my taste buds got blown out or what, but there might be a need for an adjustment on these. At first, the flavor is bold and earthy but where does it go.

3. Gyro

This was my favorite. My family disagreed with me. They said that it tasted like the bottom of someone’s foot who has been walking around an Indian grocery store. But, I Love This Chip!!! The feta cheese flavor is intense and carries the other spices to your taste palate.

4. Rueben

This was my husband’s favorite. I must say, it is really good and I probably would have chosen it as my favorite, but I am not a fan of Reuben sandwiches. The flavor of rye, sauerkraut, and corned beef is abundant, but I just didn’t dig it.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Summerfest Food

About a week ago, my husband, Bob, and I went to Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival. This festival is not just the place for great music but also great food. You will find the usual items like burgers and pizza, but you will also find creative fair-like food.

We started our day with a Scotch Egg on a Stick from Ward’s House of Prime.  The traditional Scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg enveloped in sausage and then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. YUM! J The one at Summerfest was not rolled in breadcrumbs and then fried, so it was missing some texture that the traditional one would have. The best part of it was actually the sauce that came with it; it was a sweet whole grain mustard.

After visiting some stages and listening to some awesome music, we went to Water Street Brewery to indulge in their WisCONEsin. It is a pretzel cone filled with sweet pickled cabbage and topped with some chicken and a waffle and crispy apple straws sprinkled on top. While I was not impressed with it, Bob enjoyed it. “It was good,” he said. “But too sweet. It needs a savory element. Salt or a bit of heat to reduce the sweetness of the cabbage, the apple straws, and the breads. And I would make the pretzel cone a bit crispier. Still, it was a fun snack.”  

To top off our culinary tour, we stopped at Classy Girl Cupcakes. I am an avid watcher of Cupcake Wars, so I was looking for a crazy flavor. I did not find any of those, but they were offering a Vegan Black and White Cupcake. Let me say that is was the best cupcake I have ever had hands down. That statement includes vegan and non-vegan cupcakes. The white icing was very rich and buttery, while the chocolate cake was perfectly dense with a deep, rich chocolate flavor. I hardly wanted to share it with my husband, but he’s a sweetie so I did. (And the audience says, “AWWW!”)

We had a perfect day of food and fun. Then we were off to the Neil Young concert and the wrap up of Summerfest! What a wonderful day it was!

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Mad City Vegan Fest

So, this past Saturday I took my husband, mother and father to Mad City Vegan Fest. My husband and I are omnivores and my parents are vegetarians. We have all dabbled in veganism, so none of this is new to us but we went hoping that we would find food that blew our minds. I have heard about fake meat that is so good that people swear it is real, eggs that are actually being made from plant proteins and cheese that tastes like what we are used to in Wisconsin.

Sadly, I found none of that there.

I have stalled writing this because of that. I really wanted to be excited by veganism again. Instead, it was the same food and conversations they were having 4 years ago.

Now, to be fair, I did not try everything, so perhaps I just missed the amazing.

The place was very crowded and whoever is in charge of planning did not anticipate for this. Instead of having the banners for the exhibitors on the walls, so people can see them even if people are in front of the tables, they had them hanging from the tables.

The lecture hall was at the other end of the facility from the exhibit hall. There was a large, beautiful lawn that would be perfect for exhibitors, but it was untouched except as a snacking area.

There is no fee for entry, which is good. Two foodies and two vegetarians drove an hour to see this event and it was so uncomfortable and underwhelming, we would have likely asked for our money back.

People will ask: What would you do differently? Here’s a list that we came up with on the long ride home:

·         Put exhibitors in the hallways and on the lawn.

·         Put banners up high where they can be seen when the place is full.

·         Place the big draw item (the snack food company giving away bags of food) far away from the front door.

·         Have activities for families and children that will spread the crowd out.

·         Put the festival greeting table outside, creating a bit more room.

·         Put all food vendors with samples in a line and make it a buffet line. .

These are just a few ideas that we came up with. They won’t all work, but relieving congestion will make the whole experience feel less amateur and more inviting for the attendees.

[brendaperyea-blog]

Yesterday was National Macaroon Day but any day is a good day for a macaroon. YUM!

[brendaperyea-blog]

Wake Up Your Morning Wake Up Drink

So, I woke up this morning wanting coffee, but not the same coffee that I have every day. This led me to wonder: what I could add to my coffee that would make it interesting without being sweet?

So, off to the internet I went.

You can start normal and use cinnamon or nutmeg, but if you are like me and you go for the “out there” ideas, try using cardamom or black pepper. I thought that I had some cardamom, but when I got to my spice drawer, I remembered that I had given mine to my mother.

So I went for the garam masala and it is wonderful!

Make sure that you start with a light hand, when adding spices to your coffee. It is always easier to add more than to remove the excess.

Bonus Idea:

You can try adding tea bags to your coffee to enhance the flavor profile.

Be careful though, since many teas also contain caffeine, so they will make your coffee that much more powerful.

[brendaperyea-blog]

A Celebration of the Raisin

So, last week was National Raisin Week. I fully intended to post this then, but it first took my mom three days to find my grandmother’s recipe. Then it took me a couple of days to decipher what my grandmother’s cryptic notes meant.

I am not a fan of raisins. When I was a child I went through a raisin phase. I loved them in carrot cake and I even ate the ones that I got at Halloween, but, as I have aged, my love for them has faded.

Now, I only enjoy them in dishes that balance the sweetness of the raisins with other savory ingredients.

Grandma Carol’s Stuffing

¼ cup chopped Onion

1 stalk of Celery

2 Tablespoons Butter

½ cup diced and peeled Granny Smith Apple

¼ cup Raisins

¼ teaspoon Rubbed Sage

¼ teaspoon Poultry Seasoning

Pepper to taste

½ cup Veggie Broth

2 cups cubed Day-Old Bread, leave the crusts on for texture

1 pkg Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles

2 Eggs (Optional)

Start by putting the onion, celery and butter in a saucepan. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add apple, raisins, spices and veggie broth. Stir briefly and heat to slow simmer.

Stir in bread and crumbles. Mix to distribute evenly.

Adding the eggs will give the dish a custardy consistency. If you prefer more traditional, dry stuffing, leave the eggs out. Otherwise, lightly beat the eggs and add quickly to the dish. Stir in quickly, so that the eggs don’t cook to scrambled.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until it’s not soupy.