I can’t believe it. It’s over. Back in February my sister and I decided to go on a crazy culinary journey and now that journey for the timing being is at an end.
I won’t do a recap of every week here as I did that at 20th week marker(read here) but I will go week by week and do our top pick for the week. As a farewell to all the goodies…
Week #1 California
Burrito Bowl with Cajun Fries
Week #2 Lemon
Lemon Rustic Bread
Week #3 Favorites
Hot Milk Cake
Week #4 Soul Food
Buttermilk Biscuits, Sausage Gravy and Fried Apples
Week #5 Jane Austen
Root Vegetable Tart
Week #6 Redwall
Gatehouse Tea Loaf
Week #7 Coffee
Cardamom Coffee Braided Loaves
Week #8 Vegan
Vegan Birthday Cake
Week #9 Italian
Italian Breakfast Quiche
Week #10 Vietnamese
Breakfast Bao
Week #11 BBQ
BBQ Chicken Skewers
Week #12 Mom’s Picks
Italian Focaccia
Week #13 Harry Potter
Hot cross Buns
Week #14 Caribbean
Jamaican Coco Bread
Week #15 Icelandic
Kleina Fried Donuts
Week #16 Tay’s Birthday
Ale House Bacon Bread
Week #17 Non-break
Oatmeal Pies
Week #18 Hungary
Sour Cream and Cabbage Casserole
Week #19 Blueberry
Blueberry Cheesecake
Week #20 Tay Cooks
Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
Week #21 Pizza
Homemade Pizza Obviously
Week #22 Swedish
Sugar Shortbread Cookies
Week #23 Scottish
Scots Eggs
Week #24 French
Pumpkin Soufflé
Week #25 Picnic
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Week #26 Sleepy Hallow
Apple Cider Cake
And that is it! Whew! What an adventure. Thank you so much for joining us on this incredible adventure. And our adventures aren’t over. Stay tuned for an extra special announcement!
And we are back for more fun down South! We left you in our last post with some very yummy bbq. Next day we took a day trip down to San Antonio to see the Alamo.
A model I am not. Lol
This was arguably our favorite part of the trip. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I mean it was crowded and there were people everywhere but the whole mood around the church was so respectful. It reminded me a lot of our visit to Westminster Abbey.
Then we strolled along the River Walk and had some lunch!
After that we booked it back up to Fort Worth and crashed in our hotel.
The next day brought an early morning trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. Guys this zoo was fantastic! If you even remotely have the chance to visit you should totally do it. The animals were so well cared for and the zoo was well maintained.
Tay was so happy!
After lunch we headed north of the city to the Stockyards.
John was everywhere at the stalk yards.
We ended the night with a steak dinner and another movie and crash at the hotel. The next day we flew home. It was a great trip!
Did I drop off the face of the earth? I might as well have- I am so sorry I have been absent from the blog scene. My life went from on direction to another and another in a matter of weeks and I am still reeling. But this is my attempt to catch up and put all my runaway thoughts in order.
Firstthings first…
Texas Trip
The last you guys heard from me was that my sister and I were taking a trip to Dallas/Fort Worth to visit our brother. And that trip(though is had it’s ups and downs) was fantastic success. And I will be doing a recap of it next week. So stayed tuned!
Second!
Culinary Cooking Challenge???
I will be doing a wrap-up next Monday, the challenge is coming to an end. I will be replacing it with a new and exciting content but I simply don’t have time for it. I will of course still cook and bake for fun. But for now the Culinary Cooking Challenge is on an indefinite hold.
Third-
Cafe au Paír and Bakery
That’s right I am starting a bakery!!!! (Internal freak-out) Right now I am strictly doing local pies for Thanksgiving, but I am opening my bakery’s full menu(breads, rolls, cookies, scones, muffins, hand pies, etc.) up in December. So if you guys live in the south-Eastern WI area get excited! I will be doing a full post in the coming weeks.
Lastly… Er fourthly…
I bought a house!
(More internal screaming!!! And maybe some external) This rapid development is what really threw me for a loop! My parents(who are moving to WI) and I bought a house together! They’re gonna live upstairs and I am going to live downstairs. And I am so excited and so happy! And I just can’t wait!!
I know that’s a lot- it’s a lot for me too. Just a lot. (Stress and excitement in equal measure) Anyway obviously more will come in the coming weeks but yes- God is good and moving and just all kinds of things. Until next time…
Welcome back to the culinary cooking challenge! And this week we tackled Sleepy Hallow. Let’s get to it!
New England Clam Chowder 8 out of 10
I mean it’s creamy and fishy, so yeah it was amazing. Not the best clam chowder ever(that I got while visiting Door County, WI. read here) but still very good.
Extra Large Dinner Rolls 10 out of 10
And it was even better with these ginormous rolls. They were absolutely fantastic!! Like so fluffy and perfect. I will be making these again and again and again.
Harvest Spinach Salad 7 out of 10
I mean it was a good spinach salad…. But nothing spectacular or anything. Definitely a pretty salad.
Apple Cider Cake 10 out of 10
Speaking of spectacular this is probably my new favorite cake. It is extremely sweet and moist. I think ate most of this by myself… *oops*
Popovers 8 out of 10
First off make sure you really, really grease your pans. These babies stick like crazy. They are also amazingly tasty and uniquely different from my normal breakfast go to fare. So yes I liked them. (Tay did too in case you were wondering)
Walnut+Cranberry Bread
So I botched this recipe(hence why there is no pretty crow on my bread) but it was still a delicious bread. I can’t wait to try this recipe again and do it correctly.
Pumpkin+Maple Scones 8 out 10
Someone say yay! I love baking scones. Probably next to bread in my favorite things to make. These Pumpkin Scone got better with age and the maple icing was by far the best part.
Autumn Chicken and Roasted Veggies 6 out of 10
So this chicken+veggie sheet meal was not nearly as good as other chicken dishes I have made. Just another run of your mill meal.
Gingersnap Stamp Cookies 6 out of 10
Last but not least were theses “okay” gingersnap cookies. I love gingersnap cookies! They’re probably my favorite after snickerdoodle and that’s why these were kinda disappointing. Super cute but in the end lacking.
And that is it! We are out of town this next week, so we will be back with another cooking challenge the week after that. But what did you guys think of our Sleepy Hallow recipes? Let me know in the comments down below.
Happy fall! Yes I am still on that kick and will be till December(or just right after Thanksgiving)
This weekend I made a much needed but quick visit down to my Mom and Dad’s. We relaxed by eating and watching old black and white movies; and going to the Apple and Pork Festival in Clinton, IL.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day! Sunny and warm but with the customary stiff breeze of rural Illinois. We had an absolutely amazing time.
Giant pots of ham and beans- yum!
We of course got a pork chop sandwich and apple fritters. Though it wasn’t a very “apple-ie” Apple and Pork Festival. We would have thought there would have been more apple related stuff… Apple pies, donuts, cider etc. Oh well!
Nothing says fall like visiting a local apple orchard. Even if the Sunday afternoon you choose to go is the one Sunday in the whole month where it was 90 degrees… oh well we still pretended it was fall with hot apple cider and warm apple donuts.
Oh how many apples!! Did you guys do this every fall as a kid growing up? Being homeschooled if was one of our field trips we took. I still remember running from goats and chickens and getting all sticky from the amazing donuts.
This was the first time visiting Peck&Bushel Orchard in Colgate, WI. But it was beyond cute. From its organic orchard to it’s very impressive gift shop(Christmas gifts anyone?) and locally sourced- everything. I can’t wait to go back!
So will you be heading to any orchards this fall? Or to a pumpkin patch? (Which we will be doing too!)
Happy Labor Day! (Or by the time you are reading this post-Labor Day) My sister and I had the day off, which since we both work for the same family does not happen often. And with adventure calling we headed north to Door County.
Us early in the morning(after snagging coffee) ready for the 2 1/2 hour drive north.
Our main goal for the day was to explore Cave Point County Park(a County park inside of a State Park) and paddle board up the coast of Lake Michigan.
We accomplished our goal! It was an absolutely gorgeous day with a warm sun and cool breeze. The water wasn’t freezing, which it normally is and it was crystal clear.
I’m Queen of the Rock!
After our paddle board adventure we are our packed lunch(Swedish leftovers of course) and then hiked the park.
By 2pm or so we were headed north for coffee and some shopping in Sister’s Bay.
We enjoyed our visit immensely. And after some our light shopping we continued northward for some Ice-cream!!
The pumpkin ice cream and homemade waffle cone was amazing!Tay enjoyed her cookies n’ Cream as well.
We kept heading north all the way to Gills Rock. Before we turned around for the long trek home. We stopped in Egg Harbor at Shipwrecked Brew Pub for some much needed supper and we were home by 10 pm.
If you stop at the Shipwreck Brew Pub I highly recommend the Clam Chowder- Delicious!Lots of love guys!
Last weekend was the 50th Annual Arts Festival in Oconomowoc, WI. and my first time visiting the event. Oh boy did we have a blast!
Giving you some background; Oconomowoc is probably the cutest town in south eastern Wisconsin(in my personal opinion) Situated in the heart of lake country this classic American small town always has something going on. And this charming collection of local and far flung artists is no exception.
So one glorious Sunday afternoon Tay, her baby beardie and I headed out in search of culture and the unexpected,
The event did not disappoint in either category. There was so much unique talent represented and displayed.
We were told that normally the event is much bigger and yet given about a hundred vendors it definitely was well attended. These pictures are just a few of the works that stood out to me.
And of course I couldn’t go to an art event without coming home with a friend. Isn’t he glorious?
So my week of “leftovers” (a.k.a. a week I wasn’t supposed to cook) turned into a very heavy baking week. Who am I kidding I am an obsessive baker and cook at this point.
Above is a very yummy French toast bake I made. Mainly because we had a whole loaf of gluten free bread that no one was going to eat. But as I have learned you put sugar on it and they will eat it.
For the more… adult eaters(those who are willing to try new things) I added strawberries- Delicious!
My garden tomatoes all became ripe at the same time so I made fresh salsa. Everything except the onion was from my garden.
So for her birthday, Tay requested homemade Mac’n cheese. I didn’t have time to actually make that for her birthday, but this week I did. This was my second time attempting homemade noodles and it was so much better than the first time.
And this Parmesan based mac’n cheese was very good. Even to me and I am not a great lover of the staple comfort food.
These homemade oatmeal creams however were the bomb. It was a rainy afternoon and the twins wanted to bake something, so we went a little crazy and made like twenty of these massive sandwiches. Do I regret it? No… no I do not.
I also cooked breakfast for Tay one morning: eggs, sausage links, homemade white bread(that I had frozen and thawed in the fridge- which worked perfectly) and of course fresh salsa.
As you can see I didn’t cook at all this week and I am super, super proud of myself- LOL Make sure to check back next week, when I am going Hungarian and actually cooking.
And welcome back! Last week(read here) Tay and I journeyed to a magical island(Greta Britain) and this week we continued that theme by island hopping to the Caribbean. Get ready for the tropics!
Cabbage Slaw 6 out of 10
First up is this island cabbage slaw, which though very good was not my favorite… yeah it was missing something.
Jamaican Coco Bread 9 out of 10
These were fantastic!!! So buttery and fluffy and soft. The only thing is they don’t keep very well. Just make sure you eat them all in the first two days and you’ll be fine. Which isn’t hard by the way.
Shrimp Curry Soup 10 out of 10
Speaking of eating it in two days… yep we inhaled this soup. Probably my favorite soup during this whole culinary escapade. (Seconded only by the Cioppino Soup in week one)
Coconut Rum Cookies 9 out of 10
These were also amazing! Again super buttery and the sweetness of the coconut paired with the spice of the rum was to die for. I’d definitely make these cookies again.
Ackee+Salt Fish(but really tuna+eggs) 6 out of 10
Okay so there is a whole story that goes along with this breakfast… experiment. So I wanted to make Ackee and Salt-fish a traditional Jamaican breakfast. But for the life of me I could not find either ackee or salt-fish. Like anywhere. What is ackee you ask? Why it is the national fruit of Jamaica and is highly poisonous if not prepared right. Therefore it is illegal in the U.S. except in its canned version. That supposedly Walmart and Target sell… Yeah not any of the Walmart’s and Targets by me. Anyway instead of a traditional Jamaican breakfast we ended up with a tuna helper style… thing.
Nonalcoholic Kiwi Sparkler 5 out of 10
This was just okay. Nothing special, but when in the tropics one must have fancy drinks right?
Pineapple Upside Down Cake 8 out of 10
Yes it tasted as good as it looked. I love all things pineapple and I love cake… so win win.
Pineapple Salsa 7 out of 10Rice+Beans with Jerk Pork and the above Pineapple Salsa 6 out of 10
The rice and the pork and the salsa(pineapple again) were pretty good, but the beans… were an absolute disaster! It’s the first time I’ve ever tried my hand at using dry beans and I am not sure what I did wrong. I soaked them over night. I followed the cooking directions but still they were hard and disgusting… I’m so sad. I guess I’ll have to stick to canned beans.
Tostones(Fried Plantains) 9 out of 10
I absolutely loved these(and they were super fun to make late one night after work) Tay wasn’t as crazy about them but that’s okay- MORE FOR ME! (Insert evil laughter)
Nonalcoholic Pina Colada 8 out of 10
Again I enjoyed these(didn’t love but liked) and Tay didn’t even finish hers. Not a fan I guess.
And there you have it! Our week in the Caribbean had varying degrees of success. But in the end we enjoyed it. We are going to keep our theme of island hopping as we head north to Iceland for our next culinary treats. Until next time…
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