So now that we are officially in October, I am finding so many more pumpkin items out there. There are so many, that if I would buy them all, I would need a second source of income and a storage locker to house it all. I have found yogurt, bagels, butter, cream cheese, English muffins, granola bars, pancake mix, soup, M&Ms….the list goes on and on. I couldn’t buy all of those, but I did get some to try and so far I have been pleasantly surprised. Pumpkin Pie flavored lip balm. I found this in Spring at Good Harvest Market and it’s getting to the end, but I use…

My grandma’s friend Adeline (whom we knew as Auntie Adeline) canned everything. And because my mom scored a deal on a bag full of peppers ($2 for all of them!), we decided to make sweet pepper relish. So we chopped and chopped and chopped some more. And then we cried while cutting onions (chewing orange gum doesn’t help btw). But 8 cups of peppers and 3 cups of onions later, we were ready.  This canning experience was actually quite easy and it took my mom back to the BT days (before teaching, when she had time to can).  Combine everything, bring to boil and fill up the jars. Make sure…

The United Way in Waukesha County has started it’s third year of the United We Dine program. How the program works is that local area restaurants join forces with United Way in Waukesha County to donate part of their proceeds on a selected day to the organization. This year the program has expanded to run thru December! I participated last year by specifically choosing to go to certain places on certain days just to support the United Way in Waukesha County. And yes, I am specifically writing out their full name each time because the proceeds of United We Dine go directly to the Waukesha County affiliate of United Way.…

This month, Foodie Penpal’s changed it up a bit and we received a box from the same person that we sent too! I like this as you get to have more of a two-way street conversation about likes and dislikes on things. I hope this version continues 🙂 My penpal for September was from Michiana — 3 miles south of Michigan in South Bend, Indiana 🙂  She sent me a great box of goodies.  Melissa participates in NatureBox – a program where you get a box of goodies sent to you each month. I received a small bag of granola last month from my penpal and loved it. So I…

Fall has officially begun! It’s my favorite season of the year. Sure Summer is warm and such, but because my skin is not friends with the sun, I love Fall – warm days, cool nights and nature’s colors are truly fabulous. And the best part……Pumpkin spiced everything!!!!! I love that pumpkin is mostly limited to the Fall season for products as I would hate to overwhelm my buds and potentially dislike the flavor. I really, really enjoy it! I am on the hunt for Pumpkin and Squash flavored items and hope to share with you my opinions of what I have found. Please let me know if you have spotted…

I am a part of the WI Food Bloggers group on Facebook and a few weeks ago, the group was asked if anyone wanted to help out Landmark Creamery and test out their cheeses and write about them. I jumped at this opportunity and a few days later, a cooler with cheese arrived on my doorstep. The creamery is currently sharing samples of their cheeses in some local grocery stores in the area, so I suggest following them on Facebook to see where they will be next so you can try these cheeses. I was sent the Crescenza di Bufala and Nuage Noir. I had never heard of either of…

I have been looking for healthier breakfast options as I am starting to get bored with yogurt and granola. I don’t want to burn out on it and a warm breakfast on a cooler morning is always a good option to keep me warm in my freezing office. And I’m starting my morning workouts again – my cousin and I have a bet of loser buys Starbucks on the line. #PSL for her #Chaitea for me! Today I got up and did a quick workout of crunches, lunges, squats, leg lifts, planks and pushups. I’m feeling great! I have had this recipe on my Pinterest breakfast page for quite sometime…

This piece is a bit more Op/Ed than I typically do, but I want to share a concern of mine and maybe get an answer. I’m by no means trying to be a Debbie Downer about Downtown Waukesha with this post, but I’m maybe looking for some answers….. Let me start by saying that I love the city of Waukesha and all the fun places to eat and shop in downtown. I went to Carroll College (University), have worked in downtown Waukesha for 9+ years, lived in downtown for 5 years and am currently pursuing buying a home in the City. I would not do this if I didn’t think…

I’m not really sure how much of this event I’m going to be able to participate in while I’m busy getting myself ready for VEGAS next weekend….but…..Milwaukee’s Cocktail Week kicks off on Monday. I received some great details about the kickoff event at Horny Goat Hideaway and here they are: Just a few more days to get your tickets for the MKECW Kickoff! Just $30 gets you unlimited sampling of cocktails and delicious fare from area restaurants! Sunday, September 22, 2013 from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM This all-inclusive, ticketed event at Horny Goat Hideaway, 2011 S. 1st St., will feature tail-gate themed bites from seven area restaurants perfectly paired…

I would love to say that this recipe is my own, but I am not creative enough to think this up. Besides Sesame Chicken and Chicken Lo Mein, Cashew Chicken is my next go-to item when I order take out Chinese food. I have had it with a white sauce before and then with a more soy based sauce and prefer that version. So when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. And seeing as my boyfriend will eat just about anything, I have a great test subject for recipes now 🙂 I found it interesting that the sauce called for ketchup and in…