My friends are having a New Year’s party tonight and I offered to make a few treats for the event. I love to cook and it helps take pressure off the hosts to make sure there is enough food. I offered up meatballs, chicken enchilada dip and breafast, because we will all need something to absorb the booze :). And of course I can’t attend a party without bringing jello shots. I shopped at Woodman’s (my new favorite store) and figured out that I can make homemade meatballs for less than buying a few bags of the premade kind. Plus, with homemade, you know what you are eating. I sometimes…

WISN puts on a voting contest each year to find what the consumers consider to be the best of the best for area businesses. Sure it’s not scientific but it is great to win this award or be a runner up because that means that those consumers that do vote, care. Over 132,000 votes were tallied and verified before the winners were announced today. I want to congratulate all the businesses that were mentioned as a Winner, Runner Up or Finalist. I use these results to help me try out some new restaurants and shops because I know I won’t be disappointed. Here are Waukesha’s winners. WINNERS Best Day Spa…

I had my first of many Christmas parties this past weekend and boy did we have a spread of food. My friends really know what they are doing in the kitchen and I ate and ate and ate my way through the party 🙂 I made two treats that I have wanted to make for quite some time and finally had the opportunity: Apple Pie bites and crescent cream cheese bites. Recipes are below. Here are a few snapshots of other great party snacks. Brandon treated all of us to two homemade cheesecakes – Eggnog and Pumpkin – I didn’t have any but everyone raved about them. My Apple Pie…

Last week, my mom met me for dinner after her conference in Pewaukee. I got to pick and chose Generations at 5 Points (that is literally right on the 5 points in the middle of downtown Waukesha). It has been over a year since I have been there, so I was definitely due. I scoped out the December menu before we left and picked out a few things I liked. I like that they change the menu monthly. Some items stay each month, but seasonal creations are added and they are usually really creative. We got there shortly after 5 and the place was empty. They said another table had…

This is the second year that I am participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and because it benefits the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer organization, it was a no-brainer to join again. I received the name of my three bloggers that I would send to and then had to sit down and think of a recipe. We have a lot of family favorites but I finally slimmed it down to my grandma’s 100 Good Cookies recipe. I know the name doesn’t tell you what is in them, but due to the richness of the recipe, you better bet you will get 100 cookies from it. I guess another name…

Today is the #MKEfoodies Bake Sale for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. We have a new location this year in the Historic Third Ward at the Hudson Business Lounge. The sale goes from 1 – 4 pm, but if it’s anything like in years past, we will sell out quickly – which is an amazing feat!Many members of the #MKEfoodies group and others in the community bake scrumptious treats to donate to the organization. Everything looks so great and the room smells heavenly when all the treats are in. Santa will even be making an appearance for the children of all ages to enjoy and take pictures with.Bake sales are held…

In just 4 weeks, it will be Christmas, so I hope you got a good start on your holiday shopping. I heard from my parents that downtown Waukesha was really hoppin’ on Saturday for Small Business Saturday shopping. The only dislike was the two -hour parking. Sure they knew about the structure but by the time their two hours was up, they were all the way on the other end of town and realized they needed to move. They decided to just call it a day and come home. But they did go back on Sunday and enjoyed brunch at People’s Park and bought a few more things they eyed…

Thanksgiving was a HUGE SUCCESS! We ended up trimming the menu slightly when we saw how much food we had for 4 people, but basically I want to give you a more visual than wordy representation of my day. I will then go into detail on the recipes and tweaks that I gave them at a later date. Although these were turkey day recipes for me, they really could be used any day. Almost all the ingredients I needed! Cleaning the bird – eww! Stuffed and ready to roast!   Making the stuffing Covering the bird so it doesn’t get too crispy! Stuffing done! Stuffed Mushrooms pre-oven Fresh brussel sprouts…

A few weeks ago, my coworkers and I ended a meeting at a client’s office right at lunch time. So what else was there to do but to go out for a bite. I suggested Andrea’s Red Rooster and neither had been there before. They were in for a treat. My history with the Red Rooster goes back to my junior year of college and looking for a part-time summer job to fill my days with while making some easy cash.  I was told of this job opening and that they even suggested me for the job from fellow industry coworkers and I became the summer hostess. Lunches could get…

Wow is November flying by and I’m seeing more and more places getting into the Holiday spirit. And what a better way to kickoff the holidays than with breaking a Guinness Book of World Records for most people caroling at the same time. Arrive by 5:30 at the Rotunda to register to be a part of this great event. The Waukesha Silver Bells page has all the details and list of carols to be sung. Unfortunately I already have plans and am unable to attend but I will be anxiously waiting to hear the results. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Three Sisters’ Uniquities (now located on the west end of Main…