The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is back again this year. I always have such a great time researching, planning, and making my treat for this exchange. I always find a million recipes and have a hard time slimming it down to the perfect one to send out. Here’s what I did last year, the year before and even the year before that! This year I decided on S’mores Cookies from the Chocolate Moosey blog. I did alter the recipe slightly because after the first batch of dipping the cookies in chocolate, I realized they wouldn’t be ideal to ship that way. So I modified and put the chocolate on…

Recently I was contacted by Oh Snap! Pickles and asked if I am a pickle lover. That couldn’t be closer to the truth. I love pickles – the crisp crunch of a dill pickle is something I really enjoy!. I could probably eat pickles every day! It’s a must purchase for me each year at State Fair. If you aren’t familiar with Oh Snap! Pickles, they are individually wrapped pickles and can be found at Wal-Mart and soon at area Kwik Trip gas stations. And they are from Wisconsin! In honor of #NationalPickleDay on Saturday, November 14th, Oh Snap! Pickles is running a contest to find the pickle on their…

It’s the November edition of the Wisconsin Whisk All Whisked Up Challenge! How this works is that Members of the Wisconsin Whisk group are blindly sent a blogger by the organizers and sent their info via email. We are to wander through their blog, learn about them, and cook one of their recipes. This month, I was given YummySprout as my blind blog. Tara, from the Madison area, creates her own recipes, with the occasional inspiration from other recipes she finds online. She also teaches cooking classes at Whole Foods in Madison for children and adults. I love that she is getting the kiddos active in cooking at such a young age. This really instills…

With my life changing in the next few weeks when my guy and his little ladies move in with me, I decided I needed to create more meals in a hurry. I typically eat later at night after I wind down from the work day, but the little ladies eat pretty much right when they get home. So with my guy and I both working full time, I needed to find meals that work in a hurry that are yummy. I have had a recipe for Southwest Pasta pinned to my The Main Event board on Pinterest. I used this as a base for my meal, but made a lot…

My favorite month of the entire year is October, and maybe that’s because it starts out with my birthday and ends with Halloween! I also love the leaves changing color, cooler temps, and pumpkin/apple flavored everything. At my job, we bring in a treat on our birthday to share with the team. I decided to make an apple crisp, a favorite treat of mine and perfect for the fall weather. My dad used to make an amazing apple crisp with wheat germ. It was my brothers and my favorite breakfast. I couldn’t find that recipe and i didn’t have any wheat germ in the house, so I went on a…

My friend Tiffany works in specialized retail on the east side of Waukesha and Raised Grain Brewery opened very near her job. I met up with her one night after work and we headed over to check the place out. We ended up going during their Grand Opening celebration and although the place was very busy with patrons, we were able to find some stools at the bar without a problem. The bartenders/owners were all present and very welcoming. They greeted us as soon as we sat down and got us some menus to review while they waited on other patrons. The menus describe each beer they have available so…

Earlier this year, I was invited to join a group of bloggers called Wisconsin Whisk. I felt extremely privileged to be asked and joined instantly. I haven’t been able to attend the meetup in Madison or the virtual meetup to find out more about the other bloggers, but the Facebook group is providing me some great recipes and new blogs to follow.  One of the things that I have been able to be a part of is the All Whisked Up Challenge. Members of the Wisconsin Whisk group are blindly sent a blogger by the organizers and sent their info via email. We are to wander through their blog, learn about them, and…

While I was coming up with the idea for Wings Around Waukesha and checking out websites of restaurants in the area with wings, I came across The Neighbors Bar & Grille, a place I had driven past a million times but never stopped in. I read on their menu that their wings are actually grilled and I’m pretty sure my mouth began watering instantly. My guy and I decided to make a venture out there one night for dinner and check out the wings and other menu items. The bar is a little off the beaten path but on a very busy road, Greenfield Ave., and extremely visible. It’s definitely…

A coworker and I were looking for an option to go to after work and catch up on our personal lives and because both of us enjoy wine, we decided to check out Spring City Wine House. It’s located between The Steaming Cup and The Clarke Hotel on Main Street and has been open for just a few months. We stopped in a little after 5 p.m. and instantly both of us fell in love with the interior. It has both rustic and modern flairs in a very welcoming environment. We walked past some wine machines that allow you to pour your own wine and headed to the bar to…

My friends invited us over for a housewarming and Packer party. The game was against our border rivals, Da Bears (still suck), so I knew I needed to make something that was green and gold. I searched far and wide for the perfect snack to go along with my friend’s menu and came across a great idea for Touchdown Deviled Eggs after seeing the idea on this blog. I created my own recipe for Deviled Eggs instead of following the one on the blog. I have chives growing in my garden out front, so I was able to cut those fresh the morning of the party. I followed a new…