Every time I go shopping with my mom in downtown Waukesha, we have to make a stop at Plowshare Marketplace. It is my mom’s favorite shop and I love checking out the ever-changing inventory of Fair Trade goods. I asked the store manager, Sara if I could chat with her and get a bit more about the store. She happily obliged and I am excited to share the story with all of you.  Sara has been the manager of Plowshare Marketplace since 2011 but the store is in its 26th year in Waukesha. It was the first Fair Trade shop in Wisconsin! It moved from the middle of downtown to…

I took a walk around downtown yesterday on my lunch and took a few pictures. The snow is melting and they are predicting 40s and 50s for the next few days. I’m excited to see all the snow melt! As I headed over the river on one of the bridges, I couldn’t help but notice the right side of the river looks like winter and the left looks like Fall. Come on sunshine, melt that snow and bring us some greenery! Downtown Waukesha is going to need its faithful followers now more than ever to help share the word that everything is still open despite the construction. Bring your friends…

During a really cold evening in January, my guy and I decided to go out for a fish fry on a Friday night. It had been a while since either of us had been to Thunder Bay Grille and we figured the wait wouldn’t be too long with the place being so large. I remembered a few years ago, my mom and I sampled their seafood fondue at a Waukesha Biz Alliance Savor the Flavor event and it was the best thing we ate all night. We even went back for seconds (and maybe thirds!) I told my guy if it was still on the menu, we were going to…

St. Patrick’s Day is next week Tuesday, which means a lot of local places are starting their celebrations the weekend before. Some are even running them for the whole month! I pulled together a list of events that I found this weekend for Waukesha – looks like there is going to be a lot of fun going on. Happenings – The ‘Pot of Gold Treasure Hunt’ all over town sounds very fun! Clarke Irish Restaurant – All the time!They haven’t released their special yet, but the menu is already Irish Good Harvest Market – I’m sure they will have yummies in their deli, but I already saw that Cabbage is…

My friends and I are really making an effort to get out to dinner and try new places (or new to some of us places) more often. Because we each live in a different city, we are trading off where we go to keep it fair. Sweet Mullets Brewing Co. in Oconomowoc was suggested and we agreed to meet up on a Wednesday night after work and check it out. The sunsets are so pretty right now, so I snapped a quick shot on my way out to Oconomowoc. If you haven’t been to Sweet Mullets before, you might have a hard time finding it. It’s all the way on…

I have made mention before that for Christmas my friend Shauna got me the SkinnyTaste cookbook. So far, every recipe that my guy and I have tried from the book has been a phenomenal success. The recipes are simple, healthy and fun to prepare.  In winter, I tend to eat rather heavy, rich meals that warm me up and keep me very full. But once in a while, I need a break from that rich food and crave a good salad. The SkinnyTaste cookbook has a BLT salad that looked too good to pass up.  The recipe isn’t very complicated and just buying the ingredients had my guy and I…

Golden Gate is a hidden gem in Waukesha that won Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in America Award in 2010. I had the food once as take out that someone else picked up. But recently my guy and I decided to go there for dinner and eat at the restaurant. It’s located off of Racine Avenue & the 164/59 bypass in a strip mall that houses an antique mall and a few other businesses. When you walk in, the bar is to the left and the dining area is to the right. The dining side is decorated in traditional Chinese decor. We were seated at a table and greeted by our…

Michael’s Italian Restaurant has been a staple in Waukesha for over 35 years. I have enjoyed many meals here since moving to the city and it’s one of the places that I make sure to mention when giving food suggestions to friends looking for a good bite in Waukesha.  My parents, my guy and myself got together for a dinner earlier this year on a Saturday evening. The restaurant was bustling with people but we were able to get a table right away. If we wouldn’t, the bar area is nice to wait in. It reminds me of a supper club with mirrors on the walls and seating all the…

Day two in Door County started with us waking up, putting on our cold weather gear and exploring the grounds. The four cabins are nestled in a wooded area and trails were created around the property. We headed north from our cabin and quickly descended down a slippery hill to get to the pond behind our cabin. We found a bench along the path and my guy posed for a quick pic. The pond was completely frozen over and snow covered but I wasn’t about to venture out onto it. Look what happened to the poor duck! Just kidding – apparently the decoy stays out all year. We posed for…

My guy decided that we needed a little getaway and asked if I was interested in a long weekend in Door County. I jumped at the opportunity for a mini-vacation with him and checking out a part of the state that I haven’t been to in decades. We headed out Friday morning and had a smooth ride up to Sturgeon Bay. Once in Sturgeon Bay, we stopped at The Draft Haus for lunch. The bar has a nautical, sports bar feel – light fixtures made out of boat wheels and awesome etched mirrors with sports team logos on them. Our server recently moved from Milwaukee to the DC–she welcomed us…