Welcome Spring...

Err or not... It's such a wonderful thing to wake up to the second day of Spring to find out that you'll be recieving a foot or more of snow. What a shame, especially since it was almost 50 yesterday. I wish that this snow would just be over with, I'm getting tired of it...

But anyway, I've decided that Friday has become a night of Italian food. J is all excited because he's getting lasagna tonight (which I will post pics etc later). But last week Friday was definitely the feast of the month. It was a friend of ours birthday and he decided that we should go to dinner at Joey Buono's in downtown Milwaukee. Oh my goodness, was the food amazing and huge. We did the "Pizza Party" for a group of people, meaning 2 appetizers, 2 salads, 2 pizzas and 2 desserts. It doesnt sound like a ton, especially when there are 7 guys and me there, but we ended up taking a lot home. The appetizers were all right, fried ravoli and mozzeralla (I'm not super keen on fried foods) and the salads were amazing. Despite the fact that someone decided that we needed to get four plates of Ceasar salad, instead of exploring, they were very good, and I'm not a fan of Ceaser.
Pizza was typical toppings, but we got a deep dish and a thin crust....
This was oh so good, amazing sauce and a really flaky butter crust.

Dessert was really good too. Tiramisu (my favorite) was literally a loaf to be shared...


Seriously, if you are in Milwaukee and looking for a good Italian place, Joey Buono's is the way to go. They do more than just pizza, they have pasta etc. too, and everything is served family style so you get what you pay for...

(photos courtesy of the joeybuonos.com)

Wherefor Art Thou?

I know, I know, I haven't updated in a long time... I know, I negelected this for too long. School has been busy, lots of papers and tests... Ahhh, the joys of being a History Major. Work has been kinda busy. We really only do two big promotions in the year, Lent and Christmas. So it's been busy, but it has been a fight. The economy has certainly taken it's toll on the business, let's face it, cookies and candy aren't exactly neccessary buys. But that slowness has allowed me to explore more in my culinary exploits, which benefits me and J, which I know he appreciates.

A couple weeks ago, J and I took a road trip to about 2 hours away to Appleton to check out a car. J has a hobby of taking cars apart and using/selling parts for extra income. Well, needless to say this car was no going anywhere without his help. Yea, I know both of us are crazy but it's a good investment...

But we did go to lunch at the mall up there, and that's where I got the idea for this recipe. I love Chinese food, but wasn't feeling the crappy food court type that day, so I decided that was what were going to have for dinner that night, including us making our own dumplings. We happened to stop at a different grocery store than I normally shop at, and they just happened to have a pre-chopped chinese cabbage, with carrots, celery, pea pods and bok choy. I totally used this for the dumplings and dinner. 

For the dumplings, I browned up some ground turkey breast and let it cool. I chopped up about half of the bag of the vegetables, added some grated onion and garlic, about a 1/2 tsp of ginger and chinese five spice, a 1/4 tsp of cayenne, a splash of soy, juice of half a lime and some stir fry sauce and put it in the middle of the wonton wrappers. I only put a little more than a teaspoon of filling in, don't overfill or they won't stay together.


Used some egg wash to close them up. I didn't have a steamer, so I just used my colander and a pot with some simmering water and the lid and used that. It worked perfectly, but just remember to use something like Pam before you put the dumplings in to cook, or else they will not come out in one piece. I learned that one the hard way. But they turned out really well, J could not stop eating them...


Hmm... I have some more of those wrappers in my freezer, I should find another use for them soon...

What a Day...

Well today was the beginning of a new semester of school. It was an interesting beginning to say the least. Thanks to the 13+ inches of snow last night, today's commute was definitely not a fun one. It took me three times longer than normal to get to school, which made me 20 minutes late for my first class, but thankfully it wasn't a big deal since we didn't do anything. It's the beginning of the end for me, leaving hopefully only one more year left, thank god. It's not that I don't enjoy school, it's that it isn't what I really want to do, it's something that I have to do. I was going to go to Le Cordon Bleu for culinary arts about a year and half ago and was forbidden to do so. Yes, I could still have went, but I wouldn't have any funding or aid, which is no fun. What I want to do is either run my own grocery store or a small cafe. Since I was young, I've always been enchanted with grocery stores and the products on the shelves. Once I discovered specialty stores, it was it, I was head over heels. I guess that's why I've worked in these kinds of stores since I was 15. It doesn't matter how long I spend in the stores at work, I can always go back to one that night... Yes I have a problem... I think that I might belong in Grocery Stores Annonomyus. At least J understands, he loves them too. Our best dates often end in grocery stores, haha.
Well leaving you with that note, I'll leave with this recipe. It's an easy meal thats really good, and you don't have to go any farther than your local store.
Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
1 lb. short cut pasta ( I really like whole wheat penne)
1/2 lb. italian sausage ( Turkey or pork works)
1 head of brocoli
1 clove garlic
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 c. chicken broth
Parmesean cheese for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions. In the last 3 or 4 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a large skillet until it is no longer pink. Drain. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add chicken broth, crushed red pepper, cooked pasta and brocooli. Toss to combine, top with the cheese.

This is so easy and tasty, and is good even as leftovers.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

So yesterday was the NFC championship game, and living in Wisconsin, not watching that game with your "home" team in it would be a sin. Of course, such a game calls for a party, meaning good food, and honestly that's all I really care about. So J and I made our way to his dad and stepmom's house, who always makes sure there is plenty of food.

It was the typical Sunday football spread: chips, salsa, veggies and dip, hot ham and rolls, potatoes etc. Perhaps the best things in my eyes on the table were two things that were complete opposites. Chocolate covered mini creampuffs ( yes I'm sure they were bought, but they were oh so good!) and this dip that J's brother in law makes. It's so simple, yet I have yet to ever make it (probably because I have been putting of buying a crock pot, wierd I know). It's good with crackers, bread, tortilla chips, pretty much anything...

Cheesy Sausage Dip
2 lbs. of Bob Evans Zesty Sausage (any kind of sausage will work here, just make sure it's the spicy kind)
2 packages of cream cheese
2 -16oz. Rotel tomatoes with chilies

Brown the sausage in a skillet. Drain. Combine the browned sausage, cream cheese and tomatoes with their juice in a crockpot on low until melted.

Mmmm...


Seriously, really easy and really good. Well, the Packers didn't win the game, but I did with all the good food.