‘Wisconsin’ Category

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26 November 2012

Thanksgiving year two in one word

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Random, Wisconsin

Awesome.

I wish I could fully explain why this the best word to describe it but everything just went, awesome.

My SIL and I were back in the kitchen and I cannot express or gush enough how great everything went. We were rocking and rolling in the kitchen, rotating, prepping, cooking and baking and then on the actual day, the turkey turned out perfect and everything we prepped the day before still tasted amazingly good.

And every recipe just worked out! I had some doubts about one dish but it was all really good and our guests felt the same way. We keep it simple with our Thanksgiving recipes and that is a-okay with me. We even had the perfect amount of leftovers at the end of the meal.

Here’s the final list and recipe links to what we made:

Of course, I left my nicer camera at home so my iPhone was working overtime to capture the meal. Here are a few.

 

And after all of that deliciousness, it was time for a nap, right Steve?

So yeah, Thanksgiving was awesome. It was good to be home, around family and take a break from Chicago reality. Now, it’s almost December 1! WHAT?

How was your holiday?

 

 

6 Comments

22 October 2012

Going home

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Food, sports, Wisconsin

Chicago is home most of the time but I haven’t another home too, southeastern Wisconsin. I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but now, I only make it back there a few times a year.

And you don’t really get to appreciate fall when you live in the city. The foliage changes color but it’s not quite the same. And, there are no farm or corn fields within commutable distance. Fall in the city is great, but not quite the same.

So I headed north this weekend to get a break from the city, see family and get my live college football fix.

It was great and exactly what I needed.

So let’s take a look at fall on the other side of the state line.

It was a nice weekend and I’m looking forward to going back next month for Thanksgiving!

How was your weekend?

6 Comments

10 October 2011

A memorable weekend at home

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: family, Wisconsin

Happy Monday everyone! If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that I don’t talk about family much at all anymore, but this time I had to share.

This weekend, I was back in Wisconsin for a big family event.

My grandpa was taking part in the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, the Wisconsin branch of the national Honor Flight Network, which honors World War II veterans.

As part of the flight, my grandpa and hundreds of other vets from Wisconsin flew to Washington, DC for the day and visited several of the monuments. And, due to my grandpa’s age and health, my brother went as his guardian.

No kidding, those guys had a 21+ hour day Saturday, leaving Milwaukee at 4 a.m. and returning home at 9:25 p.m. for a parade through the airport for families and friends to attend. The parade is a surprise for the vets.

So Saturday night, my mom, grandma, SIL and her parents crowded at the airport (elbows out!!) and waited for the guys to return. Yes, the wait was long, my legs cramped and I may or may not have SHUSHED a child (who was annoying) but when it came time to watch my brother and grandpa walk down the parade route to us, I was a total mess.

And I caught it on video. It’s a little Blair Witch with a Cloverfield moment thrown in.

I literally start to cry every time I watch because the emotion, joy and crowd made it so special.

It was a great night and I am so glad that I got to be there. And a big thanks to my mom and brother for coordinating the application, I won’t ever forget the look of pure joy on my grandpa’s face.

How was your weekend?

14 Comments

29 November 2010

Weekend recap: Fur nephews and Thanksgiving fashion

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: family, Fashion, Wisconsin

Instead of calling today Monday, I’m calling it BTR day, as in “back to reality.” Not only because this was a long weekend, but also because my previous two work weeks were three day weeks because of Mexico. So this week is going to be a tough one.

But I wanted to share some pictures from the long weekend because some are too cute for words. Literally.

While I was back in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving, I stayed with my brother and SIL and got to meet my fur nephew (aka their dog), Steve. He’s a daschund and (in my opinion), the most adorable, sweet and loving fur nephew a girl could ask for. I was fully prepared to cash all the love checks he was writing.

And write them he did!

Auntie Jess and Steve

Steve sitting on my lap (LOOK AT THAT FACE! How could you NOT love him?)

Butt shot (he was camera shy)

During my three days with him, he licked my eye (right on the contact too), nose, lips, boobs, hands and fingers. Yes, it grossed me out for a minute but then I gave in to it.

The best part? Thursday morning, he scurried out of my bro/SIL’s bedroom and ran right over to my closed guest room door before going downstairs. And when I gave the okay for him to come in, he came BOUNDING in the room, beyond excited to see me. Okay, he may have been excited for anyone but I think I made an impression.

I literally cannot wait to go back for Christmas to cash some more love checks and snuggle with him. I LOVE HIM.

And after my fur nephew morning snugglefest, it was time to get ready for the meal. In the past, I’ve worn dress pants or even jeans to Thanksgiving and honestly, after that meal, I feel like those pants could pop off themselves. So, I’m all about comfort now.

Here is this year’s Thanksgiving outfit:

(Flannel top: Ralph Lauren outlet, T-shirt: Banana Republic, Leggings: Hue, Boots: Banana Republic, Necklace: Nordstrom)

It was comfy and fashionable. Win, win.

How was everyone else’s long weekend?

13 Comments

10 October 2010

Weekend recap: Farmers market and college football

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Food, sports, Wisconsin

Happy Sunday everyone! It’s near 80 in Chicago right now and it actually feels like summer…in October. Weird.

Anyhow, this weekend was celebrating two more things I love about fall: college football and farmer’s markets. Sure, the latter is actually more of a summer thing, but for me, it’s more about fall.

I love college football. I don’t get to watch it live or on TV nearly enough so any opportunity I get, I take it. And this weekend, I got to watch my favorite team (the Wisconsin Badgers) play Minnesota in Madison. I LOVE watching games at Camp Randall, even if it’s 80 degrees and I’m sitting in the sun most of the day sweating like a wh*re in heat. Sadly, I only make it up there once a year so I savor it as much as I can.

That includes indulging in some great, beer battered cheese curds (YUM), New Glarus Spotted Cow (awesome beer) and the farmers market around the state capitol.

I suck at going to farmer’s market in Chicago because I am not a weekend morning person. I get up early five days a week, so Saturday/Sunday, I take my time leaving the house. This is why I never make it to the local farmer’s market. But in Madison, I get up early and hit the square before the game, visiting my regular vendors, like this guy:

I love walking around the square, seeing the fresh produce, fruit, flowers and seasons decorations.

And this time, I picked up some stuff I’m wicked excited about, including:

  • Homemade honey and honey shooters (yes, shots of honey)
  • Wisconsin maple syrup lollipops (YES!)
  • Green peppers the size of my head
  • Freshly made kettle corn
  • Honey crisp apples (LOVE these)
  • And this cutie……

Yep, I’m going to try and grow my own basil. I have no idea if it will work but I’ll give it a try!

How was your weekend? What are your favorite things to pick up at the market?

14 Comments
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