We started at Disney’s Boardwalk Kouzzina It’s a slightly newer restaurant, started by Iron Chef Cat Cora. Kouzzina means kitchen in Greek and I was excited for some tasty Greek eats. The “kitchen” did not disappoint. We started with a heavenly clam appetizer, drenched in a white wine, garlic butter. I was using the spoon to be able to ladle every drop of the sauce right into my mouth.

Then it was on to the entrees. We both had sampler platters and had bites from each other’s plates. (My favorite way to dine.) I loved the smaller portion sizes, because it allowed us to finish the meal and not feel totally stuffed. We enjoyed lamb meatballs & burger, shrimp, hummus, dolmades, pastitsio and cinnamon stewed chicken. And don’t forget lovely cocktails with pomegranate juice and sangria.

Yiamas!

After dinner, we walked Downtown Disney and found some friends.

Of course the cook loves Mr Potato Head!

From there, the food really just becomes average. And that is okay, as we were focused on taking in all the rides and not fantastic food. We did find a few gems along the way…like:

S’Mores on a stick-it was actually a Mickey ears straw. Which I loved. I enjoy all things marshmallow and in the heat, it was a light dessert and a DEAL at only $2.25. Delicious and a little souvenir to boot. Found it at Hollywood Studios.

Then at Epcot, the Canada section-of course, we found this delightful apron. Not only do I love cooking, I love Moose-both chocolate and the giant, fuzzy kind.

Our first full day was a whirlwind of hopping to three Disney World parks in 14 hours, so much eating was done on the run. I failed to photograph another nice treat, the Dole Pineapple Float. Located in Magic Kingdom’s FantasyLand, this little stand offered lots of real pineapple juice and orange juice treats. Our float had pineapple juice on the bottom and was topped with pineapple flavored soft serve.

After a short night’s rest, we were back at it again, this time to visit Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It was all about seeing the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter . Being told of lines 4 hours long, we rushed to get there early. Well, so did everyone else. Overall it was easy to manage the new area and our waits never went over 30-40 minutes.

One of the best parts of the Wizarding world, beside Hogwarts castle, the rides, Diagon Alley and the engine of the Hogwarts express, was the food! They took great care to bring some of the foods from the Harry Potter books into the world. We waited in line for at least a half hour just to drink Butterbeer!

It was an overly sweet, frozen root beer concoction, topped with a thick, butterscotch cream. And it was so good. I am scared to think how many cups some individuals drank in just one day. I need to bring this drink to a Milwaukee bar. Add some booze and it should sell well.

For dinner we stopped at the Three Broomsticks and enjoyed a theme park favorite, the turkey leg! We even drank it down with some pumpkin juice. Turkey legs have a ton of meat and with it being smoked, it’s fairly salty tasting. Be sure to find a friend or two to share your leg, as Ken and I could not finish ours.

Thankfully we passed on anything food related at the joke shop. Didn’t want to be slipped a puking patilles.

Of course, Orlando in August is very hot for us Northerners, so got ourselves wet on the On Fish, Two Fish ride and met another theme pal.

And from the inside, we cooled ourselves down with some frozen lemonade.

When you push yourselves as hard as we do, to see all the theme park sites, be sure to drink TONS of water. If you are not peeing every hour or so, you are not drinking enough. The parks let you bring in your own water bottle, so do it. (Just note that Orlando’s water has a slightly musty taste to it.) Share sweets drinks here and there and stay away from alcohol.

It was a great little get-away, with a few tasty eats. Now….

Introduction to Raw Foods
July 24th starts our new cooking classes. The first class will be Introduction to Raw Food presented by Karen Gill, owner of Karen Cooks It. The class will start at 10:00am and run until about noon. Cost for the class is $24.00 per person. Reservations for this class need to be in no later than July 17th. Payment for the class can be made at the store, by phone (414) 671-1200 or e-mail sandy@superiorequipmentsupply.com or
jennifer@superiorequipmentsupply.com

What is Raw Food?

The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, dried fruit and seaweed. Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and “life force” of food.

What are the benefits of the Raw Food Diet?

Increased energy
Improved skin appearance
Better digestion
Weight loss
Reduced risk of heart disease.

The Raw Food Diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western Diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, foliate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals

With summer here, this is a great time to learn different ways to take advantage of the wonderful produce available in Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Sandy Doran
Superior Equipment & Supply

What is Raw Food?

The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, dried fruit and seaweed. Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and “life force” of food.

What are the benefits of the Raw Food Diet?

Increased energy
Improved skin appearance
Better digestion
Weight loss
Reduced risk of heart disease.

The Raw Food Diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western Diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, foliate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals

With summer here, this is a great time to learn different ways to take advantage of the wonderful produce available in Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Sandy Doran
Superior Equipment & Supply

GREAT, may be a bit of a misnomer. Very little in the way of cheesiness, yet there was a cheese tasting and some fried cheese curds. My friend Laura and I had fun all the same. Laura is the perfect mate for all things cheesy. She is my dear friend, number ONE Karen Cooks It fan and loves cheese!

Now before you think the cheese fest was a bust, I of course had to throw a little more excitement into the day….by entering the Cheesecake Competition!

Truthfully, I am not a huge fan of cheesecake. Especially plain cheesecake. I wanted to do something different, or at least different enough for the 11,000 citizens of Little Chute. My cheesecake was going to be savory. Yep! I created Savory Blue Cheesecake w/ Port Poached Pears and Candied Walnuts. Even from this non-cheesecake fan, the vote was delish! Isn’t it pretty.

There were three judges, from local bakeries. They were very serious and even stone-faced while tasting. Until the lady in black got to mine.

She took a bite and totally grimaced! After viewing my judging sheets, I guessed that she did not even get it. Her comment was that it was too salty and very different and almost a savory flavor. Hmmmm, too bad you didn’t read the title of my cheesecake! She even commented that she didn’t like my dark tablecloth. I scored much better by the other two judges who liked my cake. Unfortunately, it was not enough to put me in the top three winner spots. Sigh.

I did agree on two of the winners. I especially liked this lemon, blueberry cheesecake.

After the contest, they sell slices of the cheesecakes to the public.

Laura and I waited patiently, as we were passed over many times and slowly we watched each cake sell off before we could order the slice we wanted. So, we bought a piece of my cake. Yes, we paid $2.00 for the cake that I made. He, he! Laura really enjoyed it. Thanks friend.

After listening to some bluegrass music and watching kids play at the petting zoo, we filled up our plates with the samples from the cheese tasting. All were very tasty. I’ve rarely met a cheese I do not like.

I was proud of my entry and found the whole experience fun. Let’s see what kind of trouble I can get into at the next cheese festival!

Like many elderly dogs, her life became more difficult after she was diagnosed with chronic renal failure. We cared for her condition for over a year and a half and one of the joys during that time was feeding her. Molly was always a thin gal and her failing kidneys were now going to cause her more weight loss. So the vet gave us the orders to feed Molly whatever and whenever. And we did. Plenty of chef leftovers like pork, meatballs, rice and even beef tenderloin. Some days she loved it and other days she sniffed the bowl of delightful food and walked away. We told her starving dogs around the world would kill for that meal, yet it didn’t move her to eat. Even with beef tenderloin on offer, one dinner she always would eat was canned liver dog food.

A few weeks back, while sifting through an overpacked freezer, I came across some frozen beef liver. Well, if Molly likes canned, she will like my homemade liver dog food, I thought. And she did. It was so easy to make too. With the dog food scare of recent history and the trend of more natural foods in our diets, why not the diets of our animals? I whipped up the recipe from the contents of my fridge.

Molly’s Liver Dinner
all measurements are approximate

drizzle of olive oil
2 pounds beef livers
garlic powder
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
2-3 shredded carrots
1/2 cup water

Warm oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Sprinkle garlic powder on livers and saute them on each side, about 2-3 minutes per. Set aside to cool. Livers may have a tough edge on them. If so, trim it away.

Place livers, rice, carrots & a little water to start in a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency. More pureed is best for older dogs with missing teeth. Add water as needed if mix becomes too thick. This recipe will make a lot of food. I divided it into 8oz containers and froze what I was not going to use within the week. Refrigerate the rest. Serve to a hungry dog.

I found more great dog food recipes here.

Consider treating your pet to some homemade food. They will be delighted and it will make you feel great as well.

Thanks for the great memories Molly. Oof to you, my little stinkpot.

Started almost 3 years ago by two, true Milwaukeeans, The Nemetz’s, this great little company takes guests on walking, historical and culinary tours through some of Milwaukee’s greatest hoods. Places like Brady St., Old World Third St. and the Historic Third Ward. They even do a Sunday morning Bloody Mary Bunch tour. For about 2 1/2 hours you are entertained, wined & dined for only $40/tour. Be sure to check out their link for more great details and to book tickets. Milwaukee Food Tours

We are ready to show you a great time in a great city!

And you can request me as your guide if you form your own group for an outing. I’ll even give you some cooking and party throwing tips at no charge.

See you on the streets!

I grew up as a classic, suburban, American kid. My mom cooked each night; the 70’s dinner of meat, potato and vegetable. While what my mom made was tasty, I was more interested in running about the yard than learning anything about her cooking. Yet I do remember many dinners from my childhood. Spaghetti was a once a year meal as it took Mom all day to make the sauce. For some reason she would not use jarred sauce. Chop Suey was standard for Christmas along with the ham. And when we grew green beans in the garden, Mom made a mean green bean potato soup. It was so fresh you could still feel the fuzz on the beans when you ate the hot soup. When my mother passed away in 2005, I was sure to get her small, tin, red, holiday design recipe box. For Christmas that year I created a simple cookbook of her recipes to share with the family.

Chef Feker from Il Mito Tratoria e Enoteca restaurant in Wauwatosa is honoring those memories and recipes from our childhood through his Family Recipe Revival Contest. Be sure to check out FamilyRecipeRevival.com to submit your own family recipes.

I have shared the soup recipe that will be so wonderful come summer. And I could not resist adding my favorite take-to-school birthday treat that my mom made. I even made these recently for a friend’s 40th birthday. Tasty, no matter what your age.

In memory of Jeanne Gill. Thanks Mom.

Garden Green Bean & Potato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion – diced
3 medium russet potatoes, cleaned, peeled & cubed
2 cups water or chicken broth
2 cups fresh green beans, cleaned, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
14 oz can evaporated milk or 1 cup cream
Salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and soften, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and stir until coated. Add water or broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, about 10 minutes. Add beans and cook on low, covered, another 8-10 minutes. Add milk or cream and heat through-do not allow to boil. Season to taste.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

1 stick butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
½ cup milk
2 cups flour
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 cup chocolate chips
12 cake style ice cream cones

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth.

Combine flour through salt in a separate bowl. Add to wet mixture and stir. Add chocolate chips.

Fill cones until almost full. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Sometimes it is easier to handle the wobbly cones if placed inside a mini-muffin tin for baking.

For three and a half days we did the sightseeing and thankfully lots of walking. And we ate and drank and ate some more.

Our first dinner was at Muriel’s in the French Quarter. Ken claimed it his best meal ever. Ever! I agree that it was extremely tasty. We dined on turtle soup, seafood gumbo, escargot in creamy leek sauce, pecan crusted puppy drum and dirty rice duck confit. The rice made me swoon and Ken was in ecstasy over the puppy drum.

The next day was a busy one, so we started it off right at Cafe du Monde with beignets and cafe au lait. Hot powdered sugar is delightful.

Then we dashed over to  Central Grocery to get a muffaletta sandwich to go as we needed to catch our ride for the swamp tour.

After a few local recommendations, we decided on pre-dinner cocktails at the carousel bar at the Hotel Monteleone. There we enjoyed a local classic drink, the sazerac. Boozy, tart and tasty. Thanks to You Tube for this video.

We stumbled out of the bar, wanting a lighter, simpler, cheaper dinner. Our tour driver said we had to try the seafood platter at Deanie’s in the French Quarter. We ordered the HALF platter. While inexpensive on our pocket-book, we believe it took a toll on our bodies. The photo and video tell the rest of the story.

The next day was my birthday and lunch at Commander’s Palace was the plan. It is the oldest restaurant in New Orleans and quite possibly the swankiest and most popular, especially for tourists and old school New Orleanians. It did not disappoint. On offer at lunch were 25 cent martinis. Limit four! We braced for the challenge. We ate turtle & crab soups, duck confit salad, fish with winter vegetables, gulf shrimp over andouille sausage grits and their shatteringly crisp french bread.

We saved room, barely, for two of their signature desserts. Strawberry Shortcake and Bread Pudding Souffle.

And we made it through 3 martinis!

After that decadence, we chose to walk back to the hotel instead of using the streetcar. We thought it was not possible to be hungry after a meal like that, yet pangs for jambalaya set in. So later that eve we headed to Coop’s, a divey bar in the French Quarter, for their Jambalaya Supreme and a Po-Boy.

And because it was my birthday, we stopped at the piano bar at Pat O’Brien’s for the famous hurricane cocktail. It was a little gross that about 100 of these were pre-made behind the bar. They just added ice and water. Bottoms up!

The last day we managed one more po-boy before we headed to the airport.

It was a lovely way to celebrate 40 years of my life. I truly hope all the eating and drinking will allow me to celebrate another 40 more.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

I heard that Chris Brogan, author of Trust Agents, was coming to Milwaukee when I had just finished making a batch of Peace Patties. Knowing he was on the road and possibly getting tired of restaurant food and quick snacks, I packaged a few up for him so he could enjoy Milwaukee a little healthier. When I met him at a TweetUp I said hi and offered him the treats.

This video shows the results.
homemade-cookies-for-chris-brogan

And if you have a better name for my treat, let me know!