February Photo Challenge

Whew, I did it. I completed an entire month of photo challenges both my own and #CY365. Some days it was a lot of harder than others. With February less than 24 hours away, it is time to start thinking of February's photo challenges.

There are themes each week and each Saturday (except for Valentine's day when it got moved to Sunday) features the written word.

Week 1: Daily life

Week 2: Love and Valentines

Week 3: Funny Stuff

Week 4: Fashion and Style

Hope you take part and capture your month the a lens whether it is a camera phone or regular camera.

Flashback Friday -- #4002 Go to the National Historic Cheesemaking Center in Monroe

After I left the Mustard Museum, I headed south towards Green County and Monroe. Green County was the only county along Wisconsin's Southern Border that I have not been to and I wanted to hit Green County on the way to Galena since it wasn't really out of my way. Using The State Trunk Tour website, I was able to find several things to see in Green County. It came down to the New Glarius Brewery and the National Historic Cheesemaking Center. I was hoping to stop at both but due to the lack of time, I had skipped the brewery. Drinking and driving (even just a sampler of beers) and heading into Illinois with Wisconsin plates was probably not the smartest thing to do when having to go through several small Illinois towns.
I know what you are thinking, you skipped free beer for cheese? However, I believe I made the right choice. I am not a big beer drinker to begin and I think the brewery would be fun with a group of people. The Cheese Making Center was not quite what I was expecting but it was totally worth the stop. It was much better than the mustard museum. My tour guide was very knowledge and made the tour even that more interesting.

When I got to the Center, I was the only one waiting for a tour. They basically run tours as people show up. By the time I left, we had 6 or 7 people in our group. People joined the tour as they arrived. Although we did not get to sample any cheese, we did learn how the people of Green County made Swiss Cheese when they settled in the area. There was a lot of artifacts and pictures. The tour guide took time to explain everything and if I had more time, he would have gone more in depth. We ended the tour in the cheese factory where once a year they make cheese the old fashioned way.

If you are ever in Green County, the National Historic Cheesemaking Center is definitely worth a visit. Next time I'm in Green County, I want to visit all the little cheese shops that still dot the countryside.

#5575 Eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

This weekend while we were at the Mall of America, the hubs and I had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

And just like Forrest says: Fried Shrimp, Shrimp Kebab, Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Alfredo....

There is a lot of shrimp choices and other options such as fried chicken as well. The hubs had a hard choice deciding what to have. I am not a big shrimp fan but wanted shrimp so I had pretty much was going with fried shrimp or coconut shrimp.

We started off with Bubba's Far Out Dip. It was an artichoke, spinach, roasted red pepper dip. I don't do artichokes and I am not a big fan of spinach but this dip was great. The roasted red pepper really made it extra tasty.

For dinner I had the shrimp. Normally I start having issues about half way through my order of shrimp because of the taste. I had no issues and ate all 8 of them. I wish I ordered the coconut shrimp because those probably were just as good. If we ever get back to Bubba Gump's I will have the coconut shrimp. I probably got the hubs cole slaw which was fine because I was the one who was going to eat it anyways.

The hubs ordered Forrest's Seafood Feast. It included Southern Fried Shrimp, Beer Battered Fish, and Seafood Hush Puppies. I wasn't a big fan of the seafood hush puppies (I tasted the okra) but the hubs loved them. It was a lot of food and he couldn't even finish it all probably because he had lunch 2 hours earlier.

My favorite part of the restaurant was all the Forrest Gump references. The drink and drink choices came on a ping pong paddle. If you wanted your waiter/waitress you flipped the sign to Stop Forrest Stop instead of Run Forrest Run. There were sayings from the movies written on the table. The movie was playing in the bar. 

This dining experience definitely exceeded my expectations. I liked it better than Joe's Crab Shack. I didn't feel that Bubba Gump was overly touristy while Joe's was just a tourist trap restaurant. The only thing that I was disappointed in was the bathrooms didn't fit have a Bubba Gump/Forrest Gump theme. 

#694 Go to the Mall of America

When planning our vacation last summer, the hubs wanted to know where I wanted to go. I gave him two options -- Mackinac Island and the Mall of America/Twins Game. We went to Mackinac Island last August and started a preliminary plan to go to the Mall of America this summer. Then he got an email for a softball meeting in St. Paul and plans were put in place to make it a mini winter get away with me going to the mall while he was at his meeting.

All I ever wanted to do was spend a few hours there and I got my chance this past weekend. He dropped me off and then after his meeting he joined me for mini golf and dinner.  I made a list of things I wanted to do while I was at the mall and even color coded it. In the end I had 3 hours or so to spend exploring the mall before the hubs met up with me. I managed to do just about everything I wanted to do.

1. Ride the Carousel -- this one I did not get done. I think I was too big for it which the website did not really say there was a weight limit or that it was meant for little kids. I was a tad disappointed. If I really wanted to, I probably could have tried to get on it.

2. Ride a roller coaster -- this is the first thing I did at when I got there. I figured it was best to hit the rides before it got super busy. I walked right onto SpongeBob Square Pants Rock Bottom Plunge. Oh.My.God. After I scanned my ticket, I realized this thing goes straight up and then plunges you back to the ground. Oh, and you want me to do this sitting in the front row?? Okay if the 7 year old next to me can do it, so can I despite the fact I haven't rode a roller coaster in over 10 years. After the initial climb, this was one wild ride. If I had an unlimited wristband, I would definitely ride it again. I now can say I have ridden an indoor roller coaster. Only down fall it was over way too quick.

3. Play mini golf. I want to play mini golf in every state and since this was my first real trip to Minnesota, this was going to be a great way to cross off Minnesota. Up on the 3rd floor is Moose Mountain Mini Golf and it was one of the activities that both the hubs and I could do together. The hubs and I are quite competitive when it comes to mini golf and he said he was going to beat me. Well he did beat me but only by 3. Par was 40 and I shot 55. It wasn't an overly tough course just a lot of obstacles and turf that played tough. We had to wait at some holes awhile but we had nice views of Nickelodeon Universe. I personally was expecting it to be a lot cooler but it was kinda lame. The bat cave had some sound effects but they got annoying when you have to wait to to play the next hole. 

4. Go to the Peeps Store -- I almost missed this. In the process of trying to find lunch and get out of Nickelodeon Universe, I forgot to stop in here. Luckily I remembered before I headed up to the 2nd floor. It wasn't all that impressive. I was pleasantly surprised to see Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales that would could mix and match. Based on the prices, I could buy a lot of boxes of Mike and Ikes at Walmart for what a bag/container would cost there, especially since I am a Mike and Ike traditionalist and only like the original flavors. I did get a free mini chocolate peep.

5. Go to the Lego Store -- I was disappointed. The one at Woodfield is better. The Lego Displays were very cool though. Again to mix and match a tub of Legos, seemed pricey to me but then I again I find Lego sets pricey too. 

6. Do one of the Mayo Routes -- I didn't official do a Mayo Mile but I did follow a sign when I saw one especially when it lead me down a dead end. I walked over 7 miles at the mall, I think I managed do one of the routes. I think this is a really cool idea and if I had more time, I probably would have followed the 1 mile or the 5K route just because I could.

7. Catch a Rotunda Show -- I did not stay for the entire show but I did manage to catch a few minutes of Tony Dovolani's Show. There were other dances for a local dance company that I did not really care to watch. I saw Tony dance and that was good enough for me...even if it was from the second floor.

8. Eat the Magic Crepe Pan -- This is what I wanted for lunch. It took me a little while to find the place. I knew it was on the first floor, west wing. However since I went the wrong way out of Nickelodeon Universe, it took me a lot longer to get there. Oh.My.God. That was one of the best crepes I ever had. They had both sweet and savory crepes. Since it was lunch, I figure a savory crepe would be a better choice. I had the Turkey Club Crepe. It was amazing. Too bad, I was too full to have a sweet one for dessert. There is always next trip.

9. Eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company -- This is actually on the extended bucket list. The hubs and I wanted to eat at some place for dinner that we can't get at home. He is a big shrimp fan and I always wanted to eat here. It was very good. I loved the little Forrest Gump touches here and there. Check out my entire review here.

A few things that I did not get to do that sounded like fun:

1. Watch a movie in Minnesota. There really wasn't anything I wanted to see except maybe Paddington Bear which started before I got to the mall. This actually turned out to be a good thing I didn't get done because the hubs meeting ended early and I would have been in the middle of a movie when he was done.

2. CSI: The Experience. This would have been fun if I was with a group of people but to do by myself, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.

3. Amazing Mirror Maze. This would have been another fun activity with a group of people. I am not a big fan of mazes and I probably would end up getting so lost in there if I was by myself.

4. The Aquarium. I really didn't have any desire to see this. Maybe it was a cost thing or maybe I am not a big aquarium/zoo person. If I was with a group of people and they wanted to go, then I would have gone. 

My overall impress of the Mall of America -- It's a Mall. Yes, it is big and there are a lot of stores and things to do.  It's no different that the Fox River Mall except just bigger. I think I like Woodfield better even if Woodfield isn't as neatly laid out. I did like it was a giant rectangle which made it easy. If I never get back, it won't break my heart. If I had the opportunity to go again, I would but I would't go out of my way to get there. 

Two ways I think the Mall of America can improve is to have more/bigger bathrooms. It was hard to find one and when I did, it only have about 10 stalls and they were hard to tell if someone was in them. There was usually a wait. The other way to improve the mall experience is to have cell phone charging stations like the Fox River Mall does. I saw no place I could charge my cell phone if I needed to except on the way out where one guy was literally sitting on the floor next to some lockers charging his phone. I am glad my phone didn't need to be charged.

#3640 -- Go to Heckrodt Wetland Preserve

We live near two nature centers -- 1000 Islands Environmental Center in Kaukauna and Heckrodt Wetland Preserve in Menasha. I drive by Heckrodt all the time and never had the time to stop. Today, they were forecasting rather unseasonably warm temperatures and cloudy skies. I decided it would be a good day to go on a hike on my way back from my friend's Jewelry in Candles party.

Heckrodt is smaller than 1000 Islands with only a few trails. It has a lot of boardwalks instead of just trails through the woods. If I'm going hiking, I want to hike and not just walk on boardwalks. I understand the need for the boardwalks, I am just not a big fan. I would rather tromp through the woods. The boardwalks do get slippery with the melting slush and I nearly slipped several times even in my boots.

The highlight of my hike was seeing two deer feeding right near the nature center. They were the only wildlife I really saw. Those two deer must been the same ones we saw last on the way home from basketball.

Heckrodt is nice for a short little hike. They have clearly marked trails and plenty of benches to view wildlife. I will go back again when the opportunity arises but if I want to do real hiking I will stick to 1000 Islands.

I think next time I go when there is a bit more snow on the ground and then again in the early days of spring when everything is fresh and new. Fall would be another great time to go.

Flashback Friday: #952 -- Go to the Mustard Museum

I don't know why The Mustard Museum is on the bucket list. Probably, I saw something on TV or picked up a brochure for it. The Mustard Museum used to me in Mount Horeb and now is in Middleton. There have been opportunities in the past to stop but we just never did. Last summer, when planning a girls' weekend to Galena, IL with my cousins I decided to hit the museum on the way down.

I was severely disappointed. It was not what I expected. In the basement were a dozen or so display cases with mustard jars, some posters, and other memorabilia. Upstairs was the store/tasting room. I was expecting more tasting options available on display. I could have asked to taste anything but with some many choices, I didn't know where to start. Since I was to bring some mustard along for the weekend, I was expecting some sample jars of the more unique mustards. There were probably only a dozen or so different variety available in sample jars. I am not a big mustard fan so the samples would have been perfect instead I had to purchase several regular jars that ended up going to work.

I'm glad I can say I have been to the National Mustard Museum. However, I don't have any desire to go back. If I'm in Middleton again, I might have to find the pie shop that the two old ladies were asking about. Pie sounds much better than mustard.

Kiwi Adventure

I am not a fruit eater. My fruit repertoire basically consists of bananas, melon, raspberries, cherries, pears, and an occasional apple. I can do pineapple if cut up in sugar and it is not woody. The hubs made me try pineapple in sugar last summer and I discovered I can eat that way. I absolutely detest strawberries and blueberries.

My kiwi

In order to earn wellness dollars for HSA, I have to do all sorts of challenges. One was to try a new fruit. Initially I thought about having a fruit party to try several fruits with a bunch of friends and I still may do this. However, I noticed Pick 'n Save had kiwi on sale for 2/$1. I figured for $0.50 I can try kiwi. This actually counted as 2 challenges I discovered later.

We were at Festival and I decided I wanted a kiwi. After searching for them, I couldn't find any. The hubs found them. I was looking for a green fruit not a brown fuzzy one. I grabbed one without checking to see if it was ripe or not.

My kiwi was overripe and very difficult to eat since I never cut one before.It was not very pretty to look at after I attempted to skin it. I wonder if my pampered chef peeler would work on it....

My attempt at cutting/peeling my kiwi

My initial reaction -- it tasted like a cross between a strawberry and melon. I had no idea what to expect. A few on my friends said I would like it. And surprisingly I did. I just need to learn to pick a good kiwi and to eat it right away.

What was left after I was finish mutilating my kiwi 

My biggest concern going in was the seeds. Part of the reason I don't like strawberries are the seeds. I didn't even notice the seeds. This was definitely a plus.

Next up... mango.

Flashback Friday #811 Fly a Kite

I never flew a real kite. As a kid, we made kites of out of sticks and newspaper but they never really got off the ground. I wanted to fly a kite up to the highest heights and I knew Mackinac Island would be a great place to do this. When planning our trip, I told the hubs I wanted to fly a kite and he just rolled his eye but agreed. At first I wanted a cool kite and even bought one that looked like an airplane. It even had a propeller. The only problem was we weren't sure how we would get to the island so I took it back and bought a much smaller "normal" looking kite that fit in my luggage.

Tuesday it rained most of the day in Mackinac Island. We spent the morning exploring and shopping. In the afternoon, it seemed to stop enough that I could go kite flying. Our resort had a nice lawn area that was perfect for kite flying and since it was still misting and not all that nice, no one was out there. After  few attempts at launching the kite, we finally got it airborne. It stayed up there kite awhile. I'm not quite sure what the excitement of flying a kite is but once you it gets up in the wind, there isn't a whole to do except to make sure it stays up there. I found the whole thing to be boring after awhile. Good thing we had a boomerang too since only one of us could fly the kite at a time. Next time the hubby wants to get a long string and get it up to 1,000 feet. That could be fun. When we were done, we packed the kite up and took it back on the ferry with us to use another windy day.

#6191 Read all the Nicholas Sparks Books

I am over halfway through reading all of his books. Out of his 19 books, I have not read 7. I just finished The Longest Ride My friend gave me it for Christmas. It was the Kindle version. I have a Nook but I do have a Smartphone which I quickly downloaded the Kindle app to. Since I was in the midst of reading another book, I let this one sit for a few weeks until I had some time to pass while the hubs was busy schmoozing it up with fellow officials.

Once I started it and really got into it, I could barely put it down. It was nice having it on my phone as I could read it anyway. I finished the bulk of it in 2 days.

The book is about two couples journeys -- Ira and his late wife Ruth and Sophia and Luke. Ira is injured in a car accident in winter and reflects back on his life with the help of his wife's ghost. Sophia and Luke meet in the fall after Sophia's roommate drags her to a bull riding competition where Luke is competing. Their path cross and despite their different backgrounds, they fall in love. Ira, Sophia, and Luke's paths eventually cross and in an unusual turn of events, Luke and Sophia carry Ira and Ruth's memory on.

Based on the synopsis, I knew that Sophia and Luke would eventually cross paths with Ira but with how the story is told it was never clear until towards the end of the book and then there were still a few twists and turns. 

I have enjoy all of Nicholas Sparks' books that I have read but this has to be one of my favorites. Now to decide which one will be next.

Flashback Friday #247 See a Shuttle Launch

Every Friday, I am going to write a flashback post about one of my past bucket list adventures.

In 2011, I had two opportunities to travel to Jacksonville, Fl to train agents at the site down there. The first trip was a 5 week last minute trip in March. The second one was a shorter 3 week trip at the end of June and beginning of July. It was only shorter because I already had vacation planned. The first trip I trained my normal day hours while the second trip, I had to endure training 4:00pm-12:30. This is not the ideal schedule for someone who is in bed by 9-9:30 every night. I had to learn to adjust but it did also gave me a wonderful opportunity to see the last shuttle launch.

One night early in the second trip, while taking to the hubs, he asked if there was going to be a shuttle launch while I was down there. He asked me the same thing the first trip and at that time there was not. After checking the NASA website, I discovered the shuttle Atlantis was scheduled for launch on Friday, July 8 at approximately 11:25 AM. This was to be the last shuttle launch by NASA ever. It also fit into my schedule as I was working nights. I was excited to drive down to see the last shuttle to lift off. This would be my second attempt to see a shuttle launch as the time on a high school band trip that we planned on to see a launch it was cancelled. Hopefully this time would be successful.

The week leading up to the launch, NASA was not 100% sure that it would even lift off that morning due to the weather. It may be too windy. I set my alarm for 7 AM and checked the NASA app I downloaded to my blackberry. There was 55% chance of a shuttle launch. Do I go back to sleep and risk missing the launch or do I travel the 1.5 hours to Titusville where I was planning on watching the launch and risk the launch being scrubbed? I decided to tempt fate and head to Titusville.

Good thing I did. Atlantis lifted off at 11:29 that morning and I was there to witness it. It is one thing to count down to 0 from your living room. It is an amazing experience to stand with a bunch of strangers, some who by the looks of things camped overnight, and count down to 0. The noise, even from where I was, was incredible. I can not find the words to describe the experience. My only regrets: not getting a t-shirt to say I was there and having a better camera or even a video camera to capture the experience.

The Atlantis lifting off

 All there remains is the smoke tail. 

#6199 Join a Book Club

Right now I should be at the Neenah Public Library for the monthly cookbook club meeting. I was looking forward to this one as the theme this month is International Inspirations. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and I decided not to venture out in the snow, wind, and cold.

The Neenah Library Cookbook Club meets every 2nd Thursday of the month. Each month has a different theme. You are supposed to check out a cookbook about the theme and try several different recipes. You can make something to share as well.

I was talked into going by a coworker who went to the first meeting. She happened to see my collection of cookbooks and said one would be perfect for the October meeting.  So I took my Cupcake cookbook and went. I really enjoyed it.  I did not make anything. There were plenty of samples.

A cookies 'n creme cupcake and a RumChata cupcake.

November's theme was Fall Flavors. Initially I found this theme difficult because I tend to use Pinterest for all my recipes. I did manage to find a cookbook that had a few apple recipes that might be interesting to try. In the end, I chose to try an apple dowdy. The dowdy wasn't as good as the one the hubs was used to and a lot more time consuming. I also tried several apple recipes from Pinterest including one for Caramel Apple Muffins. The muffins were delicious and everyone at the cookbook club agreed. I definitely will be making those again.

Caramel Apple Muffins

December's theme was Holiday Treats. This one was very easy. Stacy and I do cookie baking every year. We use the Electric Company cookbooks. I even found a new recipe in this year's edition. 

Like I mentioned before this month's theme is International Inspirations. I wanted to find an easy appetizer or dessert recipe for this month's meeting. Over Christmas I went to the library and checked out 5 international cookbooks. I found several recipes in them I wanted to try either for the cookbook club or for dinner. If the weather cooperated, I would have made Cheese Straws from the Betty Crocker's New International Cookbook. However, I took it as a sign when I ran to Walmart to pick up puff pastry yesterday and they were out of them that I wasn't suppose to go to tonight's meeting. 

My thoughts on the cookbooks I picked up this month:

Cooking With Italian Grandmothers by Jessica Theroux.  This is the one I was most excited to look it since the hubs loves his Italian food. I did not find any recipes that I would want to try. There were a lot of fish recipes, very few actual pasta recipes, and not too many desserts either. 

Sweet Mandarin Cookbook by Helen & Lisa Tse. I will be honest; I only picked this one up for the fortune cookie recipe. I never got around to looking at any of the recipes in the cookbook. The fortune cookie recipe does sound easy and I may copy it down to make one day.

Fiesta at Rick's by Rick Bayless. This cookbook featuring Mexican cuisine actually had several recipes I wouldn't mind trying including one for creamy chicken and greens with roasted poblano and caremalized onion as well as one for coconut candies. I don't think I will write either one down but if I need something in the future, I know these recipes exist.

Betty Crocker's New International Cookbook. I surprise by the variety of recipes in this cookbook so much that I wouldn't mind having a copy of the cookbook myself. Besides the cheese straws recipe, there are recipes for Hungarian chicken dish, a chicken dumpling dish and homemade ravioli that we would be willing to try. I also found a recipe for Crumpets which will be perfect for my tea party later this year.

I also checked out Swedish Cakes and Cookies translated by Melody Favish. There hasn't been time to look over this one before the cookbook club. Hopefully I will get a chance to peruse it before it is due. 

There are a variety of ages at the cookbook club from the young to the very old. Some go all out while others are there just for the conversation. Over the last few months, I have tried new things including grapefruit ginger sorbet. I learned some new tricks like using a melon baller to scope out the middle of cupcakes to fill them. It is always a good time and does make me sad that I had to miss this month but I look forward to some comfort food in February.

#445 Bake homemade bread

When I wrote my bucket list this was meant to be done without the help of bread machine and that is how it was accomplished. This one kind of got accomplished by accident. We were planning on having homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner and didn't pick up bread. I wanted to try a loaf in the crockpot but I didn't have any parchment paper. I went in search for a recipe that could easily be done before dinner. Since I didn't have any wheat flour, unbleached flour, or other types of flour in the apartment besides regular (bleached) all purpose flour, I had to find a recipe that use that. And I succeeded.

This recipe from Lil' Luna has become my go to bread recipe. We even use it for cheesy garlic bread. The downside is that it makes 3 loaves. I was able to convert the measurements to make 1 loaf with a little bit of math and my pamper chef measuring cups.

French Bread from Lil' Luna

 

Ingredients

• 2 TB dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 2 cups hot water
• 3 TB sugar
• 1 TB salt
• 5 TB vegetable oil
• 6 cups flour, divided
• 1 egg, beaten- for glazing bread

Instructions

1. Dissolve your yeast in ½ cup warm water.
2. In a separate bowl combine hot water, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of the flour. and stir.
3. With the paddle attachment mix the yeast mixture and the hot water-flour mixture together.
4. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Once all of the flour is added, let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Separate your dough into 3 pieces. On a floured surface roll each piece into a 9x12 rectangle. Roll it up like a jelly roll (long way).
6. Place the dough on a greased baking pan, seam side down. Score the bread across the top 3 or 4 times, and brush with your beaten egg. Let dough rise uncovered for 30 minutes in a warm place.
7. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes at 375 or until golden brown

We used this particular loaf for cheesy garlic bread on New Year's Day. 

It is not as light and airy as I think bread to be but it is not doughy. It is a little more on the dense side with a soft crust. 

This is one bucket list adventure that I was hesitant to try because I was worried how it would turn out. I had nothing to worry about. The bread is fantastic.