20 in 2022: Go ice skating at the Plaza in Neenah

 Neenah built an outdoor ice skating rink with the help of Bergrstroms. It is an ice skating rink in winter and a gathering area for concerts in summer. There is also a coffee shop. Even though I have not been ice skating in many years and no longer have skates, I wanted to go skating at the Plaza at least once to say I've done it. 

When I saw that a coworker of mine celebrated her birthday there, she said she'd go skating with me anytime. I didn't want to skate when it was cold out. So I planned on a Sunday afternoon when the temperatures weren't freezing.

In order to skate at the Plaza, you have to sign your life away through the website prior to actually paying. You can scan a QR code when you get there or do it before you leave. The waiver is good for 3 days from signing. Once we get to The Plaza, you give them your name and they see your waiver. It is completely paper free. Then you can pay which again is only cards or digital wallets.. no cash. I get it in COVID but this could pose a problem for people who don't have credit/debit cards or digital wallets. It is $8 for an adult to skate and $5 for skate rental.

When I got to the Plaza, the Zamboni was cleaning the ice. It does that every two hours so there is always several times during the day where they kick everyone off the ice. Then you get nice clean sheet of ice. Personally I prefer messy ice. I find it easier to skate on messy ice.

The rink is not huge. Everyone skates counter-clockwise. There are walkers for little kids to help them. I stuck close to the railing the first couple laps around the ice. I was afraid of wiping out. Remember the ice was glossy.  Because it was a nice day and the Packers were out of the playoffs, it was busy but not extremely busy.

We had fun skating. Only my co-worker wiped out once. Our other friend and I did not fall. We skated for about 45 minutes before the blisters started to form and the thighs started scream. The hubby was happy that I did not fall. 

I will definitely go again. Maybe next year they will have a season pass. I really want to skate under the lights. Not sure I will get that done before the weather turns nice but there is always November and December. Maybe a birthday night skate.

6775. Make crepes

 When we moved into our apartment, my cousins bought me a crepe pan for my birthday/housewarming gift. That was over 8 years ago. We even seasoned it when we bought it. Then it sat. Last year, I decided I wanted to make crepes, planned a crepe party for my birthday, but had to cancel due to the hubby's schedule. This year I was determined to make crepes. I decided to host a brunch and serve crepes. 

I clipped and printed a few crepe recipes years ago and found one that looked simple enough. It was milk, eggs, butter, and flour. I picked up a can of cherry pie filling and whipped cream for our crepes. I was good to.

The recipe came together easier than expected. 

Then I had to actually cook the crepes. This was the part that I was scare of. I was worried none of them were going to turn out. I knew the first crepe never turned out anyways. Well, my second crepe didn't turn out either. 

I sprayed the pan again and waited a bit more time before attempting to flip it. That must have been key because the rest turned out fine.

They were easier than expected to make unless you have the hubby breathing down your neck because he wants to eat then none of them turn out.

The cherry ones were really good. Erin said they were better than a restaurant. Even Gavin approved.

 Janis bought the fixings for a yogurt bar and Danielle bought fresh fruit so we experimented with various crepe options. 

Danielle did a cherry one with yogurt and granola on top. 

I did a raspberry one with yogurt, sunflower seeds, and almonds on top. That was amazing.

The next night I was going to use the leftover crepe batter so the hubby and I could have crepes for dinner. The batter didn't save well and separated. Even after stirring I was having problems making them. So I whipped up more batter but because the hubby was chomping on the bit to eat, I wasn't patient enough before flipping and was not as successful the second time around. 

Because the hubby likes all the things apples and I had a few apples left from fall, I made an apple filling for me which turned out amazing. There was really only enough for his crepes which was fine as I had left over cherry pie filling to use up.

My crepe adventure went better than expected. I will definitely get more use of out of the crepe pan. Maybe the crepe brunch will be an annual thing. I do really need to find a recipe though for crepes for two. 

22 in 2022: Try a new Fruit -- Raspberry Orange Trials

 I get a lot of emails from various stores and authors. Most of them I just glance at. Rarely do I read one in it's entirety. However, one email from Meijer caught my eye. It said they were selling raspberry oranges. They were an orange that tasted like raspberries. I like raspberries and tolerate oranges. I thought this combo would be pretty good. The next time we went to Meijer, I checked them out. I could only get them in a 3 lb bag and decided not to just in case I didn't like them. I suggested to Erin that she should bring them to our crepe party. And she did.

Raspberry oranges inside can vary from a deep dark red to an almost pink color. It almost looks like the oranges were injected with raspberry syrup to get the raspberry flavor. They are quite juicy.

The raspberry oranges were much better than the kumquats. They do taste like raspberry and have a tartness to them. Because I really don't eat oranges but just suck the juice out them, raspberry oranges aren't really good for that. You kind of have to eat the pieces as they tend to break off when you try to suck the juice. 

I would get raspberry oranges again. Maybe I can find just one or two at a clip as I never would get through 3 lb bag myself. I don't think they would juice up very nicely either. If you get a chance to try them, I would definitely suggest doing so. It breaks up the regular orange routine.

Stay tuned through the year to see what other weird and exotic fruits I end up trying.

22 in 2022: Try a new Fruit -- Kumquat Trials

 I enjoyed trying new fruits last year so I thought I would like to continue to try new fruits this year. At our crepe brunch, Erin surprised me and brought kumquats for us to try. 

Kumquats look like little mini oranges and are citrus fruit. You eat the rind and all.

I do not like kumquats. I do not like them at all. They are nasty little sour buggers that probably might be work as an alcohol infusion and that's about it. 

I took one bite and spit it out. Definitely won't be having them again any time soon. Maybe if I found a use for them besides popping them in mouth, I would be more apt to eat them again but straight up kumquats are not for me. Janis on the other hand loves them.

22 in 2022

 I did not do very well at my 21 in 2021 last year. I think I managed to do 5 things and two of the were reading related. I did move everything over to the 2022 list if they did not get done last year. Some have been on the list for 2 years -- mainly due to the pandemic.

Here goes nothing... Anything bold is a carry over from last year

1. Go to short story night at lion tail
2. Make crepes -- I have a crepe brunch planned for later this month. Stay tuned to see how they tuned out.
3. Go to Spat's
4. Try a new fruit -- This was on the list last year and I actually tried 3 new fruits. I figured it was something to keep on the list. 
5. Go to Mile to Music
6. Tour Lambeau Field
7. Follow the Fox Trail through Appleton
8. Have a fro-doh
9. Make homemade Cinnamon rolls
10. Go to Copper Rock Coffee Shop -- Technically I did this during the Light it Up Appleton Event but actually never ordered anything so I'm keeping it on the list
11. Bike at least 10 miles -- I bought the bike last year and got really close to biking 10 miles. Then Mac got a flat tire and has been out of commission since September....
12. Make melted crayon art
13. Go ice skating at the Plaza in Neenah
14. Go to the Community Public Market in Appleton
15. Go to Neimith's Southside Market
16. Walk the new walking bridge in Appleton
17. Go to the Dirty Bookstore in Appleton
18. Go to Hearthstone House
19. Have an apple cider donut
20. Go to Heartland Pizza
21. Try stuffed chicken wings from Mai's Deli
22. Finish Sue Grafton's Alphabet