7100. Make smash burgers

 We got the flat top grill back in July. Pinterest is full of ideas for a Blackstone type grill. One of these is for smash burgers. I decided that I wanted to make smash burgers. 

I found directions on Pinterest. Then I found a deal on a burger press on Amazon. The burger press came and the hubby was excited to try making smash burgers. 

Smash burgers are exactly what they sound like. Burgers that you smash or press flat. They are quite simple to make. All you need is some ground beef (or turkey or chicken if that's your jam) plus whatever seasonings you normally put in your homemade burgers. The hubby keeps it simple and just uses beef.

To make them

1. Roll your beef into balls about the size of a good meatball or dumpling.

2. Make sure your grill is well oiled and heated up.

3. Place your burgers balls on the grill with enough room to smash your balls

4. Using a burger press or spatula, press down on the ball until your burger patty is evenly flat and thin. Hold on for about 10 seconds. Repeat for all the burger balls. You can use parchment paper to avoid sticking.

5. Season your burger patties, if not already done so. 

6. Cook until your done to your likeness. You can add cheese here and let melt on the grill.

7. Enjoy

The hubby is really impress by the new burger press. We will be making smash burgers a lot this summer.  If you have a griddle or flat top grill, definitely make some smash burgers this grilling season. 

24 in 2024 -- Try at Least One New Food -- Melon Tasting

 Erin knows that I am usually game to try weird fruits. Before our Galentine's Brunch she sends a text saying "I have picked up some strange melon's for Amy's strange fruit goal." One was a Kiwano Melon from Africa and the other was a Pepino Melon from Ecuador. Both are more of a cucumber melon from what I learned on Google. She found both of them at Pick n Save. 

When we got to to her house, she had both melons cut for us to try. 

The Kiwano Melon was bright green and full of seeds. It definitely looked like a neon green cucumber. Erin said it was a pain to cut that she made her husband do it due to the prickly skin. She kept getting poked. 

Verdict; This was actually very good. Google said it could taste like banana and passion fruit or cucumber lime. The first bite I took did taste like banana but the rest was more cucumber melon. It reminded me of a lime Jell-O shot. If you don't like Jell-O because of the texture, you probably won't like this fruit. The fruit slime, as we called it because it reminded us of Ghostbuster slime or Nickelodeon slime, was even good as a yogurt topping.

The Pepino Melon reminded me of a honeydew melon especially in texture. This one you could eat the skin on. 

Verdict: It lacked flavor. It was boring. Given the choice, I would take the Kiwano melon. It just did not wow me. The others felt the same way.

Both fruits were definitely an adventure. I would actually buy the Kiwano melon in the future, especially if I was having a gathering and wanted to serve something different. It would also be good on a St. Patrick's Day board based on the color. 

I am not sure what the next fruit Erin will discover for me to try is but I'm sure it will be interesting. Maybe I should tell her Prickly Pear. 

5034. Walk the new walking bridge in Appleton

 Back in 2020, Appleton opened a new walking bridge across the Fox Cities from Lawe Street. I said I wanted to do walk this bridge for 4 years. It has been on my 21 in 2021 list, 22 in 2022, and 23 in 2023 lists. I am very good at procrastinating apparently. 

My other "issue" was I wasn't show where to park. I really didn't want to walk the entire Fox Trot Trail just to get to it. I wasn't entirely comfortable parking at Stone Arch and walking to it which I shouldn't be. I think Grandma fear of dark and creepy places is starting to wear off on me. I also couldn't figure out on Google maps, where it ended so I couldn't park on the other end. It turns out there is parking by the trail head. Who knew??

Since it was a relatively nice day for February, I dragged Heather with me on my adventure. We left our cars at Stone Arch, the last stop on Death By Chocolate. We picked up the Newbery Trail right across from Stone Arch and took that to Lawe Street. Then we followed the Fox Trot Trail north on Lawe Street until we got to the walking bridge. We stopped and got a few pictures of Metamorphosis sculpture.

The Lawe Street Trestle Trail crosses the Fox River. It is 575 feet long so less than 1/8 of mile. It will bring you out to the apartments down by the Banta Bowl. You can opt to turn around and go back the same way you came or continue following the trail back to John Street and back down South River St. We started out following the trail but decided to turn back since we weren't really sure how far we would walk if it followed it the entire way. Our legs and ears were getting cold.

It is a lovely walk. We did not see any eagles but there were some duck. I'm sure when everything is all leafed out for the year or in the fall it would be really pretty. 

Go explore this trail or one of the many other trials in the area. There are many trials I still need to explore including Nelson Family Crossings between Little Chute and Kaukauna. I think there is another new trial/bridge in Appleton that I need to check out too. 

5078. Go to Acoca Coffee in Appleton

 Heather and I did the West End Death by Chocolate this year. I gave her the option of coffee or root beer because one stop was Acoca Coffee and another was Stone Arch.  Heather said coffee as I figured she would. I always wanted to check out Acoca coffee anyways.

Acoca Coffee is on College Ave downtown Appleton. They are open 7-4 Wednesday to Monday and closed Tuesdays. They roast their own beans and brew each cup to order. They also are very welcoming to all people and identities. 

I ordered a raspberry and vanilla chai latte. Heather ordered a dirty chai. 

They gave us a number. We grabbed our chocolate and a table. They have high tops and low tables with plenty of seating. It is another great place to grab a cup of your favorite beverage and hang out.

They accidentally entered a strawberry and vanilla chai latte. I don't do strawberry so they made me the correct one. It was very good. I would definitely come back. I balked the price briefly (over $8) but then I remember the flavors are extra and it's a local business. It is definitely nice to be able to splurge on a $8 chai now and again. We just don't tell the hubby.

My only "complaint" is it seemed dark in there even with all the windows. I also noticed this at Copper Rock. I'm not sure if this is just a coffee place thing or I just like a lot of light. It is not creepy dark just more of a dark ambiance. Maybe that's how coffee shops are supposed to be or maybe it's just me. I'll just take my cup of chai or hot chocolate and go enjoy in the sunlight. Definitely no vampire blood in me.  

If you haven't check them out yet, grab yourself a cup. 

5098. Go to the Dirty Bookstore in Appleton

 One of the ladies in my book club calls the used bookstore in Appleton "The Dirty Bookstore" because the books are used. The name kind of stuck with me and I started calling it the Dirty Bookstore and I wanted to check it out for years. I am just really into buy many books. I prefer the library, audio books, or e-books. 

The Dirty Bookstore is actually called The Book Store and was originally located up by Northland Mall but moved just west of downtown on College Ave. Parking is street parking or a tiny lot. I was going to visit last year but had to cross the railroad tracks. However, this year one of our Death by Chocolate stops made Heather and I walk right by it. I advised Heather we were going to check it out. Her response "Oh. No. Not a Bookstore."

The Book Store is a very nice bookstore with lots of books. Like any good bookstore it was arranged by genre and alphabetically. There were a few chairs scattered about to read your books. 

My favorite was the mystery section with the body outline on the floor.

I did find over an entire shelf of Brenda Novak books which was a good thing since I still need 9 more books to complete my 50 book challenge. I was running out of audio books to get from the library. I picked up 2 of the Whiskey Creek series books I was missing. 

There were also new books. You could ask them to order you a book as well. I was disappointed they didn't have the new Hank Philippi Ryan book so I could take a picture with the cover. Oh well. 

The prices are reasonable -- 50% off the cover price of used books and 15% off new books. My 2 books cost my $8. Not a bad deal. I would definitely check them again and next time I wouldn't be afraid of crossing the tracks. 

5368. Have a brat from Miesfeld's Triangle Market

 In case you didn't know, I am all about bucket lists and to do lists. I saw there was a new 100 Things to Do in Wisconsin book out last year. I was going to buy it but decided to check it out from the library instead. One of the things in the book was "Eat a Sheboygan Brat at Miesfield's." Andrea was like don't bother. They are disgusting. I still wanted to make up my own mind.

I asked the hubby if he wanted me to pick up Sheboygan Hard Rolls since I was literally driving by Miesfield's on my way to Andrea's for Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. He said no but to get some beef sticks. He wanted to try them. I figured I was there I should pick up some brats for lunch. Worst case scenario they were as disgusting as Andrea said they were and I'd have to find something else for lunch or mix them with noodles.

According to their website, they have 25 types of brats. I only saw 2 but I was in a hurry and didn't really look. I'm sure they did. I got the Grand Champion Brats. They were $4.49/lb I think. They looked really good.

They came wrapped in plastic and then butcher paper.

I tossed them in the air fryer for 8 minutes. The hubby likes his brats boiled. Ugh.. gross. I preferred grilling them. The air fryer is a close second.. I can get a good grill taste without grilling them. 

I didn't eat them right away and stuck them in the fridge for 2 days. Meal prep at it's finest.

I reheated one of the brats in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Usually I don't have a bun with my brat at lunch unless we have brat buns. I just cut it up and dip in ketchup (or mix with noodles). 

Verdict -- I ate almost the entire brat without noticing. It really didn't have a strong flavor which the hubby will like. I did get some flavor towards the end. I think they are just fine. It almost reminds of a brat I would find at a baseball game. I also will be curious if it tastes any different eating it fresh from the air fryer or not.

I would definitely get them again... along with the bacon and beef sticks. 

I would have to agree with Danielle Gay, the author of 101 Things to Do In Wisconsin, you should definitely try a Miesfield brat unless of course you grew up on true Sheboygan brats then maybe not. I will continue to try various brats throughout the state as each meat market has it's unique flavor of a simple brat. 

Around the World Chocolate Tasting

 Looking at the various library calendars, I saw that Kimberly was having a Chocolate Around the World Tasting. That sounds like an event for me. I confirmed that the hubby was busy and no one else wanted to go. I signed up first thing in the morning when registration opened. I think I surprised them that I wanted to sign up as soon as the library open.

The event was from 6-7. We were given the chance to taste 8 different chocolates from around the world plus learned some history of the chocolate in that country. Tracy, the librarian, went to World Market and brought a variety of chocolates. 

We were told use all of our senses to taste, smell, look, and touch to taste the chocolate. We actually had a crash course in tasting chocolate from Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate. 

Our chocolates

Japan -- Meltybend: A chocolate truffle coated in a thin layer of cocoa powder. Definitely smooth and creamy. This was my favorite chocolate. 4.5 stars.

Mexico -- Mazapn de la Rosa: A Peanut confection similar to the English Almond Variation. It was very crumbly, kind of Peanut butter like, very sweet. This was my least favorite. 2 stars.

Germany -- Mazipan Niederegger Lubeck: Kissed by the sun, the almonds have a sweet nutty flavor. It was smooth and soft. Sweet but not too sweet. A solid 3 stars

US -- Macadamias Hawaiian Host -- Creamy, nutty, milk, and honey dusted in powdered sugar. I thought it had a coffee undertone. I didn't taste the honey. It was sweet and crunchy. Another solid 3 stars

Iceland -- Traditional Icelandic Chocolate Noi Sinius -- Bitter, cocoa, and vanilla. It was only 58% but it was hard. It was not dark enough for me. 3.5 stars

Belgium -- Lait Caramel Sale (Cote De' Or) -- Rich Smooth Milk Chocolate bar with delicious salted caramel chips. It needs to be at least 35% cacao to be Belgium Chocolate. Definitely smelling the caramel. I thought it was too crunchy and sweet. 2.5 stars.

United Kingdom -- Willie Cacao Cuban Bar (Lime Ginger) -- It is made in small batches that takes several weeks to make a single bar. It was dark and the lime and ginger made for an interesting flavor. Very tasty in my book. I was in the minority on this one. 4 stars

France -- Terry's Original Chocolate Orange Bar -- Definitely smell the orange. It was like a chocolate orange in bar form. Their motto: Tap it, Unwrap it, Enjoy it. Too much orange for me. 2.5 stars.

It was definitely a fun and tasty experience. I will have to explore the more international chocolate bars when I'm at World Market next. I usually go for the darker the better but some of these were intriguing enough to see what else World Market has. 

It was a perfect Galentine's Day or even Valentine's Day activity put on by the library. I will definitely keep my eye out for more library fun.