Wisconsin- a true gem

Life is always crazy and busy. Especially right now being the end of the semester. Deadlines for papers, projects, exams and presentations fill up my day. Between all that mumbo-jumbo and teaching, Baker's Pop and I rarely get to see each other.


He planned a darlin' getaway to Bayfield, Wisconsin for the weekend. We stayed at the most darling B&B that had adorable rooms with a sweet bathtub! Never underestimate taking a bath. I haven't taken one in eons and it was so delightful to sit in a tub and soak. Oh, not to mention, they had great breakfast and were accommodating to various diets.


It was such a relaxing weekend, we were even able to find a yoga class on Saturday morning! We had great weather for hiking and taking in the sights along Lake Superior. We hiked along the Sea Cave Trail. It was so perfect, not too muddy, buggy or hot. Wisconsin is so diverse. Multiple breath taking sights, pure air, sweet people and a wholleee lotta cows...cheese and beer. I admit it, I'm a Wisconsin character and proud of it!


Enjoy the pictures! I highly, highly recommend you visit Wisconsin if you haven't and if you're from Wisconsin, enjoy it for all it's worth!

Back to the grind!

In the Defense of Potato Chips!

It is hard to tell what encouraged me to make potato chips. My original plan was to make thin crispy slices of potatoes. It was not until after I ate my first batch when I realized 'Hey, these are potato chips!' Sometimes, I'm a little slow.
My first batched I sliced thin in nonuniform shapes pretty much slicing n' dicing wherever on the spud. They looked less chip like and more uh, I don't know, amoeba- like? It was easier keeping them in the same circular shape.
I don't even like potato chips. Well, I do like kettle chips - Theee Kettle Chips. Potato chip fans know what I'm talkin' about! A year ago I was in Ottawa visiting a friend who is a feen for kettle chips. I ate more than my fair share when I was visiting. I'm afraid to buy a bag, I might turn into a kettle monster!
Eventhough these chips I made were far from Backyard BBQ Kettle Chips, it felt so good to have made some junk food from scratch. Yeah, yeah, that sounds disgusting. But really - olive oil, salt, pepper and potatoes in the oven can't be that bad- it's not kale, but it's also not some packaged hydrogenated crap. While I snacked on them, I felt good. I made something most people wouldn't and like Michael Pollen said, "make your own junk food."

I made that! How crazy!

Above are the more uniformed chips. I dusted some salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic on them. Delish!
Baker even liked them!

Finally, some falafel!

Is there a better way to end a busy week than taking a yoga class with a good friend and going home to make a delicious falafel salad - I can't think of a better way to begin a weekend. Well, maybe, someone making me falafel? I'm not that picky I guess...

I can almost remember the last time I had falafel. It's been too long. In Minneapolis, falafel was at my fingertips. There were tons of shops and restaurants that had it to purchase, especially on the fly. Falafel King and Holy Land were two of my favorite places. I haven't had a dank falafel sandwich since my move back to Green Bay. Sad, yes I know.


Baker's daddy is not a huge fan of falafel. Granted, after the falafel wrap I made him with my leftovers may have changed his mind. I knew he was going to be working late on Friday so I gave into my falafel craving and whipped up a batch of beany-bean falafely balls! They were perfect. I placed them with some spinach, chopped red onion, carrots and tomatoes. To give it a lil' more oomph, I tossed together a thaini dressing. I tried to keep it as simple as I could. About a tablespoon of tahini, lemon juice to thin, garlic powder, pepper and some water to thin it into more of a dressing. For being really simple, it was so flavorful! Yum.


I love the simple things. It felt so good spend some alone time and make dinner, chill in my sweats with Bakes and be in bed by 10:15. It was like being single again!

April Showers?

I admit it it, I thought we were free of cold and snowy weather. I guess I was a bit over confident when I put away my winter warmables. We got a bunch of snow last night and this morning. When I woke up, I was amazed to see snow on the ground. It was absolutely beautiful!


When I finished teaching my classes this morning I ventured out with Chubs for a walk. It was so strange to see snow covering the trees and bushes budding!


It has been pretty dreary all week with colder rainy weather. Perfect for baking! All I've wanted to do this week is make delicious cookies or bars but have been to busy to do so. I did make a batch of smokey black bean soup. I modified it a bit from Suzane's at Fat Free Vegan. I added a few more vegetables and some collards. I am really into collard greens right now. Delicious and so healthy. Between me and Baker's daddy, the soup went pretty quick. We both love spicy-mexicanlike food.

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!