BEANS on TOAST!

December 26, 2007 Breakfast at Phil's place in Pleasanton is quite an experience. Phil is known for the new and upcoming delicacy called Beans on Toast. It was made popular in Europe several hundred years ago, but has made it's way to America when the Zablocki's travelled from Poland to Indiana. (yea, I'm making this up as I go)
I had the pleasure of Phil creating a deluxe version of Beans on Toast that included potatoes, meatballs, ketsup, and horseradish along with the two basics, beans and toast. The palate did not know what hit it. BAM! Words are hard to describe this culinary delight.
During the early morning feast, Phil and I came up with the name of a new restaurant, Beans on Toast! Brilliant we both exclaimed, how about a second helping? We immediately commenced on writing down the recipe. 1 can of beans, and some toast. Didn't take long before we had several versions including the soon-to-be-popular More Beans on Toast. (double helping) After looking at the required profit margins, we decided that $1.50 might be too much to charge.
If you have never tried this dish, you soon will. Our mail order division is about to be rolled out.
This dish is not just for breakfast anymore. For dinner we are working on pairing the right wine with this dish. Stay tuned. A 2008 White Zinfandel is high on the list.
Enjoy! Thanks Phil.

Christmas Day, 2007

Yes, Jamie and David were both home (Manteca) for Christmas. It was great celebrating the day, weekend, and week with them. Thanks to Lori & Chris for hosting everybody and keeping the fireplace going. Hey, it's cold in California.

The animals might need an explanation so here it is: instead of the more traditional Christmas gifts of cash, clothing, electronic wonders, and music, I decided to give Jamie & David a goat. An organization called World Vision, allows a person to donate a variety of items, including animals, to countries, villages, and families in need of food. The early-morning bleating of a dairy goat is a happy sound for children in countries like Haiti and Malawi. They know it's ready to be milked! A goat nourishes a family with fresh milk, cheese, and yogurt, and can offer a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products.

A person could also donate a cow, goose, alpaca, fishing gear, pig and similar items. Jamie and David decided that a goat and monies to help the sexually exploited girls would be their choice.

If interested, simply Google Word Vision Online. It's simple, rewarding, and can make a difference.

December 22, 2007

Before anyone gets the wrong idea that Mike is reading the new medicare/medicaid plan for 2008, whilst he holds a hammer behind mom, stop! Mom, who is now home from the nursing home after suffering a stroke in October, is enjoying a very chocolate based gift from Sam & Hilda. A rather large box was received this day filled with a nice assortment of chocolates and a Packer hammer. (of course) I had the pleasure of being able to spend 4 days in Puyallup Washington, visiting mom, Mike, Bec, Joe, Sonva, Pete, Sharon, and Kali.

Pub Crawl #24

Jonathan’s BistroFond du Lac, WI

Coral, Lindsey, Sabra, Nathan, Phillip, Kelly are just 6 of the great crew that make Jonathan’s Bistro a great place to visit.

They used to have two really nice microbrews called Caber Tossing Scottish Ale and Buzzin’ Honey Ale from Fox River Brewing Co. located in Oshkosh and Appelton.

Recently they replaced these two with Peroni, an Italian brew, and a Leinenkugel Cider tasting brew.

Happy Hour from 3-6pm, Mon-Fri, they have their 2 for 1 special. Sweet!

Jonathan’s is known for its Italian food, and last night I finally got to dine on their mushroom penne, salad, and Tiramisu. Fantastic! They also have pecan crusted walleye, Thai Pasta, Duck with squash risotto, stuffed tenderloin gorgonzola, and bucatini on their menu.

One special worth mentioning is the endless wine or sangria they offer for $7.79. Everyday, all times.

Wireless Internet, for homework, and a nice selection of wine, half priced on Tuesday, make this an even nicer place.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Only is Wisconsin! So what do people in WI do on a Sunday when the Packers arent' playing? We go to the local grocery store to watch a professional cheese carver do his thing. I kid you not.

I look small standing next to this guy. Thanks.

Where else can you still get a gallon of milk or a pound of real butter for less than 2 bucks each? Or buy a nice home for under $100,000? Or freeze your butt off in November? Tell me!

Thanksgiving 2007

Decisions are part of life and on Thanksgiving I was faced with yet another one. Swanson or Banquet Turkey Dinner, with gravy. I'll let you guess which direction I took..... I hope all those of you reading this had a great Thanksgiving Day wherever you celebrated it. Remember that turkey is not just for one day a year. Neither is being thank-ful.

Pub Crawl #23

The Main Exchange

161 South Main Street

Fond du Lac, WI

The night before Thanksgiving, and the town was hopping. Including a packed pub called the Main Exchange.

Mary, whom I call the owner since she's been at the pub for over 25 years, is great. She makes new and old patrons feel at home and welcome.

She is assisted by Jessica who always seems to keep the beverages flowing.

The food is what I call pub food with a good variety of burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and salads.

They have happy hour every day from when I enter, to when I leave. Technically I think it's from 3-7 every day with the double bubble special. Two mugs of beer for $2 bucks. Not bad. For those that enjoy a Long Island Iced Tea, yes they are huge and it's two for $6 bucks.

They always have some fresh popcorn for the takin' and some sort of chips and fiesta dip.

Nice place, with two floors and two bars, and loads of oak furniture.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Some of you know that a few years ago I received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. I tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.
Finally, I was fed up, and yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelledback. I shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. In desperation, I threw up my hands, grabbed the bird, and put himin the freezer.
For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that I'd hurt the parrot, I quickly opened the door to thefreezer.The parrot calmly stepped out onto my outstretched arms and said tome, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language andactions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my offensive andunforgivable behavior."
I was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. Just as I was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in hisbehavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

So what did this weekend bring to Fond du Lac? SNOW! Not a lot, but just enough to let you know that you're not in Mexico, where some of my Candadian friends are heading this weekend. Friday night I was a guest at Carolyn and Kurt's home, see photo. Cashew crusted Mahi-mahi was on the menu coupled with a bottle or two of Merlot, Old Vine Zinfandel, and Cabernet.

Saturday I found myself at the local restaurant called Fusion. Check out the menu from one of last week's postings. It was fantastic. What amazed me the most were the huge portions that they served. The prosciutto wrapped herb mozzarella Milanese could have fed 4 people. The smoked Gouda encrusted with spiced sunflower seeds was tremendous, and the final course with caramelized white wine poached pear and brie wrapped in a pastry dough was a killer. I could not decide on a favorite, they were all that good. Nor could I finish any of them. (no fat jokes, please) I was joined by two young ladies, Angie and Jill, who were hunter's widows, since it was opening day for deer season. At the end we were joined by Wally from Badger Liquor who entertained us with his wit and humor. A fun time.

I spent a good deal of time on Saturday hammering out 3 items on my to-do list. Change the oil, flush the radiator to prepare it for a WI winter, and change the transmission fluid in Ole Grey, my trusty travel beast. If you know me, I drove it to a service garage, stayed in the van, read a book from my homework list, and then payed the bill an hour later.

More good news was that Pete, Sharon, and Kali had made it safely to Puyallup WA .

Perhaps a recommendation for a good IPA is due. Here are two of my favorites. Enjoy! There are three kinds of people in this world. Those that can count, and those that can't.

And they’re off!
Pete, Sharon, and Kali left on Tuesday morning heading to the Great Northwest, Seattle. They plan to spend most of the winter in the Seattle area helping out with Mom who recently suffered from a stroke and is going through rehab and therapy.

Best wishes for their travels and for Mom's speedy recovery.

Thursday, November 15, 2007
Happy Birthday to my dad, who would have been 82 today.
I got wind of a wine tasting deal this coming Saturday, so I popped into the restaurant and got a brochure. The food sounds fantastic. It’s also at a better time, 2pm versus the 10am sampling last weekend. Fond du Lac really does have some nice restaurants. Fusion is one of them.

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Chilly chilly this morning. Freezing in fact. Then I walked outside for my morning walk. High 20’s, so most of the locals aren’t wearing shirts. I think I froze my teeth during my walk. The furnace went out last night and the house dropped to below 60, so the good news is that the heat bill will be slightly lower.
Starling Castle Riesling, Mark West Pinot Noir, and Luccio Moscato d’Asti were the wines served at 10am today. Yes, 10 am. Not your usual Saturday morning beverages, but if you attend a cooking class, they are. The primary instructor for Morain Park Technical Culinary Art Program in Fond du Lac along with 2 of her students gave some Thanksgiving day cooking tips to a small group of maybe 12 of us. We learned how to truss a turkey, how to thaw a turkey, how to make turkey stock, how to carve a turkey, and how to use a wet towel. (just seeing if you’re reading) We were all invited to visit the school and have a meal prepared by the students. Tuesday-Thursday from 11:00 to 12:30.
Go Badgers!

Friday, November 09, 2007
Dale & Candi’s Cedar Lodge, located in downtown Calumetville, WI was the scene of last night’s birthday dinner for Sharon. If you thought you missed it, or you thought it was on October 11th, you are correct, but we celebrated it last night. Hey, free cheesecake.
It is by far the best food in the Midwest. Italy has some good food, also. They are also known for their great WI style Bloody Marys. The photo doesn’t quite capture the wonderful aroma of this small family run business, so I’ll explain some of the dishes. Pete had his usual, tips and prawns, which is most excellent. Sharon went for the Icelandic Salmon and scallops, while I elected the Lite Fare Scallops dinner, with pasta salad, baked potatoe with all the fixins, and a basket of bread. Let’s not forget their infamous fritter to-go. (Lite Fare?) As I prepare to select a health club here in Fond du Lac…..really! After two days of exhaustive search and research, I now have to decide which club to join. This might take a while.
A great dinner along with great company.

Thursday, November 8, 2007
3,628 mile trip. Wisconsin, North Carolina, Baltimore, Washington DC, Red Brick Station, Cecil County, and Camp Hill, PA. All in 40 days… flat.
Perhaps you noticed that one of those stops was a brewery. Assumptions might be correct this time. But due to an oversight of the author of this blog, I failed to mention a momentous gathering at one of my favorite establishments in the Baltimore area….The Red Brick Station White Marsh Brewing Co. Yes the brews are good. Yes they have 99 cent Tuesdays. Yes they serve food. But the best part is that I got to see my good friend Dr. Speight and meet his fiancé Erica, a wonderful and charming young chemist who has a great smile. The pleasure was all mine. I look forward to returning, as soon as they set a date or in May if they don’t. (Jamie’s Graduation)
Aaron was part of the original CMRA task force (Campaign for Makers of Real Ale) whose sole mission was to discover every pub in Salisbury UK and sample their wares. Note: the task force was comprised of only two of us. We did our best and failure was not on our minds, just fine English ales. Many a memory was stirred that evening whilst we sipped on IPAs, Stouts, Porters, and Ales. I’m smiling just thinking about it. Speaking of brews, having returned to the center of the universe, Fond du Lac, WI (a stolen phrase from some Californian) I am acclimating myself to the term….double bubble. or as some of you refer to the 2 for 1 specials. Hypothetically speaking, a person could take $10 and visit, let’s say three pubs and could enjoy 6 very nice brews complete with dinner. Dinner = crackers, WI summer sausage, cheese, and a lively dip. Oh, and a pickle if you had requested a vegetable. Not a bad hypothetical deal.

Sunday, November 4, 2007
Did you know that the capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg? You do now! As I began my journey back to Wisconsin, I stopped for the night in Camp Hill, PA (a superb of Harrisburg) to visit a good friend of mine, Brenda and her daughter, Heather. Phil and I met them on our tour of Ireland, almost one year ago to the day. It was most fitting that we stopped at Ceoltas Irish Pub in Harrisburg and sipped on some cider and Guinness. However, the evening was far from over. Little did I know of the feast that awaited. Some great cheeses and nuts, a fantastic lemon-pesto shrimp on the Barbie, oven baked garlic, sage & fig chicken with an apricot sauce, roasted asparagus and mushrooms, a harvest salad with all kinds of good stuff including a nice blu cheese, and several bottles of great wine. For dinner we were joined by Sue and her delicious pumpkin roll, Heather, Nate (Brenda’s son), and Heather’s boyfriend, Chuck.
I had met Sue, along with Brenda, in March in Mexico when they flew in for a golfing adventure. The adventure was getting to/from Casa Pablo! Lots of laughs, after the first day. Thanks Brenda for the wonderful hospitality, great food, superb wine, and company.

November 3, 2007
Judge Prid is the name I gave Laura when I first met her in Salisbury UK as she served me my first pint at the New Inn. And second, and third…
That was maybe 7 years ago. She was studying to become a “lawyer” back then, and still is, even though she has relocated to the US. The photo was taken at Todd’s neighbor’s place (Kevin) where frequently on any given Saturday, they have a bonfire. Not just a little ole campfire, a real bonfire with 30 foot flames.
The two other young ladies in the photo are her college friends. It was great to see my friend, the Judge, and we spent several hours catching up on past memories of England. I wish you the best in your studies and career, Judge Prid. (and say hi to Todd)

November 2, 2007
Paint n’ Place is what Robin’s ranch is called and I was fortunate to be invited for a week. Hidden deep in Cecil Co. MD, just off Red Toad Road, it’s a great place that makes a person want to relax. Quiet serenity: overlooking a pond, horses in the barn, the morning fog and dew, a cup of coffee on the deck, and good friends. Sounds like a great place for a B&B. Perhaps, some day. The food was fantastic, the wine kept flowing, which I blame on Chris, Robin’s friend, and the often lengthy late night discussions regarding goals, life, and religion. (no politics)
A big thank-you to my friend Robin for puttin’ up with me and puttin’ me up. And it was a pleasure meeting you, Chris. Give Thanks!

October 31, 2007
Grace-Marie Evans the newest addition to the Frank and Ariseli family. Wow, what a cutie! She’s 14 months and a real bundle of joy. For those that don’t the Evans, I met Frank on the EDS project as it began at Edgweood Aresenal in Aberdeen, MD. Following the tests in Salisbury, UK, the system, along with the crew and myself, was deployed to Denver, CO. In Denver, Frank met Ariseli, and the rest I don’t have to explain. It was great to visit them, meet Gracie, and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.
Best wishes to the Evans family and Happy Easter!

October 28, 2007
Drove from Apex, NC to Baltimore to meet my favorite daughter, Jamie. She is a senior at Johns Hopkins this year, yeah!! Graduation is May 22 for those that are interested. After some serious coffee at Café Q, we headed out to dinner with two of her friends, Amy, who is looking for suiters, and Jason, an elderly but very cool student approaching 28. One of my favorite places in Baltimore is Brewers Art and that’s where we dined on fantastic burgers and cool pizza. Got to meet Jamie’s roommate, Peter and their incredible dog, Java. A cross between a beagle and a pug. I returned to Baltimore on Thursday so that Jamie and I could drive to DC, shop at Trader Joes, meet Adrian’s boyfriend, break into their apartment, cook a dinner, and wait for Adrian. Great time, great food, great visit. Thanks!

Pub Crawl #21 The Flying Saucer in Raleigh, North Carolina

Friday, October 26, 2007

Located in downtown Raleigh and close to the NC State campus, you can find an exceptional pub called The Flying Saucer.

Their beer menu is a four (4) page brochure that is packed with great choices.

Tonight the palate pleasers were: Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, Flying Dog Old Scratch Steam Beer, Carolina Pale Ale, Foothills Double IPA, Highland Kashmire IPA, Cottonwood Low Down Brown, and a lovely Duck Rabbit Milk Stout. I took advantage of their Saucer Flights where you are given 5 different beers from 6 different categories or you can design your own flight. Great Idea.

Lindsay, our 'Beer Goddess" and did a great job of keeping our glasses filled.

The Magic Hat ladies are shown above and in their October attire they gladly gave out tee-shirts, bottle openers, candy, and etc.

I was pleased to be in the company of Terry Finch (host 'dad') and Jim Smith and Jim Smith. No I don't stuttttter, it was Jim Sr., visiting the grand-kids having driven from the Atlanta area) and Jim Jr. from the Jim and Sue team.

The food was ok but the appetizer of the night was the oh-so filling Bratwurst Queso.

To learn more about this pub, go to: http://www.beerknurd.com/

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Yes, I know, I added one of the pictures, twice. It was easier to keep it in than delete it. Now to the story. (short story) Sometimes it does pay to know people. Thanks to a variety of people and circumstances, I was offered a ticket to see the Hurricanes hockey game last night. They played the Buffalo Sabres and it was great. The first score happend about 10 seconds into the game, with the 'Canes' scoring first. Buffalo tied it up quickly and the game went to 2-2 until the final period, when the 'Canes' opened it up, big time, and finished the game 6-2. Exciting stuff. Thanks to Jim, from the Jim & Sue Smith team, for offering me the ticket and driving me to the game. Thanks to Terry, from the Terry & Sue Finch team, for declining the ticket before it was offered to me. Thanks to Niclas, from the Niclas and Louise Wallin team, for offering the tickets to Jim. If you didn't recognize the name, Niclas Wallin, he plays defense for the Hurricanes. I had the pleasure of meeting him and his family, from Sweden, last year when I was in the Raleigh area. Coupled with a wonderful Carolina Pale Ale .....a great night.

Sunday, October 21, 2007
Louisiana Shrimp Boil : 1 very large pot, potatoes, onions, garlic, cobs of corn, sausage, lemons, Old Bay, beverages, add some neighbors and good friends and you have a recipe for a great Sunday afternoon.
Fantastic! Highly recommend you try this at home! The one photo shows my new family …..Terry, Sue, and Sarah (and me) The adoption papers have been filed and I might soon be a fixture in the ‘room above the garage’. It’s going to be hard to leave next Sunday. The food, the fun, the friends, the family… why leave? The pictures say it better than words…..enjoy. (I did!)