Tag: yum

Yeehaw! Nashville Girls Trip!

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At the beginning of April, I got to fly down to Nashville for a long weekend with some girlfriends from high school. We took an early morning flight and got in around noon on Saturday. Upon our arrival, we headed promptly to Hampton Social for a giant shell of frosé bigger than our heads, and some delicious parmesan truffle fries. We also of course took advantage of all the photo ops.

Then we headed over to L&L Market for some shopping and enjoying the conveyor belts of cheese and charcuterie at Culture & Co.

After fueling up and enjoying a short siesta to recover from our early flight, we changed clothes and went back out for dinner and exploring. Even though we didn’t eat there, we had to make a stop at Restoration Hardware to appreciate the rooftop views and luxury furniture. For dinner we actually went to the nearby Emmy Squared for pizza.

Day 2 was for sleeping in and boozy brunch! But not before a delicious strawberry peach smoothie from The Well Coffeehouse. Post-smoothie brunch was at Liberty Common and the frozen cocktails and chicken and waffles did not disappoint.

As if Liberty Common didn’t meet our food and drink quota for the day (it did), we headed off on a one-hour road trip to Arrington Vineyards in, well, Arrington, where we popped some bubbly and built a stunning board of cheese, fruit, and sweets.

We sipped, snacked, and listened to the live music on the grass as the sun set. Does it get any better?

On the way home, we picked up some Nashville Hot Chicken and I got to try it for the first time. I typically like a little bit of spice, but this was HOT for me!

The next day, Monday, we picked up some coffee and loaded doughnuts for breakfast from Parlor Doughnuts.

Once caffeinated and riding our sugar high, we went out on a self-guided Nashville mural tour. Here are a few of the highlights:

After snapping pics in front of all the murals, we changed and went to the Fairlane Hotel to visit the rooftop pop-up: The Bouquet Bar.

The space was covered in florals from floor to ceiling, and of course offered some great city views from the rooftop patio. The floral cocktails were pricey, but there was no fee to enter the decked out bar, so it was worth it.

You can’t go to Nashville and not see live music, so after our pink, floral drinks, we went and saw The Song Suffragettes, which is a weekly show at The Listening Room Cafe featuring female artists who are trying to make it in country music. One of the ladies performing the night we were there was Olivia Faye who was on the most recent season of American Idol! Country isn’t my favorite genre, but all of these ladies were super talented and I really enjoyed the show! Afterwards, we went to Rosemary & Beauty Queen which was an old house converted into a bar!

Tuesday was our last full day in Nashville and of course we started it with brunch and strawberry mimosas at Another Broken Egg. We also realized that we’ve known each other for over 10 years and harassed our waiter asking which of us he thought had changed the most over the last decade. We got mixed reviews.

After brunch we went shopping for a while and the went to both the new and the old the Grand Ole Opry.

After grabbing photos outside both Oprys, we went to Assembly Food Hall for dinner (where I ordered hot chicken round 2 from Prince’s) and found this adorable truck full of flowers in one of the outdoor walkways.

It was a whirlwind weekend full of wine, cocktails, brunch, music, photos and catching up with old friends – the perfect girls trip getaway! Yeehaw!

Mini Tomato & Cheddar Frittatas for Your Sunday Brunch

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The first Sunday of 2022 calls for Sunday brunch! I mixed up these mini tomato and cheddar frittatas for an easy, tasty bite after church this morning. I was hoping we’d have leftovers to eat for breakfast throughout the week, but who am I kidding?! They were gone almost before I could finish snapping these photos!

I adapted the recipe from the book Platters and Boards that my sister gifted to me for Christmas. The original recipe called for goat cheese, but I’m personally not a big fan, so I swapped it out for a mild and sharp cheddar four-state mix from Wisconsin, Vermont, New York, and California. I also realized that you could add so many more ingredients like bacon, mushrooms, spinach, or other meats, cheeses, and veggies, depending on your personal preference. This recipe offers a great starting point, but I’ll definitely be trying more variations soon!

Mini Tomato & Cheddar Frittatas

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 4 eggs
  • 2/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
  • 1 oz cheddar cheese
  • 4-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • Any other meat or veggies desired!

Make it!

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with 6-7 liners. (The recipe is designed to make 6 frittatas; however, my batch yielded 7!)
  2. In a small skillet warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  3. In a small to medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and spices, adding back in the garlic.
  4. Pour into muffin tin, filling each liner about 3/4 of the way full. Drop 3-4 tomato pieces (or other meat and veggies) into each fritatta, sprinkling cheese on the top.
  5. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the eggs are set and beginning to brown on top.
  6. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving; then enjoy!

Lauren & The Foreign Reunited in Chicago

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After a year and a half of being separated by 2000 miles and a global pandemic, Lauren & The Foreign were finally reunited last month in Chicago! The week was full of sightseeing, cocktail tasting, and relaxing by our hotel’s gorgeous rooftop pool.

For anyone else who is thinking of Chicago for their next little getaway, we wanted to share some of the highlights from our trip so you can experience them too.

We stayed at the Viceroy, which was absolutely lovely and a perfect location for walking to most of our destinations. Next door was a cute little taco shop, Velvet Taco, which was our go-to for multiple meals, margaritas, and late-night snacks throughout the trip. Our top three tacos were the Rotisserie Chicken, Fried Paneer, and Mexi-Cali Shrimp.

After dinner at Velvet Taco, we spent the rest of our first evening exploring the neighborhood and eventually ended up down by Lake Michigan where we watched the sunset over the skyline.

The next morning, we treated ourselves to a delicious brunch of Phatty burritos and tater tots at Wake ‘n Bacon. The food and coffee were delicious, but the floral decor was maybe even more impressive. Good vibes all around.

After brunch we headed back to our hotel to spend some time at the rooftop pool, soaking up the sun and drinking wine and frosé from Devereaux. The weather was perfect and you really can’t beat those views.

After a day of relaxing, we were ready to go out on the town! We walked to Aster Hall for dinner, and then headed to Neon Summer for an evening of fun drinks, photo ops, and extreme neon mini golf! We opted out of the go-kart racing and the axe-throwing that were also available, and spent the rest of the evening at an incredible cocktail bar near our hotel called Sparrow.

Sparrow is a hidden gem serving 1930s-era cocktails and vibes. The moment you walk in, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a speakeasy. The art deco building and complex cocktails create a very sophisticated experience, and we can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed it!

The next day, we slept in and then went to The Hampton Social for lunch. This place has been on our list for quite a while so it was very exciting to finally get to experience it, frosé, neon sign walls, and all!

The food was delicious and filling, so after lunch we took a walk over to Navy Pier, where we immediately forgot how full we were and tried some delicious Malbec con Frutos Rojos gelato from FRÍO Gelato!

Then we walked over to The Art Institute of Chicago (admittedly a rather long walk), where we spent the rest of the afternoon.

Before we headed back to the Viceroy after our afternoon of art, we had to make a quick pit stop at the Bean in Millennium Park.

Then it was time to get dressed up and head to dinner at Carmine’s! We had made reservations for most of the other meals throughout the trip, but didn’t have reservations for Carmine’s. Thankfully, even on a Saturday night, they were able to get us a table (indoors) right away. After filling up on some delicious pasta, we spent the rest of the night relaxing and resting up in the hotel.

The next morning was Sunday and we had a full day of relaxation planned. When we woke up, we went downstairs to start our day at Somerset with a breakfast of French toast and omelets.

Then we went back upstairs to lay by the pool, read a book, and just enjoy the beautiful weather for a couple of hours. Mid-afternoon, we drove over to Bottle & Bottega for a wine and paint session!

For dinner we went to Lou Malnati’s for some classic Chicago deep dish pizza. We ordered The Lou, their signature pizza topped with spinach mix (enhanced with garlic, basil, and onion), mushrooms, and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with three cheeses, on a garlic butter crust!

Since it was our last night, we decided to walk down to the lake one more time to enjoy the view after dinner. And once we realized how close we were to a Jeni’s scoop shop, we had to take a little detour for some delicious Wildberry Lavender ice cream.

The next morning, it was sadly time to pack up and head home, but not before a quick stop at IKEA in Schaumburg!

It was absolutely a whirlwind week, but so much fun finally reuniting and getting to explore Chicago together for the first time in 12 years! We can’t wait for our next adventure!

Bacon Mushroom Spinach Quiche

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Due to the recent Safer at Home order put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19, many of us will be spending Easter alone or just with immediate family. If you’re in need of a simple recipe for a low key Easter brunch, look no further than this delicious Bacon Mushroom Spinach Quiche!

This recipe was adapted from a variety of quiche recipes on wisconsincheese.com, so if this recipe doesn’t quite appeal to your taste preferences, check out their website for more ideas!

Ingredients:

  • 8 eggs
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded aged white cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  3. Stir in the cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and bacon.
  4. Pour into a greased 8×8 casserole dish.
  5. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until center is set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  6. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  7. Serve with orange slices and Beetology beet & berry juice to compliment the savory eggs, bacon, and cheese.
  8. Enjoy!

Let us know in the comments how you’re planning to celebrate Easter this year!

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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Both Lauren’s and my favorite food is chocolate covered strawberries. So naturally this is our go-to recipe to help celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. The secret to amazing strawberries? Add a liqueur into the chocolate for better consistency and added flavor. In the past I’ve used Disaronno which is an amaretto-tasting liqueur and works wonderfully, but for this recipe I’m using Sukkah Hill Spirit‘s Besamim – an aromatic spice liqueur. It creates a much more complex flavor profile and makes for absolutely delicious berries!

What you’ll need:

  • baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper
  • 1 pint of strawberries
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 3 TBSP Besamim liqueur

The first thing you’ll want to do is wash and dry the strawberries, and I cannot emphasize this enough – make sure they are dry before dipping them in chocolate or it will not stick!

Next, you will melt the chocolate. There’s a handful of ways to do this – in the microwave, or in a double boiler – but I don’t have a double boiler and I like to keep an eye on it, so I usually do it on the stove top. If you overheat the chocolate, it will become hard and crusty and you will need to start over. A good tip to remember: heat the chocolate low and slow. On a low temp, and stirring continuously.

For added control, I like to melt it a half cup at a time. When the first 1/2 cup is nearly completely melted, add 1 TBSP Besamim and stir in as the chocolate finishes melting. Turn off the heat and immediately dip 1/3 of the strawberries in the chocolate and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Then melt more chocolate, add liqueur, and dip the berries until they are all coated.

Then place the tray in the freezer for about 5 minutes to help the chocolate harden.

Once the chocolate is cool and hardened, melt the white chocolate chips. Use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate onto the strawberries. Feel free to use any combination of chips to create a variety of strawberries! Store berries in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Serve with Besamim over ice or a glass of your favorite rosé! Happy Valentine’s Day!

– Julia

Wine Tasting with Karl (PRP Wines)

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Last weekend I got to try 9 different wines and a delicious Loud coffee liqueur from PRP Wine thanks to my colleague, Karl Barton. PRP Wine produces high quality, exclusive wines from 65 wineries in 13 countries around the world. Karl delivers a fantastic, professional, educational, and entertaining wine tasting experience.

We started off with a nice white wine that they call the “Porch Pounder” because it’s a great summer wine and easy drinking. It was absolutely delicious. Next was a Hungarian wine nicknamed “Naked in the Pool.” Clearly also another great one for summer! The other two white wines we tried were a German Riesling and an unoaked Chardonnay.

Then we had the reds. Before this tasting, I did not consider myself a red wine drinker, so it was perfect when Karl brought out the Chevalier de Bayard (or Red Chevy) which he described as the red wine for white wine drinkers. It was actually really nice and not quite as intense and tannic as some of the reds I’d tried in the past. We also tried a Pinot Noir from Chile, a red Zinfandel from Lodi, and Tres Magi which is a Spanish red blend made from Merlot and Grenache.

So here’s the crazy part. After the Red Chevy, the other red wines were much more bold and tannic and full-bodied. And I liked them ALL. Clearly I just wasn’t drinking the right kinds of red wine before, but I am definitely a red drinker now. I even poured myself a glass of red and enjoyed it with dinner last night.

One of the other amazing things about these wines is that there are no added sulfites. When you get a headache from drinking too much wine, it’s often caused by sulfites. There will always be some present in wine because they occur naturally during the fermentation process, but bigger wine producers add them in to maintain consistent flavor year to year. All of PRP’s wines are single vintage and the producers do not add sulfites in as a part of their wine-making process. Clearly, I had a decent amount of wine at this tasting and I got no headache whatsoever. Not that night, and not the next morning.

We finished with an Italian dessert wine and the Loud coffee liqueur, both of which were absolutely delicious and truly the icing on the cake to a wonderful evening.

Huge thanks to Karl and PRP Wines for helping create such a wonderful evening of good food and drinks with family and friends. If you’d like to have a wine tasting at your home with Karl, leave a comment below and I will put you in touch!

-Lauren

Brunch at Vintage Brew Co.

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Brunch. One of the best parts of the weekend. We recently visited Vintage Brewing Company at their Capitol East location (previously Tangent) to try out their new brunch menu. Needless to say, we were quite impressed.

We started off with a round of brunch cocktails. We enjoyed a variety of unique signature cocktails such as the Woo Girl 2.0 and Friends of Dorothy. We also tried their award winning Bloody Mary which did not disappoint.

The Woo Girl 2.0 is Hendricks Gin, St. Germaine, Cava, lime juice, and Bitter Truth cucumber bitters. Friends of Dorothy is Plantation Pineapple rum, house-made grenadine, lime juice, ginger beer, mint, and Bittercube Jamaica #2 bitters. These cocktails differed quite a bit from the classic brunch cocktails we’re used to, but we loved the creativity here! We also shared an order of cheese curds.

For our main meal, we couldn’t decide between savory and sweet so we chose both! Our sweet selection was the French toast which came with fresh strawberries and blueberries and was topped with local maple syrup and powdered sugar. To die for! On the savory side of things, we went with the Breakfast Flatbread which was topped with roasted bell peppers, onions, carrots, scrambled eggs, goat cheese, cheddar jack, garlic aioli, and scallions.

After our meal, the general manager gave a quick tour of the new, updated space since the name change. They added a lounge with the classic Vintage fish tank and repainted the space in a lighter color to help it feel more bright and open.

We love the new atmosphere and of course, the new menu! We definitely recommend checking out the new Capitol East location for brunch as soon as you can!

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery Tour

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I recently got to visit Wollersheim Winery & Distillery with my sister Rachel, from Roots & Rosemary. Céline, winemaker and granddaughter of founder, Bob Wollersheim, gave us a tour and shared the wine and spirits-making processes with us.

At Wollersheim, the grapes are grown locally and they do a lot of things the old-fashioned way. While sometimes it may require more time and effort, it surely pays off in the quality of the finished product.

One of my favorite parts of the afternoon was tasting some aging wines straight out of the barrel!

After the tour, Céline treated us to a delicious Wisconsin-style brandy sweet Old Fashioned happy hour. Easily one of the best I’ve ever had.

Here’s Rachel enjoying her first-ever Old Fashioned.

Wollersheim holds winery tours and spirits tastings daily so definitely go check them out and see, taste, and learn about all the amazing things going on there for yourself!

-Lauren

Lauren & The Foreign’s Spiced Pear Mules Featured on WKOW’s Midday Madison

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We are so excited to share that we were recently featured on WKOW’s Midday Madison. Lauren got to talk about who we are and shared a delicious recipe for a fall cocktail: spiced pear mules!

Here’s what you need to make your own:

  • 2 oz Spring44 Distilling’s Honey Vodka or 2 oz State Line Distillery’s Vodka and a spoonful of honey
  • 1 oz pear liqueur
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • dash of cinnamon
  • ginger beer
  • sliced pear
  • cinnamon stick

Shake vodka, honey, pear liqueur, lime juice, and cinnamon with ice. Pour into Moscow Mule mug rimmed with lime juice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with pear slices and a cinnamon stick.

While you enjoy your delicious mule, be sure to check out our feature on Midday Madison below!

https://wkow.com/midday-madison/2019/11/22/simple-and-delicious-fall-cocktail-recipe/

Ruby Red Royale

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We just created a new cocktail that is delicious and refreshing, no matter the season. With fresh fruit to remind you of summer, and champagne and liqueurs that add a touch of class, you’ll be serving this drink all year round, from holiday gatherings to pool parties!

Ingredients:

Start by filling a glass about 1/3 to 1/2 full with blueberries and pomegranate seeds.

Add vodka, liqueur, and simple syrup to glass and stir.

Top with champagne or prosecco.

Garnish with piece of pomegranate and enjoy!