The Shout

Sometimes my camera has a mind of its own, and throws a blurry picture my way.

It's Christmas!

More proof that the holiday season is always a tasty time of year (not to mention over commercialized). Have a happy Christmas, Hanukah, Festivus, and New Year!

Christmas Tree, XL

If there was ever a contest for the most intense Christmas Tree set-up, I think this triple decker tree would probably have to win....can you imagine putting lights on that thing every year?

Art Museum Part 2

Just a little playing with color and light...and I thought modern art couldn't be functional.

Chez Jacques

You're all probably sick about my writing about food, but I've come to realize that not only do I love food, but I love all varieties and kinds of food--I can wax eloquent on fine dining and fast food alike. Today, I'm handing out kudos to Chez Jacques in Milwaukee's Fifth Ward. It probably looks to you like it's just a ham and cheese melt, but is in fact a superbly executed croque monsieur (so make that a French ham and cheese melt, naturellement) and salad served with the world's most delicious dijon mustard vinaigrette. They also have some fantastic crepes in a variety of flavors, including a tasty chicken curry crepe (not traditionally French, but still delicious). I'll definitely be coming back here again.

Art Museum

I went to the Art Museum last week to check out the Andy Warhol exhibit (which they wouldn't let me take pictures of it, so it doesn't get its own post) and while I was there went to visit my favorite piece of art in the regular collection. It looks unassuming, just an open suitcase on the floor, until...

You walk up to the suitcase and look in. This isn't the best picture of it, but in the suitcase is a sewer grate, and under the sewer grate is a stream with plants, rocks, and running water. If you're really interrogative in nature, you can walk around the back of the suitcase and see two pairs of feet...

It looks like a dad holding a little kid up over the water as it runs by. I think I love this because it's three things in one, isn't what it seems on the surface and isn't the sort of modern, abstract art that I could do myself at home with rocks or finger paints. Thumbs up for the suitcase.

A Little Baking

Just a good old-fashioned Pierski Christmas cookie baking assembly line at Grandma's...you know, like back in the day before child labor laws made Grandma give you an occasional break from all your hard work.

(If my grandmother is reading...I'm just kidding. And I love you. Do I still get a Christmas present?)

That Time of Year

Lots of accidents this time of year, clearly. Roads are slippery, and that sleigh just doesn't brake like it used to.

We Put the Kitsch in Christmas

My Grandma Marge is a big fan of her 1960s Christmas decorations: big, multicolor lights and home-made Christmas tree ornaments. My cousin Cassandra mugged for the camera as Grandma gave us decorating instructions...and I wanted to give you a close-up of her ornaments, because I'm pretty sure she and her mom (my grandma Alma) made a lot of them by hand. They just don't sell ornaments like this at Target, now do they?

Honeypie

Honeypie, a new(er) restaurant in Bay View, is home to all sorts of delicious home cooking and midwestern-ish comfort food. I've been meaning to go there for awhile, and finally got there this week. I ordered some white bean chili, to keep it warm and simple, which was delicious. I was with a friend, who pointed out a dish called the Davenport on the menu: it promised a "mound of turkey," mashed potatoes, cheesy sauce, assorted veggie toppings, and a some bread. He sort of scoffed at the menu's boasting, but he shut up real quick: it was indeed a real mound of turkey and mashed potato deliciousness. I would have to say, I'd recommend Honeypie to anyone who's as hungry as a horse. Or hungrier.

Grandma's Cookies

My great-grandmother Alma passed away this past week. She was a whopping 96 years old, and just decided one day not to wake up for us. I decided to blog about her because she was something of a family matriarch (she shared that title with my other great-grandmother, who is herself an impressive 95 years) and because it's the Christmas season. Grandma Alma's parents owned a German bakery when she was growing up, and every Christmas she still brings over plates of homemade cookies, just like she used to make in the bakery. These cookies are a family favorite, and no one makes them like Grandma did.

The recipe is a simple sugar cookie one, and the taste is not unusual as far as cookies go. The real secret to their deliciousness is that Grandma hand decorated each one with chocolate chips, colored sugars, sprinkles, nuts, powdered sugar, sno-caps, and hershey kisses in the shapes of candy canes, stars, christmas trees and ornaments. At her funeral, one of my younger cousins was crying because he was afraid he wouldn't get to have any more of these...not exactly grief for the loss of Grandma, but I'm sure she would still be pleased to know that she, and her cookies, will be missed. I'm hoping the recipe won't get lost, so I'm putting it here for myself, and for any of you, if you're interested.