Edible Antics - Having Fun With Food

Stress Buster Foods from Wisconsin for Stress Awareness Month

 

I'm stressed out that April is almost over and I haven't written a post about Stress Awareness Month, so here goes! I did some research on stress buster foods and discovered there are two kinds: comfort foods and good mood foods. Comfort foods relieve stress by bringing back happy memories, while good mood foods keep your blood sugar stable so you don't get hungry and grumpy. Here are some foods from Wisconsin that will help you feel stress free.

 

 

 

 

1) Milk- Maybe our love of milk explains why people from Wisconsin are so nice. Drink a glass of milk before bed to help you fall asleep easier.

2) Nuts- Nuts are packed with healthy fats, so just a few almonds or pistachios will keep away the irritability that comes with hunger.

3) Soup- A warm bowl of soup will melt the stress away on a cold Wisconsin day.

4) Chocolate- Chocolate makes me happy! Choose a dark chocolate for extra health benefits like antioxidants.

5) Cheese - Can I go one blog post without mentioning cheese? I could, but I probably won't. If milk can relieve stress, cheese is just concentrated milk, so it's packed with stress relief. Happy memories of Wisconsin cheese are sure to make you forget your troubles.

What foods do you eat when you're stressed out?

Source: Diet for Stress Management

Dad's Must Eat Madison Foods

I'm not the only foodie in my family, and when Dad comes to visit, there are a few must eat Madison foods on the menu. Here are the top five Madison foods that Dad requests.

Nurnberger bratwurst from Bavaria Sausage Company - My Dad was stationed in Germany when he was in the Army, so we know what an authentic German brat should taste like, and this is it! Nurnberger bratwursts with mustard, on a hard roll,  washed down with a cold beer makes us feel like we're back in Deustchland.

Ice cream at Babcock Hall Dairy Store - Dad and I both love food, but we have different tastes in ice cream. He preferes the classic vanilla, and I like the more flashy flavors like Mocha Macciato. We both left the Babcock Hall Dairy Store happy, even though I show it a little more than Dad does.

Fresh squeaky cheese curds- Fried or straight from the bag, fresh cheese curds are a Wisconsin treat Dad can't miss. He even eats them for breakfast.

Sprecher root beer- Dad's always been a big root beer fan, and Sprecher root beer is a Wisconsin treat he can't find back home.

Bread Cheese- My mom tried bread cheese for the first time at the Madison farmer's market and took some back for Dad to try. Now it's become a family favorite. I bring some home whenever I go or send them a gift box from Wisconsinmade.com. In fact, all of the treats mentioned in this post (including the bratwusrt and ice cream) are available at Wisconsinmade.com, so next time you get a craving, Madison food is only a click away.

Babcock Hall vs Chocolate Shoppe - Wisconsin Ice Cream Showdown

In Madison, Wisconsin we are beyond lucky to have not one, but two of the best ice cream makers in the country: Babcock Hall Dairy and The Chocolate Shoppe. The only problem is, which one do you choose? Here is breakdown of the two ice cream shops and the fabulous flavors they have to offer.

 

Babcock Hall Ice Cream

First Scooped In: 1951

Famous Flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Butter Pecan, Vanilla, Blue Moon (blue ice cream that tastes sort of like Fruit Loops)

My (Amanda's) Personal Favorite: Orange Custard Chocolate Chip because orange and chocolate is an underrated combination!

Most Outrageous Flavor: Berry Alvarez- Berry ice cream with blueberry and raspberry swirl and strawberry pieces.

Mascot: Bucky Badger

Awards and Recognition:

Voted Best in Madison By Madison Magazine

Where To Find It:

• Babcock Hall Dairy Store in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Have it shipped to your door, anywhere in the USA, from Wisconsinmade.com.

 

 

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream 

First Scooped In: 1962

Famous Flavors: Old Fashioned Vanilla, Zanzabar Chocolate

Most Outrageous Flavor: Bang!! Caffeinated Ice Cream

My (Amanda's) Personal Favorite: Mint Avalanche because I love mint chocolate chip and this is it on steroids! It has pieces of Andes mints, chocolate cookies and fudge swirl.

Mascot: A cow licking an ice cream scoop.

Awards and Recognition:

Old Fashioned French Vanilla won a blue ribbon with a pefect score in 2011 from the National Ice Cream Retails Associations.

Malt Amore (malted milk ice cream with chocolate chips and chocolate fudge swirl) was named the "Ultimate Scoop" by Food Network's show Crave.

Where To Find It:

• Three Madison, Wisconsin ice cream shop locations.
• Several independently owned shops around the Midwest and beyond, see the map.
• Have it shipped to your door, anywhere in the USA, from Wisconsinmade.com.

 

 Which ice cream is your favorite?

 

Sources:

Chocolateshoppeicecream.com

babcockhalldairystore.wisc.edu

 

 

3 Cheesy Ways to Celebrate Earth Day 2012

Earth Day 2012 is this Sunday, April 22nd. In Wisconsin, it all comes back to the cheese, so here are some cheesy ways to celebrate Earth Day.

1. Eat Organic Wisconsin Cheese. The cheesemakers of Cedar Grove make a variety of organic cheeses. Their cows are not treated with artificial hormones nor antibiotics, so you can be sure that your cheese comes from happy and healthy cows.

 

 

 

2. Wear Green Ts. Green Ts is a Madison based company that creates Wisconsin t-shirt designs and prints them on t-shirts made of recycled materials. My favorite is the "Keep Wisconsin Cheesy" shirt. You can show Wisconsin pride with Green T's environmentally friendly fashions.

 

 

 

 

3. Get Creative with Recycling. Polk County, Wisconsin uses the most creative recycling idea I've ever seen. They use leftover cheese brine instead of salt to de-ice the roads. Think outside of the box to come up with creative ways to recycle around your house.  The Earth will thank you.

 

Source: WXOX.com Cheese Helps Fight Icy Roads

Wisconsin Gets Even Cheesier with New Cheese Plants

Just when you thought Wisconsin couldn't get any cheesier an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal announces plans for three new cheese plants in the dairy state, including expansions for Wisconsinmade.com artisan cheesemakers Emmi Roth Kase and Holland's Family Cheese.

Emmi-Roth Kase

In 1991 Ulrich Roth, Felix Roth and Fermo Jaeckle came to the cheesemaking lands of Wisconsin from Switzerland and started Roth Kase USA. In the short time they have been making cheese in Wisconsin, they have won over 100 awards for their gourmet cheeses. Some notable varieties include buttermilk blue, Grand Cru Gruyere and GranQueso.

The company is now known as Emmi-Roth Kase, and recently out grew their Monroe plant. They are opening a new location in Platteville, Wisconsin. The city even agreed to give the company a $2 million grant in anticipation of the economic benefit the cheesemaker will bring to the town.

 

 

Holland's Family Cheese

Holland's Family Cheese focuses on dutch cheese and manufactures many varieties of gouda, including a few that won prizes at the World Championship Cheese Contest this year in Madison. The family migrated from the Netherlands in 2002. They skillfully combine Wisconsin milk with authentic ingredients and supplies from Holland for the perfect Old World gouda.

The new plant will also be in the town of Thorp, Wisconsin but the Pennterman Family plans on breaking ground on a three times larger facility in 2013. You can see details of the plans on their project update blog, which even mentions the possibility of the cheesemakers expanding their offerings to include ice cream (yum!).

 

Cooking with Wine Made Easy

This is one of my favorite cooking related sayings, so when I heard about our newest Wisconsinmade.com gift, Wine Seasonings, I was excited to try them! If you want more of your wine to end up in the food next time you are cooking with wine, try some of the mixes and marinades from this Wisconsin company that specializes in "just add wine" creations.

I recently made the spinach dip and it couldn't have been easier. I mixed a packet of the Wine Seasoning's Spinach Dip Mix with 16oz of sour cream and 1/4 cup of wine. I brought the dip and some carrots to work to share with my coworkers. The dip was creamy and flavorful but I must confess, it would have been over the top amazing with some potato chips instead of the carrots.

It made enough dip for a party and since we only have a few people in the office I got to take home some leftovers. I thinned out the dip with a little bit more wine and used it as a salad dressing. The recipe book that came in the gift box also suggests using the dip as a baked potato topping or transforming it in to a seafood dip with a few extra ingredients. There are so many possiblities, and that's just ONE of the 13 items in the gift assortment! Other packages in the Wine Seasonings assortment include:

Cranberry Tarragon Dip

Sun Dried Tomato Basil Dip

Vegetable Dip

Zasty Garlic Dip

Wine Bread

Italian Marinade

Lemon Pepper Marinade

Orange Ginger Marinade

Chicken and White Rice Soup

This is a delicious gift for a the wine-os and foodies in your life.

5 Wisconsin Food Favorites You Can Make At Home

1. Beer Cheese Soup - Beer cheese soup is a Wisconsin food that combines three of Wisconsin's favorite things: beer, cheese, and comfort on a cold day. Beer cheese soup is an easy way to bring a taste of Wisconsin to your home no matter where you live.

2. Creme Puff - Creme puffs are a favorite Wisconsin food at the Wisconsin State Fair, but you can make this delicious dairy treat at home with this recipe I found on Pinterest. See my Wisconsin Food board for more Wisconsin recipes.

3. Fried Cheese Curds - Many a displaced Wisconsinite misses fried cheese curds, but there is no need to despair since you can make your own fried cheese curds at home. Wisconsinmade.com ships cheese curds and even cheese curd batter mix nationwide.

4. Blue Moon Ice Cream - Blue Moon ice cream is a childhood favorite for many midwesterners. The ice cream has a pleasing blue color and a kid-friendly fruity flavor. You can make yours at home with this recipe or have some blue moon ice cream shipped to your door with the help of coolers and dry ice.

5. Cranberry Bars - The bakers at O & H Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin are considered the top Kringle experts. The process to make a Kringle involves rolling out layer after layer of thin pastry dough, and it takes years to master the process. Instead of attempting the baking feat of making your own Kringle, the O & H bakers recommend beginners try this cranberry bar recipe or having a freshly baked O & H Kringle shipped right to your door.