Edible Antics - Having Fun With Food

Tips for Feeding Your House Guests

I spent my holidays as a guest at two different houses. One hostess in particular was amazing. In the blink of an eye she could prepare a big pot of chili or clean the entire kitchen. I took mental notes to try and figure out how she kept us all happy and full, and here are some tips I hope to take advantage of next time I have a house full of people.

Leave little bowls of munchies out.  Nuts, M&Ms, trail mix, anything that is easy to munch on while watching TV or cuddling up with a book. This will keep your guests satisfied between meals.Wisconsin hostesses will love this gourmet cranberry trail mix.

Have a coffee maker that pleases everyone. Since this was a ski vacation I had frequent cravings for hot beverages. The Keurig machine saved the day since we didn't have to boil water on the stove for every cup of tea or cocoa. Our hostess had every variety of K-Cups so we could enjoy whatever drink we wanted in no time at all.

Two words: double dishwashers. Ok, so this isn't the easiest tip in the world since it involves major kitchen appliances and possibly even some construction, but holy moly, I love two dishwashers! Think about it- while one is running, you can fill up the other one. Since you don't have to unload as often, you can just take the dishes out of dishwasher one as you need them. By the time dishwasher two is full and done running, dishwasher one is mostly empty since you've been grabbing dishes out of it. This makes hosting especially easy because there is always a "dirty" dishwasher for guests to load their own dishes in.

Make a big pot of something comforting. One misconception about soup or chili is that you have to let it simmer all day. Wrong! There are plenty of short cut recipes out there that just involve dumping some cans in a pot and the results are amazing.  My favorite cookbook is the Soup Bible. It's full of fast recipes with simple ingredients.

Don't be afraid to order pizza. If cooking and cleaning up after a house full of people becomes overwhelming, pick up the phone and order some pizza!

The Ultimate Green Bay Packer Football Food: Aaron Rodgers Discount Double Chicken Quesadilla

The ultimate Green Bay Packer football food magically showed up in my inbox yesterday. Alright, it wasn't magic, it was sent by Packer fan Bryan Yong. I asked him if he had a blog or Facebook page I could send my readers to but nope, he's just a fan with a kitchen, a video camera and an awesome sense of humor. I hope you enjoy this video recipe as much as I did. Share it with your friends!

National Bratwurst Day - Celebrate with Wisconsin Bratwurst

In honor of National Bratwurst Day (August 16th) fire up the grill and cook some Wisconsin bratwurst. Be sure to throw a few extras on the grill so you can use the leftovers to make some of the tasty bratwurst recipes found here on Edible Antics. I'll even let you in on a little secret: in most recipes you can use bratwurst instead of whatever type of sausage is listed. Here are some examples of my original bratwurst creations:

Wisconsin Gumbo. Wisconsin meets Louisanna in this easy crockpot dish. I made it Wisconsin-y by adding bratwurst instead of the usual adouille sausage. My friend Patti tells me she uses duck broth and fish (instead of the shrimp broth and shrimp) in her Wisconsin-style gumbo. That's why I love cooking, you can take the concept (a gumbo) and make it to fit the food that's available (bratwurst).

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast Bratritos. I am a breakfast fanatic, especially when it comes eggs. I also like to grab my breakfast and run out the door, so one Sunday I made a big patch of breakfast burritos with bratwurst instead of sausage and froze them to eat throughout the week. This also makes the perfect food for an early morning tailgate at Packer, Badger and Brewer games.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for more Bratwurst recipes? Check out some of the creative bratwurst dishes I've found on Pinterest:

Bratwurst Pizza - Mark's family is from Wisconsin, and apparently he passed the "put bratwurst on everything" theory on to his wife, Ana. They post on a blog called A Plus M.

Bratwurst, Jalapeno and Caramelized Onion Potstickers - This if from a blogger who calls herself the Foodette, be warned, her blog is just as sassy as her cooking.

Cupcakewurst - This one doesn't involve any actual bratwurst, but it's a pretty impressive resemblence. This recipe is from the Cupcake Project blog.

You can also enter to win bratwurst in Wisconsinmade.com Bratwurst giveaway. Click here to enter.

What's your favorite way to eat bratwurst?

 

Food On A Stick: Blogger Successfully Predicts Stick Food Future

The Wisconsin State Fair is going on right now, and I was looking back at past blog posts and I found this one from 2009 by my fellow blogger Cristie. She contemplated the future of food on the stick at the WIsconsin State Fair:

Food on a Stick at the Wisconsin State Fair: What's the Stick Food of the Future?

Food on a stick is all the rage at the Wisconsin State Fair outside Milwaukee. New to the stick-food line-up is chocolate covered bacon, reuben sandwiches, and even cherry pie. Of course the traditional favorites of corn dogs, caramel apples, and ice cream on a stick will still be spotted. But I'm just curious, are these newest stick foods a fad or do they have staying power? In 2050, will our grandchildren roam the State Fair nibbling cherry pie on a stick? Or perhaps by then lasagna sticks will be the popular fair food, or even kim-chi on a stick. How about soup sticks, granted it would have to be a hearty soup, say a chili , - chili beans on a stick with salsa? I think the possibilities are nearly infinite when imagination is ingeniously applied to food science. After all, look how far we've come from the original food on a stick: the poultry drumstick first enjoyed by our cave-dwelling ancestors. Our fair food future is wide open!

So what future food on a stick would you like to eat at the State Fair in 2050? And why is cotton candy no longer on a stick and now in a bag?

 

 

 

 

 

So it's not 2050 but it is three whole years later and the food on a stick phenomenon that surrounds the Wisconsin State Fair is stronger than ever. Here are some crazy stick foods on the list for this year's fair:

Chili Cheese Dog- When Cristie wrote this post she wasn't too far off with her prediction of chili on a stick. This year Saz Rib's is serving up a chili cheese dog on a stick. Who knew that Cristie is a culinary psychic?

Deep Fried Cream Cheese with Bacon - Leave it to Wisconsin to find yet another way to deep fry cheese.

Chicken Courdon Bleu - I wonder how the French would feel if they knew we were deep frying their culinary classic and putting it on a stick? 

In other food on a stick news, check out this crazy concoction my boyfriend Phil and I tried at a farm picnic I attended: tempura fried, bacon wrapped cheese curds on a stick!

What's the craziest food on a stick that you've ever tried?

 

 

 

 

Breakfast Burritos with a Wisconsin Twist: Make-Ahead Breakfast Bratritos!

As an avid food blog reader and writer, I have noticed some foods are seriously under celebrated. The perfect example is the breakfast burrito. You can make a big batch on Sunday and freeze them so you have a healthy, filling, portable, quick and satisfying breakfast all week.

Even a food as versatile as the breakfast burrito can't have it's own post on Edible Antics without a Wisconsin twist. That's where the breakfast bratrito comes in. You can chop up leftover brats from a weekend cookout, or open up the casing of some fresh brats and grill up the meat inside like you would ground beef. Continue reading for the recipe as well as instructions on how to freeze and reheat this tasty Wisconsin breakfast.

 

 

Fun Cupcake Ideas for Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day I've rounded up some fun cupcake ideas for all different types of dads. These cupcakes are much more memorable and infinitely tastier than the usual tie gift.

 

Golf Cupcakes from Simple Girl

 Dad will enjoy these adorable cakes before he hits the links. You can even write him a special note on the flags.

 

 

 

 Fishing Cupcakes from Tidy Mom blog

Give your dad a tasty snack for his next fishing trip. These super cute cupcakes are topped with blue icing and a fish fruit snack on a fishing poll made out of a tooth pick and some thread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Lawn Mower Cupcakes from Disney Family Fun

 I know a few dads who actually enjoy mowing the lawn, so if this applies to your dad, these are the cupcakes for him. The mower is made out of chocolate candies and black licorice, and the grass is coconut with green food coloring. These cute cupcakes are fun, easy to decorate and guaranteed to make dad smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brats on the Grill Brownies from Edible Antics

I made these creative cupcakes for dads who love to grill. These tiny bratwursts are actually Hot Tamale candies on a brownie grill. I suppose you could use cupcake batter instead of brownies. I would just fill the cupcake tins with a little less batter than usual so the cakes don't rise over the edge. This will give you a flatter surface to put the decorations on.

For more Father's Day gift ideas and Wisconsin food, visit my Pinterest boards.

Race Over to Miller Park, Home of the Milwaukee Brewers, For A Crazy Sausage Creation

A Miller Park hot dog made the short list of craziest ball park hot dogs on the Serious Eats blog. The Corn Brat , a bratwurst (not really a hot dog but I'm still proud) wrapped in cornbread and served on a stick corn dog style, ranked among some heavy hitting hot dog competitors. Some other wacky hot dog creations include Pittsburgh's polish-fusion dog that's topped with mini pierogi, and the Los Angeles Cali dog which is wrapped in a tortilla and deep fried.  

None of them can compare to the gigantic Broomstick dog that has been all over the hot dog news lately. This Texas monster is two feet long, about the size of a baseball bat, and topped with chili, cheese, onions and jalapenos. The real kicker is the $26 price tag. Talk about a "haute" dog!

Fancy hot dogs have been a popular food trend in 2012, and with hot dog season heating up, I bet we'll see even more franktastic creations to come.

How do you like your hot dogs? Do you go gourmet or does simple ketchup and mustard do the trick?

 

Image Source:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mil/fan_forum/racing_sausages.jsp

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

 

 

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.

Easter Meal Ideas

 Easter meal ideas should celebrate the season and reflect the renewal and happiness of Spring. Also make sure your main dish, side dish, and dessert choices are family friendly so everyone can enjoy the fun of Easter dinner.

 

Ham - Ham earns the number one spot on my Easter meal ideas because ham just plain rules. When I was in college, I remember being excited to go home for Easter because we were having ham. Ham is a crowd pleaser- kids love it, adults love it, and the cook loves it since it is easy to prepare- just heat and eat. In the case of the spiral sliced versions, you don't even need to slice the ham yourself. If that wasn't enough, ham makes a variety of yummy left overs like omelets, casseroles and my favorite, ham salad.

 

 

 

Lamb- Lamb requires a little bit more effort to prepare but the results are juicy, flavorful, and a special treat worthy of an Easter meal. This one might be a little too adventurous for most kids and even some adults, so stick to ham if you're unsure, or serve both.

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Egg Bread Centerpiece- This golden Easter bread nest is filled with colorful Easter eggs and doubles as an Easter centerpiece. Follow the link to see the complete instructions for how to enjoy this kid friendly recipe at home.

 

 

 

 

Pickled Eggs - Pickled eggs are an Easter tradition in my family, and no Easter meal is complete without them. We also eat them for breakfast with a sprinkle of salt. If making your own pickled eggs sounds like too much work, check out these pickled eggs from Milwaukee's Bay View Packing Company.

 

 

 

 

Carrot Cake- There are a ton of Easter sweet treats like marshmallow candies, chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, but candies just won't do at an elaborate Easter meal. Make your Easter dessert memorable with a fancy carrot cake! Who knows, maybe the Easter bunny will join you for dessert!