Road Trippin'

Today the hubs and I took a short road trip to Wisconsin to pick up a hood he had purchased on Craigslist for one of his project cars. It was a bonus as one of his favorite beers is not available in Minnesota. We picked up the hood and then had a delightful dinner at the Muddy Waters Bar and Grille. From the street, it looked like a small town bar where all the locals hang out. Inside was all this quirky decor and nice menu. It was a small place, maybe a dozen tables and then the bar. The menu wasn't huge but a nice selection-something for everyone. Fish, beef, chicken, ribs, salads and pasta. Of course I didn't have my camera (I should know better), and my phone photos wouldn't transfer last time. Bummer. It was excellent. Dude had the baked ziti. It was a huge bowl full of sausage, green, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, carrots, pasta and cheese. It was a beautiful dish and was served with ciabatta bread that was cut in wedges and possibly brushed with some butter and Parm. I had a small rib eye with buttered red potatoes. When it first came to the table I was concerned. It was a super skinny piece of meat, but it was large in surface area. It was so tender, and those red spuds were cooked to perfection! They split easily when pressed with a fork, but did not turn to mush when trying to cut them. I had a nice glass of Pinot Griego (which I have never had before) and he had a Blue Moon-they were out of oranges, only downside. After dinner we walked to the liquor store-only to find them sold out of Sol!! Instead of heading back into MN from the border town, we drove down the Wisconsin side to the next bridge to cross back over and hit a liquor store there. Only one 12 pack. Dude was bummed. But we did get a couple other favorites at a good price, so not a wasted trip. The clerk said to come over on Thursdays as that is delivery day. File that piece of info.




I made a loaf of beer bread to take into work yesterday, plus leave some for the girls. It is as easy as pie and I'm sure many of you have made it before.




Easy Beer Bread


3 cups self-rising flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
1-12 ounce room temp beer





Stir the sugar and flour together. Squirt the honey on top, pour beer over and mix with spoon. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.



I baked mine in a small loaf pan. It has 12 sections, just like a cupcake sheet and baked for 33 minutes.




I think that the flour might be a little old as they didn't rise like normal. They were good, but not like they normally turn out.





Here is a photo of the cut pumpkin bars. I sprinkled the powdered sugar on-which later turned a little gooey. Love the plate? I have this THING about cows. A little obsessed with them. I had cow dishes, towels, drawer pulls, night lights, knick knacks-you name it. I "thinned" the herd a while back as times and tastes change. My Hermit Crab found this on clearance and thought it would be great for my posting shots. I hope she was kidding........ I did use it here thought-it made me laugh!





Off to find something good to make for dinner for tomorrow. The hubs isn't working OT so we can have a nice sit down meal. If the kids are trying to kill one another. Another day in Paradise.