P.F. Chang’s Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Jake and I host a monthly board game night with friends.
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Morning at the Beach
Most of the summer, I’ve been taking my camera to the beach in the evening. Last week I seized the opportunity to take a few pictures in the morning. It was warm and humid with very calm, clear waters. Pictures really don’t do justice to the vast range of colors or the way the water sparkles in the sun.
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August 2016 Highlights
I can’t believe that another summer has flown by, and we’re now moving into September. Personally, I’m so glad that I don’t have to be in back-to-school mode and can enjoy every last bit of warm weather while it’s still here.
8/3: Keith Pulvermacher Band @ Denim Park. Denim Park is a fabulous spot in Milwaukee to hear free music on Wednesday nights in the summer. In 2014, I heard I’m Not a Pilot at Denim Park, and in 2015, I heard Parallel. This year I managed to catch the Keith Pulvermacher Band, featuring among others, Peter Thomas of I’m Not a Pilot. So fabulous. There is nothing like hearing great music outdoors on a beautiful summer night. I have a few video clips from the show over on YouTube.
8/6: Bristol Renaissance Faire. Jake and I have been going to Bristol since our early dating days. We have been at least seven or eight times, and it’s always so much fun. This was our third consecutive Bristol excursion during Steampunk weekend, which offers some of the best people watching you’ll see anywhere in southeast WI. A very nice fellow hobbyist photographer with a 70D wanted to take our picture so we got our first ever shot together at Bristol.
8/7-8/13: Montana. Obviously, one of the biggest things that happened in August was our week long trip to Montana. I have a separate Montana highlights post over here.
8/18: Full moon at North Point Lighthouse. I’ve spent a lot of time this summer watching the moon, especially the days around the full moons. I found out about the full moon lighthouse climbs when I was researching for my August Milwaukee events post and decided I had to make it to the last one of the summer. They had drinks and snacks, and the entire first floor of the house was open so you could browse their exhibits and artifacts when you weren’t making the climb. The lighthouse featured this photo on their Instagram and Facebook pages, which was pretty cool.
Also, before the full moon lighthouse tour, I hadn’t been to Lake Park in months and didn’t realize it was a huge Pokemon Go gathering place. Has anyone else experienced the Pokemon Go phenomenon this summer? There were literally hundreds of people there.
8/19: Church festival. Just about every Catholic church in southeast WI holds an annual festival, typically in the summer, as one of their big fundraisers. As illustrated by this photo, they’re kind of a big deal. In addition to more than half a dozen carnival rides, there were food and drink booths, multiple entertainment stages, casino games, auction prizes, lots of kid games, and more.
8/20: Zoo a la Carte. One of the single best events at the Milwaukee County Zoo is Zoo a la Carte. There are food stations and music, and the zoo is open late. The zoo is so big and the food lines are never very long so it’s easy to grab your food and spread out somewhere. Some of you may have seen a few food snaps in my Instagram story (randomcreativeart). While we were there, we got to meet the baby giraffe who was born this spring.
8/21: Irish Fest. For the past few years, Jake and I have been going to the Irish Fest Sunday mass and then enjoying lunch, Irish dancing, and a few of the exhibits. Milwaukee is home to several Irish dance studios, and they’re all fabulous.
8/26: Game night. Jake and I host a monthly board game night for family and friends to enjoy delicious food and drink, good conversation, and of course, a few games. I am terrible about taking pictures of game night because I’m always working on food prep or doing some sort of house cleaning or prep right up until the last minute. There are certain tasks like putting drinks on ice or getting an appetizer in the oven that just can’t happen until right before the event. Then we have people arriving and I forget all about taking pictures.
Anyway, so once again, I managed one little snap, this time of Penny Arcade late in the evening. Some of you may have also seen some of my food prep snaps. This month I made ham and swiss sliders and chicken parmesan sliders (one pan of each) and chewy coconut cookies (which are basically sugar cookies with coconut) to serve alongside a spread of fresh fruit and veggies.
What are you up to in September?
Any fun local events I should check out?
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Milwaukee Events – September 2016
One of the best events in Milwaukee, Doors Open Milwaukee, takes place in September!
the U.S. Bank Building, one of many buildings open to visitors during Doors Open Milwaukee
The 2016 event is Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days. It’s a rare opportunity to explore a wealth of really neat sites around the city, including churches, historical downtown buildings, theaters, local businesses, local breweries, and much more. I’ll have a full preview post later this month, but make sure to put it on your calendar now.
I love watching the torch glass artist at the Renaissance Faire.
Also, Labor Day weekend, September 3, 4, and 5, is the final weekend for the 2016 Bristol Renaissance Faire. You don’t want to miss it!
Sept. 1-5: Milwaukee Rally
Sept. 3: The Color Run Night 5K
Sept. 4: Big Gig BBQ
Sept. 8-11: Indian Summer Festival
Sept. 9-10: Tosafest
Sept. 10: Brewers Mini Marathon
Sept. 10-11: Frank Mots Kite Festival
Sept. 12-21: 10 Days in Tosa
Sept. 14: NEWaukee Night Market
Sept. 17: Milwaukee River Challenge
Sept. 17: Bay View Bash
Sept. 17-18: Doors Open Milwaukee
Sept. 17-18: Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival
Sept. 22-Oct.6: Milwaukee Film Festival
Sept. 24: Fromm PetFest
Sept. 24-25: Harvest Fair / Maker Faire
Sept. 26-Oct. 2: Milwaukee Cocktail Week
Sept. 29: Zoo Brew
Ongoing Fall Events
Cafe Live @ The Plaza Hotel: Friday and Saturdays, 5:00-9:00 p.m., late May through late September.
Friday Night Live in Waukesha: Fridays, 6:30-9:00 p.m, June through October
Jazz in the Park: Thursdays, 5:00-9:00 p.m, early June through early September
MKE Oktoberfest: September 29-October 2. Thursday 9/29: 4:00-11:00 p.m., Friday 9/30 and Saturday 10/1: noon-11:00 p.m., Sunday 10/2: noon-6:00 p.m.
NEWaukee’s Lunar Series Presented by Penrod @ the Milwaukee Athletic Club: Fridays, 6:00-11:00 p.m., early July through early September.
Oktoberfest: September 9-10, September 16-17, September 23-24, September 30-October 1. Fridays 5:00 p.m.-midnight, Saturdays, noon-midnight.
Sunday Sounds: Sundays, 2:00-5:00 p.m, late May through early September.
Are you looking for even more free music?
Check out Free Music Milwaukee and county.milwaukee.gov.
Farmers Markets
The greater Milwaukee area is home to dozens of fabulous farmers markets, including one of my personal favorites (and one of the biggest in the area), the West Allis Farmers Market. Many Milwaukee farmers markets operate through mid to late fall.
Beer Gardens
Milwaukee is home to four fabulous beer gardens, all of which operate through October. It’s not too late to enjoy a brew and a giant pretzel in a gorgeous park setting. The Landing at Hoyt Park features live music on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (see event calendar for times), and the South Shore Terrace features live music Wednesday evenings from 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Are you looking for even more things to do in Milwaukee on the cheap?
Check out Free Things To Do In Milwaukee WI.
[Disclaimer: I do not work for the city of Milwaukee. I am not paid to promote any of the events listed on this page. I’m simply a resident of southeast WI who loves Milwaukee and enjoys attending and generating exposure for events in Milwaukee.]
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Tropical Green Smoothie With Pineapple, Mango, and Coconut
I am inherently wary of trends, and green smoothies are no exception. Plus the idea of blending spinach with fruit sounded pretty gross. Wouldn’t it taste like a salad in a glass? I know that I’m not alone here. For the record, I still don’t make green smoothies with kale. Ever. But I have come around to spinach and am still always pleasantly surprised by how little you can taste it in the smoothie.
In case you think I’m really behind the times, I wrote my first green smoothie article back in early 2014. I know many people would rather post about smoothie bowls and other more trendy food creations, but in mid-2016, I’m still sharing my go-to green smoothie recipe.
This green smoothie recipe has a tropical flare because I love all things coconut (anyone else?), and pineapple and mango is one of my favorite fruit combinations. Does it taste like a pina colada? No. But it’s a close second, which is pretty exciting when you want a delicious drink that’s also healthy and will keep you going for a few hours of the day.
I make my green smoothies using an immersion blender because it’s quick and requires minimal cleanup. It’s also a really greater blender solution for a single person smoothie. For me, blending 20-30 seconds with the immersion blender creates a texture I like. If you prefer a super well-blended smoothie, of course feel free to make it in a high-powered blender. (I really love the immersion blender model I use that I’ve linked above. Check it out.)
If you’re using frozen fruit, thaw it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. I thaw my fruit right in my immersion blender cup. If you’re using fresh fruit, chop up the fruit for your smoothie into large cubes. You’re going to be blending it so you don’t have to chop it particularly nicely. Add the fruit to the bottom of your blender or immersion blender cup. I add 3/4-1 cup fruit so I’m adding just under 1/2 cup each of mango and pineapple.
Layer the fresh spinach leaves on top of the fruit. I add one cup of spinach leaves, loosely packed.
Add the liquids. I add 3/4 cup soy milk and 1/4 cup coconut water. I only use soy milk at home, and as such, have not experimented with other types of milk for my smoothies. Feel free to use the milk of your choice for your tropical green smoothie.
Finally, add a small handful of sweetened shredded coconut. I know that there is a huge stigma right now about adding sweetener, especially granulated sugar, to…basically anything. Personally, I don’t see how it’s any better to add a ton of honey or agave but no sugar. Anyway, if you can drink a green fruit smoothie with no sugar, more power to you. I need some sweetener, and I find that the sweetened shredded coconut adds that sweet while also taking the coconut flavor (and the texture of the drink) up a notch without adding lots of sugar.
Using your immersion blender, blend the smoothie for 20-30 seconds, tapping the blender a couple times to make sure all of the fruit and spinach gets blended thoroughly. If you’re using a high-powered blender, you may need to adjust the blending time slightly.
Enjoy! Usually I drink it right out of the immersion blender cup with a straw. But I put it in a glass and styled it a bit for the blog.
Tropical Green Smoothie With Pineapple, Mango, and Coconut
Servings: 1
Ingredients
- 1/4-1/2 cup mango cubed
- 1/4-1/2 cup pineapple cubed
- 1 cup spinach leaves washed and loosely packed
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup coconut water
- small handful sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- If you're using frozen fruit, thaw it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. If you're using fresh fruit, chop up the fruit for your smoothie into large cubes.
- Add the mango and pineapple to the bottom of your blender or immersion blender cup.
- Layer the fresh spinach leaves on top of the fruit, taking care not to pack them too tightly.
- Add the milk and coconut water.
- Add a small handful of sweetened shredded coconut.
- Use your immersion blender or other blender of your choosing to blend the smoothie for 20-30 seconds. Pause to tap or shake the blender a couple times to make sure the fruit and spinach blend thoroughly. If you're not using an immersion blender, you may need to adjust the time slightly.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
If you made this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, tag it #RoseClearfield on Twitter or Instagram, send me a snap on Snapchat (randomcreative), or post a photo to my Facebook page, and I’ll check it out! Thanks!
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