Spring in Wisconsin :)

Just a couple weeks ago I was heading to Wisconsin for a whirl-wind week of fun!  It was my first trip back since Christmas and there was so much planned.  I was looking forward to spending time with my family and just being home :)

My cousins were actually on the same flight from LA to Milwaukee so when we landed in WI we all went out to Dinner together.  On Thursday night I Bartended at Rosie's Valley Inn and my entire family came in and visited me.  It was a blast to be behind the bar in Wisconsin and reminded of how affordable it is to drink back home.  I poured a round of drinks (all cocktails) for $11; it would have cost $40 in Los Angeles!  It's kind of mind-blowing.  My little cousins loved helping me out behind the bar, doing dishes, pouring sodas, and even mentioned coming to help the following day because doing dishes in the bar is far more fun than doing them at home!

Monica & I with Nicki, Russell Wilson speaking for the Graduation, and Dad & I at Camp Randall!

On Saturday, Dad and I drove to Madison for Nicki's Graduation from UW-Madison.  Russell Wilson (QB from the Seattle Seahawks who went to Madison for a year) was the Commencement Speaker and did a really great job.  I was actually impressed with his speaking abilities; he was relateable, funny, but also very motivating.  Aside from the hail (it was so cold it was hailing...in May) and walking seven miles to get to the right area, it was neat to be at Nicki's Graduation and we were so glad we went!  It was also Tyler's Birthday so we celebrated later that evening at St. Anne because no trip back home is complete without a steak from my favorite place in WI!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes!

Sunday was Tyler & Monica's Bridal Shower with family so we had a nice party at my Aunt Mary's house, had a beautiful lunch, opened gifts, played some games and answered questions about Tyler & Monica.  When everyone had left and we had cleaned up, the kids and I played cards!

Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse

I was looking forward to our Wine Tasting Adventure in Door County for months so we all went to the Von Steihl Winery on Monday afternoon.  After tasting some delicious wines (for free) and buying a few bottles as well, I had seen that there was a Cheese Tasting a few miles away.  We headed there next and tasted some fabulous cheese, once again, bought a bunch because they had Squeaky Cheese Curds.  They vacuum-sealed mine since they were traveling back to California with me and I wanted to make sure that they would still be squeaky when I got them home to LA.  We had Lunch on Lake Michigan and then Dad and I went to the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse.  We had to walk on this narrow walk-way to get closer to the lighthouse and the water was actually splashing up and over it because the waves and current were fairly strong.  It was a little scary at times and I was really surprised that my Dad led the way but when we got to the lighthouse, he was just as excited about seeing it as I was.  I was so glad we did that together!  On our way back to Plymouth, we stopped at one more Winery with the entire family called Parallel 44 and Dad and I both agreed on the same bottle to buy there.  They had a Summer Concert series that sounded like so much fun, and reminded me of Malibu Wines.  I hadn't eaten at A&W in years since they're only open when it's warmer outside so I was really excited to get my traditional hot dog from there and cheese curds once we got back to P-town.  This time I changed it up and got a burger too and let me say, In & Out, oooooh you have some competition!  It was so yummy!

My Dad's Birthday was on Wednesday, the day I was heading back to LA, so late Tuesday night I prepped for his Birthday surprise.  I had a giant piece of Chocolate Cake I had picked up, some Sparkling Wine from one of the Wineries, a few gifts, and then we played cards and just hung out on my last night in Wisconsin. A low-key 61st Birthday surprise!

The week I was home went by so quickly and my Dad called me the next day to thank me for such a nice time and to tell me he loved me.  That's always nice to hear and as difficult as things are for me without my Mom, I can't imagine Dad being in the house without her.  He's so strong and I'm so proud of him!  We really did have a good time although I wish I could have made a meal one night (I sound like my Mom), but we played lots of Trivia Crack, debated some politics, learned some things, and had some really nice conversations.  I'll be heading back in a week and a half for a few days and can hardly wait!

Alibi Room & Plops

Last week I checked out two new places here in Los Angeles.  I'm continuing with my New Year's Resolution of checking out new restaurants in LA and the first was Alibi Room in West LA and the second was Plops in West Hollywood.  I actually checked out a bunch of new places for the month of May (those blogs are listed in the May section) but caught two more at the end of the month!

Alibi Room features Korean Barbeque from Kogi's Kitchen.  I've had customers at the bar I work at and friends just rave about the Taco Trucks you can find around LA and here you can go to this bar/restaurant and enjoy it with a cocktail.  I had checked out the menu on-line and found a drink that sounded really good called The Betty White which was Vodka, Peaches, Lemon and Peach Bitters but when we got to the restaurant it wasn't listed on the menu.  Bummer.  I was hungry though and knew a salad wasn't going to do the trick so I decided on the Hen House Bowl which was marinated grilled chicken, with rice, a fried egg, broccoli, sour cream, basil, sesame, and red jalepeno.  It was really good and it was so much food I couldn't even finish it!  It was very chill and there weren't many people there but they didn't have the AC going and it was pretty hot inside and I'm usually cold, so that was slightly frustrating.  I am looking forward to going back again and try more food; I'll just probably sit outside where it's cooler.

Acquah and I are always in search of good cupcakes in LA and we've tried a few different places so we checked out Plops in WeHo last week which was actually cake pops.  They had about 15 different flavors and interesting combinations.  I went with the Oreo, Butterfinger, and Vanilla with Milk Chocolate.  We even went in for round two and this time I tried the Vanilla with Blueberry Chocolate and Lemon Cake with Peach Chocolate.  I did like the Lemon but not really the Peach, and the Blueberry was my least favorite of all.  The first three were amazing with the Oreo easily winning my favorite!  They were reasonably priced at $6.95 for six of them and figured a few would probably be equivalent to eating a cupcake.  Cupcakes will always win my heart but it's always nice to try something new!

I'm always up for food and dessert adventures and trying something new!  It's certainly easy here in LA with new places popping up everyday.  So if anyone has any suggestions feel free to send them my way, comment or post, and I'll let ya know what I think :)