bspoke

I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite aspects of traveling is all the eating I get to do along the way. That sounds wrong. Let me rephrase. I simply love to sample the culture and flavor of a region by partaking in the best eats it has to offer. This trip was no exception. Door County is well-known for its ideal growing conditions. Farms are abundant, with fields full of everything from corn to carrots, and from to cherries, to apples and pears. There are farm markets scattered across the peninsula, but my favorite is Koepsel’s just south of Sister Bay on Highway 57. Shelves upon shelves of canned goods make the store a fascinating place to wander. Homemade jams and fruit butters sit along side canned pickles and pie fillings. Salsas fill another shelf, near the maple syrups and spices. Outdoors, tables are laden with baskets of homegrown veggies. It’s a feast for the eyes, as well as the palate.

As healthy and as satisfying as farm-fresh produce can be, we were on vacation, so there came a time when health sense was thrown to the wind and we indulged. My favorite place on the peninsula to satisfy a sweet tooth is, by far, Wilson’s. Nestled in the quaint and cozy town of Ephraim, since 1906 Wilson’s has been famous for their home-brewed draft root bear, tasty burgers, and old-fashioned soda fountain. Oh, and don’t let me forget to mention the ice cream. Their daunting list of flavors draws visitors from miles around. I chose “coconut joy”–coconut ice cream with bites of chocolate and pecan swirled in. One word… YUM.

After dessert (yes, dessert comes first while on vacation), it’s time for dinner. Door County has plenty of waterfront restaurants, but one only Fred & Fuzzy’s. After driving down a tiny, twisting road, one will come upon this casual outdoor bar and grill. It reminds me of beachfront dining in the Carribean; sunny, carefree, with no worries and no rules. Seated under a red umbrella with a perfect view of Lake Michigan, we enjoyed our last dinner of the trip. I had a “perchwich”, Fred & Fuzzy’s take on a classic fish sandwich, featuring fresh Lake Michigan perch on a toasted bun. Again, YUM.

We were quite well-fed on this trip, but thankfully made up for it with daily hikes and healthy breakfasts at the cabin. I always try to maintain balance with my eating. Eat healthy and say no to pointless extras, but then don’t feel guilty about splurging every once in awhile with a tasty dessert or a special meal while on vacation. Everything in moderation, and always erring on the healthy side of things (for instance, we had salads for dinner one night, and made chicken sandwiches for lunch).

Anyways, I did manage to cross off another thing on the bucket list with our meal at Fred & Fuzzy’s. The list is getting shorter all the time, as the days of summer are dwindling! While Labor Day usually marks the unofficial end of summer, I plan on carrying the bucket list through a few more weeks until fall makes its official arrival. Not sure if I’ll mark everything off, but I do have a few more plans up my sleeve!

eat at fletcher’s, the chocolate moose,
angry trout cafe, coho cafe and fred & fuzzy’s

Tomorrow will be my last post on Door County, and it is decidely geared towards all other decor addicts. I’ll have some eye candy for you, so stick around…

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No trip to Door County is complete without a visit to the American Folklore Theater. Nestled in the pine forest of Peninsula State Park, the Theater puts on a variety of original musical comedies. The shows are hilarious, professional, and filled with Midwestern flavor. The setting is stunning, under a canopy of towering pines, with stars twinkling overhead. This year, we saw Bone Dance, a musical collection of ghost stories gathered from around the world. The play was a little bit eerie, but full of good humor and fantastic costuming.

Another favorite pastime in Door County is wine tasting. The county is known for its wineries, and the locally-grown fruits make for a nice variety of flavors to blend. In previous years, I’ve visited the county in July, when cherry picking is in full swing. This year, we made our way there in August, and the cherries were long gone. Since I missed my opportunity to pick, I chose instead to do the next best thing–sample a glass of Door County cherry wine. Mmmmm, and it was delish–sweet, and bursting with that famous Wisconsin Montmorency cherry flavor.

The peninsula that is home to Door County juts into the northwest corner of Lake Michigan. One side of this peninsula is bordered by the famous Green Bay, and the other is open to the endless expanse of water shared by Milwaukee and Chicago. Being near the big lake almost feels like being near the ocean, except the water isn’t salty and pines instead of palms dot the shoreline. On this trip, we made plenty of time for the lake, as we hiked along the shore, lazed on the beach, and played in the waves. As I bobbed in the clear, clean water, letting waves crash over me, with an endless blue sky above, I thought to myself that this simple, lovely, summer moment would be one I carried with me through the cold months ahead.

Tomorrow, it’s on to talking about the food of Door County, but first, one more thing checked off the bucket list. I changed this one around a bit, since I wasn’t able to pick cherries on this trip.

pick cherries in door county and dip my toes in lake michigan, or, better yet…
sip cherry wine in door county and play in the waves of lake michigan

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Door County, Wisconsin in the summer; simple, unhurried, and as sweet as wild berries. We arrived last Wednesday to a breezy day on the peninsula, cool enough for jackets, but ripe with possibility. Hours spent wandering winding country roads, hiking worn trails through the cedar forest and along the rocky shore, taking in snippets of beauty, and pausing for a bite of something delicious. My mom, my best friend and I, all ready to explore, hike, shop, linger, taste, swim, and soak in three days of togetherness in this timeless summer destination. The hours passed all too quickly each day, and we collapsed into bed each night tired, content and sun-soaked. Quiet, restful nights spent in a tiny log cabin in the woods had us rested and ready for the next day of adventure.

Hiking along the shore of Lake Michigan, and watching the sun set over her glistening waters were two highlights of the trip, and two more things checked off the bucket list of summer.

go for a long hike in a beautiful place
watch the sunset

I have too many photos and stories for just one post, so I’ll be using the next few days to share the rest. Stay tuned, my dears!

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You may think I’ve forgotten about the good old bucket list of summer, seeing as I’ve neglected to mention it recently. However, it’s still on my mind, as I watch the days grow shorter and the leaves begin to tinge red. Knowing that fall is around the bend, I have been busy soaking up the last rays of summer, and checking more items off the list. Despite the fact that the first few weeks of September in Minnesota feel decidedly autumn-like, this year I will be living summer until the last official second. After all, I have enough left on the list to truly relish summer past-times for a few more weeks!

Today I’m checking off three more things.

First up, let’s talk flip-flops. I love my Teva sandals. I buy a pair a year, and always wear through them. This year was no exception. Worn daily, from the yard, to the farmers market, to the mall, to walks on the north shore, these sandals have certainly gotten a workout. They have a couple weeks of life left in them, but just barely.

wear out another pair of teva flip flops

Swimming in the cool, clean waters of a Minnesota lake is pure summer to me. I grew up on a resort in northern Minnesota, where I would roll out of bed and put on a swimsuit immediately, heading out to the beach after a quick breafast of blueberry pancakes in the lodge. A couple of my childhood nicknames were “the mermaid”, and “fish”. Yes, I love the water, and especially lake-swimming. This year, I really made an effort to spent hot days floating on a raft in the middle of the lake, or doing cannon-balls off my parents boat. When I wasn’t up north, I headed down a gravel road near the cottage, to a local swimming hole where the cool water glistened in the sun, welcoming me to dive in. This summer, more than any of the summers in the past few years, I became a fish again.

swim in lakes, as often as possible

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my garden has been thriving this year. The bounty of the harvest is filling my kitchen, and just a few days back, I was inspired to make an entire meal using only my homegrown produce. I whipped up a salad using fresh cucumber, grape tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, baby onions, and banana peppers. Veggies sliced thin, with a bit of Good Seasons dressing drizzled over the top, this salad was the epitome of fresh, delicious summer cuisine. However, a salad isn’t a meal, so I got busy making the main course. I gathered up 5 or 6 of the largest, ripest red tomatoes my garden had to offer, determined to make a fresh tomato soup. Using onions, basil, oregano, and chives, also from the garden, I blended the ingredients, and then simmered my soup on the stove top. The result was divine. I made enough for a couple servings, and a day later, I am happy to report the soup is even more amazing, as the flavors have blended together. Today I ate it with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. Yum!

Here is the recipe for anyone who has an abundance of garden-fresh tomatoes; home-grown or from the farmers market!

:: ingredients ::
5 – 6 large tomatoes
3 – 4 small (tiny) onions
1 tsp chopped basil
1 tsp chopped oregano
1 tsp chopped chives
1 – 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

:: directions ::
Peel and coarsely chop enough tomatoes to yield 4 cups pureed.
Mix in blender all ingredients, then simmer over stove until warm. Enjoy!

make a meal entirely from my vegetable garden

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There you have it, three more things off the list! Tomorrow I’m getting in the car with my mom and my best friend and heading to one of my five fave summer spots. Door County, Wisconsin, is one of those places where you instantly feel like you’ve traveled back in time about 50 years, to a simpler pace where days are filled with the lovely things of life. We will be hiking, wine tasting, watching the sunset, swimming in Lake Michigan, and exploring the many sleepy harbor villages that dot the peninsula. I won’t be posting again ’till next week, so here’s to one more perfect summer weekend! Enjoy it, my dears, because all too soon it will be gone.

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