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Treat Yourself.

November 23, 2016

These holiday pretzel treats are easy to make, delicious and not to mention, super cute! They’re the perfect little snack in between meals, before meals, after meals…basically any time of the day!

They also make the perfect homemade holiday gift when wrapped in a cute box or a mason jar with a ribbon.

Keep reading to learn how to make these yummy pretzel treats:

Ingredients:

1 Bag Pretzel Rings
2-3 Bags Hershey’s Hugs per Bag of Rings
1 Bag Holiday M&M’s
Parchment Paper or non-stick baking paper
Cookie Sheet

Before starting, pre-heat your oven to 175*

Step 1:

Unwrap your Hershey’s Hugs – this is the most time consuming part, so recruit some helpers!

Step 2:

Lay out the pretzel rings on a baking sheet over a non-stick surface such as parchment paper.

Squeeze those pretzels in! The more the merrier.

Step 3:

Place Hugs in center of pretzels.

All the Hugs!

Step 4:

Place tray in oven and set timer for 10 minutes.

Step 5:

You’ll want to make sure the Hugs are melted, but not too melted to the point they’re sorry puddles. The Hugs will look a little wider, but you should still able to see the peak.

You can always test this by taking the treats out and pushing down on one of the tips to see if the chocolate is easily moldable.

Don’t worry if they’re not quite there yet. Just stick them back in the oven for a few more minutes to melt!

Step 6:

Once the chocolate is to the desired consistency, place M&M’s in the middle of chocolate pretzel and push down so the chocolate reaches all around the pretzel.

Step 7:

Stick in the freezer or a cold room for 10-15 minutes to cool.

Step 8:

ENJOY! These things are addicting so make sure you divvy up the inventory before chowing down if you’re planning to use for holiday gifts!

What are your favorite holiday treats or traditions?

around town, food

I may have a minor apple allergy, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying one of my favorite fall activities – the apple orchard! There’s nothing better than wandering the orchard ground with the smell of apple brats and cider in the air.

We visited Aamodt’s Apple Farm, in Stillwater, MN. It was a super warm October day – too warm for fall boots! Boo.

Unfortunately the “pick your own” season had ended, but we were able to snag some apple donuts and a few harlson’s for my soup-makings!

If you’re looking for an alternative to Aamodt’s, we also love Pinetree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake.

Do you have any recommendations for apple orchards or fun fall activities in your area? Comment below! I’d love to hear local tips 🙂

around town, book it! aka travel, food

Day Trippin: Stillwater, MN

September 25, 2016

Luke and I are HUGE fans of Stillwater, MN. We used to venture there as high school sweethearts and walk along the river. One of the first “fancy” places he took me was the Dock Cafe for a delicious meal we couldn’t really afford.

I have very fond memories of Stillwater, and still get excited every time we have a free day to go there. It’s the perfect day trip from Minneapolis – far away enough from the city, but still close enough to make it in 30 minutes or less.

We fell into a Stillwater routine the past few times we visited over the summer. It goes something like this…

9AM: Load your bikes up and head to downtown Stillwater. There is a large FREE parking lot on the edge of town next to the Stillwater marina and the old MN Zephyr train station. It’s way less congested than the other side of downtown coming in from 36.

10:45AM-12PM: Cruise down the Browns Creek Trail. This is a new trail paved over the MN Zephyr rail line. It’s open to bikers, walkers, skaters, etc., so it can get a little congested on a busy weekend. WAY less congested than River Road in St.Paul/Minneapolis though, from our experiences. Going out of Stillwater, there is a gradual incline, so be prepared to sweat! You can take this trail all the way to the Gateway Trail where it connects after 6 miles. We usually like to do the round trip 12-mile trip, which makes for a good ride. Not too long, not too short where you don’t feel like you got a workout in.

Browns Creek Trail

12PM: After biking, we’re usually famished and our go-to restaurant is Lolo American Kitchen on Main Street. I won’t go into too much detail here, since I already did a write-up of Lolo in my Hidden Gem’s TC post, but to re-emphasize my love, just go and eat there already!

1PM: Now that you’re belly is happy, time to walk off that lunch with a little shopping! There are tons of cute shops all along main street. A couple of my favorites are the newly revamped Stillwater Farm Store, Alfresco Casual Living and Mara Mi. Personally, I find Mara Mi the most dangerous since they have WAY too much cute stationary to handle (I mean how much stationary does a gal really need?) AND they serve Izzy’s ice cream. Double uh-oh. Lastly, we really like the 45* store – we’ve snagged a few sale items there and they carry brands like Patagonia and Keens.

2:30PM: We usually end our visit with a trip to Candyland to get some Chicgao Mix for the road.

If you’re looking for more things to do, here are a couple alternate suggestions of places we like to frequent:

Pay a visit to Wedge & Wheel, a cute little cheese shop across the way from Mara Mi. The selection of cheese & meat can be a little intimidating, but we’ve had nothing but fantastic service from their staff, who is always happy to lend a suggestion and samples.

Another great spot a little out of “downtown” is Lift Bridge Brewery. It’s in a bit of a weird location, but it’s a great taproom! They offer tours of the facilities, great beer and FREE popcorn. Can’t beat that 🙂

We’ve only eaten here once, but it left a mark on us: Domacin Restaurant & Wine Bar. Aside from their extensive selection of wines, there food is superb. It’s described as “New American with Mediterranean Influence”. It’s a little on the spendy side, so be prepared to throw down some dough. Great spot for a special night on the town with your honey!

What’s your favorite spot in Stillwater?

book it! aka travel, food

Book It Series | Camping in Cuyuna Country

August 24, 2016

Cuyuna Country: Abandoned by mining companies more than 30 years ago, this area of former mining pits and rock deposit stockpiles now boasts regenerated vegetation and clear lakes that draw a wide range of recreation enthusiasts. Twenty-five miles of natural shoreline can be explored by boat or canoe and anglers can cast a line for trout, northern, bass, crappie, or sunfish.

As one of Minnesota’s newest State Recreation Areas, Cuyuna’s 5,000 acres are mostly undeveloped. Off-highway vehicles are not permitted within the boundaries of Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.-MN DNR

Back in July, my husband and I spent the weekend camping with my brother in law, Joe, and his girlfriend, Natalie. We choose True North Basecamp in Crosby, MN because of its proximity to the Twin Cities, hiking in the area, ease of booking online and not-so-roughin’ it facilities (aka a shower house and toilets).

True North has 33 campsites spread out amongst 3 sections of land, as well as 6 uber modern lakefront cabins. The campsites are $19 per night Sunday through Thursday & $29 per night Friday and Saturday. Cabins go for $69 per night Sunday through Thursday & $125 per night Friday and Saturday.

Online booking was a breeze, as was communication with Dan, one of the owners via email. They also provide the option to message via Facebook. I had a quick question regarding firewood the night before we left, and I received a very speedy response. I was also able to purchase some bundles ahead of time which were waiting for us when we arrived.

We opted to rent a campsite for the weekend and were very pleased to find out we were the only group in our area of the campground. The only downside was the proximity to the town of Crosby. I didn’t realize at the time of booking just how close the town was to the campground. Our campsite had a lovely view of the Crosby water tower and high school football field 🙂

If you’re looking for a deep woods, off-the-grid experience, this is probably not the right place for you. If you’re new to camping, have a young family or just really enjoy modern conveniences, then this is the right spot.

Our campsite!

After a hearty pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, we ventured out on our hike on the trails connected to the campground. Here is a link to some handy maps of the surrounding trails and areas. We decided not to bring our bikes on this trip due to space, but if you’re into mountain biking, this is the spot for you!

There’s also a local rental shop if you’d like to take out paddleboards, canoes, kayaks or bikes. To save money, we decided to just hike for the day 🙂 I linked the rental company below for reference.

Here are a few photos from our hike:

Nat & I

The Boys

Beautiful view of one of the lakes!

Once back to camp, we hit the shower-house, which was extremely clean and well maintained. I was very impressed! They even had a box of tampons in the bathroom for the ladies. Nice touch.

We were quite famished from our hike and decided to hit up a local restaurant for dinner. When in Rome right? The top rated restaurant in town happens to be a BBQ joint right near the campground called Louie’s Bucket of Bones. How can you not visit a restaurant with a name like that?

Louie’s Bucket of Bones

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a grouchy older woman who told us to “sit down”. She actually turned out to be quite a gem as our evening progressed – I think it’s all part of the Louie’s divey charm.

Hot tip: Louie’s doesn’t have a liquor license, so they’re not allowed to serve alcohol. Bring your own beer and they’ll provide the cups!

We started with a plate of buffalo wings, which were divine! I had the broasted chicken meal for dinner, which was super delish and hit the spot after a day of hiking in the sun. Luke had the ribs which were equally as good. This is definitely the spot to visit if you find yourself in the town of Crosby! Actually, I think the restaurant is technically in the town of Ironton, MN. It sits right on the border, as you can see both town signs from the front lawn of Louie’s.

After dinner, we headed back to our campsite and unfortunately started packing most of our stuff up due to some impending storms in the forecast. After about an hour of that, we devoured a lot of s’mores, just in time for the arrival of the storm. The remainder of the night was spent playing cards in the tent, drinking boxed wine and listening to the storm roll through.

Our Sunday was cut very short, after a long night of waiting for the storm to pass. I still have PTSD from our Eaux Claires camping experience last year (story for a different day), so I didn’t sleep much. We woke around 5AM to water pooling in the tent (it had been pouring rain all night). The last straw was the side of the tent collapsing into Luke every time a strong gust of wind came by. After about 20 minutes of trying to hold it up, we decided it was probably time to call it. Especially since there was an advisory for strong winds until 11AM that morning.

All in all, it was a great weekend with family and new experiences! I would highly recommend True North to others, especially if you’re into mountain biking. I don’t know if I would camp there again because of the proximity to town, but I would definitely rent a cabin to see what those are like.

Until next time,

-j.

Details & Addresses:

True North Basecamp: 825 1st St SW; Cuyuna, Minnesota 56441

Louie’s Bucket of Bones: 101 4th St, Ironton, MN 56455

Cycle Path & Paddle: 115 3rd Ave SW; Crosby, MN 56441

food

My Top “Under the Radar” Food Finds

April 24, 2016

1 Comment

There are quite a few restaurants throughout the Twin Cities that Luke and I visit on a regular basis when we’re not in the mood to try something new. Much to my dismay, many people asking us for recommendations have never heard of many of these places! Here is an inside look at our top spots around the Twin Cities:

Brunch: Craftsman [4300 East Lake Street, Minneapolis]

We had never heard of this place until we moved to the neighborhood a few years ago. This East Lake gem has never disappointed us with their brunch. They use seasonal ingredients, so the menu changes, but there are always great choices and something for every taste. I have had the best quiche of my life here and Luke swears by their house made jelly. If you need a little hair of the dog after a night out, they serve up a pretty killer bloody mary. I’m a big fan of their house mix made with horseradish.

Service is always top-notch and we’ve never had an issue getting a table (they do take Open Table reservations though if you have a larger group). As an added bonus, they have a super cute patio during the warmer months.

Lunch: LoLo American Kitchen [233 Main Street South, Stillwater]

Stillwater holds a special place for Luke & I (separate post to come soon), but throughout the years, their dining scene has been a little lackluster. Many of the popular restaurants seem to serve up mediocre & over-priced food, catering to the tourists, boaters and bachelor parties who visit in the summer. Per their Yelp ratings, we stopped into LoLo one night after walking around the town. It was only a few months after they had opened, so we didn’t have super high expectations, but we thought we’d give it a shot. Best discovery ever.

I could go on about this place, but all you need to know: Korean BBQ wings & their fish tacos. Both are the best I’ve tasted in the Twin Cities. The service is always friendly & speedy and they have an extensive cocktail list. They really stole my heart when I discovered a cocktail named “The Gretchen Weiners”.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of others have discovered our secret since it’s always busy when we go, but plan for the wait and you’ll be fine. They take your phone number down and text you when your table is ready so you can snoop in a few nearby shops while you wait.

Dinner: Shish Mediterranean Grill [1668 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul]

This is our go-to spot for takeout if we’re feeling too lazy to cook. If you like Middle Eastern food (ie. gyros, falafels, chicken shawarma, etc), you’ve got to get to Shish. Even if you don’t, go to Shish. If you have an aversion to garlic, they serve up an All-American burger. My usual order is the Chicken Shawarma Wrap with fries, but I’ll opt for the Shish Taouk Kebab if I’m watching my figure.

With it’s proximity to Macalester, it’s usually pretty busy with college students and neighborhood residents, but don’t let that avert you from stopping in. You can always call ahead for takeout to avoid the line, which is usually what we do. The service was a little touch & go the over the past year, but we’ve noticed a significant improvement the past few times we’ve been so hopefully they’re on the up.

Drinks: WA Frost Lounge [374 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul]

I know everyone has heard of WA Frost and their fabulous patio, but did you know they have a whole other lounge located in the basement?! Take the steps near the bar and you’re transported into their cozy lounge area, complete with side rooms if you’re looking for a little privacy, or are visiting with a group. They offer their full bar menu in the lounge, making it a semi-affordable night out, especially if you can visit during their happy hour (the Chef’s burger is perfection). They offer a late-night happy hour on Friday nights from 9-11, which is a great time to visit with a group of friends.

I hope you enjoyed some of our top lesser known picks throughout the Twin Cities! Comment below if any of these are your faves or if you have a suggestions for us to try.

Until next time, gallivanters.

-j.

food

Treat Yourself.

You’re the apple of my eye.

Day Trippin: Stillwater, MN

Book It Series | Camping in Cuyuna Country

My Top “Under the Radar” Food Finds