Fox Valley Blogger

 If you are at all like me, you are always seeking out new recipes to try and get great flavors at home.  Especially since COVID restricted our access to dining out, I have been more motivated than ever to try new recipes at home.   The use of this  Pork Carnitas recipe was prompted by noticing how inexpensive pork shoulder roasts can be at the store.  Sometimes they are on sale and I'm buying 3-4 lbs of meat for just a few bucks.  Especially when compared to the cost of beef nowadays and some items being harder to come by during the pandemic.   Couple that with my appetite for anything "taco" related and this recipe turned out to be a good match for me.  I mean, I would do tacos / nachos etc. just about every day of the week if I had to.  I love those flavors.  This recipe in my opinion is pretty much spot on.  My first run came out a bit salty so I tried low sodium chicken broth as an alternative but that didn't help mu...

For full disclosure, I purchased this book because I know the author.  Jennifer Teske is my cousin's wife and I wanted to support her efforts on her first book.  With that said, here are my thoughts.   The book can be purchased on Amazon . The book generally would be considered a self-help type of read.  Prior to reading this book, I had no idea what "Law of Attraction" was.  My assumption was that it related to relationships with others but I was wrong.  Law of Attraction, put simply, refers to a concept of being able to bring your wants and needs into your life and the steps you can take to make it happen.  I think the author does a nice job explaining her background on the topic as well as weaving her personal story into the book to help the reader understand the author's mindset.  She also provides some nice, simple and relatable steps you can take to foster your own growth.   One of my biggest takeaways from the book was a conc...

The last few days of July, I began to feel a tightness in my chest.  I had no other symptoms besides feeling pain in my chest cavity if I took a deeper than normal breath.  So I chalked it up to being old and possibly have tweaked a muscle or cartilage in or near my rib cage.   But it worsened.  It really felt like there was a harness strapped around my chest that was preventing me from taking deep breaths.  Amazingly, I think my body was able to shut down the need for yawns or sneezing for 2-3 days while I was experiencing this pain.  Then I started to look up some COVID-19 symptoms as this clearly was more serious than a muscle pull.  I noticed some folks would say it felt like someone was sitting on their chest.  As it relates to trying to take a deep breath, I would agree with this.  I was growing pretty concerned about my inability to breath normally.  This was something I had never experienced before.     By now...

I just finished reading  When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi .  The book was published in 1999 and as a life-long Packer fan who also enjoys reading history books, I'm frankly surprised it took me this long to get it read. Ultimately, a very good read.  I always knew of Lombardi as the highly successful coach of the Green Bay Packers for whom the Superbowl trophy is named after.  Most people are likely familiar with one of Lombardi's most famous sayings:  "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." This was pretty much the extent of my knowledge of the man.  He was a legendary coach with his famous Green Bay Packer sweep play and had multiple hall of fame players.  That pretty much summed up my knowledge of Vince Lombardi. What this book helped me understand, is that Vince Lombardi was a much more complex person.  His famous phrases were just tidbits of a greater picture that really was focused on being your best.  R...

For several years I have been hearing people talk about how much they like Green Bay's east side restaurant Plae Bistro .  I was excited to finally be able to make it there for dinner Friday night.  The restaurant is located in a strip mall facility but there isn't any strip mall feel to the interior.  They have done a nice job creating a cozy environment with a modern, upscale circular bar surrounded by booths and tables.   A number of items on the menu were tempting.  One of my favorite indulgences is having a nice rib-eye and I've been told Plae's rib-eye is very good.  Since I tend to enjoy the steaks I can make at home, I opted for something I wouldn't expect to make at home.  It was described on the menu as follows:  +1 Ahi tuna 8oz. +1 (sashimi grade) ahi tuna fresh from Honolulu, HI, grilled  RARE , soy ginger grapefruit sauce To accompany the Ahi tuna, I chose the risotto.  The food was all very good.  Ok, to be...

With two young boys our house can feel awfully small and time flies by week to week and there you sit w/ another week gone by without finding too many activities for the little guys. Upon the advice of my wife's co-worker, we ventured towards Fond Du Lac to visit Little Farmer Orchard . It was a nice fall day travelling southbound from Appleton on HWY 55 enjoying the fall colors and view of Lake Winnebago. That alone was just about worth the 45 minute trip enjoying the fantastic foliage Wisconsin has to offer this time of year. The first thing that impresses about Little Farmer is the size of the operation. While I was expecting to visit a basic Wisconsin farm open to the public, this place had parking attendants directing traffic and hayride tractors going by. Suddenly I knew this was a big operation. I continued to be impressed by observing there was no admission fee to enter the farm. With all the parking attendants and restrooms I just simply assumed we'd have a modes...

With young children, opportunties to have a nice dinner out with your spouse can be few and far between.  Therefore, I am typically reluctant to try a new restaurant at the risk of having a less than satisfactory meal during one of these precious evenings.  That's why I am pleased to share our positive experience while dining at the Kensington Grille in Appleton recently.  I had the grilled ahi tuna over wasabi risotta and it was absolutely delicious.  The waitress was very helpful and knowledgeable about the entrees.  We also sampled the clam chowder which was delicious as well.  Overall, my wife and I were very pleased and definitely look forward to going there again.  It provided an atmosphere of fine dining while having reasonable prices and what I considered bigger portions than your typical fine dining experience.  Here is their website and it happens to be convienently located near a wine bar as well.  http://www.thekens...