My Brother's Turkey Dinner

This is rather impressive for boys, I think. As some of you know, my brother and his best friend, Ben, have overtaken my parents' house in Brookfield, while my parents spend their winter in Nevada and Kelly and Ben attempt to launch a business of their own. Kelly is a graphic designer, and Ben a computer programmer, and thus their talents mesh nicely. Anyhow, Ben and Kelly hosted a Thanksgiving meal at the house and invited a couple friends. As you can see, the offerings were complete, and I was also impressed to see that lace linens and candlesticks also donned the table. Indeed, a nice touch.

Ya We Fix That

Funny picture from this weekend in Elmhurst, Illinois. This sign was posted in front of a gas station garage. I had to laugh. I spent my long Thanksgiving weekend with Karen and her three sisters (and their families) in Elmhurst, Illinois, which is my favorite suburb of Chicago, and also where my Dad spent his younger days. I had an incredibly fun and relaxing weekend. It was definitely hard to come back to work and real life yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera at home this morning, and thus cannot upload my pictures from the weekend, but I promise to have good stories and pictures tomorrow. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Help Out by Dining Out

FYI- AIDS Network's An Extra Helping is this Wednesday, November 28th. That means you can increase HIV/AIDS awareness in Madison by simply going out to dinner that night. Participating restaurants will contribute a percentage of the day's sales directly to AIDS Network. "So help out by dining out. Fight the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in your own community by wielding a surprising weapon--your fork."

WIST Holiday Trunk Show

So besides the incredible food, the main reason for going to Lazy Jane's for breakfast on Saturday was for the First Annual WIST Holiday Trunk Show. Problem was we arrived 8 hours early. Karen thought the show was during the morning, but it was actually scheduled for 5-9 p.m. So we ate our breakfast at Lazy Jane's, enjoyed the rest of the day, and then came back at 6 p.m.

It was a great little show with many unique handmade arts and crafts from local artists, not to mention the free champaign and cookies! WIST is short for the "Wisconsin Etsy Street Team." If you haven't yet checked out Etsy online, it's definitely worth seeing. Especially in light of the upcoming gift-giving season! Etsy is a website that was launched in 2005 that provides the general public with a way to buy and sell handmade goods. There's literally tens of thousands of sellers and it's sort of like one big open craft fair. It's a powerful forum. And you can find some very unique handmade items at affordable prices. As the WIST flyer states, "Join the Craft Revolution! Buy Independent. Buy Handmade." Word.

Lazy Jane's Cafe

Lazy Jane's Cafe on Willy Street (1358 Williamson St.) is my all-time favorite place for breakfast. I went there this past Saturday morning to enjoy a home style breakfast in a relaxed, classic Willy-Street environment complete with random artwork, eclectic antiques, mix matched furniture and serving ware, and an assortment of people from the east side of town and beyond. Besides the atmosphere, my favorite part of Lazy Jane's is their incredible scones. I love scones, and would fashion myself a true connoisseur. These are the best damn scones you'll ever taste in your life. And, they're as big as your head. My favorite is the raspberry scone, but this time I enjoyed a seasonal classic--a pumpkin scone with walnuts and white chocolate.

After quickly devouring the scone (which, I remind you, was as big as my head), I then moved on to my breakfast entree, the frittata with red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and asiago cheese. Mmm....good. My mom ordered this one the last time I went to Lazy Jane's, the morning after Ironman Wisconsin, and it was tasty. So this time I wanted my own frittata. The whole thing. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed my two-course breakfast, which I think was much deserved after a 9-mile run earlier that morning. Lazy Jane's is one of those places, like the Weary Traveler (which is where I had dinner last night with my friends Emily and Jill :), that I could eat at every single day and never grow tired of. Lazy Jane's for breakfast and Weary for Dinner. Now that's a life I could get used to.

Oh Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree before Thanksgiving? Who ever heard of such a thing? When I was working a 9-hour shift at Banana last Sunday, Karen was buying, assembling, lighting, and decorating a Christmas tree, among many other projects. The girl cannot sit still. She also already decorated the mantel with poinsettias and garland. It all looks very beautiful and festive. Except, I am having trouble with all of the IU (Karen's alma mater) ornaments dotting the tree. So for perhaps the first time in my life, I am enjoying a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. And that is something to be thankful for.

Ruby Nouveau Tasting

On Saturday afternoon, Karen and I attended a wine tasting at Wollersheim Winery for the release of the 2007 Ruby Nouveau, the first wine of the new harvest. It's a "dry red with enticing fresh flavors and a zesty finish." In addition to Ruby Nouveau, several other wines were offered for sampling, along with the winery's infamous Coq au Ruby (ruby chicken) and assorted Wisconsin cheese. We also took a special tour, which explained the making of Ruby Nouveau.

This was the first time I had been to Wollersheim Winery, which is located in Prarie Du Sac, a 15-20 minute drive from Madison. The winery and surrounding property are just beautiful, a setting that consists of a scenic hillside overlooking the Wisconsin River.

My favorite part of the tour was hearing about the history of the winery and the lasting love affair that ensued between the French intern and the owner's daughter. The property was first selected for vineyards in the 1840's. A winery was operated at the site until the turn of the century. It wasn't until 1972 that the property was again established as a working vineyard. At that time, Robert and JoAnn Wollersheim purchased the nearly abandoned property with the intention of restoring it to a working family winery. Robert, who at the time left his job as an engineer, had always enjoyed wine but was certainly no expert on its production, and thus hired many helping hands.

One of those interns was current winemaker Philippe Coquard, who was originally from the Beaujolais region of France. After finishing wine college in France in the mid-1980's, he took part in an American exchange program that unexpectedly sent him to Wisconsin. Shortly after arriving at Wollersheim Winery, Coquard fell in love with one of Robert Wollersheim's daughters, Julie. They were married two years later, thus resulting in a most perfect union. Lucky girl. Her father opens a winery, and then she falls in love with the French intern. Why don't these sort of things ever happen to me?