The third post on visiting my roots comes upon the completion of a recent trip to my hometown in Wisconsin. YES, I did purchase a cheesehead hat and matching accessories as seen in the picture. However, as many last minute souvenir choices, it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. So, my solution was like many that have purchased a sombrero in Mexico.   YOU BETCHA, I wore my cheesehead hat on the plane.  I might add that if you are looking to turn heads, wear a cheesehead hat. The only exception to this may be at Lambeau field for a Packer game where this is very common.

As promised, I did eat cheese curds with Wisconsin Salsa (aka ketchup) and I did share. As you can see from the picture, I expertly paired the melty, stringy cheese explosions with a local New Glarus concoction called appropriately Spotted Cow.

In typical Ms Traveling Pants style, I didn’t let the grass grow. I certainly crisscrossed the state. Fueled by cheese, brats, and beer, I witnessed truly epic vistas that made me understand why many people call this particular area, God’s country.

Click here to view my short picture montage showing Wisconsin’s beauty as seen through Ms Traveling Pants’ eyes.

With that said, I must admit I have a very abnormal affinity for something Wisconsin is famous for, CHEESE. Okay, maybe it would be better said that I have a minor cheese addiction. That’s right! I love cheese in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.

As a continuation from my last post on Gettting back to my roots, I wanted  to add a post on one of my favorite cheese snacks that are common in Wisconsin, but not so common to come across elsewhere….CHEESE CURDS.

My grandfather, a cheesemaker in Mindoro, Wisconsin, would be proud that I hold the cheese curd to such a high pedestal.  Many are not familiar with cheese curds, which are bite size morsels of cheese, typically yellow or orange like American cheddar.  They have been separated from the liquid whey, but have not been formed into the large rectangular blocks nor aged like what most associate with cheddar cheese. The flavor is mild, but they have a very squeaky, rubbery texture. I’m not sure if that would typically be a good texture for an edible item, but for cheese curds, it’s a sign of good curd.

Now, my favorite way to eat cheese curds is actually fried. Yes, you guessed it, frying just about anything makes it better and so it goes with cheese curds too.  The squeaky mild curds turn into a melty, stringy cheese explosion. One can eat cheese curds plain once fried, but the tried and true still dip them in Wisconsin salsa (aka ketchup). I’ll be visiting my dairy state roots and saluting to my genetic cheesemaker background by ordering a plate full of cheese curds with a bottle of ketchup.

I will share, but you better be fast. And, might I add that no plate of cheese curds would be complete without a chaser of local beer. My favorites come from Heileman’s, but that doesn’t’ rule out some of the others like Spotted Cow, Leinenkugels, etc.

Please share your cheese stories and other cheesehead fun facts with the Ms Traveling Pants’ (aka Miss Fish) audience with your comments.

**Photo of cheesehead hat courtesy of click here

**Photo of cheese curds from click here

With the vast majority of Wisconsinites either of German or Norwegian decent, there is seldom a special occasion, festival, or holiday that doesn’t honor delicacies from those mother cultures. Thus, my family took me on an adventure to the basement of a community church in our neighboring town, where the local Norwegian women were in charge of cooking and serving a lutefisk (looooooot-a-fisk) and lefse (lef-sa) dinner. (My accent comes back quickly.)

Lutefisk is a traditional Nordic fish dish made of dried stockfish then soaked in lye.  Yes, you read that correctly, fish soaked in lye, the same stuff that you use to make soap.  I can only rationalize that the process has been passed along since the time before modern day refrigerators or ice boxes existed. However, the traditional taste, texture (jelly-like), and smell of the dish have continued; be forewarned, lutefisk is somewhat notorious for its intense offensive odor. Uffda!

Lutefisk is usually served with, but not limited to potatoes, gravy, melted butter, meatballs, and of course lefse. Unlike lutefisk, lefse is really easy to understand. Basically, it is the Norwegian version of a flour or corn tortilla; however, it is made from potatoes.  It is most commonly served with butter, but many prefer lefse with a sprinkle of sugar. As an addition, lefse is easy to eat and has been a staple in special shipments from Wisconsin for years to wherever I hang my hat.

Now, little did I know that this adventure would be my first appearance in the press. Yes, the local newspaper caught me in the act. Young with a skeptical palate and the overly fishy smell wafting through the hall, I was caught with an ear to ear grin of enjoyment of my lumberjack’s plateful of mashed potatoes and gravy. (Even to this day, I cannot pass up a plate of good mashed potatoes.)

So, on this trip back to my roots, will I be diving into a lutefisk and lefse dinner? Uffda!

**Photo from Official Lutefisk Chef Site

1) Gather as much information as possible to make the best decision. Without information, you can’t make a good decision.

2)You know a lot about a man by his relationship with his mother. (I can hear her saying, “Meet the family sooner rather than later.”)

3) Trust your instincts. (I can hear her saying, “Trust your gut!”)

As a typical child, I have followed and not followed my mother’s advice. When I have strayed, so did my decision making abilities AND thus the consequences of said decisions.

The three points above are only a portion of what I have learned and will continue to learn from my mother. Thank you Mom! And, Happy Mother’s Day!

To all of my readers, please share some of the wisdom that you have learned from your Mom by commenting on this post.

The 27th of every month, Look Up Day, is to commemorate a special day & lesson that I would like to share with my friends, family, & others. It embodies the importance of life, health, & nature from an accident on 9/27/09 that changed my life.

The brainstorming for a name began
one month ago. People from around the world came out of the woodwork with OVER 50 possible names. The names range from song lyrics to translations to just plain silly.

Of all of the names and possibilities, WHY DID I CHOOSE LOOK UP DAY? Its double entendre.

To share, I have created a short video.

HERE’S TO LOOKING UP!

Aye, it is true Ms Traveling Pants has learned to speak Pirate. All that was needed was a visit to the Bounty in Palm Beach, Florida this past weekend with a bunch of me mateys! Our crew of Captain Jack Sparrow (as you see below) as well as other pirates led me ever-curious landlubbers aboard the Bounty, which is probably best known for its usage in not only Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest, but also the classic Brando film, Mutiny on the Bounty.

So let’s cut to the chase. Let me mate, Cap’n Jack Sparrow, and I give you a lesson in how to talk like a pirate starting with a short list of commonly used terms….

Ahoy – a greeting; “Hello”

Arrr – a word that can mean many things, from “yes,” to “maybe,” to “I’ll think about it,” “I don’t know,” “That was good,” “That was bad,” or “That hurts”

Aye – Yes or okay.

Aye Aye – I’ll do that right away, or “Yes, I understand”

Booty – Loot, treasure, spices, jewels, or anything taken illegally.

Grog- generically any alcoholic drink, but most likely rum

Jolly Roger – a pirate flag usually showing white skull and crossbones on a black background.

Lad, lass, lassie – a way to address someone younger than you.

Landlubber- Land lover,  someone not used to life on a ship.

Lily-livered- faint o’ heart

Matey – a friend and/or shipmate

Me- my and/or mine

Mutiny – a revolt against authority

Plunder –  robbing or raiding.

Scallywag – a bad person; scoundrel.

Shiver Me Timbers- an exclamation of surprise, shock, and many times of fear

Sprogs – untrained recruits

Thar- the opposite of “here”

Walk the plank- no need to define this one… it’s bloody obvious.

Wench- a “lady” (typically a working girl a.k.a. a pirate’s barmaid or hooker)

Yo-ho-ho- pirate laughter

Watch out you scallywags! The Bounty has turned Ms Traveling Pants into a multi-lingual, grog drinking, sailor in search of treasure. Don’t mess with me or me mateys otherwise I will force you to walk the plank.

With or without the Pirate speak, you know I am always up for either a good time or to turn some NOT so good times into good stories.   So pass the grog or some rum, and let’s yo-ho-ho together on more of me and me mateys’ stories.

Although I did not spend as much time in Brazil as I have in other countries, I have been surrounded by the Brazilian culture for going on ten years. During that time, I have learned Portuguese (ok Portanol – the Portuguese version of Spanglish) as well as to sing many of Jobim’s Bossa Novas. However, I do have to be honest,  I have not yet mastered the Samba.

As Brazil’s culture and cuisine is very vast, I will only highlight my favorite dish that seems to be a crowd pleaser for potlucks as well as a great way to use left over chicken.  So check out this sweet, salty, refreshing Brazilian Chicken Salad called Salpicão de Galinha.

Ingredients:

½ lb of shredded chicken (typically it is seasoned with a garlic and salt paste called tempero which is easily prepared in a mortal and pestle)  **Hint you may use left over chicken or buy already roasted chicken.

1 apple diced (green apples work the best with a touch of orange juice to prevent browning)

1 can of sweet corn (drained)

1/3 cup of raisins (add more if you like the dish sweeter)

1/3 cup of sliced green olives (add more if you like the dish more salty)

1½ cup of shredded carrots (blanched)

Small can of shoestring potatoes

Small container of non-fat plain yogurt (if you like everything creamier or a heavier texture you may use mayo; however, if you like things zingy use Greek yogurt.)

Directions:

1) Season and cook the chicken with a heavy rub of the fresh garlic and salt paste (tempero).  Let the chicken cool.  After it is room temperature or comfortable to touch, pull the chicken with a fork or hands to create thin, shredded pieces.  Place the pulled chicken in a medium to large mixing bowl.

2) Boil water to blanch the carrots while you dice 1 green apple.  Cover the diced apple with a little orange juice or similar to prevent browning.  Then, place the apples in the bowl.

3) Drain and empty one can of sweet corn into the mixture.  Then, add the raisins and olives.

4) Once the water is boiling, add the carrots for 1-2 minutes.  They will become livelier in color.  Remove the carrots from the heat.  Drain them and run cold water over the top to stop the cooking process.  Once cooled, add the carrots to the mixture.  At this point all ingredients have been added except the yogurt and shoestring potatoes.

5) Add a tablespoon of yogurt at a time to the mixture while stirring until the entire salad has a light coating of the yogurt.  After mixing in the yogurt, chill the salad for at least an hour, but it’s even better after a couple hours or overnight.

6) When ready to serve, take the salad out of the refrigerator and top with the shoestring potatoes (the amount is up to your discretion).

**Alterations:  You may add diced ham to this mixture and even green peas to make it more colorful, but the important combination is the play on the salty and sweet flavors.  There needs to be that concoction for the salad to be interesting.  With that said, eyeball the raisins and olives and add more if you like it more one way or the other.

Remember:

Long after the travels are over, the recipes still remain.

They are some of the best lembranças (souvenirs)!!!

I experienced my first tortilla española over ten years ago in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. A tortilla española or Spanish omelet is the most commonly served dish in Spain.  It is a peasant, comfort food that is simply potatoes, eggs, onions, olive oil, and salt.  It can be eaten as a mid-afternoon snack, light dinner, or even a sandwich, called a bocadillo.

Although you would think that an omelet would be something that you could just improvise, I actually knew that in order to prepare an authentic tortilla española, I would need some insider tips.  After eating numerous tortillas and reading recipes on how to do it, I took a long bus ride from Madrid to Murcia in Southern Spain to have one of my friend’s family members show me step by step how to make a tortilla española.  My friend’s grandmother’s technique has served me for over a decade. In fact, it was part of this week’s menu at Chez Ms Traveling Pants. See the recipe below, try it, and insert it into your culinary repertoire.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled
• 1 yellow onion
• 6 large eggs
• olive oil for pan frying
• salt to taste

How to in 25 minutes:

• Heat frying pain to medium heat and add olive oil to liberally cover the pan
• Peel and dice potatoes (make them all similar in size for equal cooking time)
• Dice onion
• Add all veggies and cook until soft
• For best results, stir often, reduce the heat to below medium, and mash the ingredients a little bit to get a good binding capacity
• Take the pan off of the stove and cool for 5-10 minutes
• In a medium bowl, crack all eggs and stir
• Add all veggies to the eggs
• Reheat the pan and cover with a small amount of olive oil
• Add the egg and veggie mixture
• Scrape the sides of the frying pan and the underside of the omelet to prevent sticking
• When the omelet turns yellow in color, it is time to flip (a challenge!)
• Put a large plate over the open pan, remove pan from stove top, and flip (can be messy)
• Slide that half cooked tortilla back into the pan until both sides are fully cooked
• Always present the best looking side to your guests

Buen provecho!

p.s. There is an actual tortilla española pan to make the flip work, but I dare you to try the flip and master it. The challenge is part of the fun!

I left Florida in September on a short trip planned to the Hudson River Valley, New York with only one carry on. My week trip turned into four months of recovering and resulted in filling four large suitcases and that same carry on for my return home. Typically, I am a light traveler, but this time I was not moving or sightseeing, but limited because of my injury; thus, I turned to my natural instincts to, “pack like a rat,” everything from DVDs, magazines, books, clothes, and the like.

During my time away from home, I missed people the most, but in this story I would like to mention , in particular, the things I missed: the ability to hang up my clothes in a closet instead of piling them on a chair and on my suitcase, knowing the ins and outs of my own tv and cable remotes, having a junk drawer for things you just don’t know what to do with yet, adjusting the water temperature to just right in the shower, the taste of a my particular brand of coffee, and the smell of my laundry detergent.  Yes, many of these things may seem rather trivial but my trip was not a chosen hiatus, but a short trip turned very long via, “an act of nature.”  (If you would like to read about my accident click here)

Regardless of the circumstances that extended my stay, I bet that many avid adventureros and even business travelers can attest that the number ONE missed item when traveling for long periods of time is………

Your BED.

Despite the newer sleep number beds, decorative throw pillows, turn down service or no, there is no substitute to your own bed and pillow whether you like it with one sheet, two sheets, comforter, quilt, throw blanket, or more or even less.

I have just recently returned to my bed; “Oh how I missed you.”  I will not include a picture because I have chosen not to make my bed today. And, I can do that because it is my bed. The pillow is just right, not too big, not too flat.  The mattress is also just right, not too soft, not too firm. I almost feel like I am recounting Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but my bed is just right for me.  Now, bear in mind that I have been known to sleep very well on docks in Southern Spain, boats transversing the seas between Turkey and Greece, every transaltantic flight possible, and even camping in the Rockies or the Sahara.  However, a night’s sleep is never as sweet as in your own bed.

For those traveling and reading this, I leave you with, “sleep tight don’t let the bed bugs bite.” For those that are home, “sweet dreams.”  I will be enjoying my bed tonight, tomorrow night, and the next.  I will let my suitcases rest for awhile; thus, I will unpack later.

Coming to Fort Lauderdale to escape the wintry weather for Super Bowl 2010 or perhaps Spring Break 2010??

Here’s a list of my favorite spots to enjoy in FTL…

Must do:

1) The beach and boardwalk: Take in the main beach drag, A1A, that follows the blue Atlantic Ocean waters and is lined with a beautiful boardwalk for pedestrians, bikers, roller bladers, and more. You will see the Super Bowl numbers featured in the post’s picture at the A1A & Las Olas Intersection, which is my favorite section of the beach for laying out as well as in front of the Elbo Room & Spazios (both worth a visit for a beer with a view).

2) Intercoastal and Water Taxi ride: Often called the Venice of the United States, a trip to Fort Lauderdale is not complete without witnessing the architectural beauty of the houses or as I like to call them, “McMansions.” You can see some of the canals from the waterside restaurants such as Shooter’s, Taverna Opa, Pier 66, but there is something about getting the feel of the New River, Las Olas, and doing it from the water on the Water Taxi which allows for getting on and off at multiple stops all day.

3) Are you a high roller or looking for a good club scene? The Hardrock Casino is ideal for a little gaming and a night at Pangea (especially on Friday or Saturday night). The casino is located a short drive or cab ride from Fort Lauderdale in Hollywood, Florida. There you will find a Mecca of restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, and an array of concerts.

4) Interested in gator watching? Holiday park is located West of Fort Lauderdale past the suburbs of Plantation and Weston and into the Everglades.  At Holiday park, you can take an hour long airboat ride through the Everglades to see birds, alligators, and other “swamp things.” Afterwards, you can take pictures and hold alligators as well as witness an alligator expert demonstrate the strength and agility of the park’s many alligator residents.

5) If you are interested in great views of the beach (like picture below) and some of hot South Florida beauties stop by the W Hotel for its pool party called Salvation Sundays from 12:30pm to 8:00pm (21 and over).

Must eat:

1) For something with a beach view for lunch or dinner, try Casablanca – Right on A1A sits this historic home serving up seafood, American and Mediterranean fare, & nightly entertainment.

2) For something on the Intercoastal with a constant parade of the luxurious boats, experience Taverna Opa.  At this Greek eatery, let the ouzo flow freely with dancing staff, napkins flying, expert belly dancers, & sturdy tables to loose your inhibitions with your dinner companions or new friends.

3) For high end, fine dining experiences, try Johnny V’s on Las Olas, da Campo Osteria, or Steak954

4) Off the beach on Sunrise Blvd, you will find Canyon. It is a small, but very popular Southwestern restaurant with a twist.  Whatever your choice from the menu, do try their specialty drink, the Prickly Pear Margarita, which is well worth the trip.

Look forward to seeing you down here in Sunny Florida for a festive Super Bowl, Spring Break, and beyond!!

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