A peek at the Milwaukee Rep's fall 2015 musical
As the Milwaukee Rep gears up for their 2015–2016 season, the people behind the scenes put out a call for local fans to be part of their social media club. I applied, made the cut, and the rest (as they don't really say) will be documented in full on my blog. I'm so thrilled for the chance to see and write about what I'm sure will be some outstanding Milwaukee theater. Last year I saw the Rep's Harvey and Peter and the Starcatcher and loved them both tremendously.
The new season at the Milwaukee Rep kicks off with the musical Dreamgirls. Musicals at the Rep are a relatively new tradition — just six seasons old. The last Rep musical I saw was Ragtime and it blew me away. In similar mind-blowing fashion, Dreamgirls promises high-power vocals, an affecting story, and (bonus!) lots of sequins.
To show off the company's talent and get the theater community buzzing about the fall production, the Rep hosted a rehearsal and reception at Mount Mary College. Members of the social media club were treated to reserved seats in the front row (I'm loving the perks of this new gig already). Along with about 500 Rep fanatics, we heard from the Dreamgirls director, costume designer, and other notable theater folks. Then we heard from the cast in two jaw-dropping songs, the best of which they saved for last: Nova Y. Payton's "And I Am Telling You" brought the crowd to their feet and mist to my eyes — a total visceral reaction to such an impassioned performance.
And this is only the first rehearsal?! Friends, you're not going to want to miss seeing this one. Dreamgirls runs from September 22nd to November 1st. Get your tickets now!
For those salad-for-dinner nights
Confession: I don't know if I've actually cooked chicken in our apartment all summer. Well, maybe once or twice. Why? Because it's so much easier to run to the Sendik's deli and buy either their grilled or lemon pepper grilled chicken breasts as I need them. They're consistently tasty and never, ever have what I call "funny pieces" in them. You know what I mean — gristle and such. No thank you.
I've turned to Sendik's grilled chicken for a lot of summer weeknight suppers. It's not only easy, but having salad for dinner keeps our apartment cool (no stove/oven needed), and adding chicken turns a side salad into a meal. That said, you can make this salad sans chicken for a yummy side dish too — your call. It's delicious either way.
- - - - - - -
PEAR & GOAT CHEESE SALAD
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
** These amounts make dinner for two**
Baby spinach (a few handfuls), roughly chopped
1 pear (any kind), sliced or chopped
1 chicken breast, chopped
diced red onion, to taste
2–3 TBS chopped walnuts
2–3 TBS sunflower seeds
2 TBS dried cranberries
1 TBS chia seeds
goat cheese, crumbled (I like Montchèvre's garlic & herb)
Vinaigrette dressing (I like Marie's lemon herb vinaigrette)
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Chop up the choppables and toss all ingredients together with dressing in a large bowl. Plate it for two and enjoy!
**Note: Certain ingredients can sub in or out with other things (trade walnuts for pecans) or can be omitted completely (chia seeds). Things I wouldn't omit: The obvious pear and goat cheese, as well as the cranberries and nuts. They add a lot of taste and texture.
- - - - - - -
Okay, so I took these pics in an attempt to showcase all the goodies in this salad, but in reality I make this like a chop salad instead. I really dig chop salads — they're so easy to eat and you're more likely to get yummy stuff in every bite. Also, to keep this an easy weeknight meal, I used jarred dressing. However I have found my new favorite dressing recipe, which I'll share another time. Such suspense!
The night we (kind of) saw The Labyrinth
When I heard Humbolt Park would be playing 1986's The Labyrinth starring David Bowie, a young Jennifer Connelly (#acting), and a bunch of weirdos from the Jim Henson Studio, I knew I'd have to be there. We arrived a little before 7:00 and the hill was packed. It sounded like the organizers were a little surprised at the turnout. Can you blame us? You're showing a fantasy cult classic starring David Bowie in high-waisted stretch pants! People show up for that. And naturally sing along to "Magic Dance." It was, as they say, everything.
We weaseled our way into the middle — to what we thought would be an okay spot. Here are a few things we learned: Those camping chairs ruin everything for people on the ground. And the screen will be the size of a postage stamp if you aren't sitting right underneath it. My brother had a clear shot of just half the screen the entire time, and Adam eventually gave up and just laid back on the lawn, listening instead of watching. I craned my neck and stuck it out, but note to self: Get there way earlier, or pray that Humbolt (hopefully!) gets a bigger screen and/or props it up higher next summer.
A haven for card lovers in Wauwatosa
You can keep your gifts — just give me the card. A high-quality, made-in-the-USA, "hand-printed on an antique press and printed on 100% recycled paper" card with a killer envelope. I will obsess over it and it will never leave its special spot on the fridge. You have my word.
I love getting cards almost as much as I love buying and sending them. Call me crazy, but greeting cards really are my weakness. Other girls can't say no to designer shoes, fine leather handbags, or everything at T.J. Maxx — but I can't walk into a boutique-y card shop and leave without spending around $30. Might not sound like much moolah, but it's all relative — I'm talking about cards here after all.
I believe good cards are a great thing to stock up on, and when you see one that jives with you, buy it. Someday you're going to want to thank somebody, send condolences, or say "I love you" — you know that perfect card will come in handy. If you don't buy it, you're left scrambling, running to Walgreens and settling for something that's all wrong. So snatch up the good ones when you can.
The card offerings at Soaps & Scents are wonderful. They carry lots of different designers, so the variety is grand and still every single card met my crazy-card-lady marks for quality (good paper stock, nice size variety, solid envelopes, and plenty of blank options so you're not stuck with a stupid pre-written sentiment that sounds nothing like you). I stocked up on cards for babies, birthdays, and thank-yous — all good to have in your arsenal. I can't wait to go back to Soaps & Scents for Christmas cards — I'm sure they won't disappoint!
An enchanting boutique gift shop in Tosa
Anyone remember Soaps & Scents, the charming little shop at Mayfair next to Panera? I always loved going in there to browse the gifts, children's books, and of course the soaps. Well if you're looking to get your specialty scents and soaps at the mall these days you'll be disappointed. But fear not, boutique soap lovers! The shop simply moved to a much more fitting location: Historic Downtown Tosa.
Soaps & Scents is now just up the street from Le Reve, with welcoming picture windows and a door that's always propped open (Wisconsin weather permitting). The first thing I noticed walking in are gorgeous, lightweight robes hanging on the door and gently swaying in the breeze — so pretty. Some day I'll splurge on one.
As you step inside, there's a feast for the senses: whimsical hanging lights, walls of soaps and lotions in beautiful packaging, candles, French tablecloths, aprons, gorgeous books worthy of anyone's coffee table, tote bags, decorative boxes, and plush animals for the kids.
And cards. Oh the cards! Soaps & Scents is a veritable paper wonderland. I think I looked at literally every card in the place, leaving no stone unturned. I left with about $30 worth of paper goods — par for the course in my book. But I'll delve a bit deeper into the cards themselves in another post. Just know that Soaps & Scents carries a gorgeous variety and it's worth checking it out.
Really, Soaps & Scents is a one-stop-shop for gifts of the lovely variety. Fellas, this is the place to get your girl something special to pamper herself. Ladies, I'd check out Soaps & Scents for baby and wedding shower gifts before succumbing to a big box store. There's a shift in our culture these days — a shift back to the small, boutique-y, and homemade. Thank goodness, because it leaves room in this crazy, over-developed world for enchanting places like Soaps & Scents.
A little piece of Germany in Tosa
I first went to Cafe Bavaria on its opening weekend. My friend Rachelle was visiting from out of town and a friend of hers was the bartender there. He recommended yummy drinks (Schofferhofer forever!) and gave us free jelly-filled donuts. He doesn't work there anymore.
Anyway, I finally made it back for dinner a couple weeks ago with my mom on Pippin's grooming night. We sat outside even though it was a little chilly for a summer night — hence the warm, frothy chai latte.
For food, my mom went for a pair of bratwurst sliders smothered in sauerkraut and relish while I scarfed down the Ludwig smash burger — juicy, meaty goodness topped with almond-bacon-apple chutney and herbed garlic cheese on a pretzel bun. Your potato options at Bavaria are either homemade kettle chips or steak frites — both yummy, especially when you factor in the array of dipping sauces.
My mom and I enjoyed our eats, but agreed that there's lots of other scrumptious-sounding stuff on the menu that we'd like to try next time. Personally I'd love to go back to Bavaria just for some of the apps — mainly the tater tots, cheese curds, and Munich pretzel. And the Schofferhofer. Always the Schofferhofer.
Pasta + veggies + salami + creamy goodness
Oh my heavens, this pasta salad. I love my Aunt Kathy's Italian pasta salad recipe, but wanted a change of pace for Fritz and Tim's barbecue. My search on Pinterest resulted in Mom's Macaroni Salad. I tweaked it slightly, adding more stuff than the original recipe calls for. It turned into a giant bowl of creamy deliciousness. The kind of thing where I snitched one noodle, then another, then another, then told myself aloud "I'm done now" — then went back for more anyway. We're lucky any of this made it to the barbecue really.
- - - - - - -
CREAMY SHELL PASTA SALAD
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
CHOPPED STUFF
1 box large shells or macaroni
2/3 to 3/4 cup matchstick carrots, chopped
2/3 to 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 to 3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 to 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
6 to 8 oz. block of cheddar cheese, cubed
1/4 to 1/2 lb. genoa salami, chopped
CREAMY DRESSING
1 and 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 TBS dijon mustard
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Cook the pasta, drain, and rinse under cold water. Mix up the dressing (I combined the ingredients in a 2-cup measure and mixed with a fork). Combine the cooled pasta, chopped stuff, and dressing in a large bowl and fold together.
*Note: If you're making the pasta to serve almost immediately, you won't need all of the dressing. I found that 1/2 of the dressing was enough to make it yummy. But after sitting in the fridge overnight, the dressing dried up and I had to add more before serving. So if the salad will be sitting overnight in the fridge, either add 3/4 to all of the dressing right away (it should dry up just enough to be the perfect amount), or add 1/2 of the dressing and more to taste just before serving. In the end, I used just 3/4 of the total dressing — that way the salad was never sitting in pools of mayo. But I'd still make the whole amount just to be safe!
- - - - - - -
This pasta salad is impossible to keep around for very long and got lots of compliments and recipe requests. I'm more than a little obsessed with it. In fact, I selfishly put some aside for me and my family to share later, since I guessed that whatever I brought to the barbecue would be gone by the end of the night — and I was right!
