Blueberry Pancakes

And this is how I like my berries, inside the pancake with a side of snout. Thank you Pine Cone truck stop and bakery full mammoth pastries and pancakes.

They asked if I wanted 2 or 3. Does that come with a new stomach?

We don't need no stinkin' compote

Cream Puff Season

Nobody puts a Wisconsin State Fair cream puff in the corner

                                                     Meanwhile...

The Wisconsin State Fair begins on August 4 and so does talk of Bacon popcorn balls, Banana Split Cheesecake Squares and PBR Beercicles (my Aunt Agnes is licking her lips wherever she is).

Have a Pine Cone cream puff if you dare

It took three of us to dare. Could have been more, I dropped the monstrosity off elsewhere.

Don't forget me, you're pal the eclair

Norske Nook

The DeForest Norske Nook, is one of those places that makes you want everything you see.
Reason enough to order, share, photograph and dish. I've been wanting to go there and review it for the Dish for. ever. I wrote them years ago at either Rice Lake or Osseo, but never heard back. Since they've got a new restaurant a handful of miles away, I finally gave them a trial run yesterday.
We're having a birthday dinner there tomorrow so more photos and menu items will be posted soon.

Austin

First up, chilled strawberry pie, classified as a Fresh Berry Pie along with blackberry and raspberry on the vast Norske Nook Pie Menu.
The Good: Huge fresh strawberries, flaky, tender crust.
The Iffy: The gelatin filling although tangy, is still too bland and too plentiful. I'm not a fan of this kind of filling and will forever chase the strawberry pie we ate at a sixties Country Kitchen on the south side of Madison.
The Bad: Not real whipped cream. C'mon! WT actual F?

Fresh Berry Strawberry Pie, a distant third place in yesterday's Candy Dish rankings.

The Norske Nook has five locations, 

Root beer float is the kind of novelty pie you want to try once just to say you had... is something you'd think from the title.
Uh uh. SupercalifragiYUM. Incredible. I love root beer floats, the Dish Taste Testers love root beer floats, three of us tasted this frozen summer pie and all three of us LOVED it.
The Northwoods Root Beer Float pie is one of four frozen pies offered by the sugary Norwegian restaurant and bakery. I wasn't too tempted by the Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Mousse, or Orange Dreamsicle, all which seemed too rich or like that time I got properly over served and colorfully sick on Orange Dreamsicle cocktails during a round robin (going from dorm room to dorm room) in the seventies.
The Good: It tastes like a root beer float. Although so thick the young waiter broke a knife slicing off a piece to go (we needed to use plastic wrap on the top of the box because the pie was too big for it), it tastes light and refreshing. Not too sweet, decent crust I think but honestly didn't notice, a heft hunk of pie that goes down easy.
The Iffy: Get bigger to-go boxes.
The Bad: Again, not real whipped cream, but it didn't matter as much with this pie and I wonder if the "whipped topping" lends itself more efficiently to freezing.

The Winner from Dinner, The Northwoods Root Beer Pie Float

I had to include their Wisconsin Reuben because the corned beef brisket was tender, flavorful, not too rich or sliced too thick or thin and blended seamlessly with the perfect amount of kraut and Swiss cheese. It was lovingly nested between two pieces of awesome cranberry wild rice bread.  I'll see if they sell it in their bakery tomorrow when we go for my mother's birthday.

Wisconsin Reuben, Runner Up to the Root Beer Float Pie

The Norwegian Restaurant and bakery has five locations, the DeForest Norske Nook is open from 6 am - 9 pm Monday through Saturday and 8 am - 8 pm on Sunday. Telephone: 842-3378. The dish is that this location is not doing well, so if you're in the Madison or DeForest area stop by downtown DeForest at Main and Holum.
Remember, Wednesday is Pie Day. Pie Day Wednesday offers a different pie choice weekly, the prices just rose from $2.99 for pie and coffee to $3.50.
Pie of the Month: Dutch Apple.

Couch Pawtatoes

Things have been crazy and lazy

Walkie Overload

Not getting off the couch any time soon

Baby Roscoe on My Shoes

Sassy the Dodgers fan. Roscoe (int eh background) is an old guy now

Roscoe The Canine King

I've been eating less sugar with some exceptions which I'll post here. I've made up for it in dogs and walkies.

Meanwhile, here's a picture of an end of days turkey, mmm, apocalypse turkey. They are EVERYwhere . Maybe it's a city-wide promo, maybe they're positioning themselves as our supreme overlords. There are five of them who have "packed up" as my dad liked to say, and roam the mean streets of the eastside. I haven't run into them yet, but fully expect to see them wearing Purgolder team jackets if I do.

This little b*stard is one of the many, MANY arboretum turkeys that saunter about the place. [Insert why did the turkey cross the road joke here.]

If you're sick of reading this nonsense, please READ THE CHED CURTAIN, same attitude, less sugar.

Anything Goes

It's anything goes with Dairy this month.

Kemps and Leinies

Daisy's and The Taste of Madison

Aunt Ginny and Kilwins

Donut Say No

I'm putting down my Earl Grey and donut to say, mmffgh slurp, Happy National Donut Day.

A little research (very little) traces the first Friday in June back to WWI and the Salvation Army.

Greenbush Sour Cream Old Fashioned

Smithsonian.com tells us the fried sugar delight "involves Dutch immigrants, Russian exiles, French bakers, Irving Berlin, Clark Cable and a certain number of Native Americans."

Donut Day USA has a short video on the Salvation Army's donut connection and let's you look up donut hotspots in your neighborhood.

CNN reminds us not to confuse National Donut Day with National Doughnut Day in November.

The best donuts, sticky hands down, are from the Greenbush Bakery on Regent. They aren't doing anything special today, but I was told in a very what-the-hell-don't-you-know-how-freakin'-busy-we-are tone of voice that, "We can't keep them on the shelves." Click.

But I'm sure they do. I favor the coconut cake donut and their most popular, the Sour Cream Old Fashioned.

Whether with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk, or straight up. Yum.

Tea Bag Guy From Freakfest

Destructo Dog

One of Oliver's travel toys made an appearance post Frosty Paws Party and he was pretty protective of it.
Turns out he had good reason.
Tony the Tiger Travel Toy, we barely knew ya.

No Paw Left Behind

The Dish Dogs had a Frosty Paws Party, but not everyone was there.
Long time Dish model, Roscoe, was out of the office and when he got back there was a whole lotta lickin' going on.
Roscoe and Vixen used to eat Frosty Paws while we feasted on Babcock Dairy Store ice-cream.
June is dairy month, so a two paw ice cream review coming soon.

Roscoe, the big baby, wants me to hold the cup for him

Meanwhile, here's a Dairy Store link
Babcock's Current Featured Flavors:
Bec-key Lime Pie
Banana Peanut Butter
Salted Caramel Toffee 
Orange Sherbet (orange sherbet?)

Oliver lets Roscoe know how he feels

Sassy Girl likes a little privacy and no competition

Mr. French and his Frosty Paws face

Frosty Paws

Bobby Boy strikes a pose

The Dish Dogs thought it was their turn for a review so we got some Frosty Paws. They chose Peanut Butter Flavor. See ingredients at the end of the post.

Quick, she's not looking

Me? Just folding up your bag

Wrong end, Little Rat

Bob digs in, then scoops from the side

Save some for who?

What?

Most of them would eat a bug so it's no surprise they love these.


Ingredients: Water, whey, soy flour, peanut butter syrup (peanuts, corn oil, salt), coconut oil, dried whey product, whey protein, soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, microcyrstalline cellulose, magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, mono and diglycerides, vitamin A supplement, vitamin E supplement, cellulose gum, niacin supplement, copper sulfate, polysorbate 80, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, natural flavor, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid.

No Soup For You

Roscoe, Sassy Girl & Little Rat

Just a reminder that none of my furry friends, rather furry canine friends, sample the sweets unless they sneak a fleck off someone's lips.
Roscoe here may stick his nose in something only to lick it off later. I see you, devil dog.
They're a wily group, but they get size appropriate dog treats.
All of them love Frosty Paws, especially in the summer, so I'll be doing a little photo shoot later this week with Little Rat and the persnickety Mr. French,

Never give your dog anything on this list

•Avocados

•Bread dough

•Chocolate

•Ethanol/Alcohol

•Grapes and Raisins

•Hops

•Macadamia Nuts

•Moldy Foods

•Onion and Garlic

•Xylitol – Found in Sugar Free Gum or Sugar Free Baked Goods

List from Foods That Are Hazardous to Dogs by the ASPCA

Boxed Munch

Mr. French, Phil2 & Little Rat

MunchPak is a snack service that delivers a variety of munchies from around the world. Think the last shot of Mad Men.
Your box-o-nosh may include a Cadbury Bubbly or a bag of Filipino mock pork cracklings. You can add an American preference, but might not get Polish Coffee Dream Candy with Coffee Filling. Insert joke here.

I found the website and concept a little confusing so I broke it down.

•Pick a 5, 10 or 20 piece box for $10, $20, or $40 dollars
•The chosen assortment may be a little weird unless you're a snack aficionado, so scroll down to customize categories if you'd like. You're still going to get a surprise mix
•Choose a delivery schedule: Weekly, bimonthly, or monthly
•There's a one time gift option which I suppose you could gift to yourself
•Customize (or don't) your Pak with preferences such as sweet, sour, gummy, seafood (Grilled Seaweed anyone?)
•Checkout (using Bitcoin if you'd like)

Dish taste testers thought the idea was pretty funny, like that fruit of the month club on Raymond.  ("He's got us in some kind of cult!")
The MunchPak reminds me of care packages we got at school, and seems like an especially entertaining gift for the high and dry college student.

Phil2 is holding one of my favorites, Haribo Happy Cherries. They smell great, all fresh gummy-sour. I also loved the jingle cookies from Turkey. One of the taste testers didn't care for the light yet stalwart biscuit with chocolate cream filling, but loved the Korean Cola Candy.

I'm sucking on one right now. It tastes fizzy without the fizz, like a hard candy Bottle Cap with more kick.

No one went for the Sriracha Peas. No one except me. I'm a wasabi pea fan, so.  I became quite attached to the Cosmos something in Korean I can't find anywhere. It's described as a shelled shaped snack with peanut cream and tastes like something glazed and sesame.

Spin the international nibble wheel or for an extra buck delete foreign or add American snacks as a preference–why do they allow you to do both? There is no chocolate customization option, yet there is one for meat.

Hello Gorgeous: Oreo Cookies

With the possible demise of Hostess and photos I never used, I'd like to say "Thank you for existing, Oreo cookie." Check out that last link to turn an Oreo into a turkey.