Fun Food For A Cinco de Mayo Party! In Wisconsin?

Yes, Wisconsin! Wisconsin is the place to find delicious, fun food for a Cinco de Mayo party!
Come May 5th, Cinco de Mayo parties will be thrown throughout Wisconsin and not just by Wisconsin's Mexican-Americans. In fact, many Mexican-Americans chuckle at Wisconsin's enthusiasm for Cinco de Mayo parties because September, not May, is when Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain!
So why all the fuss over Cinco de Mayo in Wisconsin?

Well, the answer is not that a decisive battle was won by the Mexican rebels over the Spanish. The real answer is that Wisconsinites have a growing love of Mexican food. Mexican-American chefs have introduced Wisconsin to the delectable flavors of roasted chilies, slow-cooked pork, and complexly-flavored sauces such as mole, adobe, and green-chili.

Wisconsin is a natural adopter of gourmet Mexican cooking because Wisconsinites already have a cultured appreciation of gourmet sausage and cheeses. Chorizo, a famous Mexican, spiced sausage, is very similar to Wisconsin's own spicy bratwursts.

Two of the gourmet cheeses used in fine, Mexican cooking are asadero and queso para fundir. Last month, Wisconsin cheese-masters Dennis Schliem and Brian Zimmerman, both of Zimmerman Cheese Dairy won 1st and 2nd place for creating the world's finest asadero cheese. Steve Stettler, of Decatur Dairy, took 3rd place for his queso para fundir which competed in the same class as the asaderos. Fine cheeses and meats give Wisconsin chefs the special ingredients required to create gourmet-Mexican cuisine. Our Wisconsin gourmets take Cinco de Mayo way beyond guacamole and margaritas.

And Wisconsin loves heat. You know we crave it in the winter, and what we can't get outside we put in our food! Wisconsin is home to Stump's Hot Olives, - the absolute hottest olive ever devised. Serve the little devils on a condiment tray, in a spicy appetizer of taco roll-ups, or pop a few in your next batch of chili. Then watch your guests turn red. If they really love spicy food, then make and serve Stump's own chili recipe. That chili will be the talk of the evening!

But if you're not so adventurous and just desire gourmet, spicy salsa that adds tremendous flavor to chips and nachos, then garden fresh, smoky tomato and corn salsa is the best buy. Wisconsin is the state famous for its cranberries and Door County cherries, and Wisconsin chefs have concocted many delicious salsas from these native fruits.

So roast or grill that pork tenderloin, baste it in salsa, serve over seasoned, Wisconsin rice and you've got yourself the main features of a gourmet meal. For gourmet Mexican recipes, look to the cookbook compiled by chefs at Madison, Wisconsin's Eldorado Grill restaurant. These Mexican-American chefs offer wonderful ideas, tips, and recipes for creating fun food to serve at your Cinco de Mayo party.

Pack Picnic Foods For A Party On National Picnic Day

National Picnic Day is April 23rd. Are you ready to party?
Throw a picnic party on a Wednesday?
Why wait until a Saturday? If you have a great picnic party on Wednesday, throw it again with more friends on Saturday. Our Wisconsin weather is at last warm enough for outside parties. We can't waste these warm days. We're stepping outside to party and taking our picnic foods with us!
But it's been so long since I thought about outdoor eating. What to make? What to pack? My mashed-potato comfort food doesn't travel well.
Not to worry. So many fun foods DO travel well. Get travel foods that are easy to pack like summer sausages and crackers. Pack some Wisconsin cheese and you've nearly got yourself a meal. For something more hearty, go ahead and pack a ham. Fully-cooked, boneless sliced ham is an excellent picnic food. It's ready to eat. Just pack some great bread, and a couple of jars of mustard, and you've got gourmet sandwiches ready for the picnic table.
Or if your picnic table has a grill next to it, then bring along some bratwursts. They are always picnic food winners. Wisconsin bratwursts say, "It's party time!" Bratwursts say, "It's Summer!" Bratwursts scream, "We're having fun!" Yes, our Wisconsin bratwursts are very bold and loud when it comes to great flavor. Can't keep them quiet. And they'll get your party guests raving too.
But don't I need more than brats, bread, and cheese for my picnic?
Well yes, beer too.
"I'm not asking about beer. I want to know about veggies!" some nutrition-conscious voice might insist. So answer that concern with the delectable flavors packed in pickled vegetables. Pickled asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, and olives make tasty, healthy snacks.
Popcorn is also an excellent picnic food snack. It's light to carry, and doesn't crumble like crackers or chips. Plus it's healthier too. Popcorn comes with different seasonings so everybody can snack happily. Mixed nuts are also great picnic snack foods. They're easy to pack, and easy to munch on the bench or on the trail.
But back to the beer. Some Wisconsin parks don't allow beer. However, they do allow root beer! And you can get premium Sprecher root beer made in Wisconsin's own Sprecher brewery. Or try Blumer's old fashioned sodas for a sweet pop better than ordinary colas.
The easiest dessert on a picnic is cookies. Packed in a tin, cookies won't crumble.
Sugar cookies delight kids and adults when they're decorated with special themes. Say, get cookies with a picnic theme. They're fun.
So I think you're all set. Here are so many ideas and choices for great picnic foods that you can celebrate National Picnic Day once a week and never run out of delicious picnic party foods. So go ahead, throw the picnic party. Inspire the neighbors to throw one too and let the outdoor-party season begin!

Edible Birthday Gifts: Food Gifts For The Person Who's Got Everything

Birthday gifts are hard to buy for the birthday person who's got everything. But edible birthday gifts can be your answer. Everybody who wants to live to the next birthday has got to eat. So let that birthday boy or gal eat cake... pie, or cookies. Or give an equally yummy but heartier food gift. Birthday gifts of gourmet specialty meats or Wisconsin artisanal cheese are always appreciated. People enjoy sharing food gifts, so by sending birthday food you're supplying food for a birthday party as well!
Food gift baskets are great birthday gifts because they keep on giving. The birthday person can dip into it over and over to pull out something surprising and delicious. Birthday gift baskets are also a savvy way for the giver to hedge bets on what the birthday recipient will enjoy. If you're not sure just how much he or she will like one thing in particular, then provide a selection. A birthday gift basket of food can hold snacks, candies, bakery treats, meats, cheeses, crackers, and even specialty sodas. Enough bounty can pack into one gift basket to please even the hardest person to buy for.
On the other hand, food gifts can fit particular tastes and hobbies. For example, some folks regularly enjoy a bowl of popcorn while watching TV in the evening. If your birthday recipient does, then a creative gift is a selection of heritage-variety, gourmet popcorns that can't be found at the grocer's. A popcorn gift set will show you thought about what the birthday person really likes, and not just about what is easy to give. (Of course popcorn gift sets are easy to give too.)
Or maybe your birthday person loves Harley motorcycles. Then give a Harley Let's Ride gift set. If you're giving to a chocoholic, then a selection of gourmet chocolates will be sure to please. Or maybe you're giving food to someone who loves to cook. Then a breakfast gift basket of specialty pancake mixes, pure Wisconsin maple syrup, and gourmet bacon can be the best birthday gift to give. You really have so many options when selecting thoughtful and out-of-the-ordinary food gifts.
And the great thing about giving edible birthday gifts? If they're from Wisconsinmade, they'll get eaten up and you can send them again next year.