road trip~

It's less than a week now and I'm so excited ~ we're heading south to Texas to visit with my sister!! 

Yesterday, in preparation of our trip to Texas, we took a little road trip to the cheese factory. Yes Colleen ~ we're bringing you cheese!
It's about an hour and half drive from our place ... but so worth the drive.  Once you eat cheese straight from Bletsoe's Cheese Factory in Little Chicago, WI it's pretty hard to eat the waxy stuff they call cheese in the store made by the big company that starts with K.  Truly, there is no comparision.  Of course, we picked up some cheesecurds ~ straight out of the vat and squeaky warm.

We used to have a cheese factory in the town of Butternut, just to the north of us; but they went out of business a few years back ~ so now it's the drive to Little Chicago.  Oh how I miss the Butternut factory.
 
It always cracks me up when I see those commercials on television about California cheese and 'happy cows' and then how they depict the cows from Wisconsin as freezing in a snow storm and all sad and gloomy  looking.  Well... just to set the record straight ... I think our cows in Wisconsin are a lot happier than the California ones; especially through the winter months because they all get to spend it in a warm and toasty barn.  They aren't exposed to the elements.  In the summer months they graze in lush green fields. lol

 Driving the roads down there you have to be on the alert ~ for horse and buggy.  It's Amish and Mennonite country and they are all over the place.  I always find it so interesting, their way of life; but sometimes wonder why?  With all the modern conveniences available that they still insist of living like that. Yet ... on the same hand I have to admire them for all their hard work and life style. 
We also took a swing over to another one of our favorite stops down there, in the town of Athen, by the Beaver Creek Country Store.  It's a dry goods bulk food store.  I usually buy all my baking supplies through them.  Slim has found a new love in their store ~ the cinnamon swirl bread.

I bake cinnamon swirl bread at home; but I must admit ... theirs is delish!!  As is all their bakery products.  Maybe one of these days I'll get that little gal that runs the shop to share her recipe with me.... I know... I'm dreaming out loud here.  I don't know what it is... if it's the flour, or just the freshest ingredients ever; but they do make some good tasting bread at that place. 

My only problem it I have to soooooooooooooooo watch what I eat these days.  I have to be careful with all the carbs in bread and with the salt in cheese.  Oh well...

Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel