Door County Vaca

       (yup thats us- this is at the end of the beach where we stay, we take this photo every year)

Another successful trip to Door county, WI!
Ok if you're new here, Door County has become my annual fall trip, this is my fourth or fifth year?
Now our adult plan is to move to Ely, MN when our last child is grown, this house of our is just WAY to much space for us and we want out of the city.
They can come with us, I'm not ready to be an empty nester!
Door County is giving Ely some good competition in our eyes!
Could I live in WI??  UM heck ya I'd fit right in, I love beer & cheese - it runs thru my veins!
SO back to the trip, we have a few "have to stops" on this trip.
One being the cheese shop duh!  That is right next to a wine store, every store in Door County has wine tasting, these people are pros they start at 10am!  GOSH DARN people how do you cope the rest of the day!?  HAHA!!!

CHEESE!

Next have to stop would be - White Fish Dip!!!  Stuff is amazing!  You can find it in Gills Rock.

When we got to Door County the colors were not very vibrant, but the last couple of days they sure did pop!  

Just an FYI - I AM the master at spotting dear, you SO want me on your team!

The first night we were there we had a bonfire/weenie roast on the beach - it was AWESOME!

It was Fall Festival time, or like the locals call it "Fall Down" Festival!

Sister Bay is CRAZY busy - we got to see the goats having lunch on the roof again.

Lunch time @ Grasses Grill , OMG awesome grass fed burgers (did you think I was gonna order something new??) And Look they made a flower on my bun - cute!

Another lunch we had, we stumbled upon last year, just taking different routes all over the peninsula, basically that is what we do - drive and drive and drive, stumbling across hidden gems, and looking at all the scenery!  

We had a conversation with this elderly man smokin' outside this place, he had seen our license plates were from Minnesota he asked from where, he lived there up until 20 years ago he moved to Door County & Loves it!  I bet he does!

We shared the breaded mushrooms, humongous (not with the old man, just ourselves haha)!  And had a bowl of chili - YUM

Came across this Door County Candle shop, I do not suggest going in here if you are prone to migraines!  Pretty cool though you can watch them work away making candles.

Door County Brewery is where it's at kids!  Husband told me a funny story about one of the beers here, was named after a local man who would visit the local watering hole, bring his boombox with him and play polka music.  The Polka King Beer was born!  Isn't that a hoot?!

Found this really cool sculpture garden/gallery - wow people are so talented!  You walk a path thru the woods and look at some amazing work. (Edgewood Orchard Gallery)

I have more photos from there, I'm not sure where they went!  But there are huge metal sculptures, horses, wolves, Elephants just amazing!  

I think our favorite place to eat is in Sturgeon Bay, Kitty O'Reillys an Irish joint.  Good food and fun atmosphere.  Husband ordered this appetizer - Irish eggs, not my favorite but I've liked everything else I tried here.

If you didn't know Packers and Vikings are rivals, we are in Packer territory while in WI.  Hubbie wants to go to a sports bar (Greycastle) and watch a football game, hope they don't hurt us!  

Oh bummer they lost :(  Maybe we were bad luck!  

The bartender passed out Packer Backer Shots to everyone.  

Oh we also ordered poppers here, they were YUMMY!

I'm gonna throw in a few pic's here to wrap it up - if your still with me?!  

One of many shops on the main roads, where they sell wonderful canned goods (Kolspey).

So many gorgeous farms! 

Oh so many wineries, gift shops and eateries.  This is a wonderful distillery!

Found these sassy towels there.  

Another stop, a gallery, winery-vineyard, gift shop - you can also get on a trolly here to take a tour of the area.

There are so many things to do in Door County, and we have only just begun to discover them, I totally suggest you vacation here!  You can thank me later :)

Blistered Jalapeno, Lime & Tequila Relish

I adapted this smoky relish from a new canning & preserving cookbook I picked up at a Labor Day sale this year.
Adapted as in I don't follow direction well all the time and make it up as I go :)
Oh mama this relish has some serious kick!
I can see my husband enjoying this with a little cream cheese on a cracker or a nice crusty bread topped off with this kickin' smoky relish! I'd try it too but he is more of the spicy lover in the family.

Ok so if you want to make it Angie's adapted way this is what you're going to need.  If not pick up the book and make it according to them :)  Pickled & Packed

What you need:
4 large jalapenos or like me I had 8 small jalapenos
2 purple onions, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons tequila
3 tablespoons honey
1 lime, the juice
3 tablespoons olive oil

How to make it:
Add a bit of oil to a pan, get that pan nice and hot, blister the jalapenos until blackened.

Set aside to let cool.
Turn the heat down add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan
Put your onions and garlic into the pan, sprinkle with sea salt
Cook for 5 minutes
Add in your remaining ingredients.

Roughly chop up your jalapenos and add into mixture

Cook for 10 minutes, be careful not to burn them.
Place into a clean container.
Should keep in fridge for a couple weeks.
Or feel free to process in a canning water bath for 20 minutes.  That will keep for a year.


*if storing in the fridge make sure to let it cool before placing in the fridge.

Top this on a burger, meatloaf, sandwich, or what we most likely will be doing is slathering a bit of creamy cheese on a warm slice of crusty bread and top with this smoky, spicy jalapeno relish.

Enjoy!