Our Vacation By Kay

I had a lot of fun on our trip to Madison, Wisconsin. My favorite activities were see the trolls on Trollway, going 70 ft. into the ground at Cave of the Mounds, and going downtown Madison.






In Mt. Horeb, they call Main St. Trollway because there are trolls hidden through out the town.










This is a tourist troll. We found all of the trolls besides the two in Little Norway.







This is the entrance way to the Cave of the Mounds. I bought gifts for my family and a necklace for myself.

This is Polly the Parrot. I am not making up this name. Her name is Polly the Parrot. This is a stalagmite and a stalactite that glows in the dark. The ceiling also glows in the dark.

Our Vacation by Dana

I wish I could say that the reason we haven't posted in awhile is because we were out of town but actually we were only gone 3 days! We promise another recipe real soon though. For now, we just want to share some of our vacation pictures.

Here is a nice picture Kay took of Chicago. We had plenty of time to take pictures because we sat in traffic for over 3 hours just to get through Chicago!

This is one reason I prefer Michigan to Wisconsin. There is no way to get to Wisconsin without going through the city.

We stayed in Madison, Wisconsin but spent most of our time in Mount Horeb and Blue Mounds which are about 25 minutes away. Bill rode in the Horribly Hilly Hundred bike ride.

In Mount Horeb there is a mustard museum which I think is very interesting but no one else seems to share my enthusiasm! They have over 4600 different kinds of mustard from all states and many countries. Here are some old tins.

Here is poor Kay who I made pose next to a giant bottle of mustard! She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

But here we are at our main reason for being there. The night before the ride, we were driving around (it is beautiful!) and Bill kept saying "These hills are going to be no problem", and in his defense, hills are what he is best at.

As you can see, though, the hills were a bit of a problem! It took him several more hours than he had expected and he was pretty wiped out by the end of it.

To keep this on a somewhat food related note, here is a picture of the meal I cooked after the bike ride in our awesome hotel room kitchen. It isn't too fancy but we loved being able to cook in our room!

Spaghetti, boiled carrots, bread, and salad.

Kettle Corn

Summer is here and I am slacking something terrible! Our meals have been less than inspiring but we have had a few tasty snacks at least. Now that all our TV shows are over for the season, we have gone back to watching movies. And what is a movie without some popcorn?

I'd never had kettle corn until I was an adult but now I am hooked. Bill made it this time around (with Kay's help of course) and joked "Aren't you going to take a picture for your blog?" So of course, I did!

Just ignore that mess on the counter. Like I said, it is summer!


Kettle Corn

2 T vegetable oil (if using the Whirly Pop)

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

Have all ingredients ready as well as a bowl before starting. Heat the oil in the Whirly Pop for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and kernels all at once and stir constantly. Once the popping slows, pour immediately into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt.

Kay: I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom (Dana): If you are using a regular pot instead of the Whirly Pop, I think you need about 1/4 cup of oil. If you want more of a caramel taster you can use part white sugar and part brown sugar.

I hate to admit it but I can probably eat a whole batch of this by myself!

Strawberry Shortcake

I'm sure this is probably a recipe everyone already has. I got it from my mom but I have a feeling it came straight from the Bisquick box! Still we love it and since it is strawberry season, I just had to post it.


I know some people put strawberries on sponge cakes and angel food cakes and that type of food but I can't stand the texture of the strawberry juice when it soaks into the soft cakes. This shortbread keeps it's consistency even when flooded in strawberries.
Usually we slice the strawberries and let them sit, covered in sugar in the fridge for a couple hours. This batch was so sweet, we kept eating them straight. I was actually worried there wouldn't be any left to put on the shortcake!

Instead of letting the strawberries sit, this time we just cut them up and sprinkled a little bit of sugar over the top of the strawberries and shortcake.

Here is my mom's handwritten recipe. You can't get much more basic or delicious!

Strawberry Shortcake

2 1/3 cup Bisquick

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup milk

Mix it all together. The dough will be stiff. Press into a 8 inch pan (either round or square will work). Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Kay: I love it! I thought that it would be nasty that the shortcake was in a circle but it wasn't.

Mom (Dana): I love it!

(Can someone explain to me why Kay thought the shape of the shortcake would change the taste?!! What a strange girl. Where does she get that from?!)