<![CDATA[Eating Normal

<![CDATA[Eating Normal - Writing]]>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:39:54 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Paulie's Chop Shop Brings Local, Award Winning Meats to Ashwaubenon]]>Thu, 08 May 2025 12:44:35 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/paulies-chop-shop-brings-local-award-winning-meats-to-ashwaubenon

Ahead of the Draft, Paulie’s Chop Shop opened in Ashwaubenon, and I didn’t go to check it out despite the fact that I often shop at Hy-Vee, which is right down the road from Paulie’s. That changed this past weekend. My favorite markets where I usually seek out local meat don’t come back until the end of the month, and many of these vendors have their animals processed at Paulie’s. Luckily for me, Paulie’s knows no season. They’re available regardless of the farmer’s market season, and you can be assured that almost everything in the building is processed locally.

If I’m going to be spending exorbitant amounts of money on groceries as prices continue to rise, I may as well do it with small, local businesses.If you turn onto Anderson street rather than pulling into the Hy-Vee parking lot, you’re going to find comparable prices on meat. In some cases, Paulie’s prices are even better than your traditional grocery stores. For example, a pound of ground pork at Paulie’s cost about 3.50. If I got that ground pork across Oneida Street, I’d be spending 4.50 a pound. Only at Aldi would I get ground pork cheaper than Paulie’s at 3.29 a pound.

Not only is it cheaper than the higher end grocery stores in town, I know that these pigs have had good lives. I know where the meat is coming from. The clerk that day assured me that all of their pork comes from Paulie’s own hogs. You don’t get this at big grocery stores. Hy-Vee may have a live butcher counter where you can talk to the associates about what you want, but that counter isn’t the place to find out about where your food comes from.

I’m fixating on the ground pork, but Paulie’s does a lot more than that. Their impressive catalogue of brat flavors is certainly a draw, and if you want to try those brats before investing, they do a brat fry every Friday. Samples of the meat sticks they make and local cheeses from producers we know like Ron’s and Vern’s are out for you to try every single day. I did not happen to be there on a Friday, but the meat sticks are among the best I’ve ever had. The sweet teriyaki flavor came home with me. Among those samples you can find the ham that they make in house at Paulie’s. Just like the pork in the fridge, this ham comes from the man’s own hogs. Did I mention that this ham was the Reserve Grand Champion Bone-in Ham at the 2024 Wisconsin Specialty Meat Championships?

They also process beef, and in the cases of chicken and fish, they source them from other local companies in Northeast Wisconsin. Pre-breaded perch and smoked fish are among some of the offerings that really caught my eye, but I didn’t buy any this time around. They’re on the list for my next visit, seeing as I get out so rarely for a proper Wisconsin fish fry. Why not recreate it at home with perch prepared locally?

This place is a stop that anyone looking to spend their money locally in Green Bay ought to make during their grocery shopping day. You’ll save money in many cases, and in others where prices may be higher than big grocery stores, you’re paying for quality and the knowledge of where your food is actually coming from. Put your money in the pockets of your neighbors at every opportunity.

Paulie’s in Ashwaubenon is closed on Sundays, opening during the week at 9:30 a.m.. If you’re a weekend shopper like myself, they’re open on Saturdays at 9 am and close at 3 pm. In support of this local business, I’ll be working on recipes the rest of the month that feature the products I’ve purchased at their Ashwaubenon location. Stay tuned to our social media accounts for videos of those recipes, or you can return to our website for the written recipes.

]]><![CDATA[Voyageurs Bakehouse Brings Sourdough to De Pere]]>Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:00:58 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/voyageurs-bakehouse-brings-sourdough-to-de-pere

The businesses in downtown De Pere have rotated in and out over the years even since my arrival– but now is a time of growth and change. Multiple new businesses have started up this summer, and the latest among them is Voyageurs Bakehouse’s third location: right on Broadway in Tazza’s previous location. I welcome the change as a De Pere resident that so often forgets to drop by the Green Bay location after the farmers’ market.

I’ve forgotten it so often in fact that I have never stepped foot in one of their brick and mortar locations as much as I have wanted to do so. There was always an excuse. ‘Oh, I can just get a loaf at the farmer’s market.’ or ‘Oh, they’re probably selling the same things as the farmers’ market stand anyhow.’ Neither of these excuses matched the reality that I encountered once I walked into the doors of the new location.

Every table was full of excited visitors enjoying breakfast at the start of their day. The sourdough loaves I most often associate with the business were proudly displayed along the wall above the cash register while their smaller confections were in a glass case for me to stare at longingly while I awaited my turn in line. Croissants, cinnamon rolls, little cakes, and tartlets. There was even a menu of sandwiches available from the kitchen.

I took it easy on this visit by choosing two croissants and a cinnamon roll to take home with my car full of farmers’ market goodies, but what I saw on the tables of happy customers gives me hope for the sandwiches coming out of the kitchen on their very own sourdough. I’ll certainly be back to try out the sandwiches, but in the meantime, all the things that I loved about Voyageurs are a little closer than they used to be.

You can make a visit of your own Monday through Saturday between 8 am and 2 pm and pick up some of their delicious goodies for yourself. If you get your hands on one of their sandwiches before I make it back, comment below and let me know how it was!

]]><![CDATA[Shrubs and How To Use Them With Adam's Heirlooms and Sweet Willow Wellness]]>Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:26:50 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/shrubs-and-how-to-use-them-with-adams-heirlooms-and-sweet-willow-wellness

Last Wednesday, I ventured out of my home kitchen to join the folks from Adam’s Heirlooms– whom you all know I love– and Sweet Willow Wellness– who frankly deserves more of my patronage– for a two hour class on one of Adam’s Heirlooms’ flagship products, Shrubs. The word shrub may conjure up ideas of tiny bushes, but this is certainly not that kind of shrub. Drinking vinegars are making an active resurgence.

You may have seen canned varieties of shrub out in the world recently such as those from Siren Shrub. I’ve tried many of these against the shrub concentrates from Adam’s Heirlooms, and I am happy to report that this is yet another area where the local version beat the mass produced. Not only are they made right here in Wisconsin, they are also made with almost entirely locally grown produce. The production process for the shrubs was highlighted during the class as our hosts walked us through sampling.

From mocktails to sparkling waters, appetizers to desserts, Dianna and Rebecca showed us all some marvelous ways to use the shrub concentrates in our homes. There is so much more to it than adding a teaspoon or two to a glass of water and calling it a day, and all ten varieties that Dianna sells at the farmers’ markets on Saturday mornings were put to use in one way or another right before my eyes.

What I got was not what I expected when I signed up for the class, I’ll be honest. I love pretty much everything that comes from the folks at Adam’s Heirlooms, so I signed up out of loyalty more than anything. I like the shrubs, but I did not buy them very often prior to this class. The few times I had was usually to share them with visitors and have them experience some of the things I enjoyed in Green Bay as a treat to mix in some ice cold water after a long walk in Titletown.

I learned the most during Dianna’s cooking demonstrations. I had several mocktail samples to my left to sip on while I watched her employ the cranberry shrub as a flavoring agent for a chevre goat cheese. I had a row of smaller samples in front of me to savor between bites of an aged cheddar with a stoneground cheddar fortified by the apple cinnamon shrub. Shrub in marinades. Shrub in glazes. Shrub in desserts! It was a veritable feast, the likes of which I can only tell you was a delightful one.

Attending this class was also a great opportunity to reacquaint myself with Sweet Willow after my last visit was made during their reopening on the other side of the river in De Pere. Their kitchen remains active, and their offerings have expanded. It’s now on my list to visit Sweet Willow more often while I work toward a more sustainable kitchen to produce recipe content. The owner was on hand to assist during the Shrub class, and she hyped up the presenters wonderfully all the while. It was clear to me that a strong sense of community is being built in those walls.

There’s a rumor out there that Dianna will be doing more classes at Sweet Willow in the future, and I highly encourage you to consider them when they are announced. I will share them when a formal announcement is made.

I have a few class inspired recipes on the horizon that I am excited to share. In the meantime, look at all of these pictures! Consider visiting Sweet Willow in De Pere and the folks at Adam’s Heirlooms at the Saturday Farmers’ Market. You can have your own small tasting experience at the Farmers’ Market before choosing a shrub to take home for yourself. The folks at the market always have sampling options mixed into some cold water during the warmer months and warm during the cooler ones.

]]><![CDATA[Memorial Day Weekend Opener - Saturday Market]]>Wed, 29 May 2024 12:08:30 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/memorial-day-weekend-opener-saturday-market

The most anticipated weekend of the year in Green Bay for me has finally arrived- opening weekend for all of our farmer’s markets. The Saturday morning market downtown has long been my favorite to get myself ready for the rest of the week, and now that I live alone, shopping with more care for potential food waste is essential. I’m approaching this year with that in mind and creating as many delicious meals as possible from what I buy from our local farmers to share with you.

Likewise, I intend to highlight both new and old vendors that help me make those meals. Our farmers are knowledgeable of what they produce. Many of them can and will tell you their favorite ways to cook and eat their own products. This is a resource both new and old cooks often have time to tap into while making their purchases. I strongly encourage you to do this and build relationships amongst your own favorites at the myriad of Farmer’s Markets in the region this spring and summer.

This early in the season in Northeast Wisconsin sometimes sees a smaller number of choices with the cold often holding off growing season up here longer than most other parts of the country, but it’s been warm this year. I fully expected to see items in the stalls that I wouldn’t normally see in Green Bay until later in June. For that reason, I decided to spend most of my time during this market with my old favorites.

This was unfortunately the kind of Saturday morning where I needed to walk right past Cold Climate Farms. They always have a line forming first thing in the morning, and even after some time browsing other stalls, they still had a significant line waiting to purchase with them. This is an opportunity for me to put my attention elsewhere, and it's an opportunity I can’t let pass.

I found many similarities in the available produce this time of year compared to last year– the choices are much more limited this soon than they will be in even two weeks. There was, however, an abundance of early season alliums to sample. Green garlic has already come, and I wonder if we’ve missed our window for garlic scapes. I’ll find out in a few short weeks, as I often don’t see scapes for sale until later in June. Even if that window has passed, I did manage to get my hands on a bundle of chive blossoms– a treat I have never tried before. Green onion with a strong, purple bulb. Green Garlic. Chive blossoms– these were the mixed wares I left with from Adam’s Heirlooms and Full Circle Community Farm.

Asparagus was available at almost every grower’s stall, and I suspect that will remain the same next week. Next weekend will be asparagus weekend for me, as I entered this week with two very specific goals: I needed Irish bacon, and I needed ramps. Ramps were unfortunately not with any of the vendors on site that I’ve seen in the past. This could be another growing season issue. It’s been so warm this year that my expectations will surely be tested every week. At least I got my Irish bacon and my wide selection of alliums to enjoy with a sliced loaf of Breadsmith Sourdough.

This year, we are embarking on a true Market Meals Segment where the main ingredients of a dish must come from our local Farmers’ Markets here in Green Bay. As this week’s meals are finished, this article will be updated with links to the recipes I created.

I love ours Farmers’ Markets in Green Bay, and if I can convince even one reader to visit based on a meal I cook, then I consider it an honor to send them to our local farmers.

]]><![CDATA[Offseason Highlights: Breadsmith of Green Bay]]>Tue, 13 Feb 2024 13:10:29 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/offseason-highlights-breadsmith-of-green-bay

Finding some of my favorite farmer’s market vendors in the offseason can be difficult, but many of them keep their own storefronts open year round. Breadsmith of Green Bay is one of them. While some of their products are available in our local grocery stores, I recently decided to stop into their storefront on Holmgren Way to see what they have available in the dead of winter. I didn’t know what to expect. The parking lot is usually empty given how close it is to the Epic Event Center. There’s nothing going on at Epic in the hours that I stop into the mall adjacent area of Green Bay.

That chilly Saturday morning, Breadsmith had their pepperoni loaf as their special. They advertise these specials on the chalkboard that they set outside the doors first thing in the morning, and it is specials like this that don’t wind up in our grocery stores. They have different special breads each day, all of which are advertised ahead of time on their social media. Likewise, you can’t get the Cheddar Sourdough that I grabbed for myself that morning to enjoy throughout the rest of the week.

Unique to their brick and mortar location is the availability of samples. Cookies and breads alike are there for you to sample during your visit. Bags of Colectivo Coffee, as well as Wisconsin honeys and butters are available for your purchase when you visit their storefront. These things are not available at their Farmer’s Market stands.

If you’ve got a hankering for a special Breadsmith loaf that you can’t get at the grocery store, consider stopping into their Holmgren Way location next time you feel called to Bay Park Square. You can find their hours and daily specials on their facebook page to plan your trip best and try something new. Their Cheddar Sourdough made for tasty grilled cheeses and egg-in-a-basket vehicles all weekend.

]]><![CDATA[Behnke Farms at the Saturday Market]]>Tue, 30 May 2023 16:54:15 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/behnke-farms-at-the-saturday-market

The Farmer’s Market Season kicked off last week, and I made sure I found my way downtown for the Saturday Morning Market first and foremost. The evening markets across Green Bay offer a variety of vendors and new experiences. However, I have a soft place in my heart for the Saturday Morning Market after years of attendance. It’s my priority each week once the weather turns. I have many vendors that I make a point to visit, but I know that I’ve missed out on good stuff in years past. Turns out, even after nearly four years, I still haven’t discovered all of the gems.

Near the Walnut Street Entrance sits the Behnke Farms van, and it’s a van I have both stopped at and walked past a thousand times. This is my fourth year attending the market, and for that reason it sometimes feels hard to find something new to highlight for you, dear readers. Behnke Farm recently caught my attention again over the winter when they started carrying and advertising their picahna at the Winter Market on Military.

I never made it out to the winter market, but I can’t miss the downtown market. The cut that most interested me is now more available at our area grocery stores. However, I had no hopes of finding picanha with our local vendors until now. I can give the money I would have spent at Festival, Hy-Vee, or Pick N Save with a Wisconsin farmer instead. So, I did. For a little over fifteen dollars, I got my hands on a slab of picanha big enough to cut several steaks out of it.

I also purchased a package of Cudighi style sausage from them during my stop after we discussed how unusual it was that I knew what the picanha cut of beef was. Cudighi was a mystery to me though. They described it as a sweet Italian Sausage from the UP that they told me is often served as a sandwich or formed into patties for burgers. Regional styles of meat processing are one of my favorite things. I’ve never made it up to the UP, so until I stopped at their van, I had no idea what Cudighi even was.

While these special buys that I made this weekend are possible with Behnke Farms, you can get your hands on a variety of beef and pork cuts from them. Among their specialty items are their homemade brats with a variety of flavors, multiple cuts of bacon, brat patties, and jerky. I don’t recall ever seeing tallow on sale at a market stand, but if you like to use animal fats in your cooking, you can get your hands on it with Behnke Farms for a very reasonable price. Did I mention they also carry oxtails for your booyah needs when the fall comes?

I now know better than to walk by Behnke Farms every Saturday. Reasonably priced beef, pork, and eggs are right there on the way out of the market. Visit early for the best selection, and tell them Eating Normal sent you. Their location at the market makes them easy to find if you’re parking in the garage. Not able to make it to the Saturday Market? They’re proud supporters of the Market on Military which begins its Summer hours this week.

]]><![CDATA[Eating Normal's 2023 Resolutions]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2023 15:16:52 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/eating-normals-2023-resolutionsAm I a month late? Absolutely. However, We’re all resolving to be different in the new year, and for me, that always starts with food. How will Eating Normal be going into 2023? Well…

1. Start Composting Food Waste

I carry a lot of guilt about food waste. It’s especially hard as a single woman with very few friends in the area to share my creations with when I am recipe developing. I have signed up with Greener Bay to begin composting my food waste, and in the month that I’ve had my bucket hiding in my pantry, I already feel less guilt about experimenting with my cooking. Even if I don’t eat EVERYTHING, I know it will have a second life.

If you’re interested in doing the same, please check out Greener Bay’s website for additional details. Pickup and Drop Off options are available depending on what’s best for you.

2.Cook Even More

I’ve started to fall back onto old habits as a single woman, one of those being my dear friend the instant ramen packet. Feeding only myself and struggling with food waste guilt has really changed the way I cook. I know I deserve to eat better, whole foods– but God, is it hard to do that just for me. I’ve been cooking for other people my entire life. If it wasn’t my husband, it was my parents before him. Now that it’s just me, it’s hard.

Now, cooking for me at this point is as simple as making myself hard boiled eggs for breakfast.

But 2023, I will make myself do it.

3. Make Cooking Videos

I’ll continue to try my hand at short form cooking tutorials like you’ve seen from me already in 2022, but with more frequency. The current food media climate is built on them. Playoff football and the Super Bowl are coming quickly, so expect snack related videos in the month of February.

4. Admit Defeat– Cookbook of the Month

I have never, ever, in the history of this blog managed to do a cookbook every single month of the year. It’s over, folks. We’re closing that segment. I may review a cookbook every once and awhile, but with the belt tightening as I work through divorce, I just can’t afford a new cookbook every month even if I wanted to.

]]><![CDATA[Holiday Shopping Guide 2022]]>Wed, 02 Nov 2022 13:19:31 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/holiday-shopping-guide-2022America’s biggest food holiday is right around the corner, and if you haven’t started considering where you’ll get the best parts of the meal, allow me to assist you in doing so as locally as possible. With the regular farmer’s market season over, your only chances come in very limited dates. There are, however, brick and mortar locations to shopping for local produce and meats in Green Bay and the surrounding area that may take some planning to hit at the right time. We’ve compiled these locations for you as well as any dates and times of indoor farmer’s markets below. As supply chain issues are being threatened in the news, what better way to soothe your anxieties about providing a tasty holiday than to shop from your neighbors?

June 2022 Grand Re-Opening Event

Revolution Market

Among the local vendors with some of the most accessible times is Revolution Market, an Eating Normal fav since the day they opened their doors. Inside those doors, you can find Bountiful Boards, a charcuterie business with cheeses, crackers, and boards available. Any day now, they’ll announce their Thanksgiving rates for arranging charcuterie boards for your festivities.

You could also pick up a quart or two of frozen soup from Souper Day inside of the market as well to keep your Thanksgiving cooks fed while they’re working on dinner!

Produce With Purpose

Now located in Kaukauna, Produce with Purpose has changed some since last year. Their home delivery has expanded, and so have their offerings for the holiday season. They have already announced a $50.00 Thanksgiving Produce Box available for delivery any time during the Thanksgiving holiday week so that you have local produce on the table. You can also pre-order a Waseda Farms Turkey through them if you are in the Kaukauna area to pick up.

Check out their Barn2Door website for more information and to put in your order today: https://app.barn2door.com/producewithpurpose/all/PJebJ

They have also just announced pop up winter markets every Saturday at their Kaukauna location with fellow Appleton farmer’s market friends, among them Kickaas Cheese– who makes the best brie in Brown County. If you like brie on your charcuterie board at the holidays, making the trip down to Kaukauna on a Saturday will be well worth it.

Waseda Farms

Waseda Farms has some beef available at Produce With Purpose, but they also have a location of their own in Downtown De Pere to visit if you’re looking to do something with high quality meat. There is both chicken and turkey available, but the hours are sometimes hard for working people-- 8 am to 2 pm weekdays. You can order through their website as well with shipping, but be warned-- there isn’t much turkey available. Certified organic, pasture raised birds go fast.

Sweet Willow Herbal Co-Op

Sweet Willow Herbal Co-Op is another De Pere location with somewhat limited hours, but with preparation, you can get yourself in the door to shop their smaller selection of local produce that comes in the door from some of the Farmer’s Market growers we’ve enjoyed during the regular season. You can get yourself some lunch when you’re there too--- they’ve got some great soups.

Market On Military

The Thursday Market on Military shifts to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday mornings each month during the winter. They’re found in the old Office Depot building, and many of the vendors from the Saturday morning market downtown migrate over to this one to continue their sales. This is another great, local event to stop at for your holiday shopping needs.

LoCo WisCo

LoCo WisCo opened up downtown this year, advertising itself as a gift shop of locally crafted goods. If you’re not the host of Thanksgiving this year, LoCo WisCo is a perfect stop to add to your shopping list for host gifts or Wisconsin craft beer and cheese to take with you to the gathering. Their holiday hours have their doors open throughout the entire weekend, making it easy for those of us working a 9-5 during the week to stock up and support local craftsmen, brewers, and cheesemakers.

]]><![CDATA[Eating Normal is Different Now]]>Tue, 11 Oct 2022 16:43:59 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/eating-normal-is-different-now

If you’re a frequent reader, I’m sure you noticed how little has been posted in the last few months. My husband and I decided to separate. We became another statistic among couples breaking up during the pandemic, and now the way I cook and eat is different. It’s been different since July, shortly after the latest post drought began. I’m not cooking family meals anymore. I’m not even really eating out anymore.

This is the new normal for a lot of people, especially in our generation. I’m not breaking any new ground by being a newly single woman at 30 after 6 years of marriage and 10 years of cooking to suit someone else’s food preferences. Eating Normal is now about eating and cooking for me, less about cooking for others.

What does all of this mean for you as readers? It means less restaurant reviews, more recipes. Reducing food waste and finding ways to extend the lives of the meals I cook has become infinitely more important to me as a single cook. There isn’t another person in my house there to help me kill leftovers, much less annihilate more than half of a recipe when it comes off the stove.

Supporting local farmers remains important to me, but on a budget, the grocery store remains the easiest way to pinch pennies. Smart shopping methods that save me money will be shared to save you money. Pantry recipes will be as important as our market recipes.

My life has changed in the blink of an eye. One of the first things to change was the way I eat, and it’s time to adjust to a new normal. I intend to document that adjustment as closely as I can. Fortunately, I will have more time to devote to content creation here and on my social media platforms.

I appreciate your support through this dry spell of posting, and I hope that the new direction I am taking in my creative work with food will be enjoyable for you as readers and cooks. As you know, I never ask for you to take a look at my support page on the website to sign up for patreon or donate through kofi. If you decide to do that from this point forward, know that that money will go toward supplies for recipe development that only come from our local farmers. I will be revamping our patreon rewards to provide you with additional content if you choose to support.

]]><![CDATA[Adam's Heirlooms - A Farmer's Market Education]]>Fri, 30 Sep 2022 12:30:14 GMThttps://www.eating-normal.com/writing/adams-heirlooms-a-farmers-market-educationThe number of heirloom variety growers at the Saturday Morning Farmer’s Market has grown in the last few years, but one of those I have always kept my eye on is Adam’s Heirlooms, who frequently had vegetable varieties on the table that I never saw before that day. One weekend, I happened to stop by and see two words that excite an avid cook: Berkshire Pork.

Berkshire hogs originally hail from England, and in many cooking circles, they are considered some of the best available to a modern cook. They may not be Iberico pigs, but this variety of hog is talked about nearly as often as their Spanish, acorn eating relatives. I had to stop. I had to buy, and I learned a lot from the folks at the stand.

One of the Berkshire pork products they offered that day was an Irish Cut Bacon, something I had somehow never heard of before. It skirts the line by including two cuts at once, a little of the belly along the loin to give you the best of both worlds. The Irish bacon has been the foundation of every breakfast I cooked for myself this week, from as simple as a plate of bacon and eggs to a bacon infused frittata. I also walked away with a package of sausage and a product known as pullet eggs.

Pullet eggs so rarely make it to the market because many farmers prize them for their own. These eggs are the earliest eggs laid by chickens, often within the first four weeks of a hen’s egg laying career. They’re so small that they are more comparable to a quail egg than a chicken egg.

The comparison picture I took from the top down really does not do the size difference much justice. The egg on the bottom right is one of the pullet eggs, much rounder than the top left.

While most of my energy was focused on the animal husbandry portion of their offerings, the varieties of peppers and other vegetables on the other end of their stand remained peculiar and unusual compared to the other vendors at the market that morning. I will be back to investigate those further during the final farmer’s market as hot sauce preparations begin several weeks late in the Eating Normal House.

Of note, you can access their website to pre-order what interests you most and pick it up at the Market this weekend. They have home delivery in the Manitowoc area if that is more your speed. I can only wish for a home delivery in Green Bay in the fast approaching off season.

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