A good charcuterie plate is the centerpiece of the pre-meal Thanksgiving table as far as I’m concerned. If there is no wooden board with a variety of cheeses both high quality and low, nestled in with mystery sausages and meats, then it’s a bad sign for the actual meal to come. I want to snack on cheese, meat, and crackers while I’m waiting on the whole shabang to hit the table. Mingling with snacks and drinks before the feast is just as important as the actual food.
This year, there won’t be much mingling at my Thanksgiving, but a good charcuterie board is just as important as ever. My husband and I have made plans to play board games and maybe watch some TV while the more time intense food is cooking in the background. Balancing at the end of our game board absolutely should be a spread of delicious snacks to keep us fueled through the course of the long day.
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2020 has thrown us all our fair share of curve balls. As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us are forced to make the choice of staying home or trying to find ways to continue family traditions safely. I will never judge anyone who decides to see their families during the holiday, but this is the first time in my entire life that I have stayed at home for the Thanksgiving Holiday. There will be no long drive home for an extended weekend, no packing a to go bag for my cat, or even a three hour dinner in my aunt’s garage ten minutes down the road. No part of any Thanksgiving I have ever had in my life will be present for 2020-- except for my husband. This is going to be a Thanksgiving for Two.
How do you cook Thanksgiving for just two people? The holiday is an ode to gluttony at it’s most basic level. Depending on your household, the beer starts to flow as early in the day as you want-- breakfast is ginormous, snacks are out for the entirety of the day, and then the real meal comes to the table so large you can barely see the turkey decorated tablecloth underneath it. Someone--or multiple someones-- are in the kitchen cooking from sun up to sun down. This year, that someone is me, and I am thrilled for the opportunity. So, what’s my game plan? Am I ruining it for my husband by composing an entire article based around what I want to do for the greatest eating holiday in the American Pantheon? Naaaah. Let’s do it. There is a lot to consider during shopping for the feast this year as a result of the suffering placed upon our local small businesses. Relief money has ran out, and they can only survive with our business. I have decided to shop for my Thanksgiving needs from as many local stores as possible, which is sometimes difficult to do when it comes to grocery shopping. Luckily, Green Bay is blessed with a number of small specialty vendors to consider during my planning. If I didn’t make us a charcuterie board (AKA a cheese board, for the non-bougie readers out there), to snack on over countless board games and movies as the day progressed, I would be a horrible wife. Green Bay is home to Nala’s Cheese and Wine in Bellevue. They are currently donating to a local food pantry for every 50 dollars spent in the store. That sounds worth the splurge to me for some goodies. Previous visits to our local Asian Markets has shown me that I can rely on them to have meats that I won’t regularly find in our major supermarkets, so I’ll be stopping on the east side of downtown in search of duck or pheasant. If I can find neither, I know that the East Side Festival currently has geese. That may be where I land if my fancy bird search goes poorly. There is also The Original Austin’s Grocery Store on Webster that may need to be a stop. Their meat counter is 100% manned at all hours, and it’s all good quality. If the bird search can’t even land on a goose, then I may be able to find something there to fill the void in the form of a fancy prime rib roast or something. Multiple food media outlets have written piece after piece about how ‘this Thanksgiving will be unlike any ever celebrated’, but let’s face it, America has suffered pandemics before. We’ve suffered through a lot as a nation that has directly impacted the way we celebrate this holiday. Share it with the people you care about however you can. You won’t get any judgement from me if you decide to find a way to share it with your family. We all need a little something to get us through things right now: celebrating with family may be that for you. Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving writing! Thanksgiving is coming! Several places will be closed, and some of them are cooking up whatever you need to make your day special regardless of how you celebrate. Here are some of the highlights across Green Bay:
Plae Bistro - Thanksgiving Dinner, Order by Monday Nov 23rd Plae Bistro will be hard at work next week whipping up side dishes for anyone who orders from their Thanksgiving menu prior to Monday, November 23rd. The offerings can be found on their facebook page, and I am personally considering just a giant fuckin plate of their house rolls. It says its serves 8, but in this house… it will serve 2. Copper State Brewing Co. - Bottle Release Copper State has released their Sugar Plum Elderberry Tart bottles starting today, which sound like they’d be a perfect match for the Thanksgiving table and the beer lover in your family. Will I pick one up while I’m scouring the town for Thanksgiving goodies? Probably. Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe - Frozen Soup Sale, and Yummy Pie Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe is selling their frozen soups as buy one get one free until further notice to keep you warm. While you’re there, consider getting a pie for the Thanksgiving table and supporting local bakers if you’re not in the biz of making the pie yourself. Monzu Bakery and Custom Cakes - Virtual Holiday Market Appearance Monzu will be making an appearance during the American Club’s virtual Holiday market starting today and running through Sunday. More than 70 local vendors will be represented. You can check out those 70 local vendors at this link. The Original Austin’s Grocery Store - Open Thanksgiving Day In the interest of supporting local, we’re highlighting the Thanksgiving hours of local market Austin’s from 8 am to 1 pm Thanksgiving Day. Their meat counter can’t be beat if you wake up Thanksgiving morning and want something other than turkey. Voyageurs Sourdough - Holiday Menu is Live Voyageurs has their holiday menu live for preorders on their website. A lot of goodies are sold out for pickup or delivery this wednesday, but you can still source some rolls for the table from a local favorite! Heartland Pizza Co - Reopened Heartland Pizza Co has reopened after their cautionary COVID-19 closure. The pizza and homemade ice cream must flow, and flow it does. They’re also doing homemade special ice creams for thanksgiving that need to be ordered TONIGHT if you want them at your table. Details on their facebook page. Stillmank Beer Company - Wassail Holiday Cider is BACK Stillmank’s Wassail Holiday Cider is back on the menu at their brewery. They have more releases coming for Black Friday next week. We’ll keep you up to date, as their one of our favorites in town. Toward the end of October, Zambaldi Beer announced their new feature, a community supported brewery box meant to mirror the CSA boxes that have been so popular from local farmers this year. These boxes are to include merchandise, beer, and foodie goodies made by one of the owners that will be made with beer from the brewery. I pre-ordered my November box almost the moment I saw the announcement on Facebook, and I waited for it eagerly until the beautiful weekend of November 7th.
We stopped in, and just by calling the phone number that they email to you when the boxes are ready, the staff can run the box out to your car if you prefer to do pick up. You can also go in and get it yourself, but the crowd there that lovely evening was a bit much to sit and wait through. The box got to us before I could even get my phone put back in my purse, and we took it home straight away. Below is a picture of what we found when we got it home, and after the read break-- our review. White Dog Black Cat - Updated Hours
See their facebook page for their new hours, updated Saturday the 24th. Al’s Hamburger Shop - New Menu Al’s announced their new menu last weekend. Looking for something new? Now’s the time. Their burgers and fries hold up AMAZING during delivery. Cranky Pat's Pizza - Buffet Still Running, limited hours My fav place for thin crust in town is still running their buffet but with limited lunch hours. Carryout and frozen pizza options also available if this isn't for you. La Nostra Strada Pizzeria - Opening soon? No firm date, but a recent social media post hinted that it’s just around the corner… Plus, the bubbles on that fermented pizza dough? Holy shit. Sign me up. Narin’s Thai Kitchen - One Year Anniversary! Narin’s Thai Kitchen recently celebrated their one year birthday. Wish them happy birthday by ordering takeout or delivery. They offer delivery through just about every single major food delivery service in town. Zambaldi Brewery - Community Supported Brewery Boxes Zambaldi has started a cool new offering called a community supported brewery box where every month will include beer (sometimes an exclusive pre-release!), merch, and tasty treats made with their beer. Order by November 5th for the November box. It’s $40, and it looks neat! We preordered ours to do a review. Keep an eye out for that on the weekend of the 7th and 8th. Titletown Brewing Co. - Adjusted hours, growler sales Changes to their hours were announced back on Oct 11, including some sales on beer to take home. Our restaurants aren’t the only ones in need. Drink local too! Hinterland Brewery - New Menu items Dumplings, noodles, and a spicy chicken sandwich to rival the Popeyes on the other side of town. Luna Cafe and Coffee Roastery - Animal Foundation and Pet Pantry of Wisconsin Fundraiser On 11/3, 10% of all sales at the Luna Cafe Bellevue location will be donated to the Animal Foundation and Pet Pantry of Wisconsin. Another good reason to get your coffee locally. JJ's Cafe - Free Delivery Thru Food Dudes See their facebook for the free delivery code. Voyageurs Sourdough - Contactless Pick Up Returns, Now Shipping Nationwide Voyageur announced contactless pick up again on their instagram story. They do great bread, but also some yummy pastries and sandwiches. In addition, they are starting to ship nationwide and make home delveries in Appleton with the upgrade to their online ordering system. Main Street Bourbon Room - Full Menu Returns 11/3 MSBR’s full menu returns 11/3 with some new updates. Check out their facebook page to get a good look. Monzu Bakery - Shipping Hot Chocolate Bombs Our favorite sweets place in town has started shipping their hot chocolate bombs, so if you’re an out of towner, you can jump on this one too. Are you, like me, a PSL fanatic that looks forward to this time of year as if nothing else in the world matters come the end of August? Is it a Starbucks Siren Call that you have trouble resisting? I’ve been screaming for the last few weeks to eat and drink local, and I mean it. I’ve decided to patch together a list of some local places doing great things with coffee so that you can skip the lines at Dunkin and Starbucks to support your neighbors with me.
This list includes some, but surely not all, of our local coffee shops and roasters in the Green Bay area. These are among those that I drive by every day and frequent as often as I can. Luna Coffee Roasters Their base of operations is in De Pere, but that location is keeping its doors closed to protect their employees. They have a Bellevue cafe on Monroe road that is still open for carryout through their front window. You can get whatever specialty drink you want as well as lovingly handcrafted breakfasts. If you’re more of a brew at home person, their beans are available at the Bellevue location as well as through home delivery. The folks at Luna are wonderful, and so is the coffee. If you’re an East Side resident like myself, this place is the easy choice. It’s literally a block from the nearest Starbucks, AND it’s better quality. Daily Buzz Espresso Bar Located on the corner of Washington and Walnut downtown in the Bellin building, Daily Buzz Espresso Bar is a highlight of my trips out to the Saturday Farmer’s market. Their Autumn specials blew my husband and I away on our last visit, including a Harvest Chai Tea with fuckin’ Maple in it that we both loved. Everything is prepared with love, and it’s an easy stop to make when you’re downtown. It’s a scary world out there, folks. COVID-19 is shuttering small businesses and sickening thousands every day. It feels like there’s nothing we can do but hunker down again and hope for the best, but every time we do that, we’re putting a greater strain on local businesses that have been suffering the most through the course of this pandemic. So, what do we do? Well, for starters, order delivery. Don’t get Mcdonalds or Hardees or Burger King… September, 2020. The NFL is back, and we miss the Packers. We want to sit among the bleachers of Lambeau, we want to cheer. But September of 2020 has brought more than football back to Green Bay, Wisconsin. The fate of the city’s businesses without the tourism brought by a normal Packers season has been in debate for as long as the NFL had decided to play without fans, but we’re seeing COVID-19 give us the answer in real time.
A second, powerful wave of COVID-19 has sent school districts home, filled our hospitals, and now it’s causing business owners to shutter their doors for the safety of their employees. Among the first to shut their doors this week was the Redwood Inn, home of my favorite fish fry in the city. They announced their closure this morning, September 26th, on facebook. Aunt Ethel’s of De Pere has also announced a closure this weekend amidst the rising cases. The caution exhibited by these regional favorites during this trying time is good to see. It does, however, remind us how fragile the ecosystem of our restaurants is right now. The lengthy forced closures at the beginning of the pandemic have shuttered some businesses permanently, and those weren’t struggling ones before the pandemic. Here is an incomplete list of businesses that have closed their doors for cautionary purposes during the strong resurgence of COVID-19 in Green Bay-- and how you can support them.
About a month and a half into my furlough after COVID-19 sent us all into our homes, I started a garden on my porch. For the first time ever, I wanted to grow food. The easiest thing I could think of on my little wooden second story porch was a pepper plant, so during my trip to start my second annual herb pot, I bought a sweet pepper plant and a pot with no holes in the bottom to give it a go. Little did I know that this was a trend starting all across not just the city of Green Bay, but the whole country. Every day I drive to work now, I drive past homes where I saw exactly zero evidence of any kind of garden in the previous growing season now full of plants. Front yards, once a barren wasteland of suburban grass, have been turned into growing patches for peppers and tomatoes and onions. I look out my window and see every other porch has become home to a similar menagerie of little potted plants, giving it their all in the summer sun to grow food for an insecure and afraid people. |
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