Travel Journal

six senses saturday ~ the harbor view cafe

May 12, 2012
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six senses saturday ~ the harbor view cafe

Italian bread salad with homemade dressings : creamy french and blue cheese vinaigrette linguini papalina ~ proscuitto, mushrooms, garlic, cream and parmesan mixed grill ~ pork sausage, lamb, beef, kidney, chicken and liver with chutney coq au vin ~ red wine braised chicken wine tasting notes : Nimbus Sauvignon Blanc ~ mineral, fresh herbs, citrus and hay Sycamore Lane Pinot Grigio ~ Sweet aromas of pears, melon, and tropical fruits are accented with pleasant floral notes …both were lovely wines feeling :: warm sunshine hearing :: trains rushing by the lovely Harbor View Cafe in Pepin Wisconsin (I did a review a few years ago, which you can read HERE if you like.)…clinking glass, laughter and happy conversation seeing :: sailboats on the lake…beautiful flowers…and THIS MOVIE… which was...

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rabbit’s bakery

April 11, 2012
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rabbit’s bakery

Last Friday Jeff had a meeting in Lake City so Gracie and I decided to tag along and get tea at Rabbit’s Bakery. Their bakery items, breakfasts and sandwiches are always a treat. The scented, loose leaf tea Gracie and I enjoyed was delightful. Grace had a huge, fudge-like brownie, and I had a pita sandwich with arugula, locally grown shitake mushrooms, shallots, cucumbers, hummus, feta and rare roast beef (per my request.) The service was cheerful, and the traffic was steady, and the food was fabulous. Grace and I were happy that we got there when we did or we may have had to get our food to go. If you get there and the tables are all taken, there’s a park just around the corner with a...

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six senses saturday

April 7, 2012
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six senses saturday

feeling ::  very happy to reconnect with our dear friends and to meet their new son seeing :: a beautiful, cool day at Lake Harriet and the Lake Harriet Peace Garden…and an elf house! smelling :: the fresh air coming off the lake and fresh flowers budding and flowering everywhere tasting :: fabulous food at Buca di Beppo!!!…garlic bread, calamari, antipasto chop salad, four cheese pizza, linguini frutti di mare, garlic mashed potatoes, proscuitto stuffed chicken with pesto cream sauce, limoncello, tiramisu and coffee….mmmmm!!! hearing :: ducks quacking, kids laughing, and Dean Martin crooning Italian love songs knowing :: that best friends are the very best kind of family How did you spend this gorgeous day? ~Melissa

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six senses saturday

March 24, 2012
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six senses saturday

smelling :: the sweet scent of flowering trees and shrubs on McSorley Street as we walked downtown for dessert and cocktails for our date night last evening. seeing :: the warm glow of the Red Wing street lights, the historic St. James Hotel, and a quick peek at the new Red Wing River Bend Coop, complete with a grocery section, and a coffee, tea, soup and smoothie cafe! I’m in heaven! tasting :: a slice of homemade pear torte for two that we shared while sitting on the outdoor patio of this little restaurant…and tonight homemade “grillin’ beans” (see recipe below) with grilled bratwurst and English Breakfast iced tea hearing :: this gorgeous music by Francis Leftwich…heard it first over at the always lovely Today’s Letters. Emily has the...

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six senses saturday

March 10, 2012
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six senses saturday

seeing :: train graffiti hearing :: THIS ROCKIN’ SONG that I can’t get out of my head…Cheerio! feeling :: the ground tremble beneath my feet as the trains pass by the Red Wing Depot smelling :: fresh spring air and THIS LOVELY PERFUME that the hubby gets for me every year. what a sweetie. I know spring is here when I spray on this scent! tasting :: a yummy chicken salad sandwich, a glass of THIS RIESLING…and then a glass of THIS PALE ALE at the always amazing Nelson Creamery knowing :: spring has sprung! yay! What did you do today? ~Melissa

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wee three & mee

February 18, 2012
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wee three & mee

I usually do a “Six Senses Saturday” post on Saturdays, and I was all excited to head back to the Nelson Creamery today with my little fam so we could try their amazing pizza that has gotten so many rave reviews! But, alas, Gracie isn’t feeling well. So instead we’re laying low, drinking tea and watching movies. I’m knitting and crocheting and actually starting to make a dent in my (crazy) yarn stash. I’m making a very special soup recipe this evening that I will share soon…baking more bread (have I mentioned how much I LOVE this recipe? yes? 10 million times you say okay, okay…I’ll try to stop telling you about it. Hee hee)…the “usual” goings on in the Placzek household during the winter months. What are your...

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nelson creamery

February 12, 2012
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nelson creamery

Today we took a leisurely Sunday drive over the bridge into Wisconsin. The Great River Road meanders along the Mississippi river and Lake Pepin through these sweet, quaint villages that remind me of vacations we’ve taken to Door County Wisconsin and Cape Cod Massachusetts. These are places we visit over and over again and they never get old, their personalities changing with every season. We had a beautiful lunch fireside at the Nelson Creamery. This place is amazing. They make dozens of varieties of cheese on site, and carry exotic, imported foods from around the globe. Wonderful things like: Ice Cream Cheese Wine & Champagne Beer Soft drinks and waters Coffee & Tea Breads Scones, Oatmeal, Cereals Tepenades BBQ Sauces, Mustards, Condiments Oils, Olive Oil, Vinegars, Olives, Pickled Vegetables...

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ghirardelli hot cocoa

February 9, 2012
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ghirardelli hot cocoa

~ ghirardelli hot cocoa ~ Hello my lovelies! Here’s the second surprise in this weeks line up of Valentine’s treats. Ghirardelli cocoa! There’s nothing quite like this rich, wonderful cocoa. 12 years ago Jeff and I visited San Francisco California and just had to stop in at Ghirardelli Square. We ate some lovely chocolate treats and purchased several cans of their cocoa to share with friends back in Minnesota. I asked my facebook friends what the best additions to hot cocoa are, and I received lots of different, interesting responses. Among them were:  orange, coconut, cinnamon, red (cayenne) pepper, vanilla, peppermint schnapps, grand marnier, kahlua and whipped cream! My personal favorites are English toffee Torani syrup or Chambord (raspberry liqueur.) To make Ghirardelli hot cocoa just follow the package...

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’twas the night before christmas…

December 24, 2011
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’twas the night before christmas…

…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring… Well, that’s not true. I’m still stirring. We had a wonderful time at the historic St. James Hotel this evening. The holiday buffets on the Summit are always such a treat! The prime rib…and the salads…the grilled asparagus… the butternut bisque… the truffled fingerling potatoes… the wild mushroom bread pudding…the smoked salmon… the cheese… the desserts… and, oh dear, the wine… (whew!) were all SO good! I only had a little bit of everything and still managed to stuff myself to the point of being more than a little bit uncomfortable. As soon as I got home I put on my comfy clothes, so now I’m feeling much better. Today was pretty laid back. We finished all the present...

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holiday stroll and a quiet day at home

November 25, 2011
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holiday stroll and a quiet day at home

This evening we walked downtown to enjoy the annual Red Wing Holiday Stroll. We watched the lighting ceremony, ate s’mores, had wine and coffee at Sarah’s, went to the mural parking lot for live music and a warm fire and saw Santa and Mrs. Claus drive by on a fire truck at the parade. We ate another turkey dinner with all the sides and went out to our front porch to watch the fireworks over Barn Bluff. Another beautiful day in the Mississippi River valley. What did you do today? ~Melissa

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