Relax Milwaukee: We're doing your holiday baking for you

There's no denying it, the holidays are here.
I feel the pace of life escalating, the stress mounting.  I see the red and the green. The holly and the ivy.  And I'll admit that it's making me feel just a little crazy.

And so, we're going to slow it down a bit. Take some time for ourselves. And concentrate on what really matters.

The fact is, the holidays are the perfect time of the year to focus on those special people that truly make a difference in our lives.  It's also a great time to think about ways to really make a difference in the lives of others.

Maybe it's through a generous donation to a good cause.  Or a simple expression of thanks to someone who's touched your life in some way this year.  It could be a simple smile to perk up someone's day.  Or a cup of tea with an old friend.

Or maybe you want to do what we're doing... and plan a bake sale!

Yup, we're doing it again.
Thanks to the generosity of the MKEfoodies, we're going to be pulling out all the stops for another amazing MKEfoodies bake sale.  But, this time, it's all about the holidays.

We'll be making our famous chocolate covered cherries to be sold for the event.  And we have it on good authority that there will be a whole lot of other delicious holiday treats. Including free tea from Milwaukee's Rishi Tea, coffee from Stone Creek Coffee, and some really great cookies and treats from Milwaukee area food bloggers like Nicole from OnMyTableBlog, Erin from Hot Dinner Happy Home, Dan & Melissa from Duo of Chefs, Sarah from Food, Fun, and Life in Waukesha and Karis from Karis' Kitchen.

If you're in the area, come on out to support Cookies for Kids' Cancer while picking up holiday treats and gifts for your friends, family, and colleagues.

We'll be doing all the baking -- so you don't have to!

MKEfoodies Holiday Bake Sale
Saturday, December 10, 2011
12p.m. – 4 p.m.
Best Place At The Historic Pabst Brewery
901 W. Juneau Ave.

Invite your Friends via Facebook!
Can't make it to the event? Give to Cookies for Kids' Cancer at our online donation page!

Interested in being a baker, a volunteer, or an event sponsor? Email lo@eatatburp.com

All proceeds from the MKEfoodies Holiday Bake Sale will go to Cookies for Kids' Cancer, a 501(c)3 non profit founded by parents inspired by their son Liam's battle with cancer. They were shocked to learn that the main reason over 25% of kids diagnosed with cancer do not survive is because of a lack of effective therapies. And the reason for the lack of therapies was very simple: lack of funding. They pledged to support the development of new and better treatments by giving people a simple way to get involved.

 
©BURP! Where Food Happens

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Panini with Goat Cheese & Cherry Chutney

I promised there would be talk of the sandwiches we made with our delicious Maple Brined Cherrywood Smoked Turkey. And I can't leave you in suspense any longer.  After all, these little morsels were so stellar that you're going to want to try them out for yourself just as soon as you have some of your own Thanksgiving turkey leftovers on hand.

Before we get to the details of the sandwiches themselves, I'm going to take the opportunity to put in a plug for this cherry chutney recipe, which is quickly becoming one of our all-time favorite condiments.

Though it might not be quite as traditional as your usual cranberry sauce, I'm going to challenge you to consider making up a batch to put right out there on your Thanksgiving table.  It's tart and delicious.  And it goes perfectly with turkey. And stuffing.  It's also delicious spread on one of those dinner rolls you're bound to have left over.

Which brings me to the sandwich at hand.  These little beauties make use of leftover dinner rolls, one of the holiday staples that seem to get thrown out more than re-heated.  So, I like to think that these sandwiches are born of thrift.  They're also super fast to throw together, which makes them the perfect dinner for one of those busy weeknights that become inevitable as the holidays draw closer.

Since the goal here is to make you hungry, let me give you a quick glimpse into the sort of sandwich I'm talking about.  Just imagine a crisp, warm panini-pressed sprouted grain dinner roll spread with a liberal amount of fresh goat cheese, dolloped with cherry chutney and topped with delicious smoked turkey and fresh arugula.  Sweet-tart, tangy, smoky, peppery -- all of these flavors come together in glorious harmony as you bite into this crisp little slider.

Reminiscent of the holidays, but definitely more than just a repeat, these delicious snack-sized sandwiches are sure to please. The best part  is that, since they're small, you can even gobble up more than one.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Eat well. Enjoy family and friends.  We'll lift our glasses to you at our holiday table!

Post-Thanksgiving Panini with Goat Cheese & Cherry Chutney

 
©BURP! Where Food Happens