Fair Food & Road Trips

It was a weekend of "firsts" for Harper. The Minnesota State Fair officially started last Thursday, and it's certainly one of our "must do's" of the summer every year. Every year I look forward to these 10 days of summer. I arrive at the fairgrounds with an agenda and list of food on my mind. 

Here are my yearly fair must haves:

1. Fried Pickles - by far one of my favorite foods at the fair. My mouth literally waters walking up to the stand to order the "Perfect Pickle." They hand me my poker chip and then a carton of perfectly fried pickle chips with ranch dipping sauce. This is also a non-sharing food item for me, all the pickles are MINE! 

2. Cheese Curds - this is another "must eat" at the fair. I know you can order cheese curds at about every restaurant in the Twin Cities, but it's something about the booth in the Food Building at the fair that's extra special. The crispy fried outside and oozy cheese insides are truly to die for. 

3. Sweet Martha's & Milk - I've never met a cookie I didn't like, and Sweet Martha's Chocolate Chip cookies put a huge smile on my face! Super soft chocolate chip cookies served hot in a heaping bucket, I'm in!

4. Summit on a Stick - Summit is by far one of my favorite beers, and when you put them on a stick it's perfect for the fair. In the Bizarre at the fair you'll find the Summit booth. The creative minds at the brewery came up with "Summit on a Stick." It's a paddle with three holes that are filled with small glasses of three types of Summit. EPA, Oktoberfest, and Red Ale. DELISH!

I think Harper's first fair experience was a success. By the end of our fair adventure, we all had full bellies, dirty feet and sweaty clothes! Another State Fair is in the books. Below are a few more photos from our State Fair adventure!

Saturday we packed our bags, and the coolers and headed off to East Troy, Wisconsin for the Jimmy Buffett concert. This is an annual road trip we take with my parents. Last year it was Chicago, this year we headed back to Alpine Valley for the Lounging at the Lagoon tour! Since we have a 8 month old, someone had to "take one for the team" and stay back at the hotel with Harper. Mitch volunteered to miss out of the Parrothead madness and hang out with Harper at the hotel, but they did join us to tailgate. We decided to bring Harper's splash pool, and I'm glad we did. It entertained her the entire time, and also received plenty of comments as other Parrotheads passed by. We heard a lot of "oh look, a little Parrothead" or "her first concert huh?" We enjoyed our cheeseburgers, with Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes and sat around taking in the "island" surroundings. Around 7pm, Mitch and Harper headed back to the hotel while me, Amanda and my parents headed for the gate. 

Jimmy was amazing as usual. He never disappoints. He sang his usuals, and we danced and sang along. We saw plenty of interesting things, and I'm not sure Amanda knew what she was getting into! I'm already looking forward to next year!

It's hard to believe September is days away. It's Labor Day weekend which also means, summer is over. Each year it seems to go faster and faster. We'll have to break out the boots and jackets before we know it. Fall also means football season. I must admit, it's not my favorite sport - but it's growing on me. Tonight is Osseo's first game, so I think we might head up to the field to cheer on the Orioles. Austin is officially a senior in high school Tuesday, talk about time flying. I swear Melissa and I were babysitting him just yesterday watching Barney's Campfire Sing-A-Long. Baby brother isn't much of a baby anymore! 

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Until next time...

The Helleen's