1. See a Flurry of Saint Nicks During Santa Rampage
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Holiday season is about cheer, and I can’t think of anything more cheerful than a rambunctious horde of Santa Clauses cycling through Downtown and upending traffic. If you’re a grumpy, unsuspecting driver, you might counter that that sounds a bit stressful, actually. To that I say, stress is a normal part of the holidays. You must learn to take the bad with the good. In all seriousness, when I spoke to the event’s lead organizer Jake Newborn, he said motorists tend to be more amused than annoyed. I’ve yet to see the sight myself, so I’m planning to show up at some point in the route to get caught up the mass of red. The Rampage starts at 9 on Saturday, and if these cyclists sound like your kind of crowd, you still have a chance to register to ride.
2. Pick Up a Local Women-Owned Businesses Coupon Book
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
It’s shopping season, people! Hopefully you got out and supported local businesses for Small Business Saturday last weekend, but if not, don’t worry. You can still shop all of Milwaukee’s great businesses this month for gifts (and all year long). If you want to support women-owned businesses – and get a nice handful of discounts and deals – check out this cool new coupon book that Joy Ice Cream Social and Rebel Squid put together. It’s $25 and has deals at lots of local spots, including Ebb & Flow, URSA, Tots on the Street and more. Plus, the back of it is a notepad, so you get a cute little souvenir out of it too. This is a great gift in itself, or just a fun little treat to have on hand. Pick them up at the participating locations.
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It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Celebrate Christmas in the Ward
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
Christmas – I’m a fan. An enthusiast, even. There’s a partridge in my pear tree, no doubt. And in the five years I’ve worked at Milwaukee Magazine, I’ve been a major proponent of the Third Ward’s yuletide celebrations. The neighborhood brings warmth and welcome to the season. This year, Christmas in the Ward kicks off on Friday, Dec. 6. Starting at 5:30 p.m., there will. be live reindeer, smore’s roasting in Catalano Square, food trucks out and about and more. The tree-lighting ceremony is at 6 p.m., followed by fireworks at 7 p.m. at a Hoan Bridge light show at 8 p.m.
4. Make a Green Goddess Grain Bowl
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
While the rest of the world was eating Thanksgiving leftovers, last weekend I dove into grain bowls. Really, because, lunch – I’m always trying to figure it out. And the grain bowl is kind of perfect. Cook whatever grain you want (I made quinoa), and make a lot of it. I mean, enough to feed yourself lunch for several days. Pick a protein you like – roasted chicken, leftover turkey (huzzah!), chickpeas, tofu, etc. Now decide which vegetables you want. I picked raw kale, carrots and broccoli. The (maybe) last thing is a sauce. I wanted something herby and creamy, so I made green goddess. I also added some chunks of avocado, and next time I will sprinkle it all with crispy hemp seeds. So easy and delicious! Here’s the green goddess recipe I used.
5. Grab a Sendik’s Pumpkin Pie
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Once, like eight years ago, I made a good pumpkin pie. Actually, it was a great pie, filled with the usual ingredients deployed to make pumpkin pie fancy: bourbon, maple syrup, extra spices. I brought it home to my family Thanksgiving and it became family legend. But I lost the recipe and thrice since then I’ve tried to make it (or even a decent regular one) again for the family gathering and come up with only decent pies. This year, with my brother-in-law’s father hosting solo, I volunteered to lighten his load and be Pie Guy again. Bold, considering this magazine’s deadlines and my utter lack of time allotted to piemaking. So last Wednesday, to Sendik’s I went, and I gotta say, that pumpkin pie was the bomb. Not as unconventional as my fancy pie of yore but every bit as good – spicy, creamy, with a perfect crust. Bring one to a holiday gathering – take it out of the box if you’re prideful – and you, too, can be Pie Guy.
