When the Packers were playing on Sunday night, I knew that finding options for dinner out that night would mean going to a place that had televisions. After going past several local haunts, my suspicions were confirmed - many were closed due to anticipation of EVERYONE being glued to the TV.

I'll admit I'm a happy Bears fan in Cheesehead Country with the resulting peace and quiet after a nail-biter of a game. But hey, it was my 35th birthday and I wanted to go out for dinner and the football game wasn't going to stop me!

One of my favorite go-to restaurants in Milwaukee is Maxie's Southern Comfort, which is "open every single day at 4pm" (except for major holidays). And yes, they have televisions, so they were open on this night when Milwaukee had become a ghost town.

We bellied up to the bar and were immediately greeted by Sam, our friendly bar-keep. The staff is always smiling here, an extra dose of that southern hospitality that Maxie's brings to the Midwest.

The menu is full of mouth-watering Creole and Cajun inspired specialities. My entree of choice is usually the NC pulled pork, with a heaping mound of creamy slaw (in my gluten-free situation, because their fries don't have a dedicated fryer, hold the rough-cut fries...) 

But tonight I was in a saucy mood and selected the half-rack of St Louis spare ribs, with a thick layer of Kansas City-style tangy BBQ sauce slathered over the fall-off-the-bone meat. 

I substituted grits for the fries and beans and was not disappointed. Their grits are super thick and creamy, the perfect compliment to sooth the bite of the sauce. And don't forget the corn-arugula salad - one recipe that I'm still trying to replicate! The fresh taste makes me instantly slip into memories of lazy summer nights, when we can eat dinner along the front sidewalk and suck down Happy Hour oysters and drink specials. Until then, there's plenty of cocktails to keep us warm while we wait out the rest of these winter months.

Head down to Maxie's and... "Get some South in yo' Mouth"!
~Kati

A lot of families head to Wisconsin Dells in the summer to splash around at the waterparks, play mini golf, ride some rollercoasters, and just enjoy the sunshine while it graces Wisconsin for a few short months!

What happens when the day of your long-planned family fun finally arrives... and it's 50 degrees outside... or raining? Avoid being cooped up in a hotel room with grumpy kids or turning around to make the long drive back home - there's a hidden gem just down the road in a little town called Rock Springs.

That's how we stumbled upon the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue & Educational Center a few summers ago. It ended up being a fantastic turnaround to what could have been a miserable day.

We checked in at the little booth and it was fairly quiet, so we ended up getting a personal tour with Jenny, one of the owners. They had just moved Daytona, a 3-month-old tiger cub, outside from living in their house and she was quite the entertainer. I would have loved to jump in her cage and snuggle her but she probably already outweighed me - and those claws still looked pretty long and sharp!

Jenny introduced us to each and every one of the dozens of big cats that live in the rescue. Many cats enjoy the luxury of their own personal sanctuary, some share a space. Every pen is huge, filled with toys and things to climb on, and surrounded by extremely tall metal fences. If one of the large felines decides to be "friendly" and come up to the fence, you are literally standing within 6 feet of them... absolutely amazing! (Just a helpful note that we learned: If a big cat starts to turn and lift their tail or leg... be sure you run the opposite direction as fast as you can, so you don't get sprayed!) 

And when that mighty king lets out a roar, it shakes you to the core!

We had noticed a "menu" of treats you could purchase for the cats when we checked in. The option of a whole chicken stood out and we went ahead and got one for a beautiful white tiger named Isis. One of the staff - usually Jeff, another owner - will lure the cat into a small house at the back of their fenced area and lock it up temporarily, so he can go into the cat's pen and leave the gift for the cat to find... in this case, an entire chicken, frozen solid! The cat paces excitedly, waiting to be released (once the staff member has safely exited the pen) and then it is on the prowl to hunt its prey as soon as the door is opened! Be sure to have your camera ready to go - they have such an amazing sense of smell... that chicken was found and fully devoured in under two minutes flat! 

Each cat has a story - some have been rescued from zoos that closed or bad circus environments, others were illegal "pets" that the owners could no longer handle.

The rescue runs entirely on donations and sponsorships; none of their funds come from government support. Right now they are in the process of building a new Vet & Educational Center on the property, so they can take care of surgeries and routine care onsite. The cost to erect the building itself was covered by a foundation in Minnesota, but the rescue still need funds to complete the project. Consider making a donation - click here! As their site says, "Your donation makes a roaring difference!" Thank you!


*Wisconsin Big Cats Rescue & Educational Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.