Tiger Brewery Building in Princeton Wisconsin

Every now and then I like to write about our little town.  When you are new to a town, it takes a while to learn it's history.  We hadn't lived in Princeton too long before we discovered an interesting building about a block from downtown.  This building was brick and was on the Fox River.  When we first saw it, there was a big garage sale inside.  It was old and damp and had a lot of rooms.

It turns out that it was an old brewery.  The original owner was a master brewer who moved to the area from Prussia in the 1850's.  He struggled to stayed in business.  Apparently he enlisted in the Civil War and left his wife to run the business.  It didn't make it.  She didn't know how to keep the hops and sprouts from spoiling.   It had several owners over the years, but reopened in 1934 with a new image.  Tiger Beer began and it was marketed as the "Beer with a Purr".   After the business closed in the late 1930's, the building was used for many things.  It was a soda factory, a cheese business, a storage company, a mushroom growing facility, an antique store and even was used for a haunted house every Halloween for years.  It is empty now which is a shame.  Maybe with the popularity of small breweries, someone will come to town and reopen it.  Although I'm sure the equipment is long gone and all that remains is the beautiful logo on the side of the building.

* I got some family information from Rich West.  It was very nice of him to share.  This is what he said "August Carl Weist, the founder of Tiger Beer, was my Great, Great Grand father. He was originally from Arnsdorf formerly Prussia, now Germany. Somewhere along the line the 'e' was dropped from our name."

He also sent a bit more background on his Great Great Grandfather and the Tiger Beer building.

The link below is from a 1978 Milwaukee Journal article about the family.  Very interesting to read.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19780516&id=xm0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iikEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6857,3632061&hl=en

Here's another link.

http://oshkoshbeer.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-breweries-of-oshkosh-part-5-fifth.html

Apple Pie with Streusel Topping

Everyone can make an apple pie, but the crust is sometimes a pain to make.  You either have to buy the crust or make it.  Making it is a little tricky because you can't work it too much or it isn't flaky.  You have to roll it out and get the proper thickness without adding too much flour.  It takes time.  This pie crust recipe takes very little time and turns out great.  Pie crust isn't healthy no matter how you make it so this recipe is no exception.

Pie Crust

In a pie plate mix 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 t. salt

Add 1/2 cup oil (I used canola)  and 1/4 cup of milk (I used 2% but skim will work)

Mix incorporating the flour until you have a ball of dough.

Wash your hands if you haven't already and press the crust into the pie plate.

I still had some apples left from our trip to the apple orchard, so I peeled 5 or 6 apples and sliced them in a bowl.  I added 1/2 cup of sugar (truth be told I used a little more because my dad has such a sweet tooth) and 2 T. of flour.   Toss the sugar and flour mixture in the sliced apples.  At this point you can add a teaspoon or more of cinnamon.  I don't add cinnamon because I don't like a brown apple pie, but that is just personal preference. 

Now pile the apples into the unbaked pie shell.  They can be piled pretty high because they will cook down during the baking process.

Then instead of a top crust, I put a streusel topping on top.

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup sugar (more sugar if you like)
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
More cinnamon (optional)

Mix together until crumbly and sprinkle on the apples.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes until the crust is browned.

Apple pie with Streusel topping

Happy 13th Birthday To Our Granddaughter

Thirteen years ago today, November 3, 2000, our daughter gave birth to our oldest grandchild.  It is hard to believe that she is thirteen already.  It seems like yesterday that she was born.  In 2000, we still lived in Stoughton, WI.  I will never forget getting the call from my daughter around dinner time on November 2.  She said that it was time to go to St. Mary's hospital in Madison, Wisconsin to have the baby.  My daughter's husband was working in Madison, my husband had recently had cataract surgery and couldn't drive, and my daughter was ready to give birth, so that left me to drive to the hospital.  For some reason we took our pick up truck.  I don't have any idea why we took the truck.  I was trying to act calm as we approached the hospital and when we got to the front, I asked them if they wanted to drop Me off.  Sarah said "no mom, I can walk from the parking area".  I wasn't too nervous.  We went in and then we waited and waited and waited.  As it became clear that it would be a while, I took my husband home.  He had been sitting the entire evening in the back of the room clutching his coat.  I wasn't the only one who was nervous.  I tried to rest at home, but got up at 3:00 in the morning and went back to the hospital.  Pretty soon it was time and our first grandchild was born.  She has been a joy and as it turned out, our one and only granddaughter.  The next four grandchildren have been boys.

Today we had a little family party with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  Even great grandpa was there.

Great grandpa with Sam and Jack

Aunt Heather, Mom Sarah, Ewan and puppy Piper

Through the years with Melissa.

Three months old

Melissa at 2 1/2 years old

Dance recital at four years old

Five years old

Nine years old

Eleven years old.

Then today...thirteen years old.

She likes accessories.  Her mom always liked to wear hats at that age.

Crocheted Snowflakes

I spent some time today finishing a project.  Last Spring, my daughter asked me to crochet her some snowflakes to hang in her window.  She asked me early so I would have time and not be pressured into making them in a hurry.  Over the summer, I worked on one whenever I remembered.  Now that the weather is getting cooler, I need to finish up.

I made several different sizes and shapes.  Most of the patterns are free on the internet, and others I found in old books and magazines.  They are very easy to find.  I imagine there are even books in the public library that have patterns.  Ravelry.com is a good source.  Just search for free snowflake patterns.  I have quite a few made, but now I have to block them.

In order to block the snowflakes, I need a piece of styrofoam or a few pieces of cardboard stacked together.  I found some blocking circles online and printed them out.  Click on this link for the circles I used.   Blocking circles  I printed different size circles by changing the percentage of image.  The large one I made was at 120%.  That worked the best for the larger snowflakes.   I taped the circles on the styrofoam and covered it with clear plastic wrap.  I just taped it on the back to secure the plastic wrap and keep it from slipping.

When the snowflake is completed, it has to be stiffened.  I do this by mixing school glue and water in a 50/50 proportion.  In a small dish, I mixed the glue and water.  Then I dipped the snowflake and saturated it.  I squeezed out the excess and put it over the circle, lining up the center.  Then I pinned the points to the proper line.  If you have 12 points then pin to each line, pulling to the same circular line.  If the snowflake has 6 points, then pin to every other line.  At this point you can sprinkle with glitter if you want sparkles. 

When the snowflake is completely dry, it will peel off the plastic wrap easily.  When my daughter hangs the snowflakes in her window, we will take some pictures and I will update this blog.