There is nothing like coming across new music. Every MWG has had that moment when they find themselves tired of the same old playlist, regardless who the artist it is. Today we have tunes from the Midwest and beyond. We start off with a group that we are really excited about. The Deep Dark Woods are a blend of folk and country that incorporate storytelling lyrics and the occasional whine of a steel guitar. Charlie Parr needs no introduction to our readers as he continues to be one of our all time favorites. We also bring you the latest single from Trampled By Turtles who are set to release their follow up to Palamino “Stars and Satellites” in April 2012. All this and more awaits you to make sure you don’t fall into a mid-week slum.

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And an old favorite…

JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, ” I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” from Bloodshot Records on Vimeo.

Cheers…

The dish is traditionally served during the holidays but can absolutely be served any day of the year. At MWG we often have a drawer in the refrigerator dedicated to lefse. If you live in Minnesota, Iowa or Wisconsin there is a good chance you can find lefse in your grocery store but as everyone knows there is nothing more satisfying than making it home made. Below we give you a traditional recipe for lefse, we recommend taking it down with a strong cup of coffee.

Traditional Norwegian Lefse

Ingredients:

2 cups of cold mashed potatoes (made the night before)

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

1. Mix the potatoes, salt and 3/4 flour to make the dough.

2. Flour a flat surface and break offchunks of dough to roll out into a thin, crepe like pancake.

3. Bake on a dry (no oil) griddle over medium heat, flipping once. Cool.

4. Spread each crepe with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.

5. Roll into a tight log and cut in half. Enjoy.

Makes 8 servings of lefse.

As you become familiar with this recipe feel free to play around with your own. If you find that you have come up with the ultimate lefse recipe, we have the test for you. Make your way to Fosston, Minnesota and enter your recipe into competition at the annual Lefse Festival. Each year a Champion Lefse Maker is crowned.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xLlQ3ff2GM

Cheers!

Each album is a collection of Beatles’ songs performed by Minnesota based artists. From Charlie Parr to Motion City Soundtrack, the albums cover an array of genres and always includes an arrangement from public school student bands. To date, more than 15,000 students have participated in the program.

It is no question that The Beatles arrival to the US made a huge impact on the culture of music. It has inspired groups both past and present and now the same music is inspiring thousands of children all over Minnesota.

The Midwestern Gentlemen at Vega Productions in partnership with MMEA/AEM are the pockets behind the project. Funding for the project is collected in the form of grants and distributed equally amongst schools. Below is a preview of Volumes 1 through 3 and with all proceeds going back into the arts, it is a worthy cause that you can become a part of. Check out Vega Productions’ website for your chance to purchase all three!

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Volume 1 – Album artwork by: Chuck U
BUY NOW!

1. “Across The Universe” - Nicholas Mrozinski
2. “Eleanor Rigby” – The Pachyderm All-Stars
3. “Norwegian Wood” – Jeremy Messersmith & Zach Coulter
4. “The Fool On The Hill” - Mark Mallman
5. ” I Will” - Roma di Luna
6. “Two Of Us” - Dave Simonett & Friends
7. “Sexy Sadie” – Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles
8. ” Slow Down” - The Suicide Commandos
9. “ We Can Work It Out” - Tim Mahoney Band
10. “I’ve Just Seen A Face” - The Pistol Whippin’ Party Penguins
11. “Something” - Romantica
12. “Strawberry Fields Forever” - Ice Palace
13. “Come Together” - The Ronny Loew Band
14. “Drive My Car/The Word/What You’re Doing” – Casa Blanca Orchestra
15. “Octopus’ Garden” - Heatbox
16. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – Susan B. Anthony Middle School

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzbu9imhtyg

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Volume 2- Album artwork by: Jon Reischl
BUY NOW!

1. Good Morning Good Morning – Soul Asylum
2. Revolution – Total Babe
3. Child Of Nature – Mason Jennings
4. Fixing A Hole – Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons (Humans Win! Remix)
5. Real Love – Lookbook
6. Happiness Is A Warm Gun – A Night In The Box
7. It’s All Too Much – Polara
8. Tomorrow Never Knows – Meat Puppets feat. Alison Scott
9. I Am The Walrus – Pert Near Sandstone
10. Michelle – The New Standards
11. And Your Bird Can Sing – Rogue Valley
12. Dear Boy – P.O.S.
13. I Want To Hold Your Hand – Edison High School
14. Golden Slumbers – Communist Daughter
15. Hey Jude – Sounds Of Blackness
16. Good Night – Curtiss A’s D’Lando Flaques*ffaire *Rockestra

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2A4TDTMiCk

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Volume 3 – Album artwork by: Brock Davis
BUY NOW!

    1. Cloud Cult – Help
    2. Solid Gold – Love You To
    3. White Light Riot – Hey Bulldog
    4. Charlie Parr feat. Nicholas Mrozinski – Rocky Raccoon
    5. Motion City Soundtrack – Here Comes the Sun
    6. The Fiddle Heirs – I’ve Got a Feeling
    7. Me and My Arrow – Don’t Let Me Down
    8. Red Pens – Helter Skelter
    9. Dark Dark Dark – Long Long Long
    10. The Honeydogs – Dear Prudence
    11. Tapes ‘n Tapes – I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
    12. the 4onthefloor - Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?
    13. The Arms Akimbo – You Won’t See Me
    14. Cantus – Got to Get You into My Life
    15. Anoka Middle School for The Arts – A Hard Day’s Night

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vENnDxH7Tw8

Work (c) Vega Productions & 89.3 The Current

Cheers…

We promote a lifestyle of simplicity, moderation and class that is only found in someone who truly understands the joys of living in the Midwest. Next time you are lake side, relaxing in the glow of a Midwestern sunset… you know you want to have the perfect glass of red wine waiting for you. Check out our store to get your hands on the Ravi Solutions – Instant Wine Chiller today.

P.S. No one is going to blame you if you slap this baby on your favorite whiskey bottle either… yes, it works on that bottle of Beam as well.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuEGgxuLfkE

Cheers…

The answer to the question is really two fold. Wisconsin has a strong representation of German Catholics who observe Lent. Lent is the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during a forty day period preceding Easter.  It eventually turned into a social event during prohibition years. Taverns needed a way to attract people to their businesses and often gave free fish dinners or lunches on Friday. Back  in the day, fish was easily obtained and was very inexpensive for taverns so it made for a good calling card. The Germans came to the country with the technology of frying foods and it was an easy way to rapidly prepare a lot of fish, thus the social “fish fry” was born. They often had beer and liquor as an “under the table” service and as the years past so did prohibition but the traditions of serving fish has lasted through the years. Today, taverns and eateries offer the fish fry on Wednesdays and Fridays regardless of religious orientation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8veeZ6i0VA

(c) Nelson Institute

Being on the water countless hours in the summer allows me to have fresh fish on a fairly consistent basis. For me, gone are the days of tromping out to the restaurants only to find long lines and hours of waiting. I enjoy my fish fries right at home. I have a set up in my garage which is equipped with a stainless steel table and a Stainless Steel Profry by Presto. It’s a great little unit that breaks down nicely and makes for easy clean up.

So what makes a good fish fry? Good oil. Fish is one of those foods that you can prepare many ways and frying is one way to serve many people at once. The oil you fry your fish in is one of the most important parts of the fish fry. There is nothing worse than a soggy piece of walleye or perch. My favorite oil for cooking is Shore Lunch Miracle Frying Oil. It is a blend of vegetable oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil and is all natural. I like the oil because it withstands multiple fish fries. Many cheaper oils seem to break down after one use and never give that golden brown look to your filet. I might spend a little more money up front on the Shore lunch oil but I get multiple fish fries out of one batch of oil.

The batter people use in all Wisconsin fish fries is the most fabulous part of this great tradition. Every single person that fries fish brings their own twist to the make-up of the batter. Somewhat mystical, many people use closely coveted batter recipes that might have been passed down from generation to generation or from old time guides to fishermen. I hold close the adage, “less is more” when I fry fish. My preference is a lightly battered filet in an egg wash. Again, my favorite product is Shore Lunch as they have an array of choices depending on what I’m feeling. The sky is the limit when it comes to batters and the internet is a great source of information to find many more recipes. I would be remiss if I didn’t say a little something about our tartar sauce. There are many good choices on the store shelf but my all-time favorite is homemade. I combine a little Miracle Whip salad dressing and sweet pickle relish and it is the finest dipping sauce made.

Midwestern life is all about friends and family and sharing this simple meal is a great way to pass the time on any night of the week. Add a beer from your favorite local brewery and some American fries and you too can take part in this long standing Wisconsin tradition!”

Reflections from a MWG comes from John McArdle of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. For more of John’s material visit The Frugal Fisherman, Wisconsin Outdoor Fun and Fond Du Lac Outdoors.

Cheers…

The Midwest is home to many wide open spaces, vast forests and crystal clear lakes. There are scenic drives that are rooted in deep geological history. Much of the Midwest remains untouched and offers us a lifestyle that only a few have been lucky enough to enjoy. It is all in our backyard and one site gives you the opportunity to scope out and own a beautiful piece of property.

LandBin.com was created specifically for people with the Midwestern Gentleman mentality. Life can become cramped. You may find yourself cramped in an office all day, unwind in a den then fall asleep in a bedroom. Constantly being surrounded by 4 walls 24/7 is no way to live. Many men find refuge outdoors and look forward to hunting season when they can get outside. LandBin.com makes finding this land very easy.

Dedicated to the vast lands in Minnesota and Wisconsin was “launched in 2008 because finding the perfect hobby farm for sale or hunting land for sale should not be difficult. By bringing virtually every Minnesota & Wisconsin land, acreage, farm and lot listing together on a single website, with a simple user interface – LandBin.com makes it easy for a serious buyer to get a complete market overview and make an educated decision on where and what to buy.”

Hunting land, deeds, hobby barns and more, it is all here.  Below is a taste of what you can find from these MWG.

Tower, Minnesota – 28.9 acres, 900 ft. of waterfront – $495,000

Details Here

Grand Marais, Minnesota – 26.5 acres, 1300′ of Lake Superior coast – $1.95M

Details Here

Tomahawk, Wisconsin – 95.4 acres, 2000′ waterfront – $825,000

Details Here

Other, Wisconsin – 280 acres, 1600′ waterfront – $1.78M

Details Here

So whether you are in the market for new land along Lake Superior or looking for an escape amongst rolling hills and inland lakes, LandBin.com is where to start. Of course, for many of us, a $1,000,000 plot of land just isn’t on the horizon right now but planning can still be fun and if it’s just wondow shopping… a man can dream can’t he!

Cheers!

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