Last October — long before we had any illusions of moving out here — I blogged about this candy corn bratwurst that a Madison, Wisconsin grocery store was selling. Here’s what I wrote:

Be still my heart. What a brilliant invention! They’re two great tastes that taste great together. Well, I assume; sadly, they’re only available at Jenifer Street Market in Madison, Wisconsin. A city, by the way, that totally charmed us in May.

You can see where this is headed, right?

That candy corn brat — officially dubbed the ‘Spook’toberfest Brat — was such a huge seller, they brought it back again this year. And, we just happened to be downtown for the Taste of Madison festival on Saturday. On the way home, we made a detour to Jenifer Street Market to pick up some of those brats. Totally cool little neighborhood grocery joint, by the way. We walked away with more than just the candy corn brats.

But I digress.

And by the way, before you go judging me, I asked y’all whether you’d try one or not. The poll results were split right down the middle.

Candy corn is a hard enough sell for some reason. I love it, but a lot of folks don’t. Bratwurst is a little less divisive (especially here in Wisconsin, where the food pyramid looks like this):

This being Labor Day, we figured it was the perfect excuse to fire up the grill cast iron skillet and cook up some o’ dem dere brats.

Actually, we could have fired up the grill. It’s right in the front of our garage and can easily be rolled out. A few of our neighbors do cookouts there. We’d just need to swap out a new propane tank and we’d be all set. But, I figured with the seasons changing soon, it’ll be too cold to grill out very long.

The cast iron skillet it was, then!

Ready for the verdict? It looked like a normal brat from the outside, and it’s not like there were whole candy corns tucked inside. They obviously melt during cooking, infusing the meat with a sweetness that is anything but subtle.

There’s no such thing as a photogenic bratwurst.

Tara took one bite and spit it out, ha. I liked it just fine, especially after adding mustard; the tanginess helped tamp down the sweetness. It’s really no different than eating maple bacon anything, actually. Is it a gimmick? Absolutely. But one that actually works!

And it’s perfect fodder for a follow-up blog post.


40 responses to “Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little brat like you.”

  1. As always, Tara is my hero.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I read that comment to her, and she thanked me for always writing about her in a complimentary way. She’s definitely the yin to my yang.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Sounds icky although I like Bratwurst. With mustard. Not with candy in it. 😛

    And I’ve never had candy corn. 😎

    Liked by 1 person

    1. How can you have gone your whole life without ever trying candy corn? Also: WHY NOT?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Maybe this is the year I shall try it… 🤔

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I can’t remember how I voted, but I think I would at least give it a try. I’ll eat a brat if it’s served to me, but they’re not my favorite. Love candy corn though, even though I know it’s basically Yellow #3, Red #5, and corn syrup. Same thing with Twizzlers – I know I’m eating flavored plastic, but I just can’t stop. Anyway, glad Madison is treating you well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You voted yes, at least according to your comment. But you also added a disclaimer that you would just take one bite and then move onto something else. Still, I’ll take that!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I love candy corn but dislike brats and sausages in general. If I get one globule of fat or gristle, I’m done. There’s something about the texture I can’t stomach. But give me a bag of candy corn and those little pumpkins and I eat them until my teeth hurt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tara’s the same way. Hence, her spit-take!

      Like

  5. I think I would try this, my wife would probably like it more if it was a pumpkin spiced brat.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ICK! Pumpkin spice loaf or cake yes but in meat? To each his or her own I guess. 😛

      Like

      1. I didn’t mean that literally Claudette, I hate pumpkin spice and my wife seems to like in in everything

        Like

    2. Ooh, I’d try a pumpkin spiced brat!

      Like

  6. Though I’m not a candy corn fan, I’d be willing to try the brat. Maybe Tara and I could have a spitting contest.
    Love the food pyramid, as long as it stays ranch free I’m fine with it.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I’m kinda surprised you don’t like ranch dressing!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Never liked it. But I also hate bologna and peanut butter…

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Did I miss the name change notification? I like it by the way, but without the cat, and your actual name I would have thought you were spam. I am just ignoring the rest of the post. I was on the no way side of the brats poll and your picture does nothing to make me change my mind.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. There wasn’t any official notification or anything. I just went in and changed it to match my new Instagram handle, ha.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. You mean they don’t sell candy corn brats in NYC?!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Not yet…but tomorrow is another day…

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I’d probably try it (after all, I tried fried crickets – chapulines – in Mexico) but some things just don’t belong together. Do they have a Peeps version at Eastertime?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have no idea, but if not they totally SHOULD!

      Liked by 2 people

  9. Mark, that Wisconsin food pyramid had me lol. It confirms what I have heard about the “diet” many residents there enjoy. To be honest, in retrospect candy corn bratwurst isn’t as crazy as some other food mash-up options being tossed around these days. It seems like foodies are searching for anything “off the reservation”…and have no reservations about trying anything at all. Let the skillet season begin!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree: I’ve had weirder food combinations than that before. And yes, the Upper Midwest diet isn’t quite as health-conscious as that on the West Coast. We need hearty meals to get us through the long, cold winters!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. I love candy corn and would totally try the brat.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sweet! Dare I suggest a road trip?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Definitely! I’ve even been looking to see if I can order it online.

        Like

  11. I liked candy corn as a kid, but not so much anymore. I’ll pass on the weird brat. Maybe one with cheese inside instead?

    That food pyramid looks pretty tasty, especially if the brew had a bit more color to it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I would definitely prefer a cheese-filled brat. And I am 100% sure there are plenty of those around!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. A ‘Spook’toberfest Brat? No, just no. There’s no amount of mustard that could make it ok. For me.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Is there any amount of ranch dressing that could make it ok for you? ‘Cause we’ve got you covered there…

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I probably would’ve been with Tara on this one because a sweet sausage seems kinda wrong to me, and I’m not Team Candy Corn. However, I did vote in the poll that I would try it because I would try just about anything. Happy you got the opportunity, and totally fun to be able to do this follow-up. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’d forgotten all about that post until I saw the brats advertised again this year. “This is going to make a GREAT follow-up post!” I told Tara. Sure ’nuff…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You probably told her: “Babe! Follow-up post!” I’m totally getting your lingo down now. And did I remember to comment on Sydney in whichever recent post her pic was featured? Gosh, that cat is so freakin’ gorgeous.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Man, it’s like you’re a fly on our wall. Or hiding in our closet, spying on us. Freaky.

        I figured you’d appreciate the Sydney photo!

        Like

  14. That cheese at the top of the pyramid? Looks a bit like cheddar…bet it doesn’t taste the same. You may have survived the move (sounded an ordeal, so well done and glad to see you’re now ensconced) but can your arteries survive the onslaught?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hopefully, all the walking (and occasional fruit and veggies) will help balance all that out.

      Like

Leave a reply to LA Cancel reply

THE LATEST SCOOP