This year, we showed support of the Winter Olympics up in Door County, WI by bringing together a few of our favorite things: friends, family, beer, and fierce competition.

I bring you — Beer Olympics.

But before the lighting of the torch (or our best attempt at a fire in a fire pit full of snow), we stopped at Door County Brewing Co. (DCBC) in Bailey's Harbor, WI. We've visited DCBC before, but they recently launched their experimental project called Hacienda Beer Co.

This side projects gives the brewers the opportunity to test out different flavors that go far beyond the DCBC favorites, like the Polka King Porter. They are leveraging the DCBC taproom to dish out new flavors like beer infused with juicy peaches or sour rhubarb and other non-traditional farmhouse-style ales.

What I drank:

DNT LSTN - Tart chardonnay barrel fermented saison

They also host live music, and promote a family-style environment with large community tables and tons of games to play — we gravitate toward LRC. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend a visit. The vibes are always good and the beer is great! Oh, and don't forget those beautiful Lake Michigan views.

Now, back to Beer Olympics. This is something we've been training for since our first sip of beer — no earlier than our 21st birthdays, of course.

Here's a rundown of the events:

- Flip cup connect 4

- Coinhole (an actual gift from my boss)

- Ice bowling

- Beer pong

- Shotgun shot put

- Pillow case race around the house

Am I still sore from the pillow case race? Yes. The drifts of icy snow were really the enemy, but overall it was a great way to celebrate the Olympics — and the perfect reason for my brother and sister-in-law to buy these amazing t-shirts:

Always winners in the best-dressed category.

With all the woofs tuckered out from a fun weekend in Door County, we took our next adventure to the South Side of Chicago to celebrate the Year of the Dog.

In my last blog, I mentioned that Chinatown is my favorite neighborhood in Chicago. To get in the spirit of the new lunar year, I stopped at H-Mart in the West Loop to pick up some ingredients for a home-version of Chopped. When I turn on the TV, there's a 90% chance the channel is already on The Food Network or the Cooking Channel, so this is another competition I've wanted to do for a while.

I grabbed Korean squash, scallion steamed buns, and Korean peppers to incorporate into the dish — sounds pretty easy, right? For Dan, yes, but for me...does anyone know how to get the "burn" smell out of a microwave? Asking for a friend.

CAUTION: do NOT steam the buns in the microwave for 10 minutes.

Dan thinly sliced beef tenderloin and seared it in the cast iron. The tenderloin was marinated for an hour with: red pepper flakes, sesame seed, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger powder, salt and pepper.

I didn’t quite know what to do with the squash, but it is very similar to zucchini, so I used our spiralizer to make zoodles and sprinkled them with sesame oil, Chinese Szechuan seasoning, and toasted sesame seeds.

The result was delicious.

Dan K's DANK Rice:

- 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

- 2 tsp sugar

- 1 drop of sesame oil (sesame oil is incredibly potent, so be careful)

- Dash of Chinese Szechuan seasoning

Squeeze a lime over all the rice, fluff, and enjoy! Rice is such a basic recipe, but it's one to know by heart. We also use this recipe for chicken fried rice or teriyaki pork.

If you’re like me, and cooking isn't your strong suit and you choose to explore Chinatown, or the surrounding area, stop by Motor Row Brewing. Located in the historic Motor/Record Row, the brewery is walking distance of both McCormick Place and Wintrust Arena.

Food is not served (they offer free popcorn), but you are allowed to bring your own. A couple fun perks of this place are the music and games (can you tell, I love games?) — play a round of Candy Land while listening to Korean punk rock.

What I drank:

Coaster - East and West coast 7-day IPA

Here are a couple more South Side breweries to visit:

Marz Brewing: We checked out the grand opening of this brewery on Saturday, and the place was PACKED. But, not packed enough where I didn't have a great time! Marz Brewing is doing amazing things, and by "things" I mean more than just brewing great beer. They serve great food and display vibrant works of art throughout the space. With live DJ's spinning funky tracks, you can also see Ed Marszewski, the Korean-Polish owner, walking around chatting with patrons.

And beer isn't the only thing Ed is slinging. He has published magazines + newsletters, built an art gallery and low-power radio station, and launched Kimski, a Korean-Polish diner in Bridgeport.

Whiner Beer Co: Just a few blocks from Marz, Whiner Beer is located on the second floor of The Plant, an old meatpacking facility turned non-profit food production space.

We tried a flight of:

Curb Cutter - clean, crisp, proper Klosch

Noodles - dry-hopped Brett Saison (collaboration with Hopewell Brewery)

Go Lightly - dubbel: rum raisins, dark fruit

Brigitte Bardot - barrel-aged wild ale with blackberries

Fur Letter Word - bourbon barrel-aged Belgian dark with Four Letter Word Coffee

Read more about Chicago brewery + roastery collaborations here: A West Side story brewed 2 ways

You can order food from Pleasant House Bakery upstairs, and they bring it down to the taproom — the pizza looked amazing!

Moody Tongue Brewing Company: This is a hidden gem in Pilsen. Literally hidden. I took us a couple loops around the block to actually see the door with its minimal signage. But once you get inside, you're greeted with a cozy fireplace lounge, art deco vibes, and a killer 70's playlist — they were actually playing a "Guardians of the Galaxy" playlist — yes, we asked.

What I drank:

Sour Series - tart guava golden ale

Toasted Rice Lager - lightly toasted jasmine rice, baked lychee

Brûléed Banana Dunkelweizen - banana, bubblgum, toffee

We bought a 4-pack of the bourbon barrel aged chocolate barley wine to take home. The 2018 edition was recommended by the beertender. We'll be back to check out the 12 layer cake!

Lagunitas Brewing Company: This. Place. Is. Huge. When you walk in the front door, you have to venture down a long hallway with lots of psychedelic art, lights, and "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory playing in the background.

Hold your breath; make a wish, count to three.

It's pretty trippy, but sets the tone for the rest of the space.

When you get upstairs, you'll walk by the gift shop, a wall of old beer cans (which reminds me of my Grandpa Arlen's old collection), and you'll have a bird’s-eye view of a taproom for tours, designed like a the game room basement to replicate your friends basement from high school. You all know the one.

As you navigate through the upstairs taproom, there is the option to walk out on the cat-walk and view all angles of the brewery — from the fermentation tanks, to the bottling line.

To wrap up the South Side tour, I was inspired by South American pineapples — they really have me hoping for spring!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes:

For the topping:

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 1/2 cup light brown sugar

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- Fresh pineapple

- Maraschino cherries

Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and spoon the mixture into the 12 cupcake molds. Slice the pineapple, and place three 1/2 inch wedges into each mold -- maraschino cheery, quartered into the center.

For the cake:

- 3 Tbsp room temperature, unsalted butter

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 large egg

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp pure vanilla paste

- 1 cup AP flour

- 1/3 cup coconut flour

- 1/4 cup milk

- 3 Tbsp pineapple juice

Beat together the butter and sugar — add egg and vanilla paste.

Wisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly incorporate the dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Pour in milk and pineapple juice and mix at until smooth.

Spoon the batter over the toppings, and bake at 375 degree for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, wait 3 minutes to flip over on a cooling rack.

I'll be headed south in a few months for a birthday celebration in Waco, TX for one of my best friends of all time. Other than the Magnolia Market and Silos, does anyone have some recos?