Campfire Cooking

28 07 2008

The Lansing State-Journal has an article on their website this mornng about campfire cooking.  Man, does that bring back memories.  My friends and I used to “camp” every weekend.  Campfire cooked food was what I always looked forward to.  The LSJ doesn’t offer a whole lot of insight in exactly how to cook over a campfire other than to throw a commecial in there for a tuscan grill maker. 

The most important thing, make sure you’re burning a hardwood.  Softwoods not only taste bad, but they can be hazardous.  Just like on the grill, I prefer hickory.  Once you get a fire going, you have options.  Metal pokers aren’t really a good option.

Metal pokers might work for marshmallows, but are very limited when it comes to cooking a whole meal. But in a pinch, they’ll get your dogs hot enough for a bun and mustard.

You can do better than hot dogs.  The easiest way is to wrap your food in a piece of aluminum foil and throw it directly into the fire.  It will take quite a while to cook meat this way because you’re basically steaming.  This works good for vegetables.  Toss a little butter in the packet and you’ll have the best tasting veggies ever.  Be careful not to throw it directly into the fire.  Use some hot coals near the edge so it doesn’t burn. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

New Coffeehouse Coming to Downtown Lansing

27 07 2008
The Great Lakes Coffee and Chocolate Company building in Ann Arbor.

The Great Lakes Coffee and Chocolate Company building in Ann Arbor.

I noticed this a while ago while walking in front of the Stadium District building on Michigan Ave., but it didn’t click until I saw a job posting on craigslist this afternoon.  Next month, the Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee Company will open their third store in downtown Lansing.  The shop got it’s start in Sturgis, MI and they’ve expanded to Ann Arbor and now Lansing.

They do three things.  Coffee, Chocolate, and Teas.  It’s nice to see some businesses starting to move into the Stadium District.  Even better that it’s a small, Michigan-based company…and it’s not a Starbucks.


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Categories : Coffee, Downtown, Food News, Lansing

Comerica Park

27 07 2008
  • 2100 Woodward Ave.
  • Detroit, MI 48201
  • (313) 962-4000
  • Website
The view from our seats at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit.

The view from our seats at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit.

I don’t even know what to say.  WOW!  I cannot tell you how impressed I was with Comerica Park.  I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to Major League ballparks.  Comiskey Park, US Cellular Field, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, and Busch Stadium are the only ballparks I’ve been to.  Comerica makes The Cell look like that sh*thole where the Cubs play. 

When my girlfriend and I first moved to Lansing, one of the first thing we did was check the Tigers schedule to see when our White Sox were in town.  Luck has it, they were here the first weekend we were.  Since we were still working out moving expenses, going to Detroit our first weekend here probably wouldn’t have been a good idea.  A few weeks ago, I noticed the Sox were in town again.  I got on StubHub to see what I could get for tickets and picked up two right field bleacher seats.  Since I bought the tickets two weeks ago, we’ve both been jacked about going to the game.

We parked near Greektown and walked to the park.  We ended up between Comerica and Ford Field which was a good spot since our seats were in the outfield.  We handed over our tickets and walked in and immediately both of us were in awe.  What a beautiful park.  I snapped a few pictures from left field then we went to make a lap around and see what else CoPa had to offer. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Detroit, Downtown, Entertainment Venues, Michigan, Reviews

Astoria Pastry Shop

27 07 2008
  • 541 Monroe St.
  • Detroit, MI 48226
  • (313) 963-9603
  • Website
  • Menu
The Astoria Pastry Shop in Detroits Greektown Neighborhood

The Astoria Pastry Shop in Detroit's Greektown Neighborhood

The Astoria Pastry Shop was another recommendation from fellow blogger Genie28.  Being new to the area, we had no idea that Greektown was pretty much within walking distance from Comerica Park which was our final destination of the night.  We drove down Monroe Street looking for the shop.  After driving around the cramped streets for a few minutes, we realized how close we were to CoPa and ended up pulling into a lot and just parking for the night.  We headed back to Monroe Street to find the Astoria Pastry Company and couldn’t believe what we found.

The Astoria Pastry Company is located across the street from the Greektown Casion along a strip of road that is home to a lot of restaurants.  There was a steady line of people going in an out so we figured it must be one of those “must hit” places.  When you walk through the door, you’re immediately assaulted by a huge case of homemade pastry’s, cookies, and ice cream.  It was very overwhelming.  We didn’t know where to start.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Detroit, Restaurant, Reviews

Red Coat Tavern

27 07 2008
  • 31542 Woodward Ave.
  • Royal Oak, MI 48073
  • (248 ) 549-0300
  • No Known Website
  • No Menu Online
The entrance to Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak near Detroit.

The entrance to Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak near Detroit.

I know.  I said I didn’t want to go into the suburbs for dinner and honestly, that wasn’t the plan.  We were going to take Corky and Amy’s advice and eat at Union Street Saloon.  We found the place across from the Detroit Medical Center and parked the car.  After dodging the homeless guy sleeping on the sidewalk, we got to the front door and found out they don’t open until 4:00.  It was only 3:00, so we didn’t want to stick around that neighborhood for very long and the only other place I could remember a name for was the Red Coat Tavern, so we put it in the GPS and headed back out of town.

After getting stuck in traffic on I-75, we got back to Woodward Ave. After a 10 minute or so drive downt the busy commercial street, we came up to the Red Coat.  Actually, I missed it the first time.  There is so much commercial along that stretch of Woodward the signs all block each other so by the time you get to the one you want, you’re right on top of it before you realize it.  I turned into the next parking lot which was connected to the Red Coat and backtracked to find a spot just under the huge awning leading to the front door. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Detroit, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Salmonella Updates

25 07 2008

Got a couple Associated Press articles on the recent salmonella outbreak.

FDA says only Mexican-grown jalapenos are linked to the salmonella outbreak, not U.S. crop.

Well, gee whiz.  There’s a surprise. 

The second article blames the food industry lobby for not being able to trace the source and screwing tomato growers out of thousands of dollars for no good reason.

An easing of government rules on the amount of paperwork the food industry has to keep appears to be hampering a federal probe into what caused the recent salmonella outbreak.

The industry had successfully lobbied the Bush administration to limit the paperwork. The White House also killed a plan to require the industry to maintain electronic tracking records that could be easily reviewed to search for the source of an outbreak. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Press Release – L & L Community Commitment

25 07 2008

From a press release.

TO: Editors and Reporters

FROM: Potter Park Zoological Society

SUBJECT: Press Conference on L & L Food Centers Community Commitment

WHEN: July 29, 2008; 10:30am

WHERE: POTTER PARK ZOO

Martha Levandowski and associates of L & L Food Centers will announce a significant community commitment on July 29th at Potter Park Zoo. For more than 77 years the Levandowski family, proprietors of L & L Food Centers and Levandowski Sausage Company have built their reputation on Michigan families and the communities in which they serve. In addition to the family commitment, employees of L & L have organized a commitment of their own to be introduced at this time.

“This commitment will assist the Potter Park Zoological Society in maintaining its commitment to kids, animals and education,” said Diane McNeil, Executive Director of the Potter Park Zoological Society.

“The Potter Park Zoo is such a great community resource for area families. Many fond memories are created during visits to this zoo by young and old alike. We are proud to open up the zoo to so many in our community during L & L Zoo Days,” said Stanley Levandowski III, on the heals of exposing more than 21,000 mid-Michigan residents to Potter Park Zoo through L & L Zoo Days.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

The Barbecue Bible

25 07 2008

The postman knocked on my door the other day and handed me a package from Amazon.com.  Wierd, I didn’t order anything, but it had my name on it, so I opened.  Inside were two books I had been wanting to get.  The Barbecue Bible and Barbecue Bible: Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades.  Once I saw the books, I knew exactly how they got to my doorstep.  My girlfriend ordered them for our anniversary which is coming up in a few weeks.  I think I had only mentioned once or twice that I wanted The Barbecue Bible, so it actually surprised me a little bit that she remembered. 

Whenever we go to a bookstore or Williams-Sonoma, I’ll usually pick up the newest Bobby Flay cookbook.  She’s always gets on me to buy one, but buying a cookbook from a Food Network chef is stupid. All the recipes are already on-line at FoodNetwork.com.  There’s no way I’m going to lay down $35 for something I can get for free.  I’ll just browse through the books i the store and find something I like then go home and print it out.

The Barbecue Bible by BBQ Expert Steven Raichlen

The Barbecue Bible by BBQ Expert Steven Raichlen

The Barbecue Bible is different.  Here’s a book of over 500 recipes put together by Steven Raichlen.  I love Raichlen show BBQ U which airs on PBS stations around the country.  I finally found a local airing her in Lansing on WKAR Create (Ch. 18 on Comcast cable) at 8:30 AM (it alternates days with Raichlen’s other show Primal Grill which I don’t think is as good).  The recipes are broken down by section starting with Warm-ups, then going to salads, breads, beef, pork, lamb, burgers and sausages, poultry, fish, shell fish, vegetarian, vegetables, rice and beans, side dishes, sauces, rubs, and desserts.

The interesting thing about this book is it’s a BBQ culinary tour of the world.  The recipes span the continents and are not as simple as throwing a rub on a rack of ribs and throwing them on the grill.  There’s a lot of asian and indian flavors on everything.  There’s also a lot of interesting ideas for grilled bread and veggies. Read the rest of this entry »


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Mid-Michigan Food Bank Shelves Filling Up

24 07 2008

From a press release

Those Empty Shelves are Filing Up at the Mid-Michigan Food Bank

Volunteers stock the shelves at the Mid-Michigan Food Bank.

Volunteers stock the shelves at the Mid-Michigan Food Bank. Photo Courtesy: Mid-Michigan Food Bank

(Lansing, MI) If you visited the Mid-Michigan Food Bank this Wednesday, July 24, 2008, you would be amazed at the transformation. All those empty shelves are filling up with the 23,600 pounds of food donated by concerned citizens in Lansing and the surrounding areas. Monday began the huge task of finding volunteers to sort and inspect all the donations and put them in boxes, then label those boxes for distribution this weekend. As Dave Karr, Director of the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, states, “It’s a good problem to have!”

Today a volunteer youth group from First Assembly of God, East Lansing showed up to help sort and box. What a difference they made. Only seven more bins to sort through after they left. Another group will be in tomorrow.

The MMFB always needs donations of food and money. 23,600 pounds will be distributed to hungry people within the next two weeks. In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, 4.4 million pounds of food and nearly 1.3 million pounds of fresh produce were distributed by the Mid-Michigan Food Bank. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Michigan

Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan Farmer’s Market

24 07 2008
Shoppers looking for deals at the farmers market at the State Capitol

Shoppers looking for deals at the farmer's market at the State Capitol

I know it’s hard to believe but I actually got my butt out of bed this morning so we could make our way to the State Capitol for the farmer’s market.  We parked along Michigan near the roundabout and headed towards the Capitol.  I was really surprised at just how many people had already started checking out the booths at just a little after ten o’clock.

The sidewalks on the east lawn were lined with pop-up tents full of flowers, produce, fish, herbs, cookies, and much more.  One of the first place we stopped had zucchini and squash 3 for $1.  I just picked up a pasta recipe that uses both of those, so my girlfriend snuck through the crowd and grabbed a few.  As she was paying, she also noticed pints of Traverse City Cherries.  After handing me the bag of zucchini, she went back for cherries. 

The next stop was for me.  The thing I love about farmer’s markets is fresh herbs.  I’ve tried growing my own, but I get impatient and I usually end up killing the plants.  I’d rather just spend a couple bucks and buy small bunches as I need them.  I picked up a bunch of basil and oregano for a couple meals next week.  I love the smell of fresh basil and it made the car smell good the rest of the day. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Farmer's Market, Food News, Lansing

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