Have A Cooking Question?

7 07 2008

No, I’m not the one to answer it.  Everything I know I learned by watching the Food Network, so I’m not about to give advice, but Food Network is giving you a chance to ask your favorite Food Network star a culinary question.  I first noticed the new show on Michael Symon’s website, but when I clicked on the link for Dear Food Network it gives you the option of which star you want to ask.  Just like Bobby Flay’s new show Grill It! With Bobby Flay, FN is giving you the opportunity to upload a short video asking a question. 

Throughout the year, do you encounter all kinds of cooking challenges – from Thanksgiving disasters to Holiday cooking blow-outs? Never fear, Food Network is here! Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Ice Cream Man!

7 07 2008

What a cool story this is.  Whenever you read stories about ice cream men anymore they’re not good.  This story ran in the Jackson Citizen Patriot a couple weeks ago.

(Gary) Scoville has delivered frozen treats with Gramp’s Ice Cream Co. around the community of Hillsdale for the last 22 years.

He started off as a substitute driver for his daughter, who drove for the previous owner, and that was all it took to convince him that he needed to make an investment. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News, Jackson

Sorry For Lack of Updates

7 07 2008

Sorry it’s been a slow weekend for updates.  We didn’t do a whole lot of eating out and I’ve been a little uninspired when it comes to blogging.  I never thought a video game would kick my ass, but this is what I’ve been watching for the last six days and now I’m really sore.

 

It’s freakin addicting.  I’ve got the stupid song in my head and I think I’m stepping in my sleep along to it.


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Mr. B’s Rustic Tavern

5 07 2008
  • 101 W. Grand Ave
  • Howell, MI 48843
  • (517) 548-5500
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Mr. B\'s Rustic Tavern

Mr. B's Rustic Tavern - View from across Grand River Ave.

We came to the corner of Grand River and Michigan Ave. and there was this old building with a neon sign that wrapped around the building that said “Mr. B’s Rustic Tavern.”  There were tables outside that were full which is usually a good sign.  We found street parking about a block away then walked back.  Since the outside tables were full, we had to sit inside which really wasn’t a bad thing.  The inside of the tavern is divided into smoking and non-smoking with the bar in the smoking area.  Of course, the little half wall that divides the two areas does nothing to stop the smoke.  They certaintly didn’t falsely advertise with the name of the place.  The whole inside does have that rustic feel.  The floor is old, creaky hardwood and the walls and support beams look like had seen better days.  It gave a really neat, unique feel to the place.  Along one wall was a row of pictures depicting the history of downtown.  Along the ceiling beams were orange neon tube lights.  There were booths along with walls with tables filling the rest of the space.  Near the back of the space was another room with video games.  Plasma TV’s were hung over the bar and in the smoking section of the dining room. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Downtown, Howell, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

American Retains the Mustard Yellow Belt…

4 07 2008

…and that’s something as a nation, we can all be proud of (did the sarcasm come through)?  For the second year in a row, Joey Chestnut defeated Takeru Kobayashi at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York.  But this year, the shorter time limit made things interesting.

The men tied at 59 frankfurters in 10 minutes, before being made to gobble another five dogs in a last-minute tiebreaker. They consumed 64 hot dogs total and were looking quite peaked after the competition. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Orignal Meijer Superstore to be Replaced…

4 07 2008

…with the first new Meijer in Grand Rapids city limits in over a decade.

The Grand Rapids Press reports Friday that the store is scheduled to be replaced. Grand Rapids-based Meijer plans to keep the supercenter open while it builds a new store next to the existing site, with the new store opening in 2010.

The building began as a 17,000-square-foot grocery store in 1958. It became the retail chain’s first supercenter in 1962, adding 75,000 square feet to house non-grocery items.

That’ll be a piece of history being torn down.


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Categories : Food News, Grand Rapids, Grocery

Useless but Interesting 4th of July Facts

4 07 2008

Today is just like any other day at the world headquarters of Mid-Michigan Dining.  I’m sitting on the couch watching a King of the Hill marathon on FX.  I almost forgot today was actually a holiday.  I was forwarded the following press release from the U.S. Census Bureau just in case you’re at all curious about the chances of your side dish coming from North Dakota or how much it costs Americans to import.  I actually find it very disturbing that we import $4.3 million worth of flags from China.

The Fourth of July 2008

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html>

304 million
The nation’s population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population clock <http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html> Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Buy Local First Week

3 07 2008

I got a mailer today from Rep. Barb Byrum (D-Lansing) proclaiming July 13th thru 19th Buy Local Week.   Since I can’t find it on-line, I’m just going to copy the bulk of the mailer which is 10 Reasons to Buy Local.

  1. Invest in the Community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in our community.  They are invested in the future of our town.
  2. Help Support Local Orfanizations: Nonprofit organizations recieve two and a half times more support from small, local business owners than they do from large, chain businesses.
  3. Encourage a Prosperous Community: Research has shown that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in comunities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Wal-Mart – Delta Township

3 07 2008
  • 409 N. Marketplace Blvd.Walmart Delta Township
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 622-8036
  • Website

Wal-Mart is evil….or so I’m told.  I know the arguments.  My dad’s a union  guy and my girlfriend’s parents are both union workers.  Her mom is a union grocer.  We’ve done really good about not running to Wal-Mart every other day like we did when we lived near Peoria, IL.  The problem there was there were only two grocery stores in town.  Both were chains (the other store being Kroger) and Wal-Mart was within walking distance of our apartment, so we shopped there out of convience more than anything.  We would still make special trips to Schnuck’s (a St. Louis-based chain) for produce, but the majority of our shopping was done at Wal-Mart.

The closest Wal-Mart to us now is in the Delta Township and it’s about a 10 minute (give or take a few) drive.  We made Wal-Mart a weekly stop right before we go to Horrock’s (review HERE), but not for any reason you might suspect.   Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

Sawyer’s Gourmet Pancake House

3 07 2008
  • 608 W. Saginaw St.Sawyer\'s Gourmet Pancake House
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 485-9410
  • Website
  • Menu

I am not a morning person so the fact that I even got up for breakfast is kind of amazing.  We had some early morning errands to run and since we were up before eight o’clock, I suggested we go to breakfast before doing our shopping.  I’ve drove by Sawyer’s Gourmet Pancake House many times and saw a review on Runs With Spatula.  We headed down Saginaw to find Sawyer’s little, quaint building for some “early morning” grub.

Not being a morning person, I’m not really a breakfast person either.  I’m bad.  Most days breakfast is a Pepsi before lunch, but I like eggs.  In fact, I’ll cook omeletts or fried eggs for dinner sometimes.  Since we were at a “gourmet pancake house” I thought it’d be best to try the pancakes.  I went simple and ordered three buttermilk pancakes which come with real maple flavored syrup and whipped butter.  The thing I notice about breakfast places is the never give you enough butter with the pancakes.  There was just a tiny scoop on the top.  Not enough to really do any damage on the top pancake let alone the two underneath it.  That was initially a disappointment.  That is, until I took a bite.  These were the best pancakes I’ve had in a long time and much better than anything I’ve ever made myself.  They were light and fluffy and there was still a bite to them.  The inside was perfectly cooked as far as I’m concerned.  They were just a little “doughy” which made them heavy and very filling.  I also ordered two eggs over easy and I ended up stuffed with a few bites left on my plate.  I really needed a nap after that meal. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : breakfast

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