BBQ Shack

15 08 2008
  • 3491 Page Ave.
  • Jackson, MI 49203
  • (517) 764-5648
  • Website
  • Menu
The BBQ Shack in Jackson just off of US 127

The BBQ Shack in Jackson just off of US 127

FYI, the BBQ Shack has moved since this review.  Click on the website link to get the new location.

What a find!  I actually read a review from another blogger about a week ago.  I’m doing some freelance work again this weekend at Michigan International Speedway and figured one of the days, I should have some time to stop on the way home and check it out.  J and I headed down to the Irish Hills for media availabilities on Friday morning.  We sat in on Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton’s press conferences and the Stewart-Haas Racing announcement of Ryan Newman joining the team next year.  After that, we did a quick lap through the pits as guys were getting ready to practice.  All that worked up an appetite so we decided today was the day for BBQ.

The BBQ Shack is located right off of US 127 right across the street from McDonald’s. I felt sorry for all those poor saps that were getting Big Mac’s instead of BBQ.  Amy warned me that if we weren’t looking, we might miss the place, so I had my eyes open.  She was right.  There’s not sign out front that really identifies the place.  The building is, well, a little shack.  There’s a patio in front and off to the side that make up the only dining room the BBQ Shack has.  When you walk inside, you come right to the counter.  There were three people inside working and all three greeted us as we looked over the menu.  Read the rest of this entry »





Michigan Corn Crop Doing Well…..

13 08 2008

..other crops, not so much.

But several freezes during the spring killed off many blossoming tart cherries, apples and grapes.

Production of those fruits this year is expected to be way down.

Corn, however, has had a perfect year and with massive flooding in the corn belt wiping out most of the crop in Iowa and parts of Illinois and Indiana, it should be a good year for anyone who still has something to bring to the elevators. 

…..farmers in the state can expect a record-setting yield of 148 bushels per acre in 2008.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also says corn production in the state should surpass 307 million bushels this year, shattering a 26-year-old record.

Oh yeah, a sugar beet growers are also likely to see record yields.

 





Aunt Millie’s Bakeries

13 08 2008

Lately, I’ve been doing a little label reading to see what I can cut out of my diet.  Most of the calories and sugar I get are from Pepsi which is pretty much like crack to me.  I’ve tried cutting down, but I get irritable when I’m craving one.  Since I started dating my girlfriend, she’s been trying to get me to eat healthier bread.  For the most part, I’d grab the store brand generic white bread that was $.99.  It seemed like such a waste to spend $4 on bread.

I gave in a few times and tried some of the “healthier” bread that she wanted me to try and they all tasted like crap.  They weren’t very dense and went stale pretty fast.  It just wasn’t appetizing.  Last week, I was at Kroger and I started reading labels.  My goal was to find a loaf of bread that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or enriched wheat.  That proved to be a lot harder than I thought.  Even the healthy stuff my girlfriend keeps trying to get me to buy has both.

As I was about to give up and just buy the cheap stuff, I picked up one final loaf.  It was a brand I’ve never heard of, but right on top of the packaging, they were advertising the fact that their bread didn’t have HFCS.  The brand?  Aunt Millie’s

Aunt Millie’s is a regional bakery based in Ft. Wayne, IN that serves five states in the Midwest including Michigan with four bakeries in Michigan (two in Coldwater, Jackson, Kalamazoo, and Plymouth).  I picked up a loaf, but it was over $3.  I figured this one time, I’d give it a try.  I didn’t have high expectations because healthy bread usually didn’t taste good.  Aunt Millie’s is an exception to that rule.  I can’t tell any difference between this bread and the cheap bread I usually prefer.  Still, $3.18 is a little high for bread….good thing I found it at Horrock’s for $1.80. 

I’m sold now.  Last time at Horrock’s, I picked up another loaf of wheat bread and a package of wheat buns…both made with out enriched wheat products or HFCS.  I never thought I’d find a healthier bread that I liked, but I did.  Aunt Millie makes just about every bread that I buy.  Horrock’s also had Texas Toast (which I prefer for pulled pork), hot dog buns, and even potato bread.  Not my thing, but it seems that’s the new craze. 

Aunt Millies Multi-Grain Wheat Bread

Aunt Millie's Multi-Grain Wheat Bread

Aunt Millie’s Multi-Grain Wheat Bread

  • Zero Grams of Saturated Fat Per Serving
  • Zero Grams of Trans Fat Per Serving
  • No High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Serving Size = 1 Slice
  • Calories – 60
  • Calories from Fat – 0
  • Sodium – 130mg – 5%

 

 

Aunt Millies Hearth 100% Whole Wheat Buns

Aunt Millie's Hearth 100% Whole Wheat Buns

Aunt Millie’s Hearth 100% Whole Weat Hamburger Buns

  • Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving
  • No High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Made With Whole Grain Flour
  • Serving Size = 1 Bun
  • Calories – 140
  • Calories from Fat – 15
  • Sodium 270mg – 11%

 





El Oasis – Tony’s Party Store

12 08 2008
  • 6100 S. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-2311
  • No Known Website
  • No Menu Online
Three chicken tacos from El Oasis inside Tonys Party Store in Lansing.

Three chicken tacos from El Oasis inside Tony's Party Store in Lansing.

We don’t usually do Mexican.  I can handle tacos and I make them at home all the time, but other than that, I’m not really into a lot of the traditional Mexican food.  My girlfriend’s not a huge fan either, but she does like more than I do.  We’ve both read at Runs With Spatula, about the little taco stand inside Tony’s Party Store on Cedar.  We made our weekly shopping trip to Wal-Mart (review HERE) and Horrock’s (review HERE) and wanted to stop somewhere for lunch.  We had milk this time, so stopping for a sit down meal wasn’t an option.  El Oasis is close to home and not that far off the Interstate, so that’s what we decided on.

El Oasis used to have a trailer in the parking lot of Tony’s, but this year, they moved inside.  Their space is really small right when you walk in the door.  The menu is plastered on the plexi glass separating you from the cashier and below it as well.  I knew I just wanted a taco, but that proved to be not an easy choice.  El Oasis has a wide variety of meat ranging from the usual ground beef and chicken to tongue and tripe.  The menu said all tacos were made with cilantro and onions.  It didn’t say anything about tomatoes and cheese, but that was there also.  The tortilla is a corn tortilla.  I ordered three tacos which were a $1.50 each.  I’m gonna hold off for a second on what I thought….you’ll see why in a second. Read the rest of this entry »





Pepsi in a Bottle

11 08 2008
Pepsi in a glass bottle....remember those days?

Pepsi in a glass bottle....remember those days?

It’s just one of those things from childhood I get all nostalgic for.  I know why they stopped putting pop in glass bottles, but I still miss it.  The last couple years, I’ve had some luck finding glass bottle Pepsi’s like this at Mexican grocery stores.  I’ve never figured out why it would be cost effective to still market glass bottles in Mexico but not the U.S., but I’m not complaining.  Today, I needed some more paprika, so I went to American International Bulk Food (review HERE).  I found the bins with Spanish paprika and filled a bag.  I’ve been doing a lot of barbecuing the last few weeks and gone through a ton of paprika, so I stocked up.  As I was making my way to the check-out, I noticed a cooler with bottles of Coke.  Since I’m not a Coke fan, I didnt’ grab one, but I did notice some Pepsi near the back, so I grabbed one.  By comparsion, the Pepsi in glass bottles is much more expensive than in a plastic bottle, but everytime I see them, I buy a couple anyway.  The only other place in Lansing I’ve seen them is at Tony’s Liquor Store on the corner of Cedar and Miller where they sell them 2 for $3.  It’s just one of those stupid things from my childhood that I can’t seem to shake.  It doesn’t taste any better and it’s harder to drink, but I love it.  This bottle of Pepsi lasted all of 2 minutes.





Aldi – S. Pennsylvania

11 08 2008
  • 655 S. Pennsylvania
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • No Phone Number
  • Website
The Aldi store on South Pennsylvania in Lansing.

The Aldi store on South Pennsylvania in Lansing.

A few weeks ago, I decided to give Aldi a shot for the first time in many years.  I went to the store on Saginaw Highway (review HERE).  The only thing I picked up was a bag of frozen chicken.  We finally ran out of that chicken and I needed something for dinner, so I headed to the Aldi on S. Pennsylvania to pick up the same thing.  I said in my last review that chicken was a test.  It totally passed the test.  It was just as good as chicken we’ve gotten from somewhere else and it was much cheaper.

The Aldi on S. Pennsylvania is set up like all Aldi stores.  Since I was just going for chicken again, I didn’t grab a cart.  It took me a little while to find what I was looking for this time.  I went to the fresh meat case first hoping to find some ribs.  There wasn’t a whole lot left there.  Just a few pieces of chicken and some ground beef.  I didn’t find the ribs, so I went looking for the frozen chicken breasts.  I finally found the bag I was looking for after doing some digging in the freezer.  Someone had put some flavored frozen chicken breasts in the box for the regular ones. Read the rest of this entry »





Hungry Howie’s Pizza – Holt

10 08 2008
  • 2361 Cedar St.
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 699-9000
  • Website
  • Menu
Hungry Howies Pizza in Holt

Hungry Howie's Pizza in Holt

It was a long weekend.  We spent all weekend in Chicago and the drive home always seems to take forever.  We got stuck in traffic right away when we jumped on I-94 and stayed in bumper-to-bumper traffic until we got the 35th Street.  There were a lot of people trying to get to U.S. Cellular Field ten minutes before the game was about to start.  We hit a lot of traffic on the Skyway (I-90) leaving town and no one had I-Pass so the lines to the manned tollbooths were backed up.  Then, we got into Indiana, we came up on an accident on I-94 where traffic was at a standstill.  By the time we finally made it back to Lansing, neither of us were in the mood to cook dinner.

For some reason, J was craving pizza.  I said that sounded good to me.  We were sitting on the couch wathing the Olympics and a pizza sounded like a good solution.  We haven’t had Hungry Howie’s yet and their ads always intrique me with their flavored crusts.

I got on Google and found the Hungry Howie’s in Holt across from L & L Food Center.  We’re still on that quest for the “perfect pizza.”  There’s a front runner, but we want to give all the local delivery places a try.  Hungry Howie is a home grown chain.  Their numbers are in excess of 500 locations nationwide, but their offices are here in Michigan in Madison Heights.  Read the rest of this entry »





Culver’s of Stevensville

10 08 2008
  • 4537 Red Arrow Highway
  • Stevensville, MI 49127
  • (269) 408-1780
  • Website
  • Menu
Culvers of Stevensville

Culver's of Stevensville

I love Culver’s custard.  There was always a debate at the place I used to work.  I prefered to go to Culver’s for “ice cream” but most of my co-workers wanted to go to Cold Stone Creamery.  I know they’re not the same thing or even close to the same thing, but given the choice, I would always choose Culver’s.  Things got really bad when I moved to an apartment that was within walking distance of one.  My girlfriend and I would walk over every now and then for a post-dinner snack.

We were on our way home from Chicago and were going to stop for a bathroom break anyway.  I noticed a sign for Culver’s along the highway and asked J if she wanted to take our bathroom break there.  Of course, she loved the idea, so we pulled into Stevensville and drove by the Dairy Queen all for some frozen custard. Read the rest of this entry »





Greek Islands Restaurant – Chicago

10 08 2008
  • 200 S. Halsted St.
  • Chicago, IL 60661
  • (312) 782-9855
  • Website
  • Menu
Greek Islands Restaurant on Madison and Adams in Chicagos Greektown

Greek Islands Restaurant on Madison and Adams in Chicago's Greektown

We were in Chicago for the weekend for a friend’s wedding.  Our hotel was the Crowne Plaza Metro in Greektown.  On Sunday morning after a night of drinking, we decided to meet up with some friends from Ohio that we don’t get to see often and have lunch before we went our separate ways.  The night before, I went for a walk to kill time and check out the restaurants in Greektown.  We checked out of our hotel then walked down Halsted.  I had read a little about a restaurant on the corner of Halsted and Adams called Greek Islands.

We walked in Greek Islands and were met by an older gentlemen welcoming us to the restaurant.  He showed us to table on a landing in the dining room.  We were seated and starting looking over the menu which is very traditional greek food.  A bus boy brought us some water and the waiter came over to take the order.  We weren’t quite ready to order, but we did put in drink orders.  They had both Coke and Pepsi.  Three of us got Pepsi’s and J got a Diet Coke.  The drinks that were served were little glass bottles, so there were no refills.  I’m guessing they were six ounce portions, so we had to go light before the meal got there. Read the rest of this entry »





Crowne Plaza Metro – Chicago

10 08 2008
  • 733 W. Madison
  • Chicago, IL 60661
  • (888 ) 444-0401
  • Website
The Crowne Plaza Metro just off the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago

The Crowne Plaza Metro just off the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago

Everyone loves going to weddings.  Especially me….I hope that didn’t come off too sarcastic.  We got lucky this year only having one, but that one was in Chicago.  The reception and hotel of choice was the Crowne Plaza Metro located in Greektown just outside of the Loop.  I’m much happier when the reception is at the hotel.  It makes taking advantage of the open bar much easier.

We got to Chicago a little after 3:00.  We were coming from Oak Lawn and hit a little bit of unexpected traffic on the Stevenson, so we didn’t quite make it as early as we wanted to.  The hotel is located right off the Kennedy, so we didn’t have to do much driving through town.  I started driving around looking for a parking garage.  There wasn’t one close.  There were a few surface lots that had $9 overnight parking, but we had quite a bit of extra stuff in the car that we didn’t want to drag into the hotel.  We ended up opting for the valet which is the only on-site parking the Crowne Plaza offers.

After checking in, we headed to our room to relax and get cleaned up.  The ceremony was at nearby Holy Family Church, but we opted to skip that part and just go to the reception.  The room was gorgeaous.  Our room had one king bed.  Around it was a built in desk to one side and a built in dresser with a 27″ flat panel TV.  The interesting thing was the doors in the room.  There were none.  It wasn’t a huge room so to make the space bigger, they elimated doors.  The closet had curtains and the bathroom had a sliding screen.  Read the rest of this entry »