Hard to Go Green

31 08 2009

I’m not usually a trendy person.  The whole idea of “going green” would have been laughable to me a few years ago.  I’m still not very good at it.  Convenience and cost are still more important to me.  I was laughing yesterday when J and I pulled our groceries out of her SUV.  We always bring reusable shopping bags to the store….so we’re good that way.  The funny thing about the whole scene was J was carrying the reusable shopping bags and I was carrying a case of bottled water.  They kind of cancelled each other out. 

A few days ago, I was reading Forest Street Kitchen.  ImagineAnnie has a long, detailed post about the struggles of trying to live green for someone who really wants to.  I, on the other hand, am selfish. 

Times are tough.  I haven’t had a full time job since moving to Michigan, but J and I still do pretty well for ourselves.  We’re smart shoppers and unfortunately, that means not buying local, organic food from farmer’s markets.  I feel bad about it, but I don’t feel bad about saving the money.

I would encourage you all to check out the post “It’s Not Easy, Being Green.”   It’s a very interesting, well thought out post about how hard it is to actually live a green lifestyle.

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Categories : Food News

Learn To Can Your Own Salsa

31 08 2009

I’ve tried making my own salsa a few times and it’s never come out very good.  Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but this workshop being put on by The Garden Project sounds like a good idea.  From a Greater Lansing Food Bank press release…

Learn How to Can Your Own Salsa 

August 31, 2009—The Garden Project, a program of the Greater Lansing Food Bank, welcomes you to learn how to make and can your own homemade salsa at our hands-on SalsaFest workshop. Topics covered include proper preparation and an overview of the canning process. Space is limited—call The Garden Project at (517) 887-4660 to sign up. SalsaFest 2009 is this Thursday, September 3rd at 6:00 p.m. at the Garden Project Resource Center. Call for more info.

 


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Michigan’s Blueberry Crop May Be In Danger

31 08 2009

This sucks.  Michigan produces more blueberries than any other state by quite a large margin.  Story via Mlive.com

The bloom could be off Michigan’s $124 million per year blueberry industry after two destructive viruses infected bushes in three locations.

[snip]

So far, there’s no sign of the diseases spread beyond those three spots, but the Michigan Department of Agriculture says the risk to the state’s 19,000 acres of blueberries remains.

Michigan is the nation’s No. 1 producer of blueberries, with 110 million pounds harvested last year. New Jersey was second at 42 million pounds. Nationwide, production totaled 407 million pounds.

Hopefully it didn’t spread.

 


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Qdoba Mexican Grill – Delta Township

30 08 2009
  • 5415 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 977-0063
  • Website
  • Menu
Qdoba Mexican Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Qdoba Mexican Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

I don’t think I need to tell you about our shopping patterns again….do I?  Of course, we were out in Delta Township and it was lunch time.  We weren’t in the mood to hunt out a sit down place and McDonald’s didn’t sound good either. 

I remember seeing a few months ago that Qdoba was moving into the space that used to be a Ya-Ya’s Chicken.  That was a while ago, so I assumed it was open. 

I’ve only eaten at Qdoba once in my life.  I used to work with a woman that loved it.  She would have lived inside Qdoba if they would have let her.  The closest one to us was forty minutes away, but if we were ever anywhere near it, I would have to take her for a burrito.  Only once did I actually eat lunch with her.  I wasn’t impressed, but I wasn’t turned off either. 

The newest Qdoba in the Lansing area is on Saginaw Highway across from the Lansing Mall.  Parking around the building isn’t great.  The entrance is actually on the side of the building and there are a few angled parking spots there.  If there’s a lot of traffic in the area of that strip mall, finding a close spot could be a challenge. 

The restaurant is set up sort of like a Subway.  There’s a counter where you order and it’s put together right in front of you.  I don’t like rice and it seems like all fast food Mexican likes to use rice filler.  Qdoba is no different.  That limits the options for me.  There were some things that sounded good, but I had a feeling it would be 90 percent rice and 10 percent meat.  Instead, I ordered three tacos.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Fast Food, Lansing, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Screams Ice Cream From Hell

30 08 2009
  • 4045 Patterson Lake Road
  • Pinckney, MI 48169
  • (734) 878-2233
  • Website (not working)
  • No Online Menu
Screams Ice Cream From Hell on Patterson Lake Road in Hell, Michigan.

Screams Ice Cream From Hell on Patterson Lake Road in Hell, Michigan.

Our trip to Hell had to include some sort of souvenir….and if we could get some ice cream while we were at it, why not?  The original plan when we left Lansing was to stop at the Hell Country Store because I knew they had some sort of collectible that we could add to our shelf as a memento of our visit to Hell, but when we got there, we found the store closed.  As we were eating lunch, we overheard a waitress telling another couple that the ice cream store had souvenirs.

Screams Ice Cream From Hell is one of three businesses along Patterson Lake Road in an unicorporated part of Livingston County known as Hell.  The building has multiple uses.  It’s an ice cream shop.  It’s a souvenir stand and it’s a putt-putt golf course. 

There are signs on the side of the building that work pretty well for picture taking.  The big “Welcome to Hell” sign on the side was a pretty popular stop for the bikers who were in the area.  Of course, J and I did the same.  There’s also some of those wooden pictures with a hole cut out for the head where you can stick yours through.  All of them say “I’m a L’il Devil From Hell.”  Yup, we did that too.  The putt-putt course is behind the building.  It’s nothing super special, but something else to do if you just don’t want to leave.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Hell, Ice Cream, Michigan, Pinckney, Restaurant, Reviews

Dam Site Inn

29 08 2009
  • 4095 Patterson Lake Road
  • Pinckney, MI 48169
  • (734) 878-9300
  • Website (not working)
  • No Online Menu
The Dam Site Inn in Hell, MI

The Dam Site Inn in Hell, MI

I made a lot of people happy today.  I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve been told, “Go to hell.”  Today, I did.  Sure, it was just Hell, MI, but I can still tell all those people who have given me that order over the years that I’ve been to Hell and back…and it was fun. 

J and I were stuck on Travel Channel’s “Extreme” shows last weekend.  During the “Extreme Roadside Attractions” I was reintroduced to Hell, MI.  I say reintroduced not because I’ve ever been there, but it was something I had heard about while I was growing up in Illinois. 

For many years, my brother and I delivered papers.  We lived in a small community and the daily newspaper in the area wasn’t huge.  One really hot day, the paper lead with the headline “It’s Hotter Than Hell (Michigan, That Is).”  We got a ton of phone calls from angry customers that thought it was inappropriate and yelled at us like we had something to do with content.  That’s the only newspaper headline I think I’ll ever remember word-for-word. 

So, J and I finally got to sleep in and we took advantage of it.  It was a little after noon before I stumbled into the living room already really hungry.  We figured out that Hell wasn’t all that far away and it would be fun just to say we’ve been there.  Since they had a bar/restaurant, we could make that a reason to go. 

The Dam Site Inn is on Patterson Lake Road in what is technically considered Pinckney.  Hell is actually an unincorporated part of Livingston County.  For USPS purposes, they have a Pinckney address and zip code.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Dive Bar, Hell, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pinckney, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Press Release – Free Events at Turkeyville

28 08 2009

From a Turkeyville USA press release….

Kids are back to school and the fun is at Turkeyville. With fall in the air, TUrkeyville is ready with free events and free parking. So it’s the perfect way to spend a day with the family.

Labor Day Weekend, September 5,6,7 is a three day Flea Market and Antique Show. Bargains and treasures are sure to be found at this holiday weekend. Saturday, Sunday, Monday with hours from 10 am to 5 pm.

Marshall hosts Historical Home Tours and at the same time Turkeyville is is celebrating the 43rd year of business with a Turkeyivlle history. Join us for a celebration with all kinds of stories, uniforms and memories from the beginnings of Turkeyville.

Coming up on September 19,20, the big Craft Show of the season. Over 150 crafters will be set up with lots of new crafts and traditional crafters with all of your favorites.

With the smell of Autumn in the air, you can walk the grounds and find great deals and enjoy all the colors of the season. So save the dates and stay up to date with us at http://www.turkeyville.com.

While at Turkeyville be sure to have a Turkey dinner and piece of homemade pie. Homemade ice cream is made fresh all the time and so is caramel corn. Fresh baked goods, and sweets are made daily in the bakery.

All events at Turkeyville will be from 10:00am to 5:00 pm from Saturday and Sunday. As always there is free parking, free admission. Please include this in any monthly listing of area happenings.


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Categories : Food News, Press Releases

Courtside Cafe

28 08 2009
  • 101 N. Washington Street
  • Owosso, MI 48867
  • (989) 720-8161
  • Website
  • Menu
The Courtside Cafe on Washington Street in Owosso.

The Courtside Cafe on Washington Street in Owosso.

J and I made a trip to Owosso to conduct a little business.  It took a little longer than we expected and J had to be back in Lansing to get work.  It was pushing noon by the time we were done and we wanted to grab lunch before heading home. 

I did a little research and found a sandwich shop in downtown Owosso. Since we were heading back that way, I put the address in the GPS to get us back to where we needed to be.  My hope was we could get in and get out pretty quickly because we were really pushing the time limit now. 

The Courtside Cafe is in downtown Owosso on the corner of Main and Washington Streets.  It’s a small corner building on a very busy intersection.  We actually couldn’t even find parking near the building.  We ended up having to park a block down and around the corner. 

The Courtside Cafe is not what I expected.  It’s actually a sit down restaurant with servers. I was just expecting a place to grab a sandwich from a counter.  There was a lunch counter and that’s where J and I headed.  We grabbed a server and asked if we could put in a carry-out order.  She said she’d be right back which gave us time to look over the menu. 

The food at the Courtside Cafe is what you expect from this kind of place.  There are a number of sandwiches listed by number on the menu.  There are some salads, soups, quesidila’s, and even some baked goods from Zingerman’s.  No deep fryer which means no fries.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cafe, Michigan, Owosso, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Press Release – Watch The Crosby Mint Farm Eviction

27 08 2009

So, this is  a pretty interesting press release from the Crosby Mint Farm.  There’s some important stuff in there about the business, but the very last paragraph invites you to the farm at 4:00 PM on Friday to watch the eviction.  Not sure what that means.

EVACUATION OF CROSBY MINT FARM, GATHERING FRIDAY AT 4:00PM, OWNER IS EVICTED FROM PROPERTY AT 5:00 PM
PUBLIC AND MEDIA INVITED 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(MINT CITY, USA/St. Johns, MI) August 27, 2009
Eviction
Peppermint Jim Crosby, owner of the almost centennial, oldest operating mint farm in the United States received a writ of eviction, signed by Hon. Judge Tahvonen on Monday. The following day, Crosby received the notice of eviction to have all property and persons removed by Friday August 28th, at 5 pm, leaving four days for the entire farm evacuation. State and federal government offices have remained silent in supporting the preservation of a national landmark. A request for mediation between Greenstone Farm Credit Services and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), who backs the loans, has been sent by Crosby to Governor Granholm’s office, but no response is received thus far.
Evacuation
Friends and family are gathered at the farm, helping with the evacuation. Farm animals are displaced and homes are being sought for them. The Mint Store, extension of the Get Mint Trading Company is relocated and is fully operating; taking, processing and shipping orders as usual. Costumers can still order products online and through the 800 number. Jim Crosby has been offered a temporary home at an old vacant mint farm in the area.
There will be a foreclosure/eviction sale on Friday at the farm from 9:00AM – 4:00PM.

Right of Refusal
After the signing of the writ of eviction, a First Right of Refusal was issued to Peppermint Jim Crosby. This gives him 30 days to raise the value of $550.000 appraised by Greenstone Farm Credit Services this week. Crosby has faith that he will raise this amount and buy back his farm by the end of the 30 days.

Gathering Friday August 28 2009 4:00PM
Public and media are invited to come to the Crosby Mint Farm at 4:00 pm on Friday August 28th to witness the eviction at 5:00pm that afternoon.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Press Release – Burrito’s for $1 at Panchero’s

25 08 2009

From a Panchero’s Mexican Grill press release…..

PANCHERO’S WELCOMES BACK MICHIGAN STATE STUDENTS WITH DOLLAR BURRITOS

(EAST LANSING, Mich.)—Class schedule? Check. New wardrobe? Check. A full stomach and full wallet? Check and check, thanks to Panchero’s Mexican Grill, where locals can ring in a new Michigan State school year with dollar burritos from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on September 8th at 125 E. Grand River Ave.

The event, which this year will feature a 97.5 FM radio remote and free t-shirt giveaways, has been a staple of Michigan State students’ back-to-school routines for the past 17 years. According to Panchero’s founder Rodney Anderson, it’s just the company’s way of starting the academic year off on the right foot.

“Some people may not realize this but Panchero’s is not a concept with roots in the Southwest: It is and always has been truly homegrown right here in Michigan and our dollar burrito event is just one way for us to thank the people that helped us to get to where we are today,” said Anderson. “We know everyone, especially college students, is trying to save money wherever they can and we’re helping them to do just that without sacrificing the taste they’ve come to know and love at Panchero’s.”


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Categories : East Lansing, Michigan, Press Releases

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