Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken – Kalamazoo South

18 08 2009
  • 4441 S. Westnedge Avenue
  • Kalamazoo, MI 49008
  • (269) 345-2151
  • Website
  • Menu
Lees Famous Recipe Chicken on Westnedge in Kalamazoo.

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken on Westnedge in Kalamazoo.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had to drive to my parents house.  It’s been a nice break that’s about the change.  This trip is the first of many between work and wedding related events. 

I waited until J went to work, but I didn’t eat much before I left the house.  I was on my way to my brother’s for dinner, but that was still four or five hours away by the time I hit Kalamazoo.  I was hungry, so I knew I needed to get off and get something.

I don’t know much about Kalamazoo, but I do know Westnedge is a pretty good bet if you’re looking for something quick.  I wasn’t going to go to far down, but I drove a little ways off the Interstate to see what was around.  Just as I was getting ready to turn around, I found a chicken place.

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken has three locations in Kalamazoo.  The one I found is on the corner of Westnedge and Kilgore Road.  When I pulled into the lot, I had no idea this was a chain, but when I got inside and saw the signage, it was pretty obvious this place wasn’t your Mom & Pop chicken place. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

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%

 


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Categories : Food News

Bell’s Beer Back in Chicago

4 08 2008

The Kalamazoo Gazette is reporting that Michgan brewer Bell’s Beer has shipped 750 kegs to the Windy City for the first time in two years.

“I love Chicago, and there’s no big city I spend more time in,” Larry Bell. “I’m thrilled that our beer will be available again in this market.

“The wholesalers we’ve been able to partner with haven’t been involved in craft beer very long, but all of them have hearts of gold. … I couldn’t be happier to find such good people to work with.”

Bell said Thursday afternoon in a telephone interview that he sent seven trucks carrying about 750 kegs to Chicago. Bell’s Oberon, Amber, Porter and Stout will be sold now, but Bell said he’s unsure when he’ll get other brands, such as Two-Hearted Ale, into Chicago.

Some Bell’s-loving taverns in Chicago, such as Sheffield’s and Hopleaf, are planning special events for the beers’ return, Bell said. He expects to spend much of next week in Chicago supporting the move and helping to get the numbers back to previous distribution levels.

“We can’t turn the tap on just like that. It’s going to be a process. It will take a little bit of time,” he said.

Now, all of you taking the Amtrak to Chicago can find a little piece of home.  One of my girlfriend’s co-workers always orders an Oberon when we go out for drinks.  I had never heard of that before moving here.


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Categories : Chicago, Food News, Kalamazoo

Olde Peninsula Brew Pub

20 07 2008
  • 200 E. Michigan Ave.
  • Kalamazoo, MI 49007
  • (269) 343-2739
  • Website
  • Menu
The sign for Olde Peninsula Brew Pub in downtown Kalamazoo

The sign for Olde Peninsula Brew Pub in downtown Kalamazoo

After a weekend in Chicago, I had to drop my girlfriend off in Kalamazoo for work.  Before we parted ways for the afternoon, we thought it’d be nice to check out what Kalamazoo has to offer in terms of restaurants.  I saw a recommendation for Olde Peninsula on chow.com, so that’s what I went looking for.

Olde Peninsula is located on the corner of Michigan and Portage in what used to be known as the Big Corner.  The first brew pub opened on St. Patrick’s day in 1896.  The current incarnation opened after the 1980 tornado that almost destroyed the building.  We walked into the building and found the hostess station near the door as an extension of the bar.  The building is divided into two dining rooms.  The smoking section also has the bar.  The distillers are visible through a glass wall opposite the bar.  The non-smoking section is divided by a wall that serves as the bar’s back wall.  We were seated in a booth which was on a raised platform on this back wall.

The waitress came over for drinks and we stopped her from leaving to place our order right away.  While there were several options that looked good, we were both in the mood for our usual sandwiches.  I went with the Olde Smokey burger.  The 1/2 lb burger was topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a bbq sauce.  The sandwich is served with a side of beer-battered fries.  The sandwich was big.  I had a hard time getting it in my mouth.  The bacon was nice and crispy and the burger was just slightly pink which lended itself to a good flavor.  I didn’t really notice the bbq sauce until the last couple bites where it had soaked into the bun.  The fries were interesting.  Beer-batterd fries aren’t usually my favorite, but the breading was not overpowering which made these better than normal. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Brew Pub, Burgers, Downtown, Kalamazoo, Local Flavor, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews

Food Stamps

12 05 2008

I’m not in the greatest financial situation right now, but this article on WLNS shows that I’m luckier than I realized.

More Michigan families are relying on food stamps to put dinner on the table. The state says the number of households receiving the benefit has risen more than 50% in the past five years. Authorities say one in eight residents now gets help from the nutrition assistance program. This past March, more than 590,000 Michigan households received food stamps.

Wow.  1 in 8 Michiganders are using food stamps.  Then, I see this story on WLAJ.

It’s a plot to cheat the system, when food stamp users spend their stamps on box upon box of sale soda pop, but then dump out the soda, return the cans, and use the return to buy alcohol or other controlled substances. Grocery managers and security guards in Kalamazoo say they see it all the time.

Are you kidding me?!  I know it’s not technically illegal, but the mom interviewed in the story brings up a good point.

“What do you mean its not illegal?” she said. “It’s still fraud use of food stamps isn’t it? Doesn’t it qualify? Wow.”

There has GOT to be a way to prosecute this!  Having worked in news for five years myself, I have pretty much become immune to the type of stories that are shown.  Most of the time, the reporter rehases a generic story that is done in every market and then they put promos on the air designed to scare the viewer into watching.  I was angry when I saw this story.  I’m not on food stamps, but come on!  I’m tired of my tax money going to alcoholics!  I’m all in favor of helping people who need it, but this is ridiculous.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan