Are you enjoying that??

I snapped this photo of a black squirrel feasting on a tomato from our garden.   I guess he thought it was an all-you-can-eat buffet.   He looks rather content, doesn't he!?

Here's the Dish: Ain't Your Mama's Slaw

Nothing says "Summer" more than coleslaw.  I'll be honest ~ I hate the stuff.  Don't know why, but I am not a fan.  Since it makes a great sidekick to most bbq'd meats, this is not a good thing for me.  When I found this recipe, I decided to give it a try.  It doesn't have that creamy/sweet dressing like most coleslaws, which is typically my most unfavorite part.  I made this over Memorial Day weekend and it was well received by all.  Best of all, it's quick, easy and relatively good for you, too.  We love that!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (12 oz.) broccoli slaw

1 cup red pepper strips

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1/3 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

1 tsp.brown sugar

1/3 cup Sliced Almonds, toasted

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl.
Mix dressing and sugar. Add to salad; toss to coat.
Refrigerate 1 hour. Add nuts; mix lightly.

Take Me to the Fair!

Going to the fair was pretty much a tradition when I was growing up. My parents didn't have the money to take us on a fancy vacation, so the fair was a big deal for us. Even now, I enjoy going. I love the sights, the sounds and even the smells . . . well, not all the smells, but you catch my drift. I think the food is the best part of all ~ elephant ears, cotton candy, caramel apples . . . who can resist those?! Last night we and some friends went to the Michigan State Fair. It is the oldest state fair in the country and is in danger of being shut down due to budget constraints. This would be a real shame, and the thought of it makes me sad. Hopefully, that won't happen!

Road Trip 2009

We extended this past weekend by a few days and ventured down to Cincinnati, OH with some friends. It has become a tradition for the four of us to take a road trip every summer to someplace different. The great city of Cincinnati is less than a five hour drive and sits on the Ohio River, just across from Kentucky. Mr. V. and I went there back in 2005 and had a lot of fun, so we thought our buds would like it very much. Here are some highlights from our mini vacation:

Cinci is famous for its chili ~ this is a 4 way baked potato from Skyline Chili. Yes, there is a potato under all that cheese ;) We got up close and personal with all different kinds of aquatic life ~ from sharks and jellyfish to turtles and frogs ~ at the Newport Aquarium in KY.

Watched this amazing display of fireworks over the downtown after Friday night's baseball game. Oooh . . . ahhhh!!

Sampled authentic food, and other things, at the Hofbrauhaus, a German bier garten.

All of that sampling led to us doing the "Chicken Dance" while standing on our chairs!

The trip would not have been complete without seeing a game of baseball. The Reds lost to the Nationals, but I got a free Bobblehead out of it :)

A Day of Blueberries

This post by Janna of jaC jewelry inspired me to do something I haven't done since my youth, and that was to go blueberry picking. Yesterday was the perfect day for it, so we grabbed my parents and drove to the countryside to a wonderful blueberry farm. The four of us truly enjoyed this adventure, which netted us boatloads of wonderful berries that we will enjoy for months to come (thank goodness they freeze well!). You can bet there will be many blueberry recipes on this blog in the near future, but for now take a look at some of our adventures from yesterday: On our way out of town, we stopped at the Shelby Township Farmer's Market to see my friend Kay, who is the creator of Wooly Bulle'. Take a look at her fabulous display of all natural lotions, soaps and laundry powder. They are wonderful products! If you live in the Metro Detroit area, be sure to stop by this market, which runs on Saturdays from 9-2. It is located at the historic Packard Proving Grounds, which is a wonderful setting. While not a terribly big market, it features a lovely range of items and some of the freshest, most delicious looking produce I have ever seen. There was even one vendor who would cut a fresh head of romaine lettuce for you, right off the plant, for only $2.25.

The Blueridge Berry Farm in Capac, MI is the place to go.

Look at those beautiful berries, just waiting to be picked!

These two buckets were mine and the hubby's. Between the four of us, we ended up with over 30lbs. of them!

They made for excellent pancakes this morning :)

Happy Fourth!

Hope you are enjoying this 4th of July holiday!!!

It's Feelin' Like Summer!

To me, the one sure sign that summer is in full "swing" (no pun intended) is a day spent at the ballpark. Even though summer hasn't officially started, there's nothing I love better at this time of year. Today we met some friends at Comerica Park for our first live Tigers game of 2009 ~ unfortunately they lost the game, but it was the perfect way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Here are some of the highlights:

An outing to the ballpark must include a kosher dog ~ yum!

Amazing Pewabic tiles ~ these are one of my favorite architectural details

These ferocious Tigers greet you at the park entrances ~ look out! There's my Tiger, #30 (Magglio Ordonez) in action :)

Shop Update: Plenty more to come!

Geez, what a disappointment this day was! The weatherman promised all week that today would be stellar, and it turned out to be somewhat of a let down, weather wise. We did have a few hours of sun, but the threatening looking clouds made themselves known. The wind was blustery, and when I did go outside, it blew my hair in my face so that I couldn't see what I was doing. How annoying! I should not be complaining, but with the humidity and temps in the mid 80's, it felt more like July. I'm not ready for July yet. To top things off, it stormed at least three different times. My poor husband was trying to get stuff done around the yard, and he kept having to pack up and come inside. At least he got an excuse to take a nap. So, what did I do on this day? Besides a bunch of errands and miscellaneous odds and ends, I photographed twenty new pieces of jewelry that I've created in the past week. Here's a little glimpse into what's to come:

Keep your eyes on my shop in the upcoming weeks to see the debut of these Summer-y designs. I also made some delicious dishes, so keep your eye on this blog for some new Summer recipes. I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Weekend Getaway

We all need to get away sometimes, and my hubby and I did just that a few weekends ago. We extended our weekend by a few days and headed to the town of Port Austin, MI. This scenic area is situated near the tip of the state's "thumb" ~ right on Lake Huron. It is roughly a 2.5 hour drive from where we live, but it is a different world altogether. It is a place that is very near and dear to my heart, for it is where Tony chose to pop the all important "question" back in May 1998.

These photos show the beach where he orginally proposed marriage to me as the sun went down over Lake Huron ~ what a romantic guy, eh?! Even back in those days when we were fresh out of college and very low on funds, he found a way to make the moment special.

This is proof that a vacation doesn't have to be costly and elaborate. Sometimes, simple is better. Just getting away from the daily routine can do wonders for the soul. I hope I've inspired you to start planning your next getaway!

How 'bout a game of Baseball?!

When one thinks of Summer, many things come to mind ~ one of which is Baseball. There's nothing like being there in person at the stadium and experiencing the enthusiasm of the fans while vendors yell out "HOT DOGS! GET UR HOT DOGS HERE!!" I absolutely love it.

This past Sunday we caught a game between the Tigers and the Twins. It was our first of the season and we couldn't have been more excited to be there with 41,000+ of our closest friends. Unfortunately the outcome of the game was not in our team's favor, but the night before they scored an incredible 19 runs!! We were sorry that we missed that.

Comerica Park is a beautiful ballpark that makes all Tiger fans very proud. After the game was over, we headed to one of our favorite spots for a bite to eat. While on the way there, we passed the ol' ballpark on Michigan Avenue. Tiger Stadium, (seen above), is slated for demolition, despite efforts to preserve it. It is an icon of the city's history. I snapped this photo from the car while we were driving by. It will be a sad day when this structure can no longer be seen at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. While new traditions are carried on, the memories of the past will not fade.