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Friday, 20 August 2010

Burgdorf’s…A Moment in Wine

I do enjoy my wine moments. Yes, I do. And when I stop by Burgdorf’s Winery in Haslett, Deb and Dave Burgdorf are usually there to welcome me and allow me to have a little tasting before I decide on my purchase. If Dave helps me taste, I have a hula hoop moment when I swirl my wine and my hips in a synchronized movement. That’s what I was taught. It never gets old and I always laugh. Yes, at myself.

What’s good to know, is that you can schedule a time to make your own batch of wine here. I don’t know of any other winery around Michigan where you can do that. So if you need some hostess gifts for the holidays, or want to give some wine that has your own label on it as table gifts at your wedding, or even just want to stock up for yourself, you can get it done here. But allow a good amount of time (like 6-8 weeks) for the wine to ferment before you can bottle it and carry it on home.

Although Burgdorf’s is a bit off the beaten path, and not quite what you expect a winery to look like when you pull in the driveway, once you get inside, it’s definitely a winery. This Saturday, August 21^st, they’re having their 5^th anniversary party and for $10, you can do a little tasting, have a few snacks and tour the facility. Oh, and enjoy the party and have your own moment in wine.

Monday, 16 August 2010

Golf Channel says: Golf Michigan!

Golfers looking for the next big challenge or just an absolutely remarkable golf weekend in the Great Lakes State, set your DVR to the Golf Channel for the program Destination Golf on September 8th, 2010. Why? Because the word is out on the nationwide prominence of Michigan golf! The folks at the Golf Channel spent a full week filming in Michigan to feature America’s Summer Golf Capital for this popular program starring Lauren Thompson. This episode features picturesque golf, celebrities, local restaurants and other summer attractions that make Michigan such a fun place for the entire family to visit. The Golf Channel sent a crew of five to produce this episode filled with epic sunrises and sunsets and some impressive surprises along the way. What's NOT a surprise, however, is that this tour of the state's best golf brought the film crew to East Lansing and the award-winning Eagle Eye Golf Club. While this superbly designed, and meticulously kept course offers all kinds of opportunities to get your pulse going, it is particularly known for its island green 17th hole (an exact replica of Florida's highly acclaimed TPC Sawgrass 17th island hole). The Golf Channel will feature this hole, as well as remarks from Sara Brown, current LPGA player and former Michigan State University women's golf star. Michigan is a golfer's dream, and solid courses like Eagle Eye put Greater Lansing right in the mix with the state's best of the best. Be sure to catch this Golf Channel special featuring awesome Michigan courses, but more importantly, leave some time in your calendar this summer to get out and golf Michigan. With so many great golf courses in the state you can set up a weekend of golf with your friends where you drive less than two hours yet play as many different award winning courses as you can physically take. Listen to the pros at the Golf Channel. This is prime golf season and Michigan is simply the best of what's around. Learn more about golf in Greater Lansing right HERE.

Friday, 13 August 2010

Hello Mary!

An alternative to your typical Sunday brunch.

Here’s something I ran across last Sunday when we were cruising Lansing around brunch time, but not quite sure what we wanted to eat. Burgers? Omelettes? Salads? Nothing sounded satisfactory. So we pulled into Leo’s Outpost on Pennsylvania Ave. knowing that their cheese bread is to die for but not sure what else would feed our Sunday longings. Lo and behold I have discovered the best alternative to the typical Sunday brunch: “Make your own Bloody Mary” and an assortment of appetizers.

Hello Mary!
• Glass w/ Ice
• Glass of tomato juice
• Shot of Vodka
• Lime slice, pickle spear, 2 green olives (I put the pickle in my drink and ate the olives)
• Galvanized tub of fixin’s including horseradish, dill sauce, worchestershire sauce, tabasco, hot sauce, celery salt and lemon pepper.
• Small beer chaser

So I mixed and doctored it up till it was just perfect while waiting anxiously for our cheese bread (yum), spinach/artichoke dip in a bread bowl w/ pita and tortilla chips (counts for my vegetable of the day and was delish) and the parmesan boneless wings (fab). We could have opted for the Sunday BOGO Pizza special but our selection suited us just fine.

I have to admit that my favorite Sundays consist of staying in my pjs and snuggling up on the couch and watching TV all day. Bring on the Doritos, the sausage balls and the cheese and crackers. Bring on the Monk marathon, season one of the Jersey Shore, or even a Housewives of Wherever. The more mindless, the better. But this outing to Leo’s was such a comfortable, satisfying dining experience, that we headed home and, even better, took a nap.

Monday, 09 August 2010

Make Minty Memories

I'm one of those people that closely associates specific smells with times, places, seasons and memories from my past. A little dried leaves and apple and I'm right there in autumn. I smell a turkey cooking and I'd swear it's Thanksgiving Day. Odd but true, the smell of black coffee and saw dust always reminds me of my Dad. Well, no exception to this trend of smells making associations to times, places and people in my life is the smell of mint. It always makes me think of nearby St. John's, Michigan and the annual Mint Festival. St. Johns is just a bit north of Greater Lansing, and while a pretty sleepy, rural community it is known the world over as Mint City USA. Premium soil and weather conditions combined with dedicated, time-honored family farms have preserved and mastered the process of growing the world's best mint and turning it into mint oil used in everything from aroma-therapy to cold remedies to candy. On a late summer night, you can drive through St. Johns and smell the strong, sweet and clean aroma of fresh mint - too cool. BUT, better than a drive through town and a quick whiff of this minty heritage is a stop into the St. Johns Mint Festival. This great festival has it all, from food and games to a parade and pageant - you have before you an amazing, fresh-smelling slice of classic small-town Americana. Lucky for you the St. Johns Mint Festival is right around the corner, coming up this August 13-15. Click HERE for a full list of things going on and all the associated locations and times. My favorite part of the Mint Festival, however, is a stop to the Crosby Family Mint Farm, just a few miles away from the festival action (1250 E. Parks Road, St. Johns). Here you will see (Saturday, August 14, noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, August 15, noon to 5 p.m.) the oldest, continuously family operated mint farm in the entire country. Although it sounds like something out of a story book, you'll actually be greeted by friendly co-owner Peppermint Jim and his cute dog Mojito and then take a tour of the grounds to see how they create the best mint essential oils in the world. I'm telling you, having been to this farm and walking around on the property you can literally feel the pride and connection to the earth the Crosby's have. These third generation mint farmers are kind, smart and somehow even sweeter than the product they sell. Spend some time on the Crosby Mint Farm and just see if you don't agree. Smell the freshest air in the state and absolutely be sure to buy some raw mint honey. The bees spend so much time around the growing mint plants the honey they make in nearby hives has a slight hint of mint flavor that is absolutely fantastic. In case you can't tell, I'm a big fan of the Mint Festival and the Crosby Mint Farm, so to me the smell of mint is absolutely priceless - Come see, and smell, for yourself.

Thursday, 05 August 2010

Flat, Black & Circular

So my son is home from college and his dad who lives out of state shipped him a turntable and some old albums perhaps in hopes of keeping him happy and entertained throughout the summer. And he’s very happy. I come home from work to the sounds of old school Beach Boys and some really obscure stuff. He was the kid in middle school who came across an old electric typewriter and proceeded to write stories on that instead of his Gateway PC. So it’s easy to say that he likes retro stuff. And apparently a lot of other people do, too.

I called over to East Lansing’s Flat Black & Circular and found out that they are celebrating their 33rd year in business this year. When they started out, music truly came out as flat, black and circular and maybe some cassettes. I also wanted to know just how much vinyl that they sell over in their store. For reasons unknown, this year they are selling 5 x more vinyl than normal. And I discovered that new releases are still coming out on vinyl and some come with a free download. Old marries new. I love it. Can you believe that the latest She & Him album sells 15 to 1 vinyl to CD? Maybe it will be possible some day that my kids think I’m old and therefore retro and cool. But I won’t hold my breath.

Head on over to Flat Black & Circular. You’ll find a great selection of music and a nice assortment of people. Look for the one dollar and fifty cent bins of albums. You might have to muscle out a fifty year old Tom Petty fan, but it will be worth it. Trust me, I’m old and I know stuff.