Pure Michigan Part 1

This weekend I took my daughter to a quaint town in Northern Michigan to hang out with my family to watch the town parade and fireworks. Every 4th of July the town of Glen Arbor puts on a parade with locals, summer locals and whoever just wants to join in the fun. There are no big bands or huge floats just a community that gets together, decorates whatever they have and parades down the main street throwing candy, beach balls and toilet paper, yes I did say toilet paper (I will show you in a minute) at the kids lined up along the street. It is a great feeling to be a part of and the kids just love it!

My daughter and niece, waiting for the parade to start.

My parents and daughter and niece and nephews found a great spot in the shade. It was 93 degrees!!

People would pull their boats out of the water for the afternoon, decorate them and use them as floats!

A little Grillin' on Glen Lake! These lovely people were throwing out hot dogs!

Kids having fun with water guns and keeping us all cool!

This was great! A local and his wife riding on their tractor, his wife was playing Yankee Doodle Dandy on her flute!

Up north they get ALOT of snow in the winter, but what better way to use the giant plows in the summertime!!!

Oh, and I mentioned the toilet paper being thrown out, well, these were the lovies that did that!! I think that they are the most popular people on the lake!

Vintage fire truck.

Local band played on their float, I believe they sang "Sweet Caroline" and some Bare Naked Ladies.

The parade was great and we had a lot of fun. We quickly headed back to the cottage and went swimming!

At night there are some folks, who every year put on a firework display over the lake. It isn't the most legal thing but the most don't seem to mind and the law enforcement doesn't bother them too much.

So we sat on our deck and waited for the fireworks to start.

This is where they were lighting them off. Talk about front row seat!

Not too bad for amateurs!

Even my camera caught some pretty good shots. I was amazed!

Any way, it was a great weekend hanging out with my family at the lake and soaking in the local traditions! I will blog more about Glen Lake later and 'our' cottage. (not really ours, but I have been going up there all my life in the summers so it is as close as I get to owning a cottage on the lake :) )

We are heading back this week, so this will be my last blog for a while. There is no internet connection up there but I will take lots of pics and tell you all about our adventures in Pure Michigan! Also when I get back I hope to have my first featured artist as well as a giveaway!! oooohhh give away!!!

Take care and be safe!

Drinks To Keep You Cool

I love Martha Stewart so I decided to share some great summer drinks that she has posted on her website. This weekend's celebration might be a good time to try some new recipes!

Serves 8

• 3 cups blackberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup Simple Syrup
• 1/2 cup white grape juice
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Ice, for serving (optional)
• Seltzer or sparkling wine, chilled
• Patriotic fruit skewers, for garnish (optional)

Place blackberries, raspberries, simple syrup, grape juice, and lemon juice in the jar of a blender; puree until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids.

Fill 8 Collins glasses with ice, if using. Divide mixture evenly between glasses; top with seltzer or wine and serve immediately garnished with fruit skewers, if desired.

Serves 8

• 4 oranges, 2 juiced, 2 halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 bottle dry red wine, chilled
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 2 cups seltzer or club soda
• Ice cubes, for serving

In a large pitcher, combine orange juice, sugar, and brandy; stir well to dissolve sugar. Add wine, orange slices, lemon slices, and seltzer; stir to combine. Fill glasses with ice before serving.

• 3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 cup ice cubes
• Sugar, to taste

Put watermelon, strawberries, lime juice, ice, and sugar if desired into the pitcher of a blender, and blend for 15 seconds on high speed. (Always put the top on the container before processing.) Stop machine, and stir ingredients with a long wooden spoon. Blend for 15 seconds more on high speed.

After processing the watermelon, strawberries, lime juice, and ice, taste before adding sugar; you may not need any. For the star garnish, an adult can press a cookie cutter through the rind with the back of a wooden spoon.

Serves 2

• 1 pint strawberries
• 8 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
• 8 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Seltzer water

Puree strawberries and 2 teaspoons sugar in a blender. Set out two glasses, and spoon 3 tablespoons of the resulting strawberry puree, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 4 tablespoons lemon juice into each glass. Stir the lemonade, and add ice. Top off the glasses with seltzer water. Add more sugar if desired.

And this great recipe from Sally Lee by the Sea:

The Red, White and Blue Margarita
Sugar the rim of a glass or a cup with red sugar. (You can do this by dipping the rim in lime juice and then in the sugar to make it stick). Make frozen margaritas - 2 oz tequila, 1/2 oz triple sec for each one, fill with sour mix and ice and blend. Split the frozen margarita into three cups. Blend one third with strawberries to make red. Pour it into the bottom of the glass. Layer another third (plain, white margarita) on top of the red. Then blend the final third with blueberries or just color with 1/2 oz of Blue Curacao and layer the blue on top. You now have a red, white and blue margarita! (This one is my own personal recipe).

Some of these recipes you do not need alcohol, so depending on your party and guests you can use different variations for all to enjoy!

P.S. Please stay safe and be responsible this 4th of July!

Let's Eat!!

The 4th of July is next weekend and the past two weeks I have been helping you plan your 4th of July party with suggestions for invitations and ideas to help decorate. Well, now it is time to EAT!!! I love food, especially cookouts, so I have found a few recipe ideas for you to help you plan your cookout for next weeks celebration!

I love turkey burgers! They are easy and healthy and there are so many ways you can grill them! I gave you a simple recipe below from Martha Stewart, but check out other versions on her site!

Serves 4

1 1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup finely greted Gryere cheese (motzarella works good too)

4 scallions thinly sliced

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove mined

Course salt and ground pepper

For Grates

Oil

Heat grill to high. In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine ground turkey with Gruyere, scallions, breadcrumbs, mustard, and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Gently form mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties.

Lightly oil grill. Place patties on hottest part of grill; sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Move patties to cooler part of grill; continue grilling until cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes per side.

You will have to adjust recipe for how many people you are serving

I saw these hot dogs at Better Homes and Gardens and they looked so good! Using Dr. Pepper as an ingredient for the BBQ sauce!!

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 12-oz. can Dr Pepper

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. finely ground white pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 hot dogs (1-lb. pkg.)

8 hot dog buns, split and toasted
Toppers: pickles, sliced jalapeño peppers, chopped onion (optional)

directions

1. For sauce, in medium saucepan cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter over medium heat about 10 minutes until onions are tender. Add all ingredients except hot dogs, buns, and toppers. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Cook, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool sauce 10 minutes.

2. Puree sauce in pan with immersion blender, or transfer to a blender jar, cover, and blend until smooth.

3. Meanwhile, on charcoal grill cook hot dogs on rack directly over medium coals for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through.(For gas grill, heat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Cook on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above.) Serve hot dogs on buns with toppers. Makes 8 hot dogs and 4 cups sauce.

• Summer time means corn on the cob!!! Martha Stewart also had this great recipe!
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Makes 16 pieces

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4 ears shucked corn

1/2 lime

• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• • 
    

Grill corn over high heat, turning until lightly blackened in places and kernels are just tender when pressed, about 12 minutes.

Cut each ear into 4 pieces. Transfer to a sturdy, medium-size paper bag and squeeze lime over corn. Sprinkle with chili powder and coarse salt. Close bag and shake to coat. Serve immediately from the bag or in a bowl.

• A simple desert that everyone will love from Better Homes and Gardens!

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• Ingredients
• 1 8-ounce carton vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 of an 8-ounce container frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed
• 3 cups fresh raspberries and/or cut-up fresh strawberries
• 3 cups fresh blueberries

directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together yogurt and almond extract or vanilla. Fold in whipped topping.

2. To serve, in six 12-ounce glasses or dessert dishes, alternate layers of the berries with layers of the yogurt mixture. Makes 6 servings.

Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare parfaits as directed through Step 2. Cover and chill for up to 1 hour.

These are just a few great recipes that you can find on the sites I listed, or you can search for you own! Just remember to adjust the recipes for your number of people that are celebrating with you!!!

Getting Ready for The 4th of July

I know that the 4th of July is about three weeks away, but it is never to early to plan a party. To me, the 4th is best day to get together with friends and family and celebrate the reason we are able to do that. The 4th brings out the best in people and communities all over the United States get together to celebrate our independence. I love the 4th of July parades and seeing all the kids waving their flags and learning about why we celebrate. Soldiers, young, old and deceased are being honored and remembered for what they sacrificed and continue to sacrifice everyday.

In the next couple of weeks, I will offer you some great ideas on how to host your own 4th of July celebration. With the help of some great websites and our great artist on Etsy, you can plan and decorate with ease!

Invitations

The first step you need to do is send out invitations. I know most of have emails, facebook, twitter, and other ways of communication, but every now and then it is still exciting to get something in the mail. Certain websites make it is easy to make and print your own invitations using your own photos and wording such as snapfish or shutterfly. There are also programs that you can buy and install on your computer that make cards, invitations, labels, etc. OR, you can use etsy artist to help you out with the invitations if you don't have the time. For example:

Tints and Prints offers this great layout

There is this layout from man vs george

And this layout from luke comma sara

These are just a few examples, play around with the websites that I listed and look around on etsy. No matter what you find, sending an invitation in the mail is sure to get a smile!