Category Archives: Food Musings

Recent Eats: 4-7-13

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I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Mine was full of lots of relaxing, baseball, and a long run by the lake. Can’t get much better than that. But before we start another work week, I thought I would share some more “recent eats”

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1. Last Monday night, Eric and I decided to combat the Monday blues with a quick dinner date. One of the perks of working a few blocks from each other is that it gives us the chance to meet up right after work and try out some of the new spots Downtown. This week we tried Mercury Bar in Midtown. They are known for their burgers and milkshakes, and since I’m not a huge burger gal, I was happy to see a black bean burger on their menu. It’s served topped with sliced avocado, chipotle mayo and fresh made pickles. My burger was slightly spicy and full of flavor. And Eric? He of course got his classic choice of a cheeseburger. Typical boy.

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2. This has become my favorite weekday meal. A baked sweet potato with a touch of coconut oil, roasted brussels sprouts and chicken sausage. All of these come together in a flash, perfect for a quick meal after a long day.

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3. Chicken Noodle Soup at Mati’s Deli. Eric recently took me to this old school deli in his hometown, and I could not stop raving about their soup. You could tell it was homemade from the extra flavorful stock and the soft and chewy homemade noodles. So, so good. I have a feeling we will definitely be returning here soon.

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4. Friday was Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers, and seeing as I work at the closest hotel to the ballpark, it was a really fun day at work. Baseball season is a crazy busy time for the hotel, so they had ballpark hot dogs brought in for the entire staff to kick off our busiest time of year. It was like having a taste of summer for lunch. Hopefully the weather will follow suit!

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5. This isn’t really an “eat” but it was definitely worth sharing. Eric and I recently set a fun challenge for ourselves-we are going to try to visit every brewery in Michigan. And seeing as Michigan has seen a huge growth in breweries the past couple years, I have a feeling this challenge may take us a while. But since we were near Ferndale running some wedding related errands, we decided to visit Woodward Avenue Brewers t0 knock one more spot off of our list. I tried their Custom Blonde, which was a light summery beer, and Eric tried the Czech Red. We were both fans of our brews.

So there you have it. A few “Recent Eats” from Miss Petite Sweets. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Dinner at Red Crown

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I live in a relatively small town, so when a new restaurant opens up, pretty much the whole town is abuzz. And that was definitely the case with the newly opened Red Crown. The building started as a Standard Oil gas station but was recently transformed into this trendy new restaurant. Ever since it opened earlier this month, the parking lot has been absolutely packed with new patrons, so my family and I decided to give it a try as well.

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I had heard that the drink menu was going to be quite impressive, and it definitely did not disappoint. They have an extensive wine list and a number of Michigan beers on tap, but it’s their cocktail menu that really jumped out at us. Each cocktail listed a number of different liquors, liqueurs and juices, many of which I had never even heard of. Since my mom and I are not too adventurous when it comes to drinks, we both played it safe with the only vodka cocktail on the menu- The Moscow Mule. This cocktail featured vodka, ginger beer & fresh lime juice and was served in a copper mug. It was so unique and the ginger flavor really shined through. My dad chose a rum based drink that he wasn’t too crazy about, but Sean and Eric both chose the Paper Plane. A drink featuring Maker’s Mark bourbon, aperol, amaro montenegro and lemon juice.

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Next up was dinner. The menu had a mix of barbeque and classic comfort foods like meatloaf and shrimp & grits. We all decided to sample the barbeque and we all ended up very happy with our picks. I chose the Brisket Sandwich which featured spice rubbed brisket and cole slaw served on an onion roll. The brisket was tender and juicy and full of flavor. It was served with delicious fresh cut fries which were right up my alley. In my book, the crunchier the fries, the better, and these were perfect.

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Eric went with the ribs with a a side of mac and cheese. I’ve heard that you can always tell if it’s good barbeque if you don’t need to put extra barbeque sauce on them. Well, Red Crown’s ribs definitely delivered on flavor sans the extra sauce.

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Eric’s meal also came with some delicious cornbread and honey butter, which he let me take a bite of. (what a guy)

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All in all it was a great meal with my favorite people.

Dinner at Jolly Pumpkin Brewery

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This past Saturday Eric and I ventured out to Ann Arbor to see our friends Arielle and Dave. We met up for dinner at Jolly Pumpkin Brewery and had a fantastic time. Eric and I have been saying for some time now that you can truly never go wrong with dinner at a brewery. I don’t know what it is, but every brewery we have ever eaten at has not only had delicious brews, but has also had some delicious eats. And Jolly Pumpkin was no different. Luckily we had some great company as well.

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We started off the night with a few beers. The Seasonal Porter for me and the Bam Noire for Eric. My beer was rich and slightly bitter. I don’t often get darker beers but this one was really good. It had an almost chocolate-y flavor.

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For dinner I chose the “Not Just a BLT” and it was definitely more than your typical BLT. The sandwich featured fresh mozzarella, fire roasted tomatoes, fresh arugula, salsa verde and bacon. It came with Jolly Pumpkin’s signature truffle fries. The truffle fries are shoestring fries tossed in fresh rosemary and truffle salt. Arielle fondly refers to them as “crack fries” and I can see why. So good.

 

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Eric got one of their pizzas as per usual. He got the Margherita, a simple pizza topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Although it wasn’t the best pizza he’s ever had, he said it wasn’t too bad.

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And since Dave is a huge fan of pumpkin flavored anything, we all decided to try out the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Fun fact: We actually referred to Dave as “Pumpkin Dave” the first few months of our friendship, because of his affection for all things pumpkin. Anyway… back to the eats. The whoopie pies were filled with buttercream and served over a ginger creme anglaise. Although the filling was a little too sweet for me, the pumpkin cake was awesome. Altogether, it was a great meal and a fun night!

What I’m Loving Lately

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It’s no secret that I love food. And I really love discovering new foods at the grocery store. Because I don’t know if you guys knew this… but grocery shopping is kind of a hobby of mine. So I thought I would share a few of my new food finds:

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1. Love Crunch Granola: I’ve seen Love Crunch Granola featured on a number of blogs lately and everyone has been giving it such rave reviews. I try not to buy granola too often because it’s easy enough to make on my own, and it is usually pretty expensive. But when I saw a bag of Love Crunch Chocolate & Red Berries granola half off at Marshalls, I thought I would give it a whirl. And I am so glad I did. This granola is so, so good. It’s extra crunchy and full of granola clusters and the flavor is incredible. Chocolate and dried berries make it more of a sweet treat than your typical breakfast granola. My only complaint is that I can’t stop eating it.

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2. Chobani Pear Greek Yogurt Once upon a time I used to buy a ton of “light yogurts” and I never understood why I had such bad stomachaches after eating it. And then my best friend Lo shed some light on how bad these sugar-free foods can be. Thank goodness for her healthy living know how.Nowadays I tend to try to eat things with as few ingredients as possible and ingredients that I can actually pronounce. And that is where Chobani came in. This all natural Greek yogurt is creamy, delicious and devoid of all that fake crap that made my stomach hurt. I’ve recently been loving their new pear flavor. Unlike a lot of fruit flavored foods, this yogurt actually tastes like pears because it has real pear puree swirled through.

IMG_06673. Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers: My coworkers make fun of me because I bring a veggie burger to work pretty much every day for lunch. And Dr. Praeger’s is by far my favorite brand. I stumbled upon it one day at Trader Joe’s and thought it sounded pretty delicious. And oh, it is. It has a great flavor and texture and is perfectly acceptable to eat every day for lunch.

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4. Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Vanilla Tea: About a year ago I had terrible insomnia every night. So to avoid being a total zombie I started drinking this tea to help me fall asleep. And even though I think the cure to my insomnia had very little to do with the tea and had way more to do with leaving a terribly stressful job for a job I really love, the tea is still pretty delicious. It has a subtle vanilla flavor and is a nice way to end the night.

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5. Easter M&M’s: Does anyone else think seasonal M&Ms just taste better than the regular M&Ms? I don’t know why, but the festive colors always make these classic candies even more appealing and I can’t help tossing a bag in my grocery cart every time a holiday comes around. This bag will actually show up in a fun new recipe this week. Yum!

My Favorite Blogs

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I mentioned before that I read quite a few blogs and I thought it would be fun to share my five favorites with all of you. But it may come as a surprise that despite my incessant chattering about food and recipes, not all of my favorite blogs are food blogs. So just in case any of you were looking for a few fun websites to check out, here are my top 5:

1. Peanut Butter Fingers

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This healthy living blog follows 20-something, Julie. She is a full time writer who shares fitness tips and healthy recipes. Her style of writing is very casual and fun and she writes about everything from race recaps to wedding planning tips. Ever since I got engaged myself, I’ve loved going through her wedding recap posts to read her tips about everything from dress shopping to cake tastings.

Meals and Miles

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A few weeks ago I was reading this blog and Eric asked me if it was “one of my food blogs or one of my running blogs?” but it happens to be both! Meals and Miles follows the life of Meghann, who shares running and cooking tips. What’s not to love? I especially love the fact that she shares her journey from out-of-shape post graduate to marathon runner. Meals and Miles is a great read whenever I get nervous about my first half marathon this October, because her story is so inspiring.

DIY Playbook

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This is a blog I discovered just the other day, but has quickly become one of my favorites. It is a home decor blog aimed at 20-somethings who are decorating their first apartments on a budget. I especially love the fact that Bridget and Casey give tips on how to blend your own style with your significant other’s. Seeing as Eric owns more sports memorabilia than a typical sports bar, it will be great to have some tips to incorporate both of our styles into our first home together.

Espresso and Cream

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Madison’s blog is actually the first blog I ever started reading. She shares recipes for healthy meals and decadent desserts, which promotes the balanced kind of attitude I try to have here on Miss Petite Sweets. I actually just shared one of her granola recipes. Plus she shares picture of her puppy, Nutmeg. And he is just too cute.

Cupcakes and Cashmere

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Emily is like the modern day Martha Stewart. From decorating tips to fashion ideas and recipes, Cupcakes and Cashmeres covers a variety of fun topics. I love her entertaining ideas and beautiful pictures. And even though I may never be as fashion forward as her, it is definitely fun to read her style posts.

Have fun reading!

Recent Eats

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For the last 2 years I’ve shared only recipes and stories here on Miss Petite Sweets, but lately I have been thinking about switching it up a bit. There have been so many times that I have wanted to share a story about somewhere I’ve traveled or a new recipe that I stumbled upon, but I haven’t had a recipe ready to share it with. So I’ve decided to start varying my blog posts beyond the typical recipe + story model. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of recipes shared here, but I also plan on sharing some stories about travel, new restaurants, and maybe a little wedding planning and race recaps thrown in as well. This will mean more blog posts and more variety here on this little blog of mine. And to kick off my pledge for a bit more variety here on Miss Petite Sweets, I thought I would share a few “Recent Eats.”  Detroit’s food scene may not be as well known as some bigger cities, but let me tell you, it is alive and well and absolutely delicious.

1. Sliders at Green Dot Stables. This little restaurant-bar is known as one of Detroit’s “hipster hangouts” And though I’m not always decked out in flannel and dark rimmed glasses, I do have an appreciation for craft beers and unique eats. Eric and I ate here a few weeks ago and were really impressed by the slider menu. Because they weren’t just your typical mini cheeseburgers. Their menu featured Venison Sliders, Lamb & Rosemary Hummus Slider and even Korean Kimchi Sliders. We tried 3 different sliders and each was unique and delicious. We had the BBQ Bacon which featured  beef, bacon and barbeque sauce..or in Eric’s eyes..the trifecta of delicious. It also had mashed sweet potatoes on top which was really unique. Next we tried the Grilled Cheese slider, which was just a slider featuring Jack, Cheddar and Mornay Cheese. But honestly, the star of the show was the Fried Chicken Slider which was topped with a sage infused maple syrup. Amazing. We can’t wait to sample a few more of their varieties

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2. House made Veggie Burgers at Vinsetta Garage. We went to this restaurant shortly after it opened in July and I still can’t get over how delicious their Veggie Burger was. The burger itself was filled with vegetables and beans and it was topped with feta cheese and a tomatoe relish that was tangy and sweet at the same time. And to make it even more unique (and delicious) it was topped with shitake mushroom “bacon.” Apparently this restaurant is completely packed all the time. And judging from their veggie burgers, this is not surprising at all.

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3. Short Ribs at Coach Insignia. This restaurant is one of Detroit’s top notch steakhouses. Translation: It is very expensive. But when they came out with an incredible deal through Groupon, Eric and I jumped at the chance to go. In fact, we both bought the Groupon the day it came out to surprise the other. Apparently great minds do think alike. We gave one of Groupons to my parents and used one ourselves. After looking over the menu, I knew we would most likely order the same entree. And we did. Short ribs served over creamy polenta with crisp asparagus. The meat was so tender that it literally fell of the bone and was perfectly complemented by the cheesy polenta. Food comas were had by all that night.

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Cooking Matters

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While growing up, healthy eating was part of my every day life. My brother and I were nearly always welcomed home with a homemade dinner. Fast food was something reserved only for road trips up North, and frozen dinners were not something I experienced until my early college years. But unfortunately, families like mine are now the exception rather than the rule. With the presence of a McDonald’s on every corner and the availability of frozen meals at incredibly cheap prices, eating healthfully is at risk for becoming a thing of the past. This has been especially true for lower income families that need to provide meals on a stricter budget. In our nation, 15.7 million children are living in poverty and 18.6 million rely on food stamps, and with the widely accepted idea that healthy food is more expensive, it is no wonder that even the children that do get enough to eat often suffer from poor nutrition.

But luckily, there is an organization aiming to change all of this. Last week, the managers and volunteers of Michigan’s division of Cooking Matters invited me and 9 other Metro-Detroit based food bloggers and writers to learn about the organization and partake in one of their cooking classes. Cooking Matters is an organization that aims to “debunk the myth that cooking healthy is expensive.” In connection with the nationally recognized “Share Your Strength” Movement, Cooking Matters offers a series of cooking classes that show both children and adults that cooking healthy is not only possible on a tight budget, but can also help you save money. The classes cover topics such as basic nutrition and food budgeting, giving its participants the tools to provide their families with weeks worth of healthy, cost effective meals. The classes are taught by volunteer chefs and nutritionists who share tips on how to spend wisely in order to provide nourishing meals. Simple tips like eating less protein and eating more fiber-rich vegetables not only save families money, but lead them on a healthier path.

This organization has helped thousands of lower income families and provided them with the tools to provide themselves with the a healthier future. But the organization needs help. In Michigan alone there is a waiting list of 90 agencies hoping to get started with their own Cooking Matters programs, but there are not enough volunteers to sustain them. So how can we help? By getting involved. And no need to worry about your lack of cooking or nutrition expertise being a barrier, because Share Your Strength welcomes any help they can get. Because “Share Your Strength”  is simply a collective of people willing to share whatever strength they have. And as Cooking Matters’ Social Media Coordinator  Dorothy Hernandez said, “whatever strength you might possess, Cooking Matters will find a way to use it.”

To get involved here in metro Detroit, Visit the Cooking Matters Michigan Blog for more information, or to find a Cooking Matters program in your area, visit CookingMatters.org

Beach Grille Date Night

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Hello again!

I apologize for the lack of new recipes this month. All the July baby showers, weddings & golf outings have kept me pretty darn busy at work. But it has not kept me from dreaming up some recipe ideas that I hope to test out soon. In the meantime I hope you all enjoyed the guest post from my lemon cake connoisseur Eric. I know, I know…he’s funny and he makes delicious baked goods. Told ya he was a catch. Anyway, last Friday Eric and I had the chance to go out and “celebrate” our year and a half of dating. Not that we actually care too much about random anniversaries and we are definitely not one of those couples who celebrates every month of dating… We just share the notion that any excuse to go out to eat is worth celebrating. So we chose an occasion and a restaurant. Since it was a beautiful day we decided to go to The Beach Grille on the Nautical Mile. All the restaurants on the Nautical Mile have an awesome view of Lake St.Clair, and if you can withstand the smell of fishflies, it makes for a pretty nice night out. Eric started his night with yet another bowl of French onion soup. Soooo predictable. Just kidding. This soup was delicious. Just look at his happy expression:

And that’s why we get along. The kid gets real excited about food. Plus we have a really great standing agreement that I always get to have the pickle that comes with his sandwich and he always gets the last bite of anything we share. Great relationships 101, folks. Anywho, For dinner I chose the crab cake sandwich and I was not disappointed. The crab cake was pan seared and flavored with fresh lemon. It was light, fluffy and very fresh. I’m not a huge fan of restaurants that deep fry crab cakes because I think it takes away the sweetness and flavor of the crab, but the Beach Grille’s crab cakes were perfect. Plus they were served on an English muffin with cheese…so that didn’t hurt to much either. Well played Beach Grille, well played.

Eric got the Daytona Sandwich, which included  chicken, bacon & cheese. All his favorite foods packed into one lil sammie. It’s like they knew he was coming in. And last but not least…we got a brownie sundae complete with Sander’s fudge. It was awesome. Chocolate layered upon chocolate. Can’t really go wrong. So there we had our wonderful summer date night. Good food and wonderful company. Come back soon for some new recipes!