100th Post Michigan Special - 4.11.09

I can't believe it's been 100 posts already since I started this blog a couple years ago. Looking back, I've made and eaten some good food and I also remember some not-so-good food that came nowhere near this blog. Examples: my attempted caramel candies that turned into a large, flat, burnt disc of horribleness; making fruit gelees in the wrong pan, transferring to a different pan (thereby disrupting the gelatin setting up), resulting in liquid blah; lemon-honey biscotti that refused to set up into biscotti form and tasted like cough medicine. I'm not one to focus on the negatives of food, either mine or that made by others, which is why I focus on the positive aspects of the foods I consume and post. In other words, I'm too embarrassed to post the disgusting-looking foods.

Instead of some new foods in this post, I'm going to share some of the culinary side of my recent trip to see my extended family in Michigan.


We all gathered to celebrate the 10th birthday of my youngest first cousin. Her party was cowboy themed, as you can tell from this cake. The cake itself was carrot with raisins (a semi-homemade recipe from my Aunt Julie), topped with cream cheese frosting. It was nicely airy but balanced by a powerful sweetness so, in the end, you feel satisfied by a decently sized piece. One tip I will offer, though, is to avoid putting bottle caps on your cakes. I'm not sure who snuck it on there, but I'm glad I'm not overly concerned with germs in my food. Also at the party, we had hot dogs (both turkey and Koegel's - a Michigan favorite for the crunch), vegetarian chili, cowboy cole slaw (apparently "cowboying" something means adding chopped apples and grapes to it in this case...), Asian noodle salad, baked beans (made with at least 2 different kinds of beans), congo bars (like a chocolate chip cookie bar, but made with shortening), and peanut butter cookie sandwiches.


Above is something I'll always remember at grandma and grandpa's house: a huge freezer in the basement. It is always filled with everything from pierogi to vegetables to brown sugar to applesauce. Mom definitely stole a fudgesicle after dinner (a habit I'm sure she's had for years). I would love to stock up like that on so many different foods that I could use at the drop of a hat. Then again, scientists are saying that people tend to eat more when there's more food around...so for now, I'm trying my best to keep my food stores small in the hopes that my waist does the same.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has perused my blog for whatever reason. I started it just as a personal account of what I've been cooking and eating, but it has actually connected me with people in ways I had not thought, with both random food enthusiasts and family members that I haven't seen in a long time. Let's see where the next 100 posts takes me...