Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Wordless Wednesday—German Chocolate Cake

GermanChocCake-full

(Well, almost wordless)
This was Dwight's birthday cake back in March and was amazing. Recipe from David Lebovitz can be found here.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Dear Cold,

Hey there, buddy. I notice you're still here, hanging out in my nose and chest. It's been 9 days, dude. What gives?

I know. I shouldn't have mentioned that I haven't been sick in a while and thought I got through cold and flu season unscathed. It was an open invitation, I see that now. Me, bragging. You, plotting your revenge until you found a weakness.

Well, mission accomplished. Congratulations—you got me. So..... can we call it even and you can take your snot and congestion and move on? Please?

Sincerely,

Me

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Lehman's Orchard

basket-spreadout

Dwight & I (and all of our co-workers) had the pleasure of sampling some of the goodies offered by a family-owned area orchard. One of our clients brought us a basket laden with fruit and nut mixes, hard ciders and some honey roasted cashew butter made at her boyfriend's family orchard.

Lehman's Orchard located in Niles, Michigan, is a family-owned orchard specializing in tart cherry production since 1929. Since then, they've branched into all sorts of other crops including apples and pears and also produce honey and offer a vast assortment of dried fruits and nuts. And in addition to all of that, Lehman's also makes their own hard cider from their apples and pears AND they offer a large variety of fruit wines.

ciders
healthy mix
michigan mix
veg chips
cashew butter

Unfortunately, I didn't get to sample hardly any of the products, they were gobbled up so quickly at work - which I think is a testament to the quality of their products. Lehman's has received some really great reviews on Yelp and other sites, lauding the quality, taste and selection offered. Dwight and I are really looking forward to visiting the orchard in the near future, now that spring is in full swing. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get to try the honey roasted cashew butter. Man, that sounds SO good! Oh, and the chocolate covered cherries. Yeah, I'm all over that, too.

If you're in the Niles, Michigan area, I definitely recommend a stop at Lehman's Orchard. If you're around in July, they offer u-pick tart cherries! I KNOW I'll being going up for that. Just the thought of having a stash of tart cherries in my freezer makes me very happy. I mean, you know how nuts Dwight and I went over local blueberry picking. I think the blueberries need some freezer buddies.

Thanks, Brenda, for bringing us all of the goodies. We'll see you this summer!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Quick Tip: How I Freeze Hamburger



This isn't earth shattering or going to cause world peace, but it's something I find helpful. Maybe you will, too.

I discovered, mostly by accident, that the best way to divide and freeze hamburger is to put it in a quart-size freezer bag, press it flat – to about 1/2" thickness or so – to the edges of the bag.



This is really convenient for a couple of reasons.

1. A quart size bag holds a pound of meat perfectly.

2. They stack —compact storage, saving freezer space.

3. They thaw SO much more quickly when only 1/2" thick. OR if you want to save even more time, you don't have to thaw it. Just open or cut the bag, pop into a pan. Cook over low heat to start, and you'll be browning in no time.

Hey, it works for me. I hope it works for you, too!
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