Blue Angels Air Show: Traverse City

Yes, this is the photo that says it all. It was a beautiful day and I was in the perfect spot to enjoy the Blue Angels air show. You need to know that this photo is unedited. I aimed my iPhone to the sky and this is the photo I captured - I was thrilled when I saw that you could read U.S. Navy on each plane. Wahoo! 

I have been watching the Blue angels perform at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan since the late 1990's. My paternal grandmother loved the Blue Angels and I have great memories of driving into the town with my parents and Nama, excited to watch the air show from a parking lot. Back then, we watched from the intersection of M-72 and M-22 (W Grandview Parkway). We didn't take many pictures because it was the era of film and the pictures rarely worked out. 

The Blue Angels tend to perform to Traverse City every other year. When I'm in Michigan, my friends and I meet for lunch and viewing (just north of our old spot) at Harrington's By The Bay. The food is delicious and the location is ideal to watch the show.

I found this great YouTube video of the Blue Angels flying at the National Cherry Festival this year posted by TRYPlaneSpotting. It is nothing short of spectacular.

#blueangels #airshow #blueangelsairshow #momentsofdelight #traversecitymi #puremichigan #summer2018 

Traverse City: Mama Lu's Tacos

I love to get restaurant recommendations, however this was the first time I've gotten one from my 24 year old nephew. When did he get so old? I was looking for a fun place to have a date night dinner. William and his girlfriend raved about Mama Lu's Taco Shop in Traverse City and insisted we try the Street Corn appetizer. 

Everything that came out of the kitchen was fresh and picture-worthy. So much so that I turned our tablescape into a watercolor image (above) with one my Waterlogue phone app. Doesn't it look cool? 

The street corn was delicious! Roasted cob pieces are slathered with lime mayo and rolled in chile cotija cheese and I will certainly order it again. However, eating it was a mess! I wanted to be cute and lovely on our date and instead I was thankful that I was already married. Street Corn is not first date food.

***Update: Mama Lu's saw my post and let me know that they offer their delicious Street Corn cut off the cob! Just let your server know...

The tacos were small but mighty. I had one steak and one pork and they were really flavorful and satisfying.  Dan had 1 steak and 2 chicken and he was very happy.

Mama Lu's is a cute place that specializes in bright fresh flavors and the overall vibe was happy. The restaurant was full and everyone seemed very happy with their south-of-the-border selection. Try it!

Thunderbirds over Traverse City, Michigan

It was the perfect summer day for a Thunderbird air show: comfortable temperatures and a city full of spectators in town for the National Cherry Festival. The area swells by 500,000 the week of the festival and happy families lined the streets across from the bay.

I loved watching the F-16 scream across the blue sky. Traverse City is a terrific venue because Grand Traverse Bay gives you the space to enjoy the approach and fly by of the jets.

What a sight!

A beautiful formation.

 #thunderbirds #airshow #landofthefree #homeofthebrave #traversecity

Cue the Swan: Driving M-22

Cue the swan! Whenever we have guests at our cottage and we are enjoying a beautiful day, I call out "Cue the swan!" as if adding that little touch (real swan) would make their experience in northern Michigan perfect.  

Well we were rolling north along M-22 fromTraverse City when I noticed this beautiful view...complete with swan! Enjoy

Blue Angels Air Show: Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July, indeed! My all time favorite July 4th activity is watching The Blue Angels air show in Traverse City.  The Blue Angels come to the Traverse City National Cherry Festival every other year (although they didn't come in 2012 due to federal budget cuts) and they never cease to amaze.

They center their show over Grand Traverse Bay (above).

They fly in a 6-plane formation against the bright blue summer sky.

How is this formation possible?  The formations and proximity to each other blow my mind.  I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Look at this awesome drive by (above) where you can see the pilots!

Look how close the 4 planes are to each other. I don't even want them to fly that close. 

When I went onto the Blue Angel website to give you a link, I noticed that they now have videos that you can watch to see 3 views of each special maneuver: inside the cockpit, from the ground and the pilot saying the verbal cues.

You really must go to one of their air shows if you can.  And wear ear plugs, it will be louder than you think.  But you'll love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Honeycomb and Roasted Grapes Make For A Luscious Cheese Tray

Want to know the #1 thing I look for at a farm stand or farmer's market? Honeycomb. A beautiful block of "made by the bees" honeycomb.  A marvel of nature that I don't think gets the admiration it deserves.  The structure is beautiful, the contents delicious and it is made by instinct - fascinating.

I bought one of these clear boxes of honeycomb (above) at the Shadowland Seed booth within the Sara Hardy Farmer's Market in Traverse City.  It was of the highest quality and I served it several times with cheeses and roasted grapes on an appetizer tray.

Roasted grapes, you say?  Yes, a new favorite of mine to keep appetizer hour interesting.  This particular night, I roasted seedless red grapes on the vine. Placed a piece of nonstick aluminum foil on a rimmed cookie sheet, wash and then drape the grape clusters onto the tray, drizzled them with a touch of olive oil and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and roast the grapes at 450 degrees for approx 8-10 min - watching closely.

The grapes were delicious - very lush and sweet; they took on the flavor of a roasted apple, believe it or not.  I did find that "plucking" the roasted grape from the stem often resulted in loosing the inside of the grape - the skin came off but the flesh clung.  

Now I remove most of the grapes from the vine and roast them scattered on a cookie sheet, with just one small clump left on the vine for effect.  That makes the grapes much easier to pick up and eat.  

The next time you are hosting a party, try roasting grapes! Thanksgiving, perhaps?  

A Pastry on Your Time

When I see a pastry like this and know that the baker must have been up late the night before baking them, I have a hard time resisting.  Blueberries were in season and this simple shortbread crust masterpiece had to be mine.  It was made by Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery in Traverse City and sold at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market.

What's funny is that while I took this beautiful photo to show you, I actually ate it "on the fly" over two days.  A bite when I passed by it on the way to do laundry; another bite as I headed back to take a shower.  Then I covered it and put it in the fridge.  The next day it was much of the same.  A bite here and there until it was finished and I enjoyed every bit of it.  

It became like a box of 6 chocolates, that I ate over time. Do you know what I mean?  Sometimes when you each a gorgeous dessert stem-to-stern, you talk and chew and miss how delicious it is.  Every time I took a bite and moved on, I was happy that I had splurged on a blueberry tart.  You don't always need embroidered napkins and monogrammed silver to eat something this beautiful. Enjoy it in a way that works for you. 

I made the immediate gratification of a French pastry last.  That is delight!

Leelanau Peninsula: Idyll Farms: A Lucky Find

There is nothing like stumbling upon a new culinary delight a few hours before you need to bring something to a picnic!

I was finally able to visit the Sara Hardy Farmers Market in Traverse City last Saturday.  Traverse City is becoming quite a mecca for foodies and I knew that I would be able to find the best-of-the-best from local growers and purveyors. 

My favorite find was this simple but delicious combination of fresh lemon curd topped with spreadable goat cheese from Idyll Farms.  Yum!  It has a sweetness from the lemon curd and a cool tang from the goat cheese that was perfect for a picnic.  I simply opened the container and put it on a bamboo plate with nasturtiums and crackers. 

It was a perfect light and fresh start to the annual Bar-B-Cruise picnic held by the Leland Yacht Club.  Every year members decorate their boats in a theme and parade past the judges for points and a chance at winning the Mermaid flag.  At night, 700+ people come together for a casual picnic dinner of ribs, meat, corn on the cob and more meat all cooked on site.  This is summer fun.

Leelanau Peninsula: Perfect Tart Cherry Pie

Michigan produces three quarters of the nations tart cherries and this year we have had a devastating crop loss due to an early freeze.  The bright red cherries in the left side of this photograph are tarts and I bought one of the containers to make a fresh cherry pie.  

I was at the farmer's market in Suttons Bay on Saturday and I spoke to the farmer himself and he jokingly said, "That's most of my crop this year."  To hear him talk of it, broke my heart, but that is the business of farming, if Mother Natures throws a curve ball, the farmers have to cope.

I was glad to support him with a purchase (I bought a carton of the dark sweet cherries too) and the tarts made the best cherry pie ever!  

Fabulous Cherry Pie

2 frozen deep dish pie crusts

4 cups washed and pitted tart cherries

3/4 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons quick tapioca

1 tsp lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open the package of frozen pie crusts and cut the rim off of one of them.  Tip it out of the tin pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the circle of pie crust into long strips with a knife - this will be your lattice.

Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.  Stir well and pour into whole frozen pie shell.  Lay the strips of crust across the pie and arrange into a lattice or basket weave pattern.  Pinch dough strips to edge of pie shell to seal the strip.  Brush crust lattice and rim with a beaten egg.  Sprinkle entire top of pie with a little white sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with creamy vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Traverse City: Iris Farm

Sometimes finding delight is as simple as being ready to experience a moment when it presents itself. 

When we talked about making plans for our weekend up north for Memorial Day, we acknowledged that a lot depended on whether or not "the iris were in bloom."  For 2 weeks a year, this magnificent field is open to the public and the flowering stalks are available for sale.  The weather, temperature and rain all play a factor in the timing, but it is generally in late May.  After our unpredictable Spring, I wasn't sure what the plants would be doing.

My Mom and I visit the iris farm every time my schedule and the iris sync up.  Eureka! It was another banner weekend!  It was 90 degrees (unheard of! Today it is back to 69) and there were 800 colors of German iris in bloom!  We walked up and down the rows with an open basket and scissors (provided when you check in) and we had an absolute field day (sorry, I couldn't resist) choosing which blooms to pick for our bouquet.  Each stalk is $1 and has many blooms each. 

This was one of my favorites and it is called Toasted Watermelon. You can called the farm at (231) 947-9040 to reserve a plant of your own, I believe people commit to buying a plant now and then they are available to customers in the Fall.  What fun!

One of our arrangements!

Dylan's Candy Bar

My first visit to Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City was a thrill.  There were mannequins in candy dresses and enough candy of every variety to fill a multi-level flagship store in Manhattan.  Dylan Lauren, daughter of design mogul Ralph Lauren, expressed her love of candy in a way we had never seen before and succeeded in overwhelming shoppers with vintage treat, playfully over-sized candy and items branded exclusively to Dylan's Candy Bar.  It is a marketing girl's dream come true - color, flavor and nostalgia all rolled into one.  Everyone can afford a little candy, right?  It's genius.

So I was surprised and intrigued when I heard that a Dylan's Candy Bar had opened at the Grand Traverse Resort in northern Michigan.  I knew that Dylan had opened a handful of shops around the country, but to me it seemed unlikely" that a resort in northern Michigan" would be the short list for potential outlets.

But sure enough, I was there and saw it with my own eyes (see above).  There are actually two locations at the resort, a Dylan's Candy Bar and a separate Dylan's Candy Cafe, a place to relax and eat their homemade ice cream.  Red Velvet Cake ice cream, anyone?

To truly enjoy and appreciate Dylan's Candy Bar, you need to visit her flagship location in New York.  What I saw in Michigan was pretty and a source for her branded items (t-shirts, plates, beach towels) - certainly great for souvenirs from a golf vacation, but it doesn't live up to the design aesthetic and wonder of what I saw in New York, not even close.

But considering that Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park (about an hour away) was named one of the country's most beautiful places by Good Morning America, maybe northern Michigan will be a "sweet spot" for new business after all.

Traverse City: The Boathouse on Old Mission Peninsula

Timing was everything on this picture perfect Friday last month.  You should know that a standard comment in Michigan is: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute."  

It is so true!  Just one hour after I took this photo (and just minutes after finishing my lunch) on the open air deck at "The Boathouse," the sky opened up with thunder, lightening and heavy-heavy rain.  I was so happy to have had a picture perfect lunch at this beautiful spot before dining outdoors was out of the question. 

I had heard about The Boathouse restaurant on Old Mission Peninsula many times (people love it!), but since it is about an hour from the cottage I was never way out on the peninsula at lunchtime.  When I finally made it out there, I was able to enjoy a gorgeous apple and beet salad with vanilla vinaigrette and a perfect little margherita pizza.  And all the while, looking at West Grand Traverse Bay. 

If you make it out to Old Mission Peninsula, be sure to have lunch at The Boathouse before you head farther into the peninsula for sightseeing and wine tasting at some of Michigan's most famous wineries.  I know you will just love it!

Moomer's Happy Cows in Traverse City

I mean, really, isn't this the life? How could these cows not be happy?

The masterminds at Moomer's ice cream want you to see just where the milk & cream for their delicious ice cream comes from. This pasture can been seen from the outdoor patio at Moomer's ice cream in Traverse City, Michigan. Neat, eh?

You see, Moomer's runs their very own dairy operation (to which they give tours) right next to the ice cream shop!

This is the sweetest example of farm-to-table agriculture I've ever seen.

P.S. Do you remember when Moomer's won the title "America's Best Ice Cream" from Good Morning America?

Iris Farm

When I mentioned that I had gone to the iris farm someone asked me, "What exactly does that mean?"

The idea of wandering through rows of blooming iris does seem a bit like a fairy tale, doesn't it? Now add in an old barn, perfect weather and a basket overflowing with flowers and it was as if the pages of Mother Goose had been brought to life.

Guests pick up a basket and scissors at the little "iris shop" inside a smaller barn and then are free to wander the farm cutting stalks for a magnificent arrangement. When you are finished, you pay by the stalk and return the supplies. (Tip: Bring a bucket of water in your car to help get these beauties home safely.)

What could me more fun on a perfect June day?

This farm is also where I took the all-white barnyard photograph that I love so much. Love it!

Moomers

Did you have some ice cream over the holiday weekend? I did. As a matter of fact, I had "the best ice cream in America."

Good Morning America searched the country for the most delicious ice cream and announced on Saturday that Moomers (our local ice cream shop & dairy in northern Michigan) had won!

We went for a scoop that night to celebrate and this sweet spot in the middle of the rolling hills of Traverse City was packed. The parking lot was part "ice cream line" and part "ice cream eaters." 

Cars roared by and honked their horns in celebration. It was a wonderful night. 

What flavor do I like? Cherries Moobilee (cherry ice cream with fresh cherries & chocolate brownie swirled in).