A Day at Grand Rapid, Michigan

中文：GRAND RAPIDS (MICHIGAN) 一日游

We stayed in Grand Rapids for the weekend.  It is the second biggest city in Michigan.  We have been there before for a couple times but didn’t take time to explore the city.  So we decided to just relax and walk around the city this time. 

We grew more and more found of Grand Rapids.  People here are very nice.  The downtown area is tidy and clean.  It was early spring time.  Tulips and daffodils were sprouting.  Bright sunshine and cozy breeze made it a perfect weekend for us.

It was about lunch time when we drove there.  So we went to Marie Catrib’s for lunch.  It is such a highly recommended deli that I have to try it. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)

Food           ★★★☆☆
Service       ★★★★★
Ambience ★★★★☆

It was easy to find but hard to park.  Parking lot was small and crowded.  We waited for about 40 minutes before our table was ready.

This is the roof top of bakery.  Well, I did have some time to kill. 

Our waiter was really nice.  He recommended us some popular sandwiches and house potatoes.

My Vermaire sandwich is composed with chicken, cranberry sauce, provolone cheese, cream cheese, spinach and Challah bread.

The sandwich was just ok.  Chicken in the middle was really blank and tasteless. 

He ordered the Sweet Potato & Quinoa Burger。

It was also kind of blank.  He didn’t like it. 

Marie’s seasoned potato.  Finally we had something flavorful.  They were hot from the grill board and perfectly cooked.  However, they were too salty for us. 

The food was just ok for us.  But the service was super!  Thumbs up for that!  Restaurant ambience was great. 

We went to Grand Rapids Art Museum after lunch.  Awesome place! And then we drove around the Heritage Hill Historic District area.  It was a nice warm sunny day, so we took a walk in the neighborhood.

 We came across an ice cream shop Furniture City Creamery.  Time for ice cream! O(∩_∩)O~ 

(The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)

Food ★★☆☆☆
Service ★★★★☆
Ambience ★★★☆☆

We had a chocolate flavor and an Ethiopian coffee flavor.

Chocolate 

Ethiopian coffee

I used to make ice cream the same way.  Grind the coffee beans supper fine and add to ice cream batter.  You can taste the coffee grounds.

We didn’t like the ice cream here.  They were are creamy and smooth enough.  They tasted more like sorbet than ice cream.  And the flavor was also kind of blend.  Nothing popped out other than the sweetness.

We drove back to downtown for coffees.  There is a coffee shop called Madcap that I wanted to try. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)

Coffee ★★★★★
Service ★★★★★
Ambience ★★★★½

I ordered a latte.

This was the best latte I had ever had so far.  It was creamy, smooth, and had bold coffee flavor.  

He ordered a cappuccino.  It was great too.  The service here was also awesome!  Our barista was very cute and nice.  

We were planning to have dinner at the Winchester, but neither of us was hungry.  So we skipped dinner and went to Founder Brewing Co for local beers. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)

Beer ★★★★★
Food ★★★☆☆
Service ★★★☆☆
Ambience ★★★☆☆

The bar was so huge!  It might be the biggest bar I had even seen.  It was very crowded and people kept coming.  Wow!

There was live band playing.

I had a Pale Ale.  It was perfect.  

He ordered a Red Eye IPA and loved it too. 

A Reuben Sandwich and chips

They were just ok.  Anyway we were here for the beers, not food. 

We drove Holland nearby the next day.  It was Sunday and most stores and restaurants in downtown were closed.  So we stopped by Lemonjello’s for coffee. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)

Coffee ★★★½☆
Service ★★★½☆
Ambience  ★★★☆☆

We ordered two lattes. 

It was pretty good.  The latte we had at Madcap was so good that any latte I have after that doesn’t not good enough.  

A Day at Frankenmuth (Michigan)

中文： 密西根的德国小镇FRANKENMUTH 的吃吃喝喝

Frankenmuth is a Bavarian town located in central Michigan.  There are all kinds of cute little street front shops that sell everything from popcorn to chocolate, from jewelry to herbs.  With festivities year around, it is a nice place to take a tour or spend a relaxing weekend with family and friends.

However, the streets can be super crowded with people when a certain festival is going on.  We always prefer to go there between holidays and festivals, so that we can really relax and enjoy the historical culture and beauty there.

Shortly after we arrived, it became windy and cloudy last weekend.  So I took most pictures indoor. 

Everywhere you look, you can see local beers and wines. 

Desserts are amazing here.  

Pecan cinnamon rolls.  The rolls may have been sitting on the countertop for too long that they are kind of tough to chew. 

This is one of the famous chicken dinner restaurants. It becomes a landmark for Frankenmuth. 

The bakery is also a must see. 

Aren't they pretty?

A lady was preparing funnel cake.  With her permission, I took a couple pictures. 

After deep frying, sprinkle them with powder sugar. 

You don’t know that Michigan is famous for its cherries?  Alright, let’s remind you that by adding cherry to coffee!

All kinds of local fruit jams

Local wines

Window shopping is also fun here!

It was Easter last weekend, so there were a lot of eggs and bunnies. 

Isn’t he adorable?

To me, Frankenmuth equals sweet candy heaven! 

The sesame crunch is our favorite.  They are so crunchy, sweet and loaded with toasted sesame.  

Pop corns come in all kinds of colors too. 

Fruit jams are popular here too. 

Live show about how to make fudge.  

Chocolate with caramel samples

Interesting candy machine

Another our favorite

Ok, it was dinner time.  We went to a local brewery by the river.  

They offered beer tour too.  I double checked with the tour guide that taking pictures was ok. 

That is how beers are made. 

Storage room was smaller than I thought. 

Time to enjoy the beers

We were not sure which one to order so we ordered a sampler set. 

They were so beautiful that I couldn’t help taking a bunch photos. 

Cheers!

He ordered a Philly steak sandwich.

It was very good.  The steak was thin and juicy.  Flavor was awesome.  However, it was a little bit too salty for our taste.

The potato fries were awesome.  They were hot; crunchy and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. 

My Reuben sandwich is great too.  The corned beef was very tender and juicy.  

We switched with each other with half of our sandwiches. 

The Cheese Hut is also a must see little store.  You will find a lot of interesting things here. 

Cheese samples

The clouds began to clear up.  Time to go home!

Latte Coffee 2

中文： 拿铁咖啡

Both my husband and I like to enjoy a cup of good coffee from time to time.  Sometimes we go to local coffee shops, and sometimes I make the coffee for us.  They may not be as good as the ones in store, but we have so much fun making and drinking them together. O(∩_∩)O~

Latte coffee is one portion of espresso, one portion of steamed milk plus another portion of frothed milk.  You can make them look good by pouring frothed milk into espresso or by creating artistic patterns with chocolate sauce or caramel sauce.  Both of them are available in store, but I like to make my own from scratch. 

For chocolate sauce:

1 single shot espresso
1 to 2 tablespoon sugar
coco powder

Make one single shot espresso (I use this machine from AMAZON); stir in sugar and coco powder when it is still hot.  Set aside to cool down.  I didn’t write down how much coco powder is needed here because espresso shots are different from machine to machine.  Just keep stirring in coco powder until the espresso thickens like syrup. 

My favorite coffee is latte with caramel sauce on top.

For caramel sauce：

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons butter

Directions：

Combine brown sugar and water in a pot; heat over medium heat.  Stir from time to time.  I add water to make sugar melt fast and evenly.  After all the water evaporates, the syrup will turn amber color.  Add butter.  When butter hits hot syrup, it may splatter.  Be careful not to burn yourself.

After the butter melts into syrup, keep cooking for another couple minutes until the syrup becomes dark amber color.  Add heavy cream while stirring.  It is going to splatter more vigorously, so please be extra careful.

Cook caramel sauce for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  When it cools down, you can bottle the syrup.  It is good to go onto coffee, ice cream, cake, cookies or any dessert of your choice.

As for me, I like to top my latte coffee with caramel sauce.  It is indeed heavenly. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

中文： 鸡汤小面

The chicken noodle soup I am talking about is most likely completely different from what you are thinking about.  Our chicken noodle soup is made with long thin noodle, chicken stock, and a variety of toppings and seasonings.  What is in common with American chicken noodle soup is that it is also our comfort food.

I use egg and water to make noodle dough which can make noodle more elastic and al dente.

Ingredients for noodle dough：

1 cup of bread flour
1/4 cup liquid: half egg + half water
a pinch of salt

Seasonings and toppings：

Chicken stock (either homemade or store bought one is fine)
Sichuan style pickled vegetable (available in Asian grocery store)
Sichuan style chili sauce (also available in Asian grocery store but I prefer to use homemade one )
smashed garlic
Sichuan peppercorn oil (available in Asian grocery store)
sesame oil
soy sauce
sugar
salt
chopped green onion
chopped cilantro
fried soy beans
dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Directions:

Combine flour, salt, water and egg in a medium bowl, knead until a smooth dough forms.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least an hour.

Run the dough through kitchen aid （AMAZON link) pasta roller (AMAZON link) several times. 

Set the thickness to 4 and run the dough for one last time.

While making the noodle dough, heat a large pot with water over high heat.  bring it to boil.

Use the pasta cutter to make long thin noodle.

Tadah! Freshly homemade noodle!

Spread them out a little bit.  

Cook the noodle in boiling water for about 40 to 50 seconds, drain well and place the noodle into soup bowls.  Add chicken stock, pickled vegetable, chili sauce, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt; and then top with green onion, cilantro, soy beans and peanuts.

Isn't it beautiful?

Time to enjoy! O(∩_∩)O~

Blueberry yogurt

中文： 蓝莓果酱酸奶

The best yogurt goes to…tadah…my homemade blueberry yogurt!  I literally can’t get enough of them.  With a yogurt maker, I make seven or eight jar of yogurt at a time.  They are always gone in three days.  So I make yogurt and blueberry jam/sauce twice a week. 

Ingredients:

1 quart organic / regular whole milk (4 cups)
 1 small box of plain greek yogurt （5.3 oz, 150 g per box）

Notes:

I have tried both organic and regular whole milk.  The difference between them is not quite noticeable.  However, the yogurt made with whole milk tastes so much better than the one made with non-fat milk.  Please do use whole milk if you want your yogurt taste good.

Remember to read the ingredients list on the package before you buy any plain yogurt as starter.  It must contain live culture to make it work.

I don’t like to use homemade plain yogurt as starter to make another batch yogurt because the live culture will get weaker.  I always buy Meijer store brand or fage greek yogurt as starter.  

Directions:

Microwave the milk on high until it boils.  It might take 6 to 8 minutes give or take depending on the microwave oven. 

When the milk cools down, remove the milk skin on top.

Empty the plain greek yogurt to a large clean bowl; whisk until it becomes smooth and runny.  

Gradually add milk while whisking.

Distribute evenly into the glass jars that come with yogurt maker.  Or you can use any small glass jars as long as they can fit in the yogurt maker. 

Cover with lids and place them in the yogurt maker.  Turn it on.  In 5 to 7 hours, transfer them to refrigerator to settle down overnight.  You will have 7 jars of tasty plain yogurt the next day.

Leave them in the yogurt maker (buy from AMAZON) longer if you prefer firmer yogurt texture. 

I like to top it with homemade blueberry sauce.  It is way better than any blueberry yogurt I can find in the store, O(∩_∩)O~

I make one jar at a time. My husband and I were quite busy during summer time.  We camped, we hiked, we biked, and we went to farms to handpick blueberries and cherries and freeze them for later use.  I guess that is what makes it taste so good.  The secret ingredient is indeed love! 

For blueberry sauce：

3 cups frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 to 2/3 cup packed brown sugar (use more if prefer sweeter taste)

Place blueberries, lemon juice and brown sugar in a pot.  Heat over medium heat until it thickens.  Stir occasionally to prevent burning at the bottom.  Blend with a food processor (Buy from AMAZON) or hand blender (Buy from AMAZON) to make it smooth sauce. You can skip it if you prefer chunky blueberry sauce. 

When it cools down, cover with a lid and store in the refrigerator. 

How wonderful is this！O(∩_∩)O~ 

Sometimes I make yogurt in these cute pudding jars.  My sister sent them to me last year.  I just love them!

I can fit 8 of them in the yogurt maker at a time. 

You can also stir the yogurt and blueberry sauce together and then use a straw to enjoy them. O(∩_∩)O~