Despite having the summer off from work, I have been ALL over the place. I have gone back and forth to Michigan twice (and will be making the trip again in less than a week...thankfully, by plane this time). I must say that I am having a fantastic summer, though.
In between my first Michigan trip and my second, I spent a lot of time rearranging my house, reading outside with my iced coffee or tea, going for walks/runs in the Southern heat, and--of course--catching up on all things Pioneer Woman. Still love her.
After a few weeks of being in the South again, my love and I took a trip UP North. We had an amazing time. He loves the landscape, scenery, food, drinks, weather, and people up there as much as I do. Apart from trying local beers (which we both enjoy doing), he got to meet a few of my friends he hadn't before. We went hiking, fishing, and slept in... a lot. He needed and deserved a break :).
We started in Detroit where we met my family at a Tiger's game (his first pro ball game!). We spent that night and the next day moseying around the D and took in a second Tiger's game. We then headed to the Yoop to visit friends and family there. To finish it off, we ended up in Traverse City. If you've read any of my previous posts from when I lived there last summer, then you know how much I adore TC. My guy loved it just as much as me. We went to my favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant there, the beach, putt-putt golfing (he won), go-karting (I won!), and topped it off with walking around downtown. It was during the Cherry Festival, so we tried all things cherry. The cherry beer and wine at Mackinaw Brewing Co. were particularly delish. My Southern gentleman continues to grow an appreciation for Northern Michigan beauty :).
I discovered our local farmer's market during my Southern break from Northern summer. The produce is WONDERFUL. I like to go early on Tuesday mornings (it takes place on Tuesday's and Saturday's) and pick up my veggies for the week. I like to eat/cook a lot of vegetables, and the farmer's market is less expensive than the grocery store I use. ALSO, everything is grown locally.
I like to collect cook books and have probably around 15 or so. That's nothing compared to my guy's grandma (who is a cooking/baking legend around here), but I like to look through what I have nonetheless :). Having all this time off this summer has really stoked my foodie flame.
As I've been channeling The Pioneer Woman recently, I have been cooking/baking a lot. Cooking has always been an activity that calms me, so being able to do it at a leisurely pace has been wonderful. I love waking up and figuring out how I can combine the ingredients I've picked up from the market into something new. It's always a little pump-up to my confidence when my Southern guy tells me to "definitely save that" recipe, too! Feeding people makes me happy, and it's been awesome to have time to do that :).
Here are a few of the things I've remembered to take pictures of. I cook nearly every day of the week, so obviously this isn't everything I've made!
Blackberry cobbler (Pioneer Woman recipe)
Copy-cat sausage kale Toscana soup with breadsticks (of the Olive Garden variety)
Fresh tomato salad, spicy garlic red snapper, and chili butter corn.
Peach-blackberry walnut muffins.
Spicy stuffed summer squash (alliteration alert!). My guy said to save this one!
Lemon pound cake before the glaze.
Lemon pound cake with lemon-lime glaze. Yum yum! Saysay said to save this one too :).
Well, that's what I've been up to lately. We have a birthday party for my guy's little cousin (pretty much niece) today with some friends, so I need to go pick up a couple of gifts. Soon I'll be back in Michigan for our family camping trip, and then it's back to the sunny South for the start of work! Saysay starts his new job in a couple of weeks, so that will be an adjustment. I'm so excited for him, though. He's worked hard for it :). This summer is flying by, but I am loving every second of it.
Love y'all!
