Monster Cookies

 

I know, they don't look like much.   But a couple years ago, I won a gift basket in a raffle and it included something called "Monster Cookies" and they were so delicious, I had to figure out how to make them. At the time, I was regularly baking for an assortment of carpenters, plumbers and electricians that were working on my house, so I was always looking for something new to try.   I made a batch of these and presented them to the 2 young electricians that were installing the ceiling fan in my craft room.   One of them said "I can't have them, I'm gluten free!" and I was thrilled to tell him that these cookies are, indeed, gluten free.   Not that they are healthy, or anything.   

Monster Cookies 

1/2 c butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1 c brown sugar
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 t honey
1 t vanilla
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 eggs
1 c mini M&M's
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
4 1/2 c old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, corn syrup, vanilla, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl till very creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix well.

Stir in M&M's, chocolate chips, and oats till well combined. (Dough will be fairly sticky.) Form tablespoons of dough into balls and place them onto silicone lined or greased cookie sheets. Flatten cookie dough balls with the palm of your hand.

Bake at 350° for 9-10 minutes.

Sweet Corn Memories

 

Since I have moved to the Keweenaw, I have really missed some great produce you just can't get up here.   For example, there really isn't local cantaloupe and watermelon.  I had to buy canning peaches when I was downstate in Traverse City last weekend.   And the sweet corn at the farmer's market has been a big disappointment.    I did find some great sweet corn for sale at the gas station at the Indian reservation in Baraga from Johnson Farms.  I bought a dozen ears and we ate some, and I made corn relish with the rest. 

It was 92 degrees today, and too hot to can anything, but I needed to get it done so I got going.   First, I made some hot pepper jelly with the bumper crop of peppers I have growing in my Earthbox which I have had for about 20 years.   I grow tomatoes and peppers in them, and they work great!  Then I set about to make the corn.   Whenever I shuck corn, it takes me back to the St. Sylvester's Usher's Club picnic when I was a kid.  My dad was president of the Ushers Club, and we'd head out early to the K of C picnic grounds early in the morning to help get ready for it.  I can remember thinking it was so far away and up north, but it was actually only on 21 Mile.  Back then, Shelby Twp. was considered "the sticks".    We'd go up early and Mr. Jakubowski used to make up a bunch of bacon and scrambled eggs for us to eat and a big pot of coffee.    We kids would be put to work shucking corn for the corn roast.   

When the picnic started, they'd roll out the barrel and the bar would be open.   To eat, we'd have hot dogs, corn, and a grilled sausage that was called "Polacki" that was a cross between kielbasa and a hot dog and was served with kraut and onion and mustard.   I remember thinking Polacki was a funny name because it sounded like "Pollack" which was a derogatory name people called us Polish people in Warren.   There was always a Moon Walk that we kids could jump in all day long, plus contests like the 3 legged race and and a sack race, plus there was a treasure hunt where tons of pennies were buried in sawdust.  The picnic lasted well into the night, when the "Wheelbarrow of Cheer" raffle winner was announced.   I don't think I've ever seen a Wheelbarrow of Cheer since I left Warren - it's a wheelbarrow full of booze.   

The picnic was always around the end of August, close to my mother's birthday on Aug. 26.  The weather was always super hot.  That made the water balloon toss a welcome respite.  I can remember the scandal when a woman names Sue Earl tried to sign up to be an usher at church.   The usher's club took a vote and decided against letting her do it, she could join the altar society instead.   None of this women's libber stuff for St. Sylvester!   Back in those days, we had a Catholic church on every corner in Warren, but that eventually dwindled.  St. Sylvester merged with St. Edmund,  in June 2013 on the St. Edmund site, and became St. Faustina.  A good Polish saint!  I wonder if they have a picnic and a wheelbarrow of cheer and some polacki? 

English Muffins

This year, I entered many contests at the Houghton County Fair.  It was a lot of fun to do!   I entered 21 things and won 7 blue ribbons: food preparation: English muffin (only entry so that was an easy win!), food preservation: Dill Pickles, Salsa and Floriculture: dahlia (only one entered), succulent, dracaena, terrarium.  I had never made English muffins before, and I have to say they were kind of a pain to make, but they came out so good.  I probably will make them again, so I want to remember how I did it.  I found a recipe on the King Arthur website, but it was fraught with errors. 

Here's how I actually made the recipe.  I used the electric griddle that Jane bought me for Christmas years ago to make pancakes for all the grandchildren she thinks her brother will give us!

English Muffins

1 3/4 cups (397g) milk, lukewarm
3 tablespoons (43g) butter, softened
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, to taste
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 1/2 cups (540g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
corn meal for sprinkling the griddle

Weigh your flour;  Combine all of the ingredients (except the cornmeal) in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the dough using the flat beater paddle until it starts coming away from the sides of the bowl, and is satin-smooth and shiny; this will take about 5 minutes at medium-high speed. When you lift up the beater, the dough will be very stretchy. 

Scrape the dough into a rough ball, and cover the bowl. Let the dough rise until it's nice and puffy; this will take 1 to 2 hours or so.  Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten the balls until they're about 3" to 3 1/2" in diameter.  Place on a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal.  Cover both sides with corn meal.  Let them rest for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, h eat electric griddle to 350F, and then sprinkle it heavily with corn meal.

Cook the muffins about 5 minutes per side, until their crust is golden brown, and their interior is cooked through. When done, the center of a muffin should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. 

Visiting Isle Royale

 

This past week, Andy and I finally visited Isle Royale after all these years of wanting to get there.  When we were in college, we had plenty of time to do it, but no money.  After we graduated, we had the funds but were short on time.   Now that we are retired, we were finally able to do it!

Getting there:

Isle Royale is the least visited national park, and rightly so.   It's difficult to get there!  You can get there by seaplane or boat from the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan or Grand Marais, Minnesota.  None are cheap!  We took the seaplane, which is the easiest and quickest way (40 minutes) to get there, but also the most expensive.  ($360 per person, round trip).  You have to pay to park and the sea plane base is in Ripley.   Round trip on the Isle Royale Queen and the Ranger is $120, so really there's no way to get their cheap.  It takes 6 hours to get to IR from Houghton on the Ranger.  I'd recommend the Queen out of Copper Harbor, it costs the same and is only 3 hours, but some call it the "barf barge". You do have to pay to park, though.  On the plane, you are limited to 45 lbs of luggage, per person, and it has to be soft sided things.  No metal frame backpacks, no suitcases, no coolers.  Your luggage gets stowed in the boats floats.   You also have to declare your weight accurately as they have to manage how much on the plane.  They originally said no liquids were allowed on the plane, but when we got there, we found out we could have brought any booze <80 proof.  I wish we would have brought more food and some wine!   My stuff was only 18 lbs.  I bought this backpack and stored all my clothes in it.  I bought it because it could hold my hiking sticks, which are a must for IR.  You also have to buy a park pass: the best deal was the annual pass for up to 4 people for $60. 

Accommodations:

We stayed at the Rock Harbor Lodge, because Andy has a CPAP and we need electricity.   The other option is the housekeeping cabins.  Both are extremely hard to book.  The hotel needs to be booked the first business day of the calendar year for the season.  I got up bright and early on Jan. 2, 2023 to book in August this year.  August is the best time to go to IR because the bugs are really bad in June and July. After you get your accommodations nailed down, secure your travel because it books up fast. The housekeeping cabins are secured a year in advance and get booked up super early.  I haven't been able to figure out how to book them online, their website sucks.  I think you have to call.  For example, if I wanted to book next year, I'd have to call on Aug. 20 2023 to get Aug. 20, 2024.  I think you'd have to do it every day to get multiple nights.  I have friends that book the same weekend every year in the housekeeping cabins, and they do it while they are on the island for every day the following year.   Aramark runs the hotel and the restaurant for NPS.  The hotel has great views and a deck that overlooks the lake, but the walls are paper thin and you will hear everything in your neighbor's room. We somehow got put in an ADA accessible room with a double bed, so we didn't have a screen door like the other rooms, which are nice so you get a good cross breeze.   The rooms do not have coffee makers or refrigerators, but you can get ice.   They do not clean the rooms while you are there.  Our room didn't have kleenex in the dispenser.  My friends room didn't have soap!   The rooms, at the minimum, are over $300 a night.  I think they struggle with getting employees.   Lots of international students working there, like the Chinese young lady at the camp store.   She couldn't wait until September so she could get off the island.   She was looking forward to visiting the US for the first time and didn't realize how remote this location is.  There's also lots of older single men that I think like to work there so they can go fishing all summer.   If you are interested in 70+ year old men, there's plenty!  I need to tell my friend that is on the market for a new love....

A note on camping on IR:  the campsites are all rustic and you need to backpack to them.  Don't even think of doing this unless you are a very experienced hiker in good shape.   The terrain is rough and rocky.   I saw many out of shape, miserable hikers on the trails. There is no running water and you need to bring your own toilet paper to use in the outhouse.  In August, campsites are all crowded. You will have people asking to share your site, especially the ones close to Rock Harbor.  Bring all your food with you because the camp meals sold at the camp store are very expensive.

We had to take our meals at the restaurant, which wasn't good.  Skip the more expensive upscale side and just choose the cafe.   The coffee is not good, and they don't have half and half. They are serviced out of the same kitchen.  Both have beer and wine, be prepared for sticker shock! That pint of Keweenaw Brewing beer you buy in Houghton for $3.50 costs $7.50 in the restaurant.  The wine is $30 per bottle for the same quality as Two Buck Chuck at TJs.   A woman asked me how the wine was, and I described it as "serviceable", and we both laughed. The wine and beer selection is a bit bigger at the camp store, and better priced.  There are grills in the harbor, but no charcoal.  So bring your own charcoal!  The camp store also sells hotdogs, and brats but no buns.  I did hear from the 70+ year old camp store cashier/fisherman that last year, the Queen broke down and couldn't run for the last few weeks, so they ran out of booze and it was really rough.  Don't let this happen to you: Bring your own!  

Weather:

We flew to IR on Monday and left on a Friday.     We had windy and rainy weather on Tues/Wed/Thur and so the water taxis, tour boat and kayak/canoe/power boat rentals didn't go.   There's only 2 trails that are 5 miles or less out of Rock Harbor to hike, so without the boats you are pretty limited.  We hiked those trails a few times, otherwise, there's not much to do.  We bought a deck of cards and played cribbage.  Luckily, I had a book to read.   Note that the Ranger/Queen/Seaplanes don't go if there is foul weather as well.   So the good news, if you are staying in the hotel, they can sometimes extend your stay a day because if the boats don't go, guests don't arrive.   However, if you aren't a hotel guest, you're stuck with camping in wind and rain.  If it is really bad, NPS will find you a place to stay indoors somewhere so you don't get hypothermic, but it won't be comfortable.    It was relatively warm for us, I just wore long pants and a jacket in the evenings.  All the planes were canceled on Thursday morning but they caught back up by Friday when we left. 

There were lots of older folk staying in the lodge with absolutely nothing to do.  There really aren't any easy hikes for seniors unsteady on their feet or families with young children.   There's no place to swim. There were surprisingly few programs - I was expecting a lot more.  There's no TV, and very, very limited internet only available to hotel guests and no streaming or downloading files or anything.   Next time I go, it will be 3 days max.  That way, if the weather is bad,  it's not a complete loss.  We were hoping to do a lot more hiking by water taxiing to different parts of the island, but we couldn't do that this time.  So we spent our days reading, playing cards and just relaxing, plus hiking and re-hiking the same two trails out of the harbor.  It was nice to unplug for a while, but I am the kind of person that likes to do things on vacation.   Next time, we might just bring our own sea kayaks, then we aren't at the whim of the NPS, which has to plan on the lowest common denominator.  We would have had no trouble kayaking on Tuesday or Thursday.  By the time our week was over,   I was ready to go on Friday!  

The bottom line: 

• Plan at least a year ahead of time
• Seaplane is worth the extra money
• Bring your own boat if you can: more freedom!
• Bring lots as much food and <80 proof alcohol as you can. You can get ice and bring a insulated cooler bag to store stuff in.  We brought sandwiches from the Keweenaw Co-op to eat on the first day and that was the best meal we had on IR
• Bring a pair of sandals or crocks to wear in the evening.  After hiking all day, you don't want to wear hiking boots to relax.
• Bring 2 bottles of water while hiking
• 3 days max in case the weather is bad
• Bring games and books in case weather is bad

Jacobson's Recipes

The Dearborn Store

I got a little nostalgic about Jacobson's the other day. Jacobson's was a Michigan based department store that went bankrupt in the early 2000s.    When I was a new engineer at Ford and working and living in Dearborn, my hair salon was in the Dearborn store right on Michigan Ave.  When we first got married, we were living there.   I got my hair done there for my wedding by a very talented young man that they kept on staff there that only did wedding hair.   He asked me how I wanted it done, and I admitted I had no idea.  He grasped my hair in his hands and held it up and declared, "Two words.  Steel Magnolias!!" and then flounced back to the stylist's break room. On that Saturday, he arrived after my own stylist set my hair and combed me out and he welded it into place with a lot of bobby pins and hairspray.   I still can remember my brother saying to me, "Your hair looks great!  You should wear it like this every day!" and I replied that it took 3 hours to get it this way, no thanks! I had already had my nails done there earlier in the week.  It was the one and only time in my life that I have ever had my nails done.  Jacobson's also had an aesthetician that put on my makeup.   I had a favorite pink Clinique lipstick I had her use.   Wish I could remember the name of the color!  We young gals all loved Clinique in those days, circa 1992. 

  

Two words: Steel Magnolias

The Dearborn Jacobson's had a restaurant there called "Top of the Fountain" where ladies would lunch. Department stores often had these places where the shopping crowd could rest and take in a light lunch and tea, or perhaps a dessert.  For example. check out what I wrote about the famous Maurice Salad that was served at Hudson's.   West Dearborn was a very preppy, affluent area and we had all sorts of fancy shopping, including a Pendleton store and Crowley's and, of course, "Jake's", as we used to call it. 

The Dearborn store closed in 1997.   By that time, I had moved to Ann Arbor and we had our own Jacobson's in Briarwood Mall.  Before that,  I can remember the original store when it was in downtown Ann Arbor, which became eventually became Borders after they moved off State Street.  Now, I think it's largely office space and restaurants.  I think the A2 store folded in 2002, but before it did, I used to shop there for wedding and shower gifts because they would gift wrap them with their signature red ribbon and silver box and ship for free.  So classy!   When I was going to Michigan for my MBA, I can remember standing in line behind this very famous professor at the B-school,  and his very young looking attractive ladyfriend and/or trophy wife.   It was Christmas time, and there were 3 decorated trees full of lovely ornaments for sale next to the cash register area, probably placed there to stimulate an impulse buy.  The beautiful blond patted her old man on his arm and declared "Let's get this for the house!" and the cashier asked which ornament she would like, and she replied "I want all three of these trees for our foyer!".  And just like that, the cashier replied, "Absolutely! What is your address?   We will put this on your account".  That's the kind of store Jacobson's was.   Great customer service!

I got a book out of the library about its history, and it included several recipes from their store restaurants, so I wanted to share them.   I can remember enjoying the garden sandwich and the quiche.   What was your favorite? 

JACOBSON'S CASHEW CHICKEN SALAD

1 pound cooked chicken 
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped green onion 
2 tablespoons raisins 
1/4 cup cashew pieces

Dressing

2 tablespoons mango chutney
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Combine chicken, celery, chopped green onion, raisins and cashews. Purée mango chutney and add to mayonnaise. Season with curry powder. Combine with chicken mixture and allow to cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

JACOBSON'S CHEESE SOUP

1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 stick butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour 
6 c water
6 teaspoons chicken base
1 pound American cheese, cut in cubes
1/2 cup half and half, warmed
Cayenne pepper to taste

Sauté carrot, celery and white pepper in 1/4 stick of butter in a frying pan. Remove carrot and celery and set aside. Melt 3/4 stick of butter. Over heat, whisk flour into butter to form a roux. Set aside.

Boil water in a large stock pot. Add chicken base and sautéed vegetables. Bring to a boil; simmer for 10 minutes. Slowly add cheese cubes, whisking until melted. When cheese is melted, whisk in roux in small batches, adding slowly to avoid lumps. Allow soup to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and add heated half and half. Season with cayenne pepper, if desired. Makes about four servings.

JACOBSON'S MING DYNASTY CASSEROLE

1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
1 can chow mein noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup diced celery
I can chunk-style tuna, drained 

1/4 pound cashew pieces
1/4 cup onion, minced 

Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, holding 1/4 cup noodles for the top. Spoon into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle reserved noodles over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

JACOBSON'S HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP

1/4 pound butter
4 medium onions, sliced thinly
2 1/2 pounds fresh white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoon dill weed 
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
4 mushroom bouillon cubes
12 cups water
3/4 cup warm water 

1/2 cup flour
1 12-ounce container sour cream, thinned with milk

Melt butter in the bottom of a large stockpot. Add onions, mushrooms, th weed and paprika. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Dissolve mushroom bullion in water and add to sautéed mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Mix warm water and flour into a thin paste. Return soup to a boil, add flour paste in a thin stream and simmer for 10 to 15 miles until thickened. Remove from heat. Temper sour cream and milk mixture by slowly adding a ladle of soup to the cream. Slowly mix sour cream into the soup and serve. Do not boil when reheating.

JACOBSON'S GARDEN SANDWICH

2 green onions
4 medium-size fresh white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
I small package frozen spinach, thawed and chopped 
Lemon juice and pepper to taste
4 slices each medium cheddar cheese, provolone and Swiss 
8 slices light rye bread

Lightly sauté onions and mushrooms in butter. Add thawed spinach and heat through. Season with lemon juice and pepper. Assemble sandwiches starting with provolone and cheddar cheeses. Spread a layer of spinach mixture of top of cheese and top with Swiss. Grill sandwiches as for grilled cheese or heat in sandwich press.

JACOBSON'S QUICHE LORRAINE

6 large eggs
½ cup half and half, mixed with 1/2 cup 2 percent milk
1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 cup shredded Swiss (Emmental) cheese
1 large pie shell
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
Paprika
Nutmeg

Beat eggs slightly. Add half and half and milk and beat again. Place shredded cheese into pie shell. Add basil to eggs and milk and pour over cheese in the pie shell. Dust the top of the pie shell with paprika and nutmeg. Place quiche on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Quiche is done when a knife poked into the center comes out clean.Let cool for 10 minutes and cut into 8 slices.

JACOBSON'S FISHERMAN'S SALAD

Salad Mixture

3/4 pound deli imitation crab sticks, shredded (or use cooked lump crabmeat)
½ cup diced celery

½ cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds 

1/4 teaspoon dill weed

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1½ teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk all items together and cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour

Assembly

4 large leaves head lettuce, shredded into 1/4-inch shreds
2 vine tomatoes, quartered into wedges 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered into wedges
12 pitted Kalamata olives

Combine crab sticks, celery, onion, almonds and dill weed with dressing, reserving some dressing for final presentation.

Line bowls with lettuce strips. Place a scoop of seafood mixture on lettuce in each bowl.Place a tomato wedge at 12 and 6 o'clock near the rim of the bowl. Place an egg wedge at 3 and 9 o'clock near the rim of the bowl. Place 3 olives on top center of salad scoop to decorate. Serve with additional dressing on the side.

Strawberry Chiffon Pie

As usual this time of year, I am up to my eyeballs in delicious Copper County Strawberries.   I prefer  to get my berries from Crane Berry Farm in Chassell.  They are the best.    Jane is up visiting, and she requested a strawberry pie.  I had recently checked out Kate Lebo's Pie School cookbook from the library and came upon her recipe for strawberry chiffon pie that she said was inspired by the strawberry chiffon pie recipe in Farm Journal's Complete Pie Cookbook, which is one I don't have in my arsenal of Farm Journal cookbooks.   I need to write a blog post about my FJ collection.   This pie came out fantastic!  I decided to try a new tip I read about using instant pudding to stabilize whip cream, and it really works  I just looked at the piece of pie I still have left that I made days ago and the cream is still perky!

I took this pie to our friends Steve and Lisa's beautiful place in Eagle River for the 4th of July, and it was a hit.  We got some rain later in the day on the 4th up north, but I understand it was a big storm in Houghton/Hancock.   From the looks of the water on our deck here just north of McLain, it was pretty heavy here as well.  

Vanilla Cookie Crumb Crust

2 c. crushed vanilla wafer crumbs
pinch of salt
6 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pulse cookies in food processor until fine - it was almost a whole box of mini Nilla wafers. In a medium bowl, melt 6 T. butter in the microwave.   Add crumbs and and salt and mix with a fork to combine.  Press into a 9 inch pie plate.   Bake for 10 minutes until it is slightly fragrant.   Allow to cool before filling 

Filling

2 cups (1 pint) fresh strawberries, trimmed and quartered
3⁄4 cup sugar, divided
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1⁄4 cup cold water
1⁄2 cup hot water
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup chilled heavy cream
2 egg whites

In a medium bowl, crush the strawberries with your hands or a fork.  Mix the berries with 1⁄2 cup of the sugar and let them sit for 30 minutes.  Pour the gelatin into a small bowl, pour the cold water over it, and stir to soften it.  Then stir it into the hot water until dissolved. Add the gelatin to the crushed berries, along with the lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate the mixture. Briefly stir the mixture every 5 minutes while chilling to catch it at just the right setting stage—the mixture will lump softly when you drop it from the spoon back into the bowl.  This takes about a half hour.

Beat the chilled cream on high until it forms stiff  peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture.  Whip the egg whites with an electric beater on high until they hold soft peaks, then gradually add the remaining 1⁄4 cup sugar as you beat the whites into stiff , glossy peaks. Fold the meringue into the strawberry mixture.

Pour the filling into the crust and smooth it into a mound with a spatula or spoon. Chill until completely set, about 2 to 3 hours. 

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1/2 T. instant vanilla pudding mix

1 t. powdered sugar

1/2 c. heavy cream 

A pinch of kosher salt

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

Whip cream with sugar and pudding mix until it forms stiff peaks.  Stir in salt and vanilla.  

To garnish the pie, I used a Wilton  2D tip and then used some sliced strawberries. 

Serve chilled. Store leftovers covered in the fridge.  I like to use my vintage tupperware pie carrier, mine looks like this:

If you want to buy one, this seller on etsy has it.  It's a great way to bring pie with you to a potluck!  I need to make more pies.  I think this is the first one I have made this whole year.   

Rhubarb Meringue Squares

 

I was reading a blog I like called The Culinary Cellar and the author often posts recipes from the once wonderful, but now defunct Cuisine magazine.   This one featured a recipe called "Laura's Strawberry Rhubarb Bars" and I liked the idea of meringue with rhubarb.   I'm a rhubarb purist, however, and prefer to keep strawberries far away from it.   We are still at least a month off from strawberry season up here, anyway.   I wanted to make something from my fantastic giant rhubarb plant growing in my yard.   So I decided to try my hand at making something like this with just rhubarb.  

Rhubarb Meringue Squares

1/2 c butter  softened

1 c all-purpose flour

1 T sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 c sugar

2 T all-purpose flour

1/4 t salt

1/2 c half-and-half

2 1/2 c cut-up rhubarb

1/3 c sugar

1 t vanilla

1/4 c flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix butter, 1 cup flour and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press evenly in ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 inches. Bake 10 minutes.

Mix egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, the salt and half-and-half in large bowl. Stir in rhubarb. Pour over hot crust. Bake 45 minutes.

Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy . Beat in vanilla. Spread over rhubarb mixture; sprinkle with coconut. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown; cool about 30 minutes. Cut into about 4-inch squares.

Garden 2023

 Wow!  It's been a long time since I blogged!  Time to get back to it.   I'm trying to figure out what is coming back up.   So glad I drew a map of the perennials I planted:

Let's we what is coming up!

What to do in the Keweenaw - Winter Edition

 

I often get asked about what to do in the Keweenaw in winter.   Here's some of my favorite things to do:

Eat a pasty

In Houghton, my favorite is Suomi Restaurant...It's on Huron St. They do have lots of Finnish specialties like Pannukakku, which is like a baked custard and comes with a thimbleberry sauce. Thimbleberries are like raspberries, and they are a Keweenaw specialty. They also make a great pasty - better than any of the tourist traps on US 2 just over the bridge. By the way, pasty rhymes with "nasty", it is not pronounced "PAH-sty" as is sometimes suggested. If you pronounce it that way, I can guarantee the locals will think you are troll (Yooper slang for a downstater - i.e. someone that lives "under the bridge") trying to fake a Yooper accent. By the way, don't call it a "paste" y, because that's something strippers wear. I like pasties with gravy or mustard, but most locals like them with ketchup on them.

Also, great pasties can be had (and cookies) at Amy J's Pasties in Hancock.  

Eat a pickled egg

Pickled eggs are a Yooper bar snack!  Spicy - I like mine with tabasco and plenty of jalapenos.  Here's the 2 best places:

B&B Bar - it's on M26 as you are slightly west of downtown toward Walmart. It used to be a total dive bar but it has gentrified in recent times.   Take in the hockey history!

Douglass House Saloon, aka the Dog House or just "The Dog".   It's right on the main drag.  When I was a college student, it was the place where MTU students hang out.  They now hang at the Downtowner, which has its own charms.   I like the Dog's pickled eggs, and they also have popcorn, which is awesome.  

Favorite Downtown Houghton spots for a drink

I also love the submarine sandwiches and the fishbowl cocktails at the Ambassador, which is slightly up the street from the Downtowner. The fishbowl drinks are served in brandy snifters - my favorite is the Quaalude. Be careful - they sneak up on you!

Have a beer at KBC or Keweenaw Brewing Company. They don't have food, just beer and peanuts in the shell, but it is good beer.  My favorite is the Red Ridge.

Go Copper Country Cruising

CC Cruising is what MTU students call hopping in your car and driving north to Copper Harbor, and stopping on the way.

As you get toward Copper Harbor, I like Fitzgerald's in Eagle Harbor. You can dine overlooking Lake Superior. (reservations a must)

In Copper Harbor, visit the Brickside Brewery, the northernmost microbrewery in Michigan. Eat at the Mariner North

Have a drink at the log bar at Mt. Bohemia. or ski if you are really good.

If you want to do some really outdoorsy stuff, rent skis or snowshoes from Keweenaw Adventure. 

Check out the snow thermometer near Mohawk (pictured above).   Good food at the Glacia Tavern   

Waterfalls

Hungarian Falls - there's a bit of a hike, but fun!  Snowshoes helpful

Jacob's Falls - Eagle River

Eagle River Falls 

Inside activities

Visit the A.E. Seaman Mineralogical Museum

Go to the Gay Bar. No, it's not what you are thinking - the Gay Bar is in Gay, Michigan, which is on the east side of the Keweenaw. When I was a college student in the 80s, you could regularly see the guy that played Jethro Bodine on the Beverly Hillbillies or Ted Nugent there, as they both used to hunt nearby. Now that Tedly's moved to Texas, I'm not sure he visits anymore.  There's not much else to do in Gay, but you can say you've done it!

Visit historic Calumet: check out Copper World, the antiques at Vertin Gallery, have coffee at Keweenaw Coffee Works, tour the Calumet Theater, check out the Tiffany glass at the bar at Shute's. 

Outside Activities

Cross country ski or snowshoe at Swedetown or MTU Ski Trails.   You can rent at Cross Country Sports in Calumet or at Michigan Tech.

Downhill Ski or tube at Mt. Ripley - rentals available

Winter Carnival

If you are visiting during MTU's winter carnival, here's the additional activities I recommend:

Hockey games (get tickets in advance)

Tour snow statues

Go to the all-nighter statue building Wed night on campus

Watch the torch light parade on Saturday night on Mt. Ripley, with fireworks!

There is sometimes a lantern lit snowshoe hike in on the MTU trails

Watch the Grundy Run guys from Sig Tau race in their skivvies for a good cause.   Usually on Friday

Tour the Quincy Mine 

23 for 23

Happy New Year!  I've been listening to this podcast I really like called Happier and I have found it to have some great suggestions for how to increase happiness in my life.  One thing we are doing is setting up 23 goals for 2023, along with a personal theme and a group goal, which is to get outside for 23 minutes every day in 2023.    So here are mine:

Theme:  BALANCE

1. Get outside for 23 minutes every day

2. Write in this blog more - ideally once a month

3. Get to goal weight

4. Do my strength and balance exercises daily

5. Go to New Mexico

6. Sew at least 5 things for myself

7. Work with students more

8. Plant a garden on the lake side of the house

9. Audition for a choir solo

10. Ski on more trails at Mt. Ripley

11. Mountain bike more often

12. Try out linocut

13. Improve record keeping for Etsy shop

14. Try out cryptid theme for Etsy shop

15. Read 23 books

16. Try making more things out of clay for Etsy shop

17. Walk on the beach all the way to McLain

18. Kayak more

19. Go camping more

20. Visit Isle Royale

21. Play guitar again

22. Winter sow zinnias

23. Try out a craft show