An Afternoon in East Lansing

We've had several foggy, damp, rainy/misty days lately, so when our daughter-in-law texted to ask if we would like to meet her and Izzy [our granddaughter] at a restaurant in East Lansing yesterday [Wednesday], we eagerly agreed.  The wintry days of January and February tend to be long and boring, so enjoyable activities are always welcome.

The time was set for noon and the place was a Mediterranean restaurant close to Izzy's apartment.  Our son and daughter-in-law were there for a MI State basketball game Tuesday night and Jeremy had business appointments in East Lansing on Wednesday, so lunch was the perfect time for a meet-up.  

It was so nice to see them again since we hadn't been together since Christmas Eve.  We chatted and got caught up on each other's news before, during and after our meal.  Izzy, hubby and I all got a Chicken Shawarma dinners while Samantha ordered the Chicken Kabob dinner.  

 

Chicken Shawaarma came with two sides. I ordered Lentil & Rice soup and Hummus with with Pita Bread.

Sam & Izzy / Mother & Daughter

The portions were so large that take home containers were necessary.  Lebanon is known for Zhourat herbal tea but it wasn't on the menu [just 'hot tea' which was probably black generic teabags] so I settled for water.

After eating we went outside to see Izzy's new [to her] car.  Her parents got it for her last October but this was the first chance we had to see it.  She named it 'Vicki' since it's made by Volkswagon.  Since she didn't have to be back on campus until 2:00 o'clock, we had time to see the apartment she shares with two other MSU girls.  The apartments are called 'The Hamptons' - sounds impressive, huh?  ;-)

Jeremy's business appointments in East Lansing were over earlier than expected, so he was able to join us at Izzy's apartment for a few minutes.

Sam came bearing gifts since they weren't with us for my birthday - an adorable chintz teapot wallflowers fragrance plug and lavender vanilla refill from Bath & Body Works, plus a giftcard for shopping later.  So kind and thoughtful, but not expected.

We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with them and the sun decided to come out and blue skies appeared until we got about half way home when it became foggy and misty again - just like England's weather.

Fat Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday

Fat Tuesday, known as "Paczki Day" for those of Polish descent, is a tradition celebrated before Lenten fasting begins on Ash Wednesday.  A paczki is a rich, deep fried donut-like pastry made from yeast dough with eggs and milk and filled with fruit jams, custard or lemon filling.  They're denser and richer than regular donuts and have the calories to prove it!  

Detroit and suburban areas have large populations of people of Polish descent so the donuts are very popular in my area.  Long lines of patrons can be found at bakeries waiting to get their paczki.  It's the last day to consume rich foods before Lent, and a way to use up sugar, eggs, milk and fat before the 40 days of Lent begins.

It's not just Polish bakeries who join the tradition [we got ours at a local Italian bakery who fill their donuts with cannoli cream - Yum!], and it's not just people of Polish descent who enjoy them.  My hubby and I aren't of Polish descent, but we enjoy a Pazcki every year. 

Below is a picture of this year's pazcki served on my authentic Polish pottery!

I included the Mardi Gras beads and face masks to give a nod to the French ancestry brought to Louisiana by colonists in the late 17th century.  Mardi Gras blends European traditions particularly from France, Spain, and Italy with African and Caribbean cultural influences.  The "carnival"  began on January 6 [Twelfth Night/Epiphany] and concludes with the main celebration today.  The signature food of Mardi Gras is King Cakes decorated in the colors of purple, green and gold.

I've only made a King Cake once, but Tea Time Magazine featured some Petite King Cakes [pictured below] that I'd like to try making next year [page 41 Jan/Feb 2026 issue].

Britain celebrates their Shrove Tuesday tradition - also known as Pancake Day - on the day before Lent as their means of using up all the rich ingredients before fasting begins.  So we began the day at our house with pancakes.  I have a great buttermilk pancake recipe that beats all the pancake box mixes and it's so easy.

A family friend married a man of Swedish descent and she posted on Facebook today that in Sweden they celebrate Fat Tuesday with yummy Swedish Selma Buns.  

I've come to the conclusion that all European countries have their own Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday calorie-laden traditions that immigrants brought with them when they came to the United States.  

How did you celebrate today?

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you're enjoying a nice Valentine's Day with your significant other or Galentine's Day with girlfriends yesterday.  After looking it up, I discovered the 'girlfriends holiday' began in 2010 on the NBC sitcom [season 2 episode 16] of Parks and Recreation.

My hubby and I went to P.F. Chang's after I got off work on 'Valentine's Eve' because we thought restaurants would be too crowded today.  

We began with Chicken Lettuce Wraps, then we each ordered Sesame Chicken with a pot of their delicious Ginger Peach Tea.

We gave each other our cards and gifts [candy] this morning.

After P.F. Chang's yesterday, we went to our daughter's to deliver their 7th wedding anniversary cake. Carrot Cake is Dave's favorite and what I made for their Valentine's wedding.  Every year since, I've made a carrot cake on their anniversary.   I try to change the decorations every year so they're not always the same.   Below is this year's cake.

I ordered a new book for myself and it arrived today in a red bag with hearts on it [Thrift Books] - it's my gift to myself.  ;-)  I'm anxious to sit down and go through it with a cup of tea in hand.

I didn't host a Valentine's tea luncheon this year, but blow is a picture from last year's.   No new Valentine's dishes this year [not that I needed more], because the weather was so cold I didn't venture out to shop at stores.

We had 96 attendees [a lot of couples] for the Chocolate Valentine's Tea at The Whitney today. Joel, the piano player, brought a box of conversation hearts to work and the one that dropped out of the box for me said TTYL.  I asked him to interpret and he said,"talk to you later."

I read a Facebook post by a tea acquaintance [Barb's Tea Shop] stating she and her hubby go to Love Castle [more commonly known as White Castle] every year on Valentine's Day when the tables are set with colorful cloths and bud vases, and staff come from behind the counter to take and serve orders.  This morning, ABC News posted White Castle's 'tradition' that's  been ongoing for 35 years.  Who knew???

[Internet Photo]

Did you do anything special today?

Celebrating Another Birthday

My 'biological odometer' turned over another year today.  The celebrating began yesterday when my daughter took me to lunch at Presley's in the David Whitney building, downtown Detroit.  I ordered a Mediterranean Salad.

It was so enjoyable having mother/daughter time.

Foyer of the David Whitney building, and entrance to Presley's.

This afternoon my hubby took me to The White Horse Inn in Metamora for my birthday dinner.  Metamora is known for being an equestrian community.  It's often referred to as Michigan Horse Country.

I knew before we went that I would order their Honey Plum Salmon.  It's SOOO good!

I ordered a pot of Bigelow's Pomegranate Green Tea to go with my meal.

Since it was my birthday, we got a complimentary plate of their chocolate chip cookies, which they're known for.  They came with a sparkler instead of a candle.

 

Before leaving we posed for a picture in front of their fireplace.

I made four different baked goods to take to The Whitney tomorrow.  I'm like the child who takes cupcakes to school for their birthday!  ;-)  First row:  Chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  On top of them are butterscotch brownies.  Second row: Buckeye brownie cookies.  Center: 7-layer cookies.  It was fun baking and putting the tray together.

My celebrating will be complete on Sunday when we go out to eat with my son, Steve, and his family after church.  #79 is off to a good start! 

Happy February and Groundhog Day

We began the second month of 2026 yesterday.  Didn't we just celebrate Christmas?? February is my birth month when my biological odometer rolls over another year!

I saw a cute picture on the Internet today where the groundhog was arrested for for predicting six more weeks of winter.  ;-)

Long ago in history, the groundhog wasn't just the forecaster - he was the dinner!  Eww!  Before there was Groundhog Day there was Candlemas in Britain and Europe.  The medieval belief for this Christian feast day was if the sun shown brightly on Candlemas, more winter was on the way.  If clouds covered the sky, spring would arrive early.  German settlers carried the tradition across the Atlantic swapping the European hedgehog for the American groundhog,  and early 1800's Pennsylvania farmers celebrated "Grundsaudaag" with weather predictions and hearty winter feasts that featured groundhogs roasted, stewed or barbecued.  The chubby rodent supposedly tasted somewhere between pork and chicken after a long soak in brine before cooking.  Another description has it tasting like rabbit but dark and mildly gamey like wild boar.  Either way, I'm thankful the tradition has died away!

That made me wonder if any teas have been blended for Groundhog's Day.  And sure enough, there has!  Adagio Teas has a high caffeine signature tea blended with strawberry black tea, vanilla oolong, and chocolate Chai Pu-Erh tea.

And Full Leaf Tea Company has a Groundhog Day collection featuring winter-to-spring transition teas.  Who knew?!

I smiled when I saw the graphic my friend, Linda, posted on Facebook recently.  So true!

Since we're going to have six more weeks of winter, here's three excellent faith-based movies on Netflix to watch while you're hunkered down inside your comfy home.  If you don't have Netflix, check other streaming platforms.

Overcomer [2019]

The War Room [2015]  Not to be confused with the 1993 documentary of the same name.

 Facing the Giants [2006]

Kleenex is necessary for all three!  They're marked as leaving Netflix soon, but supposedly will remain thru February.  These days decent movies aren't plentiful, but these are really good.  Thank you, Netflix!  I've got three more on my list to watch soon. 

An Enjoyable Afternoon

I ventured out today to have lunch with my son, Steve, at the Rochester Brunch House [which formerly housed the Village Shoe Inn].  We had a nice time visiting, then drove over to The Spice & Tea Exchange on 4th Street.

Phil Munroe, the owner [along with his wife, Maryanne] attends a men's Bible study with Steve. He has a wonderful testimony about how he became a Christ follower in 2017.  His career impressively includes being managing partner and wine buyer at Somerset Mall's Capital Grill before he and his wife became owners of two Michigan Spice & Tea Exchange franchises and b.e. Boutique of Rochester, right next door to the Spice & Tea Exchange.   

The Rochester location opened in October 2022 and they sell over 70 different loose-leaf teas, in addition to a wide range of spices, olive oils, extracts and more.

~ Phil & Steve ~

I didn't take many pictures inside the store since customers were shopping, but I did get a photo of their tea bar.  When we were leaving Phil asked if I wanted a tea 'to go' so I opted for their Elderberry Fortress - their #1 selling herbal tea.

Steve got me two green teas to enjoy at home.   Phil said the Pineapple Paradise is a top seller.

I also brought this home with me.

Time with Steve and tea was a winning combination for an enjoyable afternoon!

On another subject for old times sake...

You never know what family stories or illustrations are going to pop up in one of Steve's sermons.  Recently he shared his childhood recollections when merthiolate or mercurochome were used on his scrapes.   I think every home from the 1940's thru the 1970's had a bottle in the medicine cabinet and first aid kit.  Steve said many people made comments to him about the antiseptic [and their memories of it] after church or in a text.  So when my friend, Angela, posted the picture below on Facebook earlier this week with the question, "Anybody else who can just read the word "Mercurochrome" and wince?  I had to send it to him.

Do you remember the antiseptic?  It was around when I was a kid too!  It's still around today minus the mercury content.

Enjoy the last two days of January, and if the recent winter storm has impacted you, stay warm and be safe!

Wintering

Wintering and Winter Unfiltered were words I saw on Facebook this morning on my iPhone.  I took the photo below from my front porch shortly after I got up this morning. Snow is beautiful to look at from inside a warm, cozy home, but not great for driving in.  I'm glad today isn't a work day for me.  Two days ago a massive 100 car pile-up occurred on an expressway on the western side of the state during a snow squall.

January is National Hot Tea Month and January 12th was National Hot Tea Day, but in wintry weather like we're having, everyday is hot tea day.

  

I did my part to support national hot tea month by ordering a pound of my favorite Blueberry Green tea from Harney & Sons.  It arrived a few days ago.

I got out my snowman teapot and teacup by Gracie China to enjoy it in.

My son from Zeeland texted me a photo of him enjoying a cup of Harney & Son's Victorian London Fog tea during the snow storm.  [No affiliation to Harney Teas except a loyal fan.  I've never had one of their teas I didn't like.]

What do you do when you're homebound during a snow storm? I finally dismantled the Christmas tree to put it away for another year.  I justified keeping it up this long because I didn't get it up until a week before Christmas, but my daughter and daughters-in-law still have their tree up so I don't feel too bad.  My incentive for taking it down now is because I'm having a couple of ladies [two sisters] from church over for tea this coming Tuesday.  I thought it might seem strange having a Christmas tree still up when it's almost Valentine's Day.

January is also National Soup Month.  Campbell's founded it in 1986.  I'm doing pretty good supporting that too.  I've made three different soups so far this month and another [Cream of Cauliflower] is on the agenda. 

Are you enjoying tea and soup this month?