Recently a friend of mine asked me how I do it all. This was after a day full of running around. (See the last two blog posts for all the details.) I ended the night over at Muldoons Bar.

To be honest I would have loved to go home and crash on my couch but one of our group members is leaving to move to California so this was our last hurrah of sorts. We picked this bar because it’s our local favorite. The food is good, the drinks are wonderful and the prices are great. It might also help we love the staff!

We went on a Saturday night which as we know is Karaoke night. Normally I refuse to sing in public; however, a few weeks ago bets were made and everyone but me was forced to sign….However I got roped in due to the fact that I got there a bit later than everyone else.

I don’t know how it happened but Sasha and I were up first to sign to Frozen. We belted out “Let It Go” like pros. We didn’t even die of laughter! Then next up was Priya and Rishab. They did “Rude” by Magic.

It was a great time although I should’ve ordered the motzerella cheese sticks I was thinking about. (Yes I know of all the things to regret from karaoke night it was not ordering cheese sticks. I’m aware of the silliness of the situation.)

(Editors note I’m sorry there aren’t videos but it’s been decided no videos of that night should be shared your ears will thank you.)

Over the weekend I got to experience this cute little town Fenton. It’s further up north and the entire group confirmed that it wasn’t just me that thought this was right out of the Gilmore Girls set. The town was decorated all over with pretty flowers (Mums), old fashion homes and Halloween decorations everywhere!

We started off this adventure at “The Laundry” with a waitlist so what do you do when there is a thirty minute wait? You wander over to Crust Bakery where you find sea salt chocolate chip cookies! The bakery was mildly overwhelming to say the least but they actually bake everything in house.

I honestly just stood there mesmerized as I watched them make the crust they were working on. (Like kneading the dough and everything.) Maybe it’s that I’m not a huge baker but it’s absolutely fascinating watching them make the dough and take that dough turning into the raspberry danish I also bought.

After Crust we were just in time for our spot on the waitlist. We were just walking to the door when I got the text saying please check in with the hostess! I couldn’t have loved the timing more. (Side note: I honestly really appreciate that technology has made waiting for a table so much easier. I really value my time and having the restaurant text me and allow me to monitor my place in line from my phone has made my life that much easier. The really old way of doing it where we all just crammed in the entry way of a restaurant stunk. It was cramped and uncomfortable. Then we went to the pager system, which was nicer, but you could still only move so far. Now with the texting you can wait comfortably outside the building, you can walk around or even wait in your car. I appreciate that I can monitor my progress and be back on time without cramming in with fifty other people.) When we first sat down we decided to look over the drinks menu. The names were hysterical.

I decided on the MakeShift Love. It was a vodka based drink with blackberry and ginger-beer. It was really good and had a nice sparkling taste. The funny thing was the whole table ended up getting the same drink!

From there we had these sandwiches which I honestly couldn’t get my mouth around! I had the Ron’s Lifesaver it was a turkey sandwich with Pesto and it was heavenly. I also tried Grant’s sandwich. He got the French dip and I’ve had one or two at max before but he honestly loves that sandwich and I am happy to report that it was fantastic. It was hot and juicy with great flavors. Once we finished lunch we were able to explore the city a little.

The home we parked in front of was all decorated for Halloween with tombstones, they even had some pretty scary dolls!

We explored for a while. We got to see the art work they are installing around the city. The giant butterfly with colorful lights illuminating the wings was fantastic. It looked like a scene from a movie. (It did seem fitting as we were in Stars Hallow.)

There was also the old firehouse which they have turned into a restaurant. It was really cool to see the way that an old firehouse was repurposed to become a hot spot on Saturday night. (45 minute wait for a table and everything.) The restaurant was called Firehouse (the same owners also own Vinsetta Garage; which I promise to blog about at some point but not today.) They even had a clock tower which was really impressive.

Since it’s now night time and my tummy declared it needed food we ventured over to Ciao for dinner (no wait time). It’s an upscale Italian restaurant. We were seated really quickly. While walking to our seats I was amazed at all the hanging chandeliers. There is just something about them that really inspires me. I love the color and ambiance it adds to a room. Now we are given an opportunity to browse the menu. For starters we ordered a round of drinks there was a bit of diversity we had a Diet Coke, a Blood Orange Martini then two Mules one Blueberry and the other Apple. I had the Blueberry Mule and I will say it was sweet but not overly sweet; very refreshing. Then it was time to order dinner Grant got the Chicken Parm ( Did you know you have to confirm that it comes with pasta? If you don’t you could have it with mashed potatoes. Thankfully Grant checked and ordered pasta instead of mashed potatoes!) Then I had the Pasta Con Apollo. It was chicken, bacon, mushrooms and spinach. Hello yummy in my tummy! It was creamy without being overly heavy.

After dinner came dessert. Our table shared a slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and cannolis. The cheesecake was good but I went for the cannolis. They are my weak spot. It’s the combination of sweet and carbs I can’t help myself…. They also usually taste fantastic!

Sadly after dessert we got our bills, paid our checks, said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. My way included heading home to see a Dexy. (Be on the look out for what I did later Saturday Night I’ll give you a hint there might be singing.)

So yesterday Grant and I met up with a few friends to explore Saginaw and Bay City for a pumpkin patch!

We started our adventure at Johnson Giant; a pumpkin Farm. They have hundred of pumpkins, a corn maze (for adults and a bean maze for children. (I really appreciate they thought of the little ones.) There is also a full concession stand with fresh apple cider and donuts. Plus the petting zoo! It led to a great photo opportunity.

Also there is a pumpkin trebuchet (where they launch a giant pumpkin into the air and see how far it flies!) They were supposed to have launch times at one, three and five but the three showing was postponed until 4:45. So while we did see it we didn’t get the up close and personal experience we were hoping for but it was still awesome to watch.

They also had pumpkin carving and displayed the winners up by the trebuchet. They were really interesting to see. (They had started and ending the expert carving before we got there so we were just able to enjoy the results.)

I did possibly grab (they were purchased for $.50 each; HELLO win win) two baby pumpkins to help decorate my house with. The pumpkin selection was really cute and adorable I love that they had a great selection of pumpkins including gourds, and fire engines red pumpkins!

They also had Alpacas and a Zebo I’m all about me a good petting zoo! They even had chickens, ducks and geese. They had the ducks and geese in the same pen but separate sections. Someone really missed out. They had them duck, geese, duck. It so should’ve been duck, duck, goose! Then there was the peacock which had the most beautiful coloring.

After the pumpkin patch we headed over to Bay City to grab ice cream over at Cream and Sugar. Its this fantastic new ice cream shop that opened up in September. I couldn’t recommend them more! The flavors were fantastic!! The pumpkin ice cream I had was made with pumpkins from Johnson’s Giant Pumpkin Farm! They also offer flights (yes like a beer sample flight!) of ice cream! (Stop hyperventilating. I know this is fantastic! Three mini scoops where you can try any flavor you want!).

We might’ve gone a little crazy We got to try all the following flavors: Strawberry Field Forever, Bay City Brownie, Creme Brûlée, Mixed Berry, Cinnamon Basil, Michigan Sugar Cookie, Johnson’s Pumpkin Spice, Birthday Cake, Dairy Farmers Delight, Pumpkin Sage, another round of Johnson’s Pumpkin Spice and finally last, but certainly not least, Ooey Gooey Maple Bacon. I’m not sure what my favorite was. I loved the bacon and maple combo, the pumpkin spice! It was all drool worthy!

Plus the best part of this little shop of wonders is that it’s right on the water. We were able to walk down to a river walk and just walk/explore the waterfront. It was absolutely breathtaking and an unexpected find! We were able to see a bridge ride and separate so a boat could pass through to art work lining the walkway from the city.

This was so so worth it and I’m really glad we were able to go and explore it.

My love hate relationship continues with Michigan. I came home from Physical Therapy to change then Grant and I were off! We ran to Yates Cider Mill over in Rochester Hills to grab fresh apple cinnamon donuts and fresh apple cider!

When we pulled into Yates it was very busy, to say the least, between families with the day off and school tours we were in for a treat!

Our first stop there was to walk down to the creek and just enjoy listening to the water moving with the sun behind it. The view was spectacular. We took lots of pictures.

Then we walked to the attractions. The first one was a pumpkin tent that had tons of pumpkins to choose from for carving. They did also have cute painted pumpkins.

Then we managed to walk into the gift store and I couldn’t help myself. I might’ve smelled every candle in the store twice… (No regrets right?) I did end up buying a perfect fall candle. I’m a big fan of it. I also bought some local honey. I really want to test seeing if you eat local honey if it improves your allergies. I have doubts but people swear by it.)

After that we somehow wound up in the fudge tent! (I know your all thinking, oh god, this is going to get dangerous for both my jeans and my wallet…. But it didn’t!) They have a special right now where it’s buy two slices get the third free so we sampled a few and decided on cookies and cream, sea salt caramel and chocolate peanut butter to take home and enjoy. Let me repeat, no regrets, and this is a judgment free zone!

Okay the part you’ve all been waiting for! We got in line for the fresh donuts and cider. The line was a little long but moved swiftly. Then we were in the building deciding what to eat. We settled on a half dozen with a pint of cider. When we got our food we took it and went to search for a place to sit. To avoid all the bees we went back down to the creek.

We set out our cups and napkins and had a picnic for brunch with donuts and cider. It would’ve been picture perfect except for the damn bees! We had to keep the donuts covered, plus napkins over our cider. (There was a close encounter where a bumblebee who tried to go for a swim in my cider. I was not a happy camper!) Anyhow that’s life it’s all about handling anything and making it fun so we just kept the drinks covered except to take a sip. (Even then the napkin was only removed as it hit your mouth.)

Did I enjoy fighting the bees for my food? No, but it was totally worth it and I plan to go again a few more times before the seasons over!

Oh my lanta. Last night I was surrounded with great people, great food and great cocktails! Okay let’s start from the beginning. I got an email a few weeks ago advertising a Detroit Foodie Tour event. I forwarded it over to a group of us and next thing you know I’m buying a four pack of tickets!

To begin our crazy adventure Priya, Sasha and I met Grant at his work then we all loaded up in the civic and set out towards Detroit.

Our first stop was The Elephant Room for registration and to try the Smoked Brisket Grilled Cheese. When we first got there we accidentally got mixed up in the line for St. Andrew’s Hall (a music venue) and were waiting anxiously in that line…. Opps! Once we realized our mistake we were able to walk right in and get our badges! The sandwich was really good. The service was a little tight so we skipped drinks and headed over to destination number two.

Our second stop was (drumroll please) Jacoby’s where we had a watermelon shot! The shot honestly wasn’t too watermelon tasting. It was more of an unexpected end taste. It was really good.

They also had Potato Pancakes! They are heavenly fried potatoes that you dip in ranch dressing for the most satisfying taste in the world. They also paired their potato pancakes with applesauce which was surprisingly good.

After that we went to the Ready Player One which is actually a basement bar. When we walked in they had Pepperoni Wontons. They were actually really good and I was honestly surprised. I had some doubts about the taste but was pleasantly surprised. They also had fun drink specials to celebrate the fall!

The next stop on the tour was an oldie but a goodie, The Old Shillelagh which actually had a vegan option! They were serving Shepard’s Pie (traditional and vegan). Sasha got the Vegan option and I got to taste both. The vegan option was equally as good as the regular option. We also enjoyed a nice fall themed beverage there!

Okay you guessed it. The next stop we actually had a little bit of real food. We hit up Fishbones Greektown which was a stop that you could try Alligator Voodoo. (Basically popcorn chicken but not actually chicken….) Alligator really does taste like chicken. We then grabbed a table and had some yummy food and water. Once we were fully recharged we walked to our next destination.

We then hit Basement Burger Bar Detroit. We were too stuffed to eat much but their sliders were really good. That would be an excellent game day snack or after night out grab food spot. The staff were friendly and inviting plus the food was good.

After that we just walked around over by Greektown letting our food digest before we got back into our car to head home. My night did have a great ending as I had a dog bone in my purse for Dex that he was very very happy about. I think it’s safe to say it was a great night for everyone!