About Me

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Lansing, Michigan, United States
I am a Lansing townie, lawyer, and restaurant reviewer for the City Pulse. I love traveling, reading, yoga, and baking, but my favorite hobby is stuffing my face.

Monday, January 19, 2015

State Room for City Pulse

My State Room, my favorite.
Gingerbread cake.

Goose confit cassoulet.






Sunday, January 18, 2015

Top 5 of 2014

Read the article here.
Strange Matter latte.
When we visited Ham Sweet Farm in October, we saw our turkey.
He was delicious.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Holiday Whirlwind

This past holiday season I depended heavily on Mert's Meats. They have quickly become my very favorite butcher shop.


The gorgeous 28 pound fresh turkey I made for Thanksgiving. I used Alton Brown's brining technique and probably won't ever make a turkey another way. It was perfect.


Although he looks like the King of the Creeps, my brother liked it.

We went to parties. The outfits are intentionally ugly.

The nephew turned one. I made him a cake all for himself.


We went to more parties.

We had holiday dinners with holiday crackers.

We posed in front of Christmas trees and gingerbread house displays.

We had peppermint lattes.


We had a fondue lunch before a pasta-making class at The Local Epicurean in Grand Rapids. (For the record, I stink at making pasta.)

We got one of each at Propaganda Doughnuts.

We went to my firm's Christmas party in Detroit.


Mert's came to the rescue again when I made my absolute favorite recipe- Ina Garten's Slow Roasted Filet of Beef with Basil Parmesan Mayonnaise (for book club.)

It was last year's best thing I made. I think I'll stick with it for this year too. 


The boyfriend surprised me with the world's most appropriate mantle decoration. I'm in love with it.


We celebrated in Adrian with his family. I brought the Smitten Kitchen cranberry orange breakfast buns.


We showed off tiny snowmen.


Mert's. Again. Christmas Eve prime rib.


Recipe for garlic and herb-rubbed prime rib from the Pioneer Woman, as well as her recipes for Yorkshire Pudding (so delicious, decadent, and dead easy), and roasted Brussels sprouts. Roasted potatoes with pancetta and parsley, and grilled lobster tails. The cheesecake didn't stand a chance of being photographed- my brother got into it while I wasn't looking.


Alton Brown's brining recipe again. Ham Sweet Farm heritage turkey, roasted for Christmas Day. Word to the wise- if you're going to use this recipe, also look up the YouTube videos for how to make the tin foil breastplate. It'll save the white meat from being dried out.


The nephew, or a tiny elf/police officer?


His and hers hot chocolate with marshmallows and Ninja Turtle mugs.


Happy 2015! We wore sweatpants and tiny hats to ring in the new year.


And I spent the next two days on the couch, wearing H&M fair aisle leggings, drinking endless mugs of Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea, and reading The Traitor's Wife. Highly recommend.


And then, shortly after the new year, we got a pup.


Wally the Weimaraner is four years old and came from the Humane Society. He likes to spend time on his bed and join me in the kitchen.


Wally made this guy so happy that we went to Zoobie's and ate our weight in truffle popcorn.

Holiday season, I love you. Until next year-


December Bon Appetit- Skillet Roast Chicken with Fennel, Parsnips, and Scallions


In December, my mother and her friends came over for brunch. I made this chicken for them.


Post-browning the bird, he perched on top of slices fennel and parsnips to be finished in the oven (in my treasured Le Creuset cast iron skillet.)


A sprinkling of fresh herbs, a slightly torn skin, and he was good enough to eat. And thus I completed my year-long project of making at least one recipe per month from my issue of Bon Appetit.