that food life | mostefinitely

October 19, 2021October 19, 2021

All about our complete kitchen remodel

Back in January, we began the first of two major remodeling projects at our house. From January to March, All in One Kitchen and Bath transformed our main bathroom from a white-tiled 90s paradise to a gorgeous oasis.

It was during the early stages of the bathroom project that we asked our designer Cara to come up with a design for our dream kitchen. While well-appointed and with some great features, our kitchen was head-to-toe oak, the floors matching the cabinets, with earthy tones throughout. Very 90s/early 2000s. We dreamed about white cabinets, darker floors, a backsplash similar to the subway tile in our new shower, and making the space more functional. We never used the small bar sink, the microwave was below counter level, and we wanted a narrower island to help open up the space.

Here’s how our kitchen looked before the renovation

Knowing that All in One’s schedule was already filling up for 2021, we locked in a summer start date. We figured that between time away at the lake and a couple of planned trips, it wouldn’t be so bad to live through another renovation.

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020

Quarantine Eats: Favorite takeout options and recipes I’ve tried at home

It’s been weeks since I updated my blog, and the last post was pre-quarantine times. So much has changed in all of our lives in the last month. I’ve wanted to blog about how we’re handling things, my fears and worries, etc., but in some ways I’ve had all of the time in the world and not a free moment.

For awhile I was thinking I’d just post a quarantine scrapbook of sorts, with a collection of photos of how we’ve adjusted our lives, passed the time, handled grocery shopping, and kept the girls occupied. But for the sake of having something with a bit of a theme to it, I wanted to focus on one major thing: food!

We’ve been very fortunate that we are still able to access the grocery supplies we want and need, while also being able to support our favorite local businesses providing carryout options. If anything, this whole scenario has made me much more aware of our consumption as a family, not letting things go to waste, making detailed lists for grocery runs, and trying new recipes.

Here are some of my favorite local takeout options (maybe you’ll get some good ideas as we continue to stay home and stay safe over the coming weeks) and also some recipes I’ve been making!

this way to food

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020

Spending 29 hours in beautiful Key West, Florida

This is a blog post that I’ve been meaning to write for months. My only excuses are pretty good ones, I’d say. Between the Christmas holiday, our daughters’ birthdays, bringing home a new puppy, and taking on more freelance writing work, it’s been a whirlwind. Anyone else still shocked that we’re already on our way to St. Patrick’s Day and Easter? BUT I’d be remiss to not do my best to recall what were an incredibly fun, key lime pie-filled 29 hours in Key West, Florida last December.

As a lifelong Parrothead, a trip to Key West has felt like a necessary bucket list item. Yet the logistics can be a little tough, and trips just for me and my husband are rare. That’s why when we planned to spend a week in Naples, Florida with my parents after Thanksgiving, it felt like the perfect opportunity to sneak away for a quick Key West visit and let the girls have some extra grandparent time.

Thanks to the Key West Express out of Ft. Myers, we could leave at 8:00am and get to Key West in about four hours by boat, which is much faster than driving. Based on the ferry schedule and our trip dates, we decided to travel down to the Keys on a Thursday morning and return the following evening. Thanks to the late departure time coming back, we’d have 29 hours to enjoy all that we could before heading back.

While that doesn’t seem like nearly enough time, we had guidance from friends and family about their favorite places, and also had our own can’t-miss spots. We managed to cover a lot of ground. Not to mention, a lot of key lime pie. Here’s what we did!

January 31, 2020

Celebrating Margot’s PAW Patrol birthday party

Earlier this month, we celebrated Margot’s third birthday with a PAW Patrol-themed party at our house. Margot’s love for PAW Patrol, and her favorite pup Marshall in particular, has been a life-long obsession. After last year’s wonderful Frozen-themed party with Anna and Elsa, I didn’t know if we’d be able to top it.

Margot’s early January birthday is challenging if only for the fact that planning a party within weeks of the holidays can feel overwhelming. It’s hard to think ahead to her birthday when we’re in Christmas mode, so that is why we’ve ended up holding birthday parties for her later in January.

Thanks to a wonderful face painter and balloon art duo, fun party favors, and several friends and family members braving yet another Margot Party Winter Storm, it was a great day.

October 11, 2019

Recipe: ‘Magic Salad’ with arugula, squash, and brussels sprouts

Lately, I have become obsessed with making what I’ve started to call the “magic salad.” It takes some of my favorite veggies (roasted butternut squash and shaved brussels sprouts) and gets them into the salad action instead of sitting on the sidelines. Add in arugula, parmesan, toasted pine nuts, and a salt bae healthy dose of Maldon sea salt, and you have a hearty and delicious dinner.

I first made this magic salad on our first night home from our trip to Paris. After dining out on pure decadence for a week, I was craving a salad something fierce. It hit the spot, and has been a favorite go-to ever since.

While butternut squash is the OG squash for the magic salad, I’ve also incorporated my other favorite squash, delicata. For added protein, I have used flank steak or chicken, but it’s plenty filling without the meat.

Here’s how to make it!

September 23, 2019

Love pumpkin? You must try these fall treats

Today marks the official first day of fall, and while it always feels like summer flies by too quickly, there are also so many special things about fall in Michigan. I’m already dreaming about visits to Barkham Creek Farm for apple cider and donuts, Halloween costume prep, and dressing for crisper days.

It’s also the magical time of year when all things pumpkin appear on the shelves: everything from dish soaps to candles, flavored coffees to cereals. Pumpkin lovers rejoice, pumpkin haters groan. I’m a pumpkin lover, so I’m in major celebration mode this month.

I’ve been starting to bring out the annual standbys, like my Pumpkin Patch Kalamazoo Candle Company candles, but this season it feels like the universe is bestowing new pumpkin gifts onto us in great abundance.

Can you say, pumpkin pie hummus? Are you thrilled or disgusted by this notion? How about a spin on Starbucks’ cold brew, or a delicious, 120-calorie ice cream pop?

If you’re a pumpkin fanatic, please proceed.

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

Sneak peek: Check out the new Foster Coffee Co. in East Lansing

In spring 2018, I went with my friends Linda and Ellen to visit the cute little town of Owosso. One of our must-stops was Foster Coffee Co, which was founded in Owosso in 2014. Foster celebrates community through local partnerships and, of course, coffee. I loved their cozy vibe, and the coffee was also so yummy.

Over a year later, I am so excited that Foster Coffee Co. is opening an East Lansing location in the new Center City project along Grand River. This Wednesday night, I was given the opportunity to get a sneak peek of the location, which is set to make its debut with a grand opening weekend on 9/20-9/22. I was also sent a fun little package ahead of the sneak preview with a Foster Coffee Co. shirt, mug, sticker, and gift card.

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019

I love Paris: The best food we ate and where to find it

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it forever: enjoying the local cuisine is one of my favorite parts of any trip. Wherever we plan to go for a vacation, you can bet that I either have ideas in mind of where I’d like to eat or will be researching with endless Google tabs open on my browser.

So when we decided to go to Paris for our 10th anniversary, the vision of macarons, croissants, baguettes, and other delicacies filled my dreams like a carbohydrate cloud. Where would we even begin to find the time and stomach space to get our fill of everything Paris has to offer? And how can you even decide on where to eat when every quaint street cafe looks incredible?

Thankfully, we had some help from friends, local recommendations, pop culture, and of course, a whole lot of Googling.

While just about everything we ate on our trip was absolutely wonderful, especially the bread (oh my goodness, the bread the bread the BREAD), here are the best of the best things we ate in Paris.

July 27, 2019

A summer Saturday night in REO Town with Picnic A Food Truck

In a summer filled with busy weekend plans, I found myself decidedly not busy on this beautiful summer Saturday. Stella is spending a couple of nights with my in-laws, and Zack had work commitments, so it was just going to be Margot and me for dinner tonight.

My friend Ellen sent me a message earlier this afternoon to say that she had been thinking about checking out Picnic A Food Truck in Lansing, and wanted to see if we’d like to join her. It sounded like a great way to enjoy yummy food, fun company, and a beautiful summer night.

April 11, 2019April 12, 2019

Recap: 24 hours in Detroit

Last week was a pretty rough week for me. It started with getting hit by my daughters’ stomach bug on Sunday, which had me the sickest I’ve been in a long time. It wasn’t until Thursday that I felt more like myself again. Then, it was also Stella’s spring break. Not having the routine of school and ability for her to get her energy out led to a lot of frustrations, especially when I wasn’t feeling 100%.

It was a rough week for a lot of my friends, too, between sickness, spring break, and job stress. Thankfully, we had a light at the end of the tunnel: a quick weekend getaway to Detroit to celebrate our friend Tessa’s birthday. How the group of us were all available and able to settle on a weekend of activities on two weeks’ notice was a miracle. The other miraculous component was the string of absolutely gorgeous spring weather, which always makes any situation better.

There are so many great things to see and do in Detroit, but often I find that I only make it there for a concert or special event. The opportunity to explore and spend the night in the city was long overdue, and we had the best restorative 24 hours ever.

Here are a recap and list of recommendations from our weekend in Detroit!