Author: stefanie

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Yes way, José: An interview with Jason Martinez of ‘On Your Feet!’

Forget all of this gloomy ice and snow and get ready to conga. The Wharton Center will be heating up this week with the arrival of “On Your Feet!,” the jukebox musical based on the music and history of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. The Broadway musical, currently on its first national tour, arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day; the show runs February 13-18.

Jason Martinez plays José Fajardo, Gloria’s father, in “On Your Feet.” Martinez has previously appeared on television and film (“General Hospital,” “Boston Legal,” “The Other Guys”), on stage with Paul Simon, Marc Anthony, and Frankie Valli, as well as performed on Broadway (“Million Dollar Quartet,” “Jersey Boys”).

I spoke with Jason about his family’s history of performing, his role as a father both on stage and off, and the timeliness of the message of acceptance in “On Your Feet!”

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Let me tell you why I love Red Haven

I think that everyone has their own Cheers bar, and without a doubt, Red Haven Farm to Table is ours.

Red Haven is not only one of the most inventive places to eat in mid-Michigan, it is also the finest and most welcoming. When we visit, we feel like members of the family.

Photo credit: Red Haven

And I dare say that their current menu is one of the best they’ve had in their five-plus years of being open. I’ve been trying to tell everyone I know about it.

Here’s a peek at some of their current dishes, including a duck dish that is now in my All-Time Top 5 Favorite Red Haven Dishes. All photos shared with permission of Red Haven.

For those who are unfamiliar, Red Haven employs a farm to table concept that supports and promotes local farmers and products. The small plates-style menu changes every few weeks to reflect the changing seasons and availability of ingredients. Menu items consist of shareable sides and appetizers, as well as entrees appropriately sized for individual diners.

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Obviously the NFL’s ‘Dirty Dancing’ Super Bowl ad is the only one that matters

I enjoy football well enough, but last night I mostly watched the Super Bowl for Pink, the Patriots’ demise, and then Jack Pearson’s demise.

Then, in the middle of all of that, this happened:

I love, love, love “Dirty Dancing” so much and every detail of this was spot on. Not just the lift of course, but the dance steps, the Johnny Castle leap, the Baby laugh, the come hither finger.

This ad is perfection and everything I want in a Super Bowl commercial: a perfect pop culture reference, humor, and heart.

What was your favorite Super Bowl ad?

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What’s for lunch: Poké Lab

I’ll never turn down the opportunity for a ladies lunch, so when my friend Linda asked if I wanted to meet up with her for a lunch date, it was a resounding yes. After the days we’ve been having, it felt great to have plans to get out of the house for a bit.

Linda suggested we try Poké Lab in East Lansing, a newer restaurant near campus that opened this past fall. Poké bowls have been a trendy food item for the last couple of years, so I was excited to give this place a try.

Armed with my sidekick Margot, we visited Poké Lab for lunch with Linda yesterday, and it was delicious!

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The bad days are the longest

I’ve seen a quote about parenthood floating around in mommy groups: “The days are long, but the years are short.” It’s from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, and as a mom it rings pretty true. Heck, as a human, it rings true.

However, I would like to make an addendum: The bad days are the longest.

Cue some vintage 2005 Daniel Powter, because yesterday was a really bad day. In the scheme of the things that can happen in a bad day — an accident, a death, losing a job, a major crisis of the mind and/or body — yesterday would barely move the needle on the Worst Days Richter Scale.

And I feel silly even complaining about it. But I also think this feeling is something so many moms (and dads) face and ultimately internalize because, well, not all days can be diamonds. Every parent deals with bad moments; most times, even good days have them. And sometimes bad days have a couple of bright spots.

With everything going on in the world, in our country, heck, right here in mid-Michigan, who cares that some days, I’m not floating on a Valencia-tinted lily pad of motherhood?

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Annmarie Walker is the best newborn photographer in Michigan

In a recent list of the 50 Best Newborn Photographers by State from Bored Panda, Annmarie Walker Photography is featured as the best of Michigan. This comes as no surprise to me, as I’ve admired and enjoyed Annmarie’s beautiful work for years.

Margot, Photography by Annmarie Walker

When two of my cousins had their daughters in 2012, they did newborn sessions with Annmarie, and I fell in love with her photography. The early weeks in a newborn’s life are so precious and fleeting, and Annmarie preserves that time in her gorgeous photos. I knew that whenever I had a baby, I would want to schedule a session with her.

We did just that in 2013 when our daughter Stella was born. In fact, shortly after I found out I was pregnant and due in March, I contacted Annmarie right away to get on her calendar.

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Review: ‘Waitress’ has all of the right ingredients

I had my first taste of “Waitress” when I saw the 2007 film, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly. Nearly a decade later, I fell in love with the Broadway adaptation when I saw the show in New York in 2016.

So it’s only fitting that this year, National Pie Day fell on opening night of “Waitress” at East Lansing’s Wharton Center — a timely opportunity to revisit the diner.

What’s inside this tasty delight of a musical? It’s bust a gut and break your heart, with a dreamy chiffon filling and drizzles of bittersweet chocolate.

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Favorite Costco finds in January

Costco is a magical place. For years, Zack and I have had a membership, but our visits were limited to the location near my parents’ house. Despite great reviews about their freshly prepped foods and prices on staples like eggs and milk, we often stuck with frozen foods and paper products due to the distance from home. That, and treating ourselves to the $1.50 hot dog combo, obviously.

That is, until this past year.

Finally, the Lansing area was blessed with a Costco this past fall, and we’ve been able to enjoy frequent visits ever since. While weekends are very busy, I’ve enjoyed a couple of low-key visits with Margot on weekday afternoons, and it is eerily quiet in there. Margot also doesn’t have to throw elbows when it comes to grabbing samples, so that’s a plus.

Our proximity to the new Costco has opened up a world of possibilities as far as trying out fresh food products, and even venturing into the center aisles of clothing items. Wow there’s a whole new world in there.

Here are some of my favorite Costco finds from this month, including a ready-to-make meat Korean BBQ dish that I’ve turned a few friends onto the last couple of weeks.

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Escape to Margot-ritaville: Margot’s first birthday party

I am pretty notorious for planning and dreaming ahead, from Halloween costumes to birthday parties. I’m also a big fan of puns. So at some point last summer, it dawned on me that Margot’s first birthday party would absolutely have to be a Jimmy Buffett-themed extravaganza called Margot-ritaville.

As a lifelong Parrothead thanks to my mom, I’ve seen Jimmy in concert dozens of times. His songs are tied to so many memories made on boats, in the sand, in the pouring rain, under the summer sun, and everywhere in between.

First birthday parties are usually when the parents can get away with something a little more adult-orientated since the guest of honor doesn’t really know what’s going on anyway — hence why Stella’s first birthday party was Academy Awards-themed with a faux red carpet and caramel corn for favors.

As a Michigan-born January baby, Margot is sort of doomed to celebrate her birthday parties in the winter cold. But being able to ignore the freezing cold for just a day made having a Buffett paradise party that much more fun.

Here are some of my favorite details and how things all came together for Margot’s birthday party.  Continue reading “Escape to Margot-ritaville: Margot’s first birthday party”

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Snowy days are perfect for making paper snowflakes

Is it possible that just yesterday I was running errands with Margot wearing just a sweater and not rushing to get her buckled up in the car? We live in Michigan, so of course it’s possible that all of the lingering Christmas snow would melt on a Thursday in January and here we are on Friday, trapped in a snow globe.

Other than picking up Margot’s birthday cupcakes, there’s nowhere we really need to be today, and I’m very thankful for that. Stella enjoys doing projects and crafts, so during Margot’s nap this morning, I brushed up my elementary school craft skills to make paper snowflakes.

Much like my crochet skills, my memories of how to properly make paper snowflakes were a little rusty. I needed to do some Google-fu to remember exactly how to make them, and thankfully I found a very helpful step-by-step guide from Instructables. It turns out I forgot about a couple of steps, but once I made one snowflake, it was very easy, and addictive.

Forget adult coloring books. For me, making paper snowflakes was so methodical and therapeutic — if you don’t mind dozens of little pieces of paper scattered everywhere. I’m sort of obsessed now, so much so that the only job I gave Stella (actually, one that she demanded for herself) was the unfolding part. Which, let’s face it, is the best part of all, and a lot safer than trying to maneuver scissors in a very precise, small fashion.

Here’s how I made my paper snowflakes.

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