About.com Detroit

Michigan Thanksgiving Products and Recipes

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:12:42 +0000

Want to go local this Thanksgiving? It is possible to have a Michigan Thanksgiving, wherein you showcase Michigan food products bought locally. So, if Chicago has its pizza and Philadelphia its cheese steaks, what is considered a Detroit or Michigan food?

According to FoodTimeline.org, Michigan is mainly known for its contributions to the dessert course, including cherry pies, Michigan mint, Mackinac Island fudge and Kellogg's Rice-Krispie treats. While these products may get you started in planning your menu, you'll have to be a little more creative to incorporate the Upper Peninsula's pasties and Vernor's Ginger Ale. Or you could simply opt for any produce, poultry or product actually born, raised or made in the state. Here are a few resources to get you started:

Have any more ideas?

More Information: Detroit Thanksgiving Guide 2009

Michigan Thanksgiving Products and Recipes originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 11:12:42.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Movie-Making in Michigan

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:36:14 +0000

According to an article posted on ClickonDetroit.com, 83 film projects have come to the state since the tax incentives went into effect in April of 2008, which means Metro Detroiters and Michiganders in general are starting to get used to the idea of running into a celebrity here and there.

Or are they?

A movie is filming at a house near where I live. Word on the street is David Schwimmer of Friends fame is directing and Clive Owen of hunka, hunka fame is starring. While local residents are doing their best to appear casual, the sidewalk in front of said house never saw so many pedestrians out for a cold, cloudy, afternoon stroll.

You may ask yourself just how I know this. Well, because I was driving by said house -- very casually of course -- with my nose to my window and my blinker unintentionally left on from a previous turn.

All of which begs the question, when does star struck wear off? Surely Californians take running into a celebrity here and there a little more in stride? When we become jaded to the idea of a star sighting, will that be the final indication that Michigan's movie industry is firmly established?

In the meantime, though, what stars have you spotted?

Movie-Making in Michigan originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 10:36:14.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Zipcars in Ann Arbor: Car Sharing

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:40:30 +0000

Have you checked out the new Zipcar iPhone application? It was recently featured in an iPhone commercial; and, as something of an iPhone-application junkie, I felt compelled to check it out. I thought the application turned your iPhone into a remote control for your car. As it turns out, I was way off the mark.

Zipcars debuted in New York City in 2002 � Mario Tama / Getty Images

Zipcar is a car-sharing membership available in Ann Arbor -- the only participating location in Michigan...read more.

Zipcars in Ann Arbor: Car Sharing originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 12:40:30.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Turducken in Detroit

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:59:02 +0000

Ever hear of Turducken?

According to the Urban Dictionary, Turducken can be defined as:

Any obese human that will set upon a buffet like a plague of locusts, stripping said buffet of all edible material, leaving only the garnish, the decorative toothpicks and the sweaty cheese cubes from earlier in the day.

Turducken can also be defined as a turkey stuffed with a duck, which is in turn stuffed with a chicken, which is in turn stuffed with sausage/cornbread. Before you start considering the logistics, you should know that it is possible to create a Turducken loaf by using just the breast meat from each of the three birds.

While one form of Turducken is easily found in the Metro-Detroit area, the other is still hard to come by. After an exhaustive search, this is what I've found out regarding Turducken in Detroit:

You can take the turkey by the legs -- so to speak -- and make Turducken yourself. My fellow About.com Guide to Home Cooking has a recipe that will take you through the process step by step.
Word on the street is that Peacocks Poultry Farm in Troy sometimes takes limited orders for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sam's Club and Hickory Farms have also been known to carry a frozen version.
Of course, if you're going to go frozen anyway, you can order a Turducken from wherever U.S.A. and have it sent to you via FedEx. Farm Pac Kitchens (Compare Prices) has two different versions of Cajun Turducken: a boneless loaf and a semi-boneless, turkey look-alike.

Know of anywhere else to get Turducken in Metro Detroit?

Turducken in Detroit originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 20:59:02.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Michigan-Made Gift Idea: T-Shirt

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:12:41 +0000

Don't Mess With the Mitten T-Shirt © MichiCAN

There's always a market for state wear, whether the clothes cater to tourists or homesick ex-Michiganders. In fact, Michigan products range the gamut from cookware to jewelry, and there are several specialty stores dedicated to the Michigan-labeling industry.

A new t-shirt takes the whole Michigan thing one step farther by providing a comeback to the new trend of Michigan bashing:

Don't Mess With the Mitten!

More Information:

Michigan-Made Gift Idea: T-Shirt originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 14:12:41.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Uniquely Detroit: Mosaic Youth Theatre's Woodward Wonderland

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:41:01 +0000

For the third year in a row, Woodward Wonderland: A Detroit Holiday Celebration gives Detroiters a chance to take a trip down memory lane. Through short stories, songs and dance, the Mosaic Singers and Acting Company and LaShelle's School of Dance will bring Detroit memories and holiday traditions back to life, including Toyland at the J.L. Hudson's Department Store, the escape of Chilly Willy from the 1990 Thanksgiving Day Parade and Motown Christmas music.

The show is presented several times from December 11th to the 13th at the Detroit Film Theatre of Detroit, which is located inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

More Information:

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show on Friday, December 11th are half price ($10)
The Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit is a nonprofit organization that gives Detroit teenagers the opportunity to perform. In fact, the Mosaic Singers and Acting Company has performed all over the world.

Uniquely Detroit: Mosaic Youth Theatre's Woodward Wonderland originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 12:41:01.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Veteran's Day in Detroit

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:52:04 +0000

Detroit paid homage to its veterans through a parade this last weekend, but the acknowledgement doesn't end there.

Detroit Veteran's Day Parade, 2008 © Wigwam Jones

Metro-Detroit area Applebee's restaurants are treating veterans to a free meal on Wednesday, November 11th -- the actual national holiday.

Veteran's Day in Detroit originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 11:52:04.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Detroit Hot Spot for Dim Sum

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:29:31 +0000

Dim Sum is a type of Chinese cuisine characterized by small plates or eats. They are served via a roving cart and include steamed dumplings, spring rolls and other types of Hors' Dourves-type treats. The cuisine originated in Chinese teahouses but can now be found at a few restaurants in the Metro-Detroit area, including Shangri-La in West Bloomfield.

The table-side service at Shangri-La is fast and efficient; the portions are large; and the price per person is very reasonable. Check it out!

More Information:

Detroit Hot Spot for Dim Sum originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 18:29:31.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Michigan-Made Film: Stick it in Detroit

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:46:41 +0000

The movie Stick it in Detroit, which stars John Lutz from Saturday Night Live and Kieran Campion from All My Children, comes out at select theaters in the Metro Detroit area this Friday.

So, aside from an ode to the Motor City in the film's title, what's Detroit about it?

Just about everything.

The movie's producer/director/co-writer/actor, Robert Phelps, was born and raised in Detroit. The aspiring filmmaker was living in Los Angeles and working as a waiter when he came up with the idea for the film and turned to his high-school buddies, who were by this point living all across the country, to help write it. The movie takes place in Detroit, is loosely based on characters from Detroit, was 100% filmed in Detroit and, according to Phelps, "is true to Detroit."

If you're thinking the movie is a cross between just about any National Lampoon movie and American Pie, you'd be spot on. The movie is about a group of friends who are still hanging out years after their time together in a Detroit-area high school. Specifically, the group of characters are preparing for their annual Halloween party. The plot thickens when their ring leader, Todd, is offered a promotion that would require he move to Georgia. While the movie hinges on the will-he-or-won't-he plot device -- whether he will stick it in Detroit -- reviewers love it for its cast of characters and F%#*ing Funny rating. In fact, the movie won the Best Comedy category in the Detroit/Windsor International Film Festival in 2008.

Check it out!

Special Engagement: MJR Theaters in Waterford, Sterling Heights and Southgate starting November 6th

Reviews:

Michigan-Made Film: Stick it in Detroit originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 11:46:41.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Did You Vote Today?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:19:07 +0000

The 2009 election in Michigan doesn't have the controversy of a stem-cell-research proposal or the media blitz surrounding a presidential race, but it does have a lot of funding proposals and local government races. For instance, the ballot in Detroit gave Detroiters yet another chance to vote for mayor.

Were the races and proposals in 2009 glamorous enough to get you to the polls?

Did You Vote Today? originally appeared on About.com Detroit on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 19:19:07.

Permalink | Comment | Email this