Fat February

It's nearly over! Never realized how much high calorie eating is packed into this month. We start with the Super Bowl, then Chinese New Year, and on to Valentine's Day. There's snacks, candy-chocolate, and DESSERT, after your romantic meal with your Valentine.

Then there was Fat Tuesday and paczki"s(700 calories a bite-not quite), and king cake.

Well, this is the last Holiday-President's Day, and since cherries are a tradition for this holiday, I will post a recipe in their honor.

CHERRY SCONES  (betty crocker)

heat oven to 400*

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter,cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

1 egg beaten

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract    1/2 cup whipping cream

In lrg bowl, mix flour,sugar,baking pwd,salt. Cut in butter until mixture is fine crumbs. Stir in cherries,chocolate,egg,extract, cream, until dry ingredients are moistened. Place dough on lightly floured surface & knead lightly 10 times. Pat dough into 8-inch circle on ungreased cookie sheet.Cut into 8 wedges with knife dipped in flour but don't separate wedges.Bake 18-20 minutes until lite brown. Remove immediately from cookie sheet and separate wedges. Serve warm.

Only 390 calories per serving-a fitting end to February-don't you think?

Cheers for February-Cherries, Hearts,Chocolate

February is National Cherry Month, and we usually think of cherries as red-bright red tart cherries, dark red sweet cherries, but there are also yellow sweet ones. Michigan growers provide more than 70% of the nation's tart cherries, and Traverse City is the cherry capital of the world!

And, who chopped down the cherry tree? was it George Washington? I think so.

February is a very important month-Valentines Day, President's Day, and now Cherries. And your health tip of the day-tart cherries are loaded with antioxidants, they have anti-inflammatory properties, and help fight heart disease.Dark chocolate, cherries, what a month!

FOOD FRENZY

I was invited this past week to a food show in Saline, Michigan, which was held in a most magnificant building. For me, the beauty of the building almost overshadowed the food show. It was the Stone Arch Arts and Events building.

This show was all Michigan-made products and some vendors came quite a distance -Kalamazoo, Alpena, Adrian, Michigan. The products ranged from beef and pork, poultry and eggs, to barbecue sauce, salsa, herb teas, and pie. 2 products that caught my interest was Hickory sirup-ever heard of it?-made from Hickory tree bark and sweetened with sugar beet sugar, and very tasty dbrereton@comcast.net; and an Artisan Bread Mix which comes from Tecumseh,Michigan, right here in Lenawee county.www.easyartisanbread.com. I have a package of Old World Rye Bread Mix  and a Whole Wheat mix to which I am going to add cinnamon, raisins and a little sugar. The vendor had samples at the show and that was very good, as was the pizza flavor.
Another vendor was Mrs. Glee's Foods www.mrsgleesfoods.com , which was Gluten free foods. He had pastas, flours, and many mixes-cookie, crackers, pizza, just to name a few.
As you can tell, I was impressed, and it was well worth our time. That was the day of one of several Michigan snowstorms to hit us lately, but I'm glad we went.

Phil the Groundhog

Today is Groundhog Day, and here in the Irish Hills, he didn't see his shadow. Neither did he see it in Pennsylvania-which according to legend - means we will have an early spring! I hope so, but time will tell if he is right. According to a National Organization, from 1988 to 2010, there was no correlation between the groundhog's prediction and the real weather.

One thing his appearance does predict is a very large increase in tourism, as shown in this picture. That's Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog, who made it to television today.

There is another legend attached to another creature-the Woollybear Caterpillar. We've all seen them-they're black with a brown stripe around their middle, and according to folklore, if the brown stripe is wide, winter will be severe. Party-pooper experts of course, disagree, but that doesn't stop the Woollybear festival  in Ohio in the fall, which draws thousands of people to the event.

We certainly are having Winter here in the Hills. If you are looking for a winter getaway, come on out and bring your snowshoes and x-country skis.