food history – Barnwood and Baked Goods

Bone Island Grill

@tour_the_town visited local favorite Bone Island Grill recently for a quick lunch.

Bone Island Grill is right around the corner from us and is a favorite fun local hangout. It’s a surprisingly big place seating as many as 170 guests! This is a family friendly warm tropical themed restaurant and bar. They serve breakfast lunch and dinner. They host many special events throughout the year. And offer an outdoor patio as well as conference hall space for private parties.

It was a quiet lunch hour when we visited but the staff was friendly and lunch was delicious!

I enjoyed the pecan chicken salad, the sweet pecans with the perfectly cooked warm chicken on fresh greens with vinaigrette was delicious!

Owned by Karen Drushal and Frank Slaby, Bone Island has played an important role in our community often contributing to various charity events and organizations in the area. They even offer a loyalty program and loyalty fundraising program! We highly recommend that you visit during one of their themed events like retro weekend, slaby-fest, or just a week night of DJ Bingo! Stop in for a visit and try the fish tacos! They’re fabulous too! Enjoy!!

If you’d like to know more or see they’re specials visit them on Facebook! Or instagram! @boneislandgrille

Jackson Candy and Fudge Factory

What better stop after the Jackson Coffee Co. than the Jackson Candy Co.! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner this is a must!

Jackson Candy and Fudge Factory on East Michigan Ave in Jackson is a one of kind experience! The minute you walk in it feels like you’ve travelled back in time! The sweet smells…the glass cases full of great handmade candies and fudge…the train running along the ceiling around the room! It’s amazing!

hey feature fine chocolates and handmade fudge. Along with old fashioned candies, popcorn in a ton of flavors, salt water taffy, and even some sugar free options!

If you’relooking for a unique Valentine’s Day gift choose a heart shaped box and fill it with all of you sweethearts favorite treats!

Bring the kids for taste test of handmade fudge, let them play in the silly mirror, and make a new Valentine’s Day tradition shopping with the Jackson Candy and Fudge Factory!

For more information visit their website http://www.jacksoncandycompany.com

You can also find them on facebook and instragram!

One tip for your trip! Parking can seem tricky but there is a large lot just across the street behind the hardware store!

We had a great time find more behind the scenes photos on our instagram page @tour_the_town

Enjoy your treats and shopping for your Valentine!

Jackson Coney Island

@Tour_the_Town has had a busy day! After a quick downtown photo shoot in the freezing cold we made our way to local favorite, Jackson Coney Island!

Jackson Coney Island first opened it’s doors in 1914 under the ownership of George Todoroff. It’s original name was Todoroff’s eatery and the name later changed to Jackson Coney Island in 1931. It’s convenient location next to train depot meant lots of visitors and train depot employees would frequent the small establishment.

George sold the restaurant to the Andy and Don Lazaroff twin brothers with a knack for the restaurant business.

In 1965, Jackson Coney Island itself moved on to bigger things when the original building was torn down along with the McCain Block building next door to make way for the current restaurant and its parking lot.

In 1970, Andy Lazaroff sold out to his brother and Christoff to focus on Andy’s Pizza restaurants. They kept Jackson Coney Island until selling it to Dave White in 1972.

Now more than 100 years later the restaurant continues to call the community together with the diner concept that specializes in a Jackson Coney Dog. A humble hot dog on a steamed bun topped with a perfectly seasoned meat sauce, onions, and mustard. The Jackson Coney is so much more than it’s sloppy southern counterpart. The Jackson Coney has a characteristic meat sauce that isn’t runny sloppy overly greasy or difficult to eat. It’s iconic flavor is something you’ll never forget!

The restaurant also sells a variety of lunch and dinner options as well as some very tasty desserts and classic malts!

The restaurant today keeps with traditon. It has a small dining room with booth spaces and a long bar where you can enjoy your dessert and cup of coffee while visiting with the very friendly staff! There is definitely a taste of Nostalgia when you walk in!

Jackson Coney Island was voted one of the top 5 coney island restaurants in State of MI in 2018, and is a must see when you tour our town!

We want to thank the wonderful staff for allowing to take photos and ask questions! You guys rock! You can find out more by visiting their website, see their menu, and like them on facebook! http://www.jacksonconey.com @JacksonConeyIsland

Hope you enjoyed this weeks tour! Find more behind the scenes photos this week on our instagram page @tour_the_town. Thanks for following along!

Another National Day of Celebration!! Happy Donut Day!

I’m fortunate enough to live in the same city as Michigan’s #1 donut shop! Hinkley Donuts is a Jackson MI iconic food location. In a small unexpected building you’ll find these magical, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside delights! So good people line up for them!

I’m trying to behave lately so I’ll pass on the extra treats this time but hopefully you’ll find a way to enjoy National Donut Day! Enjoy!!

National Candy Corn Day!

Happy National Candy Corn Day!

Candy Corn was created by the Wunderle Candy Company in the late 1800s. It’s original colors were yellow, orange and white, but it has become popular in other colors as well.

This confection was originally made by hand using corn syrup, sugar, water, marshmallows, fondant and carnauba wax (a wax made from the leaves of a palm tree), but it is now produced using machines however original ingredients are still used in the recipe.

Here are some more fun candy corn inspired treat ideas! Enjoy!

Beef Stir Fry

I feel like stir fry might be every parents perfectly easy, healthy, filling go to meal on a busy night. I know I make it when I’ve run out of ideas on what to make for dinner.

Stir fry is not an actual dish however, it is actually a cooking techniques used. Developed in China stir frying was used to cooking foods in a wok with very hot oil. Essentially deep frying with out the batter and the “deep” part lol!

Stir fry is super versatile too because the ingredient lists can include just about anything. A few of my favorite stir fry ingredients are onions, bell peppers, water chestnuts, baby corn, pea pods, zucchini, and carrots. So many great ways to change up the recipe!

Tonite I was tired and I wanted something quick so I opted for a beef Stir fry, my recipe for tonight’s version is listed below. What do you enjoy in your stir fry? I’d love to know!

2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1.5lbs stir fry beef marinated, I used Lowery’s marinade it’s great if you want to skip the homemade sauce part

2Tbsp of marinade

1 onion rough chopped
3bell peppers sliced

1 c. Shredded carrot

2 md zucchini sliced thin

2 pkgs of Uncle Ben’s precooked Jasmine rice

1/4 c shredded mozzarella

In a large saute pan or wok, heat the oil, add the marinated beef cook through about 5min on med high heat, add veggies and additional 2Tbsp of marinade cook until veggies are crisp tender. Meanwhile microwave the rice. Pour rice on to serving platter and top with beef mixture, add a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Serve hot! Enjoy!

National Margarita Day!

I can’t believe it’s national Margarita day and no one has made me a single cocktail in celebration! It’s tragic around here folks!

So sans cocktail I guess we’ll just talk about it because someday I’m sure it will come in handy. I’m full of random information, so what’s one more thing right!

The Margarita is a cocktail consisting of Lime juice, triple Sec, and tequila. Shaken or blended in a 2-1-2 ratio. So 2oz simple syrup (like sweetened lime juice), 1oz triple Sec, and 2 oz tequila. It can be served straight up, shaken no ice in a salt rimmed glass. Iced, shaken poured over ice (I know seems straight forward) in a salt rimmed glass, or frozen, blended with ice and the poured in a salt rimmed glass. There are thousands of variations on the Margarita recipe, some include different flavors of simple syrup, some utilize Grand Marnier instead of triple Sec, others use different types of tequila from Blanco to gold and anejo. All these factors make this a much more flexible recipe to treat everyone’s taste.

So where did the recipe come from? No one really knows. Stories range from 1943-1945 some state it was named after a women, others state that the person responsible for it’s creation left Mexico to become a milkman, and some others state that it was created as a variation of the American cocktail “the Daisy” which used Brandy instead of tequila. A reporter from the US however has the earliest know account of the drink having enjoyed it in Tijuana in 1936. So you decide only one thing seems true it,’s here now and we love it!

So if your looking for a unique twist on your next dinner party, try a margarita bar, or a margarita tasting with a taco bar! Use different simple syrups, maybe 2 types of tequila, and some fun garnishes! It’ll surely be a great hit! Happy drinking on National Margarita Day! I’ll be over here with my coffee 😒.