I have done fat Tuesday posts in the past and to be honest not much has changed. I had a lemon filled paczki this morning for breakfast. Not great for my diet, but it was delicious!
Fat Tuesday is the last night of feasting before the ritual 40 day fast of the Lenten season. Are you giving anything up for Lent? I’m not per se but I am working hard right now a better physical, more healthy me. So that was my last donut for a long while, I’m glad it was a good one lol!
Sometimes it’s just nice to be in your kitchen. After a quick inventory I realized I had everything I needed to make a homemade marble cake with a light fluffy vanilla frosting. I literally had everything! Who can resist that!
This delicious cake is moist and not to heavy the vanilla and chocolate flavors are perfect together and the light marshmallowy frosting adds just enough sweetness. And I’m here to tell ya making a cake for no real reason other than just to have some cake is awesome!
Here’s what you need:
Cake
2 1/4c. Flour
1 2/3 c. Granulated sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 c. Butter or Shortening
1 1/4c. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
5 egg whites
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F Grease and flour a 9 x 13in glass cake pan.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder in a large mixing bowl add butter milk and vanilla mix on medium speed till well blended. Add egg whites and mix on high speed 2 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix. In a medium bowl reserve 1 2/3c. batter. Pour remaining batter into the cake pan. Add cocoa powder and baking soda to reserved batter mix well. Spoon onto the top of the vanilla batter and use a butter knife to swirl together for marble effect. Bake 40-45 minutes.
Frosting
2 room temperature egg whites
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4c. Corn syrup
2 Tbsp. Water
1 tsp. Vanilla
In a large mixing bowl mix egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat to a boil covered. Uncover and boil 4-8 minutes or until candy thermometer reads 240°F. On medium speed slowly pour syrup mixture into the egg whites and mix until glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and mix well. Place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
Cool cake completely before frosting. Enjoy!
@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
Follow us on instagram for more behind the scenes photos! @tour_the_town
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!
T
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!
Snow days are great! Am I right!? With the wind blowing and the snow coming down Amber and I headed out for a days of pics, coffee, candy, and maybe a quick well deserved lunch! We laughed, posed, and all in all had a great time!
Our trip started off with a slow drive to Ella Sharp park for a few pics. We were met by an indecisive squirrel who danced in front of my stopped vehicle trying to decided which snow bank looked less menacing. It was pretty entertaining. A few quick pictures and we were off to downtown!
Once there we grabbed a couple more pics and laughs and headed to Jackson Coffe Co. For a wonderful warm up!
Jackson Coffee Co. Opened it’s doors September 2006 and have made quite a claim to fame in the Jackson MI community. Their locations are a reflection of the community with photos, art, music and more all from local artists and other area businesses. The crown jewel is the downtown coffee house location! This beautifully restored location in the downtown business district is beautiful and easy to get to! The perfect stop before any major …or minor downtown event or excursion. Right away when you walk in you’re hit with the fantastic aroma of fresh roasted coffee! The decor has a fun nostalgic feel and the staff was super friendly and informative!
There are two levels to the cafe’ the lower level with a long counter space for a fantastic street view or a roomy upstairs with seating and a small stage where they host live local musicians on Friday nights. They even offer a conference room area for satelite meetings or small group gatherings.
So what makes Jackson Coffee Co. the best? They slow roast small batchs of perfectly selected beans from some of the best growers in the world! It doesn’t get any fresher than that! But it’s not just coffee they also offer tea, smoothies, and snacks!
If you’d like to try it for yourself visit them at their downtown location on the corner of Mechanic st. And Cortland Ave. Or visit their website at http://www.jacksoncoffeeco.com
@Tour_the_town visits Jackson Candy and Fudge Factory next, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Stay tuned, and get out and enjoy your own hometown…or ours!
I’ve been searchong for some new healthy dinner options. I feel like I’ve had dinner on loop lately. So last night I started back to through the loop woth tacos…but decided at the last minute instead to make this a lighter and tad healthier by using fish as the primary protein instead of the usual ground beef. I have to say it was a delicious change of pace and I’m so glad I decided to change things up!
Here is what you need!
1lb. Fresh cod
3Tbsp butter
2 lg cloves garlic
Zest of one lime
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp chicken taco seasoning, I use McCormicks brand.
1/4 c. Cilantro or curly parsley
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Cubed avocado
Fresh pico de gaillo
Flour tortillas
In a large sauce pan melt the butter add the garlic and fish. Cook on medium high heat 3 minutes each side. Once you turn the fish add lime zest juice seasoning and cilantro using spatula cut fish into chunks and stir the ingedients around in the pan till coated. Turn down heat and layer fish in the tortilla with any of the additional ingredients you prefer. Enjoy!
@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!
