Road Trips

Cranberry Pie, New England & U.S Thanksgiving: Plymouth, MA

November 28, 2018 by Pies & Prejudice 5 Comments

Hello Friends!

You know we’re officially into the Holiday Season when American Thanksgiving is here (and gone). I hope all my American friends had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Since our Thanksgiving was over a month ago, I decided to make a Sweet Potato pie…to help you guys celebrate, of course. (See bottom of post for my American Thanksgiving Tribute pie. It’s really ‘corn-y’!)

Now that ya’ll have had your fill of pumpkin or sweet potato pie (is that even possible?) how about something new and different to kick off the holiday season?

I’m thinking this lovely Cranberry Pie with a Cinnamon Gingersnap Crust might do the trick.

Recipe below post.

If this pie doesn’t help make your spirits merry and bright, I don’t know what else will.

The colour is so vibrant and the filling is super creamy and tangy. It’s similar to a lemon curd (aka Lemon Meringue Pie), but with cranberries added for a little extra zip and colour. If you like lemon tart, you’ll love this pie.

With American Thanksgiving just recently, it reminded me that I haven’t even shared my New England trip from last fall with you guys yet. So this post is long overdue.

Note: you might want to go grab yourself a coffee as you could be here awhile (surprise surprise).

Before we commence with the road trip festivities, I just wanted to thank you all for reading my blog. A few people recently told me they enjoy my posts and even look forward to them (!??!). Hearing this totally made my day!! I also really appreciate the comments on my posts as well, thank you guys. I appreciate the feedback, which also reassures me that someone is reading my ramblings. SO now I’m inspired to write more often, I just have to work on slightly shorter posts, I know, I know. (um…maybe next time? haha).

So without further ado, let’s head to the Thanksgiving Capital of the World shall we? Because it’s not every year, I get to celebrate Thanksgiving twice. Boo ya!

Last Fall, Billy and I were on the East Coast visiting family and en route home we took a detour through New England as we still had a few days left of our vacation. We decided to head to Plymouth as we’d been to Boston and Cape Cod before, but neither of us had been to Plymouth. And since it was close to American Thanksgiving, I couldn’t think of a better place to spend it than in the spot where it all began: Plymouth Rock.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (hee hee), you probably know that Plymouth Rock is the site of the very first harvest feast (aka Thanksgiving) shared by the Pilgrim settlers & Wampanoag peoples back in 1620. While Historians disagree about a few of the details of what really happened over 400 years ago on the shores of Plymouth & Cape Cod, it’s still pretty amazing to be standing on the same shore where the Mayflower first landed on American soil (although they first arrived in nearby Provincetown, apparently). Since I’m a bit of a history buff, I couldn’t wait to check out the rock in the, er…. flesh.

Let’s hit the Open Road. Hello, New England!

After a wonderful lunch with Billy’s parents in Saint John, NB, we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and then we were on our way toward the border. After crossing at St. Stephen’s we were finally in beautiful Maine. We stopped several times for obscure roadside attractions and, of course, I had to take plenty of photos.

If you haven’t been to New England in the Fall yet, you need to see what you’re missing. The spectacular show that the trees put on for us at this time of year is beyond stunning. And we do get our fair share of pretty fall colours in Ontario so it takes a lot to impress me (foliage-wise, anyway).

I was speechless–which rarely happens. Let’s just say Billy really enjoyed a quieter drive for a change 🙂

Not too surprisingly, it’s busier here in New England during the Fall than in the summer. So if you’re thinking about coming to check out the leaves sometime, you’ll need to plan your trip a little in advance (we may or may not know this from experience). Hotels and B&B’s are booked solid on weekends from September right through to Christmas, especially in Vermont. I might write a post on my fall New England trip to (hopefully) inspire you to come check it out. If you’ve never been here in the Fall before, you are in for a treat.

As we got closer to Portland, it was starting to rain quite heavily. Since we’d been on the road for almost 8 hours by that point, we decided it was time to stop for dinner. We also wanted to find a hotel for the night as we’d originally planned to camp at the KOA. But neither of us were overly excited about camping in the rain at all.

We parked on Main Street in Downtown Portland and enjoyed a walk along the old cobblestone streets of this beautiful historic town. After wandering around for awhile we found a great little brew pub (Sea Dog Brewery) for dinner. We had a delicious meal and tried a couple of local brews as well. It was so nice to relax after being on the road for most of the day.

Before getting back on the road, we stopped at the Dunkin’ Donuts to grab a coffee. I also wanted to get online briefly to check out hotels. Since we were going to arrive in Plymouth fairly late, I wanted to book a room for that night–especially since we needed one that allows dogs. Traveling with your pooch requires a wee bit more planning than the road trip style that we’re used to (aka ‘winging it’). Camping is often a great option when you’re travelling with your dog, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate at this time of year.

We found a Hampton Inn in Plymouth that not only had great reviews, it was pet-friendly as well. Their pet fee was quite a bit higher ($35 per day) than the usual rate ($20-25) that we’ve paid at other hotels, even within the same chain. You know you’re in Cape Cod when….

We were back on the road and in a few hours we arrived in Plymouth! We checked into our hotel, unpacked the car and then took Mittan for a walk to stretch her legs as she’d been cooped up in the car all day. When we got back to the hotel I decided to do some research online to find out what there is to see and do here in Plymouth (besides the rock, of course) since we hadn’t planned to come here at all.

…

Salty Air, Lighthouses & Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!

June 1, 2018 by Pies & Prejudice 1 Comment

Greetings, friends.

I’m in beautiful Saint John soaking up the sun & the salty air and enjoying the beautiful lighthouse-studded coastline. We’re visiting Billy’s family and having a great time here on Canada’s amazing east coast.

Our trip started over a week ago when Billy took me to Vermont to celebrate my turning a year older (my 25th birthday uh… AGAIN? haha!). And then from there we continued Eastward toward the White Mountains of New Hampshire and then up the coast of Maine before heading back into Canada.

When we got to Saint John it was fairly cool & rainy and it felt more like March than late-May (Brr!). There was even snowstorm warning in the Eastern part of the province and Newfoundland got a whopping 30 cm of snow! (Eeek). Thank goodness we didn’t get any of the white stuff, just overly cold weather for a couple of days before the temps started to rise again. We’ve been enjoying spending time with my guy’s family and I even got to do some of the cooking and baking. Which is handy because after a week on the road, I was going through severe baking withdrawals, ya’ll. But I’ve talked about this on my trip to the coast last September. I know many of you can relate 🙂

Since it’s been a whirlwind of a trip, I haven’t had much time to blog or post on social media unfortunately. But, at the same time, I’ve really enjoyed the wee break. So it’s about time I get caught up (slowly but surely) and I thought I’d start with sharing a few photos of our trip so far.

Here’s the pie I made for Billy’s parents as a thank you for their wonderful hospitality.

Strawberry Rhubarb is always a favourite. And for good reason….it’s freaking delicious! And it’s even tastier when it’s made with fresh rhubarb from the garden and pretty flowers on top. I’ll share the recipe in my next post!

Is there a better pie to celebrate summer’s imminent arrival? I love strawberry rhubarb pie so much that if I could find rhubarb (even frozen) in the winter, I’d be making this all year long. While I can’t find frozen rhubarb anywhere in Ottawa (any time of the year), I’ve seen tons of frozen rhubarb in the grocery stores here in Saint John!! Hmnnnnn…

If we weren’t going back to Ontario via the US, I would happily taken some of the rhubarb Billy’s parents offered us to bring home. But after having my grapes confiscated at the border once (from Vancouver to Washington), I decided it’s not worth the risk. At least at this time of year, fresh rhubarb is plentiful in Ontario. I just need to buy truckloads of it and freeze it for the rest of the year. Now to find a bigger freezer….and maybe a bigger house? HA

Anyone else love rhubarb as much as I do? I can’t wait to bake all the rhubarb pies when I get home.

Without further ado, here’s a few photos of our lovely time in New Brunswick so far. Happy almost-June, friends!

You cannot visit the East Coast without seeing at least one lighthouse. This one is Mittan’s favourite.

It’s been a wonderful visit with Billy’s folks

You have to walk the boardwalk at least once while you’re on the Saint John Harbour. Or, maybe run it the whole way— like our happy pup.

Spring has finally sprung out here on the coast. Which is good because we’re only weeks away from summer.

My little Monkey and I had fun wandering around St Stephen–the gorgeous little town that greeted us after crossing the border.

Have a great rest-of-the-week, all!

Cheers, Dana xo

When Life gives you Lemon Raspberry Bars

May 19, 2018 by Pies & Prejudice 4 Comments

Hello, everyone!

It’s Spring! That can only mean one thing….it’s time for LEMON BARS. Ok, Spring may be more about the pretty flowers, patios and muddy dogs, but when the lemon desserts come out you know the the warmer weather is finally here.

And these Lemon Raspberry Bars are the perfect way to put a little spring in your step.They’re a twist on the classic lemon bar with fresh raspberries for added zing and a lovely pop of colour. Sitting on top of a shortbread cookie-like crust, they’re a new favourite for the season.

These are also GF and paleo (ish) so if you’re like me and you find most lemon bars too sweet, you’ll enjoy these. They can be made refined-sugar free with coconut sugar (instead of brown sugar), maple syrup & fresh raspberries for added sweetness.

I’ve been wanting to make these since last Fall when I tried an awesome GF lemon bar on my road trip to the Boston area. However when I got home from that trip it was late September and we were already into Pumpkin-everything… and then Christmas desserts followed shortly after. But now that it’s nearly summer again, it’s time to crack out the lemons.

While in Plymouth, Massachusetts, we came across this great bakery called Cupcake Charlies (it’s now a chain, but a good one) and they offer several GF options. I was surprised that one of them was a lemon bar because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a GF lemon bar before in any bakery I’ve came across in my travels.

If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a hardcore chocoholic and I don’t usually opt for lemon over chocolate but I’m glad I tried this because it was super delicious (yep, even without chocolate)

I enjoyed it so much, Billy ended up buying me another for the road 😀 He, too, was surprised that I was drooling so much over a non-chocolate dessert for once haha

I think I’m also going to to try to a version of these with cream cheese as I think that this one was super creamy because of the addition of cream cheese. I like how it cut the sweetness and tartness a little.

Their hot fudge sundae cupcake cup was the bomb, too. I definitely needed another one (or 4) of these as well for the road. Just sayin’…

While we were in Plymouth, we also checked out the town’s museum where I learned about the history of the wedding cake! It was fascinating and I can’t wait to share more with you soon– including some pics and samples of old wedding cake recipes. I’ll be posting about that trip shortly in case you’d like to read about my adventure in that beautiful area.

Now, back these lemon bars and my recipe…

I took quite a bit of experimenting to make these lemon bars as I’m usually not impressed with most paleo lemon desserts that I’ve tried. These aren’t completely paleo as they’re still sweet (thankfully) but not overwhelmingly so. They’ve got brown sugar in them but you can use non-refined sugars (such a coconut sugar) if you’d like instead. They’ve got about half the amount of sugar as you’ll find in a regular lemon bar, but don’t worry–they’re equally delicious.

These are also no-bake (especially if you skip my crust and go with your favourite no-bake cookie crust) which is great for summer when you don’t really want the oven on. I did a few experiments and I much prefer this no-baked version. They’re really creamy and flavorful and you can’t go wrong with the pretty colour either. They just scream ‘Spring’.

I hope you’re having a fabulous spring so far, friends! It’s been a busy one for me as I’m constantly playing catch up while juggling my baking, social media and my new biz but it’s going well. I’ll be away for the next couple of weeks visiting family on the coast, but I’m back early June. Stay tuned for some travel-related posts coming your way.

Have a great LONG weekend, everyone!

Dana xo

Raspberry Lemon Bars

Delicious, creamy Lemon Bars with fresh raspberries on a shortbread-like cookie crust.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter room temp
1/2 cup sugar reg, brown or coconut sugar
1 cup GF or All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raspberry puree *
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 large eggs
1/4 cup cornstarch or flour
1/2 cup sugar coconut or brown will work
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

Instructions

Crust Instructions

Preheat Oven to 325F and line an 8X8 " pan with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Gradually stir in flour, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. The mixture should come together like a cookie dough. Press into the pan and smooth it out with a spatula to the edges and make sure that it is fairly flat/level. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Lemon Filling Instructions

In large saucepan mix together raspberry puree, lemon juice and zest, eggs and starch/flour (no need to temper eggs-- I no longer do this and rarely have a problem if I stir constantly). Add sugar and maple syrup and stir over medium-low heat until thick (about 6 minutes). Remove from heat, cover and place in fridge for about 20-30 minutes until cool. Spoon onto the crust (be sure that the crust isn't warm at all) and place in the fridge for several hours--preferably overnight to ensure the bars can be sliced properly. You can speed up the process by placing the bars in the freezer for about an hour and then in the fridge for a couple hours. Enjoy!

Waterfalls, Hikes & Lemon Strawberry Tart

April 29, 2018 by Pies & Prejudice 8 Comments

Hello, everyone!

I hope you’re enjoying the start of Spring. Or, if you’re in Ontario you may be impatiently waiting for it to start like I am. We even had an ice storm recently—in late-April (!!). Mother Nature, are you drunk? Someone needs to tell her it’s almost May. We did get some warmer weather for a few days last week but we’ve gone back to single digit temps this weekend. Brrr. At least it’s not snowing, so there’s that.

Since we’re skipping Spring this year, I’m now ready for Summer….AKA Strawberry Season. If there’s one fruit that screams summer to me, it’s the lovely strawberry. When I tell someone that I bake pies, the first thing I usually get asked is: ‘What’s your favourite kind of pie?” It’s so hard to choose, but if I was gonna choose my ultimate fave is strawberry balsamic.

But I also love lemon pie (without meringue #thankyouverymuch), especially if it’s combined with strawberries. I made this luscious lemon tart last week (during our Ice Storm–Ugh!) and after just one bite, I forgot all about the nasty weather outside at the time. This pie tastes like summer… on a plate.

A few years ago, I worked at this Italian restaurant and the pastry chef often made this incredible lemon pie with sliced strawberries and a coulis drizzled on top. She was a wonderful baker and really inspired me to start baking. I loved her lemon pie and I would often enjoy a slice with a glass of vino after a busy shift. So when I finally learned how to bake, I came up with my own version of her wonderful lemon tart. Now it’s one of my favourite summer desserts.

So we’ll get to this lemon pie recipe shortly, but first let me tell you a bit about my recent trip. Just scroll down to skip my ramblings if you just want the recipe. But then you’ll miss some cute puppy photos and some awesome waterfalls…just sayin’.

I didn’t get much ‘recreational’ baking in during Easter as I went away for the holiday (and the week following), and I had quite a few pie orders leading up to Easter. A big thanks to everyone who ordered pies from me for the holiday. I really appreciate the business. You guys are the best! xo

I did manage to squeeze in one Easter pie before leaving town to share with friends: a Peach Pie with brown butter, maple and cinnamon. I know, it’s not exactly the typical Easter flavour, but the design more than made up for it. Because nothing says “Happy Easter” than Darth Vader with cute bunny ears, right?

The force is strong with this pie. Won’t you join me on the Dark Side with this yummy pie? I can keep going, but I’ll spare you the endless Darth Vader quotes hehe. Impressive, most impressive. Ok, Ok….I’m done.

So… after visiting family and friends for Easter, Billy and I did a short detour through Upstate, New York before heading home. I’ve been wanting to go to Ithaca for a long time, but somehow this town kept eluding me every time I was on a road trip in the area.

Ithaca is a small town just south of Syracuse and is known for its spectacular gorges and waterfalls. The slogan for the town is clever and quite fun: ‘Ithaca is GORGES!”. It sure is. If you like waterfalls (who doesn’t?), you will love with this town.

Can you believe this waterfall (at Buttermilk Falls State Park) is a 5-minute walk from our hotel on the main drag? Not too shabby at all

We lucked out with the weather on this trip. While the week leading up to Easter was cold and snowy, it warmed up right in time for the holiday weekend.
…

Movie-themed Pies & That Time I Was on the Set of a Christmas Movie

February 28, 2018 by Pies & Prejudice 2 Comments

*sorry about the multiple posts & notifications today, I’m having some technical issues with wordpress…seems to be fixed :D*

Hi Guys!

I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day. How are we almost at the end of February already? Spring is less than a month away now and the start of Daylight Saving (my favourite day of the year!) is less than 2 weeks away. Yes! I am beyond excited.

Since spring is just around the corner, I figured I’d better share my holiday pies ASAP. Usually the cut off for anything-Christmas (for me, anyway) is early January. So this is probably already too late but a few folks have been asking about my holiday pies so I figured I’d better catch you all up. If you can believe it, several of my closest friends aren’t on social media (Facebook, instagram etc!??) so they have been clearly missing out. Just pretend it’s still January when you’re looking at my Christmas pies, OK?

We had a pretty cold start to winter and at one point in early January it was colder in Ottawa than the North Pole… AND Mars! (Seriously). Thankfully though, the rest of winter has been quite mild and we haven’t had much snow, either. We even got to 10 degrees recently– which is pretty sweet considering we’re usually at -20 in mid February. Not too shabby at all.

But I’d still rather be Arizona if I could choose…Just sayin’. My friend Kelsie, who lives in the sunny state, is keeping her eye out for any houses-for-sale on her street for me (just kidding–I wish!). That way I can be a taste-tester for all her wonderful creations. She is the Queen of amazing dessert combos (check out her blog, I seriously drool at every dessert she comes up with). I’m making her Irish Cream/Coffee brownies for St Patrick’s Day, I can’t wait. They look incredible! I’m pretty sure she’ll make the best neighbour EVER (hee hee!).

I love Christmas but as soon as the holidays are over, I don’t want to see anything Christmas-related until next November. You cannot make me watch Elf with you in April and Hallmark doesn’t tempt me with their “Christmas in July” series at all (yep, it’s a thing). Not gonna happen. It’s bad enough some people blog about the holidays in late February (hehe). But really… who in their right mind wants to see Christmas decorations (or snow for that matter) in the middle of July? It’s just plain wrong.

Which leads to my next story….

A few years ago I was in Vancouver driving down a scenic highway enjoying a beautiful, warm summer day (in early July) when suddenly I came across snow. LOADS of it–we’re not talking about the little pile you see at the back of a hockey rink during the summer. And this was nowhere near the mountains on the north shore of Vancouver, either (which can get some snow in the summer). This was near White Rock–close to the the BC/Washington border. This area doesn’t get that much snow even in the winter (well, they get a wee bit but it doesn’t stay long).

It looked like summer everywhere else— except for this particular street. Weird. And the houses and trees were completely covered in the white stuff. Was I hallucinating? Or was I having some sort of strange delusion?

I know some folks leave their Christmas lights up all year-long, but this was way too many lights for the summer. It looked more like a Christmas village.

Judging by the quizzical look on my friend Jorge’s face, he was seeing this too. Perhaps we’ve entered the Twilight Zone? Or mayyyyvbe we were in an X Files episode? The show was filmed in Vancouver, after all (I was a huge fan of the show and did an X-Files tour the first time I was in Vancouver! #nerdalert). But the show ended a few years earlier so this probably didn’t have much to do with the FBI or aliens.

“I’m not saying this might be aliens but….it’s aliens.” I chuckled, channeling Mulder.

It turns out we weren’t too far off. We later found out that this was a film set, but there was no Mulder or Scully to be found anywhere (unfortunately).

Intrigued (and nosy as all heck), we pulled over to the side of the road so that we could fully investigate this odd phenomenon. And we weren’t the only curious folks, either. There were several cars parked along the side of the highway and many other people walking around checking out this strange sight.

My nosy-ness came in handy. As we started walking closer to the main house, a couple of friendly guys walked over and started chatting with us. They were part of a film crew (location scouts) and we were actually standing on a movie set. Yep, they were filming a Christmas movie! Now this was exciting.

I looked pretty chilly standing beside the (fake) snow in my summer outfit, don’t I? Brrr.. Don’t worry, it looked cold but it was actually 25 degrees (which is actually fairly warm for Vancouver).

Do you guys remember a holiday movie that came out a few years ago with Danny De Vito and Mathew Broderick? It’s called ‘Deck the Halls’ (2006) and it’s about two neighbours fighting over who has the best Christmas decorations. One of them (De Vito’s character) had decorations that were ‘so bright it could be seen from outer space!!’

Yep, we were on the set of THAT movie. WOOO! …

A Wedding Pie (not mine): Spiced Cherry

December 9, 2017 by Pies & Prejudice 14 Comments

Who needs a cake to celebrate your nuptials when you can have a WEDDING PIE? Especially if it’s a Spiced Cherry pie. Mnnnn…..

I made this pie for Darlene and Guy, who got married recently in their hometown of Dalhousie, New Brunswick. While visiting them there, I decided that they needed a wedding Pie. Plus, I was fairly desperate to get my bake on after several days on the road—without an oven in sight!! (the baking withdrawals are real, people!).

If you’re into pumpkin-spice-everything right now but you’re also missing summer fruit as much as I am, this is the perfect crossover pie. It’s a sweet cherry pie with a holiday twist. I’ve added cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, cardamon, brown butter, maple syrup and orange extract. I ran out of cherries while making this pie (I was travelling at the time and didn’t buy enough, oops!), so I added a few blackberries and blueberries to the mix. Super good! (recipe below post)

The wedding theme is optional, of course. But even without the bride and groom, I think you’ll like this pie.

If you look closely at the pie, you’ll notice the groom’s arm missing. After it came out of the oven, it needed to cool for a couple of hours. Unfortunately Guy had to work at 4am so he couldn’t wait to have the pie as it was getting late. Darlene didn’t want to cut into their wedding pie without him, but then she got hungry later and decided to bite a piece of his arm off (ha). The next morning she just told him a shark attacked the pie in the night. Considering there aren’t too many sharks in Northern New Brunswick, I don’t think he believed her. But it was a good attempt, anyway.

I hope you guys are doing great and having a fabulous fall so far! I’ve only been writing this post since I got back from my travels but then I got super busy with getting my baking biz up n’ running. How all my blog/foodie friends find the time to not only post on their blogs often, but also keep up with Instagram (and the comments!), facebook, twitter AND have time to recipe-test and bake is beyond me?? Teach me your ways, guys. Pleaseeeee?

Plus, I wasn’t sure how to keep my blog and business separate, so I decided to put this blog on a short hiatus. The problem was that many of my local homies were coming here looking for a menu and reviews of my treats. Instead, all they found were travel pics, food ramblings and recipes (ha ha). None of which helped them get their hands on a fresh Apple Pie whatsoever.

So, I’ve created a new Facebook page for my baking biz so that way I can keep this as my food/lifestyle blog and a place to share recipes, and anyone looking for treats can go to my Facebook page to see my menu and read reviews. That’s also where I can send event organizers who are looking to see if I’d be a viable vendor for their craft fairs. I’ll be posting my new creations there regularly, as well as events and updates.

Speaking of craft fairs…I need your help, guys! I’m hoping to get into a couple of upcoming events so I’d love it if you could stop by to check out my new facebook page (don’t forget to like/follow, too). Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate it.

I was also thinking of sharing my recent trip on here but then I remembered this is supposed to be a food blog, after all 😀 Plus my last few travel stories such as my Spring Road Trip and my Christmas holiday last year, didn’t get much traffic or feedback at all. So, I’ve decided to just keep my travel stories for when I meet friends over coffee or drinks (then they don’t have a choice–and can’t scroll either! haha) and just focus on my baking & recipes here. That also means my posts will be shorter (yay!). But don’t worry– I can talk a lot about food, too.

Hope you’re having a great start to the holidays! Let me know if you try this cherry pie, it’s one of my faves. I’m also sharing my latest holiday creation— White Chocolate Cream pie’– soon, too. If you like white chocolate, I think you’ll love it. Stay tuned!

Happy Weekend, friends!

Love, Dana xo

Spiced Cherry Pie

Summer and Fall Flavours combined into one very tasty pie. Perfect for the holidays, too!

Course Pies, dessert, Holiday

Author Dana

Ingredients

For the Filling

2 cups each cherries, blackberries and blueberries 6 cups total (or another mix of your choice)
1 small apple grated
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
1/4 brown butter or regular butter
2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract or regular vanilla
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp orange extract (optional)

Instructions

Roll out your favourite pie dough and put into a 9" pie plate, or skip if using a storebought unbaked pie crust.
Place 2 cups of frozen cherries (or other fruit) and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cherries soften and they become saucy (I use a fork or potato masher to help break them down). The mixture should reduce by approximately a third to a half, usually in about 10 minutes or so. Allow to cool slightly. *While this is not a mandatory step, I always do this because it takes some of the 'water' out of the filling and adds a condensed sauce to the pie filling.
Add brown butter, maple syrup (or reg/brown sugar), cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg and salt to the cherry mix. Set aside to cool
Grate apple and squeeze some of the moisture out with a cloth or paper towel. Add to the cherries
Add the remaining 4 cups frozen (don't thaw) to the cooled cherry mixture and then add vanilla, orange extract (if using) and tapioca. Mix gently until tapioca is absorbed into the berry mix.
Scoop filling into shell. Place lattice or a full crust on top, if using. I generally bake my shapes/pastry letters separately. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
While your pie is chilling, preheat oven to 400F. Remove pie from freezer and brush egg wash along crust sides and top or lattices, if using.
Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes then reduce heat to 350F and cook for another 30 minutes or so, or until filling is bubbling and crust is a nice golden brown. I use a pie shield (or tin foil around top crust sides) for the last 1/2 of baking if the crust is getting brown too quickly.
Allow pie to cool for at least a couple of hours, at room temperature. If you slice into it before it's completely cooled, it'll be very soupy (I know from impatient experience haha). If desired, add some fresh cherries berries to the top of your pie when it has cooled. This adds a nice freshness to your pie. Add your pre-baked pastry toppers or just whip cream/ice cream. Enjoy!

Summer, Cherry Pie Cupcakes and 80s Flashback

August 27, 2017 by Pies & Prejudice 8 Comments

Hi guys, I hope you’re having a fabulous summer 🌞

How the heck are we almost at the end of August already? Seriously. It feels like it was only a few weeks ago that we ‘celebrated’ Summer Solstice. Yes those quotes are intentional because while the solstice marks the official start of summer and it’s the longest day of the year, it also means the days start getting shorter again. Wahhh! (I take my sunshine seriously, ya’ll).

We’re having the best summer ever here in Ottawa, though most of my local pals probably won’t agree (and might have even re-read that sentence to make sure they read it correctly haha). Sure, we’ve definitely had way too much rain but we haven’t had that much humidity this summer, thankfully. While I love me some summer heat (the hotter, the better), I just can’t stand the humidity. So this summer has been chock full of mostly hot days and cool nights, which is perfect to me. And my hair is very appreciative of the lack of humidity as well. Just sayin’. #frizzyhairproblems #the80scalledtheywanttheirhairback.

Who here likes cherry pie? I know, silliest question ever.

There’s something about a slice of fresh, homemade cherry pie that screams summer to me. But since you’ve probably already had lots of cherry pie already this summer (at least I hope you have), I thought I’d change it up and take cherry pie to a whole new level.

Behold: The Cherry Pie Cupcake. Heck yes!

(Recipe below this post)

A vanilla cupcake is slathered with a fresh cherry buttercream and then drizzled with cherry pie filling. It’s basically a combination of a cupcake and a slice of pie in one easy hand-held treat. How awesome is that? And, these cupcakes are actually quick & easy to make if you’ve already got some cherry pie filling leftover from your recent pie bake-a-thon.
What? You usually don’t bake one pie, let alone a bunch of them? Now who’s crazy? 🙂

Speaking of pie…this past July marked my very first PIE Anniversary! Yep, it was last year on Canada Day while making a Strawberry Balsamic pie for the festivities that I decided to forgo the usual lattice crust and do something a little different. I took advantage of the fact that the berry filling was red and created a Canadian flag out of the top pastry. It worked out deliciously well! Turns out there’s a whole other world beyond a lattice crust. Who knew? I was immediately hooked on pie design.

It didn’t take me long to start with the geeky pies, not too surprisingly (for those who know me, anyway). I made a Star Wars-themed pie for a friend’s birthday shortly after this one, and have made many a Superheroes/Star Trek/Star Wars pies in the past year. I’ve developed a Geeky Pie addiction, and not seeking any treatment for it whatsoever 🙂

This is one of my favourites: A Wonder Woman pie for the new movie– which came out this past Spring. It was my first time ‘drawing’ on pie crust and I had a lot of fun with it. Considering I hated art class in high school and I was pretty bad at it (worst marks, by far), my drawing isn’t all that terrible—surprisingly.

So, this year for Canada Day I made a fun pie to share with friends for our country’s 150th Birthday celebration.

Can you really get any more Canadian than a pie with a moose and a beaver in a canoe with a Timmies coffee? Probably not…

I also made a 4th of July pie for our lovely neighbours to the south. It’s a no-bake pie with fresh strawberries and blueberries and then I decorated it with pastry stars and whipped cream. It was deliciously American!

I also tried my hand at a braided pie crust. I’d been admiring all my lovely pie friends’ fantastic braided pies recently and just love the pretty effect. The braids especially stand out with a triple berry filling.

You guys might laugh at me but while I was standing in front of my pie with pastry strips all ready to braid, I drew a complete blank. Somehow I’d completely forgotten how to braid!! Crazy, right? As a kid I could braid with my eyes closed and probably in my sleep, too. My friends and I would braid each others’ hair all the time. I think it is (or was?) a rite of passage and a very popular pastime for a teenage girl. Mind you, I haven’t braided anyone’s hair (including my own) since 1989, so I guess it has been awhile.

So I felt a bit silly entering ‘how to braid’ on the google machine but as soon as I watched the first 2 seconds of a Youtube video it all came back to me and I was braiding my pastry strips like a pro.

And then suddenly a huge wave of nostalgia swept over me and I was immediately transported to the summer of 1988 where I spent every. single. day at the pool hanging out with my friends. We’d sunbathe, swim, talk about boys, bugged the lifeguards (especially the ones we liked), AND braided each others’ hair. All whilst listening to the ballads of Corey Hart (swoon!) blaring from the radio. Ah, the good ole’ days. I miss the 80s…

Since I’m going down memory lane, and had also recently come across a few old photos, I thought I’d share a couple just for fun. Because who doesn’t like cheesy 80’s photos anyway, right?

This is my good friend Andrea and I sitting poolside while chatting and working on our tans. She was one of the lifeguards that I’d befriended and we kept in contact long after she moved to BC. She inspired me to become a lifeguard (a few years later) but the summers here at the pool just weren’t the same without her.

Would you believe that we actually slathered ourselves with BABY Oil in order to get the best tan ever? And sometimes (man, I can’t believe I’m actually admitting this), we even used Crisco Oil! I know….craZy! Thinking back, I can’t believe we actually thought that was a good idea (especially in this day and age with our sunscreen obsession) . But our tans were fabulous and we often smelled like french fries–which is never really a bad thing, right?

Don’t forget to also admire my “highlighted” hair. Anyone remember ‘Sun-in’? I know, orange is SO not my colour but it was all the rage back then. Oh and before we move on (to slightly embarrassing photo #2), don’t forget to check out my snazzy t-shirt I was wearing as well.

Yep, it’s Corey Hart! I got that shirt at his concert when he was here in Ottawa in the late 80s. It was my very first concert and I couldn’t talk for a few days afterward because of all the screaming we did. If you ever hear his version of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ around the holidays, you may notice that it’s live. He recorded that song here in Ottawa, even though it was July. We were very confused when he started singing a Christmas song, but we still screamed for the entire duration of the song and if you listen closely, you might recognize my voice. Okay, maybe not… but I still enjoy hearing that song and remembering: ‘Wow, I was one of those crazy gals screaming at Corey while he’s singing Christmas songs in the middle of the freaking summer’ haha.

Here’s a photo of my girlfriends and I hanging out in the pool office. We were pretty fortunate the lifeguards liked us enough to let us in their private ‘office’. It seemed a lot more exciting at the time…

Oh and before you ask, that’s me on the far left with the football shirt and (almost) mullet. HA! This was the very start of my tomboy phase. I hope you’re not laughing too hard. I thought I was cool at the time and I wore that shirt over my swim suit almost every day (when I wasn’t wearing my Corey Hart shirt, that is).

At this point you might be wondering…why did I even both to change my blog if the name is different but I’m still only sharing travel stuff and 80s pics? Well, my friends, I thought I’d ease you guys into the whole food blog thing before I start sharing a lot more of my recipes. I’m pretty sure you’ll come back again in hopes to see more cheey 80s photos though, right? hehe

Okay, here is the recipe for my Cherry Pie Cupcakes. Hope you guys enjoy them, and the rest of summer, too! I’ll be back with another recipe shortly. Pinky promise.

Dana xo

5 from 1 vote

Cherry Pie Cupcakes

A cupcake and a pie in one! The perfect summer treat

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Cupcakes

1 ½ cups Gluten-Free flour Packaged or your own mix
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if it's in your flour mix
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter room temp
2 large eggs room temp
½ cup milk any--cow, almond, cashew, coconut etc.
1 Tablespoon vanilla bean extract or reg vanilla

For the Cherry Pie Buttercream

1 cup butter room temp
2 cups powdered sugar or use more if you like your frosting sweet
1 tablespoon or more whipping cream, coconut cream or milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean extract or regular vanilla
1/3 cup Cherry Pie Filling- homemade or store-bought my simple recipe below

For the Cherry Pie Filling (if not using pre-made or store-bought filling)

1 cup sweet or sour cherries if using frozen don't thaw first
3 Tablespoons granulate sugar you can use brown or coconut sugar if preferred
1 Tablespoon maple syrup or omit and add an extra tablespoon of your preferred sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract or regular vanilla

Instructions

For the Cherry Pie Filling (if not using a pre-made or store bought pie filling):
In large saucepan whisk together sugar, maple syrup (if using), cinnamon, sea salt, and tapioca. Add cherries (pitted first, if using fresh cherries) and mix into the sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring often. I often use a potato masher to break down the cherries while the sauce is cooking. When it begins to boil, cook for another minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and add in vanilla. Use immediately or store in the fridge until ready to use for the buttercream and topping for the cupcakes.

For the Vanilla Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In medium bowl add flour mix and whisk well (I always whisk gluten-free flour really well first), then add sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add butter to the flour/sugar mixture and, with a hand mixer, beat on low-speed until thoroughly mixed. It will be crumb-like in texture, similar to coarse sand. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix until blended.
Pour in the vanilla and then slowly add milk. Beat on medium for about a minute or so, until batter is fairly smooth (since GF flours don't contain gluten, you don't have to worry too much about over-mixing). If batter's too thick, gradually add an extra couple of teaspoons milk (you probably won't have to add extra milk if you're using reg vanilla extract). Batter should resemble a soft frosting when it comes together.
Fill liners with batter to almost ¾ full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes--but I usually check them in about 15 minutes. When they're slightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, they're done. Allow them to cool completely.
Frost with cherry buttercream (below) or your favourite frosting.

For the Frosting:

Using a mixer, beat the butter on high for a minute or two.
Turn speed to low and add confectioners sugar--but only a half cup at a time to gradually incorporate the sugar into the butter. Add salt.
Slowly mix in vanilla extract and cream (or milk) and cherry pie filling and continue to beat on medium-high for a minute or two. After it comes together, increase speed to high and continue to beat for several more minutes (aim for 5 or more minutes, for best results).
Frost cupcakes and drizzle each with reserved cherry pie filling.

Spring Road Trip and Maple Blueberry Pie

June 13, 2017 by Pies & Prejudice 10 Comments

Hey guys, how is your spring going so far?

Spring is my (only) favourite season so I reallllly don’t want it zipping along so fast thankyouverymuch. If it were up to me, I’d be more than okay with spring all year-long. Just sayin’…

So in attempt to extend spring, I made this Maple Blueberry Pie. Can’t hurt, right? We just wrapped up our Tulip Festival not too long ago so I thought it’d be fun to add a pretty tulip. You’re probably surprised to see that there is no Pac-Man or a Superhero on this pie, right? (I get that a lot).

(scroll to the recipe below if you don’t want to read my ramblings—WHAT?? That’s crazy talk).

Thank you ALL so much for coming to check out my new blog, all the positive feedback and your messages and comments on my blog and social media. It’s super fantastic. I’m very happy to finally share more recipes with you guys, too (don’t worry, my geek theme is optional). Been a long time coming…

So far it’s been a fabulous Spring so far and, as always, it’s been absolutely gorgeous here in my hometown (Ottawa). Our world-famous Tulip Festival just ended (if you missed my post last spring, read about our tulips here) and I managed to get a few nice pics of the tulips again this year. If you’re coming to Ottawa for a visit, I strongly recommend planning your trip in May. This is thee best time to see the tulips in full bloom, and it’s usually too early for the hot, sticky weather as well (huge bonus!).

One thing is for sure, you’ll love our gorgeous, colourful tulips. The gardens are sure a sight to behold…

This also happens to be my ‘office’ as I also work outdoors. Not too shabby at all, right? #selfemployment #perks

I’ve also done quite a bit of travelling this spring as well…2 road trips already, and it’s not even summer yet (crazy, right?).

In April my guy and I went to Vermont for Maple Fest (post coming soon), and then during the May long weekend we went to Niagara-on-the-lake for the holiday and to also celebrate my birthday. We had a fabulous trip!

Since we haven’t been on a proper road trip since last summer, I knew I couldn’t wait until the Fall to get outta dodge. Desperation really starts to kick in when it’s been almost a ~~month~~ year since I last roadtrip’d (ha ha).

While I don’t travel nearly as much as I used to (hence the new blog theme), my guy’s work closed down for a couple of months (for renovations) this spring so we decided to sneak away for a bit. He figured it was a good time to use his summer vacation while it’s quieter (he still did occasional private parties in the basement). By travelling during this time, he now won’t have to burn any time off during the busy summer season. So we probably won’t be going anywhere ’til early Fall, when we’ll likely head to the East Coast visit his folks.

There is no better place to kick off the first unofficial weekend of Summer (Victoria Day weekend in May) than Niagara-on-the-Lake! This was my 3rd time visiting and it was more stunning than ever. I’m not at all surprised that NOTL is considered ‘The Most Beautiful Town in Canada’.
As soon as you get here, you won’t want to leave…

The town is chock full of tulips, lilacs and every other flower under the sun at this time of year.

I’m a complete lilac addict. It’s actually bordering on a problem because as soon as I come across them, I’ve got my face stuck in the flowers to give them a good sniff. I probably look crazy(er), but I just can’t stop. There has gotta be a LA (Lilacs Anonymous) group for this, right? Probably only runs for the month of May though….haha

And, of course, this is wine country so you could spend all your time going from one vineyard to the other, and sipping a glass of wine on a garden patio in between tours.

Even if you don’t like wine, the scenery alone is worth the visit here

We did a few wine tours, a couple of brewery tours and ate LOADS of amazing food as well.

There are also loads of scenic areas for bike rides and nice walks.

I’ll be doing a full recap post on our Niagara adventure soon! If you haven’t been there yet, hopefully I can encourage you to check it out. Just a warning though….this place can be completely addicting (almost as much as chocolate…or lilacs)

We also did the boat trip under Niagara Falls, so you’re guaranteed to see some fun pics in my next post. Let’s just say I would have been LESS soaked if I’ve gone over the falls in the barrel like I was hoping to do (silly rules/by-law restrictions).

BTW, if anyone from the Niagara Falls Tourism Board is reading this, you guys really need to hire Superman to give free rides over the Falls. If that doesn’t boost tourist to the area, I don’t know what else will (um, not that you need any help really….the place has been packed anytime I’ve been there).
The movie Superman (the 2nd one, actually) is one of my favourite flicks, so I may be biased. Anyone else think of Lois and Clark while visiting the Falls?…. or am I just crazy? (um, maybe don’t answer that question).

Here’s a sneak peek into our fun at the Falls. This is right before Billy threw me over the railing (I only wish I were kidding :D).

So…. let’s get down to the most important thing about this post (well, besides Superman)… how about a PIE?

Oh look at that, I’ve combined pie AND superman. Whoops. How did that happen? It’s a bird…it’s a plane…no, it’s a….. BLUEBERRY PIE?

*The Superman logo is optional, but it will definitely win you points with your geek friends (like me! haha).

This is one of my new favourite pies. It’s a baked pie but with added fresh berries on top after it’s cooled. Throwing on some fresh berries is a little easier if you’re not using a top crust, of course. I usually make fancy pastry shapes or words and place them on top afterward. If you decide to do a top lattice, just throw a few berries around the lattice strips.

I’ve also used a combo of other berries to make this pie. You can just use whatever you like or have on hand. Blueberry and cherries are a fabulous mix and a bit different from the usual combos–that’s what I used in the Superman pie (above). Like most pies, the berries are fairly versatile.
So… let’s get on with our pie baking fun, shall we?

(I’m working on my recipe format, please bear with me! thanks 🙂

Maple Blueberry Pie (baked & fresh)

A delicious baked blueberry (or a combo of berries) pie with fresh berries thrown on top for a more 'fresh' taste during off-season. So yummy and versatile, too.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 1 minute

Servings 6

Author Dana, Pies & Prejudice

Ingredients

CRUST

Pie Crust for a single 9" pie (*Double if you want a top crust, lattice or shapes)

1 1/2 cups GF Flour (your own mix, Bob's GF flour, cup4cup etc)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
*pinch of cinnamon (optional but adds a really nice flavour)
1/2 cup cold/frozen butter , grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons very cold water or milk (any)
*Egg Wash to brush crust before baking *optional:
1 egg yolk + 1 teaspoon water or milk/cream

For the Filling

6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw if using frozen) or use a mix of different berries
1 small apple , grated (my favourite is Granny Smith or Golden Delicious)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown or coconut sugar (you can use all-- 3/4 cup--coconut sugar if preferred)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour (or use cornstarch, if preferred)
pinch of sea salt
1/2 tablespoons vanilla bean extract , or regular vanilla extract is fine
3 tablespoons butter , cut into pieces

Instructions

DIRECTIONS

For the Crust (if using storebought or your own, go to the next step)

In large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add cold, grated butter and mix lightly until combined. Add in lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and egg and mix together. Gradually add in cold water or milk, about a tablespoon at a time until the mixture looks dough-y and sticks together (I often do it gradually because it's easy to go overboard and then the dough its too wet). Add in a bit more flour if that happen.
Roll into a flat disc and put in freezer for a bit to let the dough relax and for the butter to get 'cold' again (helps with flakiness) while you prepare the filling.

For the Filling:

set aside about 1 cup of berries to put on top of pie after it's cooked
Place 2 12 cups blueberries (or half/half if you are doing a combined blueberry/cherry pie) in saucepan over medium heat and cook until the berries half broken down and they become saucy. I use a fork or potato masher to help break them down. The mixture should reduce by approximately a third to a half, usually in about 10 minutes or so. Allow to cool slightly. *While this is not a mandatory step, I always do this because it takes some of the 'water' out of the filling and adds a condensed sauce to the pie filling. Skip this step if you just want to cut time and use all 5 cups in the next step.
Grate apple and squeeze some of the moisture out with a cloth or paper towel.
In a large bowl add the remaining berries 2 1/2 cups (or 5 1/2 cups if skipping the step above), grated apple, lemon juice, sugars, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, tapioca starch, salt and vanilla. Add your cooked berry filling, if using (from step 1). Set aside.
Roll out pie dough and put into a 9" pie plate. Scoop filling into shell. Scatter the 3 tablespoons of (cold) pieces of butter on top of filling. Place lattice or a full crust on top, if using. I generally bake my shapes/pastry letters separately. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
While your pie is chilling, preheat oven to 400F. Remove pie from freezer and brush egg wash along crust sides and top or lattices, if using.
Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes then reduce heat to 350F and cook for another 30 minutes or so, or until filling is bubbling and crust is a nice golden brown. I use a pie shield (or tin foil around top crust sides) for the last 1/2 of baking if the crust is getting brown too quickly.
Allow pie to cool for at least an hour or two, at room temperature. If desired, add some fresh berries to the top of your pie when it has cooled. This adds a nice freshness to your pie. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

As always, thanks for stopping by lovelies! I’ll be sharing my Niagara adventure and a butterscotch pie on my next post. Stay tuned 😀

Dana xo

Mackinac Island: Time Travel, Bikes & Movie Sets

December 3, 2016 by Pies & Prejudice 6 Comments

Hello from one of my favourite places in North America: Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan. Warning: this post is pretty long (no surprise there I’m sure) but it’s a lot of pics and recommendations if you’re heading there. If not, I hope this post inspires you to go.

It’s time to pack the car, hop over the border (if you’re a fellow Canadian) at the Sault St Marie crossing and head to beautiful Mackinac Island… so we can go back in time a hundred years, or so.

Main Street Mackinac Island

While I’m not a big fan of Fall, I’m happy to start off the season on the right foot….with a ROAD TRIP! (well more car than foot, really). I actually haven’t gone anywhere in nearly a year (big reason this blog is becoming less travel-focused) so this trip was long overdue.

I’ve been to Mackinac Island before but it was nearly 15 years ago and that trip was a brief half-day visit so I’ve been wanting to go back here for a long time now. The Island is close to the border (near Sault. St Marie) and lies between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas.

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This island is also where one of my favourite time-travel movies ‘Somewhere in Time’ (with Christopher Reeve & Jane Seymour) was filmed in 1979. The movie became a huge cult classic and the famous Grand Hotel, where most of the movie was filmed, still holds the popular ‘Somewhere in Time’ convention every October (that’s how big of a fan base it still has, even this many years later).

The Famous Grand Hotel from the ferry

This photo (below) was taken during my first visit on the island in 2003 just behind the Grand Hotel along the shore of Lake Huron. It’s also where some of the movie was filmed.

Is it you? No..it’s actually me! Way back in 2003

Hmmm….I think I’d like to do some time-travel myself and maybe go back to this time (early 2000s) when I was just a Spring Chicken (*sigh*). Time travel is possible, right? Man, that’s heavy.

Here’s my good friend Al hanging out with the horses on Mackinac. He looks like a ~~spring~~ chicken, too!

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The best, and possibly the biggest, draw to this lovely Island (aside from the Grand Hotel) is that there are NO Cars allowed on the island at all. Except for emergency & construction vehicles (and maybe the odd DeLorean).

Which means you’ll have to leave your car in St Ignace or Mackinaw City if you want to go to the island. The ferry goes back and forth quite regularly and it’s a super short trip– only about 15 minutes to the island.

Waiting for the ferry in St Ignace

You get a great view of the island as you approach it. It’s pretty magnificent…

Ferry to Mackinac Island, Michigan

This is the humongous bridge that connects Lower & Upper Michigan. You’d take it if you’re driving between Detroit and the Can/US border.

I missed this bridge on my first visit to this area because after leaving the island I headed back up to the border. On this trip, however, Billy and I were going to Ann Arbor (near Detroit) next so I got to drive over this time around. It’s not as long as Confederation Bridge (which connects Nova Scotia to PEI) but it’s still pretty impressive.

Ferry to Mackinac Island Lake Huron, Michigan

Hello Mackinac Island! We’re heeeeere. Within minutes of getting off the ferry, Billy made an instant friend. Not too surprised…he’s such a charmer that boy. Look closely at his arm to see his new pal/stalker.

The Butterfly Whisperer

Since there aren’t any cars allowed on the island, it forces you to get active. You gotta walk or bike everywhere if you venture further from Main Street. Or you can ‘cheat’ and take a carriage ride around the island if you’d like. We rented bikes so we could see more of the island.

Fortunately they even allow kooks like this one to rent bikes here (explains the extra ‘fee’ ha ha).

Main Street Mackinac Island Michigan

Most of the hotels, Inns & B&B’s are on the main drag, or at least fairly close by. We didn’t actually book anything before coming (ya, we’re wild and crazy) but it was near the end of the season so we figured we’d find something. A lot of people do travel in September as the kids are back in school so it’s quieter everywhere…meaning less crowds and cheaper for travel as well. Luckily we did find something–fortunately–but the pickings were surprisingly slim. The locals told us it was because the weather was very summer-like that weekend (about 25C, or 75F) which was pretty hot for late September. So there were tons of ‘spontaneous tourists’ like us arriving on the island the day we got here.

We choose The Harbour View Inn which is a beautiful hotel. I highly recommend it.

Our Hotel: The Harbour View Inn

It’s a short 5-minute walk to the main drag, so it was a perfect location as well. A wee bit further than some of the places we’d looked at (the closer ones were filling up fast and were crazy expensive) but not right in the thick of things, either. The Harbour View is definitely more of an Inn than a hotel since it’s relatively small… but not ‘B&B small’, either.

How ’bout sitting out here in the morning with your coffee while listening to the sound of horses galloping nearby? Pure bliss.

We’re thinking of looking into this hotel next time.. The Chippewa Hotel. It’s right on main street (very close to the ferries etc) so it’s much busier, but super close to everything which is always convenient. Plus it’s got lots of history too, which I really love. If you’ve stayed here, please let me know if you liked this hotel. I’d love to get feedback besides the reviews I’ve read online (thanks!)

Chippewa Hotel

The famous Pink Pony bar is in this hotel too, which might be dangerously convenient 😀 The food here is delicious!

You can’t come to Mackinac Island without going to the famous Grand Hotel– especially if you’re a fan of the movie ‘Somewhere in Time’. Since I didn’t get to see the inside of the hotel the first time I was here (which I always regretted), I wasn’t missing out this time. No way.

It was just as lovely as I’d imagined!

Built in 1887, the Grand Hotel is commonly touted as ‘America’s Summer Place’. In 1972 it offically became a National Historic Landmark. It also boasts the world’s largest front porch–at 660 feet!

The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

Grand Hotel Mackinac Island

The front of the hotel from the lovely huge park close to the entrance.

The Grand Hotel Mackinac Island

At the back of the hotel you can walk along the shoreline of Lake Huron and see the famous rock where part of the movie was filmed.

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Somewhere in Time Mackinac Island

If you love the movie as much as I do, you can’t stand against the beautiful tree and take a selfie like Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve, right? (google Somewhere in Time tree for the official photo). I did eventually get Billy to see the movie years ago and he actually enjoyed it 🙂 You can never go wrong with time-travel, right? This is a beautiful spot to walk along the lake, too.

Mackinac Island Somewhere in Time

Even if you’re not a fan of the movie, this hotel is outstanding and definitely worth a tour. Though you might have to put on your invisible cloak to get inside the hotel if you’re not a guest (I wouldn’t know this from experience, of course…*cough cough*).

They’ve got a wall of cool memorabilia from the movie located in the gift shop near the lobby.

This pic was taken in front of the Grand Hotel on my first visit there almost 15 years ago:

My first visit to the Grand Hotel 2003

Even though it was the middle of July, it was pretty chilly that day (as you can tell by my fleece sweater. BRR!).

Annnnnd, this was taken on my recent visit this past September. Much nicer weather this time around!

The Grand Hotel Sept 2016

Blly wanted a fun photo for his upcoming rap album and thought the Grand Hotel would make the perfect backdrop for his album cover.

Totally awesome dude! Gnarly to the max. Womp womp womp…

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Main Street is where all the action is (aside from the Grand Hotel, of course) on the island. Since this is where all the ferries come in, you can’t avoid it even if you tried (you wouldn’t want to, anyway). It’s absolutely gorgeous and so vibrant with all the flowers lining the street.

the Bustling Main Street

I’d really like to come here during the Spring when the Lilac Festival is on. I’ve heard it’s just incredible. Hard to believe that this place could get any prettier, though.

mackinac island

streetscaep

inns on mackinac island

Since it was early Fall, a good part of the street was decked out in gorgeous fall decor. As it was really close to our Thanksgiving (early Oct.) as well, this was a really nice festive touch.

Mackinac Island

There are quite a few restaurants, cute shops (most of them are very touristy, not too surprisingly) bike rental kiosks and about 783 fudge stores lining main street. Okay, I’m exaggerating about that last one, but not by much. I think Mackinac Island has the highest per capita of fudge shops in the world.

fudge

Needless to say there was a LOT of free sampling to be had.

Yep, fudge isn’t paleo-friendly so I was a bit of a bad-ass while I was here (please don’t tell the Paleo Police). I must have tried every variety of chocolate fudge I came across. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t read the ingredient lists before imbibing though as I generally avoid foods with nasty vegetable oils (Yikes!). But SO tasty…mnnn.

We wandered up main street munching on our fudge samples and soaking in the beautiful scenery with all the hustle and bustle of folks arriving from the ferries. With all the pretty horses trotting along beside us, it really felt like we’d gone back in time a century (did they have fudge back in 1916? If so, I bet it was probably much better then).

Now, where did I park my DeLorean again? (ha ha).

mackinac island Michigan

After we checked into our hotel, toured the Grand Hotel and wandered around main street (eating way too much fudge), it was time to do a bike ride so we could see more of the island and work off all the food/fudge. There are several bike rental kiosks to choose from here on Mackinac Island, so it wasn’t an impossible feat in the least.

Just a few minutes away from main street there are tons of trails (many of them are uphill though..just a warning!) so we got to explore a few quieter areas of the island which was really nice.

It also reminded me that I need to get in better shape…

Someone was lagging behind because he was busy taking photos (silly photo nuts).

Oh look a painting! In the middle of the forest?

We biked and hiked to a couple of really cool spots like this one: Arch Rock.

This is a rare limestone arch which was formed during the Nipissing (post-glacial) period when the water levels of both Lakes Huron & Michigan were much higher than they are today. This hunk o’ rock rises 146 feet above Lake Huron and is pretty spectacular to see up close and personal.

It’s absolutely stunning and the views of the lake aren’t too bad at all, either.

Selfie time!

The hike to Arch Rock wasn’t too hard at all. It was just a handful of stairs to get to the top (don’t worry,the view is so worth the work)

We also biked to this spectacular spot…. Sugar Loaf (sweet!)

Sugar Loaf Mackinac Island

This is an enormous 75 feet-high landlocked rock that stands almost smack-dab in the middle of the island. Pretty impressive geological action going on here….

On the way back from Arch Rock and Sugar Loaf, we checked out Fort Holmes as well. This is the highest point on the island and was a strategic location for the military during the War of 1812.

After a couple of hours of biking & hiking it was time to head back into town for a bite to eat and a refreshing drink to quench our thirst. But first…. coffee time!

No Starbucks here, fortunately. This is the town’s favourite coffee shop, apparently. The Lucky Bean.

A few of the locals and friendly tourists told us it’s the best spot in town. When it comes to coffee, always trust the locals, right?

Coffee sure was great, but I was disappointed they didn’t have any treats that I could eat (evil gluten)…darn!

We chatted with some other tourists while sipping a cuppa out front on their little patio area. One of them graciously offered to take our photo, although they accidentally drop the camera right after snapping the pic (Oops! All was good– it didn’t break..until Billy dropped it a few days later in Indianapolis)

It was time to hit the patio to soak up the late summer sun. We choose the Pink Pony as they had a big patio overlooking the lake. Billy ordered a local lager and I went with a blood-orange cider. Yum!

Patio at the Pink Pony

The food here is fabulous and after spending a few days on the island, we both agreed this is one of the best restaurants here. SO if you come to Mackinac, make sure you have one meal (or a drink) at the Pink Pony. Tell them we sent you (ha ha).

Lunch at Pink Pony

Well, this is probably long enough already so I think we should wrap it up. What a long but fun first day on the Island.

Mackinac Island Michigan

We’re off to Indianapolis next! I haven’t been there in a few years–since my visit to Gen Con in 2010. Can’t wait to get back to Indy. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Love, Dana xo