The woman behind Marie Catrib's

This post has been a long time coming. Let me tell you how much I love Marie Catrib’s. When I meet someone new in town, I tell them about Marie Catrib’s…when I’m super duper hungry and want something healthy and delicious, I go to Marie Catrib’s… when I meet someone special for a delicious home cooked meal with tons of flavor, Marie Catrib’s… when I don’t feel like cooking and want great carry out… you get the picture. In fact, I’m eating Marie Catrib’s right now!

Fouad, Marie and Egan

Tasty tarts before they go in the oven. I would have taken a picture of the chocolate crumble I brought home, but I ate it already, yum!

Marie Catrib's store. That's Marie in the back with a customer.

In all the years I’ve been going there, with all the meals I’ve had, I’ve never been disappointed. Not even once. Marie Catrib’s has a great selection of gluten free, vegan and vegetarian meals that will make you wonder why anyone needs gluten or meat in their diet when they can eat like that. In fact her gluten free bread is the awesome. She also offers up a delicious roast beef sandwich and the salmon surprise is something everyone should try at least once. Then there’s the desserts, my favorite is the chocolate crumble, it tastes like a brownie made like fudge and rolled in toasted oatmeal crumblies. Every time I go to Marie Catrib’s I tell myself, “not the chocolate crumble this time” and darn it, I buy one any way, I just can’t help myself.

Besides the delicious food, the atmosphere keeps me coming back. The staff is just so kind and genuine it’s obvious they consider everyone who walks through the door as friends and family. Marie Catrib runs the locally owned and operated restaurant with her son Fouad and manager Egan. They believe in using locally grown and raised food whenever possible, and it shows in the fresh flavors.

I recently learned that Marie Catrib’s is a finalist at the Celebrated Service Awards, if you’d like to cast your vote click here to see the finalists. Voting concludes January 31, 2012.

Here’s some helpful links: Marie Catrib’s website and menu.

Backroads in Ada, By Ann Teliczan

Even thought I HATE crawling out of bed early in the morning, once I’m up, I’m always glad I made the effort. The morning I took this photo is a perfect example of why. The only thing that would have made the picture better is if I had been the person running down the road and getting some exercise.

This is a typical Michigan fall morning, but I just happened to take it on the backroads in Ada, Michigan.

That's Georgia Gietzen and Dee Shuker from Northwoods Hardware.

I’ve always had this thing for hardware stores. My dad used to take me shopping with him when I was a little girl and hardware stores were a favorite stop. But, Northwoods Hardware in Glen Arbor is not one of your typical hardware stores. Sure, they have all of that manly stuff that guys expect, but you’ll also find a place with natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products, great gifts, wonderful gardening products, art supplies, office supplies, fax and copy service and even FedEx shipping and packaging. There’s also camping and recreational gear. I just love great locally owned places like this that make you feel welcome and appreciated the minute you walk in the door.

Here’s a link to the Northwoods Hardware website. And, a link to a google map of their location at 6053 S Glen Lake Rd, Glen Arbor, MI 49636 .

New York Mike is on the right. He makes the best sandwiches... ever! Seriously.

My friend Amy told me about New York Mike’s Italian Deli. She’s from Philly and knows what an awesome sandwich is all about. Amy told me that this new place in Grand Rapids (New York Mike’s) had the best sandwiches she’d ever had, that she literally craves them. She had me at the best sandwich she ever had. So, I go to New York Mike’s and try the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and darn it, it is the best sandwich I ever had. It’s so good that every time I go there (which is a lot), I order it instead of trying the other sandwiches.

Every time I’ve gone there, literally all of the customers are raving about how good the food is, and about 3/4 of them seem to be repeat customers. It shows that they are local too, Mike has been behind the grill every time, slaving away, and whenever things slow down, talking to his customers. If you decide to stop by, here’s some tips:
- Mike’s Sicilian mom makes the meatballs for the meatball sandwich, I heard them referred to by one of the customers as “addictive” and “better than mom’s” when I was in there last.

- Favorite’s include: the meatball sandwich, Philly cheese steak, and hot steamed pastrami.

- Mike specially selects all the ingredients and roasts his own beef, no “cookie cutter” mass produced stuff allowed

- Hours are: Mon – Sat 7:00am – 7:00pm; Sun 10am – 5pm

Here’s a google map link to his store location at 1971 E Beltline Ave NE
Grand Rapids (in the same shopping plaza as the Knapp Corner Meijer)

For take out and catering, his phone is (616) 447-2505.

Through the month of October mention MichiganSweetSpot and get $1 off New York Mike’s Popular Hot Steamed Pastrami sandwich.

One more reason why I love the Leelanau peninsula

I love lavender. I love the way it looks, smells and makes me feel. So of course when I heard about the largest lavender farm in the state of Michigan I HAD to go there. The place is called Lavender Hill Farms.

Complicating matters was the fact that it was rainy, 4 hours away and at the end of the season for pictures. But, I went anyway. I loaded up my lab and toy fox terrier and called it a road trip.

It was a Sunday afternoon and totally deserted, all the better for me and my camera.

Logging ruins at Marshall Memorial Park in Newaygo

After hearing about the virtues of the Newaygo County area for some time now from my family up north, I decided to have my Noah give me a little tour. This is an HDR photo of the first stop on his list, Marshall Memorial Park. The park was established in 2004 to remember trooper Kevin M. Marshall of the Michigan State Police, who was killed in the line of duty.

The park extends back into the woods with wild snake grass growing along the banks of Brooks Creek. There is a pavilion with picnic tables, look off deck and scenic trails through the woods. It’s beautiful and worth visiting.

My favorite place to walk!

So, can you guess where I took this photo? I gave you a huge hint when I said it was a favorite place… I took this on a walking trail at the Frederik Meijer Gardens with my friend Patti. The Frederik Meijer Gardens is a great place for walks, it’s scenic, smells nice and just plain makes you feel good.

One thing though, you might forget the time so make sure you leave before they close. We totally blew the closing time and would have been locked in if it hadn’t been for a wedding there.

Can't wait to get out on a boat this summer.

Today was the first day this year that really, really felt like we are going to have a summer, yes! I had to dig up a shot that I took last year in Muskegon while on a sailboat with good friends Jon and Peggy.

Don’t you love how all the red football jerseys match the lighthouse? I’m sure that’s exactly what the football players were thinking when they were hanging out there. They probably had a convo to the effect of, “hey man, did you notice how pretty our jersey’s look with this lighthouse?” “yeah dude, I was thinking the same thing, what a perfect shade of red.” Okay, I know, it’s only in my head that these things happen.

These cats are all adoptable from Big Sid's Sanctuary, which is affiliated with Crash's Landing.

I took this photo at Big Sids Sanctuary, which is a sister to Crash’s Landing. The two are cat rescue and sanctuaries for stray cats over 6 months old that need a home. I’ve heard glowing reviews about Crash’s Landing for years now from many who are personally familiar with the organization and I finally had to check the place out for myself last week.

Crash’s Landing was founded in 2002 by veterinarian Jen Petrovich who saw the need for these forgotten cats. Since then, over 2,610 cats have been rescued and 1,945 cats have been adopted out. There are currently 135 residents at Big Sids Sanctuary and 115 residents at Crash’s Landing.

During my visit, I was surprised at how peaceful and harmoniously the cats got along. There are built in cubbies, catwalks and soft cushy beds throughout the sanctuary. The custom cubbies and catwalks were generously built and donated by builder Rob Brink.

The cats at Big Sids Sanctuary have tested positive for feline leukemia and/or FIV. Something important to note is that although they have a disease, these animals are not necessarily sick. The cats pictured here are all from Big Sids Sanctuary and harder to place due to their condition however, many, if not most have a lot of playtime, love and life left in them.

If you would like to adopt a cat and/or donate to Crash’s Landing or Big Sids Sanctuary, please visit their website to learn more. Adoption is $85 and the cats are up to date with shots and have been spayed or neutered.

Home page for Crash’s Landing & Big Sid’s Sanctuary

How Crash’s Landing got Started