Helloooo. My name is Marcus and I live in Michigan. I’m a good friend of Sami’s and I’m poppin’ out a guest post just for her. I’m going to teach y’all how to make SWEET AND SOUR STIR-FRY. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s so delicious and it’s pretty cheap to make.

ANYWAY, you need a grocery list! Every good chef knows what to get and where. The ‘where’ is half the battle. Local, family-owned businesses usually try their best to have the freshest products and it’s always good to support your community. I bought everything I used from Westborn Market. There are only three of them and they’re all in Michigan, however, you can order super cool things from them and they will mail it to you!

• Chicken: 1 1/2 lbs will feed 4-5 people. {You can switch chicken out for tofu, fish, turkey or even nothing, to make it vegan or vegetarian. Add more veggies and fruit if you’re ditchin’ the chicken}.
• Vegetables: Choose two: Red, green, or orange bell peppers {I like orange bell peppers because they tend to be sweeter}.
• Tomato paste
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Cornstarch
• Honey
• Fruits: Two of whatever fruit of your choice. {I like pineapples. You may like apples or oranges. Realize, you’ll be applying heat to these fruits so don’t choose anything that tends to get mushy. No watermelons, peaches, etc.}
• Rice: I used 3 cups of jasmine rice. It clumps well, smells amazing and has a gorgeous texture and taste.

After you’ve gotten your ingredients ready, it’s time to cook! Rice comes first. I use a rice-cooker for ease but you can do it old-school. This will be the base of your dish, so make sure you’ve got enough. Some people like salt. Some people like butter. Some people like paprika. Make your rice how you desire it, however keep in mind that it will be going with the rest of the dish so clashing flavors and herbs will make sadness.

Now that you’ve got rice going in the background, SAUCE TIME. This is where the sweet and sour comes in! In a sauce pan, combine:

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3/4  cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon honey

Bring this lovely mixture to a boil. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens. After this has occurred, take the mixture off the fire. Then cut up one of each veggie/fruit into moderately-sized pieces. Add them to the sauce, mix then set it all aside. You’re done making sauce. The fight is half over and you’re probably really hungry. Eat some fruit, I always munch on an apple while cooking.

NOW, take your protein. If it’s meat, slice into thin strips, marinate in the sauce for a bit. Ten minutes at least. If you’re planning on using tofu, drain and dry, marinate in sauce for a few hours then move on. Tofu needs time to correctly absorb flavor. If you’re just going to use more veggies, then you’re ahead of the pack. Take this time to eat more fruit or give yourself a manicure. Do not do that in the kitchen though, nail polish in food is gross.

NOW! Chop up remaining vegetables. Julienned is good and what I prefer. Some people like big chunks. Some people like cubed or diced. Do what makes you happy.

GET A SAUTE PAN. MEDIUM HEAT. SLIGHT BIT OF OLIVE OIL. SHAZAAM!

Once the pan is heated well {you’ll know because the oil will begin to move more like water than … well, oil}, toss in the veggies. PLEASE DO NOT REALLY TOSS IN VEGGIES. THE OIL WILL SPLASH AND BURN THINGS AND SKIN. Once the veggies have GENTLY been placed in the pan, stir! Keep them moving for about three minutes. Now, add in your protein and any remaining sauce. If you’ve only been using veggies here, then in your saute pan, you should have all your veggies and all the sauce. Bring it all to a boil, then lower heat to about medium-low. Put a top on the sucker and do a crossword!

Check your dish every few minutes. Stir it, adjust heat if needed {no burning please} and sample as you go. Your tongue knows best! Completing this portion of the cooking can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. At the end, you’re looking for fully cooked meat, slightly soft veggies and a delicious scent.

If you haven’t been using a rice cooker, make sure to keep an eye on your rice. Two cups water to every one cup rice, low heat, add in herbs/butter/etc from the beginning.

THE END IS HERE. Fully cooked rice on plate, BOOM. Fully cooked veggies, protein and sauce on rice, BA-BOOM. Use remaining fruit as a garnish, WAH BAM BOOM. Now, get a fork and get to it.

-Love, Marcus!

Sorry about the tacky headline; I couldn’t resist! I also must apologize about the lack of posts this month. July has been crazy for me — Stan & I moved, I started an online class, then we went to Michigan to visit two really good friends, Ben & Marcus. Here are some highlights from the trip {in no particular order}:

1. Kensington Metropark — Ben & Marcus to us to this great park that surrounds Lake Kent, where we visited their farm center, treated ourselves to delicious ice cream treats, and rented a paddleboat {and Ben took about 30 photos of swans}. We got lectured for not wearing life jackets {after we came back perfectly safe…}, but it was lots of fun! Except that Stan fed my sunglasses to Lake Kent  :(

2. Marcus made me this gorgeous necklace! He is a truly crafty, talented guy, who can also cook {see image 6} and make amazing hand/body lotion. At first, the charm on the necklace reminded me of an acorn, but I also see it as a green cupcake or a mushroom.

3. Belle is the best cat EVER. She’s not bulimic {like one of my cats} or a sociopath {like my other cat}, and she loves cuddling. She doesn’t try to attack you all the time, and is generally very low key and loving. She also likes to lay in boxes and feel like she’s included in things, which is why she set herself down in the Apples to Apples box as we played it. She does NOT like the flash though — she ran off very quickly after this shot.

4. Risk in silly hats. Even though Risk takes forever, we had lots of fun playing. Or, at least I did because I won both times we played! {Okay, to be fair, I won by default — the first time, Belle messed up the board after we decided to give up at 3am and in the second game, we didn’t read the directions properly so I had an advantage that I didn’t technically deserve}. I played in Ben’s safari hat, Marcus played in an elephant hat, Ben wore his Ash Ketchum hat that he made when he went as the Pokemon master for Halloween a few years ago, and Stan wore a sailor hat. These hats definitely improved gameplay.

5. Sava’s State Street Cafe in Ann Arbor had delicious food, but a wonky waiter. He messed up our food order twice, and we think he may have been on something, but I loved the restaurant nonetheless. The restaurant is named after its owner/chef, Sava Lelcaj, and the food is just amazing. Dishes range from rosemary chicken, pierogis, and butternut squash ravioli to pancakes, crepes, and delicious salads, all very reasonably priced. If you’re visiting Michigan any time soon, please stop by Sava’s, you’ll be glad you did!

6. Marcus made amazing sweet and sour chicken stir fry, with a homemade sauce that had pineapples in it. I won’t say much about it because I’ll be posting the recipe next week {written by Marcus himself!}.

7. We found the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile! We couldn’t figure out why it would be randomly parked in a parking lot, but I found out later that they were promoting the “Good Mood Mission,” where the company asked customers, “what puts you in a good mood?” and turned their answers into good deeds, as well as donating 3 million pounds of food to Feeding America. Because I was without my sunglasses {see #1}, I had a hard time keeping my eyes open for the camera as the sun was shining right into my retinas.

8. And, of course, cupcakes! More on these next week, but if you’re hunting for cupcakes in Michigan, make sure you stop by The Cupcake Station and Just Baked.

One of the biggest challenges of not living in or near a big city like New York, Boston, or Los Angeles, is the lack of nightlife. In New York, you can walk a block or two anywhere and find a thumping dance club or low key jazz bar —there are tons of unique places to chill out or dance the night away. Not so here in Connecticut. But, located in Hartford, Tisane stands out not only as a cool place to hang out at night but also a relaxing tea oasis during the day.

Tisane has been around for 9 years, but I only recently discovered them. Personally, I’m not much of a partier, but when I heard that Tisane had an extensive list of teas, {and why wouldn’t they, with a name like Tisane?} I was in. I can’t say that I’ve tried every different tea {nearly impossible!}, but I love their green, oolong, and white teas. In addition to their fabulous tea infusions, Tisane also carries a variety of brews, cocktails and foods from both the East and the West, lending to the second part of their name, Euro Asian Cafe. They have cheese and chocolate fondue, edamame, sweet n sour tofu, sandwiches like the caprese flatbread or cheese steak, and so much more — truly something for everyone, whether you have a sweet tooth, are craving buffalo wings, or if you want a tasty vegan meal.

Okay, so they have great drinks and food, but what about community? Well, they have gay night {also called “Boys Night”} on Tuesday with DJ John Rzasa, Wednesday is Service Industry Night {”Live in S.I.N.”} with live music by Kenny Mehler, Karaoke on Thursday, and DJ Sobi One on Saturday nights. They also act as an exhibition for local artists, like my longtime friend {and Mish’s boyfriend} Pawel, who is also the person responsible for my Tisane love. An incredibly gifted artist, Pawel exhibited several of his paintings a few years ago at Tisane, shown above.

So, if you want a place to relax and hang out with friends in the morning or late afternoon, forget Starbucks, check out Tisane. Want to do karaoke or experience a DJ or some live music? Check out Tisane! You don’t have an excuse not to go! :)

Read more about Tisane, and view their hours of operation, on their website or like them on Facebook.

When I put the words Summer and skin together, the first thing I think of {okay, after the Death Cab for Cutie song} is tanning. It’s always my goal to work up a nice tan in the summer, even though that never happens. I blame my Danish, Swedish, and Irish heritage. It’s okay to spend some time out in the sun as long as you’re taking care of your skin. Here are a few tips for healthy summer skin:

1. Wear sunscreen every day! Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this one, I know, but it’s really important. Why? Because repeated sun exposure without protection can lead to premature aging {wrinkles and age spots}, rough skin, and freckles. Even worse, you could get skin cancer. So please, for the sake of your skin, always wear sunscreen on your face, and wear sunscreen on your body when you’re going to spend a good amount of time outside. If you’re heading to the beach or a pool, lotion up before you go, but also lotion up again a few hours later.

2. Drink lots of water. Approximately 60% of your body is water, and you lose some of that through sweat, especially in the summer time. It’s important to keep your body hydrated not only to keep you from getting sick but also to keep your skin healthy and supple. You’ve probably heard that you should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but that’s not necessarily true — it actually depends on your weight, the climate you live in, and your activity level. The best way to determine your recommended water intake is to divide your weight {in pounds} by two. This gives you the number {in ounces} of water you should be drinking. So, a person who ways 130lbs should be drinking 65 oz of water each day.

3. Wash your face twice a day. Whether I’m inside working or outside playing, my face will feel sweaty and grimy after only few hours of waking up and showering. Again, because we sweat a lot in the summer, it’s important to to extra special care of our faces. By washing your face twice a day {I sometimes wash mine 3 times; once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once right before bed}, we keep all of that dirt and grime away that our skin collects from sweat and dust/dirt in the air.

4. Eat healthy. We’ve all heard that eating greasy pizza and junk food will make us break out. Well, that’s not exactly true, but it’s important to eat healthy to maintain healthy skin. WebMD has a great article called Foods for Healthy Skin, which says that we should eat more:

• Vitamin A: especially in the form of low-fat dairy products because the vitamin is already in a form that everyone’s body can digest.
• Fruits with high levels of antioxidants: such as blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums. Antioxidants help fight off free radicals. I like to think of free radicals as super villains that seek to destroy cells and make people age faster and antioxidants are the super heroes that fight off these villains and save our skin. {This is how I remembered things for my Nutrition and Biology exams}.
• Essential fatty acids: this doesn’t sound that great, but actually essential fatty acids are, well, essential for healthy skin. They’re responsible for healthy cell membranes, which keep the bad guys out and the good guys in.

I highly suggest reading the whole article, which isn’t very long, but is a great resource for troubled skin. Check it out here.

5. Don’t take hot showers or baths. Let’s face it. In the summer time, there really is no need to take a super hot shower or bath when it’s averaging 85-90 degrees outside. Take lukewarm showers and try to keep them short because showers and baths strip natural oils from our skin — oils that work to keep our skin soft and moisturized.

Have a happy and healthy summer, readers! :)

Guacamole is hands down my favorite dip to make and eat. I’ll eat it any time of year, but it’s especially nice during the summer or alongside homemade tacos {which we have every Thursday; Taco Thursday!}. It’s pretty easy to make and here’s how:

1. Cut open the avocados, take out the seeds, and spoon the “meat” into a bowl. If you’re using a potato masher, I like to mash the avocado meat now for a bit before continuing on. If you’re using a blender, you can just toss the avocado meat into the blender now. I like to use the potato masher because it’s just fun to mash stuff up!

2. Dice the tomato and onion and add to the bowl or blender.

3. Squeeze the juice out of the lime and into the bowl/blender. If you mash up the lime before you cut it in half {whack it against the counter a few times!}, you can get up to twice as much juice out! However, it’s a good idea to squeeze out a bit of juice, then blend or mash it with everything else to taste test it. Once, I made it with way to much lime and it made the whole dip sour. Yuck.

4. Once you’ve decided you have enough lime juice, add in the cilantro, then salt and pepper to taste. Though it’s a bit less flavorful, I like to use dried cilantro because I can keep using it again and again for guacamole, and since I make it a lot, it’s a smart choice.

5. Blend or mash everything together and keep adding salt and pepper, cilantro, and lime juice to taste, followed by more blending or mashing.

And that’s it! Grab some tortilla chips and dig in! :)