Snow, Sisters, and Sweets

 Spring break has come and gone. And here I am on the Megabus once more, the last trip this school year. Only 46 days until I come home for good—just ask Mom! Which means 46 days to do a whole lot both academically and for fun! There are several things I have not had a chance to do yet, including go to the Carnegie Library to obtain my very own library card, and visit some of the Carnegie Museums for free courtesy of my Pitt student ID. But before I get back to the grind of college, I shall enthrall you all with my stories of this past week. Okay, so they might not be that fascinating, but I did have fun and have some delightful photographs to share!

Absolutely breathtaking!

Voted Good Morning America's
"Most Beautiful Place" in the United States

First, for the snow: Mom, Dad, and I traveled to Glen Arbor, Michigan on Monday to The Homestead, which sits right on Lake Michigan at the tip of the mitten—well, near where the ring fingertip would be. When we arrived, much of the town—perhaps classifying it as a village or hamlet is more accurate—was without power from a recent snowstorm, but the Homestead had power. However, they had lost power, and therefore lost water pressure, so for the first few days, we had to boil our water to kill any contaminants. The chances of contamination were very low, but just to make sure, it was advised. Our condo overlooked Lake Michigan and the two Manitou Islands—yes, Michigan does have islands! We were also very near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, where we skied.

Welcome to Glen Arbor!

There was about of foot of snow on the ground when we arrived—at one point we had to take a detour (thank goodness for GPS!)—because snow was blocking our path. Tuesday morning we were able to ski, but the temperature was quickly rising. By one in the afternoon, when we finished up, it was 46°. Wednesday’s temperatures climbed to 56°, and the foot of snow was almost erased from the landscape. At least we got to ski one day! I love skiing, but didn’t get to do it any other time this winter, as it was incredibly mild both in the ‘Burgh and the Creek. Maybe next year?!

Mom and me in front of the Cherry Republic Café

We spent a lot of time in the condo knitting, watching the championships for NCAA basketball, 
viewing movies, playing Bananagrams, and enjoying lots of tea. Wednesday we did go into town to pooch around a little bit and made stops at a yarn shop, a cute Michigan themed bookstore called Cottage Books, Art’s Tavern for lunch with their chicken jalapeño soup—served on Wednesdays only, and the headquarters of Cherry Republic.

Cherry Republic Headquarters

My favorite was Cherry Republic. First off, they had great samples—cherry salsa, chocolate covered cherries—of four varieties, all of which I could enjoy, cherry jams, and dried cherries. Every morsel of cherry goodness was delicious, and we brought a few things home for friends, and Valerie and Caroline. 


On the way south on Thursday, we made a brief stop in Muskegon to visit with Aunt Kristi. We ate lunch at the Hearthstone, a cute bistro near her house. I enjoyed my crab cakes quite well! I love seeing Aunt Kristi; she’s always full of spunk! She made me promise that I would come visit her this summer, a promise I fully intend to keep! Aunt Kristi and Lake Michigan? Of course! She and Mom go way back to their days at Purdue; legend has it that they bonded over a nutrition final one late evening at the Triple XXX Diner in West Lafayette. Needless to say, the friendship has been a long-lasting one!

Now for the sisters part of the story: Within twenty four hours, I had the privilege of being both a Wolverine and a Spartan! Friday night my best friend since before kindergarten, Molly, and I drove over to Ann Arbor to visit with Caroline and Maddie, our sisters, who have been best friends since second grade, and introduced us to each other. Caroline and Maddie happen to live right next door to each other off campus, which is very convenient.

Caroline and I went grocery shopping and hung out for a bit in her house, and then headed next door to Maddie’s. Caroline had a SWE dinner that evening, so I got to hang out with Maddie and Molly. We had a Cuban dinner—black bean fritas—at Frita Batidos in downtown Ann Arbor, followed by a soft raspberry licorice stick from the shop where Maddie works. Then we were off to the Notre Dame vs. U of M hockey game at Yost Arena. Molly had to cheer for Notre Dame, as she attends St. Mary’s, which is right across the road. I, wearing Caroline’s Michigan Engineering sweatshirt, cheered for the Wolverines. It was my first college hockey game, as Pitt doesn’t have a varsity squad, and I really enjoyed it. The Wolverines won both Friday and yesterday, allowing them to continue on in the CCHA playoffs.

Handing the baton off to Valerie.

Then, the next morning, after a delightful breakfast with Jeannie at Panera, Mom, Dad, and I headed northeast to East Lansing, where Valerie and I would compete in the MSU Running Club indoor track meet versus U of M’s club team, MRun. I was an honorary Spartan, as their team was wanting for runners, since it came on the heels of their spring break. Dressed in a Spartan uniform, I ran the 3K and one of the legs in each of three relays: the 4x1600m, distance medley, and 4x400m. It was great to race again! I haven’t done much speed recently, but surprisingly I was able to run each of my miles in just over six minutes. Not too shabby! Look at all the cute photos we were able to get. If I had gone to MSU, there would be a multitude of photo opportunities, but, I am at Pitt, so it makes these times I get to share with my sisters that much more special. Next fall Pitt should be joining NIRCA, the same running club association that MSU is in, and we should compete at one of the same races, if not more. That will be awesome! We ended our day in East Lansing with church at St. Thomas, dinner at Dublin Square Irish Pub—I had wonderful shepherd’s pie and leek soup, and the MSU Dairy Store—Final Four Fudge Dribble was the flavor of the day.

And now, for the sweets portion of this post: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, and my first completed knitting project.

Last year sometime I found myself with a bowl of dead bananas calling to me, “Make us into banana bread! We want to be yummy deliciousness!” Okay, so I didn’t actually hear voices, but I decided I wanted to make some goodness out of the sorry state of those once yellow fruits. I found a good recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens Pink Ribbon cookbook, but I wanted to make it a bit healthier, so I swapped applesauce for oil and eventually nixed it altogether, used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, and cut out some of the sugar. I also, probably eliminating the majority of the healthiness I had tried to achieve, added lots of chocolate chips. The result? Patricia’s Super-Sticky Banana Loaf. Since then, I have tweaked with the recipe even more, resulting in the final product, which is seen below. Valerie swears by my banana bread, so I promised her I would make some while I was home. It got approval ratings higher than MSU’s cafeterias, which is high praise, considering she can get roasted duck, salmon, and other fancy foods on her meal plan. I also delivered a loaf to Caroline in Ann Arbor, and made mini muffins to bring back east for my friends.

      Patricia’s Super-Sticky Banana Loaf

1¾ cups flour—all purpose, whole wheat, or a mixture

½ cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

5-6 mashed bananas

2 eggs

½-¾ c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Mix everything in a big bowl until well blended; it should be a batter consistency.
3. Pour into greased loaf pans or lined muffin cups.
4. Bake 55-60 minutes for a loaf, 22 minutes for regular size muffins, and 15 minutes for mini muffins. A toothpick should come out clean (melted chocolate doesn’t count).
5. Enjoy

Warning: This banana bread may become addicting… Valerie and I have been known to eat large portions in one sitting. But, hey, it’s healthy, right? J

My friend Valerie—the one in Pittsburgh—is gluten and dairy intolerant, so she can’t enjoy the muffins. Instead I made her chocolate covered pretzels using gluten free pretzels—which are actually quite delightful—and dairy free chocolate. The dairy free chocolate is the EnjoyLife brand, which I purchased from Peanut Free Planet, as they are the only mini chocolate chips that are also nut free. In fact, they are free of the eight main allergens, gluten, sesame, and sulfites! What a find! I sprinkled on green sugar for St. Patrick’s Day and packaged them in a stationery box. They look just lovely. I was quite proud of my work.

And the final project of the week? My scarf. Over Christmas break I began to knit, and I have gotten hooked. I just finished a gold scarf—yes, in honor of Pitt—and am quite proud of it. The beginning was a bit rough, but it got much easier, and I have started on my second one, this time navy blue. While at the yarn shop in Glen Arbor, Mom and I bought yarn to make shawls from a pattern the lady had. I will work on that this summer. I am hoping that someday I can make baby clothes, hats and mittens, and maybe even afghans. Homemade stuff is just so nice! I will post a picture in a few days.    

I also want to sew some more this summer. I haven’t done too much sewing since I was eight or nine, but at the hardware store in Glen Arbor, there was a very fashionably designed apron, which I loved. It was femininely cut, and if I am going to do lots of baking and cooking this summer, an apron is a necessity. I also want to acquire the skills so that I can make quilts for others like my mom has done for me. I have three sitting on my bed in my dorm, including the one I fondly call “my Linus blanket,” as it goes everywhere I go (not to class but to sleep). It went on Kairos with me, it came home with me, it went up north with me. It just brings me comfort and a little bit of home! It is like wrapping myself in a