Tag Archives: food

Cherry Picking at Westview Orchards

One of the best things about living in Michigan is the availability of fresh produce. And I’m not just talking about dirt-cheap local peaches at Meijer, although those are amazing. I’m talking about the endless u-pick farms that offer everything from apples to asparagus to strange fruits I have never even heard of.

 

 

During my year in Michigan, I visited u-pick farms as often as possible. One fruit-picking season that I was particularly excited about was cherry season.

 

 

Cherry season just happened to peak during the time that Ben’s sister’s family was visiting, so I drove them out of the city to a cherry farm for some classic summertime fun. Ben had to work, so he missed out on the fun, but he did get to enjoy the result of our visit.

 

 

Westview Orchards in Washington, Michigan is the place to go with kids! Of course, my two nephews were perfectly entertained by picking (well, okay, eating) fresh cherries off the tree, but there were also plenty of other things for them to do, including a hay maze, a unique playground, and a petting zoo.

 

 

As far as fun experiences go, though, the cherries really take the cake. We pulled in to Westview Orchards the morning of cherry season’s opening day, and we were greeted by enthusiastic employees who seemed just as excited for the cherries as we were. The gentleman who monitored the picking itself was very helpful, pointing out the different cherry varieties in the orchard and giving fruit selection tips.

 

 

My nephews had a great time in the orchard, exploring the unique tastes of each tree’s fruit, climbing ladders, and choosing favorite trees. Even we adults had a hard time filling our bags faster than we could eat the cherries!

 

 

After a picnic lunch and ice cream, we headed home to bake a cherry pie.

 

 

I helped Annette pit the cherries, and she made the best cherry pie I have ever had. The perfect end to a great day on the farm!

 

Visit Westview Orchards

When to visit: Cherry season is in June, but Westview Orchards offers u-pick almost year-round.

Address:  65075 Van Dyke, Washington, MI 48095

Phone number: (586) 752-3123

Cost: Cherries are about $8 per person, which includes entrance fee and a bag to fill with cherries

Good things to know: Outside food, backpacks, and large bags are not permitted. I was able to take in my backpack camera case without a problem, however.

 

 

A Day at the Four Seasons, Anguilla

When Ben’s cousins, Craig, Bonnie, and Wally, visited us a month ago, they spoiled me. And I mean really spoiled me! One of the fun excursions they treated me to during their trip to Sint Maarten was a day on Anguilla at the Four Seasons Resort.

I’d been to Anguilla several times before, but I’d certainly never been to the Four Seasons! Actually, I’d never been to a hotel nearly as ritzy as this place. I’ve always wondered why the rich and famous want to spend their entire vacations in the Caribbean at a resort. Now I get it.

Oh my word. That pool, that view! Anguilla is known for being beautiful, but the combination of wild natural beauty and manicured perfection was just gorgeous.

Wally and Craig went right to the ping-pong table. You know it’s a good place when there’s table tennis. I hadn’t seen such nice grass in months, and I almost felt like I needed to take my shoes off to walk on it.

Caribbean on Sale

Rooms at Four Seasons Anguilla run several thousand a night – a NIGHT! – so you can imagine how nice this place is. I felt privileged to get to spend the day there.

Bonnie and I enjoyed the infinity pool. It was a great view of the beautiful, powdery white beach below. All of Anguilla’s beaches are fantastic (or so I’ve heard; I’ve only been to three of them), but Mead’s Bay Beach is one of the best.

Talk about a lot of sand! This beach seemed endless, and it was not crowded at all. That’s the wonderful thing about Anguilla. It’s small, but it’s quiet and offers enough space for everyone.


Two Island Cruise of St Maarten and Anguilla

from: Viator

I saw a few people trying to surf along the edge of the beach, which was freaking me out a little. It was so shallow and close to the rocks! I’m not sure what the appeal was, because they were only getting very short rides. Maybe it’s better on other days.

While we were at the Four Seasons in Anguilla, we got to eat at the restaurant there. Did I mention that Craig and Bonnie also spoiled me with food? I don’t think I cooked a single time while they were staying with us!

The food at the Four Season was to die for. Ben often says that the only think I love more than hummus is him. It might possibly be true. I do judge a restaurant by it’s hummus. And this was some of the best hummus I’ve ever had. I may or may not have eaten it with a spoon once the pitas ran out.

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and it certainly is true. I was surprised when our day was over and it was time to take the ferry back home.

If you want a luxe vacation in Anguilla, the Four Seasons is the place to go. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to stay there, and I’m OK with that, but it sure was a blast to experience the celebrity life for a day!

If you’ve been missing the Caribbean adventures posts, you’ll be glad to know I got access to my photos again! We have them all stored on an external drive that was making scary clicking sounds. Ben backed it up today, so we’re good to go once again! So stay tuned.

Read more about our cousin adventures:

Scuba Diving Creole Rock

First Party of Christmas!

It’s finally that time of year! Time to roll out the wrapping paper, put up the tree, and decorate way too many cookies. To kick on the season right, the Pediatric Interest Group at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine put on a fantastic Christmas party for some of the kids in our area.

red noses

One of the groups that was invited to the party was Player Development Program, which is the baseball program that I volunteer with. Today, the team had a Little League game before the party,. The dugout was buzzing with happiness during the whole game! The kids were in high spirits as they anticipated the party, and they played with such gusto that they ended up winning nine to seven.
playing games

After the game, we all piled into cars and vans and got ready for the fun ahead. When we arrived, students and their spouses welcomed us with treats and games and loads of fun. The Pediatric Interest Group obviously put a lot into the day, and there was so much to do! The kids sat down for a yummy lunch from Jules and then dug into the pie, cookies, candy, and homemade goodies that the students and spouses brought.

table

When the sugaring up was finished, and when all the kids had received their shiny red Rudolph noses, it was time for crafts and games! Glitter, glitter everywhere. I’m pretty sure we’re all going to leave sparkling footprints behind us for the rest of the week. Too bad fairy dust doesn’t really make you fly. I’m going to think some happy thoughts just in case, though, because you never know.

crafts

There were coloring pages and paper crafts and games galore, but the one I thought was the most fun was the paper snowflake station. I taught the kids how to fold and cut snowflakes. I’m not sure they understood the connection between snowflakes and Christmas (or even snowflakes at all), but they absolutely loved the lacy paper and creativity. We ended up with snowflakes, boats, and paper shapes of all kinds.

paper snowflakes

The kids even got gifts! Jackie, a spouse at the school, and her kids made incredibly adorable presents. The girls got crowns and wands, and the boys got superhero masks and arm bands. Needless to say, they were beyond thrilled!

superhero masks

Just as the glitter glue and paper shreds  threatened to become a magical snowstorm, the party’s hosts took the kids outside to play and run off all the sugar. I helped clean up and waved goodbye to the kids. Thanks, Pediatric Group! We had a wonderful afternoon.

Plantains, Love Languages, and Cross-Cultural Mentoring

Here’s something you never thought you’d hear an American say: I do not actually know that much. It’s no secret that we Americans in the international realm don’t have the greatest reputation for admitting when we need advice or help. Instead, we’re always like, hey, let me come fix your government, your way of life, and your opinions. Don’t worry world, America’s got this.

So how does American arrogance connect to plantains? Read on.

In college, I took several missions classes that taught me a lot about what it looks like to live overseas in a service capacity. A lot of Americans in my generation have sort of a Superman complex when it comes to expat life– we went on a mission trip with our youth group, built an orphanage, and were inspired to go save the world. There is certainly an element of wonderful altruism to this attitude, but it’s missing something: humility.

The most practical class I took in undergrad was called Missions: Aspects and Relationships. The best thing I learned from this class is that in a cross-cultural situation, you shouldn’t come in armed with all the answers. You come in as a learner, asking questions and building trust. You want to convince someone in a African bush that Western remedies can save their kids from malaria? Cool. Start with hanging with them and finding out their way of life, their challenges, and their own solutions. Once they know that you care about who they are culturally and personally, once they see that you respect them, then they are more than willing to listen to what you have to say. Because who wants to take instruction from a random outsider who disrespects you? Plus, you’ll probably end up learning some pretty cool things from people in the process. On a less exotic, more ordinary mentoring level, just finding out about a person and respecting their skills is imperative before you can start offering free advice.

Ok, we’re getting to the plantain part soon, I promise.

plantain slices

Living on the island of Saint Martin, I haven’t really been in the position of doing developmental work or helping with anything like that, other than general things like tutoring kids in reading. Still, I’ve found the “come as a learner” principle to be super helpful even in everyday expat sorts of situations. Like if I’m going to teach a kid from the Dominican Republic how to speak English, I’m going to ask him how to teach me Spanish at the same time. I’ve found the role-reversal to be a helpful confidence booster when it comes to language skills.

So here come the plantains.

R, a teen who we mentor, spends a lot of time at our house, so naturally I do everything I can to make him comfortable and at home. My mom is really good at making people comfortable, and the way she does it is by offering a place to relax while she makes iced tea, cooks a dinner everyone likes, and serves in whatever capacity she can think of. People really appreciate it. Naturally, this is what I try to do, too. I pour glasses of water, I make the dinner, I clean up, I offer dessert (if I remembered to go shopping and get it), I do R’s laundry, even if it’s only a t-shirt, just to offer whatever love and care I can.

Now, if you’ve read the The Five Love Languages book, you’ll be familiar with the idea that everyone is inclined to love in one or two ways of the following: words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, quality time, and gifts. To really communicate love, it’s good to show you care on the other person’s terms, and not just your own.

My love language is acts of service. That’s how I communicate love. The more weeks that went by, the more I realized that R’s love language is not acts of service. I could tell he felt a little funny about chilling while I banged around in the kitchen. I thought maybe I’d try offering to teach him to cook, but it turns out he already knows how to do that. This is when I remembered the principle of being a learner.

This is the part about the plantains.

Cooking

I found out that R knows how to cook plantains and fried chicken, and I do not. Rather than be the grown-up who knows everything and takes care of everybody, it was time for me to put on my learning hat and ask for help. And do you know what? It worked out well.

I stopped at the roadside fruit vendor on my way home the next day and picked up some plantains. A few hours later, we had a fabulous dinner that everyone had contributed to. Matt, Ben, and R brought home the fish they caught. I prepared the fish and veggies, and Ben created an African fish sauce. Ray taught me how to cook plantains and made rice. Tati helped clean up made us feel like we had some seriously mad cooking skills. Everybody was happy, and we had a lot of fun in the process.

I learned a few things from making dinner with R: First, I learned how to fry plantains, which is awesome because I only knew how to make plantain chips before, and they’re totally not the same thing. I also learned that in our case, an invitation to help out (quality time) and a “Good job, this tastes great!” (words of affirmation) can be more valuable than acts of service. Finally, I learned that mentoring is not just about giving of myself in the role of an authority figure. It’s also about being willing to step into the role of a learner and show that my mentee’s skills and knowledge are valuable. The process of building a mentoring relationship is a journey, and one that is full of wonderful surprises.

dinner

By the way, are you as clueless about plantains as I was? Stay tuned for a recipe post on how to make Caribbean-style plantains and Tanzanian-style fish! Subscribe or like the 3rd Culture Wife Facebook page so that you don’t miss it.

 

Zopf Bread Fish Sandwiches: The Return of Foodie Tuesday!

This is a bread recipe that you gotta try– zopf!  My sister found it on the internet over a decade ago, and our family still makes it to this day. I’ve taken it one step further, though: it is now the base of a delicious fish sandwich. My husband was impressed enough that he requested it again for lunch tomorrow. Yes, I do believe the Swiss would approve. Although I haven’t asked any yet. If you’re Swiss, leave a comment and let me know what you think. Actually, do that even if you’re not Swiss.

fish sandwich 2

Ingredients 

Zopf Bread:

  • One package dry yeast
  • 1 1/3 cups milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 T butter, melted
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 T water
  • Lettuce and tomato (optional)

Fish & Tartar Sauce

  • 6 frozen breaded fish patties or fried fish fillets
  • 1 C mayonnaise
  • 2 T relish
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions: 

  • Follow the instructions for zopf here on Allrecipies.com. Instead of one big braid, though, make six little braids.
  • Bake or fry your fish.
  • Combine the mayo, relish, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  • Once the bread has cooled, slice it like a hamburger bun. Place the fish inside and top with sauce, lettuce, and tomato.

Enjoy! This recipe serves 6.

Bread

I know I’ve said it before, but I really am going to follow through on Foodie Tuesdays from now until I get distracted again. If you’ve missed it and wonder why it’s been absent, scroll through my last few posts and see what a crazy summer of travel I had! I ate a lot of good food, but I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking. I’m back home and in the kitchen again, though, so be looking out for a lot of great recipes in the future! Check back every Tuesday and be sure to subscribe (up there in the right-hand sidebar) so you don’t miss them. See you next week!

fish sandwich
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Battery Park, New York City

New York City is flashy, trendy, and crowded, but it also has some significant and interesting history. The earliest history is concentrated primarily around the Battery Park area, which is the gateway to the city from Ellis Island and also the site of the city’s earliest fort, Castle Clinton.

Clinton Castle

Castle Clinton was built in 1811 as a fortification against the British during the War of 1812. After it was no longer in use militarily, it was given to the city as a garden and arts center in 1823. In 1855, the rise of immigration caused Castle Clinton, perfectly placed at the edge of the bay, to become a depot and immigrant processing center. Eight million new Americans left Castle Clinton and embarked on new lives in this great nation. In 1890, the processing center was moved and the building became the New York City Aquarium. In 1946, the castle was returned to its original design, and in the 70’s, it became Castle Clinton National Monument.

Africa globe

Besides the monument, Battery Park has a lot of other statues and memorials to see. My family’s favorite was “Cool Globes,” the collection of large painted globes, each painted by a different team of artists to reflect their idea of a solution to the world’s environmental problems. One idea was for everyone to put on layers and avoid blasting heating and wasting energy. The globe was covered by a giant knitted globe sweater. I liked the one with every nation’s flag painted over the shape of the country. Look– they even remembered Burundi!

Pier A Harbor House

There are a lot of great places to eat in New York City, but a few are worth highlighting. One of these is Pier A Harbor House, which is located at Battery Park. We stopped in here on our way to the Ellis Island ferry. It was classically American and very delicious.

Sandwich

I love me some international food, and New York certainly offers the best of the best from round the world. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to get some mainstream-type American chow. Especially if you haven’t been home to the States in a few months. Pier A Harbor house had all the really good New England stuff, like seafood in a sandwich and the best clam chowder I think I’ve ever had.

couple at Pier A Harbor House

The ambiance was also really nice. It had a distinctive nautical design, with naval code flags and ship decorations hung tastefully on the walls. As you can see from the above photo, my parents were very happy to be there!

If you find yourself in New York City, be sure to head over to Battery Park. You won’t find any neon or Prada, but you’ll find something that draws deep from the roots of American history. American or not, you’ll discover something that belongs to you: a welcome to all nations from the city that was built by hands from around the world.

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