Cold Morning, Warm Pigs

Pile o Pigs by pk Hyperfocal

Pile o Pigs by pkHyperfocal

In honor of this brutally cold morning with single digit temperatures covering the state, so I couldn’t resist re-sharing probably the toastiest photo ever to grace Michigan in Pictures. Take a stroll through pics from pkHyperfocal’s Metro Parks gallery & for sure check out all their galleries on Flickr.

Stay warm!!!

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Wake up it’s time for the U.P. State Fair!!

Pigs Chillaxing by John Gagnon

Pigs Chillaxing by John Gagnon

The Upper Peninsula State Fair started on Monday in Escanaba and runs through Sunday, August 18th with midway rides & games, free entertainment and of course the time honored fair tradition of animal & produce beauty pageants. One especially great attraction is their Miracle of Life exhibit where children of all ages can see the live births of calves, lambs, piglets and watch chicks, ducks, and quail eggs hatch. I heartily applaud the Fair for helping people get a better idea of where their food comes from!!

John caught these snoozing pigs on Monday. See a bunch more from this year & years past in his UP Fair gallery on Flickr.

View from the Ferris Wheel by John Gagnon

View from the Ferris Wheel by John Gagnon

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Cooking with Chef Myles

Chef Myles Anton of Trattoria Stella

Chef Myles Anton at The Box, photo by Lisa Flaska Erickson

In addition to Michigan in Pictures and building websites & marketing campaigns, my partner Laura & I produce an online publication called eatdrinkTC that profiles Traverse City’s dynamic culinary scene. We feature a lot of the chefs and culinary artisans who make it all happen and engage people in helping to promote all the good things going on.

One way we do that is with our monthly #eatdrinkTC Photo Contest that offers a prize every month for the top photo. This month’s  prize is two 3-course dinners at the popular The Cooks’ House, so if your photographic arsenal has some pics from Traverse City or the surrounding area that fit the bill, consider entering.

The photo shows Myles Anton, chef at Trattoria Stella. Myles and Chef Brian Polcyn of Forest Grill in Birmingham were announced as semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Great Lakes this week. It’s one of the top honors in chefdom – hats off to both for representing the Mitten!

Lisa was lucky enough to attend a cooking class with chef Myles at The Box last month. It was titled simply “The Pig” and Myles showed the class how to break down half a pig and how to cut, prepare and EAT the many cuts! (we have a full cooking class calendar if you’re interested)