Meth Awareness Website Launched by Michigan

The state of Michigan's Office of Drug Control Policy has launched www.michiganmethwatch.org to help raise awareness of the epidemic that Meth use has become. Information on community groups in your area is available as well as events across the state to further educate Michigan residents about the dangers of Meth and what you can do to help prevent the spread of Meth use.

Indian Summer Salad

I was given this recipe at my wedding shower. It is cool and refreshing - perfect for the "dog days of summer." Jello:

• 2 pkg. orange jello
• 2 c. boiling water
• 1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice
• 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple
• 1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges

Topping:

• 1 pkg. instant lemon pudding
• 1 pkg. dream whip
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• (or use 1/2-3/4 tub of whipped topping and a little milk instead of dream whip and milk)

Directions:

• Mix all jello ingredients together. Chill until firm.
• Mix topping ingredients together. Spread evenly over jello.

Blueberry & Vanilla Custard Pie

One of my favorite ways to create new recipes is to combine the best parts of tried-n-true recipes. I combined parts of the Rustic Fruit Tart and the Blueberry Custard Pie to create this recipe. What you need:

• 1 ready made pie crust, unbaked
• 4 c. fresh blueberries, divided
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1 (3.4 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. whole milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine 3 cups of blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 450 for 35 minutes or until crust is golden and blueberries are bubbling. Allow to cool.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine pudding, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Beat on high for about 45 seconds or until well blended and thick. Spread over cooled pie.
• Top with remaining blueberries.

Places to Beat the Heat in Michigan

Today is the first of August and we are in the midst of the "dog days of summer" here in Michigan. The weatherman said that with the humidity the actual temperatures across Michigan were in the triple digits. It is supposed to be another scorcher today. I had a friend in Lansing who used to say, "it's not the heat, it's the stupidity." Of course that is a take on the popular phrase, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity." I prefer his line. People do stupid things when it gets this hot.

So, to help folks avoid doing stupid things in this heat I have some suggested places for you to go to stay cool.

• Take a dip in Lake Superior (66 degree water temps near Marquette)
• Visit your local library
• Hang out at the mall
• Stand in line at the Secretary of State office
• Become a volunteer greeter at Wal-Mart until the store manager asks you to leave
• Eat lots of ice cream at your local dairy bar :)
• Watch movies at your local movie theater (it's always too cold there so it should be nice)

Michigan Gas Prices Week of 7/31/06

The average price of gas this morning in Michigan is $3.055. Some of the highest sustained gas prices in history are coinciding with record profits in the oil industry. Hmm, coincidence? I doubt it. One year ago we were paying $2.289 across Michigan.

Gas station owners do not see any of these record profits. Most are lucky to clear $.01 per gallon. So, don't get huffy and take your anger out on the station owners.

Is Grayling to be the Home of an Amusement Park?

There are rumors flying around that Grayling might some day be home to an amusement park called Main Street USA. 1,800 acres of state-owned land along I-75 just south of Grayling have been available for commercial or industrial development for the past five years. Axiom Entertainment has had discussions with state officials regarding the possible development of the land into a theme park. Estimates put the number of potential workers at around 2,000 seasonal employees and 700 year-round. Potential customer traffic is estimated at 1.7 million annual visitors. I am not sure how this is determined, but for comparison purposes Muskegon's Michigan Adventure theme park drew 550,000 visitors in 2005.

It is unknown how many of the 1,800 acres would be used for development of the theme park. Michigan's Adventure is located on 250 acres and offers over 40 rides and attractions. Cedar Point (another Cedar Fair L.L.P. property) stands on 365 acres and features over 60 rides and attractions and drew 3.1 million visitors last year.

Courtesy of the Bay City Times

The Bay City Times dug up information about this deal through a Freedom of Information Act request.