A FOOD BLOG BY KIMMY RIPLEY – Eat The Rainbow & Save Room For Dessert
Tag: detroit
This was my first time ever visiting Eastern Market during Flower Day weekend. My mom and my daughter, Chloe who is 9, headed down to the city around 11 am. When we arrived it was total chaos to find a parking spot but we eventually found one over by the Dequindre Cut (after driving around for 25 minutes lol). I am so glad we didn’t just give up and go home since it took so long to find a spot. I was determined to visit Eastern Market Flower Day this year since Eastern Market is now one of my favorite places to visit in the warmer months in Michigan. I get super duper excited whenever I know that I will be heading over there. I also absolutely LOVE the DeVries & Company 1887 shop that is in the heart of it all. It is chock full of unique food & drink items, as well as gifts. I have a ton of fun looking around there and always make sure I take home something special. For this trip, it was black SQUID INK PASTA!
What is Eastern Market
If you are not sure what Eastern Market is, it is a very large farmer’s market venue that also has some other vendors there selling miscellaneous things. Eastern Market is nestled in the heart of the city of Detroit and it is a must-see place to visit if you are near the city. Each weekend in the warmer spring and summer months, Eastern Market is open for shopping. It is quite the busy, bustling place and it is advised to arrive early to have the best pick of everything. Though, I do tend to go in the later part of the day, before they close, when the vendors start deeply discounting all of their goods.
This post about my visit to Eastern Market Flower Day is full of colorful photos for your viewing pleasure.
You can read more about my visit to Eastern Market from last summer in this post on the blog.
That post has more photos of the produce (there are a ton of fruits and vegetables here) available.
Eastern Market Flower Day Weekend 2019
Eastern Market has many murals to seeOne of many murals in the Eastern Market district of DetroitCherries found at Eastern Market
My daughter Chloe checking out a dinosaur shrub – Eastern Market Flower Day 2019
Eastern Market has several sheds filled with flowers, plants, and fresh fruits and vegetables!
Grab some fresh pierogi at Eastern Market! They must be great because the line was very long here!Eastern Market also has several meat shops where you can find some unique meats! Rabbit!!!Eastern Market has several people playing music and it creates an awesome atmosphere!Free hugs and mouthgasms at this nut butter vendor’s stand – Eastern MarketBeer Bacon Salsa!! I gave it a whirl and it was pretty freaking fabulous! Eastern MarketCannolis in many different flavors at Eastern MarketYou can find many different types of homemade baked goods in the Eastern Market sheds. I bought two gigantic M&M and chocolate chip cookies!
And no Eastern Market visit is complete unless you visit DeVries & Company 1887!
DeVries & Company 1887 is a store that is a pure joy to visit when you are in the area of Eastern Market. This place is a go-to place for many cheese connoisseurs. This store is filled with some really interesting foods that you will not find on the shelf of your local grocery store. I ended up taking home some squid ink pasta, licorice candy, and some sour Michi-Gummies!
DeVries & Company 1887 on Flower Day Weekend 2019I found a variety of Michi-Gummies at DeVries & Company 1887
I did it! I tried beer cheese at DeVries & Company 1887Check out this green olive and cilantro salsa at DeVries & Company 1887SWEET JESUS! Look what I found! Some interesting finds at DeVries & Company 1887
The 2nd and 3rd level of DeVries & Company 1887 has some very unique gifts!I really love this “All Things Michigan” find at DeVries & Company 1887It’s Wine O’Clock Somewhere
Final thoughts
I really hope that you enjoyed looking at all of my Eastern Market Flower Day photos. If you enjoyed this post there is still time to head on over to Eastern Market because TODAY (5/19/2019) is the actual Flower Day at Eastern Market. It will be busy. It will be totally packed. It is all worth it though. Each time I visit Eastern Market it is always a unique and memorable experience. My whole family enjoys coming down to the city to take how some interesting foods, to get some good deals on fruits and veggies, and last but not least… to see all of the sights! There is a lot to take in at Eastern Market.
Question Time!
Have you ever visited Eastern Market Flower Day? Tell me what you like to take home from Detroit’s Eastern Market!
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If you are local to the Detroit area, chances are you have been to Eastern Market at least once in your life. If you are a foodie like me then chances are you have visited several times. Eastern Market is a bustling area of visitors looking for the best deals on fresh produce, other food items, and flowers. Through Groupon, we have also discovered a miraculous place nestled down there in all of the action, DeVries & Company 1887. We regularly purchase Groupons to get some good bargains there and we went equipped with one yesterday to stock up on some unique foods.
Each and every time you visit Eastern Market it is a different experience because there are different vendors.
Give It A Whirl Girl in Eastern Market with a rainbow rose
Rainbow roses at Eastern Market in Detroit, MI
Our trip to Eastern Market in Detroit and DeVries & Company 1887
My family of three really values these trips down to the city to explore all of the foods that Eastern Market has to offer. Yesterday it was just my husband and me on a little day-date while my daughter hung out with her friends. Our first stop was DeVries & Company 1887 and we got a wonderful haul there. Then we stopped into the sheds at Eastern Market with our canvas shopping bags and filled those bags up with a plethora of foods. When I come home from these trips I unload my bags and marvel in all of the glory of having these available in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. My day is always made on these trips and I treasure them in my memory and mind.
There are beautiful murals all over the Eastern Market areaEastern Market in Detroit, MI – The home of many food vendors selling produce, meat, cheese, plants, and flowers.
First stop – A visit to DeVries & Company 1887
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
Cheese and Meats at DeVries & Company 1887- What they are best known for
DeVries & Company is a large historic building with three levels of fun finds. Yesterday we only explored the lower level where a majority of the foods are kept. The other two levels are gift shops where you can obtain some neat things.
This place is well-known for their cheeses. We have bought some in the past from DeVries & Company 1887 and had a cheeseboard full of them at a Wine & Onesies party and the cheeses were a big hit. There are numerous to choose from here and if you like cheese there is a cheese for everyone that can be located here. Check out their Facebook page to see their cheese offerings which are regularly posted. They also have a variety of interesting meats to pair with your cheeses. You will have the best cheeseboard in town if you stop in here to stock up!
DeVries & Company 1887 cheese station
DeVries & Company 1887 meat station
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
Not just meats and cheese
DeVries & Company 1887 is more than just a meat and cheese shop. This place is like a little grocery store with gourmet foods and uncommon, specialty food products. Pro tip: grab a Groupon and save some money here. You can get a $50 voucher to shop with for around $20-$25 and get more bang for your buck here.
Balsamic vinegars & oils
If you recently stumbled upon my 100th post on the blog I discussed two different, unique balsamic vinegars used to create a chocolate-raspberry nice-cream. This is the place where you can pick up some bottles of those (there are several to choose from and they are all imported from Italy). There is also a wide variety of various oils by the same brand (Fanchone Gourmet) that you can sample here. You won’t leave empty-handed after trying these out. They all have interesting flavor profiles and they will help take your cooking to the next level. The Meyer Lemon oil was fascinating and I really should have bought that one because that would likely result in the greatest chicken piccata known to man!
Various oils to sample at DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
Various balsamic vinegars to sample at DeVries & Company 1887 – Detroit, MI
A few items that I took home with me
I am a curious eater and I live for the adventure of trying new foods. You all know that. That’s why my blog is titled, “Give It A Whirl Girl”. In the photos below I am letting you see a sneak peek of a few things I took home with me. I am super duper pumped and excited to experience these foods.
Raspberry salsa
I have a major mad addiction to anything raspberry flavored and I couldn’t pass up this Traverse Bay Farms Raspberry Salsa. This was my first time seeing a raspberry salsa so I had to swoop this up! My husband also talked me into bringing home some mango salasa bag of chips from Aunt Nee’s.
Hibiscus sugar
Then I spotted this Mr. Gigglepants Hibiscus Sugar. I was instantly intrigued by this sugar made by Beautiful Briny Sea. It is described as:
A fun, tutti fruitti treat for your cupcakes, French toast, fresh fruit fancy drinks, just about anything that needs a giggle.
I really don’t have a plan for this sugar just yet. It was my big splurge item at DeVrie’s. It was $11 for a 14 oz can. I will figure something out soon though. Maybe I can whip up a batch of cupcakes next week and incorporate Mr. Gigglepants into it.
Root-beer BBQ sauce
Let it be known, I think Guy Fieri is annoying as hell. (insert lols here). I spotted his Root Beer Barbeque Sauce and could not pass it up. I bought it with the intention of making some pulled pork sandwiches with it. Whenever I made pulled pork sandwiches I always cook my pork in root-beer. Sounds weird right? But it is so good!
Our Visit To Eastern Market
Eastern Market in Detroit, MI
When you go to Eastern Market there is a ton of stuff to take in and see all around you. There are tables set up with fresh fruits and vegetables, there are people selling their homemade salsas, honey, fresh pierogi, succulents, and flowers, etc.
There are two different ways to visit Eastern Market. You can arrive early when everything is all set up and available. Or you can arrive mid-afternoon when the vendors are about to close up for the day. They want to sell what they brought with them so you will be walking by and the vendors will be shouting out deals to you. It happened to me yesterday. We came late in the afternoon and I scored some great deals. I got a carton of strawberries for a dollar. I also got some blackberries for a dollar. Those prices sure do beat the local grocery store prices.
I do realize I made a bit of a boo-boo with my photos here. I must have been just vegetable obsessed because I just realized I did not shoot any photographs of fruit and Eastern Market has a huge load of fruit to choose from at really reasonable prices. So I am very sorry about that. Next time I visit I will be sure to snap some photos of fruits.
Ornamental Indian corn at Eastern MarketBundles of rainbow carrots at Eastern Market – I can not leave this place without taking home some purple and white carrotsBeautiful vegetables at Eastern MarketJumbo stalks of Brussels sprouts at Eastern MarketPurple kale at Eastern Market – what a gorgeous color and it appears to be so fresh!Quail eggs and duck eggs for sale at Eastern Market – now that is something you do not see every day!Spice Miser at Eastern Market – This vendor is a must-see! Spice Miser offers a huge variety of seasonings and spices. Be sure to take home a bag. I always make sure I bring something home from the Spice Miser.Mushrooms galore at Eastern Market! Many exotic mushrooms to choose from that are grown in Chesterfield, MI. Give and Grow Mushrooms LLCGive and Grow Mushrooms LLC offers a wide variety of exotic, gourmet mushrooms at Eastern MarketThis was a first for me! Black garlic but $5 a bulb. I was tempted. Eastern Market – Detroit, MIFlowers and eggplants at Eastern Market in Detroit, MIFresh and local honey at Eastern Market in Detroit, MIPepper obsessed! Eastern Market, Detroit, MISo much to choose from and great prices on vegetables at Eastern Market
Be sure to see the murals
There are gigantic murals painted on the buildings all over the Eastern Market area. Be sure to take a stroll around and snap some pics of the art.
Eastern Market in Detroit, MI – The home of many food vendors selling produce, meat, cheese, plants, and flowers.
Mural in the Eastern Market area of Detroit, MI
Eastern Market in Detroit, MI – The home of many food vendors selling produce, meat, cheese, plants, and flowers.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Here is my haul from both DeVries & Company 1887 and Eastern Market
As you can see here I have a pretty decent haul from both DeVries and Eastern Market. I love getting home and unloading all of my newly acquired foods. I am already looking forward to my next trip back.
Haul from Eastern Market and DeVries & Company 1887
Haul from Eastern Market and DeVries & Company 1887
Haul from Eastern Market and DeVries & Company 1887
Have you ever visited DeVries & Company 1887 in the Eastern Market district? Will you be purchasing a Groupon to shop there?
Have you ever went to Eastern Market in Detroit, MI? What is your best memory? Please share by leaving a comment.
I have been trying to lose my halo halo virginity for well over a year now. A freaking year! I discovered this crazy cool concoction on Instagram one day and ever since I have been dreaming of the day that I would get a chance to give this a whirl. My day finally came at Tou & Mai in the Midtown section of Detroit, MI yesterday. This Tou & Mai review will cover my first time experiences at this neat little place that is nestled down in the Midtown area of Detroit.
I was going to share this post for my Tried It Out Tuesday feature but I am really eager to share the details with you and since it is Sunday, maybe you can head on over there today to give this extraordinary and unparalleled dessert a try! There truly is no other dessert on this planet like it.
Tou & Mai is a quaint and curious place! There is so much to see and take in, in such a small space. The first thing you see when walking in is the big white menu. I analyzed the menu online before visiting so I already knew what my strategy was when it came down to deciding and ordering. I started off with a passion fruit boba tea and of course I had to get myself the Hello Hello (their version of halo halo). Click HERE to get a better look at the menu.
Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
I planned on getting the Hello Hello most definitely and I wanted to try out the Tricolour Tapioca but bummer… they were temporarily out of that dessert. That one sounded so fascinating to me and it will be next up on my list of to-try items at Tou & Mai. Here is a description of the tapioca dessert.
TRiCOLOUR TAPIOCA
popular & colourful southeast asian dessert
made with pandan flavored tapioca strings,
miniature tapioca pearls, ruby chestnuts and
creamy coconut milk
Since I could not try out the tapioca I figured I should go ahead and satisfy my boba addiction with a Sweet Tea Boba. I went with the passion fruit flavor. The passion fruit boba was the perfect amount of sweetness and the mango star jellies were a big bonus to go with the exotic flavor of passion fruit. If you have never tried passion fruit the way it can be best described in my terms is a sweet and sour exotic fruit. It has the perfect balance of both. It currently has earned the top spot on my list of favorite fruits, for the moment anyway!
Passion Fruit Sweet with Mango Star Jellies at Tea Boba at Tou & Mai
And if slushies are your thing they have those available as well! Here is a list of the flavors available for slushies.
SWEET MANGO
RED ADZUKI BEAN
JACK FRUIT
DURIAN
TROPIC TARO
AVOCADO
Menu Board At Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
I really need to go back to this place to explore the menu more just look at these options below for new garnishes available. FLAN! ZOMG!
Garnishes at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
What the heck is halo halo?
Halo halo is a famous dessert in the Philippines. To create it they use a purple ice-cream that is derived from a purple yam, otherwise known as ube. It also has a scoop of mango ice cream, coco de nata, aiyu jellie, basil seeds, red adzuki bean, sala cider, coconut milk, condensed milk, wafer roll, and toasted candied coconut. Wowza! That sure is a lot to take in and process right? Google might just have to be my friend here to tell me what exactly it was that I ate! Let’s explore this a little bit more!
This was my first time trying ube and when you put that together with all of these other unique ingredients you get one hell of a memorable dessert!
Having actual beans in my dessert was also another first for me. They include red adzuki beans in this dessert. Odd huh? These are sweet red beans and they are a magnificent source of protein! A one cup serving of these beans is a whopping 39 grams of protein. I would say they use about a quarter cup in their Hello Hello. I enjoyed these beans immensely!
For the next ingredient Wikipedia sure came in handy so I included that information as a quote directly from he source.
Nata de coco is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by Acetobacter xylinum. (source: Wikipedia)
This is really a complex dessert! I really had to use Wikipedia for the aiyu jellie as well since I am not familiar with it whatsoever.
Aiyu jelly, known in Taiwanese Hokkien as ogio, and as ice jelly in Singapore, is a jelly made from the gel from the seeds of the awkeotsang creeping fig found in Taiwan and East Asian countries of the same climates and latitudes. Wikipedia
Basil seeds! I did a little research and discovered that these seeds are void of calories but rich in antioxidants. They are also great for your skin and beneficial for a diabetic.
The sala cider is a fruity ingredient but I could not gather much information on that. If anyone has knowledge of this ingredient, feel free to leave me a comment and fill me in.
The Hello Hello here also used coconut milk and condensed milk. The dessert is topped with candied coconut which is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and it also has a beautiful orange glow to it.
And let’s not forget those two wafer sticks that really stand out and scream halo halo! No halo halo frozen treat is complete without those wafers. There were two in the dessert and the three of us sharing. Joe, my husband, got left out.
Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MIHello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MIHello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
More than just a place to grab dessert!
Need to do a little bit of Asian grocery shopping? You can certainly load up here at Tou & Mai. They packed in a lot of Asian goodies in this small space. My 8-year-old daughter had fun looking at all of the colorful and peculiar packaging. Anyone want to send a crisp new $100 bill my way because I sure would have a ton of fun blowing a big wad of money in this place.
Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI
Asian snacks at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MIAsian snacks at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MITou & Mai in Detroit, MITou & Mai in Detroit, MISnacks At Tou & MaiAsian beverages at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MIMore Asian snacks at Tou &Mai in Detroit, MIChloe sipping on a Passionfruit Sweet Tea Boba at Tou & Mai in Detroit Actually stealing MY drink lol!
Oh and macarons!
They also have various flavors of fresh macarons available at $2.49 each. I have no doubt they are delicious but honestly I felt as though the price was somewhat steep for one macaron so I passed. Bummer! The flavors did sound intriguing.
Macarons at Tou & Mai
I scream for ice-cream!
Tou & Mai also has a small selection of ice-creams available for $3.29 a scoop. That price seems reasonable to me. If you are not going to go with their Hello Hello dessert at least treat yourself to some of that delish purple ube ice-cream. You won’t regret it! Then you can boast to your friends that you tried a purple yam ice-cream! Wink!
Ice-Cream Flavors At Tou & Mai
Hot drinks
The air is getting quite crisp and nippy so if you are not into cold treats on cold days they have some hot beverage options. The tea flavors are unusual and impressive. I am definitely going to stop in here on a chilly day and give one of those teas a whirl! I am all about trying new things and I love the tea flavors they offer. The only problem? Deciding on one flavor because they all sound interesting.
So are you going to hop in the car and make a trip down to Tou & Mai today? I hope that my Tou & Mai review will inspire you to visit this unique place!
I am so happy to be an Ambassador to this great company Thunderbird Bars. Now is the time for me to spread the word about these amazing bars to my readers with this Thunderbird Bar review. I want to let you in on a little secret… these bars are amazeballs! The best thing about them is that they are all natural and made with REAL FOOD ingredients: fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices. If you are vegan, following a paleo diet, and are looking for a no-added-sugar treat, Thunderbird Bars are for you! You have to trust me on this, these bars are an excellent snack and they are especially great while on-the-go and the hunger hits you. I have been eating these for the past month now and I feel the need to spread the word about them.
Thunderbird Bar Pecans + Goji + Pistachio in Eastern Market, Detroit, MI
There are ten flavors available for Thunderbird Bars and every single one of them is delish!
No boring flavors over here! These bars are unlike every other bar I have experienced. As you may already know, I live for the thrill of trying new foods. These flavors do not disappoint one bit and they satisfy my hunger. Their flavor combinations are unique and each and every single one of them delivers a satisfying taste.
Thunderbird Bars Variety Pack
Want to know my favorite flavor of the ten that are available? I’m going to say it is the Pineapple + Mango + Papaya. I’m always a sucker for anything tropical and I love how all of these flavors blend together.
I have included an image of the bar in a photo below. It might look a bit on the small side but these bars are quite filling. This bar has seven simple ingredients noted on the label: prunes, buckwheat groats, papaya, raisins, mango, pineapple, and Hawaiian black lava salt. No BS here… just pure + simple real food ingredients.
This bar comes in at 145 calories, 30g of carbohydrates, 3g of fiber, and 22g of natural (no-added) sugar.
Thunderbird Bar also stays away from sweeteners. You will not find any real, artificial, honey, syrup, agave or any other variety of sweetener in their bars. There are not many bars that you can come across that promise that.
These bars will give you energy and endurance during your day derived purely from the real food ingredients. I love to start my day with a Thunderbird Bar. It gives me the fuel that I need to conquer the day.
Thunderbird Bar in Detroit, MI – Cashew + Fig + CarrotThunderbird Bar Pineapple + Mango + PapayaThunderbird Bar Pineapple + Mango + Papaya Nutrition FactsThunderbird Bar in Detroit, MI – Cashew + Fig + CarrotThunderbird Bars – Pineapple + Mango + Papaya in Eastern Market, Detroit, MIThunderbird Bars – Cacao + Hemp + Walnut in Eastern Market, Detroit, MITwo of the Thunderbird Bars flavors available for children
Thunderbird Bars also encourages your little ones to eat healthy and they offer four flavors for kids, also known as Thunderkids.
Fruit Punch
Apple Pie
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Chocolate Chip Cookie
I love when a healthy brand of food makes kid-friendly products. I try my best to avoid giving my daughter junk. When I give her a Thunderbird Bar as a snack I feel good about it. Chloe also really does enjoy eating these. They are naturally sweet and satisfy a sweet tooth craving in a more healthy approach. These bars will be a great thing to pack for her daily snack during school when she goes back.
Thunderbird Bar Thunderkids – Chocolate Chip Cookie (image courtesy of thunderbirdbar.com)
Thunderbird Bar Thunderkids – Peanut Butter & Jelly (image courtesy of thunderbirdbar.com)
Want to try a variety pack of Thunderbird Bars? Find them on Amazon:
Learn more about how I got inspired by the cacao in Thunderbird Bars and created a healthy smoothie bow. READ HERE.
Hope you enjoyed this Thunderbird Bar review! What Thunderbird Bar flavor interests you the most? Leave me a comment and let me know which one you will try out first!
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