Well, we are right in the middle of this fun, stressful, exciting, exhausting, poignant and happy time called ‘The Holidays.?
It comes on slowly, speeds up and then passes, leaving us in a heap under the tree. My prescription for this time of year is to try and slow down and enjoy the celebration and enjoy your loved ones.
This holiday season comes with trepidation of what is ahead of us here in southeastern Michigan. We are facing economic woes many of us have never experienced.
We worry and worry. I spend nights awake thinking of what is ahead. My dear son, Andy, said to me, ‘How is that workin? for you, Mom??
It isn’t!
So my message today is to sit back and take in all the good things God has bestowed on us, because what will be, will be!
There has been so much activity in the Orion community this past week. Those of us involved with the fabulous and popular Orion area Holiday Lighted Parade are breathing a sigh and whispering to ourselves, ‘Job well done.? Especially in regards to the the Holly Jolly Folly, the fundraiser for the parade.
Yes, folks, believe it or not, it takes a lot of money to stage a parade the magnitude of ours. The Orion Area Parade Group singlehandedly raises that money every year.
The Holly Jolly Folly was a wild success and over 220 people sipped, danced and ate while networking their way through a fun evening at Golling Pontiac GMC.
Thank you one more time, John Cooper and Bill Golling. We raised money to help next year’s parade, and had such a good time. Put it on your calendar for next year, first Friday of December, and a bargain and a half.
The Lions Club also presented their Food Basket Fundraiser on Saturday, Dec 13, and I hope they were able to raise good sums for the food baskets, of which there are bundles of requests this year.
I know the Lions Club is still accepting donations for this important work.
The parade was a great success with over 72 entries, featuring our honored guests, the Lake Orion Dragons football team. Go Dragons!
I want to remind everyone that it is important in this economic climate to always remember our dedicated merchants and restaurants in Orion and Oxford. Shop and dine locally!
Remember the Urban Gourmet on Baldwin Road this season, for their beautifully-made food items to go along with specialty items and cheeses. Kim Urbanowski is working hard to help you with your holidays.
Stop in Las Palmas and get an order of great homemade Mexican food from Anna and Luis.
Oscar’s Bar and Grill serves up the best sandwiches and chicken caesar salad I’ve ever had. They are all located in the strip mall on Baldwin and Maybee roads.
Italia Gardens is the kind of trattoria you would find in a small town in Italy serving good food like grandma used to make. What a nice place to celebrate this season! The Haley family has been so generous to this community since arriving just a few months ago.
Jon Marx in Oxford is a new eating establishment. It’s a great spot that makes you think of Manhattan.
Victoria’s, also in Oxford, never stops putting out wonderful and reasonably-priced delights. And Vicki is one of the most generous and supportive people in our community.
Poppyseed Deli, CJ’s, Sagebrush Cantina and Valentinos are all downtown Orion restaurants serving great food. Look forward to seeing them this holiday season, too.
Do some shopping at Tesori, Elements, Little Monsters and so many others on Broadway and Flint in downtown Lake Orion.
I know you can find almost anything you will want for under the tree. You’ll also be helping out the community.
I have a great recipe for the holidays. You can make it by the bushel–and if you do, I hope you do not eat it all. Remember to put some in a tin or a box to give as a nice gift to family and friend.
Warning! This may be addictive.
White Trash
Two pounds white chocolate
Two tablespoons vegetable oil
Three cups wheat Chex
Three cups rice Chex
Three cups corn Chex
Three cups Crispex
Half pound small pretzels
Half pound pretzel nubs
One can of mixed nuts, cashews, etc.
Melt white chocolate and oil. Mix all other ingredients together and pour the melted chocolate mixture over and spread on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Break into pieces and store in covered containers.
My best wishes for a happy and healthy Christmas, Hannukah and New Year.
I look forward to writing articles in the future.
A few of them will be coming, I hope, from the sunny South.

Well, here they come, ready or not–the holidays!
It seems every year, when you are least expecting it, the holidays just smack you right in the face.
Spring, with its burst of life, green grass, fragrant lilacs, popping hostas and chirping birds passes into summer.
After summer, with its vibrant red geraniums hanging from pots, fired-up barbeques, cruising boats and concerts in the park comes the smashing colors of autumn, tailgating at football games and trips to the cider mill.
It all slips quietly away and we now hear the clanging of the Salvation Army bells and see the ads for the best prices on turkeys. And then the empty retail lots begin to fill with Christmas trees and all of a sudden, the holiday pressure is on.
It is also a fun time of the year, if you can keep your perspective. I think women feel this so much more than men (yes, guys, it’s true). Accordingly, women try to organize their time. The bad news going around adds another dimension this year. However, this is a time of thanks, joy and appreciation for all we have. And, with that said, let’s talk about the food.
I stopped this past week at the Urban Gourmet. The shop is located in the strip mall on the corner of Baldwin and Maybee Road. It is sandwiched between Tom’s Coney Island on one end, and Oscar’s Bar and Grill at the other.
Kim Urbanowski is the proprietor and has a very special little place indeed. She left the corporate world, went to culinary school, spent time as a personal chef and then realized her dream of opening The Urban Gourmet.
The store has just been redone to incorporate a kitchen for cooking classes and daily prepared foods for purchase.
As Kim says, ‘I prepare really good food!?
And by the looks of this, she is certainly right.
The day I was there she had prepared a mushroom risotto with truffle oil.
Yum!
The day before had been a butternut squash risotto. A large container of the risotto sells for $7.49, and is enough for two people.
Urbanowski is just as deft with preparing other items daily.
After the holidays, she plans on cooking classes. She will do classes on the basics, which we all need. There will be kids? classes and specialty sessions like learning to make those tasty risottos.
She is happy to help you out this busy time of year. She will prepare lunches, brunches and anything else you want. And she always has homemade soups, salads and her famous cinnamon rolls on hand.
The Urban Gourmet also carries the Barefoot Contessa line of foods. That brownie mix is to die for!
Gluten-free cheesecakes and a special Michigan-made gelato are a couple more of the great specialty items at the store. Stop in and visit with Kim to enjoy another Taste of Orion.
As I was making my way back to my car, I happened into the new Mexican restaurant in the mall. Las Palmas has been open for three months now. Anna and Luis Creamo are the proprietors. It is a small, family-run place. It reminds me of a little restaurant you might find in a small town in California, where Anna and Luis are from.
It has a simple and well-priced menu and everything is homemade. Anna says the quesadillas are a real favorite of folks stopping in. I had two tacos, great tortillas, which cost me a little over three bucks. These are nice people living the American Dream. The restaurant is located at 3607 Baldwin Road.
Well, now it’s time to talk turkey!
The bins are filled with them at the local supermarkets. Everyone has their favorites, I think. I prefer a natural turkey with no added solutions, not frozen, if possible. They are the cheapest ones being offered anyway.
I like to brine my turkey, which I’ve been doing for some time now. It makes for such a moist piece of meat. There are so many brine recipes out there now. I like an apple cider brine. And that is what my turkey will soak in overnight.
I will also prepare a turkey for C.J.’s downtown. Carl and Joan feed lots and lots of people that have no where else to go and many homebound on that day, too. It makes me feel good to reach out and help others during this time of year.
I would like to add a recipe that is new to me, but will be a wonderful addition to the Thanksgiving table. It goes nicely with pork, too.
Pineapple Bread Dressing
One stick of butter
Half cup sugar
Four eggs
20 ounce can of crushed pineapple
Five slices of white bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes.
Cream the sugar and butter, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Next, mix in the pineapple and fold in the bread. After that, pour into buttered two-quart baking dish. Bake one hour at 350 degrees F.
You are going to love this dish and your family will want it at every gathering.
A very happy Thanksgiving to all!