Yes/No Detroit

Quarantine, end of week 21, and this week I'm in a hotel, which I was not expecting; however, my place ended up being very dusty while they are doing drywall and painting. I'll be here for another few days and originally was going to check out today, too.


What I've been up to this week:
Cooking. I received a Dinnerly box last week, and the recipes were pretty good; one of them was a skillet ravioli "lasagna," pictured above. I also got a box this week—I didn't know I wasn't going to be able to use my kitchen—but luckily there wasn't a lot of produce in it, so I froze the meats and also the snap peas. Hoping to be able to cook those starting Tuesday. I was able to skip my order for next week so that I have time to play catchup.Living in a hotel. I was supposed to only be here till Friday, but I extended it until Tuesday ... and I'm very lucky I was ABLE to extend it, because when I called and asked, they had 0 rooms left. I actually was able to find …

Quarantine, end of week 20 ... not sure when to stop using the term "quarantine"  but I guess I'll stop whenever things go back to "normal"? Whatever that means anymore ...


What I've been up to this week:
Getting takeout. My boyfriend and I got Hungry Howie's last Friday—they're doing a $12.99 deal which gets you a pizza cookie (see below for pic) and a large 1-topping pizza. On Saturday, my parents and I got takeout from Sidecar Slider Bar, in Commerce, using the Groupon that I purchased—pretty good deal, normally it's $18 and you get $30 to spend, but today there's a 25% off sale so your final price would only be $13.50!
On Tuesday, my boyfriend and I tried the new-ish Troy Kabob—$4.99 gets you a chicken shawarma meal which includes a shawarma wrap, fries, and a can of soda, or $5.99 for beef shawarma (another great deal, that a Yelp friend told me about). And on Wednesday, I visited a friend in Ann Arbor after my doctor's appointment the…

Piff the Magic Dragon: Live from Las Vegas will be showing on two days next month, August 5th and 16th, and two of my lucky readers will win passes to the August 5th event!
I have never seen Piff in person (in Vegas) but my parents have, and really enjoyed it.

About the (virtual) show: Piff the Magic Dragon: Live from Las Vegas brings the magic to you at home with a hilarious, interactive magic show to entertain the entire family, with the ease and convenience of Zoom.

Hot off his record-breaking Vegas residency, Piff presents a completely new show created for online viewing, featuring never-before-seen magic, with tricks happening in your hands and homes.

Passes ($35.75 per device) to access this live streaming event are on sale now and only available at https://passportshows.com/portfolio/piff-313-presents/.

Host the star of America’s Got Talent and Las Vegas’ ‘Best Headliner,’ ‘Best Comedian,’ and ‘Best Magician’ award winner in your very own living room. And you don’t even have to p…

Quarantine, end of week 19. I *finally* have a start date for my condo construction, and it is a week from Monday, so I will probably be going to the office during that time.


What I've been up to this week:
Trying new places. Last Friday, I had to bring my car into Belle Tire to be looked at ... the Troy location was unfortunately too busy to see me, but I got to try out the new matcha cafe instead, since it's across the street. It's pricey but the drinks are good; I got a Matcha Chocolate drink and a regular matcha drink, and I liked the chocolate one the best. Next time I want to go back for ice cream. On Saturday, my parents and I got takeout from Bar Verona near them, and the pizzas were delicious; we got a chicken pesto one and a margherita pizza.Cooking. Last week I had Dinnerly and this week I splurged for Hello Fresh ("splurged"—I still had a discounted box but it was like twice the price of Dinnerly, lol). Last Friday, I cooked steaks for my boyfriend and …

*Disclosure: I received Don Marcos products in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

I recently was able to try some products from a local Michigan brand, Don Marcos—they're based right around the corner from me, in Southfield!

Most likely, if you live in the metro Detroit area, you have tried their tortilla chips without even knowing it, because they are major distributor to a lot of local restaurants.

I guess this makes sense, but I never really put two and two together: that tortilla chips are made out of cut up tortillas, which are then baked. Don Marcos sells the unbaked version, so I got to make them myself at home!


They were super hot and fresh directly out of the oven, and very crispy, too. To make them was easy: I preheated my oven to 375 degrees, I sprayed the chips with vegetable oil, and I sprinkled some salt across them. You only have to cook them for 7-8 minutes.


Don Marcos also sells tortillas, like the ones pictured above, and ch…

Quarantine, end of week 18. I kind of wonder when I should stop keeping track—technically we are not quarantined anymore and can go as we please, but until there is a COVID-19 vaccine, I still feel quarantined. I've still been avoiding eating-in at restaurants, and I miss traveling, too.


What I've been up to this week:
Buying masks. I bought a cute mask from Vera Bradley (see pic below) and also a corgi/bubble tea one (!) from PawtyThings.com. The VB one initially showed up in a shredded package, and the mask got a little dirty too; this was my first time buying from them and I was surprised, because they have a good reputation usually. I contacted them on Twitter and they sent me a new mask PLUS filters, and they sent it with expedited shipping too—good customer service. The VB one works really well and fits well around my ears; the corgi one is adorable but a little tight on my ears. Choosing flooring for my condo! Things are progressing, slowly but surely (hopefully). I chose…

Quarantine, end of week 17. The scale says I gained FOUR pounds this week, which is ridiculous ... I don't think it's accurate, I think it's a combination of "salt fingers" (my dinner last night was maybe a little salty) and other "woman stuff" that I won't get into here, lol. I've been gaining about a pound a week during quarantine but unfortunately the only exercise I have available to me is walking, and it's been like 90+ degrees all week. :(


What I've been up to this week:
Eating out. Hence where the +4 gain came from, maybe. Last Friday I did get El Guanaco, and I got my $5 AmEx credit too, which was nice—I ordered two pupusas and two tacos, so that I would have enough for two meals. On Saturday, I did Culver's, and the Madison Heights location is still drive-thru only, apparently. On Sunday, I saw my parents, and we had Buddy's Pizza (takeout) for my dad's birthday. On Tuesday, I FINALLY saw my boyfriend (after 4 months o…

Quarantine, end of week 16. Another mostly uneventful week. I have today off because of the 4th of July holiday (I decided to take it off) which will be nice—hoping to watch a bit of Netflix (lots of new stuff today, including the Babysitter's Club series remake!) and of course, Hamilton on Disney+.


What I've been up to this week:
Cooking. I had Dinnerly last week and Hello Fresh this week. One of my Dinnerly meals was a caprese sandwich, and I waited like six days to cook it (after receiving it) and the bread went moldy, which was disappointing; I let them know, though, and they gave me a $5 credit. I guess next time I will stick it in the fridge instead. Next week I am having EveryPlate but not until Wednesday. Eating takeout. Last Friday, I did Bed Bath & Beyond curbside takeout, in Madison Heights, which was interesting; you basically pull up to the curb, show your license or ID, and they bring you your stuff. I got some Kung Fu Tea after that since it was kinda/sorta in…

Quarantine, end of week 15. Not much going on this week except I saw some friends last weekend, like I mentioned, which was nice, and a contractor is coming over today ... hoping we can FINALLY schedule a renovation date/time/week for my condo. They said they usually start 3-4 weeks from the initial appointment ...


What I've been up to this week:
Cooking. I received a Dinnerly box last week and one this week, since I recently received a two-week discount from them. Next week I have a Hello Fresh box coming up, which will be a treat, since I haven't had HF in a while. Most of the Dinnerly meals I have made so far have been really good; last night was steak tacos and just okay, though, the steak was more like just regular beef. Seeing friends. I got to actually see people last weekend! On Saturday, a friend hosted a get-together for her birthday at Rotary Park, in Livonia; people brought mostly individually-packaged food to share, like chips and Hostess CupCakes (me), and we also …

Quarantine, end of week 14. Things are slowly getting back to normal-ish even though the virus is still out there—a friend is having a birthday get-together at a park tomorrow, and I'm going even though I am going to bring my own food (and stay 6' apart from everyone). Sunday is Father's Day so I will see my parents and also I'm meeting a friend for ice cream at Guernsey (will also stay 6' apart, and eat outside).


What I've been up to this week:
Attending a Yelp virtual event. On Tuesday, we learned about Scotch and its history, as well as did a tasting, over Zoom. It was my first virtual Yelp event but they've been hosting a ton, even dance parties! 20 lucky Yelp Elites, including me, were able to pick up a Scotch and chocolates kit on Monday, in the Ferndale library parking lot, from Bryan, who was also the presenter on Tuesday. We also paired cheeses with it so I did have to purchase those (and I ventured into Meijer for the first time in 3 months because …

This is going to sound odd, but I always enjoy hijacker films (see: most Liam Neeson films ...). It's always kind of thrilling to see if the hero or heroine will make it (and most of the time they do ...), and this one was no exception.

Tobias (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the co-pilot on a flight from Berlin to Paris. He has a son with one of the flight attendants on board, with whom he's in a relationship, but they aren't married, and they've kept it secret from the rest of the crew. Shortly after the plane takes off, terrorists rush the plane and try to get into the pilot's area; after that, chaos ensues, and it is up to Tobias to make sure the plane can make a safe emergency landing.

Official synopsis:
In the cockpit of a commercial airliner about to depart Berlin for Paris, the plane’s soft-spoken young American co-pilot, Tobias (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), runs through the preflight checklist with the German pilot, Michael (Carlo Kitzlinger). Tobias’ flight-attendant g…