Up North

Cherry Honey-Glazed Carrots

These carrots are a favorite treat of mine! Very easy to prepare, these carrots are snackable for days after making.

Cider-Brined Roasted Pork Tenderloin

This cider-brined roasted pork tenderloin recipe is very simple and easy to follow. Brining of proteins helps them to retain their moisture and size, and is an easy and quick first step in the process.

Pick Which Charities We Donate $1,000 To

Hockey on Little Glen Lake

As we have been driving back and forth between our Glen Arbor HQ and our Empire Warehouse fulfilling orders, our staff has been driving by perfect ice on Little Glen Lake. The ice has been smooth as glass and hard as diamonds across the entire lake. We knew it wouldn't be thick, but we thought it was time to kick off a beloved winter activity -- ice skating. So yesterday, a few of us pulled away from work early and I grabbed my boys and Steph and we skated in the wind protected lee of the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The ice wasn't thick -- maybe 4 inches on average. All of us were worried about breaking thru at first. Luckily, Little Glen Lake is very shallow, so busting through the ice would only mean a soaked foot.

There is that time each December when winter truly feels here in all it's icy brittle cold, and a couple days ago it was single digits and windy as a ship-sinking gale. It would be a natural time to hunker down for the next 5 months. But to live up north, you have to fight that urge to hunker down which causes nothing but cabin fever. And in these fun little December activities outside come that moment when we accept winter -- the good and the bad.

I think this afternoon skate was that moment for several of us. It is going to be a great winter up north. You should come up and join us!