Up North / Up North Blog

Here's one of our simplest, oldest and delicious BBQ recipes. We serve our Spicy Cherry BBQ Meatballs in our stores as much as we can because it's easy to make and always a crowd pleaser.

Ahhh, Snappin' Turtle Cherry Ice Cream. Aside from an ice cold pitcher of sangria or a warm slice of cherry pie, ice cream is the flavor of summer.

Spring, at last, is making its presence felt in the Republic. The days are noticeably longer and warmer, the snow has almost completely melted, and ice is gradually yielding to open water. Patches of grass are even turning green! There doubtless remain a few snowy days ahead, and we can never forget the risk of frost, but the weather has turned. The long, cold winter of 2014 is finally relenting. Spring is here. Yesterday was mild and gloriously sunny. With so much open water, I wanted to get out on the lake for a short paddle in a canoe. It's a great way to start the day, outside in the fresh, cool air under a gently warming sun, with the glassy water slipping past the canoe's hull. I swung by our offices to enlist some company for my paddle. Only one volunteered: Andrew, our digital marketing guy, is always up for an outing on the water. With the canoes loaded, we headed down to the water on Sleeping Bear Bay. The wind had changed overnight and jammed the bay with small ice bergs.

This Savory Cherry Strudel recipe was developed by one of Cherry Republic's own, Gene Kovacs and his partner Craig (the true chef, by Gene's own admission!).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and cinnamon.