Recent Blog Posts

I love to make a naked potato salad to pair with salmon, venison or flank steak for summer dinners. My mom, Cecelia Otto, taught me this recipe - it is easy and fast.  I love how light it is unlike a traditional potato salad it is made with olive oil instead of mayonnaise. Ingredients: - green...
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Hello, friends and welcome back! As you may have noticed we started featuring a new employee every month on the blog. Well, I'll be honest, April got away from me so I'm at it and today on the blog we are featuring another hard working Grandpa Shorter's employee of the month! Ever wonder ho...
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Good morning friends! Today on the blog I'll be sharing with you some tips for gardening with kids. Growing up on a farm, I was out working in the fields even as a kid but now that I'm grown I enjoy having a small garden. My kiddos love nothing more than 'helping' my husband and I outside. Every ...
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This Mother’s Day, make Mom’s day by surprising her with a homemade breakfast. Here are three easy ideas that the kids can whip up with just a little help from Dad. None of the recipes require the use of the stove or oven, and Mom is sure to ooh and ahh over them. 1. Mini Breakfast Pizzas - For...
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Dear Friends, Mother's day is THIS Sunday, May 10th. I did not understand the power of Mother's Day until I had my son, Carl Shorter. Once I was pregnant, and when he was born, I was overcome with emotion and respect as I began to understand what mothers go through for their children. Carl was ...
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Hello friends! It's almost Mother's Day again, and what mom doesn't love a homemade gift? In need of a Mother's Day gift or some unique ideas? How about something homemade and from the heart? Homemade Mother's Day gifts are great. They are made with love and won't break the bank either! I can prom...
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Hello, friends! Today on the blog we're talking about morel mushrooms. Have you ever had them? I grew up on a rural farm here in Northern Michigan and every spring we would spend the evenings and weekends out on our property mushrooming. My dad always knew of the best spots in our area  and he...
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Michigan has its share of hard to spell and hard to pronounce names on the map, like Topinabee and Fort Gratiot. And lets not forget the question that confuses thousands of tourists every year. Is it Mackinac or Mackinaw? But we also have some towns with names that are just plain unusual and might ...
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My mother-in-law, Mari Shorter, is out visiting us this week so we teamed up today to share some table setting ideas.  I have found that many people are not learning how to set a table properly before entering the adult world.  It is a good skill to have when entertaining or helping a...
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Hello friends! With the days getting longer and the weather getting warmer is seems to be that time of year when we all start eating a little bit healthier. You know what I'm talking about. Summer will be here soon and I know when it comes to summer I like to have easy healthy meals on hand and sp...
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