Friday Morning Haiku

 (Image from the Baltimore Sun front page)

Irene is coming

I'm stocked up on provisions

Cookies, Ice Cream, Chips

I went to the new The Fresh Market (838 Dulaney Valley Road) in Towson and stocked up on my version of Hurricane provisions.  Before I tell you what they are, can I just say how beautiful that grocery store is, cause it is.  Is that weird to say?  Probably.  But I have an unnatural love for grocery stores.

Nakiya's list of Hurricane Provisions.  Please do not do as I do.
- One packet of olive and fig Raincoast Crisps
- One log of goat cheese to go with Raincoast Crisps
- One bag of Cape Cod Kettle Chips
- Two big bottles of Fiji water (I hate myself for this one, why didn't I just go to another grocery store and get a gallon of water for 25 cents?)
- 2 pints of Talenti Gelato - Tahitian Vanilla and Double Dark Chocolate
- One peach-a-rine - yes, apparently that is a fruit that exists
- One GINORMOUS red plum that seriously looks like an apple
- Two boxes of Moravian cookies - Chocolate dipped toasted coconut cookies and Artisan blend chocolate cookies

What is wrong with me?  Apparently, if I have no power, I will want to snack all day long on cookies and chips, and eat two pints of gelato quickly before they melt in the freezer.  Obviously, I got caught up in buying snacks.  I love snacks.

OK, so tell me - have you bought any Hurricane provisions?  What did you get?

Friday Morning Haiku

I love my birthday!

I celebrate the whole week

With lots of food treats

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!  I love my birthday!  I will be 29!  I hope I love my birthday every year, even when I don't want to tell people my age anymore!

This week, using my birthday as an excuse, I baked myself an almond torte with apricots.  Tonight, I think I'm going to make something with nectarines. On Sunday, I am going to Michael's Cafe for brunch, and later on in the week, if their new dinner menu is ready, I am hoping to go to Manor Tavern!

As for tomorrow, Dan has planned a surprise day for me (after I finish a 16 mile run :o/) and I am sure food will be involved!

Food food food, glorious food, you make every birthday great!

Chick & Ruth's Delly, Annapolis

1/2lb Crab Cake Sandwich

Annapolis is such a lovely day trip, it's a shame I don't do it more often!  One Sunday, we decided to walk around the town for a couple of hours and pick a place for lunch.  I, very surprisingly, hadn't done any research and felt like picking a restaurant on a whim.  But Dan had done his research and he had heard all about Chick & Ruth's Delly.  It was featured on Man Vs. Food's DC episode when he had to do the Colossal Challenge: 6lb shake (yes, they do have that on the menu) and a 1lb burger.

I decided to order the Jumbo Lump 1/2lb crab cake sandwich on a roll ($13.99).  I'm not sure why I didn't just order it with crackers instead of a roll, because I just ate the crab cake without the bread.  This crab cake was GREAT.  The lumps were HUGE and plentiful.  I was very impressed with the price and size of the sandwich.

Seafood Club

Dan ordered the Seafood Club ($15.95)- jumbo lump crabcake and scrimp salad on rye with swiss cheese. As you can see from the picture above, it was huge!  He wished that the bread was a bit softer, as it was a little rough to eat, but the salad and crab cake made a delicious sandwich!

We also split a super thick and creamy Vanilla Milkshake ($4.50, 20oz).  I am not sure how ANYONE can finish off a 6lb version of that! My mama ordered a 1/3lb Burger ($5.50) that was good as well, though nothing too special, other than the fact that you could tell it was handmade.  

Anyway, this place was PACKED.  Absolutely packed.  We managed to get a table by the window and just kept seeing swarms and swarms of people lining up to eat here.  I am guessing that this is a popular place for a number of reasons - it's relatively cheap, their menu is absolutely gigantic (albeit utterly confusing), it's a great place to wager bets and they offer great hangover food.

To be honest, though the food was very good the place was just so hectic and just too much that I'm not sure I would come back.  I know I'll be looking elsewhere on my next trip to Annapolis, somewhere with a little more atmosphere and a smaller, less confusing menu :)

EVERSAVE CONTEST WINNER!

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER, JAY ZEIS....WHO MAGICALLY PREDICTED THE WIN!  Enjoy Fireside Tavern :)

Contest: Free Eversave Deal AND Site Credits!!!

Being married to Dan has really made me love BBQ.  In fact, I kinda want to take a road trip and try all the different BBQ styles across the USA.  Wouldn't that be awesome?  Maybe one day....

In the meantime, here in Baltimore, www.eversave.com is throwing a Best of BBQ day today!!! They’re featuring a daily deal with $10 for $20 of BBQ at Parkville's Fireside Tavern.  The deal will run for 3 days.

For Taste of Baltimore readers it gets even better! They’re giving away the Fireside Tavern Save for FREE AND $10 in site credits to one lucky reader!!


Also, if you want to try your luck and save even more, Eversave will be giving away copies of the Food Network Kitchens Favorite Recipes cookbook on Facebook. Just “like” them for your chance to win! The book features awesome recipes for chile cornbread, Chinese lacquered baby back ribs (yes, please!), picnic three bean salad (I love picnics!!!), and so much more!
 

CONTEST INFORMATION

• ONE winner will get the free save to Fireside Tavern AND $10 in site credits to use at their discretion
• To enter the contest, add a comment below and let me know what you love the most about BBQ!
• Please only comment ONCE and make sure I have a way to contact you!!
• The contest will end on Sunday, August 14th at 11:59PM
• I will pick the winner at random (via Random.org) and will announce their name via a blog post on Monday, August 15th at 9:00AM and via email.

Sign up for Eversave!
“Like” Eversave Baltimore on Facebook!
Add them to your Twitter feed!

Good luck and happy eating!!!!

Friday Morning Haiku

One mocha latte

To celebrate cooler temps

Wish it was pumpkin

This weather is so glorious I am about to start singing from the rooftops!!!!!  Doesn't it make you think of Fall!?!?! I know it's not going to last long and we will be back into the 90s soon enough, but I'm going to soak up these temperatures as much as I can.   I stopped in at Baltimore Coffee and Tea this morning and picked up a Mocha Latte to enjoy, and I couldn't help but think about my upcoming favorite season! 

Also, is it just me or do other people suddenly have an urge to stock up on binders and pencils and inky pens!?!?!  All these back-to-school sales are driving me crazy that I'm not going back-to-anywhere! 

Friday Morning Haiku

Restaurant Week is here!
Better make your plans early
It gets so crowded!!

Lots of Restaurant Weeks being celebrated around town:

• Howard County - July 25th-Aug 8th (my bad for not knowing sooner!)
• Baltimore City - August 5-14th
• Baltimore County - August 12-26th

What are your plans?

Food News

Here are a couple of press releases I’ve received:

• Chick-fil-A is now adding a multi-grain oatmeal to its breakfast menu for $2.49.  You can order one of three toppings: cinnamon brown sugar, roasted mixed nuts (almonds, pecans and walnuts) or a dried fruit blend (cranberries, blueberries, golden raisins and cherries).  A serving of the 8oz oatmeal contains 120 calories without toppings and 290 calories with toppings.  

• Morton’s Steakhouse and MyCity4Her.com are hosting the annual Spirited Women of Baltimore Power Lunch on Wednesday, August 17^th from 11am-2pm at Morton’s.  Tickets are $50 if purchased before August 10^th and $65 if purchased after.  Proceeds from the ticket sales will benefits the American Red Cross of Central Maryland.  Visit www.mycity4her.com, call 410-327-9090 or email m@mycity4her.com or cm.mba@mortons.com to purchase tickets or for more information.  On a personal note, one of my friends, Katherine Pinkard Bowers is amongst the honorees!  Yay Katherine!

• The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort is hosting a Crab Week(s) from August 14-28^th.  Guests can enjoy a variety of crab-inspired activities such as a “meet and greet” and VIP crab dinner with Chef Bryan Voltaggio, and an all-you-can-eat crab feast at J.M. Clayton’s, the world’s oldest crab house (!).  As mentioned, you do need to be a guest to partake in the fun, and rate start at $199.  For more information call 800-633-7313 or visit chesapeakebayhyatt.com

Simon's Bakery, Cockeysville

 

 Half of a Strawberry Party Cake (the other half was in my tummy)

Mr. Simon of Simon’s Bakery has been providing the Schurman family delectable treats for YEARS, so it is quite astounding that I have not written to the world about this great bakery!  Every Christmas there is ALWAYS a bag of Simon’s famous sugar cookies around my in-laws house to nibble on, and even though I prefer a soft cookie over Simon’s hard and crispy variety, I still love these.  I love that they come in different shapes every year, and I love that they are decorated with yummy sugar crystals that lightly add to the sweetness of the cookies.

But my favorite item from Simon’s Bakery are their party cakes (70/80 cents each...I don't remember :o/).  Party cakes are a larger version of petit fours – and they come in many different flavors, though the original has chocolate icing.  I LOVE the strawberry icing (pictured), but the lemon is a strong contender for my favorite as well.  The chocolate icing, which is reminiscent of Berger cookie icing, is Dan’s favorite.  I, however, find it a bit too sweet, which makes sense because that’s how I feel about Berger cookies as well (I KNOW, I KNOW).  The strawberry and the lemon icing highlight the layer of raspberry filling – and that’s what I care about!  You can order these in bulk as well!  In fact, I ordered some recently to serve as favors for a Bridal Shower I hosted.  You can also ask them to create petit fours as well, though you have to order a dozen of those at a time for $9.60/dozen. 

The bakery carries many other treats that you should check out.  Their hot cross buns during Lent are always a big hit, as are their Peach Cakes during the summer.  Just stop in and let your eyes and stomach guide you!!!!!