This morning, I wanted to go out and about for a short time to finally try Sion’s Bakery in Pikesville.
The sky was beautiful this morning – I headed out a little before 7AM. It’s tough to get good pictures when you’re driving, and the scenery that would be a perfect picture are usually where you can’t stop.
My first stop was at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, where I got a Cookie Butter Ice Blended. It wasn’t until after I ordered that I discovered they had just started their peppermint flavors, so I know what I’ll be getting the next time I’m there.
Sion’s Bakery is just a few blocks away from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, so it works out really well. They were still doing a lot of baking, so their inventory wasn’t as huge as it would be if I was there an hour or so later. They did have a nice array of cookies, cakes and sweets, though. I opted for a chocolate danish and a cinnamon danish, and then I drove myself back home.
I started with the Cinnamon Danish. Just to be clear, I only had half of each of these danishes, and saved the other half for tomorrow. The Cinnamon Danish had nice flavor to it. It was a mild cinnamon flavor, but it was spread throughout the pastry. This is definitely one that goes with milk, coffee, or something else.
I followed up with the Chocolate Danish. This one was really good, my favorite of the two. The chocolate icing on top was good, but having the layers of chocolate on the inside really helped keep this moist and provided good flavor.
This was my very first visit to Sion’s Bakery, but it will not be my last. I would like to try some of their cookies in the future and some cupcakes as well. If they happen to have chocolate rugelach available, I would try it. I also want to try their Chocolate Mandel bread. I’ve seen it in other bakeries before, but I’ve never tried it, so it would be fun to try. They have some sugar free treats, which is good for people who are on sugar free diets. They also have knishes, which I want to try in the future. They don’t look like the ones that I’m used to seeing in New York, but that’s not a bad thing. If they are made fresh and in the bakery, I would want to taste the difference.
It’s always a good thing to visit a place for the first time and have a positive experience. It makes it much easier to justify going back again. I have a feeling I’ve said this before, but it still holds true. Stay positive!
I have been making these cookies for 15 years or so and they never disappoint.
When I would bring these in to work in the past, they went quickly. I had to start making double and triple batches, since these are tough to stop at just one.
Here are the basic ingredients:
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended. I wanted to share the picture above because there are not a lot of ingredients to this, and the preparation for this will not take a lot of time.
Once the mixture is blended, it should look similar to the above picture.
Roll into small balls and place on an uncreased cookie sheet (or using parchment paper or silpat liners). I use a medium cookie scoop for this. It should yield anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies.
Next step is to press down with a fork to get the traditional peanut butter cookie look. Once the oven is ready, bake the cookies for 16-20 minutes (I rotate once half-way through).
Once cooled, these cookies are ready to eat.
I’ve always had a lot of fun making these cookies. They smell great while they are cooking and when they are sitting around waiting to be eaten. They aren’t a seasonal cookie, so they can be made year round. The recipe is pretty simple and it is not time consuming.
I made and brought these cookies to a few different companies I worked for, and they were always a hit. Not everyone likes peanut butter, but the people who like these cookies REALLY like these cookies.
I once overcooked a batch – they weren’t burned, but they were very crispy. I was telling my co-workers about the batch, since I didn’t bring them in, and one of my co-workers requested them. When I brought them in, he devoured them. He loved crispy cookies, so they were right down his alley. I share this story for one simple reason: Even though you may not like something you’ve made or tried to make, it doesn’t mean that someone else won’t like it. My co-worker would have been deprived of those had I not shared the story of my mistake with him. And when I made future batches, I would leave a handful of cookies in the oven an extra minute or two, just so he could have them the way he preferred.
The last time I visited with my parents, I was looking through a container that had some of my old vinyl singles (also known as 45s or 7 inch singles). This had me remembering back on the good times with vinyl albums and singles. I know that vinyls are making a comeback now, and I’m happy about that.
When I was growing up, 8 tracks were still around, but losing popularity. We still have a few 8 tracks and 8 track players lying around, but I have no idea if any of those would still work after 30+ years of being dormant. I have a few cassette singles here and there, but the 45s were where it was at when I was growing up.
I was able to find what I think was my first single. It was for my first favorite song – “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone. I’m not sure if the single was a gift to me or it was given to me later. I remember singing along to the song when it played on the radio when I was a tiny kid. Who knew I would grow up to be almost 6’5″ and still singing along to that song? I might have liked some songs before, but that was the first one that truly stands out in my memories.
There were some very cool things that came along with the vinyl singles. There were B-sides. These were sometimes songs that were on the same album, but not released. They were also occasionally released at the same time, so you got a two for one in terms of hit singles. The B-sides would also at times include remixes of the main single, or new songs that you could not find on any album or cassette. Sometimes you bought the singles just for the B-sides.
The art work for these singles could also be very elaborate. You could have the basic single release, such as the one shown on the bottom right of the picture (Ready for the World, “Oh Sheila”). You could also get some very cool packaging, like the top two of the picture. In addition to the cool art work you could get on the vinyl albums, you could also get some additional art work on the singles themselves.
There were also the 12″ singles, which would usually give you a few remixes on each side and 6 or 7 songs instead of 2. Vinyl singles started fading away in the late 80s and early 90s, which came with the rise of CDs. I still buy CDs, so I am definitely not going to knock them, especially with the sound quality that you can get from them. But playing a vinyl album or single is a fond memory for me.
The digital age is upon us and is phasing out the CDs, so I have to adjust again. I don’t mind buying the singles digitally, but it’s not the same. It’s more impersonal. When you buy an album or song digitally, there are no memories of going to a record store and fumbling through all the rows of vinyls to find the one or two titles that you are looking for. No joy in opening up a present that you know has a record in there, but you don’t know which one. Clicking a button to purchase just doesn’t bring that same type of joy.
If I got the Debby Boone single as a present, I can only imagine how happy I must have been back then. A small little present, lasting just under 4 minutes to play it once. Probably played it hundreds of times when I was younger. Recorded it onto cassette a couple of times for special mix tapes. Those are the memories that came through my head when I was home and looking through that container of vinyl singles. Good times. Happy times. Positive times.
Do you have any memories of vinyls or 8 tracks? Please feel free to share. I’d be happy to hear from you.
Other than how it started, today has been a great day. It started with me waking up a little after 3AM after having a dream about being chased by a swarm of bees. Not fun, but probably happened due to a humming after the heater turned off (or was about to turn on again). I had to get up early anyway, since I was taking my car in for a regular check-up at 7:30AM. I had to leave a little earlier than I normally would have, since it was 30 degrees outside and the car was frosted over. Fortunately, I was able to make it for my appointment and then go for breakfast and a little walk, expecting the appointment to take about 1 1/2 hours. The car place and the diner are both in Catonsville, the first of today’s three C’s.
Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast with Home Fries
I walked down to Double T Diner. I normally do this every other car appointment. My usual is the Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast with Home Fries. The portions are huge and it did not disappoint. The sauce is very thick and creamy, with good flavor. There is A LOT of chipped beef in this, so they are definitely not just giving you sauce with a couple of pieces. The bread itself had very good flavor, and the home fries were also cooked well. This is a very salty dish, so you shouldn’t be eating something like this if you have restrictions. But on a 30 degree morning, this hit the spot.
After I finished eating, I was planning on walking for another 45 minutes 10 an hour, but I got a call soon after that my car was ready. It only took 30 minutes instead of the expected 1 1/2 hours, which was quite a pleasant surprise. I picked up my car and decided to head over to Columbia.
I started by going to Wegman’s for a coffee drink. I know that is a lot more calories, but I needed something sweet after the hearty breakfast. They had a specialty flavor – Spiced White Chocolate. This had a smoky bourbon syrup, so I tried it. It was really good. The texture and consistency is always good at Wegman’s. I just like trying their specialty drinks when they have them. This did have a sweet flavor, but there were sips where you could get the smoky bourbon flavor in there (not real bourbon, just the flavor). This is a flavor I would try again.
I made a quick stop over at Hobby Lobby, and had fun walking through the store and seeing all the Christmas related decorations and crafts that were available. I didn’t buy anything, but saw a couple of things I might go back to get. I then made a quick stop at Whole Foods (I saw a former co-worker, which was cool), followed up by the Mall in Columbia. It didn’t open until 10AM, which is why I made the extra stops. It gave me time to walk off some of those calories I had, so it was worth it.
While at the mall, I decided to stop at Wockenfuss. I got myself a truffle, but also had a nice haul with these items. The Carmallows are usually there, but the Mint Filled Straws and the Peanut Butter Filled Pillows are seasonal. I wanted to get them while I could, since they might sell out quickly. This made for a successful trip at the mall.
I was then on my way to the third of the three C’s, Clarksville. I wanted to stop by the Common Kitchen again to try a new place.
I did happen to see a murder there. A murder of crows, to be exact. I know this is not a great picture. I couldn’t get a real close up with my cell phone, but there were a couple of other trees that had more crows, as well as another 20-30 flying around. They were constantly moving, with some flying around and some going from tree to tree. Higher above, there were some vultures circling. So there was something they were there for, but I just couldn’t see what it was. It was still fun to see.
As far as food goes, I decided to try Koshary by Misteka. It is an Egyptian Street Food spot in the Common Kitchen Marketplace. I wanted to get their signature Koshary bowl, with falafel.
I started with white rice on the bottom (this was recommended to me as the standard for this dish). It is then topped with lentils and gluten free pasta, followed by chick peas, fried onions, dukkah, and a signature sauce (I went with a garlic sauce). I also had vinegar and the falafel on mine. I am glad that I did not go with the large bowl, because there was a lot of food in this. I took this home, and the smells emanating from the container were amazing. I wanted to stop the car and start eating. I was able to control myself and wait until I got home, though. As good as the aroma was, the taste was even better. The combination of flavors and seasonings that all came together were fantastic. I am not always the biggest fan of falafel, but there are some that I think taste good. This is one that tastes really good. Nice flavor, nice crispness. I would recommend trying this if you are in the area.
Starting off with a good meal, and finishing with a good meal for lunch made this a great day. I ate so much that I won’t need to eat any dinner, but I’m okay with that. I’ve still got some leftover truffle brownies, so I’ll just have dessert be my dinner.
I am happy to have the cold weather, especially since there is a little snowflake icon for this coming Friday on my weather app. It might mean I have to put the jean shorts in hibernation, but they’ll be back soon. It did get into the low 50s by the afternoon, so I could have worn them, but the 30 degree weather in the morning made me wisely say no. Not all days are great. Not all meals are great. But when I have a day that goes even better than planned, and I eat food and have coffee drinks that were better than expected, it’s a good way to keep me in a positive frame of mind.
Noninsightfulness 