Month: March 2020

The Breadery – Catonsville, MD – 03/21/20

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When I was out in Old Ellicott City yesterday, I also drove over to The Breadery in Catonsville. I was lucky I got there when I did, because they are going to be closed to walk-ins for awhile. You can still order food and can still pick things up at the side window, but their walk-in service will be temporarily closed.

One of the pretty cool things when I was there was seeing one of my former co-workers picking up some goodies. When I normally go out and about, I don’t see anyone that I know or that I used to work with, so when there are even fewer people out, it makes it even more rare. So it was an added bonus and brought a smile to my face.

There were so many good options, but I decided to go with the Cinnamon Swirl bread and the Cheddar Parmesan rolls. I was debating between the Chocolate Pumpkin loaf and the Cinnamon Swirl bread, but the Cinnamon Swirl bread looked too good to pass up.

I also picked up an almond croissant while I was there. The croissant had a nice, flaky crust. Biting through it, I got the buttery layers of dough and also got the delicious flavor of almond. I enjoyed this croissant. I ate it the next day and it was still good, but I can only imagine how much better it would be fresh right out of the oven. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it.

I also wanted to make sure I tried the Cinnamon Swirl bread. The bread itself is really good, but the gooey cinnamon just takes it to another level. This was outstanding, and I will be happily enjoying this for breakfast during the week.

I also had the Cheddar Parmesan rolls, which were really good. I used them with homemade meatball sliders, but I’ll be writing about that a little later.

Visiting The Breadery was a great experience, but getting to eat all of the goodies made yesterday a really great, positive day.

Mo’s Cafe – Eldersburg, MD – 03/21/20

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When my errands for the day were complete and I finished up some of my grocery shopping, I decided to try and grab some local food for lunch. I made my way over to Mo’s Cafe, which is still open for carry out only. I usually go there for a breakfast of chipped beef on toast, but I wanted to try lunch.

After reading through the menu a couple of times and narrowing my top choices, I finally decided on getting a Grecian burger. I enjoy Feta cheese and Greek seasonings, so I thought this would be a good one to try. And I was right. The burger patty was nice and flavorful. The outside was nice and crisp, and the inside was cooked to perfection. There were some bites where you could taste the freshness of the meat. The feta was extra crumbly, so in addition to the nice flavor, it also had a smooth consistency with each bite. I would have enjoyed more of the seasoning, but that’s just me. There was plenty on there, and it was really good, which is why I wanted more. The bun held together well, down to the last bite. This was a big burger, and it comes with fries (but I opted out, since I knew I would end up eating them all). Definitely a continuation of a day with positive experiences.

The food at Mo’s Cafe is made to order. Mo is always in the back cooking, and his passion for cooking good food always shines through. I was talking with one of the other patrons (at a proper social distance, mind you), and he said that he had ordered the Philly Cheese Steak, which he feels is the best in the area. So now I have something to try the next time I go back there. I won’t be able to go during the week (they close at 4PM every day, so I’ll still be working), but as long as they remain open during the weekends, I can make another trip back there to try the Philly Cheese Steak, or one of the other great options, depending on my mood.

It was nice to see Mo again and his positive attitude and outlook made my day even better!

Little Market Cafe – Ellicott City, MD – 03/21/20

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This morning I took my car in for a checkup. This had been scheduled in advance, and there was no alert for the appointments being cancelled. I always like to go for a walk and possibly end up at Double T Diner, or Bob Evans for breakfast. I did end up going for a walk, but since there are no sit down restaurants right now, I just took an extended walk. I did manage to go to a Giant grocery store and scored with a couple of boxes of powdered (dry) milk. They will be good to have just in case things get to complete lockdown mode.

Once the appointment was over, I decided to head over to Old Ellicott City. I made a couple of different stops, but one of them was at Little Market Cafe. Fortunately, they were still open for carry out.

I decided to go with the Cookies and Cream Frosty Frappuccino (with an extra shot of espresso). They really did a nice job with the whipped cream. The flavor and consistency were both good. This tasted very much like cookies and cream, so the flavor was nailed. I’m glad the Little Market Cafe was still open and glad I was able to get this drink.

While I was walking around a little, I felt bad for a lot of the stores in Old Ellicott City. Some of the store owners rebuilt after one bad flood, and then rebuilt again after the next one came. Just when things are starting to pick up and some new stores are opening, they have to deal with a shut down. It’s got to be extremely tough for the small business owners who struggle every day to stay open. That’s why I’ve been trying to do a little extra this week with supporting them.

When I walked out of the Cafe with my drink, there were a few people sitting around a fire pit. They were all in good moods and positive spirits. I’ve had a lot of positive interactions these past few days, and I hope the positivity remains.

Mimi’s Kabob – Ellicott City, MD – 03/20/20

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After a good day’s work, I decided to go to the Turf Valley area in Marriottsville, MD. Technically in Ellicott City, but also considered to be in Marriottsville, Mimi’s Kabob was the place I decided to visit for dinner. I did some light grocery shopping first, and then was ready to order some food. I had to call in my order, so I stood outside the restaurant and placed my order. I knew what I was going to get, since it was something I’ve had a couple of times before and really enjoyed.

I ordered the Chicken Tikka Club. It comes with fries, and this comes in a huge portion. The club has chicken tikka, lettuce, tomatoes, turkey bacon, and mayo. The chicken is nicely seasoned and is just the right amount of juiciness. The thing that makes this club special is the turkey bacon. I would normally prefer regular bacon, but the turkey bacon they use has great flavor and goes really well with this sandwich. The French fries are great as well. The coating that is on these is tremendous. They have a nice external crunch, but then you get the silky smooth potato consistency on the inside. I would go back just for the French fries, but they have too many good options to leave with only those.

This was a great way to end my day and to end my work week. Easy to stay positive going into what should be an interesting weekend.

Kismet Cafe – Eldersburg, MD – 3/20/20

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Since I’ve been trying to support local small businesses this week, I thought I would make my way over to Kismet Cafe for breakfast and a coffee drink. I’ve gotten back into the habit of making my own four days a week, so having a treat day works. Kismet Cafe opens at 6AM, so I made sure to head down there when they were opened, and then I had time to quickly have breakfast at home before I started my work day.

I decided to do something a little different for breakfast this morning. When I’ve gotten food from Kismet Cafe before, I would only get a toasted bagel with cream cheese. I ordered a sunrise sandwich with egg, sausage, and cheddar cheese on a Challah bagel. I really like the Challah bagel, and the texture was perfect for this sandwich. The sausage had a really nice flavor. The eggs had great consistency. Not too hard and not too fluffy. The melted cheese gave it the extra little oomph. A great start to the morning, and a breakfast sandwich I will order again.

I also ordered a peanut butter mocha Kismeccino. This is a frozen coffee drink, and it was made right. It was a bit too dark and foggy to take a picture in front of the sign at the store, so I took one with one of my wall decorations inside my house.

When I walked into the store, they let me know that they were really appreciative that I stopped in. The positive feelings that they had made the start of my day great. The food and coffee drink made it even better!

Smoky’s BBQ – Eldersburg, MD – 3/19/20

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Tonight I was able to go out again after work to try and support the local small businesses. I’ve written about Smoky’s BBQ before and have been several times since, but haven’t been keeping up with writing about them.

As was the case yesterday, I made sure that my health was in order before venturing outside. It was much warmer than I would have preferred, and tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. We were supposed to be having rain today, but it hasn’t happened yet, so my window of opportunity to get some dinner was there.

There are always plenty of good options, but today I was in the mood for a combo sandwich. I had half pit ham and half pit turkey. I added tiger sauce and mustard, and then had a side of Cole slaw. This Cole slaw was awesome. All of the flavors came together well, and the consistency was perfect. I wish I had gotten more than just one, but maybe I’ll just venture out again next week if they are still open.

The sandwich itself was fantastic as well. The ham and turkey are sliced thin and are very easy to bite through. The pit cooking gives them a nice, smoky flavor as well. The tiger sauce was strong. Some of those bites of horseradish really got to me, but it was well worth it. The sandwich roll held together really well, and the flavor helped to enhance the flavors of the meat and the tiger sauce. I really enjoyed my dinner and look forward to making my way back there sooner rather than later.

Hope everyone is staying safe and staying positive!

Big Belly Deli – Sykesville, MD – 3/18/20

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These last few weeks have been very different. This past week in particular, even more so. With everything going on, a lot of stores are closed, but some restaurants are open for Carry-out, Drive Thru, and Delivery. I think that the larger corporations will be able to weather the storm, but the small businesses are going to struggle.

During a normal work week, I work from home and don’t go out anywhere until the weekend. I decided to change things up this week, to try and show some support to the small businesses while I can. I’m still cautious and making sure that I am okay before leaving the house. Yesterday, I decided to make my way over to Big Belly Deli, which is a favorite of mine.

I had checked online earlier in the day and saw that their special was blackened chicken nachos with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. That was reason enough for me to get out of the house after work. Although I really enjoy the food there, the people who work there make it even better. The person who greeted me immediately called me by my name, which made me feel more welcome. I asked if they were still serving the nachos, and they confirmed that they were. These were really good nachos. The blackened chicken has a great flavor. The chips were warm and crispy. The cheese was melted just a little, but not too much that it was all gooey. And the bites with the accompaniments were even better. This was a great batch of nachos, so I was happy that I went out and got these.

They also had some nice looking desserts. I went with the Saint Patrick’s Day themed cake. The cake itself was very moist and the frosting was light and fluffy. The lucky charms marshmallows were a nice touch, and this was a great way to end the night. I’ve always enjoyed their desserts, and this was no exception.

I was happy to support one of my local favorites. And with the people that work there greeting me so enthusiastically, it was definitely easy to stay positive.

Touche Touchet Bakery and Pastry Shoppe – Columbia, MD

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The weekends are about the only time where I can get out and about, so I try to take advantage. I did not do as much as I normally would, since I was trying to minimize interactions. Hopefully I’ll be able to go out next weekend, but we’ll see how things continue this week.

I decided to try a new place – Touche Touchet Bakery and Pastry Shoppe in Columbia, Maryland.

While I was driving, I kept seeing white blooms along the road, which tells me that Spring is definitely close. When I got to Touche Touchet, there were a couple of trees that had these.

After looking at the various options, I decided on two desserts, a Triple Chocolate Cookie and a slice of Boston Creme Cake.

I started with the Triple Chocolate Cookie. The flavor of this was good. The outer edge was crunchy, but the inside portion was nice and soft. This was a good cookie and just the right size for a dessert.

The Boston Creme Cake was up next. I did not eat these at the same time. I probably could have, but some days I am okay with portion control. The cake portion was light and moist. It had a nice, mild flavor. The filling had a nice flavor to it, and I would have enjoyed more of it. The chocolate frosting was a nice finishing touch. It had good flavor and consistency. When I ate everything at once, the portions of everything worked out really well. The filling, cake, and frosting all worked well collectively, and they were each good individually, so this was a definite plus for me.

It was fun for me to go a little bit more out of the way to try a new place, and I hope that I’ll get a chance to head back down there in the future. They had some nice looking cupcakes, some other cookies that looked good, and a lot of other treats that looked like they would be tasty. Eating well and staying positive!

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

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I know it’s a couple of days early, but I decided to make myself some corned beef and cabbage today since I’ll be busy working on Tuesday. Even though I work from a home office, I prefer as few distractions as possible during the work week. I bought the corned beef last weekend and today was the day to cook it. My plan was to get the meat started, then go out to the grocery store and pick up some potatoes, cabbage, onions, and carrots to add later.

The meat that I picked up had already been brined and seasoned, which definitely made it easier for me. I put the meat (just under 2 pounds) in the crock pot and added about 4 1/2 cups of water. I added garlic powder, paprika, pepper, and coriander for seasonings, and also added a roughly chopped half onion that I had stored in my freezer. The meat was put in fat side up. I did not trim the fat prior to cooking. The water was just over an inch up from the bottom of the crock pot. It didn’t completely cover the meat, but it was more than half way covered.

I set the crock pot to low and then went on my way to the grocery store. My plan did not work out quite like I was hoping. The grocery stores have plenty of empty shelves. I was able to find some carrots and some cabbage, but the potatoes and onions were completely gone. Slim pickings, but I knew I could make do with what I had. At the 4 hour mark of the meat cooking, I added some roughly chopped carrots (1 pound bag) and roughly chopped cabbage (one head of cabbage). I kept it at low heat and let it go for another 3 1/2 hours, until the meat was to temperature. I waited until it was over 175, only because I was confident that it would not be too tough.

This picture does not look perfect, but I’m okay with that. The fat on top of the corned beef hides the color. The outside of the meat was not the bright red that I was used to seeing, which has me wondering if I did it right.

When I cut into it, against the grain, I saw that nice familiar red color. It looked a much brighter red than this picture is reflecting. This was not rare meat, the redness of the meat is due to the nitrates that are added during the brining process.

When I was ready to eat, I plated the corned beef and added some cabbage and carrots. The corned beef was very tender and delicious. It had the flavor my taste buds have become accustomed to, so I feel like I did a good job with this. The carrots were very tender and slightly sweet, which provided a good balance to the meat. The cabbage absorbed all of the flavors during the cooking process, and were very tender as well. This was definitely a good meal to make once a year and I look forward to having some leftovers on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Eating this well definitely kept me in a positive frame of mind. Not having additional onions or potatoes worked out better for me. All of that additional food would have made me feel even more stuffed. Stay well!

Dandelion Bakery – Sykesville, MD – March 2020

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There are times when I have dessert cravings, and I don’t have time to stray too far from home. Fortunately, Dandelion Bakery checks off both of those boxes. I decided to make my way back there earlier this week. I looked through the many different offerings, and decided on slices of two different desserts: Tres Leches and Peanut Butter Pie.

The first dessert I ate was the Tres Leches. In general, Tres Leches is a dessert that I would only opt for every so often (something with chocolate is my usual preference). I’m glad I tried this one, though, because it was really good. The cake itself was nice and light, but very moist. The meringue topping was delicate and provided a nice balance to the cake. A whole bunch of sweetness in every bite, but that’s what desserts are usually about (for me, at least). I ate every last bite and was happy with the experience. Something I would definitely get again.

The next dessert I ate was the Peanut Butter Pie. I did not eat both of these at the same time, although I could see myself doing that on certain days. The majority of the bites was the peanut butter filling. Slightly dense, very sweet, and bursting with peanut butter flavor. The chocolate cookie crust had some nice flavor and texture, and I would have wanted to have even more with this. Having this topped with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce made it even better. The crust and the topping provided a nice balance of flavor and texture, which made those bites truly wonderful. This was another great dessert and I’m looking forward to going back for more!

Easy to keep happy and positive thoughts when eating this well!