Tag: featured

Easy Like Sunday Morning

On By Rob GIn Close to HomeLeave a comment

I tend to be a morning person. I usually wake up before 5AM, sometimes before 4AM. I might be a bit sleepy and tired at first, but I’m usually perked up and ready for the day after about 3 or 4 minutes. This past Sunday morning, I was a bit off. I was not “feeling it” at all. I am not sure why, it’s just how it went. I don’t think it was due to the overtime loss of the Caps the night before. I don’t think it was due to the gloomy weather (which I prefer). Sometimes things just are a certain way and we can’t explain them.

I ran some errands early on, but being out and about in perfect Fall weather didn’t help. I had originally planned to drive down and visit the Sykesville Farmer’s Market, but I didn’t have the energy or the drive to do it. I knew I had to get myself out of this morning funk, so I went out the front door and started walking, with the intention of walking to the Farmer’s Market. When I first got outside, the temperature was a nice, cool upper 50s/lower 60s and slightly overcast, which is my kind of weather. But I was still not perking up. Then, I started to listen to the silence. There was noise, but it was not people or cars or a train or anything else. It was different birds, frogs, insects, and more. Just listening to the sounds of nature and then looking at the trees helped get me going in the right direction.

I walked around the Farmer’s Market very briefly. I just did a quick walk-through without stopping to chat or really look at anything. I decided to get a Pumpkin frappe at French Twist Cafe, which was good as usual. When I was waiting for my drink, a couple walked in. They said it was their first time there, but they had heard about the place before and wanted to try it. They asked me for my opinion, and my face just lit up. I let them know about the coffee drinks and the crepes, and how good they all are. I was sure that they would enjoy anything they got, and the quality would be outstanding. The couple seemed to be really excited about being there, and I completely understood. If I’m in a a new place and I’ve heard good things and the menu looks good, I get really excited. If I’m talking about food, I am usually in a happy place. So this was the final step of me getting out of my funk and feeling better about the day.

I walked home and just enjoyed all that nature had to show me. The squirrels were running around trying to snatch the nuts that were falling from the trees. There was a lot of rustling in the trees and the bushes, so there were some other creatures that were enjoying the day. I had a really nice time for that 20 minute walk home. This is despite the walk home being mostly uphill. But those 20 minutes were more appreciated than a 5 minute drive would have been.

Sometimes we have bad days. Sometimes we have bad moments. But if we can try to find ways to get the negatives out of our heads and bring in the good moments, no matter how brief, it can help make for a better day. I took a few pictures on my walk, and wanted to share them.

This is just a picture of some trees. They aren’t uniform, they aren’t standing out. They are just there. But that’s what I enjoyed about them.

I’m not sure if these are coming through very clearly. I took one picture of the tree and then a close up. There are huge nests on these trees. The first time I saw these, I was driving up the 97 and had no idea what they were. If they were spider webs, then those spiders must have been big (I’m thinking Lord of the Rings big). But they were all over the place and some were up to 3 feet long. I thought these were tent caterpillars, but they are apparently web worms. Not just for the Internet, I guess. 🙂 Still pretty cool to see, though.

I thought this nest was particularly fascinating. The picture doesn’t do justice to the intricacies of this structure.

I liked the colors on this tree.

I zoomed in so you could see the different colors. Yellow, green, light green, yellow with brown creeping in.

After I arrived home, I decided to take a picture from my enclosed patio. I have a really nice view, but don’t take advantage of this as often as I should. I have to clean up the chairs, since they have a lot of dust and pollen sitting there from the Summer. But this will be a nice area for me to just sit and read or reflect or listen, now that the temperatures are comfortable.

I may have started the day negative, but I was able to get out of it and end it feeling positive.

Anh-Mazing Banh Mi – Clarksville, MD

On By Rob GIn Going Places3 Comments

When I lived in Southern California, I would get Banh Mi every so often. Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette with various toppings. There were a couple of hole in the wall places I would go and could get a couple of big sandwiches for under $5 (total). The prices went up as the years went by, which is expected, but I still felt that I got more than my fair share of value.

Since I moved to Maryland, I have tried half-heartedly to find some places that served Banh Mi. Pho places are easy to find, and they might have one or two Banh Mi sandwiches on the menu, but I was hoping for some variety. I found about Anh-Mazing Banh Mi a few months ago and knew that I would make my way there eventually. I was out and about yesterday, and this place was on the way home from Gaithersburg, so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity.

When I arrived at the location (according to my GPS), there was a Farmer’s Market going on, and The Common Kitchen (along with some other shops and restaurants). The Common Kitchen is what I think of in my mind as a restaurant co-op. There are a lot of options, so I will be heading back there sooner rather than later, but I really wanted the Banh Mi.

I like their logo. It’s fun. I ordered a Pork Belly Banh Mi, and it came with a soup (chicken).

I started with the soup. Very basic, in terms of ingredients. Two nice sized chunks of chicken, a few pieces of vegetables, and cilantro. The flavor of the broth was really outstanding. The soup is something I could order by itself, and it would be satisfying, especially when the weather starts to get really cold. I then bit into the Pork Belly Banh Mi. My first bite took me back about 20 years, when I had my first bites of Banh Mi. The bread was perfect. Nice hard crunch to the outside, and soft on the inside without a lot of chewiness. The flavor of the pork belly is hard for me to describe, but I know I’ll get it again. There was a Vietnamese mayo pate on there. This is not going to be for everyone, but it really works with these sandwiches. There are some pickled carrots, daikon radish, sliced cucumbers and cilantro that go on the sandwich as well. They asked me if I wanted jalapeños on the side, which was an easy “yes” for me. When biting into the sandwich, the first thing is the crunch. Nice sounding, nice texture. Next comes the flavor. The richness of the pork belly hits, but then you also get the combination of flavors from the mayo pate and the vegetables.

Having eaten the soup first, I could say that I found it hard to believe that I ate the whole sandwich. But there is no way that any part of that sandwich could be left over. It was too good to put down and stop eating. The flavors of the sandwich hit me in the right spot yesterday, and as I reflect back today, I still enjoy the feeling I had while eating the sandwich.

The Common Kitchen does have other places to try, and I will. There is a Ramen Place, an Egyptian place, an Indian place, an Ice Cream place, a Bubble Waffle place, and more. So there is definitely enough to grab my attention and go back for more. Even though it was about 25 minutes to get home, the food was still at a good temperature. I might make my next meal a sit down, savor, and enjoy the ambiance type of experience. Definitely a positive part of my day yesterday.

Spring Mill Bread Co – Gaithersburg, MD

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

Yesterday, while I was out and about, I made a stop by Spring Mill Bread Company in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I usually visit there 3-5 times a year, and always get the same thing, their Pesto Asiago Bread. I know I should branch out and try some of their other breads, and I will eventually do it, but their Pesto Asiago Bread is just really good.

When you walk into the store, it’s just a small area for the customers. I think this works really well, since the real star of this place is the food. There is another area with sweets, but I didn’t take a picture of it yesterday. One of the things I really enjoy about this place is that the oven is right there, so you can see what is being baked. I’ve come in and watched as they were rolling out the bread, watched as they were taking things out of the oven. This is baked fresh on-site, so these aren’t being shipped in from somewhere else and then re-baked to “freshness”. There’s nothing wrong with that, I just think the fresh bread experience is really neat.

While I was perusing through the different options, I noticed some samples. I asked for a sample of an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie. I’m not a fan of raisins, so this sounded good. It also tasted good. Definitely a cookie I would get again. I also noticed that they had a pumpkin log, so I purchased a slice of that. The flavor was on point. The pumpkin roll had the flavor of pumpkin and spices together. It had a firmness with the pumpkin roll that worked well with the spongy interior. The cream cheese frosting was a nice additional touch. It may seem like a lot, but when paired with the pumpkin roll, it worked perfectly. The outside was dusted with powdered sugar, which was a nice finishing touch.

Now, onto the Pesto Asiago Bread. This was good, as is always the case. The crust is firm, but not solid. The inside bread part has the perfect squish to it. The swirl of pesto and asiago cheese gives it a nice flavor without being overpowering. I tend to heat these up in my toaster oven and then add a little bit of butter, unless I’m having pasta, in which case I’m just going to dip it into the sauce or eat it with the pasta. One of the things I really enjoy about this bread is that no two loaves are exactly alike. I can appreciate the bread you get in the grocery stores, where there is uniformity. But when you have a bread like this, I think having some variance is what makes it better. Each bite will not taste the same. Some will have more pesto than others, some more asiago cheese, some more bread. I enjoy multiple bites of happiness every time.

I look forward to my next visit down to Gaithersburg. Maybe I’ll try a different bread. Maybe I’ll stick with just the Pesto Asiago Bread. No matter what, it will be a good and positive experience.

Fun Saturday Morning in Montgomery County

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

Since the weather was nice this morning (45 degrees when I left), I decided to drive an hour or so down to Montgomery County to get some shopping done. My first stop was at PB’s Coffee & Dessert in Rockville, MD.

They didn’t have a pumpkin frappe, but they had pumpkin spice flavor syrup, so I ordered a vanilla creme frappe with pumpkin spice syrup added (a shot of espresso as well). The drink was a little icier than I prefer, but it was still good. There was a good vanilla flavor to it, and the spices from the pumpkin spice added a nice touch. I sometimes forget about vanilla flavors, since I usually get something with chocolate, or a specialty flavor. So I was happy to have tried that vanilla flavor with the pumpkin spice syrup added.

Once I had my coffee drink, I was on my way to the next stop: Nothing Bundt Cakes in Gaithersburg, MD. I used to go to a Nothing Bundt Cakes every month or so when I lived in California. I’m glad that there is one in Maryland, but since it’s a bit of a drive, I usually only go 3 or 4 times per year, and it’s usually when the weather isn’t too hot. Their specialty flavor is Pumpkin Spice, which has always been a good one. The flavor of the actual cake is really good, and the frosting on there is the perfect proportion.

After picking up the bundt cake, I walked over to Spring Mill Bread Co., which is in the same shopping center. I bought a couple of things from there, but I’ll write up about that separately.

I was then on my way to CostPlus World Market in Rockville for some fun shopping. That is another place I enjoy visiting since it brings back memories of California. When I lived in Southern California, there was a CostPlus about 5 minutes from my apartment, so I would go there once or twice a week, more during the holiday seasons. On this occasion, I just purchased just a few things, but there are times when I really fill the basket up with all different types of goodies.

I picked up lunch on the way home, but I’ll write about that separately as well.

During my drive, I was having a really nice time listening to my playlist. Some of the music I was listening to just enhanced my overall experience. “Gloria” by Laura Branigan played, and I just had to roll my windows down and turn up the volume. I replayed that song two more times. I don’t know why, but that song just really hit my ears in a good way this morning.

A little later, I was driving on East Gude Drive, and the song “Goody Goody” (the Chicago version) was playing. I thought it was a bit funny, since the name of the song is very similar to the street name. Randomness, I know, but that’s sort of why I’m writing.

There were some other songs as well. “Margaret” by Seven Mary Three. Not a song for everyone, but one that I hadn’t heard in awhile, so it was nice to hear it again. “Witch Doctor” by David Seville was another fun one. I believe this was pre-Chipmunks, but the same techniques were used in the song, so it sounds like they were part of it. I had to play “Stars” by fun. twice since I like that song. “Einstein on the Beach” by Counting Crows was another one I enjoyed hearing. It brought me back to memories of driving around in Maryland when I was in college. “Nothing in This World” is another fun one. It’s by Paris Hilton, but don’t judge. I happen to like that song. “Liberation” by Chicago was another one that I had fun listening to. A 15+ minute song that doesn’t hurt my voice to sing along to (if you know the song, you’ll get the joke). “Eternity” has the beautiful sounds of Sheena Easton, with Prince having written the song and lyrics. So a double dose of awesomeness on that song. “Unthought Known” by Pearl Jam, which I think is a pretty great song – probably in my top ten of Pearl Jam songs. “Don’t Disturb This Groove” by The System. Not a song you’ll hear on the radio anymore, so it was nice to hear it again. The last two songs I listened to before I got home were “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross and “Don’t Walk Away” by ELO. “Ride Like the Wind” may be considered “Yacht Rock” now, but I don’t care. I think it’s a pretty rockin’ song. “Don’t Walk Away” always reminds me of “Xanadu”. There was a nice animated section of the movie for this song. I love this movie. I am not ashamed to admit it.

That was it for my morning. I think it was a great start to the day, and the day continued to get better. Good times. Positive times!

Food Truck Tuesday – 10.01.19

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

The West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department’s Food Truck Tuesdays will be winding down, so I decided to head back there again yesterday. Since the temperature was going to be in the mid to upper 80s, I figured that I would also be getting a milkshake (I’ll write about that soon). Knowing that I would be eating a lot of food for dinner, I decided to have a health bar for lunch.

I arrived at the event shortly after it opened (4PM), so there was plenty of parking and not too many people around. There was a good selection of Food Trucks, but I decided to try two of them (it was originally going to just be one).

I ordered from the Taco Bar Food Truck first. Since the Mexican Street Tacos allowed for multiple selections, I got an order of three tacos – one with Char Grilled Chicken, one with Carnitas, and one with Carne Asada. The tacos came with fresh lime, green sauce, and red sauce.

I started with the Carne Asada. This can be tricky for me. Sometimes, the steak can be too chewy or too crispy. Sometimes it can have a very dull flavor. The steak in this taco was good. It was easy to bite through while maintaining the properties of a well cooked steak. The soft taco had nice flavor and held together well. It didn’t split or break, which can be one of the downfalls of tacos. The onion and cilantro mix added a nice blend for a traditional taco taste.

I went to the Char Grilled Chicken next. This was much better than I was expecting. The chicken had really good flavor to it, and the texture was fantastic. It was shredded chicken and was very juicy. Much better than the grilled, sliced chicken breast that has a tendency to dry out. This ended up being my favorite of the three tacos.

The last taco I tried was the Carnitas. I am a fan of pork, and this did not disappoint. There was a nice little kick to it. Not so spicy that it hurt your mouth but enough to let you know that there was something there.

The sauces both had nice flavor. The red sauce was spicier, but not enough to hurt. The green had a milder flavor, but there was a good combination of flavors in the sauce. Both of the sauces worked well individually and collectively on the tacos, which made for an overall positive eating experience.

The second truck I went to was the Cup O’ Dough Food Truck. This truck has edible cookie dough in multiple flavors. The Fluffernutter flavor caught my eye, and I decided to try it. The flavor was very good. The peanut butter cookie dough had the right texture and consistency to it, and the marshmallow swirl added a nice layer of sweetness and smooth consistency that provided a balance. I got a small size, which ended up being more than I should have eaten in one sitting. It was good, though, and I was happy to have tried it.

I’m not sure if I’ll be heading back for any more Food Truck Tuesdays this year. If I don’t, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for them next year. It’s nice to have these types of events, since there are options out there to try and experience new foods, or try familiar foods from new sources. With the heat bearing down, having options like this help to keep things positive.