Maryland Meals

Not only has Wegmans opened a new supermarket near my son’s Maryland home, but also that general mall-like area has completed numerous stores and restaurant. As on all trips to visit him, we ate healthy at home then ate out a lot.


Charming cheeses at Wegmans...

Eating at home

Tortillas, chopped chicken breast, cabbage slaw with mayo...

Green leafy lettuce, salmon burger, asparagus, shredded mango chutney...

Salmon burger, cooked cabbage slaw, green leafy lettuce, mixed fruit...

Naan, Portabella Mushroom Bruschetta, shredded mozzarella...

Eating out

In addition to enjoying several meals in Wegmans Cafe, we tried out Elevation Burger (hamburgers and fries at their finest)...

Right next door to Elevation Burger is Red Robin. We also ate at a Red Robin on our trip back to NYS, about the halfway point, where my daughter and her boys meet to drive me the rest of the way. Think bottomless when you eat at Red Robin--bottomless fries, bottomless beverages. Wow! My choices on these two stops were Keep it Simple and All American Patty Melt.

Just a few doors down from EB and RR is Nando’s Peri-Peri (no more drives to Annapolis just for Peri-Peri).

A chicken wrap and garlic mashed potatoes. Oh, so yummy, but way too much and I couldn’t eat it all. Consider this--I usually only eat mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so this was a treat!

We took a long drive west on Maryland’s Historic National Road and ended up in Frederick MD where we stopped for lunch at The Orchard. I had a Portabella Mushroom Melt which consisted of portabella on naan with tomatoes, red onions, Jack cheese, thousand island dressing, sprouts...

Look what we spotted on the streets of Frederick as we walked to The Orchard. The One-of-a-kind sign in the window certainly fits this Ferrari.

A Simple Supper of Panko-coated Salmon, Yams and Creamed Corn

We’re back from our Maryland vacation, and it’s so good to be in my own kitchen again where I know what everyday items I have and exactly where each is located.

My son’s kitchen is lovely and ultra-modern. But, you know those all-important items we always have on hand in our kitchens? His supply is so-o limited that I couldn’t build up the enthusiasm to do much cooking.

In a way that was fun, because we got to eat out so much. You know all about that if you read my post a few days ago: Vacation Time! Eating Out! Nando’s Peri-Peri, Wegmans, Roundz!

So, one of the first things I did when I got back Sunday night (after prepping for the possible effects of Hurricane Sandy) was to take a six ounce salmon fillet out of the freezer to thaw for Monday dinner.

I always have salmon fillets in the freezer. We do need our fish, after all, at least once or twice a week. Salmon is my favorite and so simple to prepare.

When Monday evening rolled around, the salmon was thawed. On the counter was one lonely yam and several small cans of vegetables (also in case of H. Sandy!). I opted for the creamed corn which I love but rarely eat.

Salmon, yams and corn. That has to be healthy, right? Basically it is, I guess, but my way of prepping this time probably greatly altered the healthy vs. unhealthy ratio.

The Yam ~ Wash and peel the yam. Cut extra thin slices with a sharp knife OR cut slices with a vegetable peeler. (I tried both ways and the vegetable peeler definitely produces the thinnest slices.) Heat several tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add yam slices and cook quickly. Adjust heat as needed. These should only take a few minutes; test with a fork. Remove to plate lined with several paper towels to drain off the excess oil.

The Salmon ~ Pat the fillet dry with paper towels and cut it into smaller pieces. Mix Panko crumbs with Kosher salt and lemon pepper. Coat the salmon pieces with the crumb mixture. (If you prepare the salmon before cooking the yams, you can cook it in the same pan immediately after you finished cooking the yams.) Cook over medium high heat, turning once or twice until just slightly pink inside. The salmon will retain some heat and finish cooking after you remove it from the pan.

The Creamed Corn ~ Heat on stove or in microwave. Dish up and sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley. (Creamed corn is very salty, so no need to add more.)


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Thanksgiving Pies

Vacation Time! Eating Out! Nando’s Peri-Peri, Wegmans, Roundz!

Maryland in October and it was time to step out of the kitchen. It was a three-plus weeks visit with my son and we often ate out. Among our favorite spots are Nando's Peri-Peri in an Annapolis mall, Wegmans in Columbia, Red Hot and Blue (in Laurel, I think) and Roundz in Crofton.

An even newer Wegmans just opened Sunday in Crofton, within walking distance of my son's house. Hurricane Sandy was due to open up Sunday too, so I got up before anyone else in the house (my son, my daughter, and my two grands) and headed out to breakfast at Wegmans. Felt like home. All Wegmans do. Even saw and spoke with Dave Orlovsky, Manager of our local Wegmans. Well, he was. He's on his way to Massachusetts to help set up stores there.

After breakfast, I wandered around and except for the size, things are pretty much the same.

Look, it's a Wegmans train! You can even buy them for Christmas gifts. OMG, do I sound like an advertisement for Wegmans. Can't help myself. It's one of my favorite place to shop.

It was a "light" opening. People were hunkering in for Hurricane Sandy and many had done their shopping for water, generators, canned foods when the warnings came out Thursday and Friday.

Fruit, vegetable, salad bars -- there are two of them.

I noticed that Columbia Wegmans and the new Crofton store have "trail mix bars". Wish we had one in Corning. Oh, wait, we do now that the Corning store is being rearranged and updated. Look what I found when I got back from vacation...

Another favorite of mine is Roundz Gourmet Market. It's a comfortable place where the food is delicious, the staff is welcoming and you can sit at the counter and watch them cooking.

I forgot to take a photo before I took a bite! Half a smoked turkey sandwich with cranberry spread left. Those chips were amazing! Homemade from butternut squash.

Can I have dessert with lunch? Of course... loved this bread pudding.


Chef Zachary at Roundz even recommended a couple of excellent books which he had and brought over for me to browse through: Barron's Food Lover's Companion and Food Rules: an Eater's Manual.

Rules 2 of Food Rules ~ "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."

One more mention for Roundz. They're celebrating their first anniversary on November 17. Congratulations to Zach and all the staff at Roundz in Crofton MD.

Nando's Peri-Peri. We have to go there at least once a trip. Son loves the hot sauces!

Not only does Nando's have delicious food, but also they have beautiful decor.

Again I forgot to take a photo before I began eating. What you see here is a grilled chicken sandwich. That's not the chicken on top -- that's Haloumi cheese. Love Haloumi!

And now I'm home again. Time to return to cooking my own foods. Also, need to come up with a cookie recipe for The Great Cookie Swap 2012. I'll be baking and mailing a dozen cookies each to three other food bloggers and blogging about it in November. Stay tuned.

Coming up soon, I'm thinking of Tofu Foo Yung with pasta and mushroom gravy. Also, quiches--one with a rice crust and the other with a mashed potato crust.


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A bit of a follow-up on the Crofton MD Wegman’s opening Sunday... My son emailed me Monday evening -- one day after the Hurricane Sandy craziness -- “Packed full tonight!”

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October in Maryland and DC

I’m back in Maryland and D.C. for the third time this year! One of the reasons I love visiting my son is because we love eating out.

Find out about foods on my previous visits by visiting my February and July posts …

EATING OUT ~ February 2012


VACATION MEANS EATING OUT ~ July 2012


STILL TESTING FOODS OF MARYLAND ~ July 2012


So far this time, we’ve (my son and I) eaten twice at Wegmans, Columbia. Huge food bar section ~ a heavenly buffet. We (my son, my brother and his wife) dined at Red, Hot and Blue in Laurel MD. Love that place with its “pulled” meats and blues music.


Today I took a short walk to Roundz, a homey, yet classy café, market and catering establishment, less than a mile from son’s house. If you’re ever in Gambrills MD, please stop in to sample their gourmet fare and tell them you heard it from me. A new Wegmans is opening just across the highway October 28. What a great combo ~ Roundz and Wegmans!

Roundz food is yummy and inventive. For instance, most of their sweets are cut into individual pieces ~ round, of course!

Today’s coffee was 100% Columbian.

Entrees…

Vegetables…

She had something brewing on the stove AND was mixing up brownies.

I want one of those hand-operated slicers. Look how it curls the slices of squash for chips!

Employees at Roundz always enjoy their work and are very welcoming to their patrons.

Mini pumpkins and Indian corn welcome the fall season. The plan is to cut out the center out of some of the pumpkins to allow for insertion of tea light candles for an upcoming “Dinner after Dark”.

Breakfast Wrap, Tuna Salad and Cupcakes!

Omigosh, has it been two weeks since I've written for this blog?

It’s not that I haven’t been thinking about food. Or cooking. Or even taking photos. I have--all those. Just no long step-by-step creations. More in the line of take each day, one step at a time (step by step). Whatever comes of it, that’s what you have.

There has been so much heat in my life for the past couple of months. Remember the trip to Maryland and the 100+ degree days? We’ve had some pretty hot ones back here in New York State too. Now, however, it’s cooling down (80s are cooler, while I crave the 70s more than I used to when I was younger.)

Even though it’s cooler outside, I have to pick and choose what I cook and the times of day I cook ‘cause I’m in an upstairs apartment and it can get really hot and muggy in here. Just one little air conditioning unit doesn’t always cool things down enough to suit me.

Okay, enough of that. What I have to offer today are a couple of things I cooked for meals and some cupcakes I put together out of a boxed mix (cringe!).




BREAKFAST...
I like lots of ingredients, colorful and tasty, yet nutritious.

For instance, when I had a bowl of oatmeal this morning, I added a cut-up banana, a couple of teaspoons of organic flax seed (ground in my coffee grinder), cinnamon powder, sliced almonds and almond milk.

But, no photo of oatmeal. Who wants to look at pictures of oatmeal? Not me. In spite its yummy taste, oatmeal -- any way you dress it up -- is not that pretty. (Unless, of course, it’s part of Chocolate No-Bake Cookies!)

Instead, what you get are these pictures of my Breakfast Wrap...

* 90-calorie spinach Flat Out flatbread
* Morning Star Farms veggie bacon strips
* light sour cream
* shredded carrot
* eggs
* parsley
* kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I found a wonderful recipe on Helium http://www.helium.com for scrambled eggs, and I wanted to give you the link as well as give credit to the author of the article. But, now I can’t find it! Here are the instructions to the best of my recollection.

1. Crack egg(s) into small dish. Do not stir. Pour into hot (medium heat) pan and stirring constantly, cook till starts to set. Lift pan off heat for a few seconds as you continue stirring. Put pan back on heat. Do this 2-3 times till eggs are set the way you like them.

2. Remove the pan from the burner and stir in a teaspoon or two of sour cream (depending on how many eggs you’re cooking) and some salt and pepper.

3. If you decide to add any extra ingredients, such as diced onions or parsley, do your prepping beforehand and add them at the end. (Items that need cooking should be cooked and set aside until the eggs are done.)

LUNCH OR SUPPER...
Again, colorful, tasty and nutritious.

A salad -- always easy and quick to prepare. Just check the frig and the cupboards for ingredients to mix and match. In this case...

* leafy green lettuce
* cherry or grape tomatoes
* yellow summer squash (from a neighbor’s garden, sliced and lightly steamed
* shredded carrots (steamed with the squash)
* a whole (small) can of tuna in water -- drain off the water before adding to the salad

Arrange artfully and appealingly! Top with your favorite salad dressing.



DESSERT...
Perhaps my best cupcakes ever.

I had a coupon, so I cheated and bought Betty Crocker “FUN da-middles”: cupcake mix with creamy vanilla filling. Couldn’t help myself! There was a great coupon in the Sunday paper, so I got myself a deal when buying two boxes. I baked the vanilla version (as is obvious in the pictures). Love the filling--it’s marshmallowy!

Mmmmm, cupcakes even look yummy in black and white...

The icing came straight from my freezer. Homemade. Leftover. From Coconut Rum Cupcakes that I made for my son’s birthday. The texture and taste of the cupcakes was pretty bad, so I quickly removed that “pin” from my Pinterest cupcake board! The icing, on the other hand (with its tiny addition of coconut rum) was the best!

Doesn’t this picture make you a wee bit sad that you weren’t here the day I made them. I handed most of them out to neighbors.

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Basil leaves and a marigold from my little garden...