A Baltimore Cupcake

Keller’s Bakery in Linthicum did it the right way: They began their day in the wee hours of the morning, made doughnuts from scratch, and were open until sold out or closing, whichever came first.  It was a true family business with handed down recipes and all the necessary drama.  Sadly, the original owners sold the business last year and the new owners didn’t last too long.

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Homemade garlic sauce: crushed garlic sauteed in butter, olive oil, and salt

I’ve been in love with pepperoncini every since my first Papa John’s pizza in college.    Finding pepperoncini without citric acid, preservatives, and food coloring in recent years has proved impossible.  Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon these pepper at the Ellicott City Wal-Mart last month.  While technically not pepperoncini, the flavor is close enough. Now I can enjoy my pizza like the good ‘ol days, with pickled peppers and (homemade) garlic sauce! Continue reading →

Trader Joe’s Double Roasted Salsa is the best supermarket salsa I have found. My favorite used to be Pico Planet Salsa made right here in Catonsville. Since Pico Planet bit the dust, I searched everywhere for a replacement. At Trader Joe’s, specifically, I tried every salsa multiple times. Continue reading →

Once the markets died down, I used to be in pickle purgatory.  Now I can’t wait to have an excuse to stock up on these.  Not only are these pickles one of the best items at Wegman’s, Grillo’s Pickles are best in class, period.  I even prefer these over any I’ve found at local farmer’s markets.  Grillo’s Pickles are not shelf stable, however.  You’ll have to dedicate refrigerator space. Continue reading →

Cut it up into pieces and then let it sit at room temperature in your mixing bowl.

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The cheapest whole milk gallon I’ve found is the GV brand for $2.71 at the Catonsville Wal-Mart.  (In general, though, the Ellicott City Wal-Mart is more likely to have items in stock.)  If, like me, you don’t always need to purchase a gallon, I purchased a half gallon for $1.64 a couple days back.  I did a double take; that’s the cheapest I’ve seen for a half gallon in a long time.

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I don’t know why every recipe I’ve ever read instructs to microwave chocolate on HIGH power.  I thought it was some complicated reason I couldn’t understand.  A year ago, I tried microwaving chocolate on LOW just for kicks.  I’ve never gone back to HIGH power since.

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I had a chance to visit Lamill Coffee in Harbor East yesterday with, ironically, a recent Los Angeles transplant moving back to her hometown.  She had never heard of the original Lamill Coffee in Alhambra, a suburb of the City of Angels.  I’d been looking forward to eating the creations of pastry chef Chris Ford for quite some time.  Chris is the head pastry chef of Wit and Wisdom and his team supplies Lamill.  He was recently named among the “Best Pasty Chefs 2012” by tastingtable.com. Continue reading →

Yesterday I ate out for lunch and dinner; I was being indulgent.  I didn’t want to miss out trying Red Mango because I wouldn’t be working again in Howard County for awhile.  After lunch I finally had a chance to go to Red Mango in Clarksville, MD.  It is a self-serve frozen yogurt parlor that opened in Howard County on June 14, 2012. Continue reading →

Tonight, I headed out of the comforts of Catonsville into the blacktop-paved, cobblestone streets of Baltimore to visit the B&O American Brasserie.  My one misgiving of going out to eat in Baltimore is always parking.  I parked across the street (on N. Charles Street), which is paid meter parking from Mon-Fri 8 to 4pm and Sat 8 to 6.  I arrived at the restaurant at 7ish, so I didn’t have to pay any parking costs, and it was just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my car. Continue reading →