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Category: Food – General

Old Bay Seasoning:  It’s Hard to Miss These Days

Old Bay Seasoning:  It’s Hard to Miss These Days

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Ever since German immigrant Gustav Brunn created the Old Bay Seasoning blend back in 1939[1], it has become synonymous with the identity and culture of my home state of Maryland.  The familiar yellow and red can is found in almost every Maryland kitchen, and for those of you who haven’t tried it, you really should.  Not only is it great on seafood (its original purpose), but its versatility adds a “Maryland flavor” to chicken, beef, or even scrambled eggs.  Some…

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Craft Beers – Have We Reached A Tipping Point?

Craft Beers – Have We Reached A Tipping Point?

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Ahhhhhhh, beer.  The working man’s blue-collar drink.  Since the dawn of civilization, skilled craftsmen have performed their magical alchemy and carefully brewed hops and barley, producing a golden elixir that has been celebrated and enjoyed for centuries. Throughout history, any town worth its salt has had a brewery.  It was as common as a church, town hall, or marketplace. With the industrial age came homogenization and standardization.  Local brewers were bought out or run out of business by large national…

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Charcuterie Boards – A Hot “Snack” Trend

Charcuterie Boards – A Hot “Snack” Trend

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Summer is almost upon us, and if you’re out and about at a concert, festival, picnic, or looking for food options to take with you out into the wild, wild, wilderness, a great and trending option is a charcuterie board. Excuse me, a what? Charcuterie, a French tradition (of course), is the “art” of preparing and displaying cured meats and cheeses. In other words, its a fancy meat and cheese tray.  Those crazy French. But it’s so much more.  A…

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Where the Wild Things Are:  Foraging For Seasonal Foods

Where the Wild Things Are:  Foraging For Seasonal Foods

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Spring is making its presence known here locally more and more each week, as my flowering cherry trees are in full bloom, the forsythia bushes are beaming bright yellow, and the red-bud trees and magnolias are coming into flower. Part of the seasonal cycle in my neck of the woods is the opportunity to go foraging for wild plants to add to the dinner table.  Now, before you go saying “what in the world is he doing out there in…

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Fat Tuesday is Upon Us – Let Your Taste Buds Rejoice!

Fat Tuesday is Upon Us – Let Your Taste Buds Rejoice!

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Yes, this Tuesday is the arrival of Fat Tuesday.  You may know it by its more famous French name – Mardi Gras.  It’s the last day of fun and frivolity prior to the arrival of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, when the more pious among us will forgo their wicked, hedonistic ways and settle in for forty days of self-reflection and prayer in preparation for the coming Easter holiday. Since Fat Tuesday is the “last gasp” for all…

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Regional Foods – An Adventure Awaits

Regional Foods – An Adventure Awaits

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One of the drawbacks of all this readily available connectivity, communication, and technology in our modern era is the loss of regional food and cuisine.  Go anywhere in America these days and if you’re in a decent sized-town or city, you’ll find a ‘Starbucks’, ‘Chick-fil-A’, or  ‘Olive Garden’ – all serving their dishes to exacting standards, so that your dining experience is the same no matter where you visit in the United States (or in some cases, the world). What…

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Picking Crabs: A Maryland Tradition

Picking Crabs: A Maryland Tradition

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There are some foods that are synonymous with a state’s identity.  Maine has its lobster, Georgia has their peaches, Louisiana has the crawfish; however, in Maryland, one food item reigns supreme. The Maryland blue crab. Nothing beats sitting down at a long, paper-covered table piled high with freshly steamed blue crabs, the air filled with the signature smell of Old Bay seasoning.  Armed with a mallet and a small knife, it’s now each diner’s job to dissect these crustaceans, picking…

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Pumpkin Spice Flavor Is Back – And It’s In EVERYTHING

Pumpkin Spice Flavor Is Back – And It’s In EVERYTHING

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Unless you’ve been living in a cave or your internet connection has been down for the past month, you’ve no doubt seen or heard that one of the heralds of the fall season is the return of that obligatory flavor of autumn, pumpkin spice.  Ohhhh, and it’s not just in flavored coffee at Starbucks.  No, some overzealous salesman at the spice factory has managed to ensure that this seasonal spice blend has found its way into way too many products,…

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Autumn is Officially Here – How I’ve Missed You!

Autumn is Officially Here – How I’ve Missed You!

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I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to September 22, 2021 (precisely at 3:20 PM, to be exact).  For those of you not in the know, that was the date and time of the annual Autumnal Equinox, better known as the first day of fall. Sure, others may have their favorites.  I know folks who can’t get enough of summer.  Some folks love the long cold, winter – while others love the rebirth of spring.  For me,…

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Local Wineries Offer Weekend Diversions

Local Wineries Offer Weekend Diversions

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September is almost upon us, ushering in the last bit of summer and hopefully giving us a glimpse of cooler temperatures and a glorious autumn season.  The kids are back in school, weekend harvest festivals will be in full swing – and what better way to celebrate than to check out some local wines! Luckily, Washington County has plenty of wineries to choose from.  From sweet to dry, there’s certainly a bottle of locally–produced  goodness for everyone to enjoy –…

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