My mom’s crab soup is a classic. It’s simple, easy and incredibly comforting. Like a lot of things she made for us over the years, the recipe wasn’t written …
Read More
THE BEST EGG SALAD
INGREDIENTS 8 cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped 1/3 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons crisp celery, chopped 2 teaspoons Maille Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon Maille whole …
Read More
WEEKNIGHT TOMATO SAUCE
INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup …
Read More
I am creating a very simple newsletter as a way to keep people in Baltimore informed on ways we all can support our favorite local restaurants. Each week, …
Read More
HOMESTYLE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced 2 garlic …
Read More
This is how my brain works. See a photo on Instagram. (The photo above, specifically.) Screenshot it. Think, “I need to figure out how to make that.” Forget the …
Read More
Since March, like most people, I have been hunkering down at home. A lot. Very thankfully, I like where I live and as luck would have it, I rescued a …
Read More
At first — after the Bon Appetit scandal news broke — I was somewhat conflicted. As a middle class, middle-aged white female home cook, I was totally in their …
Read More
Friends and strangers alike have asked me things like, “why in the world did you scrap years of work in building an Instagram following as Charm City Cook?” or …
Read More
I’m not usually one to have very strong opinions about how a particular thing SHOULD be made. Rather, I think you should eat what you want, how you want. Except …
Read More
If you know me — or at least the social media me — you know that Ina Garten taught me how to cook. And so did Martha Stewart, The …
Read More
I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this whole quarantine thing. Trying to write something meaningful or helpful. But I just keep writing sappy notes about the places and …
Read More
Cooking on the fly. Riffing. Making it work.
Pantry (or freezer, fridge) dive cooking is something I really only started doing once I became a confident cook. But …
Read More
How you like your eggs is a very personal thing. I like mine barely runny, kinda jammy. Some people can’t handle a runny yolk, some only like their eggs …
Read More
The reverse sear. I first heard about a chef friend who suggested I try it. He explained with great enthusiasm how it worked and how amazing the steak would be. …
Read More
When people I don’t know find out that I write about food in Baltimore, depending on the person, I can get one of a few questions. If the question is …
Read More
Roast chicken. I love you so much. And you really made me a cook.
Here’s the thing. Just the idea of cooking a whole chicken scared the tar outta …
Read More
I never met any of my grandparents. But, every time my mom was about to have a baby – which was a lot – her mother would …
Read More
Some things are more important than others when it comes to cooking tools and equipment: knives, cutting boards and pots for starters. Take knives for example…when I was starting out, …
Read More
Yep, here they are, finally. My brownies, which became a little bit of a sensation a few years back. I loved making them and then, a few years in, they …
Read More
In the spring of 2019, I was contacted by Rebecca Bradley at the Maryland Institute College of Art about a possible collaboration. Her students take a class each …
Read More
Spring and summer are prime time for salads with fresh, local ingredients. That first weekend when you spy rows of boxes filled with ripe, red strawberries, it’s the best. …
Read More
When I read this Forbes article about how social media can affect your emotional well-being, I thought, of course. Yes.
But, wait. You don’t have …
Read More
Steak tartare is seriously one of my very favorite things. I definitely crave it. If it’s on the menu and I know and trust the place, I’m down. A …
Read More
I have to be honest. I’m not always a big fan of New Year’s Eve…it all feels like, as my friend calls it, forced fun. You feel like you have …
Read More
Here’s to the new year ahead, but first a look back at some of the best things I ate at restaurants this year. (I might also do a post of …
Read More
When I started talking with Eddie’s about the possibility of working together, I was actually giddy. I love Eddie’s and I’ve been shopping there my entire adult life…roughly …
Read More
So, yeah. The holidays. The endless to do lists, parties, gifts, last minute guests, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. (Hint: whiskey helps.) It’s okay to ask for …
Read More
When I saw the Dinner for Six option in the latest Eddie’s of Roland Park catering brochure, I was stunned. The price seemed crazy, like way low. I asked and …
Read More
Sides. Even the word indicates an afterthought. Not at Thanksgiving. Nope. Sides can really be some of the best things of the entire meal. Give me turkey, though, I …
Read More
“Where should I take out of towners?” “Where should my office do a happy hour?” “What do you consider a Baltimore classic?” “Where can we take the kids and no …
Read More
The idea of a staycation has always appealed to me. For me, traveling hasn’t really been something I crave. I know a lot of people live for it. I mean, …
Read More
It might suprise people to learn that Baltimore now has a has a handful of luxury hotels. BALTIMORE. Recently, I was lucky enough to stay in the city’s newest one …
Read More
I bought my house in Hampden in 2000. Yep, my neighborhood’s gotten better and better every year. And, when you look at the restaurants, even more so. I got into …
Read More
I’d seen Ali Dryer there at Hersh’s behind the bar a million times. She’s quietly charming and always happy to make me her favorite new cocktail, tell me about …
Read More
The folks at Union Craft Brewing – one of Baltimore’s most creative, talented, forward thinking and collaborative brands – has grown out of their space. …
Read More
The Charmery is the dream come true of husband and wife team, David and Laura Alima. For over 10 years, they imagined their ice cream shop – travelling …
Read More
Lia is my best friend. We met in middle school. She was from Perry Hall, I was a country kid from Kingsville. Beginning in 7th grade, we knew each …
Read More
I’m a homebody.
Kind of proud of it. I’ve created a home that I love. And, due in part to my increasingly social world, I find real joy in the …
Read More
Aja Cage is a Maryland native and attended school at the The Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh, PA. While living in Pittsburgh she worked at Eleven Restaurant focusing on …
Read More
A dozen red roses? No. Chocolates, diamonds…chocolate diamonds? No.
I’m a different kind of girl. Not really very girly. I grew up with five older brothers, pretty rough and …
Read More
I’m not exactly sure why, but I had never been to Lebanese Taverna until a few weeks ago. Maybe because it’s technically a chain (albeit a small one.) That said, …
Read More
I am lucky enough to have some really cool friends who do really cool things. One such person is Carlee Pipitone, owner of Tenth Harvest, a local wine and spirits …
Read More
Julie Dalton discovered her passion for wine while waiting tables in college at Texas A&M University. While holding a full-time job in the biotech industry, she continued to …
Read More
I had the chance today to visit Josh and PJ Sullivan at their soon-to-be-open beer bar, Wet City in Mt. Vernon. The brothers (along with their Dad and staff) have …
Read More
I’m podiatry-challenged. Is that even a thing? Well, for me it is. Here’s the dealio, I have flat feet – really flat. When I played lacrosse in college, I tried …
Read More
Brendan Dorr, head bartender at Kimpton’s B&O American Brasserie, brings an artistic approach to the craft of making cocktails, using fresh, seasonal and local ingredients as well as a …
Read More
Modern American. Globally influenced. Locally spun.
I recently sat down with Nancy Hart and Jerry Trice to learn more about their new restaurant, Gunther & Co., opening soon in …
Read More
