All I want for Christmas are peeps

 The other night, while relaxing and watching television, a commercial came on that caught my interest. On the screen items in a house rattling and shaking, then a picture of Santa hopping saying “I don’t know how the Easter Bunny does it?” OK, I take notice, something different in the normal holiday sales genre commercials.  Santa was promoting Candy Cane Peeps, chocolate dipped candy cane flavored marshmallow chicks. 

Initially, I thought to myself, eeewe on the flavoring but then there is the York Peppermint Patty so the combination isn’t that far off.  

Learn about the unique holiday flavor peeps, watch the video and get your free smart phone holiday wallpaper HERE.

Creating happy memories - gingerbread house decorating class for children

 Bring your child to Sotto Sopra Restaurant  for Pastry Chef Mallory Staley’s gingerbread decorating class being held Sunday, December 22^nd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.at 405 N. Charles Street. All the children need to bring is a smile and an adult chaperone. The children can leave their Legos, Lincoln Logs, and Barbie’s Malibu Mansion behind because they will be decorating their own gingerbread house that well can be the centerpiece on their family’s dining room table or mantle piece. 

Read the full story and get the details HERE.

New restaurant at the Village of Cross Keys

The doors are open now at Scoozi Ristorante in the Radisson Hotel at Cross Keys. The hotel has been having a facelift to the tune of $6 million dollars and part of that was a new restaurant.  A restaurant geared not only for hotel guests but for the general public.  The cuisine is Mediterranean – Italian offering up seafood the likes of calamari and Oysters Rockefeller, pizzas from their wood burning oven, and these were a couple items I tasted at a preview back in October.  

Read the full story, watch the video and slideshow HERE

Treme cookbook signing with David Simon, Nina Noble & Lolis Elie

Hot off the press release, late breaking news from the acclaimed HBO Series Treme comes Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans by Lolis Eric Elie, David Simon, creator of the HBO series Treme and The Wire, and executive producer Nina Noble.  All will be at Johnny’s at 4800 Roland Avenue this coming Sunday, December 15^th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for a book signing, inspired snacks and a Treme cocktail. It is a great opportunity to grab extra copies and have them autographed for holiday gifts.

Watch the video and get more details HERE.

Books for home cooks - cookbook picks

As we approach the end of 2013 it becomes a time for retrospect “best of” and “trends” for the coming year. Over the period of the year I have written about cookbooks from time-to-time but haven’t gotten to a number that I really enjoyed or am looking forward to using.

This list doesn’t contain any real baking books although a number of the books have baking recipes between their covers.  If you open to suggestion, here is a list of baking authors you should check out – you won’t go wrong with any of their books: Nick Malgieri, Dede Wilson, Nancy Baggett, Alice Medrich and Rose Levy Berenbaum.

My selection of books for cooks today is my look at the past year; featuring books with good back stories, no molecular, super intense fancy cooking and a look at a cookbook from the past. They are in no particular order.  

Check out the list of seven books that made my picks HERE.

Lunch at Ruth’s – Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses Baltimore

The Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses don’t normally do lunch, they are dinner only. There is a BUT here, come the holiday season they open their doors offering a special lunch menu featuring their top-of-the-line US Prime Beef and other delectable bites.

Watch the slideshow and read the full story HERE.

Vivo Trattoria and Wine Bar scheduled to open December 13th

Vivo Trattoria and Wine Bar will become George Martin Group’s second restaurant in the Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover Maryland and seventh in his hospitality group’s restaurants. Martin’s Grillfire Restaurant, an upscale American Grill, has been opened in the hotel since 2011.

Vivo Trattoria and Wine Bar is already going strong before the doors open with 600 fans on Facebook who have been following the evolution of the restaurant coming to fruition.

Watch the video on how to make a Tuscan Martini and read the full details on this new restaurant HERE.

Disposable non-stick bakeware – did it work?

The folks from Chinet reached out to me to check out their new non-stick bakeware.  I was curious, so I agreed.  What arrived was Chinet’s non-stick bakeware but an idea for a holiday hostess gift for the bakers in your life.  A gift basket with a baking mix, Stonewall Kitchens Vanilla Bean Cheesecake bar mix, Loveless Café Blackberry Preserves,  the Chinet 8 x 8 non-stick pan, a spatula all wrapped up in holiday finery.

I followed the instructions for the cheesecake bars per Stonewall Kitchens instructions but, they said to oil your pan – I did not.  The test was on as to with what ease I would be able to remove slices of the cheesecake bars from the Chinet's non-stick disposable bakeware.

Watch the slideshow and read the full story HERE.