Jimmy's Famous Seafood

This past weekend Fred and I headed up to Baltimore to dine at Jimmy's Famous Seafood restaurant. Recently PETA started advertising against the crab industry here in Maryland. If you don't know, crabbing is a HUGE industry here. I realize they're just beginning the conversation, but they've got a long road ahead of them. People in Maryland LOVE their crabs! If my husband had to choose between an unlimited lifetime supply of blue crabs or me, he'd choose the crabs.

So, after seeing a discussion on Twitter, I figured I needed to take my hubby up to get some crab into his belly and to support the crabbing industry. While I'm more of a turf gal, he's expanded my horizons on what I'll eat and what I've tried in regards to seafood. Kudos to him!

We actually went up to Jimmy's when they were having a feast that I wish Fred could've partook in. This was our first visit to this restaurant and he's wanted to try it for quite some time. They have 3 different sections to their restaurant. There's a bar area, a restaurant, and a banquet room where the feast was held to support ALS!

Fred decided on the crab cakes ($41) and I went with their special ($45). The special gave you 3 sections to choose from: Soup, Entree, and Dessert. I had the French onion soup, steak & scallops, and creme brûlée. I thought for sure he was going to have the crabs, but he loves crab cakes.

The French onion soup came with what looked like a homemade cracker. The waiter had actually come back to upsell Fred on a soup to which he gave in and had a Maryland crab soup. I'm pretty particular on my French onion soup and thought this was tasty overall.

Our entrees showed up and Fred was really impressed with the size of his crab cakes. He said they were at least a 1/2 pound each. As he was eating them, he said they were probably the best ones he's ever eaten. I was surprised, but I think he liked the size, the flavor, and the fact that they weren't mostly filler. My steak medallions and scallops came with a mash and Brussels sprouts. Unfortunately you can't do any substitutes otherwise I would've gotten a different veggie. THAT being said, I actually enjoyed the sprouts for the first time in my life!

There was no way I could finish my food. I had a pop to start off our dining, and that always fills me up. My meal wasn't big, it was a lunch size, but I took at least half home. I got my creme brûlée to go, which was a mistake. It became a soup by the time we got home which was really disappointing. It wasn't salvageable so I didn't get a chance to try it. Creme brûlée is one of my favorite desserts so I wish I could've given it a try. I guess we'll just have to go back again!

Soft Surroundings - Grand Opening The Mall In Columbia

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Soft Surroundings at The Mall in Columbia. They were opening their new store, and it's one of the first stores to have a second entrance to their Beauty & Well-Being. I'm one of the lucky people who also has a store in Annapolis as well! This wasn't a sponsored event, but we did receive a fun gift bag as part of the event.

My mom introduced me to Soft Surroundings several years ago. For my birthday she gave me a beautiful cardigan (see below) that is my go-to! Thankfully they have a Tall selection, and with my long legs, the cardigan fits perfectly.

When you first walk into the store, you get a very feminine, classy feel. You just want to walk around and find every possible way to pamper yourself. From head to toe, you can find ways to luxuriate!
When I walked into the Soft Surroundings store, my first thought was of relaxation, ease, and functionality. In my mind's eye I saw those women who make casual beauty look effortless. You know who I'm talking about, right? They look great head to toe, and you want to figure out how to get the look they have. That's what I imagine when I'm in this store. Effortless beauty is within our grasp. The President and Founder, Robin Sheldon created Soft Surroundings because she knew as women we are always going, going, going and doing so much for others that we needed a way to be good to ourselves. Can I just say, "Thank you, Ms. Sheldon, because I need a place where I can feel feminine and like I'm doing something to take care of me!"

What I didn't realize was they had full skin care & beauty lines, bedding, and even furniture. They had a little of everything inside the store. Their furniture is so elegant and dreamy. The bed was so beautiful I wanted to cuddle into all of the pillows and comforter. I loved seeing that they have silk pillow cases. Guess who's going to fight sleep wrinkles with a new pillow case? This lady!

 

The ladies who work at the store were fantastic! They were incredibly helpful and knew me by name because they kept putting items to try on in the dressing room. It felt fun to step out of my "shade" comfort zone and try on colors and prints that I would normally steer clear of.  Seriously, Soft Surroundings is a great place to play dress up - the adult version.

                 

After trying on dresses, blouses, shorts, and sleeveless toppers, I visited the Beauty & Well-Being products. One of the girls was very excited to try out the new products with me. The ladies had some great ideas that I was open to. They wanted to try a couple of different products on the skin discoloration I have on my neck. She put some different eye makeup on, but what I liked the most was the eyebrow coloring she did. It was exactly what I'd been looking for. She put my information onto a sheet and thankfully they keep it in their records so I don't have to remember the exact name of everything she tried.

I had a wonderful night, and can't wait to do more shopping! I now have two stores to choose from in the area. I've already convinced my hubby we need to go back asap. Thank goodness my birthday is just around the corner.

The Taste Of Maryland Legislative Reception

This is the third year Fred and I have attended The Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception. It's quite the affair. It's hosted at the Loews Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. This is the 28th Annual Reception put on my the Restaurant Association of Maryland. It's held to celebrate the restaurant & hospitality industry.

Restaurants from 9 different counties in Maryland were there with some incredible menu items! Out of the last three years we've attended, I think we both felt this year had the best tasting selection of food. In years past, we've stopped for something to eat on the way home. I can admit that as I sit here typing, I'm still stuffed to the gills.

Let's chat about some of the food we tasted.

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by the folks from Iron Rooster. They had Breakfast Fried Rice and two varieties of their homemade pop tarts. Fred went with the fried rice, but said it was extremely dry. I picked the mixed berry pop tart. It was in-cre-di-ble! I'll be honest, it's my favorite item on their menu. They look small, but were at least the size of your hand and filled with berry goodness!

Our next stop was at the Miss Shirley's table where they were serving BBQ Mac & Cheese. Sounds like the ultimate comfort food. I'm very particular about my bbq flavors so I passed, but Fred enjoyed it. Here's what it was made of: pulled pork with Baltimore BBQ Co. Chesapeake Sauce, Collard Greens with Tasso Ham & Cavatappi Pasta with Roasted Corn, Tomato & Diced Jalapeño-Smoked Bacon in a Five Cheese Blend garnished with Sauce, Cornbread Crumble, dusted with Cajun Spice! All of that in one little cup.

And then, THEN we stopped at EVO Public House. They had Crispy Pork Belly & Pickles. I've only had pork belly once, as an appetizer, at another restaurant and really enjoyed it. This though...this was something else. As I said in my Instagram post, it was divine! Amazingly juicy and flavorful. Yes, I felt my arteries clogging by just eating one, but that's why I go to the gym, right?!

We meandered through the two rooms getting ideas of other restaurants we wanted to try, talking to people along the way. One of the people we talked to was Tim, the Vice President from Congressional Seafood. He captured our attention with detailing how invasive Blue Catfish is in this area. He also served Wild Blue Catfish. I liked the shrimp that it was paired with, but since I'm not huge on fish, I wasn't a fan. Fred liked it though. He's my gauge when it comes to anything seafood.

We tried a Georgia Peach Brisket Slider from Kloby's Smokehouse. I wasn't a fan, but then again, I don't typically like brisket. Now, you have to understand, I tried a LOT of things that I wouldn't normally eat because when else would I have the chance? lol You never know when you might come across something that you end up really liking.

This was the first time I'd heard of cheese curds being served at the Reception. Sadly, Ace's Run Restaurant & Pub's fryers were making too much smoke. So while they were fried earlier, they weren't fresh like cheese curds need to be. Also, I'm a cheese curd purist. I don't want them dipped in anything and they were both laying on a touch of sauce that really overwhelmed the cheese curd. We tried their Brown Butter Sea Scallops and that was delish!

Fred's favorite was Blackwall Hitch. They served Maryland Crab Risotto. One of the representatives really tried to sell me on it, but yea, I just wasn't interested in trying a crab risotto. It was one of the ones I knew I didn't need to taste. lol I left it to Fred, who agreed I wouldn't like it (he knows my tastes better than anyone). He loved it. LOVED it!

This was the first time Bruster's Real Ice Cream was there. I had no idea they even had a location in Annapolis! The new owner of the Annapolis location and I got into a conversation and she said they're the best kept secret because they've been at the same location for ten years! Crazy, right? They had four varieties of ice cream. Thankfully they had a coffee flavored ice cream, which happens to be my favorite. Their's is called Coffee Break. Fred tried the Sea Salt Caramel, and since I'm not a fan of sea salt caramel in ice cream form, I passed. He said I absolutely needed to try it, so I went back after we'd walked around for a while. He was right! I told the Annapolis owner that I'm really judgy about anything sea salt caramel flavor in ice cream form, and she told me to be honest with her and judge all I wanted. Well, turned out it was really good! So often it has some strange chemical kind of taste. This was creamy and caramel only flavored! Loved it!

Now, towards the end of the evening I lost Fred, but found him hanging out at the Middleton Tavern table. They were serving Cream of Crab Soup. Sigh...more crab. I mean, we ARE in Maryland. No surprise that there's so much seafood. The chef who was there was a kick in the pants. I was telling him, and one of the other reps who were there about cheese curds. (It cracks me up how few people know about these) The chef said that if I tried his soup he'd consider learning about cheese curds. I tried the soup - begrudgingly. He was right though, it was good. Trust me, my face would've given me away, and Fred said he was surprised when I didn't make one of my gross faces. hahahaha I replied to the chef, "It's not bad," to which he rephrased it, "Which means it's good!"

We didn't make it to each restaurant who was represented. Besides, I couldn't have eaten any more after all of the samples we'd already consumed! I was disappointed I didn't have an opportunity to run into any of the reps from the tourist industry. Maybe next year! I'll have to keep an eagle eye out.

I do have to tell you who I ran into as I waited for my hubby to pick me up at the front of the hotel. I was sitting there, minding my own business when a woman wanted to share the bench I was on. I moved over and asked her how her night was going. The next thing I know, the man sitting across from us addressed her as "Miss Senator"! I kind of glanced at her from the side of my eye. What the what?! I just talked to a senator like she was just some Jane Schmoe sitting next to me. hahahaha Of course I did my normal, Mimi, "You're a Senator?! I totally had a different idea of what a Senator would look like." I think of Senators as looking crabby, business suits, stand-off-ish, and maybe with some security around them? hahahaha She was kind and told me that nope, they were just like everyone else. Thank you for not making me feel like a doofus, Senator Barbara Robinson!

The Nutcracker At Westfield Mall

It's a magical time of year! One of the most cherished traditions during the holidays is taking in The Nutcracker. Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Westfield Mall - Annapolis to enjoy a High Tea and The Nutcracker.  The Ballet Theater of Maryland sent their dancers to perform selections from the performance while parents and children were served a tea party!

100% of the proceeds benefits Anne Arundel Medical Center Pediatrics. This year they had 5 sold out shows! Tickets were only $10/person! Isn't that incredible? Maybe you want to introduce your children to The Nutcracker, but you're not sure if they'll sit through an entire performance, this is the way to do it AND give back at the same time.

I have to tell you how sweet it was to see moms, grandmas, and their little children taking in the wonder of it all. They serve child friendly food:

Of course there's enough for everyone at the table along with the desserts! The tea was delicious, and thankfully they had a good selection. The staff at Westfield Mall serves the food and tea. It's incredible the amount of work that goes into pulling this whole shindig off!

 

The first performance didn't last as long as shown on the schedule. It might've been because it was the first performance. It only lasted about 45 minutes. Each pair or individual ballet dancers would get on the stage outside of Nordstrom and perform a dance that lasted a few minutes.

After the entire performance was finished, the dancers came out to greet the attendees. Moms and grandmas had the little kids taking pictures with the group. It was really cute. Then the big kahuna himself showed up...Santa! Oh my gosh, once he made an appearance, some fake snow started falling, and the kids flocked to him.

Now, as you can imagine, these tickets sold out in a hot minute! With only 5 performances and limited seating, you have got to be on top of it in November to make sure you get seats. yes, this year's performances are over, but you can put it on your calendar now to make sure you don't miss out next year. It's an incredible way to make memories and introduce your children or grandchildren to a timeless holiday tradition!

Garden Center Visit

Last weekend my hubby and I went to our local garden center, Greenstreet Gardens. They had a tour through their greenhouse with their spring flowers! Man, they've got a huge production. I adore going there even though I can't have all the things!

That being said, I wanted to share some of the beauty of their plants. So happy it's in my garden!

 So many ferns!

 Who doesn't love a hibiscus?

2000 of these hanging baskets will be going to D.C. I believe and 6 pots will go around each light pole.

 Isn't this German Iris gorgeous? It's now living in my garden! Those colors...

I kinda dig Lantana. Their ombre colors are just so fun!

I've been chomping at the bit for peonies to be ready to plant. The one I have is ok, but I want a big, full on bloom like the one I had back in MN! Unfortunately, they only have ones like the one that's in my garden. Wah wah wah So the wait continues. I did bring home the divine iris above as well as portulaca and everbearing strawberries! I can't wait to get the strawberries planted! I miss having them in the garden! YAY I've only ever had Junebearing so it'll be great to have everbearing ones.

Have you been picking up any flowers or veggies at a local garden center?

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament For Spring Break

Do you have plans for spring break this year? I got an email inviting my family to spend an evening with Medieval Times, which I of course replied, "Yes," to! If you're coming to the Maryland area, specifically near Baltimore for spring break, be sure to spend an evening here.

You really can't beat a meal and a show like this. They have special prices for this spring break: $37.95 for adults and $29.05 for students & kids. You have to use the code SB3729 when you place your order. To top it off, they're offering a free Jr. Knights Training & free activity book for children 5-12 yrs old. Now, spots are limited so it's first come first served. The shows available for this are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (April 11-13th).

We've been to this show before and I was so excited to be back. Now, the only "issue" I have with visiting Medieval Times is I want to take pictures of every exciting moment. hahahahaha I want to capture it so I can remember it. You have no idea how much I enjoy this show. I really take the whole experience in.

Our server was a really nice gal! She brought our first course of soup, and it was delicious. I asked the youngest to try a sip, and when he didn't want it I polished it off for him. I'm a helper like that. As we were enjoying the soup the show was starting. We were sitting in the black & white knight's section. Sadly our section wasn't very enthusiastic at first. There were some special guests in two rows of midshipmen and they really got into it. That was fun to watch.

The meal was fantastic! Our server started with me, and reassured me that the dragon leg tasted just like chicken. It took me a second to register that she she'd said the word, "dragon," and that she was just kidding because...a dragon. Then we got a potato and corn added to our large plate! You might not think you'll be full by the time the show is done, but we were stuffed!

The first competition our knight kept winning. That meant he kept giving out carnations! We were in the back so I wasn't worried about him throwing me one. Plus, it makes me feel weird. lol Well, let me just say, our black & white knight was having a good night! He kept getting carnations. At one point my youngest was standing up to try and get a carnation. heh heh heh After one of the last competitions, Fred basically made me stand up. Sure enough, the knight kissed his flower and flung it at me. hahahahaha Oh dear!

Amidst the tournament there were a couple of amazing horsemanship displays. One man came out and his horse pranced, marched, and danced across the field. There was another group that came out and with a light show performed some amazing displays. Just watching those horses makes me long to get back on a horse. I sure do miss my Winston sometimes!

The time started to wind down and the knights challenged each other to a joust. Our black & white knight was the last to come out. He had to compete against one of the knights who had already won once. It was touch and go for a little bit. Just as we were sure our knight was going to win...He was taken out by the other knight. Nooooo! Aw man, we were all so disappointed. lol

We had such a blast at the show. It was a fantastic way to spend the evening with our family. The next time we have my daughters in town I'll have to be sure to take them. My oldest shares a birthday month with me, and you can celebrate your birthday for free at Medieval Times!

Be sure to check out the specials for spring break! You don't want to miss those deep discounts and the kids are going to want to practice being Junior Knights!

Do you have plans for spring break?