Tagged

 

It’s no secret that the hubster is one of the biggest fans the Redskins will ever have. (Or as I call them during football season—the Deadskins.) That’s why I was so shocked that he didn’t buy a tag for his new truck when we were at the Fan Store at FexEx Field in Landover last Monday. I was beginning to think there might actually be hope for him.

 

But yesterday when we went into one of the many sports stores here in Ocean City MD, he finally bought a Redskin tag. It seemed the Fan store in Landover didn’t have one that he liked. Fortunately (or is that unfortunately) West Marlin Mall in Ocean City did. So this morning was spent putting the new tag on his pick-em-up truck.

 

After he was tagged and ready to go we climbed aboard the USS Dodge Ram and set about enjoying our morning. This is our last day here, as we plan on heading back towards Louisville in the morning. So we wanted to take a last look at the Boardwalk. First was another stop at Thrashers French fries by the Inlet. If you’ve ever been to Maryland’s Ocean City, you know the joys of these pieces of fried potato. Drenched in apple cider vinegar and liberally sprinkled with salt, they’re the perfect beach food. The hubster and I both grew up with these fries and miss them desperately when we are not back home for a visit.

 

Since we’d started lunch at the Boardwalk we decided to go whole hog (no pun intended) an ventured further down the boards to Piezano’s for a couple of slices of pizza and a birch beer. I don’t know what it is about east coast pizza, but it can’t be beat. You just can’t get this kind of pizza in the Midwest. It’s the same thing with east coast subs. You can’t get that kind of sub in the Midwest.

We finished our junk food boardwalk lunch by scarfing down a couple of donuts from The Fractured Prune. Thank God they didn’t have this donut shop when we lived here because first off we probably wouldn’t have moved and secondly we’d both be bigger than sumo wrestlers. But holy moly these donuts were the kind you’ll find in heaven! They fry them when you order them so you’re getting the freshest donuts you’ll ever eat.

Coming home for a visit isn’t all about the Redskins and seeing how much food we can stuff in our pie hole, but that sure is a lot of fun! Although I don't think it will be so fun anymore when I step on the scale next week and find those three pounds I'd lost before we went on vacation.

 

 

 

A Foodie Weekend

Why, yes, I’m a foodie. How could you tell? Was it my ever-widening girth or the duck fat dribbling down my chin? Unfortunately I’m married to a foodie. I say “unfortunately” because our love affair with food has done nothing for our health or our waistlines. We’ve tried to scale back a bit, but every now and then we get carried away. Take for instance, this weekend.

 

I lucked upon fresh duck breasts. (They’re really hard to find in these parts.) So Saturday we started our foodie adventure with a divine luncheon of pan seared duck breast (medium-rare of course) placed atop a bed of spring mix lettuces; duck and lettuces drizzled with a blackberry reduction.

Our inspiration didn’t end with duck however. We had a late dinner of grilled chicken breast with an overflowing spoonful of homemade pineapple mango salsa on top and paired with pan roasted banana Russian fingerling potatoes (drizzled with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and duck fat as they roasted). Rounding out the meal was oven roasted spring asparagus spears, again drizzled with a mixture of EVOO and (my new best friend) duck fat.

 

My belly still hard from all the food I shoved in my gullet yesterday, this morning we made country bacon obtained from a country meat market we found in the wilds of Alabama and “Toad in the hole.” For those not in the know, toad in the hole is comprised of a thick slice of sourdough bread with a hole cut out of the center with a biscuit cutter. You dump butter and a small amount of bacon fat (what? You were expecting duck fat?) in an iron skillet, add the bread and gently place a raw egg in the center of the hole. Fry over a low heat until the bread is crispy, buttery and the egg yoke is slightly jiggley. To. Die. For! I would have taken a picture but it didn’t last that long.

 

 

And as if those massive amounts of food weren’t enough to make you go into a food coma, we ended the weekend with homemade apple wood smoked baby back ribs, four cheese macaroni and cheese and flat green beans, also known around these parts as half runners. Elevating the green beans, I slow cooked them with a slice of country bacon, small amount of diced onion and garlic, salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper just because I can.

Now I’m stuck on the couch, unable to move. (Until it’s time to plate up the strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream!)