Ok, so I know I’m posting this on a Wednesday not a Tuesday, but I have my reasons. Or excuses… I was jet lagged, I had to work, and then I left my phone at work so I was missing some pictures. Anyway, better late than never right? Today’s post is a different kind of Tourist Tuesday anyway. It’s not really about Baltimore, it’s about being back in my home town and attending my friend Emily’s wedding in Baltimore. Emily got married to Matt, whom she met in business school.

And I gotta tell you, I was so excited for this trip. Sure it was going to be a short trip, but I was dying to see my childhood friends Lisa, Emily (bride), Emily (not the bride), Rachel, and Kelly. I love them! I’ve known them for over twenty years and when we get together it’s always a blast and always feels like a home coming. 

Last Thursday my friend Lisa and her husband Mike picked me up at the airport and took me to get some dinner. We decided on fast food in part because it was late and in part so I could re-immerse myself into American culture. They took me to Arundel Mills, which is a gigantic mall with a casino and many fast food places all in a row. They took me to Wendy’s for a frosty (it’s like a milk shake) and then to Chik-fil-A for waffle fries. My brother Eric recently moved back to Maryland so he stopped by Lisa and Mike’s and we all sat around and talked for awhile.

On Friday, Lisa and I started our bridesmaid duties. We were in charge of getting materials to make flower crowns for the photo booth at the wedding. Our day started at Michael’s, which is a huge store that has everything for crafting and home decor. It’s the kind of store where you go and buy the things you need, then also things you think are cute, things that remind you of something you saw on Pinterest, and things that make you think, “yeah I could start a hobby in knitting/woodworking/whatever.”

I wandered around a lot, but only got off task a little bit. I bought some autumn leaves sprinkles and a small Thanksgiving ramekin. Mainly, Lisa and I had an absolute blast picking out fake flowers and greenery for the crowns – and best of all practically everything was 60% off. The next day the bridesmaids – and even the bride too – made flower crowns as we got ready and I’m really proud of how well they came out (and lasted over the whole night). In the picture above you can see Lisa making photo crowns and then a photo from the photo booth of me and my girls (from left to right, Kelly, Emily, Emily, Me, Lisa, Rachel, and Emily’s husband Jim’s hands) all wearing the crowns. I think we did a fine job. The photo booth photos were done by Poseybooth.

After shopping we met up with our friend Rachel for lunch at Nando’s. Nando’s is big here in London but I had never been before! So yummy! Then the three of us went to get our nails done at Bliss in Odenton. It’s a gorgeous nail salon off the beaten path. At first, I felt like the quality of the manicure wasn’t very good (Rachel and I both got cut and bled) but the nail polish has lasted nearly a week with just one chip (and I ate crabs, but more on that later).

Preparation done, it was time to finally drive to Baltimore for the rehearsal and dinner. I didn’t take many pictures during the early part of my trip, and now I wish I had. But the reason I didn’t take any pictures was because those places are part of the fabric of my upbringing. They are the places I know so well I can picture them better than any photograph. After the wedding we slept in Lisa’s parents basement, a place where I’ve spent many sleepovers before. The after party was by the Baltimore Harbor, a place where I’ve spent countless birthdays, New Year’s Eves, and celebrations. And the wedding itself was at Emily’s house a place where I spent many summer days swimming in the pool.

As Lisa and I drove all over the Baltimore area on 83 and 695 – roads I’ve been on hundred of times before it all felt comfortable and familiar. I know the landmarks, the lush trees surrounding the roads, and the spot on 695 where the radio never works. In high school I’ve probably driven on those roads with my friends talking about tests, college application and boys. This time Lisa and I talked about greying hair, saving for a house, and politics. The conversation has changed, but it felt exactly the same as it always had.

The rehearsal was at Emily’s house and then after we went to dinner at Sammy’s Trattoria. Matt’s (the groom) mother made us name tag buttons that said our names and how we were connected to the bride and groom. There was so much food! I started with apple cider sangria, then there were appetizers, then there were two kinds of pasta, salmon, chicken, and two kinds of dessert. Also, in talking to two other girls over dinner I learned that they were both in love with a chocolate chip cookie recipe from Jacques Torres that I’m going to need to try. After dinner we went for drinks at the James Joyce Pub, which is my parent’s favorite place to get a burger.

Saturday was all about the wedding.  We spent the day make flower crowns and getting pretty (that’s Emily in the photo above getting her make up done). We bridesmaids got to choose our own dresses as long as they were blush colored and flowy. I was impressed with how closely our dresses matched. Emily wore her mother’s gown which has been altered  for modern use (not more sleeves or turtle neck). It was such a lovely dress. I got my hair done in a side ponytail with just natural looking make up.

I was especially in love with the flowers! The wedding was filled with them. I also love bouquets with lots of texture and thought the fuzzy branch things were amazing. Emily’s bouquet was even more impressive with peonies, succulents, and rosemary.

As the guests started to arrive we spied on everything through the windows of the house. It was fun to see everyone’s outfits, see friends I hadn’t seen in awhile, and see the beautiful set up. Below are some shots taken by Mike. Below is Kelly and Dan – and I love this picture of him laughing. Kelly is my oldest friend and she befriended me on the first day of second grade when I was crying. There’s also a photo of Greg (Rachel’s boyfriend), Rachel, Mike, and Matt (the matron of honor’s husband). Everyone was looking pretty.

The ceremony was beautiful. It was a fairly religious ceremony but it had advice for everyone. He talked about loving each other, not putting everything on the other person, and to also give love to others. Mostly though, I loved watching the radiant happiness on Emily’s face. Just look at her as she walks in and out of the ceremony!! The pictures are blurry but her facial express is perfection.

My favorite part of any wedding though is the reception. I love good food and I love dancing They had two signature cocktails, incredibly delicious food (it was the first time I ever liked kale), and a great band called Spectrum. Also they had flip flops on the dance floor, which I totally used when my heels got painful.

But again, back to Emily. I love this photo (below), although blurry, of her and Matt getting ready to enter the tent. She hiked up her dress and the two of them literally bounded in. They then did their first dance and they are painfully, adorably cute and in love. Their first song was “All of Me,” which is usually done by John Legend and Emily sang it! And it was a surprise to everyone. She has always been an incredibly singer and she had secretly recorded the song and had it played for their dance. It was so beautiful and I’d love to hear it again.Overall it was a great party. The music was awesome, I got a minor shout out in the father of the bride’s toast for having traveled the farthest, and my friends and I had a blast in the photo booth. Below is a photo of our entire crew (girls+partners) minus Ryan and Matt. Love that photo, except for that Rachel’s face is blocked out of the E+M stamp.

Sunday was my last day in the US and Lisa and Mike made sure I got to do some things I’ve been missing. They took me to Target where I literally skipped through the store. It is such a fun place to browse! I went home with 5 different kinds of m&m’s, Sour Patch Kids, Tootsie Rolls, and two kinds of Oreos. I also saw crazy things like a Joe Flacco doll, a Chewbacca doll, sodas that spell NFL, and a cheeseburger pinata. God Bless America right?! This stuff is awesome!

Then Lisa and Mike did the best thing ever and they got two dozen crabs and some pumpkin beer for lunch. Picking crabs is my favorite thing to do over the summer. I love sitting around chatting with my friends. I love the burn on my lips from Old Bay. I love how messy it is. And I’m so glad I got to squeeze it in. It was too fast, but it was a perfect weekend. Repeatedly I felt so lucky to have such good old friends, that they have found such nice partners, and that no matter the time or the distance between us we can get back together and have a blast. Being with them is like wearing your favorite sweater: it feels comfortable and make you happy. I can’t wait until we’re reunited again.

* Thanks to Mike, and I think Dan, for the photos taken while I was doing my bridesmaid duties. Poseybooth took all the photo booth pictures (the ones with the E+M). They were super cool and emailed us the link to the photos immediately!

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My 29th  birthday was a little over a week ago! I went to New York to have a last hurrah. I actually hadn’t been to New York since my graduation, and I was excited to go back and see the city one more time. On Friday (the 20th) I went to Staten Island and stayed with my friend Inga (who also has the same birthday as me). It was so great to catch up with her. She and I were roommates years ago when we studied abroad in Rome. Visiting her, I got to see her new house, meet her  beautiful daughter, and celebrate our birthdays. We had sushi and cake and it was wonderful.

I then went into Manhattan and met up with my  friend Chris, from graduate school. We sat in Battery Park, talked, and looked at the Statue of Liberty. It reminded me of the times when we used to pretend to go for a run along the water, but really we’d just walk and gossip. Then, I met up with my parents and my brother and we had a blast! Seriously, we indulged in New York. We ate at a few of my favorite restaurants. Lunch at Ippudo, dinner at John’s of Bleecker, and dessert at Max Brenner’s. We also found a tiny place that only sold macaroons! We bought six and shared them all. There were amazing flavors like passion fruit and lavender-honey. We also went shopping on 5th Avenue and browsed books at the Strand. It was a great New York weekend with some touristy activity and some old favorites.

After New York I hopped on the train back to DC. I got dolled up in a fancy dress and went as my friend Anna’s date to the Ford’s Theatre Gala. I saw some great theater, had a tasty dinner in the beautiful courtyard at the Portrait Gallery, took pretty pictures with my friend, and said goodbye to some of old colleagues. Great night. I stayed out way too late, but loved it anyway.

Then Monday and Tuesday were my last two days at work. I don’t talk about my job very much on the blog but I have loved working with Live It Learn It. While at Live It Learn It, I’ve had a wonderful time. In this job I’ve been busy running all over DC, I’ve taught lessons, met great students, befriended some awesome coworkers, and led field trips throughout the city. I’ve eaten more Wendy’s than ever before, I’ve sent group texts of just emojis, and I’ve helped create hilarious and weird Mad Libs. And I’ve laughed so so much. Live it Learn It has been everything I was looking for in a job and even though I’m moving they can’t get rid of me yet. I’m hanging on even while abroad.

And today’s recipe is truly for them. In the last year, almost every dessert I’ve made has been shared with my Live It Learn It family – including this one. I decided to dabble in gluten-free baking because one of my coworkers keeps a gluten-free diet. Baking is fun for me because I like sharing the finished product with others – so it’s more fun if everyone is included. I have loved bringing in cookies and treats for them and it doesn’t hurt that they always say nice things and eat everything I bring. I will miss baking for them.

I then spent the rest of the week packing up my apartment. It was stressful and I had a hard time deciding what to ship, store, and pack. It might sound trivial but I had a hard time editing down and Ryan got more than one crazy phone call from me. My parents came down and helped me pack, trash things, and move out. Thank goodness for them because they helped me be decisive and keep from completely losing my marbles.  I could not have done everything so effectively without them! During this move weekend, we also went to my friend Lisa’s wedding. I have known Lisa for over 20 years and it was wonderful to see her get married. She looked amazing – and unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of her! Her wedding was at the Center Club and it has the most beautiful view of Baltimore I have ever seen. The wedding was a blast. I danced with my friend’s 1 year-old son, I chatted with old friends, I danced some more, and then I sobbed when I said goodbye to my girls. We group hugged, and I felt loved and lucky. All in all, a great night and a wonderful farewell from Baltimore.

Now I’m sitting in my friend Charlotte’s guest room while her cat snuggles up on me. For those of you who know me, you know I’m anti-cat, but I’m actually liking this. What’s happening to me? My flight leaves later tonight – but until then my plan is to go to the pool and then out for dinner.

It’s been a busy ten days or so, but it’s been great. I said goodbye to many of my old homes – New York, Baltimore, and DC. I am deeply going to miss my wonderful network of people here, but being farther away doesn’t mean we’re really separated. To get a bit emotional, I want to say thank you for all the celebrations, activities, and fun I’ve had as I prepared for the move.  I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

But now I’m ready. I’m ready to go to London. I’m ready for new adventures, new jobs, new restaurants, new friends. Mostly, I’m ready to be back with Ryan. Get ready London, here I come.

This recipe is adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, How Can It Be Gluten Free? This book is awesome with lots of really clear and helpful advice and suggestions. I’ve changed it by adding a bit more xantham gum than ATK recommended. I thought it helped hold the shape of the cookie a bit better. These cookies are great and the only difference between these and regular cookies are the thin and delicate structure and shape. The other change was that I used chips and Reese’s pieces instead of normal chips. Gotta spice things up now and then, and get a little creative with the cookie add-ins, right?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 2/3 cup King Arthur All-purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

1/8 cup mini Reese’s pieces

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, xantham gum, and salt in a bowl.

2. Whisk melted butter and sugars in a large bowl.

3. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Add in the flour mixture.

5. Add in the chips and Reese’s pieces.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 350°.

8. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two spoons to arrange 1.5 tbsp size rounds of dough onto the baking sheet. The two-spoons advice is important. The consistency of the batter is stickier and softer than a regular cookie. The spoons help make sure you can make normal looking cookies.

9. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for 11 minutes. Rotate baking sheet halfway through. As they cook, cookies will spread and they can get dark quickly, so be sure to check on them!

10. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before serving. The cookies are more fragile than gluten-full cookies so let them rest!

Messy level: This recipe is easy – there are only two bowls for this recipe and you don’t even need an electric mixer.

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My mom and Ryan’s mom organized a going away party for us this weekend. It was wonderful to be surrounded by many of our family and friends. I felt so loved and was really touched that people made the trip out to send us off. And I liked having so many different groups of people together. I felt warm and fuzzy, but I also got a bit weepy. With so many people supporting and encouraging us, what can’t we accomplish, even if we are far away? But, being far away… I will miss so many things and so many people. So I cried a bit. But not too much.

The party itself was lovely. My mom got us the most BEAUTIFUL cake. She ordered it from Samantha of Sweet Eats Cakes. My family is a little obsessed with her. Samantha made Ryan and my wedding cake, and in total, to this day, she’s made us five cakes. We love Samantha because her pricing is affordable, she is so flexible and easy to contact, and most importantly her cake is so delicious. Each slice of incredibly moist cake has four layers, which means tons of cake and more space for frosting. She makes great fruit purees and a chocolate ganache. What blows my mind is her butter cream! The frosting is light in texture but so deeply infused with flavor. Oh man, Ryan and I will miss her cakes.  Below is my Sweet Eats Cakes photo collage. 

Our going away party cake had three tiers. The bottom tier was decorated to look like Hershey, Ryan’s home town. The second tier was Baltimore, my home town. And the third tier was London, our future home town. The cake was so intricate with recognizable buildings from each city’s skyline. Even better, each tier was a different flavor! There was chocolate and hazelnut, yellow cake with oreo butter cream, and yellow cake with lemon butter cream and raspberry puree.  I made sure to eat all three flavors.

Ryan and I also walked away from the party with a great haul of gifts to remind us of home and get us ready for London. We got Nationals and Ravens gear, cookbooks, and guidebooks. We also got a ton of snack food. A picture of our snack mountain is below. Did you know there’s no peanut butter in London? Or marshmallows? Or graham crackers? That’s according to the internet, so I don’t know for sure. But I have a hard time believing that the country of London lives without smores. How could that be?

I’m not sure, but I’ll be sure to scour the grocery stores and once I’m there and let you know. And so the countdown begins. 5 days for Ryan, and a little less than 2 weeks for me. England here we come!

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On Monday I was in Baltimore for the American Alliance of Museums‘ annual conference. Before I get to the recipe, allow me to dork out on museums for a bit. I felt so lucky that I got to attend, because registration is a little expensive by my standards. But, my job is awesome and let our department share time at the conference. It was wonderful to be surrounded by people excited to meet each other and learn about new museums. In the presentations I learned interesting advice to use at some undetermined point in the future, I listened to energizing recollections of first-museum-visits, and I heard inspiring stories  that I could not wait to take back to the office and immediately apply to my current projects. I also had a museum related celebrity sighting. Across a hallway I saw Nina Simon, which I’m sure means nothing to most of you. But if you’re a museum geek then you know she’s kind of great and well-known. And so I saw her and in my head was all, “gasp! It’s Nina Simon!” But I couldn’t think of anything to say except for, “I read your book,” so I left her alone to enjoy the conference. And overall it was awesome. Three years ago I left my home base to move to New York and get a degree in Museum Studies, and so it felt gratifying to actual be a professional, with an actual job, who can actually use the information I learn. Awesome.

But enough about museums. Another reason Monday was great was because I was in Baltimore. I love Baltimore. Baltimore is my  hometown. I grew up just north of the city. I attended school in Baltimore for 11 years. I celebrated birthdays and rang in many New Years at the Inner Harbor. I root for the Ravens, no matter where I’ve lived. And I got married in Baltimore. I’ve always had an affinity for Baltimore, but I’ve become a little crazier in the last few months. My parents recently moved to Connecticut, and as a result I’ve become a bit nostalgic for my younger days and a little fierce about holding on to my Baltimore identity.

And one of the ways I identify with Baltimore is through food – both the good and the less-good. To start with the less-good, Ryan and I were in North Carolina last month at a beer festival, when a giant Natty Boh (National Bohemian) mascot walked by. “I NEED A PICTURE!!!” I yelped. I ran after him, pushed through the crowds and made Ryan snap a picture. There’s a drunk weirdo in the background, but it’s my picture with an “important” Baltimore icon. I also love Berger cookies, which if you haven’t had one, you should drive to Baltimore and try it now. Unless you don’t like chocolate, then you probably have larger problems to deal with. Also, if you live in Arlington, the Italian store on Lee Highway sometimes sells them. Basically Berger’s are short bread cookies drenched in creamy chocolate fudge. Sounds awesome right? I was recently at my 10-year high school reunion and a server came out with a plate and the alumni swarmed and devoured. Ryan looked me like, “they’re good, but they’re not that good.”

But what Baltimore is best known for, is Old Bay and crab cakes. Old Bay is my go-to spice. Last week I was helping my friend Charlotte prepare dinner and we had this conversation:

Charlotte: I have all these fancy spice mixes. What should I put on the tater tots?

Me: Old Bay

Charlotte: That’s not one of the fancy spices. But ok.

I will put Old Bay on lots of things. Broccoli, french fries, eggs. I’ve even been pondering a way to make my own recipe for Old Bay steamed shrimp sushi. So, as I left Baltimore and drove home, I wanted to hold on to the day’s good feelings. I decided to make some crab cakes with lots of Old Bay. Isn’t Ryan lucky that my whims and nostalgia result in crab cakes?

Now, just like when you make burgers or meatloaf or sauce, it’s all about the balance of seasonings. And so below is what I did, and what I thought tasted good. Feel free to change the proportions or leave things out as it appeals to your tastes. The great things about crab meat though is that when you buy it at the grocery store it general comes in the tin and it’s already steamed. I recommend mixing the crab and seasonings first then do a taste test. If you like it, move on to adding the eggs and bread crumbs. If you don’t like it, add until you get a flavor you like. Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound crab meat

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 – 1 1/2 tsp of Old Bay

1 tbsp mustard powder

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley (you could use fresh too)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 egg beaten

2+ tbsp bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix crab meat, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, mustard powder, parsley, salt and mayonnaise together. Once it’s thoroughly mixed do a taste test.

2. Mix in the egg and 2 tbsp bread crumbs. If it seems too liquidy add more bread crumbs one tbsp at a time. What you want is a patty that will hold together well when you put it in the pan and when you flip it. You can add a lot of bread crumbs, but it’s a crab cake, so obviously you want it to be more crabby. If you think it’s getting too dry, you can add some more mayo.

3. Form patties. I made 5 big ones and 1 small one.

4. If you have time, let the patties set in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. Heat a pan on medium. Fry until golden brown on each side. This takes less than 10 minutes total. You can also broil them in the oven until golden brown. If you’re feeling like your patties are still too sticky, you can lightly coat each side with flour. Just put a tbsp of flour on a plate and plop the patty on the plate. This will help the patty dry out a bit and stick together in the pan.

Messy Level: Low. The only messy part is making the patties because it makes your hands sticky. But, it takes very few dishes and utensils to make so there’s  little clean up after.

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