Sundays in Annapolis

Annapolis. 

The loveliest nautical town in all of the world. 

We started off with brunch at Metropolitan.

And then I bought this groovy hat. 

Successful day. 

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Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Do you guys remember that mushroom soup at Panera Bread like 4 years ago?  

No?  That's a shame. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest for a homemade cream of mushroom soup and it seemed easy enough. 

I've definitely never made homemade soup before; actually, I've never really made homemade anything before.  Cooking and baking aren't exactly my thing.  

Chungah of Damn Delicious posted this recipe and I think I followed it almost exactly.  

The recipe called for: 

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms, thinly sliced *I used shitaki 

1 onion, diced * I used half

Salt and pepper, to taste *I was very generous

1 cup red wine *I drank the rest while cooking

4 cups chicken broth *I used 3 & 1/2

1 cup heavy cream *I added about a 1/2 cup more to thicken it

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons cornstarch * I doubled this

I added a generous amount of butter, garlic, mushrooms, and onion to my large pot and let it cook down/simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat.  I added my salt and pepper and turned up the heat for another 2 minutes.  While this was happening, I mixed up the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and set it to the side, I needed it in about 10 minutes.  

Next I added my cup of wine and brought it up to a boil; this part rocked, it smelled amazing.  Once it boils, bring it back down to a simmer and at your leisure add in chicken broth, heavy cream, and thyme.  Also stir in the cornstarch mixture and add more cornstarch as you see fit to make it as thick as you would like. 

I also made a quick and easy Take and Bake bread that I popped in the oven for the last ten minutes of soup making.  Serve immediately together & enjoy! 

Here is the finished product.  

SUPER yummy, SUPER easy. 

Do you have an easy recipe I could try? 

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The Perfect Pancakes

Now that I've finally moved in 100% and Chestertown is my official home, I've been able to relax and enjoy my 'real worldliness."  Me and the Mr. decided that on lazy Sunday, we would like to make pancakes.  And boy, did we make pancakes.  

Check out these babies.  Topped with greek yogurt, fresh berries, and a sprinkle of sugar, these were definitely not #cleaneating worthy.   However, there are so many pancake recipes out there that are healthy and look absolutely delicious.  Here are a few I've saved on Pinterest to try for myself.  

// Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes 

// Quinoa Whole Wheat Greek Yoghurt

// Quinoa Pancakes with Blueberry Glaze 

Are you noticing a theme?  Bluebs.  

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Aamanns Copenhagen

The Danish stars aligned for me in New York this past week when I stumbled upon The Copenhagen..a Danish eatery owned by Danes, filled with Danes, and with food made by Danes.  I walked in feeling very out of place and very American with my pink backpack on, but I had to check it out.  

I may have gotten a little misty eyed when I enjoyed this gorgeous brunch, but I'll never tell.  (Ok, fine I cried.)  The meats, the cheeses, the dill... and don't even get me started on the bread.  It was all so real I could have sworn I was sitting in a cafe in Norreport.  I 100% recommend Aamanns Copenhagen if you are wondering what the flavor of Scandinavian cuisine is like.  

Have you ever eaten at The Copenhagen?  

Hear what they've had to say about it.

1. NY Mag

2. The New York Times

3. New York Observer 

4. Daily News

5. Zagat Video 

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