Deep Creek and Breakfast Casserole

Well, I'm back from another weekend away! Had a blast with some friends in McHenry, Maryland at Deep Creek Lake. It was my first time there, and it was absolutely beautiful - here is the view from my friend Corey's house where we stayed:

Amazing. 

Over the weekend everyone had a turn to make a meal - Meg and I were responsible for Saturday morning breakfast. Success! We made a super easy and delicious egg and sausage casserole. The recipe came from Megs fantastic cook of a mother, Nancy, and is called "Dad's Xmas Morning Egg Casserole." Super easy to make, and very convenient because you can put most of it together the night before:

Dad's Xmas Morning Egg Casserole:

1 lb sausage 

1/2 lb shredded sharp cheese

1/2 t dry mustard

1/2 t paprika

1 t salt

1 C sour cream

1 dozen eggs

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

Coat a 2-3 qt dish with Pam or substitute and put 1/2 of the cheese on bottom of dish

Cook and drain sausage

Mix spices with sour cream

Add cooked sausage to sour cream mixture

Spread sour cream sausage mixture over cheese 

(above part can be done the night before)

Beat eggs and pour over sausage mixture

Place in oven for 30-40 minutes (best way to check if it is done is to give the pan a shake to make sure the eggs are fully cooked)

We weren't the only ones who did good, the weekend involved lots of other fantastic eats and drinks:

In addition to eating, we also did lots of boating:

Lots of hanging out and games:

And of course, lots of dancing:

Good times!

cheers. xo.

MK

Karen's Corn and Black Bean Dip

When I went to visit my dear friend Jamie a few weeks ago - she made this amaaaaazing dip that her mother (Karen) makes. So simple, so easy, and so delicious. It's perfect because it is made with all ingredients that you can keep in the house - so any time you need to whip something together quickly before heading out the door to meet some friends or family - you can make this:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn 

Feta cheese

green onion (if you have it)

To make the dressing I mixed the sugar and the apple cider vinegar together, then slowly whisked in the olive oil. Every time I have made this I have had to make adjustments to the dressing - so make sure to TASTE and adjust!

Then I rinsed and dried out as much as possible the black beans and the corn - then just poured the dressing right on top!

I am taking this to Deep Creek with me this weekend as a snack with some tortilla chips for everyone. I'm hoping the flavor from the dressing really gets soaked into the corn and beans overnight. I will add the Feta when it's time to serve. Green onions are an option if you have them laying around as well.

p.s. I took this to a tailgate once and forgot the Feta cheese - it was still a big hit.
p.s.s. I doubled the recipe in these photos.

Looking forward to another weekend away!

xo. cheers.

MK

Laaaaancaster

So, I got to visit Lancaster this weekend. Despite it taking me three days to say the name properly - I had a blast. I didn't really know what to expect - I was surprisingly delighted. Lots of art, eats, Amish and craft beer.

I went to visit my friend Marianne who recently took a job in the area and she decided to move right into the heart of Lancaster City. I came on a great weekend, the weather was beautiful and when I arrived on Friday - it was First Friday - so all the galleries were free and open to the public. We got to walk and catch up along Gallery Row, just a few short blocks from her apartment:

 We passed Mack, the Coffee Man along the way:

After exploring some fantastic art at the many galleries, we missed the boat to eat at some of the restaurants on Gallery Row because we didn't have a reservation - but I have a list of places that I want to try on my next visit - one place that looked fantastic was Pour.  So, for our dinner we decided to just go with some cheese and crackers, yum:

The next day we visited the Lancaster Central Market - America's oldest farmers market. If I lived in Lancaster, I'm sure I'd be there every Saturday. Lots of fresh fruit, dairy and meat - and lots and lots of jam:

After our visit to the market, we ventured out to Lititz, a small town in Lancaster County recently voted "Americas Coolest Small Town"- true story. We did some eating and lots of thrifting:

Saturday night we visited The Taproom - a bar that serves beers from the Spring House Brewing Co: Never ever have I ordered a beer flight where every beer, I liked: 

My two favorite: Diabolical Dr. Wit and Braaaiins Pumpkin Ale. So excited for Fall and Pumpkin beers:

Sunday we had breakfast at a Lancaster favorite, Rachels Cafe and Creperie:

The crepes were good, I had a breakfast crepe with eggs, sausage, rice and salsa - it was good, but not gonna lie, I was a little dissapointed. I did have one of the best chai teas I've ever had - probably because the milk they used was delicious and local from Maplehofe Dairy:

After lunch we left the city to explore Amish country. It was a beautiful day to visit and it was very interesting and fascinating to view the culture. You know you've entered Amish Country when you share the road with horse and buggy:

In case you need clarification:

We even took a wagon ride ourselves - what dorks:

The farmland truly was breathtakingly beautiful:

So, all in all, a very successful and eventful weekend, relaxing too. It was nice to get away and I was excited to explore a new place. Looking forward to another visit!

cheers. xo,

MK