A little afternoon entertainment:
A lot of fun-tainment (Matt bought me wheatgrass décor as a surprise!)
Followed by evening entertainment:
Cocktail hour was conducted tonight by Matt, who put on a blind tasting for the group, including Matt A’s parents (who love beer!)
We sampled matt’s Chocolate Stout against the Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
BOY was it a close call!! Both were excellent and I couldn’t tell them apart. I ultimately chose the Ommegang, but just barely. Matt’s was right up there!
With the same name, we all really agree how much the two Matts are alike. Twins!
New jacket, very old skirt!
And equally aged brie
Tasty!
A little local beer support from Clipper City. I’m really learning to love IPAs!
At 6PM we all headed to the Peppermill for dinner. The FAMOUS Peppermill. You’d think there were no people under the age of 65 allowed in there, but our table of youngins sure had a blast
Including Uncle Mel and Betty. Uncle Mel is 100 years young!
Manhattans must be in the family genes. I think our table ordered about 10 of them!
So delicious. Wouldn’t Pop have loved it.
Buttery rolls were loved on
Bleu cheesy salads were munched
Eventually wine was poured. My one-drink-a-night goal (recently reduced from two) was not followed!
At the Peppermill, you MUST get the crabcake. I’ve learned over the years this is just non-negotiable.
It was as delicious as ever!
With sweet stewed tomatoes on the side
The Peppermill’s truest charm is the desserts. They are amazing in their own way. Larbs, Matt, Candace, Matt and I all split 4 different ones – an Irish Cream cake (below!), cheesecake, bread pudding and banana cream. All were fabulous!
And to top it all off, my aunt sent me home with a batch of her super famous oatmeal cookies!!! Back in early 2009 I slowly froze and ate a whole batch. The recipe is secret, and they are super amazing cookies!
Matt and I are headed home after breakfast tomorrow. I’m so excited for things to calm down again!
{ 80 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum, lots of good food! Love that jacket too.
Happy 29th again to your mom!
The Irish Creme cake looks irresistible.
I always thought the Matts looked alike!
I have the same grass from CB! We put ours in our master bath. Great taste.
Looks like a fabulous day!
oh I’ve been dying to try that Ommegang chocolate beer! the Ommegang brewery is only 1 hour from where I live, too so it shouldn’t be that hard to find!
Cute jacket! I would love to be surprised with wheat grass!
Maryland crab cakes!!! <3
I need to try manhattan! I'm such a creature of habit when it comes to ordering cocktails.
I have never posted before but read all the time! Totally random but I was at The Peppermill tonight too!! I have grown up going there with family and a fav spot to come for reasonably priced food with all our Baltimore locals! So true about the age 65! Hope you enjoyed!
NO WAY!!!! What time? I can’t believe you didn’t see us. How random would that have been
Yea! We got there 745 is ( to hopefully miss the early birds but it was still packed)…but always sit in the bar side! Too funny!
Oh wow. That’s just when we were leaving!
I wish I was as talented as you when it comes to freezing cookies and eating them sloooowly. There would be no negotiation from me with those crab cakes!
100 years?! He doesn’t look a day over 75!
I love Manhattans too
Looks like you had a fun evening!
Brie is my favorite
Love the jacket!
Do you think you’ll ever be able to sell Matt’s beers in your store?
Maybe…we’re not sure
The Matts definitely look like they were separated at birth haha
I’ve never heard of a restaurant offering stewed tomatoes as a side, but considering I eat salsa and marinara straight from the jar, and tomatoes right from the can or like apples if they’re fresh, I think I could definitely get on that trolley! Wish more places did that
What a fun family night. Now I want a Manhattan…! 
Me too! I always eat spaghetti sauce straight from the jar…it’s ridiculous actually. I pretty much eat it on everything and ANYthing. And cheese is usually involved
Your mom looks younger than 29
Goodness – that’s my cake. Yummo. That picture of Matt opening the wine bottle is killer – he looks like a movie star! Lovin’ your hair too.
You’re too kind! Thanks!
What a cute outfit!! And love the beer and cheese evening; looks like my kind of party.
Family time is the best!!
So many things in this post had me going “OMG I have to comment on that.”
1. I LOVE CHOCOLATE STOUT. Your husband is so talented.
2. HOLY CRAP Matt and Matt’s likeness is uncanny.
3. Cute jacket! Very Beatles circa St. Pepper
4. I have just gotten a taste for IPA’s as well over the past, like, year. Dogfish head’s 90-minute was the beginning!
5. Your Uncle Mel looks amazing for 100! Wow! And he looks so happy
LOVE your jacket! The desserts look delicious!
Trader Joe’s and Brie cheese happen to be two of my most beloved forms of entertainment. I hope that’s not weird.
Looks like a fabulous evening.
And yes, it is REALLY strange how
similar the two Matts are.
mmmm that looks amazing!
Glad you had a great weekend, but I’m sure you’re SOOO excited to head home tomorrow
i love the military inspired jacket!
you have a husband who buys you wheatgrass decour AND brews chocolate-infused beer? what is your secret! lol
no really… post on this please? feel free to have him guest post haha
Wow everything looks great- the crab cake looks amazing. Love the jacket too
famous oatmeal cookies, Irish Cream cake, Manhattans, 100 year old relatives, your rockin’ gray coat…wow what a great post, Kath!
I hope the cake (and the Manhattans) were as good as they look from the post
Such a fun and fantastic day all the way around! That crab cake looks so delicious. Yum!
Fun day, fun food, fun family! And the brie looks fabulous.
My grandmother passed away earlier this week, and our clan is also a BIG fan of Manhattan- my grandmother had one before dinner every night up until the night she passed! Makes me happy to see another fam loving them as well!
So sorry to hear about your grandmother Kat
Me too. I’m sorry about your grandma but how wonderful to have a Manhattan on the night you die. Now that’s living!
Those desserts look amazing!!
wow, your family eats so well!
LOVE the dress Kath! And what a great evening… the food looks delicios and the company sounds even better.
So sweet about the wheatgrass! I’ve always wanted one for my apartment!
Looks like you had a great day. So sorry I couldn’t make it down yesterday but hopefully next time you are in Towson we can meet up.
Have a safe drive home.
Uncle Mel is so cute! Bless him, 100 years old!
I love crab cakes and that looks amazing! A good crab cake is heaven ; )
Happy Birthday to your mom today!!!! Hope she has some leftover birthday cake to eat today from the other night!
Have a great day and those oatmeal cookies sound amazing, maybe she will give you the secret recipe one day and you can sell them at GH!!!
xoxo <3
Looks like a fun night!
My boyfriend thinks it’s so cool that your husband can make his own beer! Haha. He reads over my shoulder and says stuff like “Did Matt MAKE that?!” 
I love the white purse in the picture where you are walking down the stairs
Hope you have a safe trip home!
Looks like an awesome night! Hanging out with family is always fun : )
Love that jacket!
And looks like a great evening. I’ll have to tell my mom about that restaurant because she is obsessed with crabcakes! She would probably travel down from Canada just to try that dish!
mmmmmmm…dessert is sounding pretty stinking good at 7AM today!
Dinner looks perfect! Have a safe trip home!
YAY, Uncle Mel is back! What a fun post … you have a great family.
Had Loose Cannon last night and really liked it!! We also tried the Amber from Starhill (I think I got the name right on that one??).
Kath, you look absolutely stylish and beautiful! I love the jacket!! Your family looks like such a fun bunch of people, and your visit sounds like it was very enjoyable. Matt is so sweet to buy you the wheatgrass decor.
Have a safe trip back home!
Love the military-style jacket!
Happy 29th to your Mom, miss! And cute little military jacket. I’m in NOLA, which totally makes me think of our French Quarter hangout here!
Your pictures are making me hungry! My grandmother will turn 100 this July. Gotta love centenarians!
Wow! Matt+Matt really look like brothers in those pictures! That crabcake looks delicious. Like they say, when in Rome! (Or Maryland!) They seriously have the best crabs in the country.
That crab cake looks like it has super big chunks. What a fun weekend. But it’s always nice to head home.
This question is not really related to this post but as I know there are a lot of RD’s (including Kath) who read this blog, I have to ask! Advice from anyone would be most helpful!
I did my undergraduate degree at a liberal arts school and majored in history but I’ve always been interested in food and organic farming. Now I’m really considering going to grad school for nutrition. It seems that becoming an R.D. is the most versatile/useful degree in the nutrition field. However, in college I didn’t take any science to speak of, just a nutrition class for non-bio majors. So I think I need to take chem, bio, orgo, etc before trying to get this degree. For anyone else who has done this, about how long does it take to complete these course requirements while also continuing to work during the day?
I’m also having a hard time deciphering different schools’ websites. Do you get an M.S. in nutrition and then go for the R.D. degree? Or is it all in one? I know I need to talk to an advisor, but I’d love some insight from anyone who has done this process before on what your experience was.
Thanks so much!
Hey Lucy!
That’s exactly what I did (I was a history major too and took ZERO sciences). It took me 2.5 years to complete all of my courses. My program allowed me to take the sciences and nutrition courses at the same time, so that saved me some time. And most internships are 9 months to a year, so I think 3 years is probably more realistic. You’ll have to look into each program because they are all so different. I’d email some of the department heads for more information.
Also, Prevention RD has a whole Q+A that is really helpful: http://www.preventionrd.com/rd-qa/
Kath
Thanks so much- that’s really helpful to hear!!! I was beginning to fear that it would take me 2 years to complete all the pre-reqs and then an additional 2-3 years for the program…
Lucy- I had a BA and MBA and had taken very few science classes- maybe chem I and biololgy I… then I decided I wanted to become a RD
Like Kath, I was able to take pre-reqs at the same time as the nutrition classes. For me, it will take about 3.5 years to complete the courses before applying for the internship. Part of my challenge is the fact that I commute 1 hour each way (when the weather is good) and have two young children. So my time is really limited. I could have been done in 3 years, had sleep not been an issue!
Thanks so much, Robin! May I ask where you are going to school?
I love your jacket! So cute
hahaha! It’s funny how you and your sister ended up with guys that are exactly the same! You two must have similar taste! I love it!
My sisters and I ended up with three completely different guys!
Drooling over that crabcake…yum
That meal looks delicious — especially those rolls! I am a sucker for rolls
No way is Uncle Mel 100! He looks at least 20 years younger. Love the jacket.
That food looks amazing! Esp the cheese….I am so obsessed with cheese right now, I just had to do post myself on making a pretty cheese platter! http://eating-made-easy.com/2011/03/20/say-cheese/
Had to post another comment b/c I am in awe of that crabcake — so much real, lumpy crab!!
Random: I have a question that I can’t seem to find a consistent answer for and I feel like you’d probably know (or one of your followers will)… Is ripe fruit worse for you? I know fruits and veggies start to lose their nutrients soon after they’re picked, but obviously not a lot of people have access to freshly picked produce each and every day. More specifically I was curious about bananas since most enjoy them and cook with them only when ripe b/c they’re much sweeter. Does sweeter mean more sugar is somehow being digested? LOVE your blog. Never commented until now, but love it just the same.
Hmmm. That’s a tough question! As fruit ripens, the starch turns to sugar, but starch is just chains of sugar so the nutrition should not change. However, the glycemic index will probably change since sugar (in the form of fructose in most fruits) is more rapidly digested than longer starch chains. So I think only someone watching blood sugar closely would need to be concerned. Bananas are probably the most affected by this process – berries and things like apples less so.
I cannot get over how much the two Matt’s look alike… that’s really funny!
how cute is uncle mel
HEidi xo
Irish cream cake? Yes please!
Happy 29th(again) Birthday to your Mom!!! I must say, I enjoy your posts the most when you visit your family. Everything is set in such a classy and homey feel, I want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and good book. I love it!!
I live near the Peppermill but am visiting a friend in Arizona. We think that crabcake looks fantastic!
PS -Happy BIrthday, Barb!
That meal looks exquisite! Happy Birthday to your mom!
Crab cakes are one of my favorites! Looks Yummy.
Ommegang Brewery is a little over an hour from where I live. Also yummy beer