Monday, September 16, 2013

What I Did On Summer Vacation #2: Guacamole, Kabobs, Cotton Candy And Other Comfort Foods

Guacamole from Roots Market in Clarksville
The guacamole from Roots in Clarksville feels like the flavor of our summer.

It's pricey, but it's worth every penny because it is always delicious.  The chipotle version makes a nice variation, but we keep coming back to the plain guacamole with a bag of Nana's Cocina tortilla chips thrown in the cart as well.  Fresh, zesty, seriously-filling as a snack or a meal.

You can just dip the chips.  You can zest up even a quesadilla made with pedestrian tortillas and cheese.  You can throw a party from Roots' refrigerator with their guacamole, a Cava hummus, and some chips to accompany them.  The only key is that you press plastic wrap if you're putting some back in the fridge to keep the avocado from turning brown -- and that you keep modern guacamole out of your Old El Paso tacos if you're trying to recreate the 1970s.

On top of the guac, we picked up a few other items this summer to make life fun:
Cotton candy at Sweet Treats
  • Cotton candy from the Sweet Treats stand in Columbia Mall.  My mother and aunt love cotton candy.  Sugar-drunk from a visit to the Jersey Shore, they took the position that you couldn't get great cotton candy around here.  So Mrs. HowChow took eight bags to my parents' house.  Instant fun to make plates with the four flavors, and the ladies conceded that the mall's candy was top notch.
  • Comfort food at Maiwand Kabob.  We took tennis lessons at Cedar Lane Park, and we relished the ease of chicken kabobs, a gyro and the pumpkin appetizer at the Afghan restaurant in the Harper's Choice village center.  That's eating for the day, and the flavors truly make this one of my favorite restaurants in Howard County.
  • Oysters at Wegmans.  They may not be your cup of tea, but a slurp of salt water can make an easy meal.  I picked up a dozen oysters at Wegmans after one of their seafood folks enticed me with samples of two types.  I got several of each and taste-tested with the '34 Act Gourmet.  They sold trays already opened, or you can get a knife and shuck them yourself.  I got my short, strong knife at Frank's Seafood in Jessup, which sells similarly-delicious oysters.
Oysters at Wegmans

5 comments:

Alicyn DelZoppo said...

Oooo I will have to do the oysters at Wegmans. I get the guacamole a lot for lunch from Roots....only problem is that I find it very strong in onion flavor.

Anonymous said...

It's true about the cotton candy. I consider myself an expert - and this cotton candy is better flavor than any I have had and as light and airy as the best I have had. As to those 1970s tacos, How Chow loved them without guacamole when he was young.
Sincerely,
his mom

Elizabeth @ The Bare Midriff said...

I agree about the Roots guacamole - some of the best store-bought I've ever had! We like to add a splash of Cholula to ours!

Anonymous said...

In my experience, Maiwand Kabob has gone down hill significantly since they started expanding. The meat quality is poor and the flavors are just not what they used to be. Most times meat is rushed and not cooked. Sad to see how far this great hole in the wall has fallen....price of popularity I guess. One less customer.

Rachel said...

Love the Roots guacamole! It gets devoured in our house by both kids. Their honey-roasted peanut butter is also delicious.