Okay, okay.... no, not really! We are leaving the land of dryness and the different shades of brown to an area of (from what I have seen so far!) of wetness and many shades of green! We are on the move to Maryland!
Jeff has accepted a position within the same company and we will be on our way as soon as the house here gets a contract on it! I have never lived on the east coast, so this is quite an exciting move! Jeff is from the east coast and will be working with some of the same people he did while he lived in Maryland a few years ago! We were out there looking at houses (sticker shock!) and the real estate market seems to be pretty close to what is happening in Phoenix. We drove out there (total of about 36 hours... we went through a lot of construction!) so we could move one car and since Jeff has family out there, we brought along the pets as they offered to watch them while the house is for sale. Poor Spike, he looks so bored!
The next few weeks are going to be exceedingly busy with trips back out there and trying to keep the house clean for showings - yesterday we had a showing and they called to view the house just as I pulled the last batch of the cookies out. I'm wondering what I will do if I'm in the middle of baking something and someone just shows up! So things around here might be spotty at times if we are out travelling. So... I never thought this far ahead I guess... can we still be Culinary in the Desert if we don't live in the desert anymore? Any tips for life in Maryland? Or... anyone want to buy a house?
So with that out of the way... we can move on to tonight's dinner. Stir-Fried Chicken Salad is a quick, light and easy salad that was a refreshingly healthy change from some of the on-the-road food we had. The chicken is quickly marinated in a combination of flavors that ends up being the dressing for the salad. Quicky stir-fried in peanut oil, the chicken turned out quite juicy and tender. I used a bagged baby romaine mixture for the greens and there was just enough of the slightly sweet dressing to coat everything fairly well. Chopped peanuts are added at the end to bring a crunchy and nutty finish.
Hi Joe. :)
ReplyDeleteHmmmm....a new name for your blog? Maryland always makes me think of the Bay and crabs.......
Good luck with all the moving and selling and buying fun. I'm right there with you! :)
We had a showing on Wednesday and we have an Open House this weekend. The market here is very slow, though, so it may be the first of many...........
I can't wait to be closer to the east coast!
Oh, and if someone pulls up while you're baking - lucky them! Just offer them a treat and I'm sure they'll be happy!
ReplyDeletehow funny, we live in the DC area, and our friend who lives in Maryland is moving to Phoenix in June! But he's already bought a house out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Jeff's coworkers are really going to miss the treats!
My dad's family it from Maryland, it is beautiful there! Best of luck with your move!
ReplyDeleteHey there Joe!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to drop a note that I have enjoyed your food blogs.
Coming from Asia, I may not be able to get a lottav the ingredients you list, but I am still gonna try anyhow.
I love the way you describe how things are made, you make it sound real easy, so much so that even someone like me can do it with my eyes closed.
Am real glad for you that things are gonna get exciting for the next few months! (Merry-Baking in Maryland perhaps?)
Wow!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, you'll be a lot closer now...maybe we can all meet up someday in the future.
Maryland is nice...I've never lived there, but PA's not that far away. And you'll get seasons!
Good luck with the sale, the move, and settling in the new place.
Best of luck to you and Jeff. I've so enjoyed reading your daily entries and fine photos.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's huge news! Congratulations and have a great move. Would be interesting to see how your menu and food choices change eh?
ReplyDeletewhere do you live? i want a new house and i'm in tempe?
ReplyDeleteyou should name the blog "culinary on the coast" or something having to do with DC.
good look for your moving ... your turn a page ...how exciting !!
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best for all the stuffs you have to go through before moving ...
I think of both of you ... :)
Welcome to Maryland Guys! I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Just outside the resort town of Ocean City Maryland. Drop by for a visit sometime! David
ReplyDeleteYes sticker shock is the word for the real estate market in this area. But it's slowly becoming a buyers market again.
ReplyDeleteAnd let me be among the first to welcome you to the area!
As for your new blog name.....leave the word desert in it but have a line through it like it's been crossed out and add in something related to your new digs.
Congrats on the move! I like the east coast and have thought of living there someday...
ReplyDeleteYou could be Culinary on the Coast!
WOW - that is so exciting! Good luck with the house sale and the move!!
ReplyDeleteawesome!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog forever, but have never commented, but felt compelled to as I am also moving to Maryland in a couple of months!
Exciting changes for you and Jeff! Good luck with everything!
Hi and congratulations! I think that you should be baking A LOT. Nothing sells a house better than the scent of bread (or cookies) in the oven. It was an old real estate sales trick to put a loaf of bread into the oven prior to a house showing. (But I get what you mean--I hated having to be ready to leave at a minute's notice when we sold our last house.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've enjoyed reading your blog, and I'll keep reading even when it's Culinary in the ______.
Hey, nice news!! I hope everything goes well and you get a good deal on your house! Wish you both lots of fun and happy times in Maryland!!
ReplyDeleteLet us know how things go and keep posting the delicious recipes!!
Ana
Good luck on the move to Maryland. I have lived in north central Maryland for over half of my life. From what I hear, we drive like jerks. I hope you like it here! Welcome!!!!
ReplyDeleteSelling and moving is always a pain, but hopefully the hassle will be short-lived.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the East Coast, ya'all! I lived in Maryland when I was younger, close to Andrews A.F.B., just outside of D.C. Interesting place... you're close enough to a plethora of very engaging places.
Let me know if you want to come do Virginia wine country!
Good luck with the move Joe & Jeff! The bulk of my relatives live in Pasadena and Ellicott City. Would love to stop and visit you guys sometime when I make a trip up there LOL...only if you're baking though :-)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I think you'll like Maryland....I bet you'll be cooking up a lot of the Chesapeake Bay crabs....they have GREAT seafood markets in MD!
Val
Good luck with the move Joe & Jeff! The bulk of my relatives live in Pasadena and Ellicott City. Would love to stop and visit you guys sometime when I make a trip up there LOL...only if you're baking though :-)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I think you'll like Maryland....I bet you'll be cooking up a lot of the Chesapeake Bay crabs....they have GREAT seafood markets in MD!
Val
wow, good luck guys. I hope you enjoy Maryland. My ex's brother moved from Maryland to Phx.
ReplyDeleteit is true that you crave salad after a long car trip!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your new home and surroundings.
ReplyDeleteYour blog can be called anything you'd like as long as you continue sharing your wonderful recipes and cooking style with us!
I start having withdrawals if you don't post for a few days.
Good luck with the sale of your home, the move and all that is involved.
I hope you enjoy your new home and surroundings.
ReplyDeleteYour blog can be called anything you'd like as long as you continue sharing your wonderful recipes and cooking style with us!
I start having withdrawals if you don't post for a few days.
Good luck with the sale of your home, the move and all that is involved.
Tammy
Good luck with selling and moving. I do know what you are going through...my house had a very long showing today (45 minutes) with great feedback, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the well wishes and tips! We have not really had much thought on the website name... I like some of the ideas here though! It is getting a little harder trying to keep stuff pretty clean for showings while trying to live life! I'm not sure how long I could do this and keep my sanity! The last move (from MN to here in Phoenix) we were pretty much already moved out by the time the house went on the market!
ReplyDeleteJoe, good luck with the move. It must be so exciting.A new experience. I hope all goes well in the house selling front. I am sure that the baking batch coming out of the oven the viewers had a wonderful impression. I wanted to use this opportunity to say 'Thank you'for the tip on Small-Batch Baking. I have bought the book and it is great.Suits my lifestyle quite a lot. I might not often leave a message here but I do visit your blog regularly.
ReplyDeleteThe best part about this is that you're really not going away! I look forward to reading all about this new chapter in your lives. Jeff's new co-workers are in for a treat! Best of luck to you both.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your big news. I agree that nothing sells a house faster than the smell of fresh baked cookies so don't stop baking!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck selling the house and getting ready to move!
Joe (and Jeff), wow! And here I was complaining about my move. (Which was just to a house around the corner from ours). Maryland?!? Wow, that will be a complete change of pace and scenery for y'all. Good luck with your move, and I hope y'all still manage to find some time to enjoy your last days in Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteWhat big news! It'll be fascinating to watch your cooking change with a new climate, coast vs desert, etc.
ReplyDeleteExciting news! Enjoy this new adventure!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a great thing if somebody came to see your house while you were baking. I remember hearing that the smell of baking bread made a home seem cozier, homier, and more appealing to prospective buyers, so I imagine cookies would be just as enticing. Good luck!
Congratulations! That is so exciting. You sure will be experiencing a change in weather!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new life ahead! I'd say keep the name, but it's mainly because I wouldn't have to change it on the blogroll then...
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough housing market out there at the moment. My brother and his wife are selling a house very similar to yours in Litchfield, and it's been on the market for a month now. Nobody with kids is moving until school's out.
I just found your blog today with random web surfing and I live in Maryland. Welcome to the area. I look forward to reading as you revisit your cooking adventures here.
ReplyDeleteculinary out of the desert?
ReplyDeleteA cross-country move sounds like such a fun thing to do this summer! grin
Seriously, think of all the great food you'll be able to get fresh! I can't imagine living so far away from the coast that I can't easily get fresh seafood and living where the boat lands 5 min away and it's cheap, I am in heaven.
I spent half a year in Maryland a couple of decades ago and it was beautiful. Coming from the west coast, it was interesting to be in a place where you could go so many different places in just a couple of hours. You can get to more 'regions' quickly--sort of pseudo-Europeanish. Drive a few hours one way and you're in NY, a a few hours another way and you're in the south. The east coast also has a lot more visible history (monuments, museums, places I studied in school, etc) than the west, which was its own kind of cool.
...and we get to tag along, how cool!