A Little Help From My Friends

So, yeah. The holidays. The endless to do lists, parties, gifts, last minute guests, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. (Hint: whiskey helps.) It’s okay to ask for help and I’m here to show you a few ways the folks at Eddie’s are pretty much saving the holidays for Baltimoreans.

First up, crab cakes. Many times, out of town visitors will request a crab cake. Or maybe you just want to treat your family for the holidays. The Eddie’s seafood department has two versions ready to go in the deli case. There are “heat + serve” jumbo lump crab cakes that are cooked and you simply heat them through ($12.99) and serve…and “oven ready” jumbo lump crab cakes you will broil (market price, generally a little less expensive.) You can also pick up crab balls with cocktail sauce for $34.99/dozen. (My family has a funny rehearsal dinner crab ball story…) I sometimes treat myself to premade crab cakes and when I do, the folks at Eddie’s recommend getting the heat + serve, as they freeze a little better. I buy four at a time and then just thaw one out whenever I’m in the mood for a crab cake. When I started this collaboration with Eddie’s, a few friends of mine whispered things like this into my ear: “Remember that dinner party at my place? Those crab cakes were from Eddie’s! Everyone assumed I made them and I just kept nodding and saying thank you,” she blushed. Another friend said, “My husband thinks I make the best crab cakes. I think secretly he knows it’s Eddie’s.” And, my neighbor said “Oh, please. I’ve been doing that for years.” Eye roll. Omg, people are getting away with this all over Baltimore and I had no idea. You all are the real heroes.

Next up, that dang dessert department. I mean, come on. If you have time to make a cake on a Thursday night, I’m pretty impressed. Oh, you’re making it at 10:30pm? Oh, I get it. Don’t do that. Get the coconut cake at Eddie’s. It’s pretty perfect. If coconut cake is not your thing, they have tons of other options. This time of year, it’s fun to get a yule log – they’re festive and very holiday. Kinda fancy. But, fair warning, not many people can get away with saying they made this.

Soup! Eddie’s has wonderful homemade soups in pints and quarts, plus you can order larger amounts via the catering department. Pro tip, get some butternut squash soup and add all kinds of toppings like truffle oil, crème fraîche, candied bacon and more. Check out this blog post all about it. Amy Simon is so smart! And along with those soups, feed your people with my favorite Caesar salad in all of the land. I have been eating Eddie’s Caesar salads from the to go section for about 15 years now and they are always, always fresh. HOW do you do it, Eddie’s? I’m actually eating one while I write this, seriously. You can order it by the pound ($7.95/lb) and everyone at your house will be happy.

And, for those last minute guests or midnight snacks, HAM! A smoked ham roast in the fridge is a true sign of an OG entertainer. I would like to think that one of my favorite people of all time, Gayle Latshaw, had a ham in her back pocket for the holidays. Many people reading this knew Gayle. She was a true steel magnolia and she taught me a lot about how to throw a proper cocktail party. God rest her soul, I miss her and it’s so funny that talking about ham made me thing of G. She also loved when the salad bar at Eddie’s on Roland would have Taco Salad. It made her so happy. I miss Eddie’s lunch runs from Friends School with her.

Oh, one last thing. Chocolate. Heaven knows we might need some chocolate around the house. The candy counter at Eddie’s is kind of unbelievable. I am not a huge sweets person, yet the day I stopped by to take photos, I bought a little box of mixed chocolate treats. They spoke to me. They said they’d help me deal. And they did! ps. Peanut butter nonpareils are my new favorite thing.

If all else fails, just go and buy some pints of Taharka Brothers Ice Cream. It’s made in down the street from my place, they have amazing flavors like my personal favorite, Honey Graham, Key Lime Pie, Wake ‘n Bake and tons more…and they do good a lot of good as a company. Win-win-win. (Bury the Honey Graham in the way way back where no one will find it.)

Get yourself to Eddie’s. And get your catering orders in soon so you don’t miss out!