They are the easiest, most fun way to get finicky kids to eat nutrition-packed sweet potatoes.  My neighbors’ adorable twin boys love them!     

Sweet Potato Pops are delicious—and healthy. That’s why I am entering my recipe in the Sweet n’ Healthy Recipe Contest sponsored by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission. 

Since Sweet Potato Pops can be prepared in advance and kept in the freezer a healthy treat is always available when the need for a goodie comes a callin’.     

They are so easy to make—give them a try! 

Here is my entry into the Kid-Friendly category of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission Contest. Wish me luck!     

Sweet Potato Pops

1 1/2 cups cooked, peeled Sweet Potatoes (about two medium size)

2 containers (6 oz size) Vanilla Yogurt

1 large Ripe Banana, peeled and chopped

½ cup Orange Juice

4 teaspoons Sugar

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Evenly divide mixture among six Popsicle molds. Freeze overnight.  Pour warm water over each pop and gently remove from mold.   

Serve after dinner or anytime of the day for a fun treat.  They’re perfect for summer barbecues!

(For extra finicky eaters or a bit of decadence, squeeze hard shell chocolate over each pop, readily available on most grocers’ shelves in a plastic squeezable container.  It creates a firm chocolate shell in seconds.  Yum! )     

Serves 6

For more information:  http://ncsweetpotatoes.com/bloggers-recipe-contest.html

They’re hosting a tea party to celebrate Queen Anne’s birthday. Girls between the ages of 3 and 10 are invited to attend and come dressed as their favorite princess.  Tiaras are highly recommended. 

During this Royal Celebration Queen Anne, the British monarch for whom Annapolis is named, will be on hand to share an anecdote or two about living in Annapolis during her reign.  I just may adopt my neighbor’s daughter for a day, this sounds like lots of fun. 

Sunday, February 6
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
William Paca House, 186 Prince George Street
$20 general admission
$15 for members and volunteers
For more information call 410 267-8146
http://www.annapolis.org

Each time I stop by this new Maryland Avenue store I want to grab a book—any book—buy a latte from the cozy coffee bar in the back room and plop myself into a big leather chair a few steps from the front door. 

A few months ago Mary Adams and Janice Holmes took over the space that was once Sitting Pretty, an upscale women’s clothing store.  They painted the walls a deep red, packed it with a hodgepodge of interesting old furniture gathered from garage sales and generous friends, hung a tiny crystal chandelier over a hefty round oak table and transformed the space into the sort of bookstore you might find in Greenwich Village, Harvard Square or merry olde England.   

Walls of bookshelves are packed with used, new and rare books priced from $1 up to several hundred for a first printing.  (A first printing of Call of the Wild is $475.) 

In addition to books, there’s lots of interesting ‘stuff’ so prepare to linger—a small wooden cabinet holds a compass collection—my favorite is a small compass locket but there are larger, easier- to-read compasses in handsome wooden boxes.  A basket of ‘Little Leather Classics”—tiny books that can easily slip into a pocket—rests on top of a shelf. A wooden hand displays bracelets that are made of reproductions of ‘banned book covers.”  How cool is that?

Kids seem to love the place. No wonder.  A resident ‘mouse’ and book fairy named Luma are perched in a life-size tree in the children’s section that is fitted with kid-sized tables and chairs. Regular storytelling times are held on Thursdays and Fridays. 

Maryland Avenue has a way of attracting the most interesting businesses—a pilates studio, men’s custom-tailor, expert embroiderers, antique and art shops. And now a super bookstore that’s creating plenty of neighborhood buzz. 

The Annapolis Bookstore
35 Maryland Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
410 280-2339
Toll free 888 339-7370

http://www.annapolisbookstore.com

The home furnishings bar has just been raised in Annapolis.  Katherine Burke, our local Master of Taste at The Annapolis Collection, has combined forces with David Iatesta, artist and furniture designer. Together they have transformed what was once a pleasant little gallery on West Street into a surprisingly cosmopolitan shop that exudes chic city style.

Born and raised in Annapolis, David Iatesta has showrooms catering to in-the-know designers in a dozen sophisticated cities.  This is his first retail shop.  His unique style creatively merges traditional and modern designs resulting in a one-of-a-kind collection of handcrafted furniture, accessories, and lighting. 

Iatesta breaks all the rules. 

He borrows elements from 18th and 19th century European and American heirlooms and mixes them up with contemporary élan.  He says his inspiration comes from “Anything that is beautiful.” 

Iatesta has a knack for turning all sorts of “stuff” into something exquisite—part of a grid from the side of the old Philadelphia Convention Center has been transformed into a table top. 

His collection feels contemporary but he uses Old World techniques—hand rubbing, painting and distressing each piece to achieve unusual textures and the well-worn appearance of fine antiques.

Why open a shop now when his designer business is flourishing? 

“I’ve had an established company for 12 years. During that time I’ve only sold to the trade through showrooms so I never got to hear directly from the customer,” says Iatesta.  “I felt like I was losing the art or creative energy in my career.  This shop gives me an opportunity for interaction with the customer and to do more one-of-a-kind stuff.” 

In addition to Iatesta’s creations, The Annapolis Collection houses an engaging collection of work by six local Annapolis artists.  Their combined energies result is a gallery unlike anything this town has ever seen, more like what I’d expect to find on Melrose Avenue in L.A.  Lucky us, it’s on West Street!     

The Annapolis Collection
45 West Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Phone 410 280-1414
http://www.AnnapolisCollection.com

But a new shop, Jimmy and Sook on Main Street just may change my mind.  Founder and logo designer Andy Smith has figured out a way to make a tiny embroidered crab, chic. 

The place is stocked with a tasteful collection of shirts, hats, totes and aprons all adorned with a lovely embroidered crab.  Fabrics are first rate and colors range from Key West blues and greens to deeper, brighter shades. 

The name of the shop is clever, too—Jimmy is a male crab and Sook is the female. “The blue crab logo is the perfect thing to represent the Chesapeake Bay,” says Smith. 

If the merchandise looks familiar, you may have stopped by one of their other stores in Irvington, Virginia or St Michaels, Maryland. Looks like the crab population is growing throughout the Chesapeake!   

Jimmy and Sook
216-B Main Street
http://www.jimmyandsook.com
(Shop is so new, they don’t have a phone just yet)

As a special treat, guests will be invited inside the William Paca House where guides will share details of the tragic life of young Henrietta Maria Dorsey who died just ten months after moving into the house at 186 Prince George Street.  It sounds scary (but grand) to me.

Reservations must be made through Watermark at http://www.watermarkjourney.com or
410-268-7601 x 100 at least two hours prior to departure.  Call for more info and to reserve your date.
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
$20/Adults   $14/Children 3-11; 2 & Under Free
Tour departs from the Museum Store at 77 Main Street
For more information: http://www.annapolis.org

Fortunately, this great upper West Street location will soon become home to The Annapolis Grill, a casual Tommy Bahama-ish eatery.

Right now painters, carpenters and lots of imaginative fixer-uppers are busy creating an atmosphere that promises to blend a tad of Humphrey Bogart’s Casablanca with Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. 

Think fun. Think fresh! 

I’m told that ice cream and French Fries will be the only things in the refrigerator.  All veggies, fish and meats will be cooked fresh from the markets.

I took a pre-opening peek at the menu—it offers lots of fun foods as well as healthy choices.  And, prices won’t force you to head to the ATM to pay the bill.  A half pound classic cheeseburger at lunch is under $10.  Dinner entrees will range from $14 to $26.  Kids in tow? Not a problem.  There’s a pretty good $3.50 kids menu. 

Top off your meal with a $6 Hot Fudge Sundae or $4 Chocolate Milkshake. 

Of course the proof is in the pudding.  I’ll check it out after it opens sometime in October and tell you more. 

Fortunately you don’t have to endure campaign speeches or promises I can’t keep.  And I guarantee you that a vote for me won’t raise taxes or bring slots to Maryland. 

I am a finalist in the 2010 Cooking Light magazine’s Cook-Off Contest and an on-line vote—your vote—will help determine who wins. 

Please vote for my recipe, Citrus ‘n Salmon.  Pretty please.

This fun happening is thanks to my niece, Debbie Fisk in Florida who urged me to enter the contest a few months ago.  She knows that I love good, simply prepared food.  Easy is my mantra. I flip the page anytime I see a recipe that’s longer than 3 inches in a cookbook or has more than 10 ingredients.  And I like mixing fruit with fish or meat instead of veggies, especially in the summer. 

Out of 2,000 entries I am one of six finalists from across the country. The winner will be determined by the Executive Chef and a reader on line vote. 

Contest winner receives $20,000 (split with my niece, of course) and a trip to New York for a photo shoot. The winning recipe will appear in the December issue. 

To vote for my recipe, just go to:  http://www.cookinglight.com/marketplace/

You can vote each day, from now until August 2.  The nice thing is that each time you vote for me, your name is entered into a sweepstakes drawing for $1,000 in Cooking Light prizes.  So you have a chance of being a winner, too! 

I don’t have a campaign speech but I do have a slogan—

There’s nothing fishy about voting for salmon. 

Blogger Mary Ann Treger (left) and her niece Debbie Fisk, the gourmet cook in the family. 

On a recent visit I skip all pleasantries such as, ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’ when I spot the earrings on the stunning sales gal—intricate, sparkling, colorful, gorgeous creations dangling from her earlobes. I want them.  No, I need them.  I certainly need to know more about them. 

Created by Dori Csengeri, a Tel Aviv artist (her husband is Hungarian), the earrings are wearable works of art.  Csengeri creatively weaves a variety of unusual stones and beads with colorful cords before mounting this menagerie of colors and textures onto leather which makes them extremely lightweight. 

Shop owner and buyer Michele Deckman has an eye for the unique. She isn’t alone. These earrings have been featured in W, Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue and Elle. Even though they are pricey (up to $300 a pair) they have a strong following. When a new shipment arrives from Israel (one is due next week) they don’t last long. 

“A Bohemian type can wear them. A conservative gal can wear them. They work with solids or prints. Prom queens and women 40 and up wear them. They are ageless and surpass trends,” says Deckman. 

Oh yes, Diva is packed with lots of terrific fashions and fab accessories but on today’s visit it’s all about the earrings. 
Diva downtown
30 Market Space, 410 280-9195
http://www.modadiva.com

For starters, I like the friendly non-intimidating environment. On a warm sunny day when I stop by this new Maryland Avenue shop, partners David King and Scott Mason are busy steaming jackets and adjusting beautifully constructed pants and coats, making sure every detail is right. (They seem to have a thing about perfection.)  High-quality custom clothes at off-the-rack prices is their mantra.  Want hand stitching? No problem. Monogramming?  Pick your style.       

The shop is bright, welcoming.  Big comfy leather chairs encourage me to linger. Walls display fabric samples for shirts, suits and sports jackets plus a dozen fabric choices for customizing jacket linings. 

Lots of colorful Italian ties are dotted about and cuff links of flags representing ten different countries ($40) are an ideal Father’s Day gift for any Dad who savors his heritage.     

But it’s the affordable prices for custom clothes that make headlines. Depending on the size of the order, custom shirts—with six collar choices and eight cuff styles—can be had for as low as $69 each. 

Custom slacks start at $145 and a custom-made blazer can be sculpted to fit perfectly for $545.  (I’ve seen higher price tags for off-the-rack clothes at better men’s shops, haven’t you?) 

Too busy to stop by for a fitting? No problem. Capital Custom Tailors will come to your office, luscious fabric samples in hand.  If it’s true that clothes make the man, maybe that old axiom is in need of an alteration—custom-made clothes make the man extraordinary.

Capital Custom Tailors
51 Maryland Avenue
410 268-3090
http://www.capitalcustomtailors.com