Missing Home: Food Edition

Have you ever moved far away from home? Well, we have...and though we are really enjoying living here, we miss home!

Of course, we miss our family and friends. Actually, we miss them terribly. But lately, as I've been thinking about home, I've really been missing..........................THE FOOD! You know, the things you can only get "at home"...the local favorites, that special cookie, the things that just don't taste the same anywhere else! Well, here are a few of my Maryland favorites:

Berger Cookies - If you've never had a Berger Cookie, than you won't fully understand, but this cookie is just about as close to cookie heaven as you can get. It's a shortbread cookie, topped with this gigantic layer of chocolate fudge. It almost looks as if it's two cookies...one on top of the other, because the layer of fudge seemingly stands on its own. When I was younger, I used to try to remove the chocolate top; it doesn't come off but for good reason! The combo is what makes them so delicious! These are a local Baltimore favorite, and are so, so, so, so good!

Maryland Crab Cakes - Savory jumbo lump crab meat, not much filler, and full of Old Bay Seasoning, Maryland Crab Cakes are a quintessential part of being, well...a Marylander. Every time I've ordered crab cakes outside of Maryland, they're just not right. They just don't taste the same. If you are fortunate enough to be able to order one of them alongside a good steak, it's culinary magic!

Tastykakes - Tastykakes aren't distinctly Maryland, but you can't get them here in the Midwest. Just about every child's lunchbox back East has seen the likes of these little delights. But, I'll tell you...adults love them, too. My husband is partial to the Butterscotch Krimpets. My favorites are the Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes. We love these so much that when Jason's parents came to visit after Max was born, they brought us several boxes. We wanted to ration them out, not realizing that they do expire! We had to throw an entire box away. We were distraught!

Chick-fil-A's Sweet Tea - Oh, how I miss it. I don't know exactly what the secret is (besides a lot of sugar), but I could drink this stuff by the gallon. Actually, when I was pregnant with Jack, Jason started bringing home gallon jugs of it for me because I couldn't get enough of it. People in other parts of the country (besides the South) just DO NOT understand the concept of sweet tea. If you're stirring sugar into a glass of cold tea...sorry folks, that's just not it!

UTZ Potato Chips - The best potato chip! Period. Hands down the best. Plain, Crab Chips, Salt and Vinegar, and Carolina BBQ are my favorites. I'm having to settle for other brands here, and they're just not the same. I miss my UTZ!

What would you miss if you moved away from home? I'd love to hear what your local favorites are! AND, if you've moved away...what foods do you crave and just can't get anywhere but home? Trust me, you'll find a sympathizing ear here!