Category Archives: Food

A Fine Week to End Summer

September 26, 2016 Laurie Graves 16 Comments

Clif and I both have birthdays in September, and last week our daughters came home to celebrate with us. What a fine week it was! Having them here was the best present of all, and Shannon, who lives in North Carolina, has decided to make a mid-September visit a yearly occasion. Dee, our eldest, could only stay until midweek. It’s always inconvenient when work gets in the way of having fun.

Shannon stayed for the whole week, and as is our way, we filled it with simple pleasures—visiting with friends, going to a lecture on politics, playing a new game that Shannon got for her birthday. The weather was so warm that we could have drinks on the patio nearly every night.

Saturday, Shannon’s last day, was the grand finale. We went to Lakeside Orchard in Manchester for an apple festival.

Then, it was off to the Red Barn for lunch. I had one of their fabulous lobster rolls, and Shannon had a shrimp basket.

The Red Barn supports many charities, and outside a pet rescue organization—can’t remember the name—had a display, complete with dogs and cats. Shannon, a dog lover extraordinaire, couldn’t resist cuddling one of the dogs, a sweet border collie mix named Linda.

After lunch, we went to Hallowell to sit by the Kennebec River.

The river was aflutter with birds. We saw herons—look closely on the left.

From an even greater distance, we saw bald eagles. (Unfortunately, my wee camera doesn’t get good shots of birds, especially when they are far away, but I always try.)

And, of course, there were ducks that—to borrow from my friend Barbara—are plentiful but never common.

On Sunday, I brought Shannon to the bus station to begin the first leg of her journey back to North Carolina. I was so sorry to see her go, but she and her husband, Mike, will be back for Christmas, which isn’t that far away.

Now, it’s time to settle into our routine, to work on getting my YA fantasy, Maya and the Book of Everything, ready for publication.

There’s just one little hitch that will keep me from working for a few days—Clif gave me his cold. It’s just starting today, and I’m getting chores done before the road-kill phase of the cold sets in. Fortunately, Clif’s cold has not been a bad one, and I expect that by the end of the week I will be back on schedule.

Onward and upward!

Food, Recipes

Cocoa Muffins in New Silicone Muffin Cups

August 19, 2016 Laurie Graves 10 Comments

The day before yesterday, our friend Diane surprised us with a gift of twelve silicone muffin cups. Thanks so much, Diane!

Naturally I had to immediately try them out, and at Clif’s insistence, I made cocoa muffins, which are really a dessert but with less fat and sugar than a cupcake. To guild the lily, I added three-quarters of a cup of chocolate chip, placed half a pecan on each muffin, and sprinkled the tops with a bit of sugar.

The results? “Pretty darned good,” Clif said.

And best of all, there was hardly any sticking. I let the muffins cool and peeled away the silicone cups. Voilà! Perfect little muffins with no bottoms left behind.

Cocoa Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients

1 egg
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of cocoa
3/4 cup of chocolate chips
12 pecan halves (optional)
Sugar for sprinkling on top of the muffins

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine dry ingredients in medium-size bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg.
Beat the vegetable oil and milk into the egg.
Stir in the sugar.
Sift dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Stir just until the ingredients are mixed. Do not overstir or muffins will be tough.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Put the batter in either a greased muffin tin or ungreased silicone cups. (Makes twelve medium-size muffins.)
Place pecan half on top.
Sprinkle the tops with sugar.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
If using a traditional muffin tin, let cool for five minutes before removing muffins. If using the silicone cups, let the muffins cool completely before removing from the cups.
Butter, of course, goes with any kind of muffin, but berry jam tastes pretty darned good with these muffins, too.

Art, Food, People

Along Came a Spider…

August 15, 2016 Laurie Graves 12 Comments

The meal on Jill's deck — The meal on Jill’s deck

The week with our daughter Dee was bookended by two outdoor meals with friends. The first was with Jill on her deck in the trees. (The back of her house sits high on a slope, and on the deck it really does feel as though you are in the trees. ) We had an absolutely fabulous appetizer meal. As we ate and talked, I watched the tree tops sway in the wind. I also watched the birds that came to the many feeders Jill has in her yard. All in all, a magical meal.

Then, this past Sunday, after Dee left, we had another absolutely fabulous meal—salads and salmon and grilled bread—with our friends Cheryl and Denny. (Alas, I did not think to bring my camera. The hot and humid day must have clouded my mind.) Their deck is low and overlooks a sweep of lawn with flowers and a bird bath. Another magical place.

In between, we went to two movies—Star Trek and Captain Fantastic—and two plays—The Illusion and Henry V. In central Maine, which has a low population, we are extremely lucky to have the Theater at Monmouth, which calls itself the Shakespearean theatre of Maine. Each summer, equity and nonequity actors perform four or five plays in repertory, and two of them are usually Shakespeare’s plays. While I love all the arts, theater is at the top of my list, right up there with books. In short, I can never go to too many plays, especially if the actors are good.

This year, the troupe at the Theater at Monmouth is very good indeed. So good, in fact, that when, in The Illusion, a huge spider decided to descend from the heights and join the fun, the actors—bless them—never skipped a beat, never once indicated that a giant arachnid was hovering nearby. Up the spider went, and then down again it came, nearly running into one of the actresses as she was in mid-speech. An audible ripple of dismay spread through the audience, and I covered my eyes with my hands.

But the actress never flinched, and on went the show. That darned spider finally dropped to the stage, and we didn’t see it again. Thank goodness!

This unpredictability is one of the reasons I love theater so much. Who knows what will happen in any given performance? As the house lights go down, I always get a little shiver of anticipation, and sometimes, just sometimes, there is even alchemy in the theater.

Our week with our daughter is over, and back to our normal routines we must go. However, thanks to Dee, who for Christmas bought us season passes to the Theater at Monmouth, we have two more plays to see next weekend.

I wonder if there will be any more unexpected visitors.

Food

From Yard to Bowl

July 27, 2016 Laurie Graves 10 Comments

cooking, Food, Recipes

Oh, Artichoke Dip!

July 7, 2016 Laurie Graves 11 Comments

Being a foodie, I love cuisines from many cultures, but one of my favorites is Mediterranean food. To my way of thinking, basil, olive oil, and garlic form a holy trinity, and in my little herb garden, I am happy to report that my basil that is growing very well. I also love sage, oregano, rosemary, lemons, feta, olives, and artichoke hearts. I get positively dreamy over the thought of going to Italy or southern France or Greece and eating the glorious food.

Therefore, when my friend Jill told me she was bringing artichoke dip for our Fourth of July gathering, I could have jumped for joy, if my creaky knees had allowed me to do so. I have never met an artichoke dip I haven’t adored. With spinach, with cream cheese, with crab—it’s all good.

However, Jill’s artichoke dip, made from a recipe given to her by her mother, is one of the best of I’ve ever had—smooth, creamy, a little garlicky, with bits of chopped artichoke hearts. I could have some right now, and I will be making this dip to bring to an upcoming appetizer night we’ve been invited to.

Jill has graciously allowed me to post the recipe. It can be served with carrots or other raw vegetables, crackers, or toasted pita bread brushed with olive oil. And on a warm summer’s night, as you are drinking wine and eating this dip, you can pretend you are in the Mediterranean, where the sky and the sea are bright blue and the food is oh so good.

Jill’s luscious artichoke dip next to Alice's beautiful salad. — Jill’s luscious artichoke dip next to Alice’s beautiful salad.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Servings: 16 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dash hot sauce

Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix ingredients until blended.
Spread onto bottom of 1 quart oven-safe serving dish.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve with rye bread, pita chips, or fresh vegetables.

Food

A Very Happy Fourth with Appetizers and Dessert

July 4, 2016 Laurie Graves 13 Comments

Today, the weather for the Fourth of July is about as perfect as it can get—sunny, warm but not too hot, with a bright blue sky. Because of my creaky knees—aka arthritis—we decided to simplify our Fourth of July gathering this year and celebrate with an appetizer and dessert party. There will just be two seatings, which means far less running up and down the stairs for me. Tomorrow, my knees will be so happy.

Besides, as my daughter Shannon noted, who doesn’t like an appetizer party? I know I sure do. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Everything prepared ahead of time so that I can just relax when the guests come. And even though we don’t look like it, Clif and I have gotten to the point where we can’t eat as much as we did when we were younger. A good thing, too, because if we did, then we’d be in real trouble.

Here is the menu: Chopped salad and dough for grilled bread (Alice); devilled eggs and artichoke dip (Jill); a salsa and cream cheese spread, tortilla chips, cheese and crackers, and grapes (Clif and me). For dessert, homemade vanilla ice cream pie with a blueberry sauce and a strawberry sauce (both sauces are also homemade).

The ice cream pie has become a Fourth of July tradition at the little house in the big woods.

Ice cream pie from a previous Fourth of July celebration

A very happy Fourth to all American readers!

Animals - especially dogs, Flowers, Food

Tortilla Pizzas and a Backyard Monarch

July 1, 2016 Laurie Graves 10 Comments

While it might not be accurate to state that Clif and I eat lunch at the little house in the big woods 365 days a year, it’s not far from the truth. Clif and I live on a tiny budget, and eating at home is far more economical than eating out. The upside of this is that when we do eat out, we really enjoy it. The downside is that sometimes it’s a challenge to come up with different lunches that don’t require a lot of time to fix and can be made from ingredients we have on hand.

Yesterday I said to Clif, “I’m in the mood for a tortilla pizza.”

As we have never made tortilla pizzas, this was a strange thing to say, but we had all the necessary ingredients—pizza sauce, cheese, and tortilla shells.

However, “All the sauce is frozen,” I said.

As I have mentioned previously, one of the things I love about Clif is that he is always ready for a cooking lark. “No problem,” he replied. “We can microwave the sauce until it’s thawed.”

This we did, and then came the next phase. “How about we grill them?” I asked. “Everything tastes better grilled.”

Clif was agreeable, and we were off. He spread sauce on the tortilla shells, sprinkled a blend of cheese—mozzarella, cheddar, and Parmesan—and out to the patio he went. I followed with plates, drinks, and napkins. We were not going to miss a chance to eat outside.

To borrow from Clif, those grilled tortilla pizzas were pretty darned good—brown and crunchy on the bottom with a pleasing blend of sauce and cheese on top.

As if that weren’t enough, while the pizzas were cooking, the sun went behind a cloud, and I could tell that the lighting was perfect for taking pictures of buds and blooms.

A sole survivor of skunks and lily beetles

But the cherry on the sundae, so to speak, was when a small monarch winged into the garden. No, not a butterfly. Instead, a dragonfly burnished with gold.

Quite a day at the little house in the big woods.

Food, Nature, People

The Best Lobster Rolls, Ever: Father’s Day Part II

June 20, 2016 Laurie Graves 19 Comments

Yesterday—thanks to Shannon and Mike—Clif and I had a glorious meal of lobster rolls from the Lighthouse Wine & Seafood Market in Manchester, Maine. (You might call this delicious treat Father’s Day, Part II, with me benefiting as much as Clif.) We both decided those lobster rolls were the best we’d ever had—chunks of sweet Maine lobster held together with just a hint of mayonnaise and absolutely nothing else.

Some foodies, usually from away, will proclaim that traditional lobster rolls are too plain and should be jazzed up with, say, chives or chopped lettuce or chopped peppers. Simply put, they are wrong. Maine lobster is as close to perfection as food can get, and lobster rolls need only bread, lobster, and a bit of mayo. Case closed.

The rolls were so large and delicious that when we finished eating, Clif took a nap on the living room couch, and I did what I love to do most in the summer—sit on the patio, read, smell the flowers, watch and listen to the creatures who come to the backyard, hear the wind move through the trees, and take pictures.

A perfectly delightful way to spend an afternoon, and what with all the yard work and other chores I’ve had, yesterday was the first time since last summer that I was really able to sit on the patio and watch and listen. To borrow from Mozart, a more delightful way to spend the afternoon I cannot imagine. It never, ever gets old.

Here are some of the creatures I saw yesterday in my backyard.

What a weekend! All would have been perfect if on Saturday night, Sherlock hadn’t dropped a live mouse on the floor in the living room as we were watching Game of Thrones. The mouse ran under the couch, and then to parts unknown. However, on Sunday morning, the cats were crouched by one of hutches in the dining room, and we left the dining room door open for most of the day. I can only hope that the mouse found its way outside, and as we haven’t seen any more crouching cats looking under furniture, I feel fairly optimistic.

Once again, I was reminded that perfection is only for the gods, not for humans, and into every life comes the equivalent of little mice running about the house. So while we can eat lobster rolls, let us eat lobster rolls.

Food, Nature

Rough Winds Do Shake the Darling Buds of Irises

June 13, 2016 Laurie Graves 18 Comments

For the past four or five days, the weather has been terrible in central Maine. We’ve had lashing rain, violent thunder storms followed by a hideous wind that doesn’t seem to know when to stop blowing. (If I wanted Indiana weather, I’d move to Indiana.) Fortunately, the wind hasn’t been strong enough to blow over trees on top of power lines and houses, but it has certainly been rough on the my darling irises.

However, I’ve been able to prop up most of them so that they still look reasonably good.

With trees creaking all around us, the wind pretty much keeps us inside. Yesterday, when our friends Cheryl and Denny came over for pizza, Clif couldn’t grill the pizzas outside because the wind was blowing too hard. But lucky us! His oven-cooked pizza is pretty darned good.

Nevertheless, we are chomping at the bit, as the saying goes, to eat outside, to spend time on the patio. But until the wind settles down, it will be eating inside at the dining room table for us.

cooking, Food

National Donut Day, In which Clif, Alice, and I Make Donuts

June 3, 2016 Laurie Graves 19 Comments

Today, this first Friday in June, is National Donut Day. Earlier this week I said to Clif, “Let’s make donuts in honor of National Donut Day. And let’s invite Alice. She’s going to be in town this Friday.”

“All right,” Clif answered blithely, knowing as well I did that it had been a long, long time since we had made donuts and that we might be just a teensy weensy bit rusty. But one of the things I especially love about Clif is that he is always up for a cooking adventure, especially when it involves his deep fryer.

Alice accepted the invitation, and the game was on.

Alice is one of those friends that everyone should have. We are very good buddies, and I have known her long enough so that if there was a disaster with donuts, it would be all right. We would just laugh about it.

Since Alice planned to come over around 11:30, I decided we should have a little lunch first, so I put together a platter of homemade chicken salad, which we gobbled up.

Then, it was on to donuts, and while it wasn’t exactly a disaster, we did have a few difficulties, the first being that I didn’t read the directions thoroughly. I dumped all the flour in the bowl at once, and this made it difficult for my little hand mixer to mix the dough properly. But the biggest kerfuffle was that the dough was too sticky for the donut cutters, and the dough stuck stubbornly inside the cutters.

Okay, more flour. Still too sticky. A little more flour. The donuts came out with a thump, but they were a weird shape.

Alice said, “My mother used to shake them into her hand.”

I tried doing this, and success!

“What was your mother’s name?” I asked Alice.

“Dorothy, but she liked to be called Dottie.”

“Thank you, Dottie,” I said, smiling and looking upward.

With a firmer dough and Dottie’s method, we were finally in donut-making business, with me cutting the donuts, Clif frying them, and Alice rolling them in sugar and cinnamon.

When we were done, we had two fine plates of donuts, and we settled around the dining room table with coffee and tea to go with the donuts.

When warm, the donuts were delicious. However, as they cooled, they became a little too crusty for my taste. When I mentioned this to Clif, he said that the next time we made donuts, he would not fry them as long.

This just goes to show that even with something as seemingly simple as donuts, practice is required to get them just right.

Over the next year, we’ll be making half-batches of donuts so that they will come out exactly the way we want. That way, when National Donut Day rolls around in 2017, Clif and I won’t be such a bumbling team.

Notes From the Hinterland