local finds that made my day.

Yesterday my husband and I decided to get out of the house, since the day prior we spent lounging around. I also, needed the day away from my kitchen. Cooking & baking sometimes has a way of getting to you, especially after piping many many macarons. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and it was hot which is a nice surprise in the end of September. We started our journey with some apple picking because honestly, there is no better way to make pies then with something you pick yourself. We gathered two large bags of apples, about fifteen pounds or so and made our way out and about once again. While driving, Josh spotted an alpaca farm with a large sign that boasted an open house. Personally, I can not think of anything better because I LOVE me an alpaca. They are beautiful animals with some real charisma. What I was not expecting, however, was the warm and wonderful greeting we received from the owner, Roberta. She came outside immediately when we pulled up with a warm smile on her face. She urged us to come inside so that she could show us what she was all about. We walked into a gorgeous, rustic in appearance shop with yarn in bright colors all over the place. Roberta uses her alpacas to gather their wool, spin it (on a device that is more than authentic) and then create truly beautiful pieces of art: yarn, hats, boots, whatever her heart desires. She also sells items from Peru, locally raised beef & will be expanding in the future with eggs and other items. After we were done looking around in the shop we were taken outside to see the animals, which were kept in the cutest barn I have ever seen with lots and lots of free range space. Her daughter, helped my daughter to feed to animals and was more than willing to answer all my questions, some of which I am sure sounded quite dumb. After we were done there, I went back inside the shop to buy a few items and continue talking with Roberta. I was amazed at what she was doing here, which in my humble opinion, is really great things. Roberta was willing to talk with me about my future ventures and appreciated my "use local, buy local, be local" approach. It's a place I will be visiting often to visit the animals I can't own myself & to snatch up some great gift ideas for the holidays. It has a really warm feel to it and I urge everyone to check it out.

Rumination Farm
8 Weeping Willow Way
North Yarmouth, ME
207-829-8478

After the alpaca farm we had a little lunch which gave us the energy to keep moving. Our next discovery was Jordan's Farm, a well stocked farm stand with all sorts of delicious and fresh items. However, that was not the highlight of my experience there. Right next to the farmstand was a little tiny house, it almost looked like a fancy shed and it was labeled "The Well." I thought to myself, maybe a coffee shop or something, so I went inside and asked. What I found in there was a one person, tiny, yet extremely well stocked kitchen. Cooking up a storm was the owner of this little place, Jason Williams. He was obviously busy but was more than willing to chat with me about what he was up to in this little place. It's a gourmet restaurant that has no seating inside, only outside, weather permitting you come with friends and family, bring your own drinks if you want something other than water and iced tea and just eat great food. Because Jason has minimal overhead, he can charge much less for amazing five star meals. And the setting is much more laid back and comfortable. Jason buys everything local and most of what he cooks comes right from the farm stand he is located next to. He has a deep seeded buy local philosophy that takes center stage in his food.

The Well
21 Wells Road
Cape Elizabeth, ME
207-831-9350

I was so inspired by what I saw, I left feeling revived, refreshed and ready to get back in the kitchen.
Check these places out, you will LOVE THEM!

harvest party. chicken coop. new additions.

last year i hadn't really thought through what i would do with all the vegetables i planted in my huge garden. sure, we love to eat in my family but we couldn't keep up. we were giving away things to my in-laws, my family and neighbors on both sides of us and still, we had too much. i decided to keep the sharing going by having a party which i named accordingly: the harvest party. it was not only a celebration of my year's harvest but the welcoming of mr. miles morrison. the newest addition to our family. the party was a huge hit and that very day we picked more than enough to feed almost thirty people. you couldn't ask for any fresher than that. we enjoyed: homemade marinara sauce with ziti, roasted zucchini and squash, sauteed green beans, cucumber salad, a large garden salad, pumpkin bread, locally raised and slaughtered ribs and homemade beer. we all sat at a long table and feasted. it was truly one of the most lovely nights i have ever had. family members were chatting away and friends were laughing while interacting with people they had known forever and just met. i felt so much gratitude for the ability to share my work and rewards with such an amazing group of people.

this year, of course, is a little bit more intimidating because there is a standard to live up to. and i will admit, part of me planted this years garden for this party, with all these people in mind. i wanted to plant things that people really love to eat and are easy to cook with. the invitations are out and the party is three weeks away. i decided to hold it a month earlier this year so that i would have a better variety of early vegetables to serve to my guests. while i am still planning the menu (and waiting to see what i have to choose from) i have decided not to go with a plated meal but rather stick to family style. i think, it will allow me to be a better host to my guests and enjoy the night a lot more. plus, there is nothing better than a rustic meal outdoors. we even purchased some fun lanterns to hang outside so that once it gets dark the party doesn't have to stop. this year, we are also celebrating miles' first birthday, which he almost didn't make it to after breaking a bottle of wine this morning. it was our first wine rack disaster and i am sure there will be more to follow.

on a different note, we finally picked up our chicken coop which we had made for our eight chicks! after almost a year of convincing, josh finally agreed that we could buy chickens. they have been living in a tote for the last two weeks and due to their smell, we were more than happy to get them into their new home. they seem to like it in there, it definitely has a lot more space. while i don't think we will have eggs by the harvest party, we will definitely have them by the end of summer. and i couldn't be happier. eggs are one of the items i am most meticulous about and will be thrilled not to have to pay almost five dollars for locally raised, cage free, happy eggs. no worries everyone, i will share the wealth.

well, i'm off to tend to my newest additions in the garden: pineapple sage, lavender, stevia, eggplant, celery, newly seeded snap peas, buttercup squash and pumpkins. i needed to add some things after my broccoli harvest. a few of these items i have never attempted so we will see how they work out. today's mission: talk to josh constantly until he agrees to let me have a goat!

the high's & low's of home gardening

most of the time you will hear me speaking very fondly of my garden. however, there are moments of complete and utter frustration. growing your own really is a labor of love and i always tell people that if you are not willing to put in the work, don't bother. gardening is not just throwing some seeds in the ground and calling it a day, you have to commit to nurturing those seedlings, keep them safe from all sorts of things. the other night i went out to check out my garden and do a little weeding. i had neglected to place three of my tomato plants in cages because i was trying to see how they would handle their own weight. well, i found them face down on the ground as if they had one two many and in general, looking very pitiful. in a mad dash, i placed the kids in the car and ran up to home depot so that i could rescue my tomato plants. after all, i am desperately relying on these plants to provide me with fresh sauce all winter long this year. i came back from the store, i placed the cages around them, i was feeling great. then i noticed the storm clouds above me. i rush inside and all of a sudden it's pouring. great. fine. my garden needed to be watered. when the rain ended i looked out the window to a bunch of very sad looking plants. the rain had trampled them to the point where some had fallen completely over. so again, i ran outside and although everything was wet, picked them back up and fixed the soil around them so that i wouldn't lose anything. on the upside though, everything is starting to show me progress. i have been harvesting lettuce for over a month, i now have eight heads of purple white cauliflower, i was lucky enough to gather three bags of radishes, i have snap peas and green beans ready for the picking. and all around i have little mini cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, more green beans and broccoli is going to be ready any day now, forty eight heads of it. that feeling of stepping outside and seeing the lush garden, filled with food that i planted, makes me so happy that it replaces all those feelings of frustration. i suppose, that's what it's all about. sometimes things work out nicely and sometimes they don't. i've had lots of moments that resulted in throwing plants into the woods but more moments when i run in the house to show my family the latest thing ready for the picking. my point is: even if you are starting a garden or if you are mid way and feeling like it's never going to work out, don't give up on it. that garden will surprise you when you least expect it. trust me. and then, your heart will be filled with happiness and veggies.

weekend food.

when you make the choice to invite people in your home who love food as much as you do, you better be ready to present some fantastic options. amber and james are two of my friends who eat a little differently than i do but share the same exact passion for the bottom line of culinary desire: food. to prepare for their arrival, i spent the week thinking about some of the things i wanted to share with them and found myself spending two hours in whole foods trying to scoop up everything i would need to execute my plan. when people come to my house, i want them to feel almost like they are dining at a fine establishment. i want to provide them with not only good tasting food but an experience they will enjoy. it's important, to me anyway, to excite all the senses before a meal.

saturday morning everyone in the house arose to breakfast which was: peet's coffee, design your own omelette's featuring sauteed red belle peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes & pineland farms sharp cheddar, uncured local bacon, gourmet new potatoes and a fruit salad. needless to say, it was quite a start to the day.

for lunch we ate out at the good life market in raymond which features an amazing assortment of wine, sandwiches, fresh local produce and cheeses.

saturday night we enjoyed t-bone steaks accompanied by roasted asparagus and an organic farm fresh salad. the t-bones were grilled by my husband josh and seasoned only with salt & pepper, a piece of meat of that caliber should never be over done. the asparagus was from my favorite place, windy hill farm and they were beautiful longer than usual stalks, which tasted lovely also with minimal seasoning and a finishing touch of lemon. the salad included straight from my garden lettuce and radishes, along with some other tasty local ingredients. i made up nana's dressing so that i could share a little something i really happen to love. it is a simple combination of red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, lots of garlic and anchovy paste. the difficult part is getting all the ratios correct, which has taken me many years. we sat outside next to the garden on a table i put together to offer as much comfort when dining outdoors as possible. we lavished over a bottle of red wine which amber bottled herself in south africa and a bottle of 2007 opus one. you couldn't ask for a better dessert.

sunday morning, after picking up my son miles from our in-laws we came home to amber in the kitchen preparing steak & asparagus frittatas along with berry bread pudding. always nice not to have to cook, she even whipped up an egg white one for me, because i can not stomach egg yolks.

sunday night after a day around portland and a terrible experience at flatbread pizza i decided to offer up an array of small plates for dinner minus a protein. we had stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese, bread crumbs, fresh parsley, salt, pepper & garlic along with my nana's authentic couldn't be more italian stuffed artichokes. there was also a fresh summer caprese salad with a fig balsamic glaze. amber brought to the table some mexican corn with cilantro and lime as well as peppers roughly sauteed and designed to knock your socks off. we sat around enjoying cakebread and greco di tufo while discussing an array of things that may or may not have been interesting. for dessert we had bourbon pecan pie from two fat cat's bakery in portland which was one of the best pies i have ever tasted. they also made our wedding cake and are well worth going back to.

i can't say that it was all the healthiest options but it certainly was a delightful array of foods. for the most part everything we enjoyed was locally grown or slaughtered and i was happy to share with my friends some of my most favorite places. with summer more here than ever, days and nights like this will happen more often. there is no better feeling than sitting outside, in the sun, having a well cooked meal with great friends and great wine. till next time. cheerio.

buy local

i think it's safe to say that most people feel disconnected from their food. when you go to the grocery store you have this array of choices and everything comes from some unknown source and most likely, from very far away. the meat is packaged in the most presentable way possible so that you never really think about what you are eating. and maybe, that is the way that some people  cope with eating animals, but not me. i want to see what i am eating and i want to know where it has come from. whole foods, which i love but let's face it, they are also pulling the wool over our eyes, labels most of their meat with "animal welfare numbers" which lets you know what kind of life your animal lived before slaughter. they also post a daily sign that states which local farms they are featuring on any particular day. which is great and i really appreciate that but sometimes buying meat from them is out of my personal price range. no, i don't want to pay $80 (literally) for six new york strip. that to me seems a little much. local farms give you the best of both worlds, you can see your food and they don't put you through the cleaners to buy it. windy hill farm here in windham, maine has everything out there for your viewing pleasure and it's slaughtered ten minutes away. my first visit was exactly what i imagined a farm would look like, cows grazing, eating only grass, chickens running about, the way caged free really should be and a stack of honey combs where they extract their farm fresh honey along with many other wonderful items. the owners are the only ones that operate the shop and are willing to answer any ridiculous questions you may have. and yes, the food is slightly more expensive but it has to be, otherwise they would make no money.

see buying local means that you are putting your money right at the source. places like whole foods who buy local don't pay farmers quite what they should and they still mark it up. it makes me feel better to put the money right in the farmers hand. if you want good food that is raised well and grown without all the bullshit, you have to seek out these type of places and you have to become a regular customer because they are dying out slowly but surely, even though the buy local movement is catching on, it's not catching on fast enough. farms that have been established a long time, like windy hill, will keep going but it makes it difficult for anyone new to come along when their isn't any money in the business. so below i am listing a series of farms in four states: maine, new york, new hampshire and massachusetts. i am hoping that those i know and love with take heed of my commentary and go seek out these places. show them some support. another way you buy local is to keep your eyes open at places like hannaford supermarkets, they do a great job of featuring local products when in season and they mark them up only so that they can pay farmers a decent price for their produce. i don't know about you but i feel a lot better when i eat something from a half hour away rather than four thousand miles away.

massachusetts

allandale farm

259 allandale road, brookline

this is boston's last working farm, food is harvested everyday, one of my faves.

wilson farm

10 pleasant st. lexington

features: everything you could possibly want, they grow 125 different crops

new hampshire

wilson farm

144 charles bancroft hwy. litchfield

just opened recently, wide variety of veggies!

apple hill farm

580 mountain road, concord

great selection of fruit for your eating pleasure

new york

ronnybrook farm dairy

310 prospect hill road, pine plains

no worries though, you don't need to drive way out there, simply google

ronnybrook farm dairy and you will find an array of places in new york that feature their products

blue hill at stone barns

630 bedford road, pocantico hills

a place to enjoy truly amazing food straight from the farmer

maine

windy hill farm, windham

features: pumpkins & apples in fall, lettuce and asparagus in spring, an array of fresh meat.

alewive's brook farm

83 old ocean house rd, cape elizabeth

great variety of fruits, veggies & turkeys

the allure of fresh bread

to me, there is nothing better than a really fantastic bakery. my favorite here in portland is standard baking co, right on commercial street. they have some of the best artisan bread i have ever had in my entire life. walking in there, is like going straight to heaven. their selection is amazing and it's of course, delicious. but, on the other end of that, obtaining their product is difficult. i have to drive thirty minutes for a loaf of bread, tackle the difficult task of parking, and then pay a ton of money for a premium product. so last summer i decided that i would try and make my own bread, since i was on a make my own mission. the first step was to do it with the bread maker. which i quickly realized was a lot more trouble than it was worth. you are severely limited when using a machine of this caliber and it takes twice as long but doesn't taste nearly as wonderful. to get myself ready for the real deal, i watched "cook your life" and instantly felt a connection to the art of making bread. i went to work. the result....pure magic. not only does your home smell like a high end bake shop but every one around you suddenly thinks very highly of you. make it for your neighbors and you are the new popular kid on the block. the trick is not to get daunted by the idea of bread. a lot of people seem to have this perception that it's easy to screw up. it's actually quite the opposite. this bread recipe is extremely user friendly, you just need to be patient and feel what the bread needs. don't rush the process.

hearth bread

1 tablespoon (1 packet) active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups warm water (not over 110°F)

5 1/2 to 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

boiling water

mix together the first four ingredients. let stand for about two minutes until the yeast dissolves. then slowly add the flour, you may not need all of it so do it a 1/2 cup at a time. remember, you can always add but you can't take away. do this until the mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. then turn your dough out onto a floured surface, this part is going to be messy but it will get better and that's when you know your bread is going to be great. now, this is the most important part, for light and fluffy bread you can not add too much extra flour so do not go nuts with the non sticking notion. just a smidge at a time. to knead the bread, fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. after each push, rotate the dough 90°. rrepeat this process in a rhythmic, rocking motion for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. let the dough rest while you scrape out and grease the mixing bowl. knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes. now, place back in the bowl after you grease it, then turn it over so the other side is greased as well. let sit for 1 to 2 hours, covered with a damp towel in a warm place or until doubled in bulk. then, take the dough out and punch it down to remove any air bubbles. knead again briefly and then shape into two french loaves. place the loaves on a greased cookie sheet and let rest an additional 5 minutes. lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally and brush them with cold water. place on rack in a cold oven with a roasting pan full of boiling water on the oven bottom. bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and sounds hollow to the touch. then remove and enjoy!

the great sauce debate

this recipe is the source of many arguments in my household or when talking to people who think they know how to cook, but really do not. why anyone ever dares to argue with me is beyond my understanding, i come from a family of great sauce makers and my grandmother will tell you-this way is the only way to make a sauce. before i go any further, let me explain the rules to you, which should never be bent or swayed. number 1: you never ever ever ever use oregano in sauce. it does not belong there and the taste will absolutely reflect the fact that you placed this tiny little invader in there. if someone tells you they use this when preparing red sauce, you should questions their ethics. it's that serious. number two: never use dried herbs of any kind. in my book, only basil belongs in sauce and why would you ever use anything but fresh basil? some people believe in italian seasoning, i find that to be the most ridiculous packaged stuff in the world. buy fresh. always. number three: if you can, try and cook a protein with your sauce, that is where a lot of the flavor comes from. number four: low and slow, keep it on the heat for hours but pay attention, stir often and don't burn it.

the key to a tasty luscious sauce is to stick with a handful of really wonderful ingredients. there is no need to make it complicated. stick with the items i list below and you will find that no matter what is going wrong in your day, this sauce can make it right. i will place my meatball recipe in the main course section when i have a little bit more time so that you can make them both and find yourself in pure bliss.

marinara sauce

one small onion, chopped fine

8 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

20 tomatoes or 3 cans of tomato puree

olive oil

salt & pepper

fresh chopped basil

start by cooking your protein, for instance, if you are making meatballs, saute them in olive oil to crisp the outside and them reserve that same oil for your sauce. here's the important part, it has to be fresh oil. don't make thirty batches of meatballs and dump that same oil in the sauce. use oil you have only sauteed one or two batches in, tops. make sure it is not burnt, the trick to that is cooking at a nice steady temp. after you remove your protein from the oil, toss in your onions and saute until nice and tender, about five minutes. then add your garlic and saute for another thirty seconds, at this point the onions and garlic should have absorbed most of the oil. then add the tomatoes, if you are using fresh you should have them already prepared (hull the tomatoes, make a criss cross on the bottom with a knife, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with seas salt and place in a 400 degree preheated oven until the skins look like they are coming off, peel the skins off and crush, bam, homemade tomato puree) if you are using canned, toss them in with the onions and garlic, stir, season with salt and pepper, cover, then hit the road. stir once in a while to ensure the sauce is not sticking. after about two hours on low heat, add the fresh basil, toss on your favorite pasta and serve.

this is the grand secret i have provided you with, use it wisely and don't add to it.