Travels + Tribulations

Flying to California from Maine. One wouldn't think it would be that difficult, right? So wrong. After driving 3 hours from Blue Hill to Portland (the closest airport), the United agent explained that my flight's been delayed and that I wouldn't make my connection in Chicago. So, he rebooked me on an alternate flight and assured me that I should be okay. One lightning storm and five hours later I find myself reclaiming my checked bag in Portland and awaiting the shuttle which will deliver me to my Mazda, which I parked in the long-term lot just hours before. It seems as if the best viable option for me--to ensure that I'll make my friend Megan's Saturday afternoon wedding, is to drive to Boston, sleep over, and take the first BOS-LAX flight out the following morning. The only consolation is that through all my negotiations with station agents I've been bumped to first class.

Twenty-seven hours after my journey began, I arrive in LA. I've just enough time to take a shower, grab a bite to eat, and hop in the car to get myself to the ceremony. I was super exhausted at the wedding, but it was great to see so many blasts from the past. And the experience really sharpened the Amazing Race competitor in me. In the event that Matt ever changes his mind and decides he'll be my teammate, I'm confident we could take it. I mean, a couple of hippies won it all last season!

I am actually taking a vaycay from Maine and will be here in LA for a wedding double header: one down, one to go on Saturday the 5th.

Playgirl

I received a fab package a couple weeks back from my friend Jasmin, the all-time greatest sender o' surprise packages. So excited to receive mail, I exuberantly opened the box in the office at work. Thankfully just one of my co-workers saw the magazine laying right on top...I have a feeling this rather tame 1974 Playgirl would nonetheless provoke some raised eyebrows in these parts. (The Brando interview is awesome!)

Finds Aplenty

When I decided to spend the summer in Maine, sure I was excited about the hiking and the lobster and all, but I was way excited for cheap vintage finds. In July 2006, having just returned from the World Cup and not ready to call it quits on vacation, Matt and I made a beeline for Canada. We lingered in Montreal and Quebec City, luxuriating in the humidity-free environs. On our way back home, we traveled through Maine, stopping in Bangor. We were actually trying to find Stephen King's house, when we found the mecca that is the Bangor Goodwill. We ended up spending $23 between us in the 18 minutes prior to their closing, but the finds were gems. The place was super clean, super organized, and way cheap. When I'm digging through clothing racks at the overcrowded Beacon's Closet my mind usually wanders back to Bangor.

The good state hasn't proven me wrong. It turns out that there are more and bigger Goodwill Stores, and some even have well-edited "vintage" sections (all items priced at $3.99). One Sunday, I went antiquing--as they say up here--and ended up with a pretty awesome array of hard-to-find vintage house wares (I have a bit of a Pyrex fetish).

I'd been bummed that this random little thrift store on Main Street always seemed to be closed even when its "Hours" sign stated it should be open. I inquired with my teenage friends at the nearby Dairy Port who just shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders. Then, last week, as I was checking out the daily soft-serve flavors at the Dairy Port, one of the girls excitedly yells out to me: "It's open! Talk 'n Shop is open!" And, sure enough it was. I entered and proceeded to FILL A BAG FOR A DOLLAR. Yeah, yeah, I know there are places like this...I've heard of them. But, I'd never experienced it. My bag contained 5 t-shirts, a navy windbreaker, a dress shirt for Matt (he wore it to our friend's wedding that weekend), and this c. 1972 faux-wooden bird wall hanging. For a dollar.



It's now become my favorite lunch-time activity. When I get tired of work, tired of the people, or my co-worker's stench becomes too overpowering to overcome (she's a back-to-the-lander who seemingly shuns even hippie deodorant), I head to Talk 'n Shop. The only consistent thing about it the adventure is that I'll spend a dollar.

Late to the Party

So I think I just may be one of the last people on the face of the earth to have not made Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread. For those of you who have been hiding out with me in our little corner of the world, here's the nutshell: Mark Bittman (aka The Minimalist) shared Lahey (of the famed Sullivan Street Bakery)'s bread recipe in a New York Times article.

Since the article's initial publication in fall 2006, people have been raving about the crusty goodness of this oh-so simple bread. Because there is so little work involved -- but loads of fermentation time -- the recipe has caught on like wildfire in the foodie/bloggie community. In fact, Googling "no knead bread" today delivers 2o2,000 results. There's even a Flickr site dedicated to the NKB! People have waxed on about every single tweakable variation to the 4-step process: must you use bread flour for all 3 cups of the required flour? what's the optimum rise time? what works best to coat the bread with: wheat bran, flour or cornmeal? [no; 16-18 hours; wheat bran]

For me, the hardest part has been the absence of a cast iron dutch oven. Alas, I have access to a lil' red Le Creuset beauty here and I've got a loaf in the oven RIGHT NOW. I'm so excited...I picked up some seafood chowder on the way home and my timer reads 12 minutes til bread time. So, stay tuned to see how this all turned out...

I mean, it's supposed to be impossible to screw up...right?

Update: here's the (misshapen) finished product!



And, my lil seafood chowder-salad-bread dinner...

Drive Time

Each day, I commute to work -- 22 miles each way. The drive is incredibly scenic and because of the sheer beauty of the environs, I actually look forward to my hour a day in the car! On bright days, the sun-dappled trees sparkle as they reflect off of Blue Hill Bay. My favorite part is along Route 175, which stretches from my cabin over the Reversing Falls Bridge, and past this magical red barn on Long Island. Driving over the bridge always kind of feels like you're on a ride.




I love the area and I haven't even seen the falls work their magic: "Blue Hill Falls is an unusual reversing falls created by the tide being funneled into a narrow channel to create high (up to 3 feet) standing waves -- 100 - 200 yards total length, depending on the tide," reports one guide book. I have yet to see the tides reach such heights, but I’ve definitely seen the number of kayakers and canoers increase as the temperatures rise. Apparently the area has been a fave with the peeps for centuries: the Red Paint People are believed to have made this place their home over 2,000 years ago.

Gotta love 'em

So, last week when Matt was in town, he received a "courtesy ticket" in Bangor. This is the precise language on the ticket:

"The City of Bangor values your visit. This car is in violation of the time limit for this zone. Since this violation may have been an oversight on your part, the City does not issue parking tickets when the vehicle has not been in violation of a time limit during the previous 90 days."

Poor Man's Food

There was a time when inmates in a Maine penitentiary wrote to the governor begging for more variety in their meals, complaining that their daily dinner of lobster was boring them. Laws were soon passed which made serving lobster to prison inmates more than once a week illegal, as doing so was considered "cruel and unusual punishment."

Today, lobster is definitely a rich man's delicacy. Purchased live, lobsters today will run you $7.50/lb locally. But, for me, the quick and satisfying way to do lobster is to stop at one of the many "lobster pounds" in Coastal Maine and pick up a lobster roll. Done right, the bun is toasted lightly with just a little butter and the lobster meat inside is bound together with just the tiniest bit o'mayonnaise. Their cost ($12.95) and richness make them a wonderful once-in-a-while treat.

Or, you can bite the bullet and order a whole guy, which usually comes with coleslaw and fries. The messy work breeds tasty rewards.

Lavender Love

I keep my food blog obsession on the DL, but it's pretty serious. It usually starts with just a quick glance, a visit to Smitten Kitchen or 101 Cookbooks, for example...just to see what's cooking. Then, I'm quickly sucked in a link vortex; if I click to TasteSpotting it's over: an hour is simply shot. And I'm famished.

There are a dozen or so sites that I deem must-visits and, and were I to not live in a cabin in the woods sans Internet, I would visit daily. So, with a co-worker's birthday on the horizon, it seemed a legitimate reason to revisit some of my favorite online haunts (at work). I discovered this recipe for lavender cupcakes with citrus cream cheese frosting which seemed perfectly summery. I love the way the dried lavender calls to mind the festiveness of sprinkles, without the sugary fakeness, and with the added bonus of the subtle fragrance.

They turned out really well, except I had to forgo the cream filling. It turns out that if you beat heavy whipping cream just seconds too long, you'll end up with lavender butter instead of lavender cream filling. Whoops. But, lavender butter was a happy accident, as it is a fabulous topper on fresh-baked bread (btw these dudes do it right).


The cupcakes were a tremendous success -- everyone at the office had two! I would totally make them again.

Lavender Cupcake Recipe
(Recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop; my notes below)
makes 12 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1/2 stick butter
3/4 cups sugar
1 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

1. soften butter in the mixer on high speed *
2. drizzle the sugar in with the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes
3. sift flour, baking powder, and salt together
4. measure out milk and vanilla
5. add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter/sugar in 3 parts alternating between flour and milk and beating well after each addition
6. set aside incorporated mixture
7. in a clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form
8. fold egg whites into cake batter until incorporated
9. scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pans
10. bake in the 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean

Lavender Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lavender flowers

1. add sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium high heat
2. heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon
3. stir in lavender and let the mixture sit over the heat, undisturbed for 3 minutes
4. remove from heat, strain into a small bowl, and set in a second bowl of ice to cool
5. meanwhile add heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the whip attachment until soft peaks form
6. once the sugar mixture is relatively cool to the touch (it can be slightly warm) drizzle into the cream while beating on medium high
7. continue to beat on high until firm peaks form -- BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERBEAT!

Citrus Cream cheese Frosting Recipe

1/2 stick butter
1 8oz packages of cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon mixed citrus zest (from lemons, limes, oranges, whatever citrus you have)
1 teaspoon citrus juice (same as above)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3-4 drops of purple food coloring (I DID NOT USE)

1. soften butter in the mixer on high speed
2. add cream cheese and beat until combined
3. sift confectioner's sugar
4. add about half of the confectioner's sugar and citrus juice and zest to the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat on high speed to combine
5. add remaining confectioner's sugar in stages until desired consistency and sweetness is achieved
6. add purple food coloring and mix until consistent color is achieved (I DID NOT USE)

Assembly
1. using a melon baller, scoop out a bit of the cooled cupcakes
2. using a small spoon, fill each cavity with lavender cream
3. trim off some of the meat of the scooped out cupcake and place back over the cavity
4. pipe cream cheese frosting over the top
5. sprinkle lightly with lavender leaves

* I only have a Braun immersion blender with me here in Maine and it worked just find for this recipe.

Fiddleheads!

I've been really into all things local, since I've dropped my anchor here in Coastal Maine. I feel fortunate to be here during such a fertile season -- I really don't know if I could hack it in winter. One local delicacy, the fiddlehead fern, is prized for its unique taste and oh-so-brief spring appearance. Asparagus is the only vegetable to which it can be compared taste-wise, but even that is a bit of a stretch. Unfurled fronds of ostrich and cinnamon bark ferns, fiddleheads must be boiled (at least 8-10 minutes) prior to eating to remove the toxins found naturally in the plant.

They're crunchy, somewhat bitter yet super tasty. It's quite simple to saute the little snail-like guys with olive oil, garlic. I prepared them last week with asparagus, as the tastes compliment one another and served over whole wheat fettucine and squeezed lemon juice over the pasta.


PS -- I'm trying to improve my food photography skillz...

To Have and Have Not

I have now been living in Maine for just over two weeks. Working at film archive for the summer, I was offered a cabin in the woods to live in for the span of 10 weeks; I graciously accepted the rent-free little abode. Situated on a peninsula overlooking Blue Hill Bay, it's some pretty isolated living.



What the Cabin Has:

• Bay View
• Insulated bedroom
• Refrigerator
  
• 4-burner gas range
  
• Indoor kitchen sink
  
• Outdoor shower
  
• Boom Box
• 1,000+ books, predominantly science-fiction (organized subject & author)
• National Geographic magazines (c. 1914-1965)
• "Port-a-John"
  

What the Cabin Has Not:

• Central Heating
• Television
• Hot water (!)
  
• Bathroom (!!)
  
• Internet access (!!!)