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A Happy Tummy, A raised heart rate and beauty in the everyday
A SMORGAS-Blog

I'm slow

12/31/2014

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I am good at some things in life but riding fast on a road bike out in the country with my dad is not something I excel at.  It's not because I'm actually slow, weak or out of shape (ok, it's winter and the blubber is present but no biggie).  The real reason is because I have a disease.  It's self-diagnosed and called "Nature ADD."  As we push forward, over the hills and along the old roads, I am constantly looking around and observing the flora and fauna around me, making it close to impossible to fly at breakneck speed the entire ride.  When something catches my eye, I have to take a closer look...
Monday's ride was by far the best as the weather was beautiful, wildlife was plentiful and I knew that we had a great dinner to consume in the evening.  Here are the highlights:
The good: three American Kestral sightings (which are common in Texas during migration/winter season) and numerous plus very close Black Vulture and Red-Tailed Hawk perchings/soarings.
The bad: a vulture playing chicken with a giant truck (he survived though!)
The ugly: Eau de Pepe le Pew.  No one likes road kill, except my favorite vulture friends. 
All this was great and everything but it is in face December.  That means that it's not summer.  Right.  At the end of our rides, my toes were smarting a bit.  You know that game Oregon Trail?  When you leave too early in the year it can be a little chilly at times.  Sometimes it says something terrifying like "Fransisco/Gertrude/Henrietta/Bernard/what's his face has developed hypothermia.  Would you like to move on or wait for conditions to improve?"  Well, we pushed on and by goodness, it took me 15 minutes to regain the feeling in my toes...After a super hot shower and some perfect hot chocolate, I was warm once again. 
To acquire this special hot chocolate recipe, I started volunteering in a small yet unforgettable coffee house in Madison, Wisconsin back in 2006.  The sole purpose I wanted to work here was this drink.  But I came away with so much more: one of my best friends (Layne, that's you), my favorite ring that I wear every day, the experience of new food experiences that I never thought to eat before and the absolute joy of being everything from a barista, waitress, cashier, prep cook, sous chef, dishwasher and just about everything in between.  I was only here for four months, January to April, as the place shut down due to financial reasons.  Some days, the kitchen temperature reached 95 degrees F.  At this point, my favorite part of the morning was opening time, when I took the sign out to the sidewalk in just a tank top.  People sure do stare at you when there's three feet of snow on the ground and you are wearing your "damn it's hot in the kitchen" clothes. 
But back to the present...Remember that amazing dinner I mentioned up there, after our great ride?  Our family came together to make a spread for my dad's birthday consisting of a cheese/summer sausage and cracker appetizer plate, Chicken Kiev, mashed potatoes, salad and more.  But there had to be dessert so I made my family's favorite dessert: a raspberry tart. See post from 9/20/2014 for that recipe and fun pictures below from the creating process.  My sister made him caramels as a gift so see the recipe below for that if you want your taste-buds rocked...
Tonight is New Years and to celebrate, I'm babysitting.  It's fantastic.  My nephew went down around 6pm and then it was time to make dinner!  I really love making dinner...Tonight's choice was turkey burgers.  To recreate this healthy and tasty dish, I would put ground turkey in a bowl and add about a half cup of latin-style quinoa (with corn, red peppers, cilantro and something spicy, from Whole Foods-esque store called Central Market), mix it together and make patties.   Then I would cook them in a non-stick pan with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper.  Tonight, once they were finished, they were placed upon a toasted English muffin with cheese (pepper jack and cheddar) with lettuce and avocado.  I can't wait to make these again.  Prosecco plus orange juice, Love Actually a scared-y dog named Jack who is plastered by my side and a 78 pound lap dog equals was the perfect ending to 2014.  Happy New Years all!

Great Aunt Jane's caramel recipe
2 cups sugar
1 and 3/4 light Karo syrup
2 cups cream or half and half
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
Sea salt to top off

Cook sugar, butter, Karo syrup, and one cup of cream in a deep and heavy pan on the stovetop.  Stir a lot. 
When it boils, slowly add the second half of the cream.  Stir a lot.  Put a candy thermometer in and wait until it reads 245 degrees F.  Take it off the heat and add the vanilla.  Stir and the pour into a well-greased (butter!) parchment paper covered cookie sheet-type pan.  Sprinkle with sea salt or mini chocolate chips (I just made up that chocolate part). 
Cool.  Cut.  Wrap and/or eat it all.  Make sure storage container is air-tight to make sure they stay fresh, aka, not hard as rocks.  These little babies will stay good for a couple weeks unless they are devoured beforehand.
Note: it's easiest if the cutting knife has some sort of non-stick quality.  Maybe it's warm or butter covered...


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Home is

12/29/2014

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Food is just one of those things, like sunshine, that makes it possible to be happy in life.  In the past week, I've had some of the greatest meals I've eaten in some time.  And all homemade except for one. 

Last night, my dad, sister and I had an incredible experience at Cafe Malta in Austin.  Now, I realize that the majority of my reader base may be in Portland, Maine but this cafe was definitely something to include.

It was just my dad, sister and I.  A treat I haven't experienced in way too long.  Cafe Malta is a small restaurant on the corner of Brodie and William Cannon (for those Austinites) that is full of personality.  We sat down at a booth and chose our drinks.  I got a margarita-esque cocktail, Erica ordered a fun drink called "I can explain everything" (with rum, limoncello, sweet lemon  juice and prosecco) and red wine for my dad.  There was a table cover of butcher paper, so we whipped out a pen and jumped right into a giant game of "Dots."  How do you play?  Let's go out to dinner where there is a paper table"cloth" and I'll teach you!

The menu at Cafe Malta was compact but had a great selection of starters, salads and entrees, red/white wine, beer, numerous unique cocktails and more.  We chose the quail, pork and, wait for it, brisket ravioli.  The quail was perfectly seasoned and raised in Lockhart, Tx (a little town near where I grew up with the highest diving board at their pool ever!).  It was served over pancetta-cilantro risotto, with butternut, cinnamon, fig, olive and almond sauce and completed with stir fried green beans on the side. 

Next up was the pork; garlic and herb roasted with a honey-pecan crust and a Cabernet reduction, basil-mashed potatoes and the mmm mmm good green beans.  Finally, my sister fell in love with the brisket ravioli on sight (on the menu) so we had to get them!  These little babies were made with fresh, in-house-made pasta with Cabernet braised brisket packed inside and tossed in a parsley-pecan pesto sauce, then covered in Parmesan.  Hands-down, the best things on the table were my quail (seriously, it was perfectly seasoned), the basil mashed potatoes (something inventive and wonderful that I will have to recreate soon) and the sauce on ravioli (because who doesn't love pesto?).  Everything tasted fresh and fantastic though!  

Should we have stopped there?  Maybe.   But dessert called and we answered, twice.  As they were only $5 each, we just had to try the chocolate-cognac tart (a small sliver but nice and rich) and a chocolate chili crème brûlée.  Oh man was the latter delightful!  It left your mouth with a spicy flavor but wasn't overwhelming in the slightest.  The Texas apple cobbler with pecan crumble would have been on the table as well but unfortunately, it was not served with ice cream.  And what is cobbler without ice cream I ask you?!

So that was our evening out.  The other meals, as I already mentioned were homemade or at least home-doctored (soup from the co-op with our sauteed veggies, cooked quinoa and chicken tossed in for fun).  I also made a "leftovers" soup which included extra items from multiple former meals.  See recipe below...

Christmas Eve dinner was scrumptious and consisted of pork tenderloin slathered with Grey Poupon mustard and cooked in a cast-iron skillet in the oven, mom's scalloped potatoes, Brussels sprouts and broccoli sauteed in olive oil with salt and pepper.  It was all very good and traditional. 
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Now, Christmas Day dinner was very different.  It was also freaking delicious but it was very non-traditional.  We made the best enchiladas!  Hey, we are in Texas so it's ok.  These enchiladas started with a homemade tortilla, then stuffed with quinoa, kale, chicken, mozzarella cheese, toasted almonds and love.  Then we covered them in creamy cheese sauce, more mozzarella cheese and then baked.  Oh, and then I topped mine in tomatillo sauce to perfect the plate.  Roasted root veggies, chips and fresh guacamole were also on the table.  Instead of sitting down at the table like proper people, we sat down to watch The 100-Foot Journey.  It was so good!!!  If you haven't seen it yet, change that immediately!
Now, as if this wasn't enough, my family and I just HAD to make breakfast tacos one morning.  Now get this: fresh tortilla piled high with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, black beans, quinoa, kale and salsa.  Oh hell yes...Go make it now.  And then make it a Sunday tradition. 
Texas food+Texas family=Texas love!!!

Leftovers soup
Look into fridge.  What do you have?  Throw it into a pot and cook. 
No really:
Roasted root veggies plus chicken stock in a pan.
Cook for awhile and then immersion blender the poo out of it. 
Add leftover rice, cut up chicken, pork or whatever else you want.
Sautee kale (and/or any other vegetables) on the side.
Combine all in a pan and simmer for awhile, and add salt, pepper, curry or whatever else would make you happy! 
Eat it.  Duh.

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Un-Christmas colored journey

12/24/2014

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I've finally made it to Texas.  But what do you do when you're supposed to get on a flight one day and then have to wait until the next day to actually make it to where you want to go?   Think about your next post and then go buy yourself a damn tasty dinner to feel better about life. 

But let's start with start with leaving all my friends behind on Thursday.  We had a terrific final pre-Christmas Pub Run in the darkness of early evening.  To celebrate all together, we stayed at Infiniti
and drank and ate to our hearts content.   We ordered the fries with chipolte aoli (oh so perfectly fried and absolutely delicious), the roasted pumpkin and hazelnut hummus with grilled Parmesan flatbread (excellent!), and half a goat cheese salad (with mixed greens, roasted golden beets, goat cheese, blood orange-sage vinaigrette and candied hazelnuts). The rest of the table ordered the mussels, more fries and beers galore!  I had my favorite Urban Farm Fermentory ginger kombucha. 

Friday brought work and making more handmade Raven's Nest pasta with veggies and incredible pre-made sauce from the best Italian restaurant in Portland: Paciarino
.  If you just need something to-go, they have fresh-made pasta, ravioli and sauces in a freezer.  I chose my (and apparently their) favorite sauce of creamy garlic and walnut to bless our pasta dish. 

Saturday was work time and Shannon and I found a terrific pile of scat that was full of apples from our orchard and left by a coyote. Don't judge, scat is cool.  Our program theme of the day was "why is it dark when I'm eating dinner?"  We had three kids.  But quality is always better than quantity and it was a good time!  Celebrating the winter solstice is great because it means that the days will (eventually) be light in the evening once again!  Coming home to a dark apartment at 4pm is not my idea of a good time...

Sunday was jam-packed day.  It started with a tree.  Though the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree took a little longer than previously thought, it was all worth it.  After setting the chosen flora up with the help of some cute dogs, I went to work and sold a lot of pre-Christmas stuff.  That evening I dropped off my cat with a work friend so that he wouldn't have to make the long plane trip home with me.  I later went home to an empty apartment and ate a damn tasty bowl of sweet potato soup with veggies, turkey and quinoa. 

Monday was supposed to be my travel day.  I chilled out until my supposed fligh at 3pm.  After getting to the airport, getting on a plane and expecting to leave, we were pulled off the plane and needed to change my flight to the next day.  To aid my sadness of not seeing my family on the planned day, I took myself to dinner at Empire.  This place has been the subject of a post or two before but I tried something new: their spring rolls.  I will be getting these time and again now as they are perfectly fried with Brussels sprouts and red cabbage inside and served with incredible dipping sauce, which also just so happens to pair with their steamed buns, pork with rice and more. 

The next morning, dark and early, I boarded a flight to Chicago on my way to Texas.  This was a wonderful twist of fate because I was able to get my favorite popcorn mix from Garrett Popcorn in the airport (I was originally flying through Newark).  My good friend Cate turned me on to this stuff a couple years ago and I have to say, it's like crack!!  Think of the most incredible cheddar popcorn and mix it with the best caramel corn you've ever eaten.  And that's exactly what Garrett popcorn is.  Add a smoothie and oatmeal from Jamba Juice, plus four hours of waiting and that completed my Chicago airport experience. 

I finally arrived home and was picked up by my dad!!  We went straight to my sister's house to see my handsome nephew and later ate a "welcome home" dinner of stir fried veggies, chicken with rice with the greatest teriyaki sauce, made by my sister.  And today, Christmas Eve, I sit here writing next to my nephew, who is babbling sweetly to the cat and playing with my phone as I eat an incredibly freshly-made tortilla, courtesy of my brother-in-law.  What could be better on this un-Christmas colored Texas day?

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Christmas-colored food

12/16/2014

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"Have you ever had Chicken Parmesan?"
"No."
"Really!?!?!"
"Of course I have."
"Oh." 

Who hasn't had Chicken Parm?  But was it homemade?  Was it hella good?  This particular night was particularly yummy.  Is it rude to say your own cooking is hella tasty?  Ask me if I care.

That evening, my Chicken Parm was served with incredible and semi-locally/homemade sweet potato pasta and sauteed broccoli.  I bought the pasta at the MECA Holiday Sale last weekend and it is from Ravens Nest in Winter Harbor, Maine.  Good luck finding them online though!  I just tried.  Had I known how good it was, I would have gotten more bags!  As it is, I can't wait to try the carrot and beet pastas I also bought. 

That was Friday night.  Saturday night came with cheese, cookies, spiked and warmed apple cider and incredible cheese/pecan/spicy balls.  See the recipe below, which I unabashedly asked the recipe for from a party-goer, even though we hadn't been properly introduced...

This was a great party at a friend's boyfriend's house.  The space was huge and the table was abundant. The pub running group (we meet every Thursday at Infiniti, 6:15. Be there!!) talked in one group, right next to cookie-land, and the rest of the party (Bowdoin crowd) sat in the living room.  Between the two, I'll sit by the food anytime! 
​
The weekend also brought: walking around the East End (see random picture of a boy below, posted at Anderson and Fox) for a pottery sale at Portland Pottery and kombucha drinking, trudging through a field at work (see picture of turkey, fox and squirrel tracks below), eating a Little Big's cinnamon twist and a live owl show (see barn owl below). 
Tiens voila.  En fin. 

Pecan-cheese buttons (a.k.a. nutty cheese balls)
10-ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons half-and-half 

Pulse first 6 ingredients in a food processor at 5-second intervals until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add half-and-half, and process 10 seconds or until dough forms a ball.

Preheat oven to 300°. Prepare dough, and shape into 1-inch balls.  And then find:
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons water
2 cups finely chopped pecans

Whisk together egg whites and water. Dip balls in egg white mixture, and roll in 2 pecans. Place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 1 hour; cool on baking sheets on wire racks 30 minutes. Makes: about 4 1/2 dozen.

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Choo-choo

12/11/2014

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I honestly don't even know where to begin...

Ok, first step is to go back to my 5/25/2014 post: "the BBQ that lead to the food coma."  Read that.  Now jump to present day.  Pivotal experiences, like working for my good friend Layne in Wisconsin and meeting Chef Paul back in May, have opened the door to trying new things put in front of me, no matter what they are.  Meeting Chef Paul also opened up the opportunity to visit the new restaurant where he is the executive chef.  Last night I went to Rails, the BEST new restaurant in Maine. 

The understated but remarkable building itself was built in 1874 and was once the Grand Trunk Railway ticket office.  It was  considered the "Ellis Island" of Lewiston as numerous French-Canadian immigrants passed through this railway station.  Everything from its interior decor to its historical past, (not to mention the mind blowing, "Oh-my-god" thought inducing menu) was perfect from start to finish.  I drove up with Chef Paul's wife and their good friend last night to get the full experience. 

We started with a tour: downstairs to the basement and the location of the brand-new and very clean kitchen!  It could not have been a better set-up, the whole place proclaimed productivity and perfection.  There were endless spices (and speaking of spices, not one piece of food we consumed need a touch of salt, pepper or otherwise) above the prep table and an assistant shucking Brussels sprouts for their signature Brussels chips (deep fried Brussels sprouts leaves, brown butter, fresh herbs, and Parmesan cheese) nearby.  I could have stayed down there to watch everything unfold but there was food to be eaten!

Next, we went upstairs to tour the dining area which consisted of one large dining room, a small room in the back (for future private events, I'm told) and a small bar area as well.  The bar space was my favorite area because, even though it was small, its character was immense.  There was a full bar, including three sparkling wines, nine whites, thirteen reds, local Maine Craft Distillery Artisan Spirits (located on Fox Street in Portland), plus "normal" stuff like Malibu rum, Pinnacle vodka and others, numerous beers and non-alcoholic options.  There is also an incredible "Rails" sign in lights and pieces of the old railroad worked into the decor, which was fascinating and beautiful.  And this is going to sound very strange but the bathrooms were the most simple but lovely restrooms I've ever been in. 

When it was time to sit down, we were at odds about what to order.  There are ten entree options and we wanted seven of them.  The other three were only discounted based on personal tastes as I'm not in love with haddock, mushrooms or ratatouille.  But knowing Chef Paul, those three could have been placed in front of me and I would have swooned over them.  After much debate and the urge to order a bottle of sauvignon blanc (Infamous Goose), we chose The Southern Rail ("duck breast with a touch of smoke, savory apple-cranberry crisp with sweet potato pecan crumble, seasonal roasted vegetables, vanilla chard sauce), Maine Line Surf & Turf ("blueberry porcini dusted filet, single-malt marinated mussels, wild mushrooms") and the unique and unstoppable Chicken Scratch ("fried Common Wealth Farms chicken breast, short-stack of corn cakes, soft-poached egg in potato hay nest, BBQ syrup, bacon butter").  The runners up were the Grand Trunk Pork ("bacon-wrapped Berkshire pork tenderloin, scallion rice patty, sweet chili-almond-date chutney") (I saw this on the line when we were in the kitchen and knew I had to have it someday) and Field & Stream ("venison and pork meatballs in Swedish gravy, barley-crab-smoked Gouda fritter"). 

Mais oui, this was a special occasion so Chef Paul had something up his sleeve.  After ordering the wine and settling in, Chef himself brought up our first course: a deluxe charcuterie plate.  This consisted of so many dreamy things: sweet Wee Bit Farm sausage, roasted garlic cloves, house-made boursin cheese, McLelland scotch soaked cranberries, cara cara navel orange sections, sweet chili glazed almonds, house-made pate (pork and black truffle mousse with a layer of duck and pink peppercorn throughout), a venison and pork Swedish meatball, house-made sweet jerky and dehydrated Swiss chard stems (think sweet veggie jerky!), cold-poached filet mignon, grilled oyster mushrooms (I don't love mushrooms but..........yum!!), mango and sweet shallot gastrique (a favorite taste sensation) plus anything else I may have forgotten!!  This course was eaten in so many different combinations both alone and on grilled toast pieces. 

Our second course, hand delivered and created that night by the genius himself, was a funnel cake with fois gras and maque choux.  Hold on, let me explain: First off, I haven't had funnel cake since I left Texas for good over a decade ago.  All Maine has to offer is fried dough...not the same.  This funnel cake was laced with cumin and Old Bay spices.  The fois gras was seared on the grill and oh so tender.  The maque choux is an accompaniment of corn and jalapenos.  The whole scene was surrounded by coconut sauce with roasted garlic/parsley oil and hazelnut mustard.  This dish knocked it out of the metaphorical park. 

My dinner companions started to get full before I did and dinner was still to come.  As I watched other dishes brought to other tables, my excitement to taste even more creations grew.  When Chef Paul and others brought our entrees to our table, I physically salivated.  I'm not going to lie, I'm an incredible order-er so my meal was my favorite.  I opted for the Chicken Scratch.  This locally sourced chicken, marinated in buttermilk and stuffed with herbs, is Chef Paul's take on chicken and waffles.  The "waffles" are actually corn pancakes with bacon butter on top (salty and food-gasmic in itself) and the dish is served with BBQ maple syrup.  I wanted to eat the whole dish at once but saved myself from a food coma as I still had dessert and a drive ahead of me.  J and L were served the Southern Rail and Maine Line Surf & Turf.  The former was a medium-rare duck breast blessed with a glass dome "smoking gun" device that gives the meat a slight smoky flavor without overpowering anything.  It was incredibly tender and served with Peruvian Blue potatoes, Fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts with a vanilla Anglaise rosemary sauce.  This meal wouldn't be complete without its surprising apple-cranberry crisp with black truffle mousse below and a sweet potato pecan crumble above.  Finally, rounding out the table was the Maine Line Surf & Turf.  This creation was a pan-seared Sous Vide filet mignon (sous vide is a water bath that cooks eggs, meat, whatever to PERFECTION), mussels poached with garlic and Maine Craft Distillery single malt and butter (of course).  The Wisconsin-sourced filet was dusted with porcini powder and all was served alongside oyster and shiitake mushrooms and a blueberry demi-glaze all around. 

You would think that by dessert, I would be ready to fold but no!, I was made for this.  I should have been a competitive eater.  But I can't eat fast, only slowly, enjoying each bite.  Dessert options were numerous but we settled on the Velvet Monkey ("bittersweet chocolate mousse, caramelized banana, caramel sauce").  This rich 82% Belgium chocolate created mousse was served deluxe style, with Chef Paul's famous truffles (he had his own truffle business in Cape Cod for years!), fresh raspberry sauce, passion fruit sorbet (with and without cayenne pepper), and pina colada sauce draping the board.  The two types of truffles were masterful and were "Porky Pig" with apple smoked bacon fat and chocolate and the "Duke Ellington" with single malt scotch and cranberries.  Yes, I will admit to actually licking the board clean once we (read: I) finished off the desserts.  Other desserts we did not try this time include items like rosemary ice cream, key lime/goat cheese cheesecake, and an incredible-sounding Grand Marnier flourless chocolate tart.  All dreamy in their own way!

As a whole, this place does not throw much out and, if you know me at all, you know how much I'm excited by the fact that Rails feeds its extra food waste to the owner's pigs.  They are also proponents of the local food movement as well as everything being made from scratch.  Is it slightly more expensive because as much a s possible is sourced from local farms, communities and economies?  Perhaps, but that only means you are paying for a quality you can't find everywhere.  Even the serving boards were custom-made by local carpenters (McIntosh and Tuttle Cabinetmakers) who also did the finishing work for the place.  Cage-free, range-free, hormone-free are all in their everyday vocabulary and the Lewiston community should be proud to have such a sustainable and responsible business in their midst.
​

When you're at Rails, I'm so sorry, but the night is not about you.  It's all about the food and how it makes you feel, how it brings you and your companions together and how happy you will leave.  The decor is low-key and historically saturated with pictures and pieces of the old railroad, church and more.  It's a beautiful location in an incredible building that I will visit again and again to sample all that Chef Paul and his talented staff have to offer.  I urge you to make the drive and do the same!

You can find the lunch, bar and dinner menus here:
http://railsmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2014/12/Rails-Menu.pdfs

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Hodge Podge

12/7/2014

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I'm coming down from my Texas high.  But only because I'll be back, snuggling furry and baby friends alike in less than three weeks.  Among my last few days in Tejas, I ate lots of pie (and other Thanksgiving goodness.  There was also the most amazing home-made cranberry sauce and if my sister ever gets me the recipe, I'll post it).  I also had the absolute pleasure of drinking peach and prickly pear (in all its hot pink glory) margaritas.  Outside.  On a deck.  Without shivering and crying a little.  It was perfect.  Matt's El Rancho on Lamar is my go-to place for drinking margaritas and eating giant chips and salsa with my dad and un-offical godfather, Doc. 

Breakfast tacos also made an appearance in my mother's kitchen.  These were not your average tacos!  They were made with turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, cheese, sauteed peppers, kale and onions and topped with sour cream, avocado chunks, and salsa.  Definitely will be on repeat in my own kitchen. 

But now I'm back to good ol' flipping cold Maine and loving every minute of it.  Especially when there is cheese involved in my day.  Cheese is one of my kryptonites.  Put some in front of me and I'll be all over it like brown on rice.    I had a Groupon for MJ's Wine Bar at One City Center, just off Monument Square.  I took my lactose intolerant friend, Jessie with me to spend my cheese and wine money. 
If I ever become lactose intolerant, god help my digestive system as I wouldn't stop eating my cheese, ice cream and other dairy-made loves. 

I tried two new white wines: Ponte, a vinho verde from Portugal and St.Christopher, a Muller Thurgau from Germany.  Both were light, sweet and only $5 during happy hour!  Their happy hour is from 4-6 Monday through Friday.  It's a great space that I felt very comfortable reading and drinking my wine as I waited for to J to arrive.  I will go back there again and again (possibly because I bought another Groupon for more cheese!) because I enjoyed my experience there so much.  The cheeses we ordered were pretty flipping phenomenal as well:

1. Aussie, a cow-created cheddar from, you guessed it, Australia.  It was served on a plate with apple, a raspberry whole-grain mustard.  (moan) Yum!!!
2. Prima Donna, a cow-created Gouda from my homeland, Holland and served with cranberry chutney and toasted pecans.  This one blew me away in a way no other Gouda ever has!
3. Brillat Savarin, a cow-created triple cream from none other than France.  This one came with blueberry compote and sweet lemon dijon. 

All three surprised me and made me squirm in my chair with yumminess.  We also had money to spare so we ordered some nuts: smoked almonds, honey chipotle almonds and pistachios.  There was just too much food to eat all at once so we destroyed the cheeses, bread, crackers and sides and I took the rest of the nuts home for a salty snack the next day.  

In other news, I took a long walk at Maine Audubon the other day and took in their new solar installation.  It's an incredible feat of six rotating trackers (24 panels on each) and an additional 24 panels on the Environmental Center's building.  That particular day was overcast, yet the trackers were still moving slowly, turning their faces to the sun who was not altogether present.  The complete solar system will create 84% of Maine Audubon's Falmouth location electricity.  That is a pretty incredible feat.  I look forward to the day when I can have a house with solar panels, a wood stove and energy-efficient everything (including a gas stove-top range).
​
The end. 

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    Katrina V.

    Tall, blond and chronically single decides to date food instead of men.  Hoping for better results..........

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