ahhhh spring...

That's right, spring (remember, I am in Maine right now). The sun is shining, birds are singing, there are lady slippers everywhere, and the cool ocean breeze is coming in through my porch windows into the little cottage. Finn has permanently planted himself on the old antique couch on the glassed in porch where he can observe every single person that comes on and off of the island. Barking when he feels it's necessary of course.

My garden is really coming along, my wonderful landlord Jon has created a mini greenhouse for all my little plants to stay warm on the cool evenings and provide a haven for them to grow as quickly as possible. I will have lettuce ready to pick soon believe it or not!

Life out here on the island is quiet and good. There is a peace. . . a stillness out here. My early morning walks have turned into a perfect meditation whether the sun is shining or the mist from the ocean is so thick I can't see past the shore line. . .the beach has become such a part of me. I am content for now and growing and learning. So thankful for spring and space to breathe. So blessed to have the life I have.

my morning walk... I will let the pictures do the talking.

for real....could the day have started any better??!!

a day fit for a queen

My grandmother turned 85 yesterday.  That's right, the lady to the left... 85, never would have guessed.  I must say I have loved being able to celebrate these moments with family since I have been back in Maine.  It has been many years since I have actually been around for my grandmothers birthday, or anyone else's for that matter and I realize how lucky I am to have a grandmother that is 85 and how blessed I am to be able to share a portion of that day with her.  She went out to lunch, she ate lobster for dinner (and some really fabulous rolls I was informed!), and I made her a chocolate butter cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting - decorated with tempered chocolate cigarettes (made by hand believe it or not) and chocolate boarder.  She was treated like a queen, well.... as close as we could all get, and I can only hope that on my 85th birthday I am surrounded by people that love and care for me as much as we all love and care for her.  We are lucky to have her with us and hope she had a fantastic day.  

Happy Birthday Nanny Jane, you are loved by many!

xo

nan's birthday cake

am I back in Oregon??

My new favorite shoe.

mud season

Oh man is spring beautiful in Maine, everything goes from the neutral brown that winter had left in it's wake to beautiful bright greens, purples, and yellows of blooming and budding flowers.  I walk the beast every morning around 6am and we almost always run into my neighbors walking their little pup Ebony...they were kind enough to point out to me a few patches of Lady Slippers that were poking their little heads up.  Well on my walk yesterday morning, I spotted some new-in-complete-bloom-Lady Slippers! Oh and are they beautiful!!!  My neighbors informed me that they are of the orchid family and from seed to bloom is seven years, which has made every discovery of a new one even more exciting... 

However...with the blooms comes the mud and each day I have the pleasure of encountering the beast AFTER a romp in the woods and each day, I get this look:
Thankfully, he cleans up well and each day has been a new adventure with more laughs.  Looking forward to warmer dryer days!  

One down.

This past weekend was my first weekend of Yoga Teacher Training, so I have been busy bending my body and my mind in ways I thought impossible.  I left stuffed full of information and today (Monday) I am attempting to process.  More later I promise.  Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy.

and then there were two...

well, he's off.....

leaving just the beast and I in our cozy little cottage.
safe travels and we'll see him in the fall!

om shanti

Beginning May 15th I will be immersing myself into my yoga practice like never before.  I have signed up to get my yoga teacher training certification at Shiva Shakti  School of Yoga.  I have been taking yoga classes at this school since February and lately I have never felt so good...I have never been so moved by a yoga class before.  The style of these classes really fit well with the way my body wants to experience yoga, I feel like this school is a perfect fit.  I will surely keep you all updated as I go along.  Graduation is in December!

a little bit of fougasse

Oh boy does Dave Mac love fougasse, so much in fact that I called him after work yesterday and told him if he picked up some cheese I would make him some.  He came home with a few different kinds...sooooo, we had fougasse for lunch today...and snack.  I had borrowed "Baking With Julia (Childs)" from Julia (my boss) to try out some of her recipes, there are so many great recipes in there it was hard to choose what to do first, well, until I saw the fougasse that is.  And Dave is making Indian Dahl with punjabi chhole (chickpeas with potatoes and onions) for dinner tonight and what would be more perfect with Indian food than Naan?  Lo and behold Julia had a recipe for that as well!   So, the Naan is on our porch rising so it will be ready in time for dinner.  Mmmmmm, boy are we stoked!

"bub's" birthday

 

If you know my brother you know he loves three things...(well, four including girls): whisky, a good time, and all things fast.  Well, I figured for his birthday I could at least help him indulge in the first one.  I had seen a recipe for Chocolate Stout cupcakes with an Irish Whisky ganache and a Baileys Irish Cream frosting.  Ummm, if I could have personally created a dessert that would be more fitting for Josh, I am not quite sure how much closer I could have gotten.  You can find the recipe on Smitten Kitchen if you are interested in duplicating this fun dessert.  Hope they are a hit and Happy Happy Birthday Josh!

squash blossom has not been abandoned....I promise!!

Okay, okay, so I know I have been neglecting Squash Blossom a bit (both blog and bakery)...but after a fabulous week in North Carolina visiting old friends - eating - drinking - laughing - boating - and sitting in the sun, I am now back and getting on track!  I spent the whole day baking....so today fresh at The Sea Store :

~ Carrot Cake

~ Oatmeal Cream Pies

~ Ginger Molasses Cookies

~ Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

and making it's debut appearance :

~ Blondies with toasted coconut and chocolate chips!

I am glad to be back in Spruce Head to serve up some goodies this spring!  Oh ... and a little more good news, my landlord just gave me a small garden plot and I am very excited to see what I can make grow... more to come on that!

xo

the rugelach

Rugelach cookies are best known in Eastern Europe but it's roots are Austrian.  In 1793, Austrian bakers created little crescent shaped pastries to celebrate the lifting of the Turkish siege of Vienna.  The crescent shape represented the Ottoman flag . . . the croissant shares the same origins as the Rugelach. 

 The word Rugelach means "little twists" in Yiddish which are a popular treat during Jewish holidays of Shavvot and Hanukkah. 

The dough I used was equal parts cream cheese and butter creamed together.  This made a light, crispy, delicious base for the cookie.  Then filled with cinnamon, sugar, walnuts, and currants, egg washed and rolled in sugar, it was easy to keep popping these little sweat treats into our mouths that by the time we arrived at Easter dinner Dave Mac and I had already eaten a half 

 dozen at least!

a new job!

Sooooo, I've been working on this new project and at this point it really looks like it's going to happen!  I want you all to check out the new Sweets and Meats Market at www.sweetsandmeatsmarketco.blogspot.com .  I know, it doesn't look like much, but when it's done there will be window boxes with flowers and produce for sale outside.  Coffee, yummy baked goods, high end meats, cheeses, wines, beer, and so much more!! We are looking to open early May.  It is all so exciting! 

Finn vs. The Cone

Finn has had a pretty rough week.  I left the boys alone for three days and come home to this sad situation:

He is doing much better almost a week later (excluding ALL vet visits - which he hates) and hopefully stitches will be out and bandages off by the time we pack to drive to the great state of North Caroline!

Picasa + Hot Chocolate

 

WOW! Who knows about this Picasa thing?? I can thank Karen and Clayton for introducing this to me... and now I can't stop.  I may lose a boyfriend in the process, but this is my new obsession!  How much fun!  I made hot chocolate the other day, it was rainy and foggy and Dave Mac and I decided we would stay in and have an Office marathon.  What a perfect marraige. . . hot chocolate and The Office that is.