bread marathon Saturday....

Loaf one just out of the oven, perfectly blistered just the way I like it... crisp crust and smelling like heaven. This is the third batch of bread, I'm a bit obsessed with the same recipe, changing it, adding more water each time, I have yet to be disappointed. Doubling the recipe I get three boules and five little demi baguettes (for veggie meatball subs tonight!). Yesterday was a great day for mixing while we endured yet another snow storm - it was beautifully blustery and perfect around ten last night for shoveling and running in the snow with Finn.

When not in the kitchen mixing, I spent my time upstairs... here:
warm and quiet next to the fire. More bread pictures to come later as they emerge from the oven. Thank you Nancy Silverton! and cheers to a peaceful Saturday baking.

Ummm, yes please

French toast cooked in bacon fat... wait, let me rephrase, cooked in bacon fat from a pig raised by our dear friends Dwight and Maggi. Crispy, eggy, cinnamony goodness.

Directions:

1. Take white bread slices

2. Dip in eggy, milky, cinnamony mixture

3. Fry in the same pan as your bacon

4. Voila! Bacon fried french toast.

If you haven't tried it, you should not miss it... it's the simplest things.

This is how we are spending our millionth snowy day at home. I'm also getting ready for a bread marathon and soup for dinner. More pictures when I can find my camera cord!

Enjoy your snowy Friday!

dinner tonight....

This recipe from Gourmet is a quick warm dinner for these cold windy days... we are staying in today - waffles for breakfast, soup and pie for dinner. A day to gather myself for the coming weeks, fill out paper work (for my spring project... stay tuned!) and rest my body. Hope everyone is fairing well through the winter, we're almost there!

FOR PASTRY DOUGH

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

FOR FILLING AND GLAZE

• 1 medium boiling potato (5 oz)
• 2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 9 oz good-quality white Cheddar, coarsely grated (2 1/2 cups)

MAKE DOUGH:

• Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
• Drizzle evenly with 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out mixture onto a work surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute butter. Gather dough together with scraper and press into 2 balls, one slightly bigger than the other, then flatten into disks. Chill each disk, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

MAKE FILLING AND GLAZE WHILE DOUGH CHILLS:

• Peel potato and cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup). Steam potato in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Cook onion in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to plate to cool.
• Whisk together 2 eggs, cream, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined well. Stir in potato, onion, and cheese.
• Whisk remaining egg in a small bowl and reserve for egg glaze.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE PIE:

• Put oven rack in middle position and put a large baking sheet on it, then preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll out larger piece of dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin and fit into tart pan. Spoon filling evenly into pie shell and brush some of egg glaze on rim of shell.
• Roll out smaller piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then cover pie with it. Trim edges of pie, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then press edges together and crimp decoratively.
• Brush top of pie lightly with some of remaining egg glaze. Cut several steam vents in top crust with a small sharp knife.
• Bake pie on hot baking sheet until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

grey. very grey.

look what we found!

Ummm yup! How absolutely beautiful is she??!! It has been in the house mere minutes and we have had all the burners, the broiler, and the stove lit, beets are boiling and of course:

the inaugural upside down chocolate pudding cake. WHICH, I might add, cooked perfectly and evenly. Really! We have officially moved out of 1923 into the land of professional cooking appliances. I cannot wait for the first loaf of bread. Oh and did I mention it fits three FULL sheet pans? (You can be jealous now).

a little taste of Tartine

I spent most my day yesterday in Tartine heaven. Watching videos viewing their new book, drooling over their bread and being completely inspired. Tartine is a bakery to envy. Owned and operated by husband and wife team Elizabeth and Chad who have cultivated a little pastry mecca in San Francisco. I have been once and watched as the line grew around the building as the day progressed and lasted, I am sure, until their doors have closed. Just felt like sharing what inspired me yesterday in the land of bread and pastry. Thank you Tartine.

Tartine Bread from 4SP Films on Vimeo.

Thoughts over coffee.

As I sit this morning with my coffee, snugged on the couch while the fire slowly takes off the chill from last nights frosty temps I have been a bit contemplative. Actually, I have been quite reflective all week. Could be the approaching solstice, short, cooler days, and finally taking a moment to breathe. Although I have another full day today, I am demanding my mind take this moment.

I just finished reading an essay of a friends on evolution and it has made me wonder just how I have (or have not) evolved over the course of my very short life. How I have adapted to my environments through choices I make or don't make and how I have complete power to go in any direction I wish. How is it we decide which direction that is? There are some of the theory of allowing the forces of the Universe to guide them fully, feeling it is all out of our control. Then there are people who make it happen for themselves. I have come to realize, as with many things in my life, I am pretty dead center - a bit of Universal luck along with a willingness to participate in the direction I am headed. Though having a destination in mind occasionally helps.

The last sips of coffee, I need a refill, the dog is whining and I have some catering to tend to. For now, I will focus on today and leave the Universe to do its thing.

happy holidays...from S&M Market!

our band of misfits :)

(photo by Jamie Bloomquist)

stay tuned!!!

I haven't forgotten about ya... there are new things on the horizon that require my undivided attention which has left little time for blogging as of late. But please, keep checking in, more to come soon...

i can now.....chop wood.

The past two days have been spent getting ready for winter. Something I have never really had to do as an adult. Planting bulbs, raking leaves, and stacking wood on the porch, along with the usual weekend things. Among these "adult chores" I did for the first time today, the most exciting was finally succeeding at chopping wood. I have tried before, but to no avail. Today was the day. No one was around, there were no eyes watching so I went and got a piece that looked like it would split easy and one that was really dry, put it on the block, lined up the ax and just let it drop. I was thoroughly surprised to find that it actually split in half. How satisfying...how completely satisfying.

After feeding the oven all day and a little chili inspiration from Anna, I tossed it all in the pot and into the oven to cook.
Not to worry though... the day wasn't lost to chores...Finn has become quite the frisbee dog...it has become a "family event"..Finn doesn't seem to want to perform unless we are all there watching.... thought I would share a little video:

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

what a birthday

Upon waking on October 14th I saw this:

which didn't look altogether promising after sleeping out of doors (that's right folks... out of doors) the night prior and being awoken in the middle of the night by a truck, a train, a gate opening and closing and then three more diesel trucks waiting for the gate to be unlocked at dawn.
However, as the steam evaporated and Andy lit up his "camp stove" (there are air quotes around this because, to me, it seemed a bit dicey to be using this home made contraption), things were looking up.

(see what I mean by dicey?)
Between the tea and the sun coming up things were looking much better on the morning I turned 30


And we packed up the car and headed to Vermont for breakfast, leaving behind a beautiful morning in a VT state park somewhere off of 302.
Then we were onto Montreal where we ate ourselves silly and wandered the beautiful city streets. Being the hard core tourists that we were are, we even braved 50 mph winds and driving rains to make it to the Museum for Contemporary Art, however on our way home as Andy grabbed my sleeve just as the wind was about to send me down the Rue de St. Andre, we found ourselves in the doorway of the corner liquor store. This meant hot showers, dry clothes and hot toddies (and a movie and nap). By then we were ready to brave the rains again to find dinner.
Surviving a blustery Montreal and a nine hour drive home (thank you Moth radio)... we returned to a very excited dog and a comfy bed.

Early the next morn, I received a text "pick you up at 11..bring your hiking shoes." Not only did the gals pick me up for a hike..there were mimosas and apples and cheese to snack on once at the top of Beech Hill. These gals really know how to hike...

I must say this tops some of my best my birthday experiences....which says a lot considering they have been spent in Hawaii, New Zealand, France, Oregon, and North Carolina to name a few!

xo to all that made such a beautiful birthday week!

a few pics from September

wrapping up the farm party spreading out the coals
Andy's set up for a well lit outdoor kitchen
breakfast out of the oven...

A finished frittata ... everything is better when cooked in this oven!

pie!!

Woke up this morning to Andy skipping inside with the most delicious apple pie that had been left on our front stoop. The culprits? Andy's friends Pat and Stephanie...boy can that girl make one davine pie. Coffee and pie for breakfast. What a perfect way to start a cool fall morning!

it is fall once again

Just returning from our morning walk my cheeks are still cool from the crisp air. Finishing my coffee and reflecting a bit on the summer that, as Maine summers go, went by in a flash. Preparing for change and a shift in weather. Preparing to go out on my own. Appreciating the love and support of all my friends and family. Trying to stay grounded while in a whirl of information fills my brain. Goodbye summer till next year. Welcome fall!

One of my favorite pictures from the farm party taken by Jamie Bloomquist. (check out his website here) an amazingly talented photographer who graciously shared his photos with us!

farm party 2

Boy was this oven worked last night. 90 doughs (at least) were tossed, stretched, and rolled onto peels, slid into the oven and presented to the fantastic mass of people who attended last nights party. The beautiful rounds (well mostly round) of molten pizza were consumed faster than we could produced them while some pretty serious blue grass was happening over by the fire pit with banjo's, fiddles, guitars, drums, and beautiful voices.

Thanks to all who attended, and brought the tasty toppings, donated brews and wines, creative energy and great conversation. What an amazing group of friends we have found and are eternally grateful for you all!