Mainelife...thru the eyes of someone from away

Crab Cakes:
2 TBS finely chopped fresh chives
1 TBS chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1.5 TBS canola based mayonnaise
.5 tsp grated lemon rind
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
.25 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 large egg
.33 cup panko
1 lb. lump crabmeat, drained with shell pieces removed
1 TBS olive oil, divided

Remoulade:
.25 cup canola based mayonnaise
1 TBS shallots
1.5 TBS Capers, drained and chopped
2 tsp creole mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
.25 tsp. ground red pepper
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt

To prepare crab cakes:
combine first 8 ingredients, add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Fill a 1/3 cup dry measuring cup with crab mixture, invert onto work surface, gently pat into a quarter inch thick patty. Repeat process, forming 8 cakes.

Heat 1.5 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium/high heat. Add 4 crab cakes to pan cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Carefully turn cakes and cook 4 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and keep warm. Dry pan with paper towels. Heat remaining 1.5 teaspoons of oil and repeat procedure with remaining 4 cakes.

To prepare remoulade:
combine .25 cup mayo with remaining ingredients in small bowl. Whisk and serve with crab cakes.

292 calories per cake; 22g fat. 18.7g protein; 5g carbs; 571 mg sodium

Is the iPad all that?

I'm still on the fence, but since it's getting me to blog again, it must have a little somethin', somethin', right?

Primrose In The Rough

I found these beautiful primrose on a walk down to inspect the dock. They're right by the path to the sleeping cottage and they look so much better than the primrose I keep trying to cultivate in the garden in Cushing.

Catching My Breath

 
Happy Mother's Day. 

Dinner is simmering.  The "camp" as they say in Maine is cleaned and open for the season. Sheets are washed, beds made, floors scrubbed, rugs swept, bathrooms spic and span.  We are ready for visitors. 

There's a slight drizzle and it's a low gray sky, but across the river the trees are misty, seafoam green and our daffodils are still blooming.  We have a great swatch of them in the middle of the blackberry brambles.  I thought that they'd be gone but they're still in perfect form and they make such a nice splash of color in an otherwise still early in the season landscape.  

Yesterday, we were in Connecticut for a bridal shower for Miss S., my step daughter.  It was a really lovely affair, and if I do say so, the Bride-To-Be was even more lovely.  It's been a while since I've been to one of these shin-digs and I forgot how uncomfortable it must be for a young woman to sit, with all eyes on her, open gifts and make the proper exclamations of thanks.  She did it with grace and style and I was really proud of her.  I had nothing to do with her raising up so I'd like to acknowledge what a great job her mom and dad did. I love you, Miss S.,  like you are my own.

Ok, personal interlude over. 

We finally found an opening in my work travel schedule and RG's golf calendar and we headed out to Cushing first thing this morning.  I've not been up since Super Bowl weekend.  RG has come up a few times to check for squirrels and leaks (none of either, thankfully), so it's good to be back. 

TWC-Maine turned on the internets as promised and I'm able to work from the mid-coast for the next two days.  Weather permitting, we'll also try to neaten up the grounds (I swear we raked leaves in the fall, but you surely wouldn't know it), and maybe put together the bunk beds in the sleeping cottage.  So far, we don't have any 14-person weeks planned for this summer but you never know when we'll get lucky. 

Finally, if you're looking for a good book recommendation I have two--polar opposites:

Blind Side: The Evolution of The Game.  Even if you're not a huge football fan, there's a human interest story here that's so compelling it's hard to put the book down.

The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie.  1950's England and a precocious 11-year old narrator who is trying to solve a murder in her garden.  Delightful--she's like Harriet the Spy, only English. 

Today In Maine.....

....LD 1020, making same sex marriage legal in the state of Maine,  was signed into law by  Governor  Baldacci,  less than one hour after hitting his desk. 
There was some question as to whether the Governor would sign the bill, as he was on the record as opposing the idea (he was supportive of civil unions).  The Governor has evolved his thinking about this issue.  I applaud his evolution.  

Governor Baldacci's statement:

“I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully. I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.

I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue. This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.

“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word. Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.

“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do."

Weird, Wild Week

This week in Maine has been a roller coaster of weather.   Last Sunday we had a high of 82 degrees.  On Tuesday we had a high of 59 degrees. Wednesday it was a record setting 93 degrees and Thursday we had a high of 59.  Without a drop of rain and hardly a cloud in the sky. 

 The weather woke up our forsythia, which went from nothing to spectacular in two days, and it's made the wild turkeys in the back 40 especially vocal.  We've been woken up every day for the last five by turkey gobbles very close to the yard. 
It's enough to make me consider a turkey hunting license. 

Turkey hunting or no turkey hunting, I may have to give up tennis and take up golf. Tennis has gotten very dangerous lately.  Have you ever been hit in the eye by a served ball?  It's not easy to let that happen and it doesn't feel very good when it does happen.

All of New England Is In a Fine Mood This Morning

Mondays don't get much better than this.  The Red Sox, not only swept the Yankees, but by most accounts, the Red Sox humiliated the Yankees this weekend. The coup de grace, the defining moment was this Jacoby Ellsbury's daring steal of home. So this morning as we enjoy spring like weather, we all walk with a bit of bounce in our steps, our hearts are a little lighter.  For now, economic worries are put aside, health concerns don't seem quite as daunting. Because the Red Sox are 10-0 in their last 10 and they've sent New York home with a big sweep. 

Never Lie To Your Mother

RG was emailed this joke today. It's so good, I had to share it with you:

Brian invited his mother over for dinner. During the course of the meal,

Brian's mother couldn't help but notice how beautiful Brian's roommate,
Jennifer, was. Brian's Mom had long been suspicious of the platonic
relationship between Brian and Jennifer, and this had only made her more 
curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she
started to wonder if there was more between Brian and Jennifer than met
the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Brian volunteered, 'I know what you must be

thinking, but I assure you Jennifer and I are just roommates.'

About a week later, Jennifer came to Brian saying, 'Ever since your
mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy

ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?'

Brian said, 'Well, I doubt it, but I'll send her an e-mail just to be
sure. So he sat down and wrote:

__________________________________________________________

 

Dear Mom,

I'm not saying that you 'did' take the gravy ladle from the house, I'm not
saying that you 'did not' take the gravy ladle. But the fact remains that
one has been  missing ever since you were here for dinner.

 

Love, Brian

__________________________________________________________

Several days later, Brian received an email back
from his mother that read:

____________________________________________________

Dear Son,

I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Jennifer, I'm not saying that you
'do not' sleep with Jennifer. But the fact remains that if Jennifer is
sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by
now.

Love, Mom

Around Maine

Recent news and neat stuff from Maine:

• Maine's Troop Greeters are a special group doing a special job.
  
• Our fair state begins begins debate on a gay marriage bill.
  Maine Lobstermen might find that less is more.
  
• Elizabeth Strout wins a Pulitzer Prize for her novel about Maine (and if you've not read the book, you should).  She's a native of Maine, who now teaches at Queens College in North Carolina (ht to Marie for that). If you've not read her book Abide With Me, you might consider that as well. 
• Frisbee's Market may have a local buyer.
• And finally, a lovely shot of the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Comfort Food

It's been a cold, gray spring and after a string of days like we've had I crave comfort food: beef stew, heavy starches, creamy soups--any food that can warm the bones and the soul.  But.....we're still on the weight loss program in preparation for the August wedding. Comfort food now has to be low(er) calorie.
So I found this recipe for Five Spice Chicken over at Epicurious.com and I was able to find the Chinese Five Spice Powder at our local Whole Foods.   It was delicious.  I served it with Lyonnais Potatoes, Chilled Asparagus with lemon and butter.  

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder*
• 1 cut-up chicken (8 pieces; about 3 1/2 pounds)
• 1 large onion, peeled, cut into 16 wedges

Preparation

Combine garlic, salt, olive oil, and Chinese five-spice powder in large bowl. Add chicken pieces; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange onion wedges in 13x9x2-inch roasting pan.

Arrange chicken, skin side up, atop onions. Roast until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Arrange chicken and onions on platter and serve.