A New Year - and a New Season

A New Year - and a New Season

Yes, again it's that magic time of the year, between the Christmas holidays and mud season ... a Maine winter! And although we have had only about enough snow this winter yet to track a Woozle (see above ...) it's dark and it's cold, and it's blowing - and it's coming. Whatever it turns out to be.  I think I'd prefer a Woozle.

It's also - because the calendar page has turned - a New Year, and that requires some looking back and wondering forward. Photos will help.

Fall was glorious this year -the colors! The temperate weather! I managed to spend Halloween in Maine, and the entryway was primed to be a magnet for young candy-seekers:

Pumpkins, mums, and lanterns - and even a few geraniums hanging on from the summer!

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November was all about concerts, harvesting trees, and preparation for Thanksgiving. We had to postpone the family dinner because of an early storm that brought 8 inches of heavy snow and made roads treacherous on the day before the holiday. No matter! We celebrated an intimate dinner on the Day, and enjoyed a family gathering on Saturday.

Table set for an intimate Thanksgiving Day dinner. The family dinner table was no less beautiful but much more crowded!

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Paul had helped cut, sort, and bale the harvest on his family's Christmas tree farm in mid-November. He brought home our (gorgeous) Christmas tree, as well as a lovely vireo's nest he discovered in a lane nearby the farm. Here it is:

Vireo nest. To be placed in the Christmas tree!

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The snow that fell just before Thanksgiving brought down a number of branches from our white pines, and provided some early Christmas decor for the front step!

Downed branches from a white pine form the basis of a Christmas decoration for the entryway.

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The snow, in the beginning, also frosted the stone seat and birdbath on the back patio:

Early in the snowstorm - just a light frosting!

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Our Christmas tree went up late, as our annual weekend in Boston came at the end of the semester and the middle of the month. But when it went up, it was the best ever! (as per usual ...). Here is a photo of the ornament that my good friend Cathy Sky sent this year. She finds ornaments of astonishing beauty each year, and our tree is full of her marvelous, and generous, gifts.

A wonderful wire ornament! How inventive. 

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Here are a couple of other shots of Christmas decor around the house. First, a gorgeous pink poinsettia:

Poinsettia. More pixellated than I'd hoped the shot to be ... no, I really keep the hall table better dusted than it looks!

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And my grand trumpeting angel on the mantel:

Large angel sculpture - about 3.5 feet tall! The wings and trumpet are gilded.

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An Arrangement

And last - one of my favorite gifts, from my dear friend Mary Mathis. She has a marvelous eye for blown glass, and this small but beautifully designed vase will be just right for my desk. But here, filled with sea lavender and set on a crisp white tablecloth, it absolutely glows:

Small blown glass vase and sea lavender, left over from the Christmas centerpiece

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Some seasonal recipes

Everyone has a favorite holiday recipe or two. I seem to have too many. When December rolls around, I delight in getting out the carefully-saved issues of Gourmet and the specialized cookbooks and idea-filled publications. Their suggestions and my tried-and-true favorites would fill a cookbook, by themselves (now, THERE's an idea ...!) But instead of the indulgences of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, I will instead offer here my most welcome cookbook find of the past couple of months, as well as a delicious and easy citrus dessert from the annals of Gourmet.

(and I'll keep thinking about that Christmas cookbook!)

The first recipe comes from a venerable source, the Southern Junior League Cookbook. My copy has a bit of a tale associated with it. Sometime in 2012 or 2013 (and I will have to look it up to find when) the food magazine Bon Appetit (a poor substitute for Gourmet, but there's slim pickings in the food magazine offerings right now) ran a kind of snarky-hip article about its writers' favorite ... food things. One such thing was the Southern Junior League Cookbook. Now, the cookbook had long been on my radar. I'd run into lots of copies at very reasonable prices at my favorite used book shops, but never had succumbed. It's actually a compendium of a number of publications produced by this particular women's club all over the American south. It contains - as you might expect - the curious mixture of "gracious" entrees (of the chafing-dish variety), cocktail nibbles, outlandish desserts and convenience meals that seem to inhabit most cookbooks produced for school or church fund-raisers. But this book also has some unique and even bizarre recipes.

So this snarky article raved about the cookbook, and I thought to myself - why not? Maybe now is the time to add it to my collection. And I went to peruse several used-book sites to order a copy.

Well. The magazine had to have been on the newsstands for several weeks before I got around to reading this story, and suddenly every used copy of this cookbook (hardback or paperback) was listed at astronomical prices. There was a copy offered on eBay for over $500.00. The better-preserved used copies on Alibris ran up to over $1000.00. Had THAT many people read the article? Hard to believe ... but still.

I placed an order for a book that was listed at a reasonable price on one of the sites - and was informed, after the order had been accepted, that the copy had already been sold. The same thing happened three more times.  Okay, sez I, the book will have to wait.

And wait it did, until this September, when I ventured back on to Alibris to check out the listings for the Southern Junior League Cookbook again. Lo and behold! I could get a very good copy for about $3.00. The craze had passed - and the book was mine.

It's as good as I'd hoped. Real  - um - meaty bedside reading!! And I found a recipe that I just HAD to try: something called Saxapahash. What in the world? It's basically a baked pasta dish with sour cream added.  I can find no etymology for the name on Google, but it is awfully intriguing. Of course, the name became Saxaphone Hash as soon as I made it and served it to my visiting brother-in-law and his wife. But it all got eaten - in a hurry!  You must try it:

Saxaphone Hash (or Saxapahash, from the Southern Junior League Cookbook)

Brown 1 pound of ground chuck in a large skillet, and pour off the liquid water and fat. To the beef, add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. sugar, a couple of shakes of garlic salt (Penzey's is the best), and a 15-oz. can of tomato sauce, and simmer the mix for about 10 minutes. Chop 6 scallions (the white and light green parts) and blend into 1 cup sour cream and about 4 oz. softened cream cheese. Cook 8 oz. small shaped pasta, such as small shells or elbow macaroni, and drain. In a buttered casserole dish (such as a 13" x 9" baking pan) spread half the cooked pasta, followed by half the cream-cheese mixture, and topped by half of the meat mixture. Repeat the layering. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

A winter salad of - say - escarole, red onion, and oranges would make an excellent accompaniment to this simple and delicious hot dish.

But what to have for dessert? Here's a recent find from my precious stash of preserved Gourmet magazines. It's simple and quick, as well as delicious:

Orange Sour Cream Cake (from Gourmet, January 2004)

Cream 1 stick softened butter with 3/4 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add 4 tsp. grated orange rind, and 2 eggs (one at a time), beating after each addition. Mix in 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice.  Mix in 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Mix only until just combined, and pour into a buttered 8" -square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle the top with 10x sugar before serving.

Here's to a bright New Year, full of possibilities! Even if we have to make it through a Maine winter first ...

 

Third Week in August

Late August already - and turning the corner towards the start of the new academic year, and the fresh season of autumn.  This time of year is always really difficult for me.  On the one hand, I am looking forward to the feeling of renewal and purpose that the beginning of the semester instills, along with the new rhythms of the academic schedule. There is a heady feeling to it - almost as if anything is possible and every day can being new accomplishment and fulfillment.

But then there is the letting go of summer. And that is what is hard.

Leaving Southern Maine is leaving home. There is no mistaking that. Taking up life (for most of the week, anyway) in the city is exhilarating, but my soul resides in Kennebunk, off Mill Street.

The last couple of weeks of August must therefore be celebrated.

And that's exactly what happened, at the end of the week! Paul and I went off to Cummington, Massachusetts to visit family, to renew acquaintance with his family farm, and (most of all) to enjoy the Cummington Fair!

The Fair is almost 150 years old, and still going strong. It's at once a celebration of agricultural life and an end-of-summer revel, complete with corny entertainment, a cheesy midway, and tons of junk food. Fresh french fries with malt vinegar are a must, as is soft-serve ice cream and greasy sandwiches.  The oxen and horse draws are prime attractions. The soft bleats of the sheep and moos of the cows in the barns during the daytime give way to the crashes and screams of the crowd at the nightly demolition derbies. The antique tractor and car parade draws the largest crowds of all, it seems. What fun!!

The first day of classes is still days and days away.  There's still time to enjoy the green hills and blue cloud-filled skies, or the pop of a campfire as the stars appear overhead. Time to wish on a shooting star and listen for the hoot of an owl. Time to eat and laugh and relax in the shelter of family.

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Some of the color of the Cummington Fair

Looking east from the farm. The glow of the sunset on the opposite side of the sky is reflected in the clouds.

The Garden

This week's best flowers

These aren't from my garden, but they are certainly lovely. This is a border of bright zinnias at the observation building on Mt. Sugarloaf, in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.

The phlox in bloom.

Lovely roses, in my favorite color, in their second bloom.

Not a lot going on in the garden at the moment, so here is a shot of my pet orchid, a phalaenopsis, which has recently come into bloom again. These blooms will last weeks if I'm careful not to overwater the plant.

Blue lobelia continues to bloom in a Nantucket basket on the porch.

It's clear fall is coming! Small pansies are beginning to bloom again in the midst of the salad greens in this blue bowl.

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An arrangement of backyard flowers: 

For this large arrangement, I chose a shallow birchbark container, fitted with a glass bowl. Since sunflowers and hydrangea are heavy, I used a chunk of well-soaked Oasis and taped it securely into the glass bowl. I keep a block of Oasis around for those times when flowers need to be well-anchored in their container.  In addition to the white hydrangeas and golden "teddy bear" sunflowers, I used two small ears of sweet corn, partially shucked,  from my miniature corn patch as accents. The lines of the arrangement are defined by branches of white rose of sharon (which look and smell like small gardenias) and the linear, airy blooms of clethra, or sweet pepper bush.

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Recipes for the Week

Gourmet: A Love Story 

The demise of the venerable, splendid, food and lifestyle magazine Gourmet in November of 2009, has been widely mourned, but allow me to add a belated tear or two more to the general lamentation. I loved that magazine. I first encountered it when I lived in what amounted to a rooming house for young women in Boston's Back Bay, when I attended medical/grad school. I was cat-sitting for a neighbor whilst she vacationed in France one spring, and I soon was spending all my free time on her couch (far more comfy than mine) reading her collection of back issues of Gourmet. The magazine changed my entire approach to cooking. Cooking was, until that time, a necessity - something I did two or three times a day to feed my Dad and two brothers, when I still lived at home. But Gourmet slyly suggested that cooking could be more: luxurious, sensuous, an activity that offered the possibility of creativity and accomplishment. Okay, I'm in. 

After my first marriage, I subscribed to Gourmet as a gift to myself and my new husband. My subscription never ended, but my December 2009 issue just - well - never came. It was as if a trusted friend had passed away. 

I have saved many of my favorite issues. Not all - that would be foolish - but many. And every month, I look forward once again to the Gourmet invitation to the culinary life, well-lived. Here's a menu from this summer's back issues. All three recipes are easy and  - yes - luxurious and sensuous. Enjoy. 

Basil Caesar Salad:  Cut several pieces of leftover bread (ciabatta works well) into chunks. Toss the bread chunks with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and salt, and bake in a 375 degree oven until crusty. Stir the croutons once or twice while they are baking.  Meanwhile, process one garlic clove in a food processor until it's chopped. Add one egg, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. anchovy paste, 1 cup chopped basil, and 1/2 cup chopped parsley. Process, and with the motor running, drizzle 6 Tbsp. olive oil into the bowl. Process basil dressing until emulsified. Chop heads of romaine lettuce, and toss lettuce with croutons, dressing, and 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Salmon with Citrus-Yogurt Sauce:  For sauce, mix 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp. water, 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, 1 tsp. fresh orange juice, 1 tsp. grated lime zest, 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest, 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp. honey.  This sauce is superb with any grilled or baked fish!  Grill or slow-roast one large salmon filet or four salmon steaks, and serve with the sauce.  For slow-roasting (a superior way of cooking salmon, in my opinion), rub the fish with olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Cover the fish tightly with foil, and roast in a pre-heated 300 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the filets. The fish should be opaque, but should not be dry.

Raspberry (or Blueberry) Buttermilk Cake:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and buter and flour one 9-inch round cake pan. Whisk together 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. fine salt.  Cream 1 stick softened butter and 2/3 cup granulated sugar until fluffy and pale-colored. A stand mixer will do this best. Beat in 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and then 1 large egg. Add flour mixture alternately with 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Scrape into prepared pan, and scatter 1 cup fresh raspberries (or blueberries) over the top. Sprinkle fruit with 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 25 to 30 mintes. Cool slightly, and (if possible) serve while still warm. 

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Late August Repose