Every year in January we have an artistic project here on Deer Isle known as Fun-A-Day. The premise is simple: participants pick a project like take a photograph, paint a series of pictures, create a
The year 2020 is big for Maine, as we’ll be celebrating our 200th birthday year as an independent state (no longer part of Massachusetts!) Even though we know the indigenous peoples of Maine have been
At a recent Deer Isle pot-luck supper, I enjoyed the most delicious stuffed mushroom caps. They were golden, bite-sized morsels, perfectly cooked, with a nice and buttery, garlicy and clam flavor. And so easy to
We’re enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday in Ithaca, New York, visiting with our daughter Emily and son-in-law Kent. It’s a break from the clan tradition of feasting at my mother’s family homestead in Norway, Maine. No
Looking for something new, exciting and festive for your family’s Thanksgiving dinner? How about chutney? A spiced fruit condiment whose origin food historians have traced back to 500 BC in India, chutneys were an early
Makes 18 muffins
My sister Jennifer Wixson and her husband Stanley Luce of Troy, Maine, are diversified farmers who raise Scottish Highland beef cattle, tend beehives, and cultivate a wide variety of fruit, including cranberries. This has been
We Mainers love our coleslaw; Saturday night baked beans and hot biscuits with coleslaw, traditional lobster feeds with a side of creamy coleslaw, corned beef sandwiches bursting with slaw, even at barbeques and picnics, a
Autumn is a festive time here at Rabbit Hill. My dining room table is decorated with trays of elongated yellow and red striped Blush tomatoes, “heavy-in-the-hips”, blood red Goldman’s Italian American tomatoes, and plump processing
There is an abundance of fruit this fall; apple trees are lush with ruby red orbs, bright orange pumpkins and squash decorate prickly vines, deep purple blackberries line the woods, and peach trees are bowing
My corn patch was truly a work of art this summer; regal, tall stalks almost 7 feet high in a neat 10- foot by 12- foot patch with five rows of 12 plants. The variety,
We can thank the French for the golden brown, crispy and savory casserole known as “gratin.” This comforting dish, often featuring potatoes, is assembled in a heavy, shallow pan, topped with combinations of butter, cheese
“When life gives me cucumbers, I make pickles!” -Chef Cheryl answering a kindergartner’s question. The cucumber season is at full tilt, and friends have “gifted” me with over 60 pounds of pickling cucumbers. Bright green,
FINALLY IT’S SUMMER IN MAINE! Since the 4th of July, we’ve been enjoying warm sunny days, brilliant blue skies, and balmy, starry nights. For those of us that wait 10 months for its coming, summer
It’s strawberry pickin’ season! There is nothing more delicious than a sun-ripened sweet strawberry just plucked from the vine. I’ve been picking twice now, treating my family and friends to perfectly ripe, juicy red berries,
My foodie adventures started over four decades ago in southern California when my Aunt Sharon moved from her east coast apartment in Washington, D. C. to sunny Pasadena. For years, my annual visits were centered
The inspiration for Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms comes from my friend Sandy Oliver, food writer and historian, who lives on Isleboro and writes a column for the Bangor Daily News. Like me, Sandy has
Rhubarb Crisp is one of our family’s favorite springtime desserts. Ruby red chunks of fresh rhubarb are combined with Maine maple syrup, covered with a topping of rolled oats, coconut, brown sugar and butter, and
In the late 19th century, crabs were only enjoyed directly along the east and west coasts of the United States. Often found in the traps of lobster fishermen, these crustaceans were considered quite dangerous, as
There is nothing more welcoming in spring than a clump of fresh chives. The smallest species of the onion genus, Allium Schoenoprasum, chives are a choice edible herb, and the only Allium native both to
When I visit my cookbook assortment seeking culinary inspiration, the nearly 100 year-old Girl Scout chant sung around the campfire, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold,” reminds
Do you ever get a hankering for certain foods, like a cup of steaming hot soup on a cold and drizzly day, the silky smooth and rich taste of chocolate ice cream, the salty crunch
The elegant, puffed and golden soufflé is considered the prima donna of the culinary world. The classic egg at its magnificent best: golden yolks enriching a delicious savory or sweet base sauce, and stiffly beaten
In her book, “The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book”, Laurel Robertson writes, “the very best way to learn to bake bread is to bake often, alongside someone who is really good at it, with lots of
