Back-to-School Recipe Pool: Week 1

Welcome friends! Please make yourselves at home...

I'm delighted you're here to share in all of the food-loving and recipe sharing fun today! I'm so looking forward to each and every contribution, comment, and visit. I hope there will be something here to strike every one's fancy, and I imagine the selection will run the gamut.

Please feel free to browse, share, and enjoy. And don't forget to check back over the weekend to see what's been added...

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I've decided to get us started this morning with two new favorites -- as well as an old standby -- because I couldn't pick just one recipe. At least not for today's post.

Autumn Oatmeal
(inspired by a recipe from Deceptively Delicious)

1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canned pumpkin**
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsps. peanut butter
dried fruit, granola, maple syrup and/or nuts, for garnish

Combine milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in oatmeal. Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter, garnish and serve. (We like to garnish ours with dried cranberries, homemade granola, and a drizzle of maple syrup.)

** One 16 oz. can of pumpkin puree yields enough to make four batches of oatmeal. I freeze 1/4 cup portions in ziploc baggies and then defrost as needed to prepare the oatmeal. Just put a baggy in the fridge the night before or thaw it in a bowl of hot water in the morning.**

(CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE)

Caramel Dip
(based on a recipe from Recipezaar)

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate for an hour or more and enjoy with your favorite apple slices. If your apples of choice are particularly sweet, you may want to adjust the sugar content of the dip accordingly. (We usually enjoy ours with tart Granny Smiths.)

(CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE)

Pumpkin-Cranberry Biscotti

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt

2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries (or chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350º. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spice into a large bowl.

In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients together and add to the flour mixture. Add cranberries. Give everything a rough stir. The dough will be crumbly.

Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface. Knead dough gently until it softens a bit and is less crumbly. This usually takes just a minute or two. Lightly spray a baking sheet. Form the dough into a large log (about 15"x 6") and then place on the pan. Flatten gently with your hands to a thickness of 1/2" or so. Bake for 22-30 minutes until center is firm to the touch.

Let the biscotti cool for 15 minutes and then slice into 1" wide pieces using a serrated knife. Place the biscotti back on the pan and bake for another 20 minutes. When cool store in an airtight container. If you prefer very crisp biscotti, leave unwrapped overnight and then store.

(CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE)

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If you'd like to share a recipe (this week or in the future), just write up your post and link to it below. Feel free to snag the Recipe Pool photo above as well. And, if you don't mind, please mention that I'm hosting this carnival when you post. If you do not have a blog but would still like to participate, please feel free to leave your recipe in the comments section instead.

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Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you'll leave with something new to try. We'll do this again next week and I'd certainly love to have you back for more food-loving fall fun. Happy Weekend, every one!

Waiting ....

It's been an interesting week around here.

The kids have either been best buddies or arch enemies. We've had tears and giggles as well as squawking and belly laughs. We've had sweet unprompted sharing and we've had toy hogging and hoarding. We've had busy days and not-so-busy days. And we've had a lot of "How many more days until school?"

The waiting is becoming torturous -- especially now that Todd is back to school, preparing with a few teacher workshop days. The routine has changed just enough for everyone to be a little off as well as a little impatient. Including me.

And, last night, just when I was ready to head for the hills, I walked into the living room to see this:

And all was forgiven. Just. Like. That.

Coming Soon: Back-to-School Recipe Pool

Greetings, my friends!

Though in some ways it feels that summer has just arrived, the truth of the matter is that we are inching ever closer to autumn. Which means that summery salads and neighborhood cookouts will soon give way to comfort foods, lunch box goodies, crock pot favorites, after school snacks, go-to breakfasts, and hearty soups and stews. Yep. We'll be returning to these old friends very soon. And, if you're anything like me, you'd probably welcome a few new tried and true recipes to add to the mix this fall.

So ... to help each other along, I will be hosting the "Back-to-School Recipe Pool" here every Friday, starting on August 28th --which is this Friday. If you'd like to participate, simply write a post featuring one of your fall favorites, publish it, and then leave the link (we'll be using MckLinky) here with me. (Much like many of us do for Whatcha Working on Wednesday and other blog carnivals.) If you don't have a blog, but would like to share a recipe, feel free to leave it in the comments section. And if you'd like to use the "Back-to-School Recipe Pool" photo pictured above, you may copy and paste it into your post as well. Sound good?

I'm really looking forward to this new weekly staple and I hope you are too! Get those recipes ready ...

I'll see you all back here on Friday!

Savoring Summer

Oh my! School is just around the corner here in Midcoast Maine, and, like so many of you, we are doing our very best to soak up as much summertime goodness as possible. Whenever possible. Beach days, sleep overs, family gatherings, custard-eating, and whatever else strikes our fancy on a hot summer's day.

And to that end, we recently explored nearby Pineland Farms. What a wonderful place! Many of the farm's attributes can be enjoyed free of charge and, for a small fee, you can also enjoy a self-guided tour of the animal barns and pens. We investigated quite a bit while we were there. We even watched the dairy workers making cheese! (Which prompted us to bring some home from the on-site market.)

We will definitely return for more family fun -- especially since the farm offers recreational activities no matter the season. If you're close enough for a day trip, add the farm to your list of Must-See Maine Places. You'll be glad you did.

Posing near the heifer barn



Brendan's favorite "baby cow"



One of the farm's summertime boarders




One very curious hen




Making CHEESE...


From the on-site public garden:

And now we are racing ahead to the new (and yet comfortingly familiar) school time routine. Everyone is excited and ready. And I'm left wondering how it came to be that I now have a 3rd grader and an all-day kindergartner to send out into the world (across the street, actually) each morning, along with an almost two-year-old who will be my sole companion come September. I blinked and here we are. Amazing. And so bittersweet.

But I'm choosing to focus on the sweet part, knowing that the kids need to flex their wings once again. They adore school and the anticipation, quite frankly, is almost unbearable. They're ready to charge ahead -- even when I'd rather drag my feet just a little longer. They have things to accomplish, people to see, and so much to learn and share. And so do I. It's time...



Which brings me to a bit of fun we can all enjoy together come September. I've decided to host a Back-to-School Recipe Pool here each Friday, starting on August 28th. My intent is to provide an accessible way for all of us to share our favorite school time/fall recipes with each other.

I know I'm always on the lookout for the next family favorite. So if you have any go-to breakfast, snack, or dinner goodies to share ... get your recipes ready. I'll have more details for you this week.

In the meantime, soak up as much summertime sweetness as you can, my friends...

Simply Summer

To me, nothing says summer quite like fresh produce and simple evening meals -- especially when we're in the middle of a crazy hot heat wave and no one feels like cooking or sitting down to a big dinner.

So you can imagine my delight today when our CSA half share included (among many other goodies) almost all of the ingredients for one of our summertime favorites: Panzanella. We even scored some native corn as well, to serve alongside. What a deal!

Panzanella

(adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe)

3 T olive oil
1 loaf hearty/crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. sea salt
1 pt grape/cherry tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red (yellow or orange) pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, somewhat finely diced
1 block mozzarella, cubed
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Dressing:
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 T vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pan. Add bread and salt. Cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed. Set aside to cool.

Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, onion, basil, and mozzarella. Add the bread cubes and toss with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve now or let the flavors blend for 30 minutes or so.

And for those of you who are wondering where all of the crafting posts have gone, have no fear. As always, there is an ebb and flow to what's going on around here. Enjoying the last bursts of summer, getting the kids ready for school, and filling the chest freezer with breakfast and lunch box fare have taken over for now. I have been crafting a bit here and there, but there's nothing much to show just yet. And so, in the meantime, I'll gladly share what's filling our days: food, recipes, and snippets of summertime fun.

Enjoy your weekend, my friends ... and thanks, as always, for spending a measure of your day with us. If you're new here -- or have yet to leave a comment -- I'd love to hear from you!

Beautiful Bread

I often joke that we are a household of carbivores. What can I say? We love good, homemade bread. And so I'm forever on the lookout for a simple, tasty, and versatile go-to bread recipe.

Well, friends, I am delighted that my search is finally over!

This lovely recipe yielded two beautifully golden and scrumptious loaves -- with minimal effort, I might add. (We've thoroughly enjoyed the first loaf and the second is on deck in the freezer. Because even we carbivores have to pace ourselves. Once in a while any way.)

If you'd like to give Heather's recipe a try, please visit her here. You'll be so glad you did.

(And, Nina, if you're reading ... this one's for you!)

Stay cool if you can, my friends. Summer, it seems, has finally arrived!

Moody's Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins

Hello, my friends! How are you? Have you missed me?

Like so many of you, we've been busy here in Midcoast Maine -- hosting company (and preparing for more!), buying school supplies, enjoying some long-awaited summer sunshine ... along with a few more before summer ends adventures. It's always a scramble this time of year, isn't it? But in a good way. We're all anxious for the school year to begin ... and yet we still hope to squeeze in just a little more family fun before Brendan and I are left completely on our own come August 31st.

And since some things (like incredibly hungry children) remain constant -- even during the busiest of times -- I have our favorite blueberry muffin recipe to share with you today, along with a little information about a Maine institution: Moody's Diner. It's been a Vacationland fixture since 1927. That's right, folks. Since 1927.

If you've ever been to Maine, then you've probably heard of this place. Perhaps you've even been there a time or two. In all honesty, there is nothing remotely fancy about Moody's Diner, but the parking lot is always full, the pies are incredible, the waitresses call you "Hon," and breakfast is served all day long. Which is a real plus in our book. The food offerings hearken back to simpler times and you'll most likely enjoy a meal that Grandma used to make. If you take the time to enjoy the Moody's experience, that is. We haven't been by in quite some time, but it's definitely on our before summer ends "to do" list. Because it's been way too long. And breakfast for lunch is one of Connor's very favorite things ever.

In the meantime, we'll enjoy our muffins. The recipe comes straight out of the What's Cooking at Moody's Diner? cookbook -- which the Moody family published a few years ago. It's one part cook book (filled with diner and family favorites) and one part history lesson. It's actually a pretty engrossing read.

And so, if you find yourself in Maine, make the trip to Moody's. I hope you'll enjoy the simple homemade goodness -- along with a healthy dash of Maine hospitality.

If a Maine vacation is out of the question, you'll enjoy these muffins any way -- especially if you can get your hands on some real Maine blueberries:

Moody's Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins
(slightly tweaked -- with no offense to Grandma)

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a large bowl, combine oats and oj. Stir well and set aside. Add flour, sugar, oil, applesauce, egg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well to combine. Dust blueberries with flour and gently fold into batter. Spoon into greased muffin tins, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 400º for 18-22 minutes.

Whatcha Working on Wednesday

Though I don't want to wish summer away by any means (it's only just arrived here in Maine after all), I'm eagerly anticipating autumn -- my very favorite season. The colorful leaves and crisp air. Apple picking. Cider. Pumpkins. And more. After such a wet and dismal summer, I have high hopes for a fabulous fall.

So it's no surprise that my contribution to Whatcha Working on Wednesday this week is quite fall-ish. And fun:




And now I'm off to soak up a little more summertime goodness while it lasts. Maybe the kiddie pool will make an appearance after all this year. Hey, we can all hope, right?

Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Botanicals

We love living in Maine -- especially when sunshine, summertime, and overnight guests are added to the mix. It's certainly fun to explore and enjoy our state any time. But that pleasure is multiplied whenever we get to play tourist with friends and family who make a point of visiting this time of year.





And so we kicked off company season last week with a trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. This amazing collection of gardens, water structures, and ocean views gets bigger and better with age. Our friends (The Bests) were anxious to see it first-hand and so we drove up the coast. We were more than happy to oblige as it's one of our very favorite Maine places. Especially now that the new Sensory Garden is ready to explore.





Enjoy the many highlights and keep these beautiful botanicals in mind if you're planning a Maine Getaway. Better yet, if you live here in Maine, make time for a day trip. You'll be so glad you did!