Month: November 2009

Cookie Swaps

| Posted in Events, Uncategorized, Cooking

Meredith Goad’s article in today’s Press Herald catalogs the 3 types of cookie bakers and interviews Julia Usher, author of Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year.

When it comes to holiday cookies, there are three types of bakers.

The first type sticks to an old family recipe like Taylor Swift trying to hold onto the microphone at the VMA Awards.

The second type is more like Adam Lambert at the American Music Awards — always pushing the envelope with something new and more, um, challenging.

The third type is like a karaoke performer. These folks buy pre-mixed, pre-sliced cookies in the grocer’s freezer, pop them in the oven, and they’re done. They like to call themselves singers, but they’re not fooling anyone but themselves.

Do you want to participate in a cookie swap? Rabelais is holding a cookie swap and book signing with Julia Usher this Sunday.

Leftover Wine

| Posted in Cooking

The blogosphere will soon be awash in articles providing advice on what to do with leftover turkey. The Portland Daily Sun has taken a different tack. An article in Tuesday’s paper polled a number of local experts on what to do with leftover wine.

Erin Lynch, the kitchen manager at Rosemont Market and Bakery, recommends using leftover wine to poach pears or dried fruit.

“Add a vanilla bean and some sugar to make a delicious wine sauce,” she suggested. “We use red wine in our pasta sauce and red wine is also what turns an ordinary beef stew into Boeuf Bourguignon.”

Four Season Farming Editorial

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald has published an editorial extolling virtues of local farms operating year round.

The demand for locally grown produce distributed at year-round farm-stands, farmers markets and community-supported agriculture share systems provide enough income to support the greenhouse building and heating bills that extend the growing season.

The interest in local food is good for both the farmers and their customers.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events

Monday—The weekly Piatto per Tutti cooking class and Foodie Trivia Contest are taking place tonight.
Wednesday—The Monument Square Farmers’ Market takes places in the morning. Brewer Rob Todd will be at The Great Lost Bear for their annual Allagash Showcase which takes place each year on the night before Thanksgiving. They plan on serving a “huge line-up of Allagash rarities cask conditioned and Allagash White”.
Thursday—Several restaurants are holding special Thanksgiving Day dinners: Black Point Inn, Eastland Park Hotel, Eves at the Garden, Sea Glass Restaurant, Twenty Milk Street and Verillo’s. North Star is hosting a potluck dinner.
Sunday—A cookie swap and book signing with Julia Usher author of Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year is scheduled at Rabelais Books. Bring a couple dozen cookies to swap and trade with others.

This Week’s Events

| Posted in Events

Monday—The weekly Piatto per Tutti cooking class and Foodie Trivia Contest are taking place tonight.

Wednesday—The Monument Square Farmers’ Market takes places in the morning. Brewer Rob Todd will be at The Great Lost Bear for their annual Allagash Showcase which takes place each year on the night before Thanksgiving. They plan on serving a “huge line-up of Allagash rarities cask conditioned and Allagash White”.

Thursday—Several restaurants are holding special Thanksgiving Day dinners: Black Point Inn, Eastland Park Hotel, Eves at the Garden, Sea Glass Restaurant, Twenty Milk Street and Verillo’s. North Star is hosting a potluck dinner.

Sunday—A cookie swap and book signing with Julia Usher author of Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year is scheduled at Rabelais Books. Bring a couple dozen cookies to swap and trade with others.