Books and cooks

If you count yourself as both a foodie and a bookworm, then you should probably head down to next weekend’s Maine Cooks! event, set for 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at Mr. Paperback in Belfast. Four Maine authors will be on hand to talk about their Maine-centric cookbooks, as well as sign copies and offer up samples of some of the recipes featured in them. Martha Greenlaw will showcase treats from her book “Recipes From a Very Small Island,” which she co-wrote with her daughter, swordfishing celebrity and tough Maine cookie Linda Greenlaw. Cynthia Simonds of Down East Books will sign copies of “Fresh Maine Salads: Innovative Recipes from Appetizers to Dessert” and “Superb Maine Soups: Innovative Recipes from Simple to Sumptuous.” Brooke Dojny, author of “The New England Clam Shack Cookbook” and “Dishing Up Maine,” will be on hand, as will Sherri Eldridge, a Southwest Harbor resident who published “New England Summertime Cooking.” For more, call 338-2735. In the interest of full disclosure: Belfast Mr. Paperback manager Nancy Burnham is my mother. I swear, love of food and love of books are genetic.

Mmm, biscuits.

Not those greasy fast-food ones, and not those tasteless store-bought bricks; we’re talking fluffy, fresh-out-of-the-oven – covered in honey, butter, strawberries, cream, whatever – biscuits. Two Maine entrepreneurs, sisters Maureen Glidden and Marie Schmiedlehner of Parkman, introduced B&B Gourmet Biscuits in the fall of 2007, featuring 10 different premixed flavors of biscuits in zipped bags. Pour 1 cup of milk into the bag, knead, arrange biscuits on pan and bake. Voila! In less than 15 minutes: biscuits. The sisters, who make and distribute the mixes from their Piscataquis County business, had their product featured in Gift Shop magazine this month. B&B Gourmet Biscuits come in flavors such as orange vanilla, butterscotch, Parmesan cheddar, potato leek and Southwestern. For more, or to order a mix, visit www.bbgourmetbiscuits.com.

Fair food

This weekend brings us the Common Ground Fair, scheduled for Sept. 19-21 at the Unity Fairgrounds. While there’s a plethora of interesting things to see there, from the sheepdog trials to the vast array of booths from nonprofit, environmental and social justice organizations, let’s not forget what’s always one of the best parts of any fair: the food! The Common Ground Fair always has a few unique treats each year, aside from the usual array of wraps, fried stuff and falafel. Fair-goers this year should seek out items like Mike McFarlane’s Bog Jooce, an astoundingly delicious juice blend made in Ellsworth. There’s also the amazing Pie Cone, a treat from Freedom that involves a pie crust in the shape of a cone, pie filling, cream (iced or not), chocolate, peanut butter, an assortment of other fillings – the point is, it’s yummy. Androscoggin Apple Co.’s organic apple cider and lamb wraps, straight from a farm in Greene, are Maine-made delights. Oh, and one more thing: Two years ago I had a pumpkin milkshake from some food vendor at the fair. It was so good, I sometimes dream about it. Sadly, I cannot remember from whom I bought it. Mystery milkshake maker: reveal thyself! For more, visit www.mofga.org/thefair.

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