How does your basil grow? Lisabetta’s grew lush and vibrant, fertilized with bloodshed and a broken heart. In a tale from “The Decameron,” young Lisabetta fell hard for hired hand Lorenzo, whom her brothers then promptly slew. Well, lost love can make you crazy: Lisabetta… Read More
When we first met, he skipped formalities and promptly swiped my face with his tongue. My heart swooned and my soul smiled. I was delirious, falling-down-drunk on puppy love. Soon, though, the realities of parenting a pooch solo set in. Gone are the indulgent days… Read More
Sometimes, hope comes in a cone. For several years now, creameries worldwide have been serving up scoops of libido boosters, touting their varied concoctions as “Viagra ice cream.” Deflated Don Juans in Venezuela can indulge in an herb-infused frozen fix-it, while the legendarily virile Italians can up the… Read More
Yet another political scandal has boiled over. Tagged “Recipegate,” the latest incident involved ahi tuna, passion fruit mousse, and Republican arm candy Cindy McCain. After being touted as “Cindy’s own” on the official campaign Web site, the “McCain Family Recipes” were discovered to have been… Read More
He’s been lurking in the shadows for weeks, leering, a smirk curled across his lips. Slow and serpentine, he slithers closer. I feel his breath upon my neck. It’s warm and sweet, like chocolate-covered sin. A shifty dealer of indulgence, he lures me with a… Read More
Poised in a power struggle, Poseidon challenged Athena to bestow the mortals a most useful gift. Thinking himself clever, he sprung a saltwater spring. But it was Athena’s present that proved precious: from the rocky, sun-scorched terrain she instantly cultivated an olive tree. Athens was named in her… Read More
Don’t let my name fool you. While my paternal ties are Celtic knots, I was raised by my mother’s family, an extended Italian-American clan of aunts, uncles and innumerable cousins. For us, food is more than just sustenance. It’s the joyous, sacred communion of family and tradition. Read More
The maple farm was organic, its inhabitants inexplicably happy hippies. Their free-range sprites played hide-and-seek among the trees, which had galvanized buckets strapped to their trunks. I could almost hear the drip-drip of springtime in Maine. A soft-focused daydream of cashing in conformity’s complexities for… Read More
Navigating the aisles as if to avoid land mines, my resolve is fortified as I bypass an army of megamuffins, a coalition of bread and brie. My cart is stockpiled with weapons of mass reduction: lettuce, apples, broccoli, bananas. I’ve declared jihad on the enemy, 10 menacing pounds… Read More
A few weeks ago, Ashley Alexandra Dupre skyrocketed to sex scandal infamy when news of a $4,000 tryst drop-kicked “Client-9” to his gubernatorial grave. Whether she’s a victim of a patriarchal society which feasts on female subjugation or a bikini-clad post-feminist piranha is not for me to theorize. Read More
The Irish are a lively people, a culture rich with poets and politics, scholars and song. Inventors of the stethoscope and a submarine that didn’t sink, we also blessed humanity with the genius of James Joyce and Van Morrison’s blue-eyed soul. We even managed to single-handedly save civilization… Read More
Until recently, I was a rebel without a cause. Bankrupt of beliefs, pathetically apolitical, unable to stand for anything. But I’ve finally found something worth raging against: canned brown bread, the bastard child of baked goods. I stumbled upon this strange staple of New England… Read More
Nothing says romance quite like a beheaded Roman priest. With apologies to naive romantics everywhere, St. Valentine wasn’t a fat-faced cherub who rendered couples love-struck with an oddly enjoyable arrow to the left ventricle. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
Remember when the best part of waking up was Folger’s in your cup? Now it’s frappuccinos, macchiatos, and cafe mochas – with or without the “whip.” And if being overwhelmed with mildly foreign, slightly sadistic choices isn’t bad enough, you may also wind up flat… Read More
Howling and wild-eyed, January kicked down the door, a trail of sooty snow behind him. He opened the freezer, gulped Stoli straight from the bottle, and grumbled that he’s not leaving anytime soon. Yet like most misanthropes, January hides a few soft spots. Did you… Read More
Kate in ’08. That has been my mantra for the past several weeks. See, 2007 was disastrous for me, complete with fender benders, lost luggage, hospital rooms, three moving trucks, two thefts and a liar for a lover. Yet, somehow, I survived and am now… Read More
I grew up in the ’70s and spent my childhood amused by toys that would now be considered child endangerment. My favorite was the Sit ‘N Spin. After whirling like a pint-sized dervish, I’d stumble around in a dizzy delirium before collapsing on the kitchen… Read More
‘Tis the season I dread. And it’s not only because of cheery, cider-swilling carolers. Nor can I blame the bell ringers who simultaneously annoy-slash-guilt you into surrendering loose change. My deficit of holiday spirit is due to the exhausting search for the Perfect Gift. As… Read More
Another one bites the dust. I’ll skip the specifics, as the basic ingredients of any breakup are the same. A slab of sadness seared with anger makes for a fine feast of self-pity. Scalding, I know, but I’ve risen from the ashes of enough incinerated… Read More
FRANKLIN – Linda Hoglund knows stuffing. The Franklin woman has been cooking up a Maine seafood stuffing for family holidays for a decade and now hopes to serve her Down East family’s seafood stuffing live on national TV to celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
I lack “life skills.” I can’t drive a stick shift or do long division. The metric system leaves me befuddled, as does the Electoral College. My Spanish hovers below remedial and I am easily confused by a compass. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Inn good taste Calling all vegetarians: Fiddlehead Inn, a vegetarian bed-and-breakfast, has opened in Brewer. Innkeeper Saundra Haley will offer her guests a selection of egg-based dishes – scrambled with watercress, goat cheese and fresh herbs, for example – as well as soy meat substitutes,… Read More
There is nothing sexier than cooking. Not the lightly scented nape of your lover’s neck or a shapely stiletto. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
Editor’s Note: Kitchen Vixen is a new biweekly column by BDN photographer Kate Collins. When the world hands you blueberries, make sangria. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
Michelle’s Brown Bag Cafe 164 Main St., Bar Harbor googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
STONINGTON – The food writer Molly O’Neill was tugging meat out of a lobster claw the other night in the kitchen of the Community of Christ Church. Dick Bridges, a lobster fisherman from nearby Sunset, was standing next to her explaining his recipe for lobster chowder. Water, potatoes,… Read More
Blue Hill Food Co-Op and the Cafe Main Street, Blue Hill, 374-2165 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Chase’s Restaurant 193 Main St. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Rock’s Family Diner West Main Street googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
115 Elm St., Route 1 Camden, 236-7722 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Coastal Coffee 25 East Main St. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
York’s Dairy Bar North Road, Houlton googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
McLaughlin Seafood takeout 728 Main St., Bangor googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Mother’s Kitchen Route 102, Town Hill, Bar Harbor (next to Salsbury Hardware) googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Perrihouse 735 Main St., Bangor googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Center General Store Route 52, Lincolnville Center googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Both Kyra Alex and Brooke Dojny have annual celebratory dinner parties. Alex’s is on Deer Isle in the spring and features homemade May wine. Dojny’s is in Sedgwick in the summer. She calls it a “mussel mania” and cooks pot after pot of food. If you receive an… Read More
Editor’s Note: Lunch is a relatively inexpensive way to enjoy a real treat. In the coming months, we’ll highlight some of our favorite noontime noshes here in the Lunch Box. We dine anonymously, but we welcome suggestions about your favorite lunch spots. Send them to lunchbox@bangordailynews.net. Read More
Money, sex, children and the remote control may be the top argument points in your household. But not in mine. At least not on cake-baking days. When the oven is set to preheat and the beaters are spinning away in the batter, one question is… Read More
Editor’s Note: Here at the Bangor Daily News, we love to eat. And our work takes us all over Maine, which means we’ve eaten our way through the state – from tucked away hot dog stands to fine-dining oases – one meal at a time. Speaking of meals,… Read More
Memorial Day weekend heralds the beginning of summer here in Maine. For many families, it is a time to remember our roots. Baskets of flowers are taken to the cemeteries, parades commemorate our veterans and the streets are decorated with striped banners and flags. Camps are opened up… Read More
We have been in spice cake heaven. Nine recipes came in, and what a beauty contest it was. But first: We have a couple of apologies and corrections to take care of. First off, I added 1 more cup of sour milk than necessary to… Read More
Dana’s Grill at Dockside 100 Marina Road, Hampden googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Several months ago – mid-April it was – Cindy Dines of Rockland asked for a caramel taffy recipe. And several months ago, Ruth Thurston of Machias sent along a recipe for caramels, that, she wrote, “was given to me by my brother-in-law from Michigan in 1952.”… Read More
Recalling the New England summers of her childhood, food and travel writer Linda Dannenberg says, she thinks of blueberries. “I can still smell my mother’s lattice-topped blueberry pies cooling on our screened back porch, and taste the plump and tender sugar-topped blueberry muffins that we… Read More
Fine dining on the mess deck may sound like a contradiction, but not for the U.S. Coast Guard crews stationed in Southwest Harbor. Sure, Sloppy Joes and Rice Crispy Treats appear on the menu. But so do Pan-Seared Salmon with Avocado Dip, Tequila Lime Chicken, and Poached Pears… Read More
Many people stay at Rockland’s inns to relax. They come for the breakfasts, the whirlpool bathtubs, the romantic fireplaces. But some guests have their eyes on the pies. Especially at the Berry Manor Inn, where a fresh pie in the guest pantry is one of… Read More
When Mark Rampacek worked as a chef at The Four Seasons in Boston, he would get excited when the premium produce arrived. The vegetables came in small, deluxe boxes, and he wouldn’t have to peel away most of the romaine to get tender leaves. Now… Read More
While Maria Baeza was growing up in Brooklyn, there were two constants in her life: beans and rice. Every night, her mother would cook up meat and some combination of the two – either mixed together or served separately. The latter was young Maria’s favorite, because, that way,… Read More
Nothing says summer in a louder voice than a watermelon. Especially come the Fourth of July. To see the fruit split wide on a picnic table, glistening with freshness, is to want to immerse yourself in it like a glinting tarn. The succulent red is as inviting as… Read More
Months had gone by since I had seen my friends and here we were in the dead of winter. The time was perfect for a soiree. Except it wasn’t. When I called with an invitation for dinner at our house, my girlfriend answered the phone with a low,… Read More
When I was a little girl, my mother read all the women’s magazines – Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, and the occasional Ladies Home Journal. Every December, they’d feature elaborate gingerbread houses, mansions really, with “slate” roofs made of Necco Wafers, stained-glass windows made of melted lollipops,… Read More
If you are anything like me, you wait all year for pfeffern?sse to show up in the local markets at Christmastime. Infused with cinnamon, cloves and orange, these spicy cookies – literally “peppernuts” – are the very taste of Christmas. That’s because they come from Germany, also known… Read More
Festive treats You could just skip the turkey and head straight for dessert. Crate & Barrel makes it easy with its collection of six fall cookie cutters and “decoratifs,” which is fancy for “sprinkles.” The cookie cutters come in taffy apple, pie slice, scarecrow, pilgrim… Read More
My first mouthwatering experience with tarts was in a pastry shop in France. We were visiting my cousin and had stopped to pick up dessert for the evening meal. The glass cases had rows and rows of these exquisite works of edible art. Every fruit topping imaginable was… Read More
You say tomato, I say Orange Banana. But let’s not call the whole thing off. At Rogers Farm in Stillwater, tomato and Orange Banana are one and the same. And that’s only one of 36 heirloom varieties ripening on the vines, with ice-cream-shop names such as Peppermint, Broad… Read More
Ask virtually anyone. When it comes to talking about Mom’s cooking, faces light up. Voices become animated. Everyone, it seems, has a favorite dish and fond memories of the events surrounding it. Reminiscing about Mom’s home cooking can take us back to our childhood, to… Read More
Kristina King has a new challenge. Actually, she has two. The top pie maker in the statewide apple pie contest held in January by the Maine Department of Agriculture now must bake another prizewinning pie for the 20th annual New England Apple Pie Championship in… Read More
Our first meal with Harry Kaiserian wasn’t at his Castine home. It was at the house of mutual neighbors who invited several families for a winter’s feast. Harry had been announced as the top cook for the evening. The hosts would also be in the kitchen, as would… Read More
Fresh blueberries are in season and their plenty suggests summery desserts – light, fruity and simple. Dessert Waffles with Spiced Blueberry Sauce is an easy idea to try, combining the waffles’ crispness with creamy frozen yogurt and a spicy sauce. Blueberry-Orange Dessert Sauce is a… Read More
Darlene Croply, a soft-spoken grandmotherly woman, raised seven children on a farm with a deep commitment to using only healthy, pure food. “When we were young,” her son, Reggie Bickford, said recently, recalling life on the farm in Mercer, “we ground our own flour, cooked… Read More
The Spring Street Cafe in Belfast is a little different from Oliver Outerbridge’s first restaurant. For starters, it seats more than four. It isn’t in a treehouse. And you don’t need a boat or a ladder to get there. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Let me be frank. I love hot dogs. LOVE ’em. Yes, I know what’s in them, and no, I don’t care. Usually, I’m a mild-mannered food journalist whose taste tends toward the frou-frou. But put a hot dog smothered in mustard and celery salt in… Read More
At this time every year, mothers, grandmothers and special aunts have the luxurious opportunity to bask in well-deserved showers of affection from their family and friends. As my children have grown, each Mother’s Day I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of lovingly crafted cards and unique gifts. Their tiny… Read More
Make it red. Make it white. Make it clear. Make it with veal if you want. Just don’t call it soup. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
In the decade they’ve spent tapping the century-old sugar maples that surround their seaside organic farm, Jon Ellsworth and Jennifer Schroth have become syrup connoisseurs. “I haven’t even eaten Aunt Jemima since we’ve been doing it. I wouldn’t buy it if it were the last… Read More
Having had a meat-and-potatoes upbringing where lasagna was considered exotic, I feel pretty darn cosmopolitan about the fact that I even eat sushi. Creating the delicate little bites of seafood, paper-thin vegetables, rice and ingredients that you can’t even buy north of Bangor was unquestionably… Read More