Pie-O-Rama: Homemade Cherry Pie

It has been well documented that I suck at baking (see failed cheesecake, failed pavlova, failed cookies).  But I was bound and determined to make a good pie for this month's Pie-o-rama.

Several Portland food bloggers publish collaborative reviews on a theme every month; this month was pie. Just pie. Simple. 

I decided to make a cherry pie from fresh cherries - something I don't think I've ever had before. 

And I did it! I'm so proud. 

I learned that baking really takes time and commitment. If you have all of the ingredients and equipment on hand and don't expect it to come together in an hour, you'll have a nice final product. 

Explains why I've never mastered it. I'm the queen of substitutions and half-assery in the kitchen. But this time, this time! I really followed the recipe, took my time, and ended up with a great pie.

Because pie is something you don't screw around with. Cake, I can take or leave. But pie—pie must be good. Bad pie is still good, but good pie is transcendent.

I am always intimidated by pie crust. Thusly, I screw it up. I figure it won't be good, so why try. And then, it isn't. Self-fulfilling. 

But read this pie crust tutorial from Smitten Kitchen. She advises you to flour the heck out of your pie dough while rolling it out.

I always figured that adding too much flour to pie dough was bad. But I think that's more applicable to bread. I added a lot of flour to this crust and it turned out great. No sticking while rolling, no cracking, easy transfer to the pie pan. 

I picked up an easy cherry pitting technique from Food52 involving an empty beer bottle and a chopstick. And it works; no extra, only-has-one-function equipment needed.

So like, the cherry pitting went easy, the pie crust went easy... I was on a roll. I even pushed my luck and made a latticed crust (using a great tutorial on Simply Recipes).

Truthfully, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

But I was patient and baked it precisely according to the directions (I mean, if you screw it up in the baking step, I can't really help you).

And that's how I learned that fresh cherry pie is better than that made of canned fruit. While I'm a little wary of baked fruit at times, this pie is great with just enough sugar to offset, but not overwhelm, the tart cherries. 

Sweet Cherry Pie

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon (aka a pinch) of salt

1 stick of butter (8 oz)

1 cup water, with several ice cubes in it

For the filling:

4 cups pitted cherries

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

For the crust, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Dice cold butter and add to flour. Use a pastry blender to chop butter into small bits (it's ok if the bits are of uneven size). 

Add 1/2 cup water and mix dough with a rubber spatula. Drizzle water by the teaspoon as you're combining the dough until it comes together. Knead it a few times until it forms a ball. 

Divide dough into two even pieces and wrap each piece separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a few hours. 

Combine pitted cherries with cornstarch, sugar, salt, and lemon juice.

Roll dough out into two 12" circles. Place one piece into a 9" pie pan and add filling.

Cover with second circle of dough or cut into strips and layer over top for a lattice. Brush with egg wash and coat with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes. Enjoy!

See the Portland Food Map O-Rama round up for other area blogger's pie experiences.

BBF Preserves: Strawberries in Vanilla Syrup

Strawberry season is over in Maine; fellow food blogger Vrylena and I made it to Maxwell's in Cape Elizabeth on the last day of their pick-your-own season (last Tuesday), where I slowly picked 5 pounds of strawberries. 

And now in the second week of July, it feels like summer is slipping by. Maybe it's that the first fruits have come and gone early or that the weather has been nice for a while, making it feel later in the season than it is. 

I froze most of the strawberries I picked, just by washing them, hulling them, and freezing them overnight on a baking sheet. After packing them up in freezer bags, I'm hoping that they won't stick together in a big brick of strawberries. 

I also still have a lot of jam left over from jamming with Jenner and Roomie L.L. late last summer, so I decided to try something different with a few of my precious berries - I put up whole strawberries in vanilla syrup. 

The process is simple, with washed, hulled whole berries tossed in vanilla sugar and brought to a boil. Left to stand overnight, they produce an amazing amount of syrup - with no water added.

The recipe I followed doesn't even suggest reheating the fruit and syrup before you can it, so after 10 minutes in the boiling water bath the next day, I had a pint and a half of berries in vanilla syrup.

I can see using the berries as a dessert topping (like over my favorite, angel food cake) and using some syrup in cocktails (like splashed in a vodka and soda). Using it at breakfast like in oatmeal or on pancakes seems too mundane for something as precious as this.

The summer may be gaining speed, but at least I snuck in a preserved taste of it for later, when the temps cool and the "jorts" are stowed away for another year. Did you get enough of strawberries in Maine or your area? And how do you ration out precious amounts of canned goods through the year?

Whole Strawberries in Vanilla Syrup
Adapted from Eating Floyd

1 quart strawberries, washed and hulled
2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine vanilla beans and pod with sugar; mix well. Add strawberries to a large stockpot and pour vanilla sugar mixture over top. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir (fold gently) to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat when sugar is completely dissolved.

Pour berries and syrup into a large, flat pan (I used a 9x13" Pyrex dish) and let sit, covered, overnight.

Process half-pints or pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath with 1/4" headspace.

Related: How to Can

Happy 4th of July!

I hope the holiday tomorrow brings you a day off of work and time with friends and family. I'll be barbecuing with my sweetie and then headed to Portland's Eastern Prom to watch the city's fireworks. 

My friends attempting to insert a sparkler into a BLP bottle.
(Please do not try this at home.)

Lately, I've been enjoying cold sesame noodles, so this Saigon chicken salad that's been starting at me from the cover of an old bon appetit looks pretty good for a barbecue. I'm sure there will be plenty of grilled meats, although I am already kind of sick of the hot dog/burger menu. 

Since I made it to pick strawberries today (on the last day of the pick-your-own strawberries season!), tomorrow I'll have an angel food cake with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. It'll be store bought, because have you ever seen how to make an angel food cake? No thank you. 

During my time off, I'm also thinking of canning strawberries, like in this pickled strawberry jam that I didn't get to last year.  And whole strawberries in vanilla syrup sounds like a pretty fantastic canning project. So I'll start that tonight and finish up the process tomorrow morning. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. 

Have a happy and safe holiday with your families and friends! 

Garlic Scape Basil Pesto

I thought to myself, 'self, you write a Maine blog, and sometimes I just can't tell.' So I took out my camera during our sailing race last night (obviously my role on the boat is very critical), and took some photos for the ole Maine bloggy blog. 

We sail on Casco Bay, and last night we headed upwind to a point off the Eastern Prom and then downwind to one near Cow Island. Below you can see Mackworth from the marina just north of Tukey's Bridge in Portland. 

We've had a thunderstorm filled week, but during the sail last night, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. We're forecasted to have a beautiful beach weekend, with temps in the high 80s.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program, in which I discover that the pesto I made is good on everything. Potato salad? Yes. Grilled zucchini salad? Yes. Mixed in with corn, under a fried egg for breakfast? Yes.

Garlic Scape Basil Pesto

Handful of basil leaves
2-3 garlic scapes, chopped
Big chunk of Parmesan
Walnuts or your choice of nut
Olive Oil

Blend first four ingredients in a food processor while drizzling oil in, until smooth. Eat on everything. 


Sorry this isn't more of a recipe, but that's just kind of how pesto is. Adjust things to your liking- you can even omit the cheese. Freezes well in ice cube trays. The pesto will darken during storage, but that's OK.

Grilled Zucchini and Corn Ribbon Salad

Photo by Alexa

We ekked out a driveway barbecue on Sunday in between the weekend's thunderstorms - in honor of new jobs, summer breaks for teacher friends, and finishing the Trek.

The menu was simple: grilled wings, Brats, and some side salads. I wanted to use grilled zucchini in a side dish, so when I found this zucchini ribbon salad, I was tantalized by the thought. I so loved the Zucchini Pasta Ribbons I'd made late last summer.

And while it seemed like a strictly summer meal, I did pick up zucchinis at the Farmers' Market last Wednesday. So I feel justified in veering into summer salad territory in late June.

I sliced the zucchini kind of thicker than I think the recipe specified for, so I left it on the grill a little longer. But really we're going for just past raw here. And grilling the boiled corn before cutting it off the cob added some more smokey flavors.

Just like the Ribbon Pasta dish, there's so many substitutions and add-ins that will play nice with the grilled, salty, lemony, and crunchy going on here.

Grilled Zucchini and Corn Ribbon Salad
Adapted from The Food Network

4 medium zucchini
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ears of corn
Sliced almonds
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Juice of one lemon
Garlic clove, minced
6-8 big basil leaves, sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and thinly slice zucchini. Use a mandolin slicer if you have one and slice to 1/4". If not, just slice thinly with a very sharp knife (admittedly easier with a mandolin slicer). Lay zucchini out on a platter (the same platter you serve the dish on!) and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Heat a grill pan* over medium-high heat and grill the zucchini on both sides for a few minutes, but 3 minutes max.

Move zucchini from heat onto platter and add corn to grill. Grill on all sides until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and let cool. While corn cools, make salad dressing.

Mix together juice of one lemon, garlic, chili flake, and basil in a small container with a lid (I used an 8oz. canning jar) and shake until combined. Taste and add salt if needed.

Cut corn off the cob and sprinkle over zucchini. Scatter almonds and Parmesan slices over top. Pour dressing over salad.

*I used a grill pan, before my guests arrived, but you can make this on the charcoal or outdoor gas grill too. 

Trek Across Maine Wrap-up

Woah, woah, where goes the time?? Friday, Friday, here we are. This week was supposed to be quieter after completing the Trek Across Maine, but when it's 90 in June? There's boats to be sailed! Strawberries to be picked! And beaches to lay on.

So yeah, weekends mean nothing when you've been playing hard all week and have to work on Saturday anyways. But I love it!

Last weekend, I rode 180 miles in 3 days for the American Lung Association - and thank you to everyone who donated to my ride! I raised $525 with your help. And when I was grinding up hills, I thought of all the people who donated, my friends and my family, and how they believed in me to get me through that ride. Because there were parts that were tough! (Rule #5 helped too.)

And in the name of making this a food related post, here's me with an animal cracker. I'm at a rest stop on Day 2, somewhere between Farmington and Waterville (60 miles), eating as many snacks as I can. 

I appreciated that the snacks on the Trek were real food - the first charity ride I did had rest stops stocked with Power Bars, gummies, Twizzlers, and fruit. Now aside from the fruit, those aren't things I was particularly excited about. And some of them made me feel kind of ill. Not exactly where you want to be when riding 50 miles in the late August heat. 

But the Trek provided granola bars, popcorn, goldfish crackers, fruit, chips, Fluffernutter sandwiches, and nary a Power Bar in sight. I appreciated that. 

We were also fed each night by the food services of the two colleges where we stayed: University of Maine at Farmington and Colby College. And if you're considering colleges in Maine based solely upon food services, I recommend attending Colby College. Steak tips or salmon? Yes, please. 

Thank you a million times over to those who supported me, monetarily, logistically, and emotionally - and have a great summery weekend! 

Carbing Up with Chicken Parm

Oh, joy! There is apparently truth to "carbo-loading," or eating a lot of carbohydrates before a long distance athletic event. I'm participating in the Trek Across Maine this weekend, a charity bike ride for the American Lung Association from Sunday River in Bethel, Maine to Belfast, Maine. One hundred and sixty miles in three days, from the mountains to the sea.

And I'm so full. After giving myself free reign to indulge my naughty dining desires on Tuesday, I've had three bagels, a pasta dinner, sandwiches, and very few vegetables. Oof. Not as exciting as I thought it'd be.

But this dinner was great! I'd recommend it spaced out a little from other carb-heavy meals, however.

Chicken Parmesan
Adapted from Alexa

Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
One egg
Pasta of your choosing (thin spaghetti recommended)
your favorite red sauce (I used the quick one I made and froze a few months ago)
Slices of Provolone cheese

Prepare the chicken breasts by butterflying so you have two thinner pieces. This will make sure the chicken cooks quickly, staying tender and not drying out.

Boil your spaghetti in salted water, and heat your sauce in a small sauce pot.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil. Just a healthy pour will do. Heat the broiler on high.

Cover a plate with Panko crumbs, a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Mix together. Scramble an egg with a small splash of water in a bowl.

Dip chicken breasts into egg and then coat both sides with bread crumbs. Fry in skillet until nicely browned on both sides. Cover with Provolone cheese and place under the broiler until cheese starts to brown and bubble.

Drain pasta, toss with sauce and serve chicken over pasta. Garnish with more cheese if you're carbo-loading.

Book Review-O-Rama: Apron Anxiety

It's not a new story: girl meets boy, whirlwind romance ensues, boy and girl move to a faraway town, girl is restless/unemployed, girl learns to cook (ahem, see the onus of this very blog). 

Thus begins Apron Anxiety by Alyssa Shelasky with the story of how Shelasky learned to cook as a way to cope with her at-times unmoored personal and professional life. It's a quick, engaging read, with recipes for her sentimental dishes sprinkled in between chapters.

But memoirs are tough to pull off, especially by a women with a star-studded, successful writing career (see multiple dinners at Nobu, vignettes of pre-Gisele Tom Brady and Nick Nolte, covering the Emmys), famous chef fiances (Spike Mendelsohn of Top Chef), and apparently a bottomless savings account (see months of unemployment while shopping at Whole Foods in DC). 

I have enjoyed food, cooking, and farming memoirs before, such as Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter, and of course, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.  

But in these books, the authors are undertaking a challenge, like only eating food from with 100 miles of your home or raising pigs in downtown Oakland, or are fascinating, knowledgable and slightly crazy, a la Bourdain. 

Apron Anxiety features the slightly troubled times in a young, upper-middle class, white woman's life, the most challenging being her existential strife over love and work. OK, so not every memoir has to be about war, famine, or poverty, but after a while, the author's complaints become a little grating. 

Just like during my reading of Eat, Pray, Love, I found myself engaged, but in the end wondering, just what exactly are you complaining about? Coupled with her continued cutesy metaphors about just! how! little! she knew about food (Is Tallegio a London DJ? Is Lemon Chiffon a dessert or a porn move? Ha. Ha. We get it.),  I began to begrudge the narrator by the end of the book. 

Verdict: recommended for the beach or the plane, instantly forgettable, contains a good take away recipe: Cream of Tomato soup from when the author worked at Sarabeth's in New York, apparently an unforgettable soup for many. 

Coincidentally, I was experiencing a lot of anxiety on the day I made this soup (thankfully a rarity), and with all its seeming fussiness, this soup only added to my stress. But really, it's just extreme cream of tomato soup, so take it as such. 

Cream of Tomato Soup

From Sarabeth's via Apron Anxiety

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
4 scallions, top green parts only, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes (if purchasing, use crushed in tomato puree, not juice)
4 cups milk
4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
About 1/3 cup dill fronds, torn into tiny sprigs
2 ounces Goat Gouda, grated, for serving

1.  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion, shallots, scallion tops, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture into the top of a double boiler and place over the bottom pot of boiling water.

2.  Using a wooden spoon, crush the tomatoes into small pieces. Add the crushed tomatoes with the puree, milk, and cream and bring to a simmer, stirring often.*

3.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook, whisking almost constantly, for about 3 minutes, being sure the roux doesn’t brown. Whisk about 1 1/2 cups of the hot tomato mixture into the roux, then pour the roux mixture into the pot of soup and stir until blended.**

4.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 35 minutes to blend the flavors and thicken. Turn off the heat from the double boiler and add the dill, salt and pepper.

5.  Serve hot, topping each serving with about 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.  (The soup can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, cooled completely, covered, and refrigerated. The soup will thicken when chilled; while reheating, thin the heated soup with milk to the desired thickness. Do not freeze the soup.)

*I abandoned the double boiler at this step and transfered the soup to a large pot. I simmered it over low heat and had no troubles.

**If the dairy should curdle, as it did in mine, use an immersion blender to smooth the soup before serving.

For the collective reviews this month, we bloggers were given a selection of proof copies of cookbooks and food-related books from Samantha and Don at Rabelais Books (thanks!). Read the round up of bloggers' book reviews at Portland Food Map. 

Kale, Carrot, Walnut, Apple Potluck Salad

I now have two go-to potluck salads! I love go-tos. While sometimes it's fun to think of new things, find new recipes, pour over magazines, blogs, cookbooks to find something intriguing, sometimes you just want tried and true. 

My first go to potluck salad is the fennel, arugula, parmesan salad. It's simple, delicious, and will make lots of people compliment you and your salad - always a plus. It might even win over the most ardent fennel hater (as I thought I was). 

Also discovered at (ripped off from?) a potluck is this kale, carrot, walnut, apple salad.

(Side note: I'm sorry to sound like a pretentious restaurant, just listing ingredients without hinting at their prep. But a cutesy title would just make things worse.)

The thing that struck me about this salad is that it's simple while being interesting enough to make you keep eating it. Just when it the flavors could start to coast, you get the crunch of a toasted walnut or the zing from a slice of green onion.

Also? The potluck I mentioned was an indoor barbecue. Depressing. I hope we see some more of that summer weather again soon.

Kale, Carrot, Walnut, Apple Salad

5 large leaves of kale, washed, deveined and torn into pieces
1/2 head small purple cabbage, finely shredded
2 carrots, grated
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted*
1 green apple, thinly sliced and then chopped

For the dressing: 3 parts olive oil, 1 part cider vinegar, 1 part lime juice, palmful of sugar, pinch of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper

Combine salad ingredients and dressing ingredients separately, then pour dressing over salad. Toss to coat. Voila!

*Do you know how to toast walnuts? Just in case you don't, I just heated them in a pan over medium heat until they browned. Shake them around every now and then, because browning happens fast. You can also use a toaster oven or your big oven, but regardless keep a close eye on them, because burned nuts are not salvageable.

Spring Herb Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa cakes! I know whenever I see or hear about some recipe that involves cakes or patties, I smile and nod, knowing that I'll never take the time to shred, mix, pat, fry, etc. But when my friend LBK described these quinoa cakes as having crispy, fried cheese edges, I knew I was going to make them. 

The other clincher was the addition of mint. Ever since my remake of this Pea, Radish, Mint Feta salad, I am totally intrigued by mint in savory dishes. It's a really unexpected, fresh flavor. (Also taps into my love of Thai food.)

So take the time to chop, mix, pat, and fry! It's not as much work as I thought, I promise. The cakes also freeze really well for reheating later.

Spring Herb Quinoa Cakes

Adapted from Two Tarts

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 eggs

2 Tbsp chopped mint

2 Tbsp chopped oregano

1 large shallot, minced

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for frying

Mix together cooked quinoa, eggs, herbs, cheese, and bread crumbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. 

Form quinoa mixture into 2" patties with your hands (try to make them flat). Place gently into frying pan and do not disturb for at least 2 minutes. Flip gently and fry on other side until browned. 

Serve over a bed of veggies of your choosing with extra grated cheese if desired. Also would work in a pita with veggies. 

Makes 8-10 patty cakes. 

BBF Travels: To The Bidde

The other day I traveled to the "Saco Zoo" (Did you hear that Saco is getting a zoo? Yeah, they're putting a fence around Biddeford) to teach a class on pickling through the Adult Ed. And just like last time, I took the chance to stop and get some out of town treats.

Pizza by Alex - where I got pepperoni and onion. This time I knew not to ask for a "small," since it only comes in one size. Aw, yeah. 

Run of the Mill Brewery, where I filled up my fancy growler with their Summer Wheat Ale. I've yet to break into it, but the weekend is coming. The bar is always bumping in there; I'd love to be able to stick around and enjoy a beer in house some time. 

I saw Rapid Ray's in Saco on the way out of town and thought, oh YEAH, *that's* where I wanted to go!! But Pizza by Alex hit the spot too. 

LFK Preview

LFK is the new bar on Longfellow Square (188A State St) in Portland, and I stopped in Friday night to check out the space. 

Categorized as a bar/library on facebook, LFK is full of wing-backed chairs, bookshelves, and manual typewriters. The ornate props sit in contrast to the rest of the bar, with exposed metal beams and a blue-grey industrial colored paint. 

Above is a neat little detail in the bar - between the rail and the bar there's a tiny space with typewriter keys spelling out some words (maybe a phrase?). 

The bar itself is fully stocked, with a nice draught beer selection; we sampled the Victory Pils and... and I cannot for the life of me remember what I had (it was my first one of the night, I swear!). After the first round, the men in our party switched to Dark and Stormy's, while the ladies had the Charles and Charles Rose. 

We shared a cheese plate, but weren't told what kind of cheeses there were. The one in the middle is a blue Morbier; on the left, some sort of soft cheddar-type; and the right, a harder, aged cheese. The presentation was nice, and the pear and pickled red onions were both nice additions to the cheese variety.

It being the first week the bar was open, and the first busy weekend night, we experienced some long waits for drinks, and a tab snafu (the bar does not use a computer POS system, but handwritten tickets). I will certainly revisit the bar, as it's very close to my house, and has a nice vibe and drink selection.

Still at it...

This is terrible, but sometimes I hear in my head "pickle-ing, pickle-ing, pickle-ing, yeah!" to the tune of Rebecca Black's "Friday." And I can't make it stop! 

(Sorry to foist that on you.) 

Note: this photo was staged for Instagraming purposes; please don't use the 1974 Ball Blue Book for anything other than a kitchen prop. 

BBF Travels: Little Havana, Baltimore

This Blueberry Filer traveled to Maryland with her new man to meet the family and to be a tourist in Baltimore. My restaurant request: Little Havana's, my bar request: One Eyed Mike's. 

I wasn't that hungry, and my research failed to unearth that Little Havana's Sunday Brunch deal of $16.95 per person with unlimited Bloody Mary's and Mimosas until 3pm. But ordering a sandwich I didn't want seemed like a small price to pay to sit on the waterfront deck with friends in the 75˚ and sunny weather. We all had the Cuban sandwich and I ate half of it; more committed eaters cleaned their plates.  

Little Havana is one of my favorite spots in town, just because of the waterfront deck, the warehouse feel, and the great draught beers and Mojitos. I have no idea if I'd feel this way if I lived in town - it's very close to Federal Hill, so judging from the brunch clientele (lots of madras shorts, neon Ray Bans, and some sleeveless shirts, ugh), it might be a bit scene-y or fratty for me. But at an off hour, it's a great spot to sip a cocktail, play some shuffleboard, and eat some fried plantains. 

My friend Elizabeth of Strawberries in Paris (my blogspiration!) met us and spent the afternoon with us - we walked around Fort McHenry and then toured the neighborhood of Fells Point. 

Of course, no visit of mine to B'more can be complete without a visit to One Eyed Mikes on Bond Street in Fells. Home of the World's Largest Grand Marnier club, or something like that (gross), I used to frequent this bar when I worked on tallships in the Inner Harbor. Many a happy hour were had here that turned into an "I didn't eat and it's 9pm" kind of night. 

But to knock another to-do item off the list, Mike's serves Resurrection from Brewer's Art. While I used to find these beers strong, I learned they're only 7% (but I know that several of them on an empty stomach can turn it into That Kind of night). We enjoyed a mostly empty bar on this Sunday afternoon and watched the O's go to the millionth inning against the Red Sox (and eventually win!).

A great hometown visit (is that a Bachelor reference??) - so happy to see my friend and my family and to have my new fantastic beau by my side.

Shrimp Etouffee

Cooking Light is not a magazine I am drawn to, but when a stack appeared in my office, I couldn't keep my hands off of them. I am inherently suspicious of Cooking Light recipes, especially when the intro touts the line "couldn't tell the difference between the regular and the lightened version." 

But ever since my friend from South Carolina lent me his Pat Conroy cookbook, I've been thinking of shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy, soft shell crabs, and other Southern dishes. My recent Jambalaya made someone suggest Etoufee, which means 'smothered.' 

So when I saw the Shrimp Etoufee recipe in Cooking Light, it fit right into my culinary preoccupation.  

I think I made several changes to this recipe that negated its lightness - I didn't use low-fat, reduced sodium broth or salt-free Cajun seasoning and I probably upped the butter and added some olive oil in the vegetable sauteing step. And I served my favorite cheddar biscuits with this (definitely not light).

After my jambalaya post prompted people to email me a REAL jambalaya recipe, I feel I must disclaim several things: this is a Cooking Light recipe - I have no idea it's connection to authentic Cajun food, as I am from Maryland. But it tasted good up here in Maine. 

Shrimp Etoufee

Adapted from Cooking Light

4 cups chicken broth (or half veggie, half beef)*

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups onion, diced

2/3 cup celery, diced

1 cup red pepper, chopped

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon salt-free Cajun seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cups green onions

1/2 cup parsley, divided

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cover and remove from heat.

In another small sauce pot or skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add flour to pan and cook until very brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add 1 cup broth and whisk until smooth. Add remaining 3 cups of broth, stirring until smooth.

Melt one tablespoon plus one teaspoon of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and peppers. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of pan (I substituted home canned crushed tomatoes for water and paste and it turned out fine). 

Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper; cook one minute, stirring constantly. Add broth-flour mixture and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. 

Add green onions, 1/4 cup parsley, and shrimp. Cook 3 minutes until shrimp are done. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice with sprinkles of remaining parsley.

Yield: about 6 servings

*I learned that when making broth from Better than Bouillon, that chicken can be approximated by equal parts veggie and beef bouillon. Carrot + cow = chicken?