Wild Blueberry Cafe (Ogunquit, Maine)

After a late night of Scrabble with Bret's family Sunday night, Bret and I decided to sleep in on Monday while the rest of the family went to the beach.  By the time we got ourselves going, we were way too lazy to make our own breakfast and decided to check out a little cafe that we spotted along one of our previous walks on Shore Road.

The Wild Blueberry Cafe seemed like it was fairly quiet when we arrived but we did have to wait a few minutes for our table.  It seems as if the restaurant was a little understaffed on a Monday morning as summer is slowly winding down.

Bret and I both ordered glasses of water while we perused the menu and we were promptly served two miniature blueberry muffins.  They were so delightful and the blueberries were definitely fresh.  I am grateful they didn't give us more or I would have probably inhaled them all!

The Wild Blueberry Cafe offers a decent variety of breakfast items.  I was severely tempted by the Lobster Benedict as I love lobster and adore eggs Benedict.  But since we were heading to the beach, we probably wouldn't eat too much of a lunch so we both decided to go with the hearty breakfast burrito.

Even though the restaurant wasn't busy at all, there was a long wait for our food.  I managed to occupy myself by taking photos of the simple yet elegant centerpiece on our table.

And I also took some photos of my very hungry fiance!

Finally our breakfast burritos arrived!  These tortillas were filled with hash browns, scrambled eggs, Monteray Jack cheese, spicy sausage and a mild salsa.  The burrito was definitely huge and it had a lot of nice flavors.  But it was definitely messy and more than a little greasy from the hash browns.

Our breakfast burritos came with a mixed green salad tossed in a white champagne balsamic vinaigrette and sliced strawberries.  While the greens were a nice relief from the greasy burritos, the salad was definitely over dressed and felt a little heavy.

Overall, Wild Blueberry Cafe wasn't the best breakfast or the fastest service but it hit the spot for what we were looking for.  We were desperately trying to revive ourselves from the previous evening and at the same time giving us energy for the beach.  I should also mention that the cafe is also super close to the beach, which makes it a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Wild Blueberry Cafe is located at 82 Shore Road, Ogunquit, Maine.

Tavern On The Water

You go for the atmosphere.

You go for the view.

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

Good news is the brunch is pretty damn good.

A surprise of sorts! When the menu lists home fries these little nuggets of herb crusted hash browns are the last thing you expect to see on your plate.
They were absolutely delightful. The entire plate was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the addition of lemony fresh greens to the standard 2 egg, sausage, english muffin breakfast.

Bad news is, the bloody marys were awful.

I've had a lot of bloody marys in my life. I know when they taste good. I know when they taste bad.
They look awesome. I look so excited to drink them. They even have a golf tee holding the garnishes in place.
Ironically, Tavern On The Water offers a make your own bloody mary bar. As fun and inviting as that sounds, we were too lazy and tired to make our own after walking all the way to the Charlestown Navy Yard in the 90 degree heat. We opted for the bartenders batch. I was in the kind of mood that if I wanted to make my own, I would have. At home.Surely, the bartender can make a better drink than us. Also, Adam never orders a bloody mary. I have no idea why he did today. I guess he wanted to try something new. Good for him. Or not so much. The taste was exceedingly more awkward with every sip. We kept making faces inadvertently whilst drinking but didn't discuss it until afterwards. I guess it was as painful to admit defeat as it was to drink! As we walked down the pier toward home, Adam was perplexed how anyone could like these, and chalked it up to lack of booze in the mix. I reassured him that was not the case. I'm just saying' - it did not taste like spicy tomato juice sans vodka. It tasted more like a stale drink mix of sorts. Honestly, I have no idea where they went wrong. I have no idea if this was just a fluke batch, but it definitely left me feeling disappointed.
Be wary the Bloody Marys.
But definitely stop in for a beer or two.

Five Years

Five years ago today, I was hit by a car while jogging near my mother’s home in Brookline. I fractured my pelvis and my sacrum, and tore the tendons and ligaments in my left knee. I smashed the back of my skull against the windshield and, as a result, I lost my sense of smell.

My starting date at the Culinary Institute of America had been set for only months away. But without smell, I lost my ability to detect flavor in food and hence, my dream of one day becoming a chef. Devastated, I suddenly operated in a world where I could not tell if milk was fresh or sour or if my clothes were clean or not. I could no longer detect the warning signals to fire or leaking gas. And even worse, I lost my ability to read people, to summon buried memories of my childhood, to fully function in a landscape filled with rich layers of sensory perception, the one that suddenly felt blank.

The accident changed my life. It changed the way I view eating and cooking, chance and purpose and even love. Instead of culinary school, I moved to New York City. Instead of handling chicken stock and confit, I worked my way through positions at magazines and newspapers. I returned to school for a masters degree. And, slowly, all the while, I regained my sense of smell. I’m lucky. I think about that every day.

This morning I baked a cake. It’s a simple cake, a butter-rich one scented with cinnamon and orange zest, and dimpled with plums. I made the same cake last year, on this exact day. I was at a writer’s residency in upstate New York then, and in the middle of writing this book on the sense of smell, one that I was afraid I would never finish. Today, the book is with my editor. Though it won't be published until next summer, it's practically complete. I’m proud of it, this project that has taught me more about perception, science and writing—and, well, about myself—than I knew was possible. Last year the cake, as I wrote, filled the kitchen with a sweet, warm scent—one of “fruit and caramel and autumn.” Today it did the same.

I didn’t purposefully bake the same cake on the same day two years in a row. At least not consciously. But I suppose it makes sense. This is a simple, easy cake. If I’ve learned anything over the last five years, it’s that these simple things mean the most: the bouquet of flowers picked from my mother’s garden or the sunset on an evening walk with Matt, a bite of homemade vanilla bean ice cream or the sizzle of the grill on a summer night. The deep purple, nutty brown scent of a plum cake here, now, today.


Dimply Plum Cake
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavorless oil, like canola or sunflower (confession: I used olive oil)
Zest of 1 orange, grated
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
8 purple or red plums, halved and pitted (I used only 4, perhaps they were large)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch square (or round) baking pan, and dust the inside with flour. Tap out the excess and place pan on baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Then, add the sugar and beat for another 3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each. Then, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla. The batter will be smooth and creamy. Reduce mixer speed and add the dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated.

Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter, jiggling them a tad so that they settle in.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and puffed. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Then, run a knife around edge and unmold. Invert and cool right side up.

You can wrap the cake once it has cooled and keep it at room temperature for a couple of days. It will get softer and with more moisture. I highly recommend this. Also, I highly recommend serving it with a fat dollop of whipped cream.

Foodbuzz’s Project Food Blog

A lot of times, I consider my endeavors in the kitchen to be like a project.  As I’m testing out a new recipe or experimenting with new ingredients, I’m constantly thinking about how to demonstrate this project on my blog for my readers.  I am currently involved with a new project sponsored by Foodbuzz.  Foodbuzz is a wonderful food blog community and I’m proud to be a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher.  This project is called Project Food Blog and it is a competition where Foodbuzz Featured Publishers will participate in a series of culinary blogging challenges.  I will be posting my entries for each round here on my blog.  There is a grand prize for just one contestant: $10,000.00 and a special feature on Foodbuzz for a year. 

I’ve always welcomed reader participation on my blog and Project Food Blog is no exception.  Eventually, I will have an icon on my blog for you to use to vote for me.  There are judges for the competition but there will be one readers’ choice winner per round.  The blogger with the most votes from the public will be the readers’ choice for that round and will automatically advance to the next round.

I’m already hard at work getting my blog ready for the first round, but in the meantime, you can check out my Project Food Blog contestant profile here.  

I’m not sure how far I’ll advance in Project Food Blog but I’m excited to participate and compete against some great food bloggers and I hope you’ll want to join me for the ride.

Backyard Bash

On Saturday we road tripped to Randolph, MA where my friend DeMane and her sister DaNice hosted a BBQ! There was plenty of good food, good friends, good beer and competitive games.

Adam and I fueled up with breakfast at Boston Common Coffee Co. Iced Chai with whole milk for me, Iced Coffee with skim milk for him. I also enjoyed a ham, egg & cheese croissant.

Derek and Gretchen picked us up around 2:30 (yay for friends in the city with a car!) The Harpoon Summer Vacation Mix Pack was purchased for the party. Harpoon Crystal Wheat (exclusive to the Summer Vacation Mix Pack!)
UFO Hefeweizen
Harpoon IPA
Harpoon Summer BeerVariety is key. I also tried Woodchuck Hard Cider for the first time. This is the original Amber flavor. Sweet, but not too sweet, with a crisp finish. DeMane passed around appetizers including this hand-cut watermelon basket which had watermelon, pineapple and cantaloupe slices. Meanwhile DaNice fired up the grill.

Yes, there was your standard hot dogs and hamburgers and pasta salad. But there was also an impresive selection of other side salads and meats. Gretchen made a tabouli salad with roasted veggies. (And a peach cobbler which missed the camera.) We brought mini cannolis and cupcakes from Bova's.I mean really, why would I need to bake when I have an abundance of pastry shops outside my front door?Some of us played Badminton and also Croquet. It was so nice to be enjoying the outdoors in a spacious backyard. There was a large turnout at the party, despite my lack of people pictures. I was actually meeting a lot of the families and friends in attendance for the first time. I was happy to put some of the names behind the long running Reality Pool emails turned blog to faces! Side Note: The Reality Pool blog commenced with this Season's Top Chef - $20 for two picks and a hilarious recap of the episode each week. Unfortunately, I had to pack my knives and go from the pool a couple weeks ago. I think I've mentioned before that my picks were Kenny and Alex. Bummer that the Black Lightning got the shaft / wasn't consistent week to week and even more of a bummer that Alex turned out to be such a creep. Anywhoo - I got to meet Mama! and Brownie! and not in the pool but I was also very happy to meet DeMane's nieces!
My to-go loot included a plate of chicken, a whoopie pie and a clementine. Since I don't have a grill or a backyard, I treasure days spent in such settings. Thanks De and DaNice for being great hostesses and throwing an awesome BBQ!!

On Sunday we began our day like this:Recap to follow.

Happiness in Ogunquit, Maine

Somewhere along our drive up to Ogunquit, my stresses started to melt away.  We opened the windows and breathed in that clean air that you just can't get in Beacon Hill.  I've been here less than twenty-four hours but I already feel myself smiling more, laughing loudly, and leaving my Blackberry behind.  Happiness can be found everywhere....

....from discovering the awesomeness of sunglasses...

...from finding my balance in the waves...

...and writing your name in the sand...

...and always, always, always....in a cold beer and boiled lobster...

Happiness can definitely be found in Maine. 

xoxo

Teaser

Race recap to come, but I wanted to give a huge shout-out to this girl, who rocked her first triathlon!!  Hopefully she'll want to do another one with me sometime ;)

Enjoy the weekend and don't forget about my giveaway!!