Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hot Summer Nights = Cool Simple Dinners

It's been a bit since I posted a recipe.  As many of you know, I love to bake and cook as well as craft. When I am not stirring the soap pot, I am whipping something up in the kitchen.

I found this recipe by Anne Burrell from the Food Network and made it to go with some grilled chicken and the salad was a standout!  Super easy only 6 ingredients, perfect for a hot summer night when I want to stay out of the kitchen.


Asparagus, Pecorino and Red Onion Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch pencil thin asparagus, tough bottom stems removed
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 cup coarsely grated aged Pecorino Cheese (or Parmesan Cheese)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
A splash of Extra-virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of Kosher salt, to your taste

Directions:

Cut the asparagus, including the tips into very thin slices, crosswise and place in a medium bowl. Add the red onion and cheese and toss to combine. Dress with the vinegar, olive oil and salt and toss again. This salad should be fairly heavily dressed. The vinegar will sort of "cook" or tenderize the asparagus.

It is best to do this about an hour or so in advance to let the flavors "marry".

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Casco Bay Soaps In A New Shop

My soaps can now be purchased at The Apple Shed in Kents Hill, MAINE.


An adorable little stop along a very scenic Rt. 17  in the Belgrads Lake Region, The Apple Shed has fresh produce, local eggs, jams, jellies and syrups as well as baked on sight pies, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, muffins, and a daily entree so you don't have to cook!  (The day I was there, the entree was Waldorf Chicken Salad with walnuts, apples and raisins that also came with rolls to make an easy chicken salad sandwich for dinner, tomorrow it will be Spanakopita or Spinach Pie).


The entrance in the summer is a big 'ole garage door that they open right up.  It is nice and inviting with the red and soft green colors and lots of plants and herbs.


Inside there are large apples crates being used for a variety of things.  To hold merchandise (on the left and right) and topped with a red wooden top to serve as a place to sit and enjoy some coffee and a muffin or cookie.  The cooler cases, straight back, hold all sorts of goodies!  Eggs, Apple Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, 3 Berry Pie, Potato Salad, Entree of the Day and more!

I'm so very please to have my soaps among the other yummy treats at The Apple Shed!


Monday, June 28, 2010

My Trip Out To Bailey Island

Last week I made another delivery to Sea Side Creations on lovely Bailey Island. From Freeport it is about a 40 minute ride, but I'm not complaining.  It is such a nice ride!  Drive through Brunswick, then into Harpswell then three islands connect, Great Island, Orrs Island then Bailey Island. 



(This photo is from when they were just getting set up, a cute little island shop).


(My soaps, for sale at Sea Side Creations).

After dropping soaps at Sea Side Creations, I continued on to the bitter end of the island chain.  I took this funny picture of my GPS to show you how it is indeed an island.  And I was quickly coming to the end.  It gets narrower and narrower. 


And at the end is Lands End.  And there is Lands End Gift Shop.  Off the gift shop is a great big wooden porch complete with wooden benches and Adirondack chairs.  Here is the beautiful view at "Lands End".  It was a beautifully sunny day, the water was calm and there weren't that many people around.  I sat for 5 minutes and enjoyed the view.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Wolfe Neck Farm Art Festival

I had a great time and sold a good amount of soap at the Wolfe Neck Farm Arts Festival.  This was my first year selling at the festival and I do think that I will go back next year.  

(On the way to Wolfe Neck Farm Art Festival.  These are Belted Galloway Cows).

It is a family event, with lots for kids to do.  Little craft projects in one barn, animals to visit in another, ice cream and burgers for sale (Wolfe Neck Farm raises their own beef and sells it locally).  Roaming musicians and singers. 

(Arts & Crafts in the barn).

Vendors include everything from a couple selling bonsai trees next to me, to Jack the pickle guy on my left, potters, jewelers, fiber artists, painters, glass artist and much more.

(The festival, just getting started).

The farm stretches right to the ocean, it is simply beautiful there.  The day was going to be hot. The day before I had at the farmers market in Freeport and was soo hot.  It was hot again on Saturday.  But being on the ocean we did have a nice little breeze.  However, the wind picked up around 12:30 and really started blowing.  I was a little nervous about my tent blowing over.  I do have 2 very very heavy buckets filled with cement that were holding down the corners of my tent, but I was still nervous.   Then, a crash.  A potter lost a shelf of pottery, blown over from the wind. Then I looked down at the first tent, closest to the ocean.  This vendor was holding on for dear life!  Soo windy!  I had a friend stop by and she asked me how I was doing,  I simply replied, "I want to take my tent down".  She was kind enough to help me get that tent right out of the way before anything could happen.  The catch?  It was now only 1:00 and the sun was high overhead.  Thankfully I packed my SPF 30 and slathered it on.  I only got a smidge burned. 

I will be back next year!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I've Been Busy...


I'm back.  It was a busy several days with the Wolfe Neck Farm Arts Festival on Saturday, Fathers' Day on Sunday, and a couple of long work and travel days on Monday and Tuesday.  But here I am! 

Thought I would share with you 2 little birdies that recently hatched. Their "parents" worked really hard to build a next on a speaker mounted high on our back porch.  After knocking it down 7 times and trying all sorts of things (hanging a shiny CD, playing loud music out of the speaker and putting a toy truck with "eyes" up there) we couldn't discourage them from building.  Finally we blocked the whole area off.  This was something we were trying hard to do because we have a cat that is a great hunter that hangs out on the back porch.

But they moved out front. Built a great little nest on top of one of the window shutters.  We used a mirror a few weeks back and saw 3 little white eggs.  Now, my hubby stretched his long arms up to the nest with the camera and got this shot of 2 little birdies that don't even have their eyes open yet! 

Friday, June 18, 2010

Yarmouth Clam Festival Google Map

Check out this map! Very very cool.  It will list all the featured spots of the festival on the left such as where the crafters are located, stage(s) for entertainment, restrooms, food vendors etc.  And you can zoom in and get a better view so you can spot landmarks and street names.  Nice map!  Click "View Yarmouth Clam Festival In A Larger Map" to see more detail and the text I was referring to above.


View Yarmouth Clam Festival in a larger map

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Wolfe Neck Farm Art Fest 2010


I will be participating and selling my soaps at the Wolfe Neck Farm Art Fest this Saturday at (where else!) Wolfe Neck Farm in Freeport.

Saturday June 19, 1000-4.:00 FREE Admission.

Here is a link to the PDF all about the event:  http://www.wolfesneckfarm.org/documents/webpagefinalgood.pdf

There will be fiddlers, lots of exhibitors, great local food, art projects for kids and more!

Hope to see you,

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Wild Sea Rose Soap


My sea roses are blooming and smell divine!  These were the inspiration for the creation of my Wild Sea Rose soap a couple of years ago.  These roses will bloom for a good deal of the summer season and can be found almost everywhere along the coast here in Maine.

Find Wild Sea Rose here on my website:  WILD SEA ROSE

Monday, June 14, 2010

Soap Samplers For Lisa Marie's Made In Maine


Soap samplers being assembled.  Soon they will be off to Lisa Marie's Made In Maine in Bath.  Lisa Marie has 2 locations, Bath and Portland so generally 1/2 the order I deliver goes to one location and the other 1/2 to the other location. 


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

The other day I said I was making a Strawberry Rhubarb Tart, but I changed my mind at the last minute. I made a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. I changed my mind because I got these adorable little oven proof pots and had to use them.  One more minute could not go by without using them.  Captain (hubby) has been such a huge supporter of my soap business and all my late nights and soap making shenanigans, I wanted to surprise him with his own little mini Strawberry Rhubarb crumble after dinner.
This is the recipe that I used.  It is a common recipe found on the web, I just changed it up a bit because I had just these 4 tiny little pots. The crumble came out great!   I served them up warm with vanilla ice cream.  YUM!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
Makes 4 servings

For the topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar (or turbinado sugar aka Sugar in the Raw)
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

1 cup rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup strawberries plus a few extras, hulled, quartered
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar (more if you think the rhubarb is too tart)
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon.  Add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, flour and the pinch of salt.  Evenly distribute to the 4 little pots.
3. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit mixture thickly and evenly with topping. Place little pots on a baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 minutes.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Wealdon Farm Soaps



This is how I displayed the soaps for Wealdon Farms in Freeport.  Martha simply handed me this old wooden box and said "fill it up".  We determined that I could fit 9 different fragrances.  This box worked out so perfect, I took measurements and I will be asking my father to perhaps make me a few.  Isn't it just perfect? 


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Wealdon Farm Freeport


Wealdon Farm, Freeport. Open for business!


Step right into the farm store.  Love the terracotta planters with geranium by the door.  Look inside and see crates stacked high with local veggies right in the center.


Right outside the door of the farm store are tables of seedlings.  Veggies, herbs, flowers.  See the cute hand painted signs?  Love them!

I dropped off some soaps at Wealdon Farm on Pleasant Hill Road in Freeport just the other day.   It is the cutest Farm Store.  Just love the funky hand made signs, great array of local produce and fine crafts and of course I really like the store owner, Martha.  She also has a wonderful farm hand working with her this summer, Colleen.  They both are soo outgoing and nice.  Martha though, she has inspired me.  I told her that she has inspired me, but she doesn't know how much.  I told her that she inspired me to break out my fun blue striped summer scarf and tie it around my neck to jazz up my plain white tee.  I didn't tell her that I am extra inspired by all the hard work she has put into this farm stand and making it soo super cool. I just met her and I don't want her to think I'm a nut.   I am inspired to perhaps have a little shed/stand of my own and sell soap seasonally here at my house.  Maybe I can get a little garden shed and open it for weekends near the holidays so you all can come and shop for soap.  Maybe have a "Christmas In July" sale too.  Maybe I can grow the lavender that I just planted into big bunches and offer that for sale too.  Maybe I can sell firewood to the campers that drive by.  Maybe I can.......thanks Martha, thank you for inspiring me! 

Monday, June 7, 2010

Rhubarb Time!



It's that time of year here in Maine where the Rhubarb is tall.  Captain LOVES rhubarb, he even eats it raw (yikes, too tart for me).  I pulled some huge rhubarb from my 2 plants and this is what I plan to make with it. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Super Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Find more recipes all over the web.  I'll report back on the results!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Casco Bay Soap Co. in the news...

(From the article: 
Customer Hugh Hardcastle with store owner Ray Tetreault Nancy Heiser).

Here is Casco Bay Soap Co. mentioned in this article about The Vegetable Corner in The Working Waterfront! 

Check out the article here:  WORKING WATERFRONT

Thursday, June 3, 2010

My New "Earth" Soap


Spotlight on my new Earth soap.  I made a small batch of this wonderful new soap and finally brought it to market last Friday.  It was so well received that I purchased more fragrance oils and will soon be making a much larger batch.

Earth smells like, well, clean dirt.  Like fresh turned farm dirt. Could your children ever complain about taking a bath with dirt soap?  Different isn't it?  You would be surprised how many people are smiling when they smell it and are happy to purchase it for a gardeners friend, a brother who works in construction or a tree hugger friend.  One little girl smelled all the soaps I had to offer (28 different fragrances that day) and her mom said she could buy just one.  She choose the Earth soap!  She even thanked me for making "the Earthy soap" when she was leaving (she was very well mannered).  She just loved it! 

I colored this soap with a reddish brown swirl made from cocoa powder.  Real cocoa powder, straight from the baking cabinet.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Look At The Freeport Market...

Lots of pictures of the Freeport Community market which opened this past Friday, May 28th.
  

An aeriel view of the market vendors on the park. 


Aerial view of the vendors in the parking lots.  All in all, we have about 35 vendors!


Looking down one busy aisle of the market.


My tent.  Lots of customers, I better get over there fast!


Luscious Live Lobsters!  Super local and right off the boat.  Mmm, dinner!


Nice sign!


"King" cupcakes baked by Brenda with Cumberland Baking.


Jams & jellies from Jillson's Farm.

Every Friday 3:00-7:00 L.L.Bean Campus, Morse St.  Hope to see you!