it has been too long....

It has been a while since I have been on to whisk and willow, and with the start of the new year, I figured I am going to be more diligent about keeping up with the blogs. This is just a primer, there is more to come...baking is still pretty fantastic, the beauty and creativity that is a part of the process is so satisfying. I realize quite often just how lucky I am to wake up every morning and go to work to bake. TO BAKE!! Not only to bake, but to bake what I want to be as creative as I like...which as I write I realize I need to take more advantage of. This year I will start logging all the sweat (and savory) treats that I produce and sharing them with you all. Here's to an inspiring New Year!








j.may

HOME

Hope everyone had a most beautiful, delighted holiday filled with warmth, full happy bellies, family and laughter.and maybe even a little snow..we sure did! Twenty inches of that gorgeous white stuff fell to the ground in Connecticut last saturday into sunday morning...phil, bella and i following right behind it...we made our holiday trek from NC sunday morning, truck packed, kitten in toe, gifts yet to be wrapped and high-tailed it northbound..the last time i can remember snow like this at home in CT was when i was an itty bitty girl person, so i think we were due..it's mostly gone now thanks to the rain last night..

Happy holidays and a peaceful, healthy new year to you...may we all be abundant in Love...for "there are many things i'm sure, without which we could not live...but lOve is the only one i can think of.." (curlygirldesign)

our first snow....

left me dreaming of this:

j.may

Chocolate and Rosemary-A Fine Pair..

I found this recipe on a blog one afternoon and tried it last night...let me tell you--it is Delicious! The chocolate filling would also make for great fondue-minus the eggs..i infused a cup of heavy whipping cream with rosemary by allowing it to come to a slow boil on the stove then letting it rest in the fridge overnight. The tart shell gets baked for about 12 minutes, during which time i assembled the rest of the tart filling..it's got a rich chocolaty flavor and the rosemary gives off almost a hint of mint instead of its' rosemary flavor..sprinkling alittle pink himalayan or hawaiian salt on top really makes it..when in need of chocolate, this would most definitely satisfy the craving..a little will go a long way as it's super rich..

a.clay

Fall is on!

With fall, comes the last of the zucchini harvest, which means zucchini bread with a hint of orange and chocolate chips, such a tasty treat!  Hot chocolate chai also comes with fall, my new favorite drink of the season (oh that and tea, which I have been drinking my weight in... Raspberry Leaf Yogi Tea to be exact, double yum!), and of course plenty of hiking.  Finn and I just returned from a 2 1/2 hour hike which was absolutely gorgeous with all the oranges, reds, and yellows.  Just a perfect day to be wandering around in the woods!  Hope everyone is enjoying their fall!

Est. 1980..

BEER BREWING and GLASS BLOWING..2 birds, 1 stone

Eddie adding some more water to the pot. Suzie heating her piece.
Full to the brim with hand-crafted liquid enjoyment.

Eddie teaching Andreas about life..and beer..
The Brewers...they even measure together..

Autumn is beginning its slow creep into our lives, bringing us cooler mornings and evenings and even though the leaves haven't really started spiraling downwards yet, on my mornings walks it smells like fall..and i'm excited. The fresh transition into each season is the best, and it always seems to inspire new ideas, projects and motivations..the StarWorks Annual meeting is coming up at the end of october and i'm on the 'party planning committee' again this year and will be making some sweet and savory food contributions with the joined force of my new friend Suzie. The boys' beer brewing operation is going strong and has been really successful..they were asked to provide 3 varieties for the annual meeting so they've been going at it-they'll have 2 IPA's and an amber-each in 10 gal. batches. Each week they do a new brew and every one i've tasted has been delicious. And to get the beer to a boil, they figured out a way to use the heat that's put out from the glory hole instead of using propane. So they rigged a pulley system above one of the glory holes (someone needs to be blowing glass to be able to use the glory hole otherwise it wouldn't be hot enough) to hoist up the giant brew pot. Such innovative thinkers..can't wait to see what else they come up with...

a.clay

wild women

Ahhhhhh, a weekend retreat!! Time to catch up and reconnect.  While Anna and Phil are enjoying a divine meal at Primo back home, I am relaxing on the beach in Deer Isle with Finn reading and yup, I even took a dip!  But back to the reading.  I have in my hands the most wonderfully inspiring book I would love to share with you all.  I had discovered a poster a while back in a bathroom stall in Malaprop's ( a cute book store in Asheville, NC).  The poster, I soon discovered, was in fact based on a book called Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.  I cannot put it down.  I cannot peel my eyes away.  For my Yoga Teacher Training we are really encouraged to read inspiring books (they leave it pretty open ended) and after trying some Indian literature, some Tibetan literature, and some run of the mill inspiring spiritual books, I stumbled upon this in a second hand book store and couldn't wait to dive in.  There is nothing I can find more interesting and divine than the strength of women past and present.  I am naturally drawn towards spirited and tenacious women.  There is nothing I find more inspiring than the natural way of women, mystical, magical, healing, wise, nurturing, and .... wild.

Just a little taste:

"Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing.  Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species.  Though the gifts of the wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to "civilize" us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls.  Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped."

Hope you are inspired!

j.may

Who says girls can't play with sharp tools??

Meat slicer and a cheese cleaver.  These are the tools i get to use during the course of my day..don't be jealous boys..I must say i was fairly nervous at first handling the meat slicer but after only two finger slicings on the circular blade while it was NOT in motion, i think i got it. And it's pretty bad ass.  So is that hunk of Prosciutto de Parma, which is quite nice to slice. The knife however, if i were a foot taller maybe then i'd have enough leverage to really slice off a piece of cheese with ease, but alas, i am not.  So it can pose more of a challenge when trying to cut  cheese with an incredibly rough rind. Anyway, things are picking up at the store.  We've had a couple write-ups about it too, which has helped to bring people in.  And the BluesFest happens this w/e across the street down at the harbor so we may have a slammin saturday.  We'll see!

a.clay

Foggy doesn't even begin to describe it...

What fog?..

The beginning of Sweets and Meats Market- Rockland, ME

So i've finally made it to Maine! and wanted to share some of Jess and I's new endeavor...

---a dairy lover's delight...as for the faint of heart vegan or vegetarian, i suggest sticking to the case in the front filled with grains and legumes.  We've got some serious hunks of meat in this case.  Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill-you would be in drooling, back flip mode over some of this stuff! --- 

Jess and I, as it turns out, have great success in aquiring job opportunities together.  One of many of our talents ;)  I think once we start into it, our employers quickly begin to find out they've obviously gotten themselves in too deep and there's no turning back.  They're stuck with us.  But what a team we make! Our most current endeavor is the new Sweets and Meats Market in the south end of Rockland, ME, a specialty foods market that offers amazing cured and fresh meats, a diverse array of cheeses from cumin gouda to some that i can't even pronounce yet.  Julia, the owner, will also be carrying a sweet selection of beer and wine, as well as Ciao Bella Gelato (my favorite), baked goodies from jessa may, sandwiches and so much more..the coffee we're carrying is through a local company called Matt's Roasters and is roasted by matt himself by wood fire.  This is when i insert the word delectable .  It's been quite a treat to be here for part of the opening process..there will be more to share as the summer progresses...but here are some pics for now that we'd like to share of the store-post and pre-opening day..

I can't help it...it is all just so beautiful!

 

what awaits miss anna when she arrives:

quiet morning walks

and apple blossoms!

j.may

a visit from a friend!

Annie and I at the beach this morning...and yes, we are wearing winter coats!

Little Miss Annie made an appearance at The Barnacle and spent the evening with me drinking wine and eating some really delicious treats... she could only keep saying "ohhhh, you and Anna are going to have such a good time here this summer!" and I couldn't help but agree!  She got me even more excited (if at all possible) for my next visit from Miss A.C.B. in June.  The Cottage anxiously awaits your arrival!

j.m.s.

Metals..

 

a.clay

ODE TO HAWAII..

 

Discovering Picassa can be a very addicting hobby-if you like collaging and photo editing that is..

A.CLAY

it has been a while

Things have been picking up in Maine lately... a lot of baking for Squash Blossom (thankfully) and Sweets and Meats Market is coming along (double thankfully).  I have also started a yoga teacher training program that is fantastic!  However, I have lost the internet connection at my cottage which has made this keeping in touch really difficult.  So bear with me...there will be more!

j.may

Strawberry Shortcake..

 

On my way home from work the other day, i stopped by a little farm stand selling strawberries and ended up bringing a basket full home..so i decided to make a strawberry shortcake recipe i found in Tartine, which turned out to be quite delicious.  Throw in my new addiction to Picassa (thanks to Jessica) and i've got a fun collage to show off this simply lovely, old-fashioned dessert.  Without forgetting the hand whipped cream to top it off of course. I couldn't even remember the last time i had this, so it was a welcome treat for me and the boys, as well as the javabean crew whom i shared it with the next day..take a peek at the Tartine Bakery Cookbook if you are not already familiar..it is an array of exquisite, yet simple dessert creations (plus a few savory recipes but mostly sweets).  Not to mention the beautiful pictures and the full of praise forward written by Alice Waters. 

a.clay

a walk on the beach

water patterns in the sand

j.may

WYSTERIA..

Wysteria blooms around the beginning of April and man does it grow like wild fire down here in NC..it happens to be one of my favorite flowering vines, although like kudzu (an incredibly invasive vine), consumes everything in its path.  But it sure is beautious!