L/A’s Finest: Moroccan Salmon Cakes & Fresh Garden Veggies

The weather last night was comfortably cool and crisp; a perfect evening for a patio dinner with friends overlooking the “big city” over the river.

We started off with Moroccan salmon cakes, which were lightly crispy on the outside and had a wonderful balance of seasonings and flavors including spinach, cumin, and even cous cous that had been cooked with orange juice!  The flavors melded wonderfully together, and the garlic mayonnaise was the perfect condiment to bring it all together.

The main course was also a real treat:  tortellini with fresh garden veggies and grated parmesan.  This dish made me quite envious of my friend’s amazing raised gardens, and has also inspired me to look into ways in which I can hone my own gardening skills to produce a greater yield next growing season!

Thank you again, M & J, for a lovely dinner!

Stuffed Green Peppers, Camp Style

Stuffed green peppers were a staple dish in my family’s house when I was growing up.  This dish is fairly easy to make, and there are many varieties of fillings that can be used.  My mom’s recipe is similar to this recipe, which I found on Cooks.com.  The major difference is that my mom does not use cheese in her stuffed green peppers, but does add carrots to the stuffing.

Instead of baking these stuffed green peppers in the oven, these were cooked on the grill in an aluminum baking pan covered with aluminum foil.

The First Tomato

Last summer was a terrible summer for gardening.  This summer is better, though I have to admit I have horribly neglected my gardens while focusing on summer course work and home improvement projects…  However, we have already picked a few edible cherry tomatoes from our hanging plant which I bought at Farmer Whiting’s as a porch decoration with hopes of bonus tomatoes.

Brunch at Camp

Aside from the enjoying the water and evening campfires, brunch is one of my favorite things about camp.  Usually my brother cooks the eggs; he even brought his own electric griddle to make sure there would be enough cooking space for all of us to enjoy brunch together.

Dad usually fires up the grill for Mailhot’s sausages, featured today in The Portland Press Herald.  Mailhot’s Sausage Co. is a 100 year old family owned business in Lewiston, Maine.  They also make cretons, salmon pie, and a few other French Canadian staples.

Dad also grills a mixture of sliced potatoes and onions with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper in place of traditional homefries.  Potatoes take a long time to cook, so we usually pierce them with a fork and microwave them for a few minutes before slicing for the grill.

Instead of toast, we have been grilling Portuguese muffins, which at first glance resemble English muffins, but are slightly sweet, and softer in texture.

This is the sort of breakfast one should really only consume once or twice a month, preferably after a good long run!

Homemade Whoopie Pie Cake

Last week I used my grandmother’s whoopie pie recipe to make a whoopie pie cake for my dad’s birthday.  A single batch of the batter is just enough to make two 8″ round cakes which can be filled in the middle to resemble a giant whoopie pie.

Memere’s Whoopie Pie Recipe

Cookie or Cake Batter:

1/4 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Combine shortening, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly, either by hand or with an electric mixer.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking soda.  Then combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients, a little at a time until the batter is smooth.  For cake:  Pour into two 8″ round greased cake pans, bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.  For traditional whoopie pies:  Drop batter on a cookie sheet and bake the cookies at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Frosting:

Cook together 2 1/2 tbsp flour and 1/2 c. milk unitl thick, then let this mixture cool.  Using an electric mixer, cream together the flour and milk mixture with 1/2 c shortening until fluffy looking.  Then add 1/2 c. sugar while mixer is still running on high speed.  Next add about 1 c. of confectioners sugar, and continue to mix until fluffy.  If necessary, add more confectioners sugar to get the right consistency.

Sesame-Ginger Garden Peas

Yesterday I finally “harvested” 29 snow pea pods from one of my raised gardens.  While it was just barely enough for two side servings with tonight’s dinner, I was happy to finally get something from our garden beyond mint, chives, scallions, and baby greens!

Heat 1 tsp. sesame oil over medium heat.  Saute 1 tsp. thinly sliced ginger for several minutes, until it becomes fragrant.  Then throw in the snow peas and a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper.  Saute several minutes, just until the peas turn bright green if you like crisp, sweet pea pods.

*This recipe is for about 1/4 lb. of sugar snap peas.  Increase accordingly if you garden is kinder to you!

Key Lime Cupcakes

In celebration of my sister-in-law’s Summer birthday, I wanted to make a special dessert.  I recall her liking key lime pie, so I decided to find a cake recipe that would be similar, and stumbled upon this Betty Crocker recipe online while looking for ideas.

Initially I was hesitant to try this recipe, as it called for a box of lime Jello.  I’ve never liked lime flavored Jello, or other bright green fake flavored foods, but took a risk on this one.  It was well worth it!  The recipe has simple ingredients, including a box of lemon flavored cake mix, so it’s not 100% homemade…  The glaze, made with fresh lime juice and confectioners sugar, and the homemade cream cheese frosting really make these cupcakes flavorful.  I would definitely make this recipe again!

Wild Maine Blueberries in Acadia National Park

Every year my husband’s parents camp out at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park for one of their vacations.  This year we decided to join them for a few days to visit and enjoy some hiking, a few campfires, and a few strolls through Bar Harbor.

On our last day, we hiked the trail that connects Blackwoods Campground to the summit of Cadillac Mountain.  Along the trail we found quite a few patches of wild blueberries, which I must admit slowed our hike to the summit!

Dinner via Bicycle at Taber’s

In celebration of these lovely long hours of daylight (and a nearly-finished porch painting project), a bike ride around Lake Auburn and dinner at Taber’s was in order.

Taber’s features burgers and other sandwiches, as well as fried seafood plates at their stand.  They also have an ice cream stand.  They are located on the shoreline of Lake Auburn, and also have a driving range and mini golf, making it a nice spot for recreation as well as a simple dinner with a lake view.

The food is simple, nothing fancy, but served piping hot.  After a bike ride, it tastes like heaven!

Taber’s is a popular meeting place for people of all ages.  All around us there were families enjoying mini golf and ice cream, teenagers having burgers with friends, and several groups of senior citizens enjoying dinner and conversing in half French, half English while watching for birds and other wildlife.  Taber’s also features “Sock Hops” and  “Class Nights” where mini-reunions can take place among class members from the various local high schools.

Grant’s Bakery Chicken Pie

Well, it’s been over two weeks so far without an oven, but we’re surviving on simple foods at home that can be either grilled, prepared in a toaster oven, on a single-burner hot plate, or in the microwave…  On my last visit to Grant’s Bakery, I was tempted by the chicken pie, and figured I could heat it up in the toaster oven one night for an easy dinner.

The pie was as good as homemade–different from the recipe I make, but just as good in its own way.  I would certainly buy another chicken pie at Grant’s, or perhaps next time a salmon pie?