A challenge on this the second day of summer...

Psst, see the comic strip above? It's a new feature of my blog and every week you'll see a new cartoon depicting a humorous but true adventure in the kitchen with "In The Weeds." Enjoy!

This morning I turned on the news to hear experts say knocking back multiple cups of coffee can fight certain types of Cancer, however, this afternoon these same experts say all that coffee from this morning can make you fat! Of course why worry about coffee affecting your waistline when you have this to contend with!

Yep, that's right folks Friendly's has decided to join the multiple attempts by fast food establishments to assassinate real cooking with a deluxe burger sandwiched between well, two grilled cheese sandwiches! The Epicurean inside of me gave a little gasp and began weeping when I saw this although not nearly as much as when KFC's latest monstrosity came out. Still, I don't get how Friendly's gastronomic disaster has almost twice as many calories as a "sandwich" made from two greasy pieces of fried chicken with two pieces of cheese, strips of bacon and some kind of mayonnaise sauce between them! I find myself laughing when I think of how not too long ago McDonald's and other fast food restaurants were forced to kill the super size options on their menu for cries of obesity, lawsuits yadda yadda yadda and yet as fast food "restaurants" leap at us with increasingly larger and more disgusting "sandwiches" I hear nothing but crickets. Is it because they're too busy wretching and twitching from grease and fat overload? While I do, on limited occasion, visit my local fast food chain (there are seven on my block alone) I recognize that these places are destroying American palettes. We spoke to someone just today who will be visiting friends in Europe for two weeks but admitted to being afraid of the cultures she'll be experiencing. We urged her not to be frightened and to try all the new dishes that will come before her! There are two things hubby and I detest in our travels, 1. Americans visiting a foreign country who yell in English REALLY REALLY LOUD LIKE VOLUME WILL SUDDENLY MAKE A NATIVE OF FRANCE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ASK THEM.

2. People who visit foreign countries but will only visit establishments that are familiar to them. Why bother spending thousands of dollars to have the same experiences you can get at home for free? And sorry folks, Americans are NOT the only people guilty of this, nearly every country out there has people like this!

On this second official day of summer I know nearly everybody out there is in vacation mode. So whether you're travelling out of the country, around the country, across the country or just another part of the state, experiment! Every region has its own tastes and culinary delights. If you come across a local favorite, give it a try! Scarf down a Whoopie Pie, chow down on that Philly Cheese steak, indulge in good ole fashioned BBQ in a different part of the country than your own and snack on some Rocky Mountain Oysters... yeah, I know what they are but millions of people descend on Montana in August for them every year so they must be doing something right;) Even if you're too broke or busy to take a vacation this year, include a new area restaurant in your staycation. Challenge yourselves this summer by staying away from the local fast food joint and treat your tastebuds to something that isn't greasy, gooey, and dipped in fat... unless of course you're talking about a nice slice of NYC pizza or a deep fried Milky Way! Chow for now!

Summertime and the living is easy...

With summer officially underway my thoughts have immediately jumped to the next season. Of course this doesn't mean I won't be making anymore summer goodies this year but as fast as the year is going we'll all blink twice and start seeing the changing of leaves. So with thoughts of harvest time mixing with the celebratory atmosphere that accompanies the start of summer vacation the first thing that popped into my head was apples. Try as I might, I couldn't get thoughts of apples out of my head. So I decided to create some scrumptious new apple candles! These beauties stand 3" tall, contain 11oz of creamy scented soy wax and smell like the real thing. Pick a Red Delicious, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious for $10 plus shipping (also available unscented upon request).

I also experimented a little this week and came up with a "British Chocolate Spread" candle for my British, ex-pat and Anglophile fans. This exquisite delight was hand poured and set in an old (and thoroughly washed) jar of the famous chocolate spread with the purple label that we all know and love! It's 14 oz of chocolatey goodness for $12 plus shipping (International customers please contact me with your post code for a more accurate shipping cost).

This Saturday, June 5th, I'll be setting up shop at the East Deering Neighborhood Association Craft/Yard/Bake Sale located at The Columbia Club on Wordsworth Street in Portland (just off Veranda Street) from 9am - 4pm. The weatherman is calling for another soggy day (I swear he's out to get me) but fear not, in the event of rain the sale will be moved inside the Columbia Club. Hope to see you there! Have a great week everyone, be sure to check out my personal blog, Egg Drop Soup, which was written in honor of our servicemen and women who have served and continue to serve today. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day:)

Candles, candles and more candles

Apologies for the delay folks, with upcoming events in May and June fast approaching time just got away from me! Don't you just hate when it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day?

Anyway, despite the NAMI Walk and Art show being just three weeks away, my imagination refuses to let me mindlessly crank out candles like a machine and so this week I've listed 8 new candles including smaller versions of the Pina Colada, Margarita and Hot Fudge Sundae Candles. I especially love the little green cactus stem on the new Margarita glass!

The new candles listed are Chocolate and Strawberry Milkshake candles and a votive sized chocolate milkshake so you can get both milkshakes either lifesized for $16 or votive sized for $5. It seems I caught chocolate fever because I was also inspired to create the Chocolate Silk Pie candle which is about as much decadent chocolatey goodness you can get without packing on the pounds! Finally, there's the crustless Lemon Meringue pie votive with a cute little whipped cream dollop on top.

I'm working on three more candles and hope to release them next week. My plans for the Maple Syrup and Bacon candles didn't go quite as I'd hoped hence the delay but that can happen when dealing with handmade. You can either release garbage and hope it sells or you can go back to the drawing board and make another attempt at good quality. I prefer the latter! And yes, you did read right, I am attempting a bacon scented candle! It's a wonderful scent, so smoky and meaty the husband wanted to drink the oil right out of the bottle! So if you're a bacon lover keep watch for the listing of this little gem. I'm also attempting a vanilla milkshake this weekend, the only problem is figuring out what color says vanilla to the most people. Personally I envision an off yellow shake (almost like the small pina colada), however others have told me white like my hot fudge sundaes while others have suggested more of a beige color. So I think this calls for a poll. Please take a moment between now and the 21st to let me know what you think via the poll on the top left of your screen. Your input is greatly appreciated!

Finally, specifically for the NAMI walk but soon to be listed on Etsy and 1000markets, I'll be selling Tealight Sampler packs of 3, 4, 6, and 8 so you can get a test sniff of any scent you're curious about. The Neopolitan Tealight Sampler with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry will be available in sets of 3 and 6, the Tropical Tealight Sampler will feature Pina Colada, Margarita, Lemon and Orange Creamsicle in packs of 4 and 8, the Fruit Bowl Tealight Sampler will contain Strawberry, Lemon, Apple and Blueberry tealights in packs of 4 and 8 and the Pie Sampler which gives you a choice of chocolate cream, lemon meringue, blueberry, pumpkin, pecan and apple pies in sets of 3 and 6. You can also buy the Assorted Sampler where you can choose any of the above mentioned scents as well as Creme Brulee in packs of 3, 4, 6, and 8. Mix and match or just get the one scent, whatever takes your fancy! Custom orders will also be available for sets of 10 and 12.

That's about it for this week. Be sure to check my personal blog, Egg Drop Soup! Chow for now.

The problem with Maine cuisine

As I approach the 6 month anniversary of our arrival to Maine I find myself at a loss and need the help of my fellow Mainers, native and non-native alike. What has troubled me all this time is the lack of eateries with decent food! Now before the hate mail spews forth let me explain. Both my husband, Paul, and I are cursed with a shellfish allergy and so can't appreciate a good seafood restaurant without it ending with a trip to the emergency room. So it goes without saying that in a state where the main staple seems to center around lobstah, many restaurants whose praises are constantly being sung to me are almost completely off limits. It seems to me however, that in the focus for the ultimate seafood meal something very important has been left off the menu of many eating establishments in the state... FLAVOR!!!

We discovered this problem during our first days visiting Maine. Our first meal was courtesy of The Wok Inn on Forest Avenue in Portland. First the food was fantastic (and yes I know this contradicts the purpose of this post but wait I'm getting to that). I decided to be brave and try the #4 combination dinner with coconut curry chicken and found the curry flavor not at all overpowering or incredibly hot as some places have been known to do. What I did find very strange was the meal was accompanied by a cup of applesauce. I figured ok, that's nice, they give you dessert with your meal. I soon discovered since moving here that the cup of dessert is actually what passes in Maine as DUCK SAUCE!!! It wasn't isolated to just one or two chinese food restaurants but EVERYONE does this here! So be forewarned, if you come to Maine and wish to have chinese food, AVOID THE DUCK SAUCE!!! Why, someone please tell me WHY in HELL would you want to include applesauce with fried noodles or steamed rice or any kind of chicken? This is just wrong on SO many levels and is ONLY done here so far as I can tell! I've lived on and have visited the West Coast, Mid-Atlantic states and most of the Eastern seaboard and have NEVER EVER come across this and for one very good reason, APPLESAUCE IN CHINESE FOOD IS JUST PLAIN WRONG!!!! It's a downright evil thing to do to such a scrumptious cuisine and there should be warning labels printed for the unsuspecting visitor who's about to partake! I've since sucked it up and bought a jar of duck sauce so when the nice man at the counter asks me if I'd like sauce with my meal, I simply cringe silently and shake my head.

Now, I was born and raised in the NY metro area, land of disco fries, bagels, black and white cookies, pretzel rolls, and REAL pizza (sorry Chicago, deep dish is all well and good but it does nothing for me) but most important of all a land filled with Italians fresh off the boat from Sicily which also means REAL Italian food! So when I go to an Italian restaurant (ahem cough cough The Corsican in Freeport) I DON'T expect to get a pizza that comes out of a box and goes in the microwave! Ellios makes a better pizza than this! But then I should've known when I saw constant mentions on their menu of other Italian dishes being made with their special "pizza sauce". Really? You make all your dishes with the same sauce you throw on pizza? I envisioned this giant plastic vat in the back with a big ladle sticking out:-/ Since that one visit I've seen commercials and local tourist guides on tv and in the paper advertising the Corsican's food and have noticed that while their seafood dishes are raved about, talk of their pizza and pasta dishes are noticeably absent. So, since I can't actually try these out I'll advise if you do decide to visit the Corsican, steer clear of anything resembling Italian food and apparently you'll have a better experience.

One thing I've noticed that has deeply saddened me is when I walk down a street that boasts a pizzeria, you can see said pizzeria but you can't smell it. Native New Yorkers and Jersians (Jerseyites?) can attest that when there's a pizzeria open for business you KNOW it. You can drive down the street and catch a whiff of greasy, cheesy goodness so incredible you'll cause a major pileup just to find out where it's coming from (or is that just me)! So far I'll walk past a pizzeria, stand inside a pizzeria, stand outside the door of a pizzeria, stand in front of the counter as a freshly made pizza is being pulled from the oven and not even catch the slightest hint of a whiff. Perhaps this is because if you don't have any flavor you can't possibly have any scent! It seems the phenomenon of flat tasting crust, watery tomato sauce and rubbery cheese is statewide. Oh yeah, and spicing the HELL out of things don't make up for lack of flavor either! Like if they make it hot enough all your taste buds will die and you won't notice the difference... is THAT what happened to you poor people? It kills me when places that boast a real Italian heritage are cranking out this kind of food. Now there's a Mexico, Maine and a Lebanon, Maine. Could it be that there's an Italy, Maine where these people are coming from?

Ok, so enough bitching. I'll tell you the few places I HAVE found to be an enjoyable dining experience thus far. Hands down, my favorite place to eat is Little Tokyo in Brunswick. The ambiance is cozy and charming, the staff is very friendly and attentive, the food is just incredible and the owner will beam as he gladly informs you of the freshness and authenticity of his ingredients and the dishes they're used for. They also have a very interesting cocktail and dessert menu which I've yet to try but hope to very shortly.

For breakfast, I highly suggest Isabella's Sticky Buns Cafe in Freeport. They make an excellent Eggs Benedict and hubby loves the pancakes and bacon. Of course while you're in Freeport you HAVE to try what is so far my favorite staple of Maine cuisine, the Whoopie Pie! A Whoopie Pie basically resembles a very large Oreo Cakester but with real cream inside. They come in multiple flavors and you'll find them in nearly every store or shop in Maine but in my opinion any Whoopie Pie you decide to buy, try and take home must come from the Isamax Snacks Bakery located just around the corner from the town hall. Of course if you can't make it to Freeport or Maine itself, they have a website called Wicked Whoopies and prices do include shipping.

Anyway, that's my latest rant and rave. I know Mainers won't appreciate my criticisms and so I put the question to all residents past and present native and non, where are the great epicurean delights of your area? Who has the food to die for? Which establishments are your favorite (and again, they can't be solely focused on seafood)? And finally, can someone tell me what in the HELL is Moxie soda and what does it taste like? I've seen it, I've heard of it but until I can find it sold in individual bottles or cans, I won't be trying it any time soon.