Karen

Pumpkins in the Old Port

September 30, 2010October 5, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, local fun, raising chickens

Love pumpkins? There are lots of options for getting your pumpkin fix here in the Old Port.

First, Coastal Maine Popcorn Company has a seasonal flavor called Pumpkin Spice. Now, popcorn is not something that immediately springs to mind (like muffins!) when I think of pumpkin, but maybe hereafter it will. Head over to the tasting bar and try some for yourself; see what you think. I’d tell you what I think of it except that the day I went to try it, they were sold out of it. Maybe that means that it’s good?

Next, you can indulge your pumpkin and your chocolate cravings at once with some pumpkin chocolate swirl fudge from the Old Port Candy Company. They will give you a free sample if you want to “try before you buy”. Fair warning: it will be hard to walk away without it once you’ve tried it.

At The Farmers Market in Monument Square on Wednesdays, you can pick up a personal-sized, gluten-free pumpkin pie from Bam Bam Bakery’s table. Be focused though, because they also have lemon bars to die for. Get your little pie, hand over your $5, then walk away.

Pumpkin Whoopie from Two Fat Cats Bakery

Finally, there are amazing pumpkin whoopie pies made at the Two Fat Cats Bakery on India Street. Their recipe is in the Making Whoopies: The Official Whoopie Pie Book by Nancy Griffin. They were featured recently on America’s Best Sweets on the Food Network and touted as having the best whoopie pie not only in Portland, but in America. I have had the pumpkin version and I totally agree.

On another note: don’t forget about how much chickens love to eat real pumpkins, and feel free to save any post-Halloween for consumption by the local chickens of your choice. Especially mine.

🙂

Baby tooth

September 28, 2010 by Karen, posted in health, Someone's gotta say it

Many of you may have had a toothache at some point in your lives. I certainly have. Many of you may also know how expensive it can be when something goes wrong with your teeth. Even if you have some dental insurance, even if it’s good insurance, after the procedure is done and the dust has settled, you probably will be left with a huge portion of the bill for your very own.

Because of this, in the past you may have (like me) chosen the path of least resistance (read: least cost) in dealing with equivocal tooth issues, like a root canal. Now, sometimes there is nothing you can do: the tooth needs attention NOW as evidenced by the relentless, screaming 10 (on a scale of 1-10) pain. $1300 to make it stop? A bargain! Have at it!

At other times, however, if the pain eventually subsides, you may decide to take a watchful waiting stance (especially if your budget does not allow for an effortless expenditure for a large, unexpected medical bill that month)…and “baby” your tooth.

This involves trying to remember not to chew on that side, or at least avoiding nuts, seeds, raw carrots, and so forth, avoiding cold and hot foods and liquids (especially cold!!). It probably also involves lots of ibuprofen, and potentially, orajel. Arnica and oil of cloves may also be useful during this denial…er, watchful waiting stage. All are certainly much cheaper in the short-term than a root canal, or even (god forbid) an extraction.

These tactics have helped me “baby” my errant teeth for about 3 years now. Except for one of them, which definitely did not respond to the conservative treatments today, and over the course of 3 hours I decided that it was time to consult the professional.

That would be the one I consulted 3 years ago. Now, years and years ago (like, more than a decade) when I found myself in a similar situation, the staff at the endodontist’s office that I called (who didn’t know me from a hole in the wall) couldn’t have been more sympathetic and helpful, and had me in the chair that day. So today, I (foolishly, it turned out) expected the same treatment from the (different) provider that I consulted for this tooth (having moved too far away to go back to prior one).

Caring health professionals? NOT! The secretary that took my call couldn’t have been less interested or sympathetic toward my predicament. The best she could do in an emergency was to give me an appointment 2 days from now.

After I hung up the phone, I was pretty disgusted with the way my problem had been handled. I called a different endodontist practice and the secretary was the polar opposite of the first. She was very sympathetic, very concerned about getting me in as soon as I wanted to be seen, fully assuring me that if I couldn’t stand the pain she would get me in immediately.

Need I say which provider I chose? (Hint: not the first one!). After all, if they weren’t concerned about me today, what would be different about Thursday? I didn’t want to support their dental practice in any way (root canals are NOT CHEAP!) so I put my money where my mouth was (literally) and took my business elsewhere.

Sometimes, we can make small choices that make us feel better. It still hurts; it will still cost a lot, but…I do feel better. 🙂

Quest for the best fried clams

September 23, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, local fun, restaurants, tweens

: Tom’s Fried Clams

We recently read an article in the York Independent newspaper rating local restaurants by how good their fried clams were.

One of the restaurants mentioned was Tom’s Fried Clams, located on Rt. 1 in York, Maine. We’d never been there, so off we went.

We had a coupon to receive $4 off a clam platter. Good thing, too; even with the coupon, it cost us $18. Actually, first it cost us $36, because the cashier charged us for two platters instead of just the one that we ordered. Fortunately, my husband was paying attention, and we got the extra platter deleted from the bill before we paid. We also orderd lobster rangoons, mozzarella sticks (after all, we had a tweenager with us; it’s the law) and a drink.

It was lucky for us that it was a nice day: the dining room is outside. There were a couple of tables inside the fish market, but no one was sitting in there.

The platter came with the usual suspects: fries and slaw. The food was great, actually.

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I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there again, but if I was in the area and was hungry, I would go. I would also check my receipt very carefully. 🙂

Late, late summer (but feels like fall) date night

September 19, 2010September 22, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, local fun, restaurants

: Yia Yia Pizza from Jimmy the Greek

I took off early from work for a date night I planned with my husband last week. He said he wanted Thai food, so I was going back and forth mentally all day about where to go (Mekong Thai? Thai Rose? Thai 9?).

Since I couldn’t decide, I decided to let him decide. When I got home from work I said, “Okay, where are we going?”

He said, “We’re going to Jimmy the Greek’s“.

Well. All-righty then.

Portland Dine Around Club has some pretty excellent, useful coupons for Jimmy the Greek’s, so if you have one, check it out. We ordered a small Inferno Zeus wings and a large Yia Yia Pizza (that’s the leftover, for breakfast today that you are seeing up there). I thought it was a little over-feta’d but my husband did not.

Then we drove down to Old Orchard Beach…much different experience on a post-labor day evening than it is in full-swing summer. For one thing, we parked for free this time in the lot that cost $5 last time. For another, there were way fewer people. Both of these things were good. 🙂

We walked down to the ocean, then to Dolci Crema Cafe. This is the place to go if you are craving dessert, or anything sweet. The owner offered us samples of any gelato, and even suggested some and handed us the sample before we asked! We ended up trying almost all of them. We settled on “Almond Joy”.

What was great about this (well, you know, besides the gelato) is that my husband is not really a fan of gelato. He was trying something different because I like it so much. This is why we got the Almond Joy to split; it was his favorite of the bunch (mine was the dark chocolate!).

Then we drove back home to watch the Survivor season opener.

P.S. We got the Thai food 2 days later. Just goes to show you: cravings must be satisfied.

(Chicken) Food for Thought

September 17, 2010September 17, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, raising chickens

To all my gardener friends and friends of friends local to Wells:

Want to do a good deed for your feathered fowl friends? Give us your tired, wretched masses…of produce!

Reasons to bring your inedible, unappetizing, or otherwise unappealing garden food items to my house:

Drive by and drop off! You don’t even have to get out of your car; just lean out and place your unwanted items on the bottom shelf of the egg stand at the bottom of the driveway.
You will feel good because you will be supporting a local farm.
Chickens LOVE most produce.

What to bring?

Unwanted post-halloween pumpkins
Baseball bat sized zucchinis or cukes
Apples and tomatoes (of any color and ripeness) that fell to the ground before you got to pick them
The tired looking, wilty lettuce from the bottom of the crisper that you forgot about
Banged up produce of any kind that you are too nervous to eat..

The chickens say thank you for any and all efforts!

In to Africa

September 16, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, health

My friend and work colleague, M. Lennon, RN, is preparing for a trip (not her first) to Africa; she and other volunteers will continue the work they were doing at the Newstart Children’s Home and Clinic last year. This year they hope to build a separate school; right now the school is contained in the baby center. Newstart currently is home to about 70 (amazing!) children.

M. is collecting supplies to bring with her to the children, as well as monetary donations that will be used to buy shoes (and possibly other needed items) for them. Needed items include: many sizes of boys’ clothing, all sizes of plastic diaper covers for cloth diapers, baby bottles, ring worm remedies (either homeopathic or prescription), walking shoes (all sizes), Tevas (all sizes).

It’s called The Zimbabwe Project. I am thinking of this today because M. is having a bake sale fundraiser to support the effort. There will be another fundraiser this Sunday, September 19th from 5-8pM at the Fuller Glass Studio, 129 Congress St. (across from the Portland Observatory).

The bake sale fundraiser includes items made by local artisan Susan Henry, RN. Not only did she donate baked goods, but the time that she took to design meaningful packaging reminds us all of the importance of the undertaking and why they are doing it. Everything offered for sale is infused with love and blessings; you can feel it.

When I checked out the website, I saw this quote from Mother Theresa:

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

This reminded me of one of my goals for 2010: to support food security. Here’s an excellent chance to do that (literally and figuratively) and to help others to do something great at the same time.

If you want to be involved in any way, visit the above Zimbabwe Project or Delaney’s Heart Organization.

No one will feel better about your efforts than you will yourself. 🙂

All of the items for the fundraiser were donated by the baker and/or crafter themselves. Here’s just a few that I was able to photograph before they were bought or eaten!

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Paying by check

September 15, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, shopping

I was at Hannaford’s in Kennebunk Saturday night, and after my transaction, I noticed that the (young, teenaged) cashier put aside my BLANK SIGNED CHECK next to the register. I asked if she printed my check (although I could clearly see she had not) and she said, “Oh, yeah; we usually do but it didn’t print this time.”

I’m thinking, “Well, she’s young. She doesn’t realize the risk of theft involved with a signed, blank check just lying around the store. Someone who is dishonest (not her! not her!) might take advantage of a situation like that.

So I said, “Well, give it back! I’ll write it.” She gave it back. I wrote it.

When i got home, I told my husband what happened. He said, “Did you tell the manager?” and of course, I had not. “Call there now.”

I called. I told the manager what happened. He asked me if I had the receipt with the cashier’s name on it. I did. I named her. He said that he knew it was going to be that particular cashier.

I had a similar experience last summer when the store was the Stop and Shop. I wrote a check, and then noticed that I was charged $177 but the total was actually $117. I asked the cashier why she had overcharged me $60. She just said, “Oh,” and gave the discrepancy back in cash.

Lesson: Pay by credit or debit card! Check your receipt carefully!

Fall!

September 14, 2010September 14, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, restaurants

DD Pumpkin Muffin 2 — Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Muffin

Fall is a time when a young(ish) woman’s thoughts lightly turn to…pumpkin muffins! What is a better harbinger of the new season? I ask you.

Pumpkin muffin is a term that should be used loosely; more of a suggestion than an edict. There are many different versions of the pumpkin muffin.

Here are a few:

Dunkin Donuts has a Pumpkin Muffin. You may want to know (if you are on Weight Watchers) that it has about 16 POINTS. Really. Almost my total allotment for an entire day. You might prefer to assuage your pumpkin craving with a pumpkin donut if you are at DD; they have about 6 POINTS. (Disclaimer: these point values were calculated last fall with nutrition info from the DD website using the online WW point calculator and I am recalling them to the best of my memory since the pumpkin products aren’t on the DD website at the time of this writing).
Better yet, cheat: make them at home with this recipe from Copykat.
Tim Horton’s version of Pumpkin Spice Muffin is “healthier” at only (count ’em) 9 Weight Watcher’s Points. Hey, it’s better than 16. Way better, actually.
Your local bakery/coffee shop/breakfast place most likely will also have some pumpkin muffins of some sort, and most likely they will be very hard to resist, and probably better than #1 or #3 above.
The local supermarket will probably have pumpkin muffins in their bakery section. Smallish, plain (as in unadorned by streusel topping and/or glaze), unappealing ones are offered at my local market.

The choice is yours. My choice was purely based on proximity; I was driving by DD and had a half an hour to kill before the football game started Sunday morning. I also had a DD card with some money left on it. Can you say DD combo with black french vanilla coffee and a pumpkin muffin???

So, only the 3rd day of being back to active weight loss and a pumpkin muffin knocked me off the wagon. At least my daughter split it with me…well, she had a bite of it.

Tomorrow is another day. 🙂

New Arrivals

September 12, 2010September 18, 2010 by Karen, posted in raising chickens

The new peeps were born last Wednesday and scheduled to arrive on Thursday, Friday the latest, through the mail. We did order from a new vendor, one we hadn’t ordered from in the past. We chose them this time because they allowed us

to buy 20 at a time instead of 25. They were cheap; like, half the price of the other vendors. It was also closer; they would ship from Pennsylvania, not Iowa or Texas. This had to be easier on peeps-in-transit, we reasoned.

So, as we’ve done at least a half a dozen times before, we placed our order, confident that they would arrive as scheduled. So confident, that when they did not come on Thursday, my husband went to the post office on Friday morning to get the package.

When they said they didn’t have a package for us, he listened carefully for the tell-tale “peep peep peep”, but heard nothing.

This was not good. Little peeps theoretically can live for up to 72 hours (key words here are “up to”), but they certainly also might not.

On Saturday, at 6:39am, the call came. The chicks had arrived! The news was promising: the package was “peeping”. I went to pick it up, dreading what we might find when we opened it. Both kids and I held our breath…

Well, the good news was this: all 21 chicks were living and peeping. All took a drink when coaxed. All found the food.

The bad news is this: with in 2 days, we had 6 dead bodies. We’d never lost more than 1 0r 2 chicks right away like that. It was kind of awful. Every time one of us went out to check on them, there would be another little casualty. 😦

There are 15 chicks left, and all seem to be doing well. Hopefully the worst is past.

Needless to say, we will likely not be ordering from them again.

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Magical thinking (or: the 80/20 rule revisited)

September 11, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, fitness, health, restaurants

This summer, for the first time since losing weight, I put some back on. In reviewing my behavior over the past 3 months, I realized what happened: I reversed the 80/20 rule of maintenance. Instead of staying on track with eating 80% of the time so that the other 20% I could eat whatever I wanted, I ate whatever I wanted 80% of the time, using magical thinking to hope that staying on track 20% of the time would balance the wild abandon of the other 80%. I did the same thing with exercising (ugh!).

What happened? Well, for one thing, I guess I got smug. For a while, it actually didn’t matter that I did that; my body compensated for the excess until it just couldn’t anymore. Also, I got lazy about portion sizes and, in many instances, doubled what I knew was the amount that I should have been having. What can I say? So much (goooooood food); so little time.

Plus, hello? Tiramisu, gelato, sweet potato fries every week? Cinnamon buns and (just today, as I recall :)) blueberry muffins as big as your head? How did I think that would turn out?

Okay, time to put the 80/20 back in the 80/20 rule; time to lose the magical thinking. Goodbye maintenance; hello active losing: points counting, writing everything down, exercise of some sort 6 days a week for 30 minutes instead of 3…um, or 1.

It ain’t gonna be easy.

The foods of the summer of 2010 will not be soon forgotten. Here’s a (small) sample:

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