Since my last time here I moved to Maine, got a new job and started to get settled here. I was beginning to write an update on how the move went and what I was up to and what deliciousness I was eating and cooking, and was overcome by the genocide and destruction of Palestine. Ceasefire, and liberation for Palestine now.
One special Palestinian project to look into is the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library.
https://viviensansour.com/Palestine-Heirloom
The seeds are available for purchase online here if you’re looking to plan your garden for this next season.
https://disarmingdesign.com/product/heirloom-seeds/
Along with this global pain, my family has been experiencing some grief and pain as well. My father-in-law, Brad, came down with an extremely sudden case of acute necrotizing pancreatitis that began in his gallbladder. It has been a couple of months of flying to Oregon, supporting from afar, and sitting with the pain of a sick loved one and watching someone fight so hard for their life and health. We are so grateful for the support of our community and the health professionals who have given so much time and effort caring for Brad and giving us as much time and information as possible to ensure everyone understands each step in the medical process and what recovery will look like with Brad’s specific case. We have a long road ahead of us as a family, but I am so grateful for the love and unity we have with each other and the wonderful community who has shown their ability to love us well.
Thank you for still being here as I arrived in this space in a flurry and left just as fast. I do hope to be back this time for a while, as I have a few drafts of posts from back in September and October exploring our final days living in Oregon, our move across the country, and our beginnings in Maine. I may go back in time and share those at some point.
For now I will give a current update. A lot of my life is food based right now. Cooking at a local restaurant for work, and then cooking when I’m home, and then when I’m not cooking I’ve been reading other cooking substacks, reading from my many cookbooks, researching new recipes, and dreaming about the beginning of spring and summer produce here in Maine. It’s been so fun to have something to really focus on and practice. I have learned so much at work and have been cooking and baking at home in a way that feels fun and fresh even with slimmer winter pickings.
I have been making yogurt in my instant pot lately using this method which appears to be fairly foolproof!
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/instant-pot-yogurt/
With yogurt on hand I have been making these biscuits (I have been using 100% AP flour, but use what you have on hand!)
Recipe was recommended by Martina Thornhill who has some truly excellent work for sale right now if you want any special ceramic pieces or if you’re local to Portland, Oregon you should stop by Partly and see what else they have too.
I have also been making this cake. Really easy to have everything on hand and cooks up in a pinch using one orange (I used a juicy Cara Cara, and used all the juice and zest even though it was a little more than called for), yogurt, and some pantry staples.
Lastly in the world of yogurt, this savory recipe. Very flexible to your taste and what you may already have in your fridge. Especially wonderful if you have any herbs on the later part of their lifespan since their freshness (or lack of) gets hidden by being blitzed in with the yogurt.
Some new friends in Maine have a pizza oven and they have graciously invited us over for pizza a couple times and now it has my brain busy on pizza toppings and thinking about dough constantly. We had a pistachio and mortadella pizza this week that really did it for me. It also has me thinking about Lovely’s Fifty Fifty back in Portland and wanting to recreate some of their pizzas, like the kale and potato pizza. Feel free to send over any favorite pizza topping combos to keep our experiments going.
I was reminded about crepes recently and wow what a delicious treat! I have some Miller High Lifes in the pantry so that’s the beer I used in my batter and it helps create the lightest, fluffiest batter. Highly recommend breaking up the breakfast routine but making crepe batter a night this week and letting it sit in the fridge overnight so it’s totally ready for a buttery hot pan in the morning.
My last little non-food piece of info from this week is that I love winter! Having a winter in Maine has made me see that there is something to gain from winter and I happen to really enjoy it. I made a snow angel on my neighbor’s frozen pond which I found entirely adorable. Winter also allows you to accessorize in a new way, like a knit red bonnet! Most of the time inside I keep it tied so it has this adorable bow and then when I am outside I will wear it up and protect my ears from the cold wind.
Surely more cooking, winter thoughts, and other musings to come soon!