Gifts from Maine

One of the fun things about being an avid cook is buying cool kitchen toys; even better, when they’re received as gifts. My parents recently came back from a vacation in Maine and my kitchen ended up with a few adorable goodies.

First, y’all know by now, my favorite color is pink, so I was pleased as punch when I saw these cake stands. I can’t wait to use them. In addition to using them for cakes, they will make a great stacking tool for mini bite-size appetizers or a seafood tower (just fill the stand, since it has a rim, with crushed ice and layer your favorite shellfish on it … cooked jumbo shrimp, raw oysters, New Zealand mussels … yum! It will be perfect for our Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve).

And then a set of prep bowls, with colors ideal to match our dining room, which is a little paler than the tan band on the bowl. I’m not a big mise en place kind of cook; no time to be that organized. But I have been trying lately, so these will definitely come in handy, and great for serving small portions of side dishes as well.

And lastly, my Mom happened upon a bake sale, where they were selling Cranberry Hootycreeks. Yup, I said Hootycreeks. Never heard of such a cookie before, but they were quite tasty with little bits of cranberries and white chocolate throughout. Anyone from Maine reading? Is this a regional thing? Or is it everywhere and I’m just really sheltered? No matter, they were yummy nonetheless.

Just finished the roundup of new recipes that I made for the month of May and managed to get in 31 new recipes tried; not too shabby. Better still, we have a few new favorites now that will definitely be making repeat performances. Recipe list is below and they can all be found by using the search box at the top of my site. They’ll be added to the sidebar as well very soon.

OK folks, all for tonight. Tune in tomorrow for the ARF/5-A-Day roundup. Until then…

A year ago today… farmers market deja vu.

New Recipes Made in May 2006
Banana Pancakes
Parmesan Chicken Burgers
Mexican Burgers with Jalapeno-Lime Mayonnaise
Frozen Lemonade Cocktail
Black Bean Dip
Applesauce Cake with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
Banana Blueberry Bread
Honey-Mustard Chicken
Oven Fries Italiano
Sherry-Garlic Meatballs
Broccoli Rabe with Oil and Garlic
Asparagus Au Gratin
Farfalle Shrimp Newburg
Greek-Style Turkey Burgers
Breath Mint Pie
In Your Face Banana Bread
Sherry-Garlic Mushrooms
Grilled Chorizo
Sugo di Pomodoro
Sauteed Garlic Asparagus
Creamy Chive Dressing
Dad’s Roast Chicken with Parsley Lemon Juice Oil
Tomato Red Rice
Wild Mushroom Spread
Watermelon and Rose Sangria
Coconut-Oatmeal Crisps
Chinese Pork Chops
Banana Smoothie
Pear Gorgonzola Butter
Parmesan-Parsley Bread
Maple-Almond Granola

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