Maine

For the eight years we've lived in Maine we've heard about "camps". These are, most often, small and rather rustic vacation cottages that dot the shores of Maine's many beautiful ponds and lakes.

Where we grew up there were few nice fresh water lakes and no one I knew had a cottage. In Maine though it's common for someone who is part of an extended family to have a connection to a camp. Seeing that we have no extended family here we've never had those kind of connections.

Even so, we managed to snag a weekend at a honest-to-goodness camp last weekend, thanks to the generous offer of some friends.

The digs would be considered modest by most standards. The decor, furniture and appliances were all circa 1971 and we were without hot water. But compared to most of our weekend outings (under tents and three sided shelters) the solid roof, wood burning stove, propane stovetop, running water and electricity were downright luxurious.

Though Celine did say she would prefer WiFi to flush toilets. And I agree.

It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend away, tucked snug in between two difficult weeks. Those are often the hardest trips to make (it seems hard to get away when so much is happening at home) but the most important also.

Whereas we usually hike each weekend this time we rested. We wrote, paddled, read, ate, hammocked (is that a word?) slept and played games.

I was a perfect break in an otherwise tumultuous month.

We celebrated our fourteenth anniversary this week with an over-night getaway to Bethel, Maine's most beautiful mountain village.

If memory serves me well (Damien thinks we may have done this once though I don't recall) this is our first ever over-night trip without any children. What with no relatives living close, breastfeeding for years, a general close attachment to our children and my aversion to spending money it's been hard to make this happen before. 

For our little trip I brought only my 50 mm prime lens. Although the village boasts beautiful mountain scenery (we often hike within 20 minutes of this town) and old homes I wanted my photos to focus on the intimacy of our time together.  The little details that made our time together so special.

We stayed at Bethel Hill B&B, a lovely accommodation with knowledgeable and friendly hosts, a welcoming wrap around porch and beautiful perennial gardens. I recommend it if you are in the area and want a special place to stay.

We did date night type things; eating out, a movie, mutual massages, etc... (keeping this family friendly). The next day we slept in, walked Main St., enjoyed a local cafe and mostly took life at a very leisurely (no impatient children asking "what's next?") pace.

It was wonderful.  We retrieved the kids, who "didn't miss us at all" - too busy swimming, eating pizza, finding bunnies, kittens and ducklings on our friend's farm. And on the way home picked blackberries from an abandoned yard. 

A perfect summer sun-kissed anniversary celebration.  

a summer garden thank you gift for the friends who watched our kids

We're doing a backpack/camping/hiking food giveaway at ADVENTUREinPROGRESS. This is some truly healthy and tasty ready prepared meals, just add hot water! If your family is into the outdoors and needs a meal to take on an adventure you should check it out.

In early July I prepared a lunch for twenty-five young adults working with Lots To Gardens. This was one of the commitments I was referring to in this post (the clash of too many commitments having brought me to the brink of my sanity.)

Our family has invested in this non-profit for the past five years or so and in I've blogged before about cooking meals with them, planting seeds, supporting summer festivals and attending harvest fundraising dinners.

This was my third summer cooking a large lunch for their crew of youth workers and staff. I was given a gift certificate (a small stipend) for my effort but it was most definitely a labor of love.

The meal criteria from LtG were these: The meal should contain a whole grain, lean protein, colorful veggies and fruit. Dairy and meat optional but if so with vegetarian options. No pork (due to religious restrictions), low sugar, low salt, no HFCS or partially hydrogenated oils.

This I could do.

In addition I added the following criteria: I wanted to use as much Maine grown and in season produce as possible. Also, to provide a gluten-free option to the one g-free staff member.

With those criteria in mind and also the reality that I would be feeding mostly hungry teenagers I choose to make one of my family's favorite pasta dishes and finish it off with strawberry cobbler for dessert.

I'm not including the cobbler recipe here because it wasn't vegan and you can find those recipes anywhere on the net. We don't usually eat this kind of dessert but I needed something to appeal to the masses, so to speak. The cobbler included locally found ingredients - strawberries, whole wheat flour, oats (I made a g-free version also with my baking mix) and butter. All of which you can buy from Maine farms and mills.

Without further rambling here's the pasta recipe which I call Asian Noodles or Sesame Noodles depending on my mood.

Pasta Base:

• 16 oz. brown rice spaghetti (or whole wheat)
• 12-16 oz. tofu (I buy my organic, non-GMO tofu from this Maine company)
• 2 medium cucumbers, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2-3 medium carrots, shredded
• 3-4 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth (my recipe mix here)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, or less to taste
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 inch chunk gingerroot, grated or minced
• 3 tsp sugar or brown rice syrup
• 1/2 tsp asian chili paste (optional)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions (or until tender but firm). Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well and place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add tofu, cucumbers, pepper, carrots and onions.
3. Whisk together dressing ingredients; toss with pasta mixture.
4. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

Notes:

• The main work of this meal is in chopping the veggies. So if you have a few kids on hand this could go quick.
• This is one of our family's favorite quick summer meals and you can really use any crunchy vegetable you want.
• In the winter you can use raw cabbage and bean sprouts instead of fresh garden veggies.
• This recipe feeds our family of five. I pentupled (is that a word?) it to feed twenty five.