Mainely Martha

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday; friends and family coming together to give thanks while eating and drinking. What’s not to be thankful for?

Regardless of how much you cook or bake throughout the course of the year, the time, attention and love that goes into this one meal rivals no other; it is a feast to be shared. A feast with traditional dishes that are made for this one meal. One particular side that comes but once a year is stuffing. While a bowl of bread would not normally be appealing or even a rational consideration for a side to an average meal, my mother’s stuffing is a must have…just once a year.

Growing up I was the official taste tester of the stuffing; this one delicious side that was made only for Thanksgiving. And as time has past, the reins have been passed along to my son as the new official taste tester as it is now me who prepares the stuffing. Thankfully, it is one task that does not meet resistance and can bring a smile to his face as a confirmation that it has past the test…the joy of the season!

The day is filled with nostalgia from the aroma filling the house as dinner cooks to the memories of Thanksgivings past and the love of the food and of course, the company. Having been blessed growing up in a large and wonderful family with an abundance of delicious food, Thanksgiving has always been a reminder of all that there is to be grateful for. The combination of food, drink and loved ones is what makes the day worth the effort that is put into it and ultimately compels one to be thankful.

So, if only on Thanksgiving, count blessings and not calories…enjoy!

As the leaves have begun to change color and drift to the ground, the dip in temperature today finally made it feel like fall.  And as much as I love my morning visit to Breaking New Grounds for coffee, today was especially enjoyable…it is really crisp fall now! I didn’t even mind knowing that they wouldn’t have pumpkin spice today…didn’t matter.

And as the day progressed and it remained cool, the oven was calling. Baking is so enjoyable in the cooler months and the boys of fall have been playing hard on the soccer field, so some homemade treats were in order. But, the problem is…how do you choose what to bake? Well, I took the easy way out, one son loves pie, one loves pumpkin cookies and the third son loves everything so I whipped up a pie and cookies.  And in doing so,  I thought about the season and baking ahead….pace yourself! Drink your coffee and focus; the multitude of holiday pies and cookies are on the horizon.

That said, it is time to plan and try out new recipes while you dust off the old ones.  But no need to stress, throw the apron on, drink some coffee and enjoy it. And remember, it doesn’t have to be done all at once; focus on the baking that can be done in advance and can freeze nicely. Even if there are just dough’s that are prepped and put in the fridge or freezer to bake later. There are a few cookie recipes on the site that are definitely great prepped in advance and more to come…continue to check in as the baking season progresses.

“I am pretty sure the secret to world peace is hidden in the smell of coffee and baked sweets.” – Unknown

Fall is upon us…so let the baking begin! It is time for classic recipes like apple pie as well as a time to start trying new recipes before the holiday baking begins. And as always, I am blessed to have my sons to not only provide brutally honest feedback, but also to eat all of the baked goods so that I don’t! Although I don’t want to binge eat all of the baked goods, there is the warmth and aroma that fills the whole house that can fill you just as much, if not more, than eating the finished product. That’s not to say I don’t lick the bowl…I do need to test.

After baking pumpkin chocolate cookies, which are a fall favorite of the boys, I branched out to try a pumpkin chocolate chip brownie. The brownies won rave reviews; my youngest deeming them “amazing.” After hearing that, how could you not love baking?!?!??! And just think of the memories that are being created.

And as pie baking began last month during blueberry season, we are in full swing of fall pie baking; and first on tap…apple pie. Macintosh apples kicked off apple season, and now the cortlands and maccoons have followed. My mom made the absolute best apple pie and the secret (aside from a great flakey crust) is the mix of apples. Sure, you can use just macs, but if you want a great apple pie, mix the baking apples; specifically macs and cortlands. It is those little things that make a recipe go from good to great and it is also those little things that you don’t need to write down; the memories of baking that took place growing up and the “secrets” shared are the memories that last a lifetime.

Never underestimate the value of the little moments.

As if the chill in the air, the hurriedness of back to school, the afternoons at the soccer field and the diminishing hours of sunlight were not enough to validate that fall has arrived, the first cup of pumpkin spice coffee has made it official. And while realistically it is still iced coffee season, seeing pumpkin spice listed on the coffee board has made me succumb to order the hot coffee. And once that door is opened, the abundance of fall flavors will follow…and I am not referring to Halloween candy!

Following the bliss of the first pumpkin spice coffee, the next beverage of fall becomes a bit more complex; have you seen the number of fall beers? Decisions, decisions. And in this case, I can easily steer clear of pumpkin, but the brown ales with cinnamon and nutmeg are not easily overlooked. Furthermore, these flavorful beers can be so good to cook with in stews, cooking ribs or a loin of pork, beer bread…the list goes on and on with recipes to inspire here on the site.

And once your beverages are covered…the baking and subsequent eating begins. Fall flavors of pumpkin, apple, and maple are the staples of baking as this month kicks off. One of the first items to come from the oven are pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The pumpkin adds such a great moistness to the cookies and is a great way to introduce the pumpkin flavor to kids. In fact, my one son who is far from a foodie and pretty much not a fan of much outside of candy, loves pumpkin. Once he tasted the pumpkin chocolate cookies, he was hooked and loves all things pumpkin.  This weekend the fall baking will commence and new recipes from cookies and bars to muffins will be added to the site, so check them out and happy baking…and eating!

Back to school…it has to be the most exhausting week of the year. Part of the exhaustion in no small part, comes from preparing lunches; admittedly my least favorite task. But, you don’t need to have kids going off to school to plan for; it can still be a daunting task that looms overhead as we attempt to be mindful of what we eat and what we waste and plan for our own lunch.

Like all meal planning the secret hack to make this task less of a chore, not surprisingly, is in the prep. If possible, as soon as the groceries are unpacked, prep any foods that require cutting, chopping, washing, segmenting, etc…  Then, if possible, pre-pack portion sized containers to have an easy grab and toss into the lunch box. Thus, the next essential hack is to have a supply of containers.  Snack sized zip-loc bags to pre-pack single portions of nuts, baby carrots, grapes, etc… are great. You can buy them and bulk and filled with an appropriate portion that is also not taking up alot of space to store until used. But as not everything works in bags; small stackable containers are a must. But, be careful with the sizes; too big can cause too large of a portion as well as take up too much space in the fridge and in the lunchbox.

And while shopping and unpacking the groceries can be time consuming and tiring on it’s own and the thought of staying in the kitchen to plow through food prep and packing is less than appealing, try to think of how easy the following mornings will be. Adding the food prep to the task of unpacking groceries is an easy habit to adopt after a week or two and will pay off in spades with the time saved and peace of mind of packing a balanced lunch.

Will be doing a week of prep be easy? Nope. But, will it be worth it? You bet!

All at once summer has fallen into autumn.  And while I love the fall and all that it has to offer, it does feel that the summer has gone by in a blink; and the slower pace of summer has flipped into the busiest time of year for some.

Fall sports have begun which means drop-offs, pick-ups and weekend days at the field for games versus the lazy days of visiting the beach. And in the next couple of weeks, it is back to school which brings about another series of events and a daily check on the calendar to see who needs to be where when. As a result of the coming and going chaos, dinners on the go or served in shifts requires some planning. Thus, the slow-cooker is awakened from it’s summer hibernation.

With the hectic schedules and the family dinner time being disrupted, it is comforting to know that dinner is ready when we are. And even if you don’t have the drastic disruption to your schedule with the change of season, there is still the inevitable change that the new season brings that forces us to change with it.  Having a meal ready to go at the end of the day is a treat for anyone. With declining temperatures bringing a crispness to the air and the shortening of the daylight hours, the aroma of a comforting meal simmering throughout the day can bring a warmth and calm to the house as evening falls.

So with the pace of change quickening, expanding a catalog of recipes for the slow-cooker is front of mind. And as  a result, as we head into Labor Day next week, a new slow-cooker section will be added to MainelyMartha. There is no need to let a busy schedule interfere with a good meal; a little planning can go a long way.

Autumn, the season that teaches us, that change can be beautiful

Having taken a few weeks reprieve to relax and enjoy the summer before it slips away, this week the kitchen has begun to come alive again. While the summer can bring the simplicity of grilling, salads and yes, s’mores, the season is beginning to dwindle down and the ramping up to cooking of more complex meals is beginning to ramp up.

Being away and enjoying some of the fresh abundance of the summer splendor, was disappointed on more than one occasion by heavy handed seasoning which completely took away from the natural flavor the food had to offer if simply left on it’s own. With the basic understanding that most cooking is elevated by a pinch of salt or dash of other seasoning there is also the need to understand adding too much is…well, cruel.

Look at the simplicity of s’mores; three ingredients combined to make a bite of awesomeness. Yes, there are recipes out there (and on this site) that are variations of s’mores, but at the end of the day it is three ingredients that combine to make that luscious bite; graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow…simple as that. So when you are offering fresh picked corn or fresh caught fish on your menu, why drown that freshness with a pile of salt?  Do you order a coffee with eleven creams? Guess what…its not coffee anymore!

Combinations of ingredients can produce wonderful flavor, but there needs to be a balance to create the blended harmony. And adding more can lead to just more and completely overpower the natural flavor of the food. Yes, you want flavor and may need to add seasoning to enhance, but remember to show restraint and add in moderation and taste as you add. In fact, even when following a recipe, season to taste.

“Apricots, soaked in honey? Quite why, no one knows, because it stops them tasting like apricots and makes them taste like honey… and if you wanted honey, you could just… buy honey.” – William, Notting Hill

Pie season has officially begun with the first blueberry pie of the summer just out of the oven.  There is nothing quite like the joy that beams on my youngest son’s face when the first scent of  pie in the oven fills the house resulting in the lip-licking anticipation of that first bite.

And while I would like to believe it is the love that goes into the pie that brings out his now toothless smile,  I think it is the combination of sugar, cinnamon and blueberries.  Yet, it is that sheer happiness and his face in the plate, which is why I will time and time again fire up the oven to bake even on a hot and humid July day. Thank goodness for central air!

And as much as I enjoy baking, it has been a nice respite not baking these past couple of months. But with the first pie down, the floodgates are now open with high expectations for the baking to continue straight through the holidays.  It all starts with this first blueberry pie, but we will now need to take advantage of all of the splendors of summer for a variety of pies.

And although the oven will go on to bake the pies, there is the added enjoyment of getting out to local farms to pick your own berries and peaches. Or in my case, my pie obsessed son insisted on planting blueberry bushes and apple trees to have the fruit for his two favorite types of pie on hand for pie baking.  And as I normally am in competition with the iPad, the computer and the video games, baking is a simple way to get outside to gather the ingredients and also get some help in the kitchen, and why? Pie, that’s why.