Who knew plums roasted in honey would make such fabulous eye candy!
So this isn’t about Maine (though I did make this dish here in Maine and it will be in my cookbook) but more about photography and how just the right lighting, contrast and reflection can make a photo pop. The shine of the glaze fascinates me! The plums are roasted with honey and the skins give off this beautiful pink juice. They tasted great too, by the way…
Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa from Chow Maine in Southwest Harbor, Maine…
Tiny crab cakes with mango salsa by Chow Maine in Southwest Harbor! Delicious little bites…
My weekend kickoff cocktail time…keeping it local
Of course in keeping with all things local, I stopped at the local farmers market today and picked up some Udderview goat cheese (this one, an Italian Torte layered with roasted tomatoes, pesto, goat cheese and crushed almonds). Yesterday I stopped at Chase’s Daily in Belfast and bought a beautiful, fresh bunch of purple basil. And then my cocktail? It’s Cold River Vodka (worth the splurge), orange juice, a dash of Limoncello, a splash of my basil simple syrup and garnished with purple basil. And of course, the colors are opposite on the color wheel and pair as well as the flavors!
A Maine picnic, “Dana Style”
One part Seawall coast – Acadia National Park
One part Maine Mussels
One part Cabernet
One part sun and 75 degrees…
PRICELESS
Dark Chocolate Aged Balsamic + Blood Orange EVOO? WOW!
My favorite product in Bar Harbor – Fiore Olive Oils and Vinegars. It’s a tasting room. It’s culinary inspiration. It’s art. It’s delicious! Every time I go in they have new products to taste. So I spent a short while thinking about how to use the Chocolate Aged Balsamic. And one of the wonderful staff members said that she’d been wanting to try it with the Blood Orange olive oil. And she was spot on, the combination was perfect! So I went home to make a dressing for a Baby Spinach Salad.
I started out wanting to use fresh cherries but my husband had just finished them! So I opted to soak some cranberries in a little of the Balsamic and the Vinegar for a couple hours. I toasted some walnuts, crumbled some goat cheese and tossed them into a bowl of baby spinach. I put the marinated cranberries in the salad, tossed on the oil and vinegar they’d been soaking in and added some coarsely ground fresh black pepper and a new salad was born!
Fiore just opened a store in Rockland that I understand has been doing very well, naturally. For many years I’ve been very particular about my olive oils, and I must admit, I’m completely hooked on Fiore’s and won’t buy any others!
While I was there, I purchased a nice gift box of a four pack variety for an upcoming closing gift – keeping it local!
What to do with leftover Maine lobster? make #foodporn!
THAT is what you do with leftover lobster!
I'm a Realtor with The B&B Team and experienced innkeeper selling Maine Bed and Breakfasts, Inns, Recreational Properties and the Maine Lifestyle. 
