bakeries

a little taste of portland, maine

~ jama ~ 35 Comments
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Cornelius loves the ginger cookie from Two Fat Cats Bakery.

One of the “main” reasons I was anxious to visit Southern Maine recently was because I kept hearing about the great food in Portland.

Bon Appétit called it “The Foodiest Small Town in America,” while others in-the-know freely describe Portland as “a foodie’s paradise,” a major dining destination not only in New England but the entire Northeast.

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Second only to San Francisco in restaurants per capita, the largest city in Maine may not be a major metropolis like New York or Boston, but when it comes to good food, it’s big on appeal, quality, and innovation. If you know Portland at all, you know it’s fertile ground for creative types, so it’s no surprise that cooking is enthusiastically celebrated and embraced as a fine art. It’s all about showcasing fresh local ingredients and maximizing the unique wealth of resources that circle the city (farms, apiaries, fishing grounds, dairies, smokehouses).

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a mixed platter of delights from the southern coast of maine

~ jama ~ 33 Comments

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It begins when you’re little and you read a picture book about bears and blueberries. You have no idea where Maine is and have never seen real blueberry bushes in person, but this story of mothers and cubs stays with you always.

As you grow up, you develop an eternal craving for lobster and blueberry pie. You eventually hook up with L.L. Bean, fly through Bangor airport on the way to Europe, and after you get married you hear interesting stories about “Maine people” from your in-laws in New Hampshire.

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After starting a book and food blog,  you notice there are lots of very cool author and artist types (in addition to Mr. McCloskey) associated with Maine: E.B. White, Barbara Cooney, Margaret Wise Brown, Gail Gibbons, Carrie Jones, Melissa Sweet, Cynthia Lord, Cathryn Falwell, Ashley Bryan, on and on.

Many friends who don’t actually live in Maine flock to the Southern Coast every summer and return refreshed and inspired with blueberry stains around their mouths and a decidedly dreamy look in their eyes.

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So I asked myself — what is it about Maine that could spawn the likes of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as well as Stephen King? Why are there more poets per capita in Maine than any other state? Is the lobster that good?

Moreover, how did I manage to reach near fossilization 29 years of age 🙂 without ever having set foot on Maine soil . . . or sand? And what’s this I keep hearing about Portland being a foodie paradise?

When your husband brings home 6 quarts of blueberries, you know it’s a sign.

You can see why I simply had to go.

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Champion lobster roll from The Clam Shack, Kennebunkport

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beary christmas in leesburg, virginia

~ jama ~ 14 Comments

Every year, I crave an old fashioned Christmas. Simple joys are the most meaningful, the most enduring. One need only step back in time.

Leesburg is the kind of place where there are wreaths on every door. Charming, quaint, picturesque — a town where people actually smile more and have time to chat.

You can tour the historic district in a carriage if you like,

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wave to the snowman as you go by,

guess what’s in those presents on the porch.

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foodie field trip: hawai’i doggie bakery

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

Ruff ruff, woof woof!

When we were in Hawai’i recently, Len and I discovered a fun shop where every doggie can have his day.

The Hawai’i Doggie Bakery at the Ward Warehouse Shopping Center was one of our favorite stops on Small Business Saturday. Featuring healthy, handmade, vet-approved doggie treats made from locally grown ingredients, this charming bakery/boutique made us wish we could turn into dogs right on the spot (Len = Dalmation, me = Airedale). Yip!

I’d probably go for a Doggie Bento, cause if I were a cool canine living the good life in Hawai’i, I’d want my treats to be made from the best local foods (homegrown bananas, taro, breadfruit, Okinawan sweet potato, lean chicken) without any salt, sugar, butter or preservatives. I’d have the shiniest coat, the cleanest teeth, and believe it or not, be even spunkier and more lovable than any living person could ever imagine.

Bento contains Mini Manapua, Begg Roll, Doggie Dim Sum, Hound-dog Half-moon and Tail Waggin' Wonton.

*rolls over*

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foodie field trip: my kingdom for a coco puff

~ jama ~ 16 Comments

How far would you travel for a coco puff?

I’m not talking about the popular breakfast cereal, but the universally adored chocolate-pudding-filled cream puff available only at Liliha Bakery in Honolulu. This sweet confection has been the bakery’s best seller since the early 90’s, something locals constantly crave and visitors make a point of eating whenever they’re in town. Google Yelp or Urban Spoon, and you’ll find rave after rave after rave about these coco puffs — for many, dessert nirvana, a type of pastry you’d sell your second child for.

Now, here’s where I hang my head in shame — though I grew up in Hawai’i, and have been back to visit many times, until last week I had never eaten a Liliha Bakery coco puff (gasp!). This is like admitting to never having eaten shave ice or saimin or spam musubi. Total sacrilege. Don’t ask me why. Major tsk, tsk.

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