Why do I live in Maine, Again?

     After accumulating no less than 3 feet of snow in the last 4 days it is now raining here in southern Maine. That should make everything nice and icy.

     It's on days like today that it is especially hard for me to remember why I live in Maine. I mean sure, I love the"city" and the people and my hubby and oldest love the snow. Nevertheless, I'm not a fan of winter OR long drawn out storms. I need reminding of what I love about this place. I love the summer. The warm breezes off the ocean when I'm on one of my favorite islands in Casco Bay. Being just far enough away from everything to feel at peace but close enough to get anything I need with a good walk or boat ride. I DO LOVE IT HERE. Some days it's just nice to be reminded.

  

 Oh, yeah. That's why...

Simple City Sam

    

Bagels!

     Bagels are hands-down my favorite breakfast/brunch item in the world. When they are done right, they are crispy on the outside, a little chewy and soft on the inside and they always have the perfect amount of toppings. Rarely do I find a bagel that meets all the criteria. Usually they are limp, or hard as a rock. There are those whose toppings fall off as soon as you look at them, and those so covered in toppings you can barely even find the bagel. Ugh, what's a bagel lover to do? Well I could spend a fortune on the perfect bakery bagel, assuming I had found the perfect bakery making the perfect bagel. Or I could make them myself. I must admit that this is mostly accomplished because of my husband (ok, nearly entirely...ok, entirely). He is an amazing chef with a knack for baking. Years ago he perfected his bagel recipe and now makes me bagels as a treat.

     I have picked up some of the tricks over the years and together he and I have made some really amazing bagel flavors and combinations. I am truly in heaven! Several folks have asked for a lesson in bagel making, and I'm only too happy to oblige. I will say, that like most chefs, he is unwilling to part with his secret, perfected recipe (I can't blame him, it took years, and we're working on opening a restaurant with those recipes). We did however compile the perfect "starter's recipe". Make this recipe a few times and play with the ratios of liquid and salt to see which you like the best. Make notes on the recipe for the next time you bake, so you don't have to try to remember on your own!

Ingredients Makes 1 dozen

6 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

3 cups cold water 

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar (brine)

Step 1: Combine the yeast and water in a large mixer on low until the yeast is completely dissolved.

Step 2: Add white sugar and salt to liquid and mix on low until everything is completely dissolved.

 

Step3: Add half the flour and mix on low until incorporated. This will take several minutes.     

                                                     

Step 4: Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough hook pulls dough from the bowl cleanly and completely. (Dough will feel slightly sticky but will not physically stick to your hand.)

Step5: Remove dough from hook and form into a ball.

Step 6: Place dough ball into a well oiled bowl and roll ball to cover in oil. Cover the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours. (We almost always complete this the night before, so we can have the dough super fresh in the morning.)

Step 7: Put large pot of water on the stove to boil with the tablespoon of brown sugar to create a brine. We use a large roasting pan,the more surface area, the better.

Step 8: Remove proofed dough (which should be popping up over the bowl) from the bowl and place in on a floured surface.

                                                   

Step 9: With floured hands push the dough into a large rectangle approximately 8"x12" & 1/2" thick.

Step 10: Cut the rectangle into 12 equal pieces.

Step 11: Dress and form the squares into bagel "pillows". Place any ingredients you want incorporated into your bagel on top of the square (the more ingredients the harder it is to form). We are making Plain, Cheddar & Chili, Salt & Pepper, Cinnamon & Sugar, and Poppy Seed. Fold all four corners into the center and gently roll dough into itself to form a small pillow. Gently place off to the side and continue for each bagel. Once complete, let all 12 bagels rest (proof) for 10 minutes. This will help the dough stick together and rise around any ingredients you've added making it harder for the bagel to fall apart. It will also help seal up where you pinched the bagel closed.

Step 12: Take each formed ball individually and form into bagels. Poke a hole in the center of the bagel with your finger. Gently enlarge the hole with your fingers by working the dough into a ring. If ingredients start to pop out or the bagel cracks (which can happen easily with dry ingredients, like cinnamon) gently pinch the dough back together with your fingers. Set all twelve off to the side and let them rest and proof for another 10 minutes. Again, your helping it bind together here, this will make your life easier in the long run and give you a better product.

Step 13:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 14: Place each bagel into boiling brine for 3 minutes. Again, we use a giant roasting pan and stretch it across two burners on the stove. That way we can boil 5-6 bagels at a time, but this can be done in any pot.

Step 15: Flip the bagels over and boil on the other side for 3 minutes. Try using two wooden spoons to flip the bagels, the goal is to be very gentle with the bagels at this point.

Step 16: Remove from brine and place on oiled baking sheet.You could also lay parchment paper down instead of oil and have equally as favorable results.

Step 17: Using egg whites only, brush the tops of each bagel with an egg wash and top with any topping you choose. The egg wash helps the bagel crisp up and helps the toppings to stick. 

Step 18: Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate 180 degrees. Bake another 20 minutes.

     Remove from oven and enjoy!! Place in plastic bags or plastic containers to store for a few days at most. It's really best to consume these within 3 days (or immediately!).

 

     It's true that these certainly take a bit of planning and are an indulgence that my waist line doesn't need. However, I can't help myself. They are so perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. They are perfect!

Enjoy!

Simple City Sam

Homemade Pasta

     Unless you've been living under a rock lately, you know that there is one heck of a snow storm hitting New England right now. We are all snowed in. That makes today the perfect day for crockpots, fresh baked goods, and, for us, homemade pasta. Fresh pasta is one of my all time favorite things in the whole world. We make almost all of our own pasta, from lasagna sheets, to ravioli, to spaghetti, linguine and anything else you can think of.

     I know it sounds daunting, and it can be a bit intimidating, but it's actually quite simple. The first thing I'll point out is that we have a pasta "maker", a machine that helps roll the dough very thin. This is one of those kitchen tools that is not necessary but absolutely worth it. We made pasta for years with nothing but our hands, a rolling pin (sometimes it was a wine bottle) and a knife. However, the luxury of the machine is really wonderful. The other thing I'll mention is that we specifically use pasta flour. Regular wheat or unbleached flour can be used as well, I just find that we get better results when we use the pasta flour. The price is pretty comparable to that of regular flour and it can usually be found in the very same aisle. If it's not with the baking goods check out the "ethnic aisles", you may find it there. I buy ours at Micucci's, the local downtown Italian foods market. There I can buy it in bulk and at an amazing price. They also have a fantastic selection of Italian imports and spices!

     The recipe that I will use here will feed 4-6 people. After it dries and is ready to be cooked to eat, remember that it will cook EXTREMELY fast- much faster than store bought pasta. This pasta will have maybe a 2-3 minute cook time. Be careful, it is very easy to over cook fresh pasta!

Ingredients

1 cup pasta flour

1 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

pinch of salt

Step 1: Make a well with your flour and salt.

Step 2: Slowly add the water and oil to the well and mix quickly with a fork. The dough will be sticky and moldable when fully mixed. This may use less or more of the water than is called for, use your judgement and go slowly.

Step 3: Form into a ball. Cover with a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Cut ball into 3 equal parts and form into 3 balls. Cover and let stand for 25 minutes.

           

Step 5: Using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll the balls out into 3 long, very thin sheets of pasta.With a machine this may take 3-4 passes. Use flour to keep your hands, tools and surface dry and easy to use.

Step 6: Cut the long strips into "spaghetti length" sheets and feed them through the cutting attachment on the machine. If you don't have a machine, or it doesn't have a cutting attachment, take a sharp knife and cut thin strips length wise.

               

                                           

Step 7: Hang the cut pieces to dry, either on a drying rack or over baking cooling racks. Let the pasta dry for a minimum of 1 hour prior to cooking.

     After the pasta is dried it can be stored in an air tight container and used for roughly a week. We usually only make enough for one meal at a time. The cost is almost nothing, maybe 20 cents a batch, including the oil. The only trick is planning in advance so the pasta has ample time to dry. Otherwise it couldn't be more simple.

Mangia, mangia!

Simple City Sam

Sew It Goes

      I have mentioned a few times now that I have resurrected a crafting business that my mom and grandmother started decades ago. They let it fall by the wayside with the complications of life and (for my mom) kids starting middle school. I can completely see why.

     Even as a "side project", if I'm not careful, it can consume a huge chunk of time. Being that time is one of those things that everyone has in short supply, I budget my time, stick to a schedule and make up the difference where possible. I'm lucky in that I've got a couple of partners and we all pull our own weight. I'm also EXTREMELY lucky that I have a pretty big resource to pull from.

     As I said, my mom and grandmother abandoned the business roughly 20 years ago, but when they did they still had a fair amount of supplies left. They both dabbled in sewing and such throughout the years for pleasure and gifts, but nothing major. So when I decided to give this venture a "go" the first place I headed to was my grandmother's sewing room. She has one whole wall of shelves packed with plastic totes, all full of fabric and scraps. Talk about hitting the jackpot! I quickly modified my business idea. Now it was my mission to resurrect this business and run the whole first year by utilizing only the materials we already had. I was aware that some costs would be incurred because we inevitably would be unable to have absolutely everything we needed, but we had one heck of a head start. I had also saved a ton of time. I didn't have to drive to the store, scour the aisles, and spend hours pre-planning purchases.

     I started to sift through the totes to formulate a game plan. I knew of two patterns I wanted to find and continue to make, because they were successful in the past. I also knew I wanted to sew some quilts so I sorted like colors together to prepare. Then I headed back downstairs and insisted that my mom give me a sewing lesson.

     Oh yeah, at this point I still had no idea how to sew or use a sewing machine at all. It just wasn't cool enough to pay attention to, all those years ago. All I had was determination and a higher aptitude than most for learning on the job. 

 

     With my new lesson still bouncing around in my head and a minivan full of fabric I headed back home full of ambition. My first foray was pretty darn good, I think. I kept it simple with large squares (straight lines are easy to sew), a twin size, and a random layout. I had so much fun! I was also woefully unprepared for the amount of detail and work needed to accomplish the task. It was laborious, but in the end I was very happy with "Mimosa".



     My mom and I continued to work on putting together pieces from the fabric we already had. We worked together on another twin, "Harvest Wheat" and she complied a sweet gender neutral baby blanket, "Prairie". They were coming out beautifully and so far we had only spent about $17 on items we needed for all 3 pieces combined. Behind the scenes we also had put together several teddy bears, other plush items, pillows, framed cross stitch pieces, lavender and rice soothing sleep masks, and more for absolutely nothing!



     I decided it was time to put my new skills to the test. I set out on my own to make a Queen/King with small squares (yes, still squares...I'm running, not flying) with a distinct pattern. I chose some colors I really liked and set in. Roughly 2 weeks, 360 fabric squares, and (admittedly) several curse words later, I was nearly done with "Blarney Stone". In that time frame I also compiled two more wool "throws" from squares I found already cut out in my grandmother's mountain of supplies. I felt so proud of myself and all that I had accomplished. They will all be up on my soon-to-be-formed Etsy site and I can't wait. 

    

     What's even better is that, like the others in this venture, this piece will have a high profit margin for us because we stuck to the simplicity tactic. We didn't go out and buy a bunch of "cute stuff" we didn't need. We utilized our resources, kept it simple, and will reap the benefits. We're already registered for a few craft fairs with more to come, the Etsy shop is in progress and we just keep sewing. I am super excited and really looking forward to seeing my hard work pay off. It's odd, but it really has become a labor of love.

Sew it goes...

Simple City Sam

Update:

     As requested, here are the current shots of the wool throws I put together. These shots don't have the flannel backs on the throws, which bums me out, but oh well. The white and purple one, "Winter Lake" is the one my oldest really helped with and it has a grey flannel back. The other, "Man Cave" has an olive green flannel back. They are so fuzzy and comfy, perfect for couches and "extra" blankets. And, yes, these we put together all with pieces I found and collected from the sewing room.

Family Christmas Vacation...Simple Style

     I know Christmas was over a month ago, but this is how long it has taken me to fully process and complete this year's festivities. I must say that this was our most successful holiday ever. The girls were excited and thankful and the adults got to enjoy the part everyone always says "is the most important part of the season": family.

     I have always loved traveling and have garnered so much from it. Anyone who has ever traveled anywhere knows what I mean. Not only do you learn about a new place but you inevitably learn something about yourself too. I love it and I have always talked about making sure our kids are travelers too. My dream has been to take a family vacation every year at Christmas. Not to take a trip as an extra frivolity but instead to travel as a family, discover new things, and celebrate Christmas with memories and experiences rather than things and stuff. Well, this year I made good on that dream.

     Being that the girls are still small, we started small. This year we headed off to Boston, MA. My goal was to make it memorable and fun, to do things they'd never done before, and to not miss anything. On top of that i had a budget...a tiny, little budget, but that was ok because I like the idea of frugality. So I started planning.

     I knew I didn't want to wait to the last second so I started researching online and making inquiries in late September, early October. The name of the game was utilizing my resources. My mom was coming along on the trip and had a stockpile of "Marriott Rewards Points" that she was willing to part with. That narrowed down the hotel search. Jumping on the bandwagon (my mom's great like that), my mom contributed what she would have spent on "supplementary gifts" (she still gave them one meaningful gift each) to the travel fund and essentially covered the room. Bonus!

     Next I focused on travel. I know I hate finding long term parking in the city and it's quite expensive. Besides, this was to be an adventure! So I looked into traveling by train. We are lucky enough to have various Amtrak lines that run from Portland to Boston and make several stops in between. We opted to head to my mom's house, pick her up and get dropped at the train stop near her house.  Round trip for 3 adults, and 2 children was roughly $110. That included space for a LOT of luggage (we were traveling with kids for crying out loud) and the freedom to move around a bit. If we had left from Portland it would have been roughly $160. In any case that was way better than spending money on gas and being cramped in our minivan the whole way down.

     Finally the boring plans were over. I could make my way to the fun stuff. I knew I wanted to hit up museums and parks and make it as amazingly awesome for kids as I possibly could. A helpful, little known fact, is that many "suburbs" of major cities participate in various "museum pass programs" through their local libraries. We happen to own a home in southern NH and our library participates in just such a thing. Through this program I was able to access discounted tickets to the New England Aquarium, the Museum of Science, Boston and other museums. Though, not through my library, many also have passes for the Boston Children's Museum. Don't worry if you don't own a home outside Boston and you want to access these benefits. Like I said, utilize your resources. Do you have a friend or family member in that area who may be able to help out? Even if the answer is still no, look over the websites for discounts and deals. For instance the Children's Museum had a $1 entry fee every night after 5pm. That would have been a wonderful second option, for closing out each day, especially if we had been traveling in the summer when there is light longer.

     Beyond museums, I also wanted to make our way to a park or two, and maybe do or see something unique to the city and the season. I remembered "Make Way For Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey and how much I loved seeing the duckling statues in Boston Common. That sent me off in our final direction. I looked into Boston Common and found that they have the Frog Pond that serves as a skating rink in the winter, with a cute little outdoor cafe. Through my wanderings online I also found out about a lights show done at Faneuil Hall in conjunction with the Boston Pops known as "Blink". Finally it seemed I had all the pieces. All I had to do was put everything together.

Day 1: Travel on train. Ride taxi. Check in to hotel. Attend the free lights show and recorded Bostons Pops concert, "Blink" at Faneuil Hall and take a horse drawn carriage ride (it was Daddy's first train and carriage rides too...whoa).  Head back to hotel to swim in the pool.

Day 2: Boston Children's Museum- ALL DAY. -Bonus- The Boston Tea Party Museum is right next door and it was fun too. The kids and the adults loved this extra stop! Back to swim in pool and watch movies.

Day 3:  The Aquarium...but it was a bust because our concierge told us it was 80% closed for renovations. So we had a "wander around town, explore shops, and have brunch" kind of day instead. Of course there is always the pool.

Day 4: Boston Common to skate, then to sit with the ducklings and read "Make Way For Ducklings" which mom happened to bring. Then, of course, to the pool. *Grammy is so awesome she threw in a special date night for my hubby and myself. It was so nice to have a meal with just the two of us.

Day 5:  Back on the train to go home, but it's Christmas Eve, and mom just happened to bring "The Polar Express" to read and hot chocolate in new mugs!

     All in all the entire trip cost me under $275. That was for a vacation and all the Christmas gifts and such I would have spent. Again, my mom was helpful in covering the hotel but she also refrained from spending more money on gifts. We also saved money by taking a trip to the grocery store once we got there and stocking up on snacks, lunches, a quick dinner, and some in-room adult beverages so we could keep the cost down. After the trip I went to Snapfish and created a photo book of our trip for $35 (then I searched and found a 60% code online making it even less). It is beautiful! My oldest brought it to school to share and it was a big hit. She is so proud. Both girls talk about the trip still constantly and neither one complained or seemed to even miss not having a mountain of toys they would have quickly forgotten about.

I feel very lucky to have had this experience. Already the whole family is discussing where we should go next year. My oldest says Australia...I was thinking Canada.

Simple City Sam

Mock-a-mole

     So yesterday was the Superbowl. I watched zero minutes of it and don't feel bad about that at all. It's just not for me, but friendly get-togethers are. If it's the Superbowl that gives me an excuse to hang out with all my friends in one room then so be it. I'm lucky enough, too, that I'm not the only one of my friends with this philosophy, so I'm rarely in the other room by myself! I was doubly lucky yesterday to be invited to a "healthy snacks" Superbowl party that ended up being a pretty epic taco bar. Amongst the ground turkey, slow cooked pulled pork, low fat buffalo chicken dip, quinoa and black bean salad, and so much more, I nestled in my mock-a-mole.

     "What's mock-a-mole", you ask? It's the healthier version of guacamole. Guacamole can be extremely high in fat and calories depending on the what brand of guac you're consuming. Avocados are the real trouble makers here and have a reported 240 calories per cup of fresh avocado...let's be real, there's got to be a reason why it's substituted for mayo and butter in so many "healthy" recipes! So the trick is to replace some of that avocado for a better alternative. Peas are the way to go, with a reported 134 calories per cup of cooked peas and only 117 calories per cup of raw. Plus they are sweet and green, perfect for guacamole!

     I started looking around for a recipe I liked and found one by Bethenny Frankle that seemed like a good place to start. As always, I tweaked it a bit. In the end it was delicious and I highly recommend it to anyone! This recipe will be good for a party sized batch, I'd say 12-15 servings, perfect for dipping.

Ingredients

3 ripe avocados

3 cups cooked peas (can be thawed frozen, canned, fresh cooked)

1 1/2 cups chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 fresh limes- juiced

6 tablespoons cilantro

3 tablespoons parsley

1 clove chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

Tabasco to taste 

Step 1: In a large bowl toss everything EXCEPT the tomatoes and avacados

Step 2: Chop the tomato and avocado.

     Avocados can be tricky for some people. Check out this video my hubby and I made on how to peel, pit, and chop an avocado super simply. Once you've done it a few times you'll be chopping avocados in under a minute, easy. Also, there is way less waste then with some of the other methods I've seen employed (mom). Now, my guy is a chef and likes to use his hands, but you can actually just turn the skin inside out at the end of the process if you don't like the idea of getting your fingers dirty.



Step 3: Put the avocado and pea mixture into a food processor or blender and pulse until you reach desired consistency. Depending on the size of your food processor this will probably need to be done in 2 or 3 batches.

Step 4: Scoop blended mixture into a bowl and fold in chopped tomatoes. Dig in.

     I was shocked at how good this actually was. Nobody at the party knew it was mock-a-mole until I told them, either.

I call that a major score on game day...see what I did there?

Simple City Sam

I Made It Through January

     I made it through January. I feel like that in itself is a huge accomplishment. I always feel like January is the toughest month to get through. There is so much to do, as always, but it's also compounded by tax preparations, school financial aid applications, recovering from the holidays and all that gets neglected then, and, of course, the dreaded New Year's Resolution. Ugh, how many times have I vowed to do (or not do) something and make a valiant effort all the way to January 8th? Too many to count is the answer.

     This year my approach was different. I resolved to find something I could stick to long term that benefited me in some way, any way. I didn't set a predetermined goal, I didn't buy a gym membership, I didn't create a new, unrealistic budget. I just vowed to find something. I also didn't start on January 1st, I wanted a running start and aimed to changed things up in the last weeks of December (I felt so much less pressure this way-oddly). That's when I ran with the advice of friends and started this blog. I know I mentioned them before, but my friends are truly amazing and have known me for a very long time. They are encouraging yet challenging, caring yet tough, and far flung but always there. So when Jess, Meg and Steph suggested the idea of a blog, I listened. I gave it a lot of thought and even a little research. What did I have to lose?

     I decided to give it a go and see if it was something that I could stick to. For a week I wrote pieces, edited and built a cache of information and posts to present to the online public at large. Yikes! When I finally shared that first link on Facebook I had 5 posts up and felt like they really represented me and my point of view. I was proud of myself. More than that I was really enjoying myself.

     Well, I am happy to report that I HAVE stuck with it, posting almost everyday, which matches my goal of 5 times a week. I am still finding great pleasure in the writing and sharing as well as the general feedback. I am thrilled to have 25 followers and a handful of e-mail subscribers. My mind is spinning with ideas and topics I want to cover. Most of the time the only thing slowing me down is actually recreating a product I already have just for demonstration purposes, which really doesn't sit well with me or my philosophy. So rest assured there are many more posts on the way. I hope they continue to help and entertain someone. So, I do believe I have fulfilled this year's resolution and the rest of the year will only serve to prove that!

I hope your resolutions have been just as successful!


Simple City Sam