"Mainah-Style"

Renee showed me a video this morning titled Mainah Style

 - a spoof on the popular music video "Gangnam Style -

It has that Mainer Pride,

 showing how things are done here with grit instead of glamour

and a whole lot of heart

Nothing could be a better example of this Maine essence than

 yesterday's Real World event at the high school

 It was my third All School Real World and I, 

 with the help of a lot of good people, (especially Carmen Rollins)

devised an amazing race of sorts in the gym

The idea was to involve the kids fully;  Mind, Body and Spirit

It was bare bones creative ingenuity in a school that

has no extra funds and very few bells and whistles

But where else would you find a race course with knotted lobster traps filled

 with books to be balanced on your head

And have kids that know intuitively how to untie them 

and retrieve their contents

We even have guys in suits (yes, from off island)

but still, they drive all the way down to talk about

doing the "next right thing" to make your life what you want it to be

 

and mom's who can show yoga moves

 

and a dance teacher who works with over 300 kids a year

and a lead office administrator who produced the

coolest mind puzzle station ever

And when the rope broke during the tug of war, (that's a whole n'other story ;0)

what did the boys do, but coil it up for me in neat lobsterman fashion

This community, this 'place'

 is busting at the seams with heart and soul

and so are we all as people

When we possess so much, so simply,

why is it that we continue to think we need to have more?

I am always so grateful to be reminded

that this is enough

Thank you.

Enjoy your weekend

  I hope there is much laughter,

Kyra

Smashed Potatoes

I had the best time entertaining last night.

Of course the company was wonderful, but I also did something

a bit differently

We made tapas kinds of things and put them all 

out on the table at once, 

Seared scallops (first of the season, fresh caught in our local waters)

Oysters (also local) sautéed broccolini, fried chic peas, stuffed mushrooms,

pate, cheeses, nuts, figs, olives, smashed potatoes and more

I added some raw brownies towards the end of the night,

but that is the only time I had to get up.

I didn't miss any of the lively conversation, or break the mood of the table

by clearing and serving

It was so pleasant and easy

There was lots of laughter,

 even a bit of dancing before we all sat down

I am strongly reminded of how important

it is to choose to surround yourself with good people

and oh so fortunate that these good people want to be around me

A big hit of the night was my smashed potatoes served

with Yellow Birch Farm greek style yogurt

SMASHED POTATOES

Heat your oven to 450 degrees

Meanwhile, simmer small to medium sized potatoes

in salted water until cooked all the way through, but not falling apart

A knife will go through them easily

Drain and place them 2 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking tray

With your hands and a pot holder or paper towel

to protect yourself from the heat,

Smash the potatoes down to flatten them to about 3/4" thick

Drizzle them with oil - not olive, it will burn - I use grapeseed 

and sprinkle them liberally with sea salt - Maldon's if you have it

Place in your hot oven and roast the smashed beauties

until they are crisp and deep golden brown on the outside

Serve immediately. 

 They are great plain, but the yogurt turns them into a celebration

Enjoy yourselves!

Kyra

Presentation Day

Amber gives her Senior X presentation today on running

her own pop up bistro, the Sassy Pumpkin, for 6 weeks

out of Lily's

She presents to 6 panelists and 10 fellow students

giving them samples from her menus and explaining

the process she went through, what she learned,

and how it has affected her decisions about

her future plans.

5 other seniors are giving their presentations within the school as well

What a wonderful process of discovery.

Amber has put her heart into the project and I wish her the best

We had a relaxed morning together yesterday at Lily's while she

baked her coconut cake and organized her food and thoughts

for today.

I'll miss these days of one on one sharing

~ special times in our fast paced lives ~

Kyra

Short Cuts and Sewing Machines

You know what they say,

once you go Bernina, you never go back

 and I do love my machine

I love it even more knowing Ron at Cote Brothers in Turner Maine

is a day trip away!

  He is the sewing machine magician

and a very kind man. 

Yesterday, while he tuned up my babies

 I goofed around in town for a few hours.

Upon picking them up,

Ron suggested a shortcut for my return trip home

 I ended up in some of the most beautiful scenery ever!

Farm land, Rolling mountains, Ponds, Old barns

 Maine is such a Wonderland

 Then, 10 minutes from home,

I came to the top of Caterpillar Hill and found this!

And a tuned up Bernina to boot -

Sometimes I just can't stop grinning

Enjoy your day

Kyra

A Night Away

Usually I am not a huge lover of this Holiday season

But no cafe to run, light snow, holiday lights in downtown Portland

and meeting up with friends for the evening

definitely filled both Renee and I with a festive spirit

We started with lunch at Eventide.

For the life of me I can not remember who told me to go here

But I will be forever grateful

Located across the street from Duck Fat,

in the space that used to be the cool cookbook store,

they feature oysters, crudo (cold) dishes, 

an imaginative menu with new takes on old favorites

and a pretty hip crowd of young and old alike

We tasted a bunch of small plates, all good,

my favorite being this crab salad on pickled cukes with 

a ginger vinaigrette of sorts

 

Then off to Portland Architectural Salvage

for a poke around

 

Wouldn't these lights look fab over a kitchen island?

Of course we couldn't leave without something and Alice,

 the owner, was there - so it was like a double treat 

A bit of shopping in the Old Port - Renee bought me a new mandoline

by OXO which I am excited about and a cutting glove so I

don't cut my fingers off!

A wine tasting at Brown and Co. and then dinner

with friends at Emilitsa, a greek restaurant on Congress St.

that we had a very generous gift certificate to from

satisfied design clients

We ended the evening with a drink and great conversation at 

Grace, an old church which is now a restaurant and bar

This led to some interesting discussions of freedom from traditions

which is how I have decided to look at Christmas etal.

I can celebrate December in a way that fills my soul,

it doesn't have to look like what everyone else chooses to do.

Happy Monday!

Kyra

Cast Iron Heaven

Last month I roasted a chicken (Old Ackley Farm's of course!) on the fly in

the nearest pan I could find, which happened to be

my 12" cast iron skillet

It came out so well that I did it again last night

and have decided I will probably never use any other pan again.

Try it!  I stuffed the cavity with an apple I found

rolling around in the back of the fridge and threw some

kosher salt in with it

Drizzled the chicken with a bit of olive oil,

Sprinkled with kosher salt, granulated garlic, rosemary, black pepper and thyme

 Popped it in a 350 oven, basting every 25 minutes

and roasted it for a total of about an hour (170 degrees on a meat thermometer)

It comes out so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside

and the pan drippings are pure caramelization

A perfect meal by the wood stove

with some of that sweet potato and butternut squash mash

and sautéed kale leftover from the garden

What a way to start the weekend

Enjoy!

Kyra

A Good Thing

Yesterday in our Real World class, the ladies from

Island Quilters Guild came to give the kids

aprons they had made for them upon my request

They were super well received and oh so appreciated

and made from really wonderful fabrics too!

Then, Mr. West (the principal) taught them how

to make pizza

 The real way

We had our chopping station

and our saucing station

 our topping station

and the best station....Eating!

There was a lot of energy in that room.

And it was a really good thing.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Kyra