Spring in a Bowl

Spring here has a heart beat all of its own

The energy bubbles up from deep inside the ground

and takes over in ways you don't even understand

All of a sudden I can't sleep - there seems to be SO much to do!

And after a true winter, that first sunny day with a warmth

in the breeze can set you to dancing inside

Old Ackley Farm is rolling in eggs, I guess the hens are

feeling the same way I am!

I picked up dozens of these lovely organic beauties from 

the farm yesterday and set to making a soup we

had every Easter of my Greek childhood -

Avgolemono 

5 simple ingredients

and you have spring in a bowl!

GREEK LEMON SOUP

8 cups of the best chicken broth

1/2 cup orzo (pasta) or white rice

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 T fresh dill or 1 tsp dried

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the chicken broth to a boil,

add the pasta, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes 

In a separate bowl whisk together the

yolks and lemon juice

Very gradually, add some of the hot stock to the yolk mixture,

being careful not to curdle the eggs.

Slowly whisk this tempered egg mixture

into the soup

(the Greek tradition is to make a sucking noise with your mouth

as you add the egg mixture back, to keep it from curdling -that was my father's job)

Add dill and cook over low heat for 10 minutes

Season with salt and pepper

The soup should be smooth and creamy with a fresh lemon bite

Enjoy your weekend,

Kyra

Black and Gray and White All Over

I'm always so excited about how paint and the

right colors just change everything for the better

Yesterday it was all about Annie Sloan

I used French Linen on the entry wall divider with clear wax 

Paris Gray on a this old mirror with a the dark wax

rubbed on top to give it that aged look

French linen again on this mirror frame, with dark wax over it.

I bought this mirror for $10 at a yard sale.

It's plastic and had a fake gilded finish

Now it looks like old wood!

I painted the coffee station cupboard in Old White

and finished it with the clear wax

Love it!

Here is preview of what is to come.

Renee has been painting the walls and windows for me

in Ben Moore Swiss Coffee

I can't even tell you how much angst I incurred

trying to pick the right white and I nailed it.

Totally infatuated with all the black 

sashing in House Beautiful lately

I've picked Midsummer Night for the doors

and windows.

And right now I'm headed in to put

a second coat of Winter Gates in the downstairs bathroom.

Wait till you see.......!

Enjoy your day and thank you so much for

allowing me to share all this with you.

Kyra

Spring Projects

It is still cold here, but the light is changing

and the snow is melting

 I found this lovely display yesterday

Amidst this mess, as we repaint the downstairs of Lily's

And lay a cork floor in the back kitchens.

I can't wait to show you how it is turning out!

Soon.

Speaking of cork, I just discovered cork cutting boards

and I'm sold.  They are soft to cut on and don't hold stains,

easy to clean, anti-microbial and a totally renewable resource

Honestly, I wish I'd known about them a long time ago.

And, I just had a Pionite counter-top installed for a design job

in Blue Hill.  My first really (Pionite) - and it doesn't look half bad.

Really warmed up this white kitchen for a very reasonable price.

That is it for now,

Enjoy your day!

Kyra

Champagne Taste

Well, it looks like it is going to be a few more weeks before I 

can plant my peas :)

That's okay, I'm in western Massachusetts right now

at a New England Secondary School Consortium

I'm wearing the collaborative community member hat and

enjoying spending time with nine others from Deer Isle-Stonington.

Especially the two students that are with us 

They taught me how to play Xbox last night - my first time!

Too fun

Knowing I would be trapped around industrial food for two days

I have brought a cooler full of goodness to sustain me.

My favorite go-to travel food is a bean salad with veggies

in a champagne vinaigrette.

The dried beans are from my garden - Aren't they beautiful?

Protein, veggies and a non-spoiling nature - perfect

Some guacamole, chips, granola, hard boiled eggs and raw brownies

I am all set!

BEAN SALAD WITH CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE

1 cup of your favorite dried beans, cooked in salted water and drained

1 good sized cucumber, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup champagne vinegar (brown rice vinegar works too)

1/4 -1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil

1 T Ume vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the beans, veggies and parsley in a bowl and combine

Put the vinegars, oil and seasoning in a jar

 Shake to emulsify

Pour over bean mixture, toss and let stand for 1 hour

Taste for salt and pepper and enjoy!

The conference is calling,

 enjoy your day

Kyra

Happy Spring!

"Be the better you once you meet her...."

I love it.

Enjoy your day!

Washi Dress Class

I absolutely love having sewing/quilting classes at Lily's House

The energy of everyone is always so great

and the space just feels cozy with everyone creating in it.

This past Saturday it was a dress making class

People brought the coolest fabrics

and the shared excitement of the thought of making

a summer dress was inspiring

Almost finished- but not quite- by the end of class,

students have been sending me photos of their finished product

And they are fabulous!

Nice job everyone, can't wait till next time.

The Washi dress pattern is from Made by Rae

Kyra

Enjoy Your Day

More snow coming on Saturday,

But I can smell the seasons changing

Time to "force" it with some forsythia branches.

Just wanted to say, 

that I hope you enjoy your day.

Kyra

Purge

I finally tackled the container cupboard.

You know the one, with all the crap you never use taking

up space that makes it impossible to get out what you do use, often.

Things can stay that way for years for me.

  Then, one day, presto, 

I'm ready to purge, clean out and

make room for that wonderful clarity and inspiration that

ALWAYS follows my letting go of things.

I had it happen at Lily's this week too.

We took down the Lily's Cafe and Wine Bar sign

and replaced it with this wonderful new one

for Lily's House that Renee painted for me

I called Brad, a long time fisherman and culinary school grad.

He is opening his first restaurant in Blue Hill this season.

I thought he might be interested in some equipment I had 

that I finally decided I didn't need anymore.

Perfect timing - 

In came four handsome gentleman to haul what seemed like

just heavy equipment to them, out of one building, and into another one

But for me, for a few moments, it felt like they were taking 

parts of my arms and legs.

With the sandwich block, deli case, slicer and cooler

went the identity that defined me for over 20 years

sigh

 

 Then I turned around

 in this newly opened space

and felt the amazing power I had just given myself

 to continue recreating.

Recreating a business,  recreating me.

 Now I'm on the hunt for another awesome counter like I found for the bar

and have plans to do Chef's teaching dinners

 and a series of

quick bite cooking classes that last just an hour, 

 focusing on taste and technique.

 Oh, and how about a pop-up

 juice bar when everything is in season this summer?

I am so excited!

So, I say,   PURGE!   LET GO!

and see your wonderfulness expand into the opened spaces

Kyra

p.s.   There is now a place at the top of this blog to

sign up for my newsletter if you would like to get

regular notices about each event I have planned. 

Or you can visit my new website, thanks to Julie Morringello,
 where you will find a calendar of events

Thank you so much for listening.

Haddock with Garlicky Breadcrumbs and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Amber and I did an encore presentation of her pop-up bistro,

The Sassy Pumpkin on Wednesday

For the entree we served Baked Haddock with

Garlic Breadcrumbs over a Black bean mixture,

topped with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Guacamole

It was awfully good, so I thought I'd share the recipe

For the crumbs, take some older bread and process it into crumbs,
I like them to have some texture.  Then sauté
them in melted butter/oil and some chopped garlic until golden brown

Lay your fish filets out on a baking tray, season with salt
and smoked paprika and top lightly with bread crumbs
Drizzle with a bit of oil
Bake in a 400 degree oven until flaky, approximately 15 minutes for thin filets

Roast your red peppers.
  I do it by setting them directly on the burners of my gas stove and charring them.

Put them in a bowl and cover them with a paper towel or wax paper

for about 20 minutes so they steam and you can peel the charred skin away.

Seed and stem them and cut them into big chunks.

Puree them in a food processor with

some lemon juice, salt, pepper and a bit of parsley
With the motor running,

add enough olive oil for an emulsified sauce
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

Instead of something like rice, I took some cooked black beans,
mashed them lightly and sautéed them in coconut oil
with onion, a tiny bit of garlic, oregano, paprika, ancho chili,
pinch of cayenne and salt
Finish with a squirt of lime and some chopped fresh parsley

I placed the fish on the beans, topped it with the red pepper sauce

and finished it off with homemade guacamole

Yum!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,

Kyra

Selfishness is Unnecessary

On Saturday I held my first Mentor Training Session 

and received a full helping of the fruits of my labor

 as Director of Mentoring for Ready By 21

 I was surrounded by generous people, promising non judgement,

all be it, a bit nervous about what comes next.

Then today I was making vegetable stock for soup from

left over scraps gathered from the prepping

of meals for my wine dinner and breakfast on Saturday

I sat in amazement for more than a few moments

while this pile of scraps simmered merrily in a pot of water

and marveled at the bounty offered to us everyday, even in things many of us 

toss out as refuse

Maybe it is the bubbling promise of spring here,

beneath the wet snow that keeps falling randomly

or the onion seeds that have sprouted on the windowsill

offering new life,
 but I feel hopeful, even peaceful, 

that everything really is okay.

I was led to this quote over the weekend and I'd like to share it with you all if I may,

"....It is now highly feasible to take care of every body

on earth at a higher standard of living

than any have known.  

It no longer has to be you or me.

Selfishness is unnecessary and henceforth

unrationalizable as mandated by survival..."

-R. Buckminster Fuller

I am so grateful for the ability offered to us to take care of ourselves,

and the choices we make to take care of each other.

I would like to say thank you

Kyra

A Busy Day

Yesterday, as the Director of Mentoring I organized

an all school Real World on Addiction

I had a diverse panel of speakers, me included, to cover addictions to

not only drugs and alcohol, but sugar, relationships and being the caretaker.

I have gotten feedback that it went really well and am so grateful

for all the support I have from everyone who was involved

Then it was back to Lily's to cook for

the February Wine Workshop

 (the switch from addictions to wine workshop did not go unnoticed)

 

We had an intimate group and it made for a wonderful

winter's gathering.

I served lots of tapas; deviled eggs with black olives,

a salad with oranges, fennel and shrimp, roasted asparagus,

chorizo and peppers .... just to name a few.

The pleasure at the table was gratifying.

So were the raves about the mushrooms

LEMON GARLIC MUSHROOMS

1 1/2 lb. medium sized button mushrooms, stems trimmed

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 T grapeseed oil

Juice of 1 lemon ( approximately 3- 4 T )

Kosher salt and black pepper 

Fresh Parsley

Heat oil in a heavy bottom skillet, not nonstick

Add garlic and cook 30 seconds

Add mushrooms, stir to coat with oil

Continue stirring them frequently over med high heat

until beginning to brown

Salt to taste

When the mushrooms are nicely browned and almost tender

add the lemon juice and allow to cook for 1 more minute.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and black pepper, toss to coat

Enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend

Kyra