Felting 101

I felted for the first time ever yesterday,  in an intro to felting class

 taught by Mia Kanazawa at Eggemoggin Textile Studio

in Sargentville, Maine

We began with the very basics by felting a tennis ball, then

proceeded to learn how to make a pre-felted textile 

to insert into our final composition which was a flat felted textile

I chose these colors for my pre-felt

and then went with naturals for my background

I can't tell you how much I loved this process.

First of all, I do not knit, and probably never will, but

I LOVE all that carded wool at the Common Ground Fair

 

Now I might have a reason to buy some! :-)

because next week, we make felted slippers!!

(I love that word -slippers-)

Mia is a master teacher and the other 5 women in the class 

were a talented hoot and a half to spend 6 hours with

I love to take classes, you learn so much from everyone,

and ever since I have learned to not be too attached

with the outcome and just let something happen

classes always takes me to a place outside my comfort zone

 sometimes a good place, sometimes not so good

I seem to learn a lot in both

Enjoy your weekend! and give yourselves a wee bit of time to yourself

Kyra

A Summer Frittata

I was making my favorite frittata the other day for a luncheon and

thought you might like the recipe

You will need:

6-8 fresh eggs, 

these are from Old Ackley Farm - aren't they beautiful? -

1/2 cup of cream

Olive oil

A large bunch of swiss chard, stems chopped and leaves ripped

1 large clove of garlic, smashed and chopped

2 large yellow or white onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced

Tomatoes,

 I used a couple cups of sun golds from the garden and cut them in half,

but large tomatoes work great too, just slice them about a 1/4" thick 

8 ounces or so of good feta or goat cheese

1/2+ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the swiss chard in a few T olive oil with a clove of garlic

 and a bit of kosher salt, over medium heat

I throw the stems and garlic in the heated oil and

cook them for a few minutes and then add the leaves,

cooking just until wilted and tender, about 5-6 minutes more

In the same skillet, add a bit more oil, turn your heat to medium high and sauté your onions with a bit

of kosher salt until soft and golden brown on the edges, 

this takes about 10 - 12 minutes

You can do both of these things the night before or earlier in the day

so putting this together when you are ready is a snap

Butter a 10 -11" quiche or tart pan

spread your onions on the bottom, then the swiss chard

top with tomatoes, I like a lot of tomato, it really sweetens the deal

Sprinkle with your cheese and finally adorn the top with your torn basil

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until frothy,

whisk in the cream and season with salt and pepper

Pour over veggies and cheese

and bake in a 350 oven until set in the middle

this takes about 35 minutes, but check it after 25 so you don't over cook it

Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.

It is even great at room temp... with some gazpacho, 

YUM!

Enjoy your day

Kyra

Such Fun in August

This week has been a total blur;

 dinner on North Haven at Nebo 

with the unexpected gift of meeting new friends,

an antique show - which inspired redecorating at the cafe

(more on this endeavor soon),

a farm to table dinner at Four Seasons Farm (Eliot Coleman)

by two chef's from the Portland area.

  The food actually came

from farms down their way - which I thought

was a little odd, but we had the pleasure of sitting with

the owners of Freedom Farm in Freedom Maine who

supplied most of the veggies

and we had a wonderful connection

 then to end it all,

 my pop up wine bar at Lily's last night,

 which was a blast 

I prepped all day, using tons of stuff from my garden

You could hear me

giggle out loud randomly all morning

Then I got to hear people giggle when they walked in

later and saw all the chocolate cakes

 

Live music with the Bent Benjamin's filled the air 

Happy customers filled the house with incredible spirit

I hired Therese to run the food line with my girls

which meant I had the pleasure of pouring the wine

and chatting with everyone I hadn't seen all season

It was really wonderful

I look forward to next time...

Enjoy your Monday everyone,

and thank you for being you.

Kyra

New Potatoes

Okay all you seasoned gardeners out there, you will

laugh, but I have successfully grown my own potatoes

for the first time and I am SO excited

It is like Christmas digging around in that raised bed and finding

little nuggets of starchy gold

The best thing is that I hadn't even planned on planting them

but I had about 20 potatoes left this spring from my

autumn Carding Brook Farm haul.

They were starting to sprout and my Ruth Stout book said,

"just throw them on the dirt and cover them with hay"

So I did and I've grown potatoes!!

Renee invited some folks over last night for an impromptu

lobster feed and I had a chance to showcase my wares

Foil and the grill, my favorite tools.

The trick is to put them on after the coals have died down from being

red hot, or make a space for indirect heat on the grill,

so you don't get that black, burned layer of potato and onion

that I remember so well from my childhood.

I layered potatoes, onions, garlic, rosemary, basil, Maldon's Sea salt,

Aleppo pepper, Greek olive oil and a little butter - 

Wrapped them up and threw them on, put the lid down 

and in about 25 minutes had this!

Enjoy your day and all it's surprises

Kyra

August Sigh and September Quilt Workshop

It dawned on my this morning that it is the beginning of August and

I am not ready to have a nervous breakdown.

How lovely.

I realize that many of you have no idea what August is like

for business owners on this beautiful seasonal tourist destination

It is pure hell.

  I am serious. 

 At least in the cafe anyway

You have just had your butt kicked in July and it is now amping up to an even higher pace

People have breakdowns from the stress,

they walk out on you or go in the basement to whimper where no can find them

 You fear everyday that the whole thing is going to blow up

and keep yourself in a slight coma like state just to get through it

Posters for the Blue Hill Fair promise that September is

coming and the madness will have an end.

And then it does end.

Just like that.

Summer is gone and you have wished it all away.

Not this year!

I am having a lovely day sewing a few new shifts and planning my menu for my

Pop Up Wine Bar this Sunday at Lily's from 5 - 7pm

I'll let you know what I come up with.

In the meantime I would like to share that Tony Belinda will be at Lily's

to teach a quilt workshop on Friday September 21 thru Sunday September 23rd

Tonye is a well known Sister’s Oregon quilter and author of

 “Hand Appliqued Quilts, Whimsical Designs and Simple Techniques.”

 A weekend of quilting whimsy and spontaneity is sure to please.

Free yourself from the sewing machine with Tonye’s quick needle turn applique technique.  The focus of this creative, liberating workshop will be the use of unusual colors,

 shapes and textures to build your dream houses 

with an emphasis on letting yourself go and not over thinking the process

Workshop runs from 9-4 on Friday and Saturday with a critiquing session on Sunday from 10-12.  Snacks and a delicious Lily’s lunch will be provided daily.

Workshop fee: $250.00

I still have spots left and if you are interested just give me a shout.

lilyshouse12@gmail.com or  207-367-5936

I can't wait for a weekend of sewing self indulgence!

Until next time, may your August days be light and lovely

All the best,

Kyra

Home from Boston

I took the bus to Boston on Tuesday 

To meet up with my dearest friend and her family

up north from Miami

So their youngest chickadee could scope out some

New England colleges

They had driven from Miami and were in dyer need of

some sustenance so we had lunch at Cafeteria on Newbury

Then we goofed around, walked, talked, laughed and caught up

The next day I had the whole day to myself to wander around

and be completely entertained by the city

I walked, I shopped, I spent hours in a book store

with no one asking "can we leave now?"

I took the T from hither to yonder, it is so easy compared to NY

On my way to the waterfront to go to the Institute of Contemporary Art

(where I fell in love with work by Os Gemeos from Brazil)

I stopped at Sportello for lunch

   A modern retro lunch counter and perfect for a party of one

  I started with a glass of rose

and moved onto a roasted carrot salad and finished with a

bowl of the creamiest polenta I have ever had topped

with Wild Boar Ragu ( I had ordered eggplant, but got boar instead and it

was a happy mistake)  Yum!

 

I met up with the gang around 5 for their supper, but I wasn't hungry

so I sat with them while they ate and then walked the exhausted

college tourers to their car.

Then I headed over to Cambridge in a cab to my most favorite 

restaurant Oleana.  I ate on the back porch with the threat of

rain, and the owner threw an umbrella into the trees over me

so I could relax and enjoy my whole meal

Super delicious and super local, in both food and clientele

always inspiring for me as a chef.

I always stay at 463 Beacon St.

It is in a residential neighborhood in Back Bay

and wonderful for evening walks, taking

in both architecture and the sighs and rumbles of 

human life in a bustling city

 It was great to get away for a few days, but I am always so

happy to be home - 

Off to check out how the gardens fared with my departure

Have a wonderful day and I hope you have something

fun -maybe even a little off the beaten path-  planned for the weekend

Kyra