Better late... I guess!

Continuing the busy summer madness has kept me from updating for 3 weeks! Though I have spent a lot more time cooking and baking - I neglected taking photos and sharing with my friends.

Here are a few back-logged photos I snapped - you have sadly missed another batch of BB muffins, smoked bleu cheese burgers with Brian (with Dad's home made piccalilli) , fresh corn on the cob we've eaten the last two weekends at home, blueberry pancakes last sunday for breakfast, and cob salad - egg salad sandwiches! (I'll make that one again!)

Carrot Ginger Slaw - it had a yummy toasted sesame and lemon dressing - crisp and refreshing - also beautiful! It was easy to remember to take a picture of this delicious bowl of food.

I guess I'd call these triple ginger oatmeal cookies. If you love ginger snaps - and want something a little different - spicy ginger without the molasses - some toasty walnuts - I highly recommend this recipe. Fresh, candied and powdered ginger are all in this cookie. After having one with my breakfast, I told Brian that they are the best cookies I have ever baked. BUT - this does come from someone who LOVES ginger!

(Not sure why the photo is turned... but oh well - sideways cookies are the same, I guess, since they are round!)

Not sure if you get this way when it is cold and rainy. I immediately run for the soup pot and cook something warm and delicious. I didn't end up with soup this time - but a big pot of chicken and rice. Thanks dad for the juicy chicken thighs - rice from the pantry - and the other goodies laying around the house! A bag of organic carrots - left over from the slaw, onion, garlic, fresh sage from the garden, and some rosemary sprigs I had dried last month. I love to cook like this because it is so inexpensive, and gives you a place to use up what is hanging around.

(PS - I took this picture before the rice was done cooking - and never took another! So it looks like soup!! Yummy either way!)

Below, my little friend Marco - here he is showing his love of reusable shopping bags. He has a true passion for jumping on the counter while I am cooking - to explore - taste - or knock over what ever he can! He sure is a pain in the ass - but we love him any way! With a face like that - who could resist!

MARCO!

Whoopie Mania at 4:30 am

I broke out the marshmallow cream - and baked some whoopies! These first chocolate pies claimed to be "less fluffy but you'll gobble them right up" -sounds good to me!

These next whoopies are my creation - using a "healthy" recipe for zucchini whoopies - I made some carrot cake pies! (Even better in my book!) I had so much filling I needed to bake 2 batches of whoopies to use it all up.

If anyone reading is interested in these recipes - tell me and I will post. Right now, not sure if anyone is reading - so I won't waste my time on details! Just sharing my yummy photos makes me very happy.

Bethany's Favorite Breakfast Sandwich

Here it is - after - "I am Bethany, I Live United" - I eat this.

Yup - this is it. This is what I offer for today. With a full belly - I can say this sandwich is good every day!

In case you missed it...

We went to Rangeley! It was beautifully sunny the whole weekend. Thank you weather gods!

Whoopie Pie Tour - continues on our way home...

From Rangeley, we drove home, looking for lunch the whole way! We found a place in New Gloucester (20 minutes from our house, after a 2+ hour drive!)

Mario's of New Gloucester. YUMMMMMMY! Brian cuts the wheel and I grab the arm rest - here we go! Mario's it is! I think he was tired of me complaining that I was hungry... it happens. (I did have half of the PB whoopie in my bag, just wanted to savor it another day)

We sat down in the dining room, that I would describe as - too-close-for-comfort, at the best table in the house. We had a beautiful sunny day outside and the breeze was blowing in the window on us!

I ordered some crazy sandwich with meat, cheese, veggies and marinara sauce. YUM. Brian ordered "popcorn chicken" which turned out to be home made chicken nuggets. I think our server was about 18. She was the sweetest server I have ever met (with the exception of me... when that was my livelihood) She was proud of her family restaurant and so excited to tell me about the pumpkin whoopies, pies, and breads that her family bake at the restaurant.

So, it sounds like I say this a lot - but - GO THERE! Have a whoopie. They put nutmeg and cloves in the cream cheese frosting! If you go there for a great whoopie - that is good - but go there for great service... You will feel like a part of the family. I hope next time she'll share the filling recipe with me... (my secret plan!)

We did try 4 different whoopies over the weekend. Sounds like an OD, but sadly 2 ended their lives prematurely. Oh well, when your whoopie pie stinks, you can't expect me to choke it down. Especially when I know where to get another - better one!!! (or I can bake a dozen if you give me an hour or so!)

Too many calories can be wasted on bad baked goods. I learned a similar thing about books that I just didn't enjoy reading... save them for when I have some "free" time!

Rangeley Whoopie Pie Tour

I decided to drown my sorrows about my failure with some sampling! We went to Rangeley over the weekend and this is what we found: the Oquossoc Grocery Store. Where they sell original, raspberry, mint, orange and peanut butter whoopies.... really? Yes! PERFECT!

I would have to say that this PB whoopie was the best. I'd rather not report on the rest - but this was a perfect 10 in my book. Just enough PB, just enough filling, and the cake didn't stick to my fingers - even though it was really moist.

We went to get the paper in the am, and came home with this whoopie. We went back for lunch, and they made us a raspberry whoopie on the spot! Fresh cakes, any filling we'd like! (Sounded good... but... after eating Kidder raspberry sauce, you come to expect a certain flavor from a raspberry. This didn't do it.) The boy behind us in line was happy to inform us that the mint whoopies tasted like toothpaste. All I have to say about that is that toothpaste is usually mint flavored. It makes sense to me!

Anyway - go to the Oquossoc Grocery store, pick up the news paper, and have a PB whoopie pie. You won't be disappointed!

Whoopie pie failure!

So, like I said... whoopies are on the way! Well, I guess not.

I recently bought this great little cookbook - Making Whoopies, the Official Whoopie Pie Book.

Fun to read, great pictures, nice little stories about where the whoopie pie came from. (Maine, by the way, and anyone who tries to tell you PA, obviously has never had a real whoopie pie!) As I was looking through my new book, I found a recipe for the whoopie pies at Two Fat Cats Bakery in Portland. I tried these 2 years ago, with Dad and Aunt Jeanne, and they changed my life!!!

We were at the Old Port Festival and the bakery had a booth set up and trays of whoopies... hundreds of whoopies... Of course, I bought one, gobbled it up, ran back to the booth, and asked about the filling!!!! WOWWEEEE! Have you ever had marshmallow buttercream? How about marshmallow butter cream with 1 pound of homemade Fluff, 1 pound of butter, and powdered sugar - yikes - give me a spoon!

This new book, unbelievably has the recipe. I tried it. Seemed pretty cut and dry. Wet, dry, mix, let batter sit, scoop, and bake. I can do this!

Nope, I guess not. I am not sure what went wrong exactly, but they have listed bittersweet chocolate, and never tell you what to do with it... I assumed it was a type-o and left it out. My first mistake. "Chill for at least 1 hour" - I let the batter chill for 2. My second mistake. My third mistake was actually getting excited as I placed the cookie sheet in the oven.

The batter was to-die-for. Creamy, fluffy, and delicious. Whoopies ended up one giant puddle... then onto the trash can with the rest of the batter. The filling is still in the refrigerator - awaiting the carrot-cake whoopies that I am going to create - hopefully Friday morning.