So my whole plan for food for the Haute for Hospice event went out the window yesterday when I walked into Sam's Club in Bangor. Vicky has a Sam's membership and since I said that I would buy the soft drinks and water for the show, plus the fact that Greg's parents and friends are coming for a whole week, I thought I would stock up. I forget that Sam's has great meat and fantastic prices. Where else will you find 90% lean hamburger for $1.96 a pound...of course you have to buy 9 pounds of it! So, Sam's was running a special on pork tenderloin in 7 pound roasts. I decided to get two, grill them, and then make pork tenderloin sandwiches with a garlic pesto mayonaise for the show. I got 100 little rolls so I can make 100 little sandwiches. I also got cheese and fruit and crackers as an emergency side hors d'ourevre just in case. More food will be provided by area restaurants, but in case one cancels last minute, I want to have a backup. Its a control issue!

Enjoy,
Seth

Greg came home from the grocery store the other day proudly toting a 6 pound pot roast that he wanted me to cook for sandwiches. I took one look at it and said to myself, "thats a great piece of roast beef.....no pot roasting for this baby!" Not being a red meat cooker, I googled what to do with a top round roast. I decided to go with the Italian beef roast, which made the house smell great all evening.
Though James Beard told me not to put the roast in a pan without a rack, and NEVER add liquid to the pan for fear of steaming the meat...I threw caution to the wind and decided to go my own way.
I took the roast and slathered it in olive oil, cut slits in the top and shoved in fresh garlic, and then peppered the hell out of it with both black and red pepper. Added some garlic powder and then rolled the whole thing in oregano. I put the beast back in the roasting pan and then added 1/2 a cup of red wine and 2 cups of water, with about 1/2 a cup of chopped onion. It took approximately 3 hours to cook at 325. When done save the juice and put aside
I let the beast set and then shoved it in the fridge, but not before cutting off a few tasters for the dogs and me. I'm supposed to slice it thin and then soak the slices in the juice and reheat in the oven....its pretty tender, I made a sandwich out of it with cheese and it was excellent.

I'm going to have a taste test today and see if this might be appropriate to make into sandwiches for the fashion show this weekend. Ever been to a party and they have those tiny roast beef sandwiches? I love that! hmmmmmm...thats an idea.

Enjoy,
Seth

We drove over to Deer Isle yesterday to deliver a blanket for a client. The drive was stupendous and the leaves over that way are turning a bit faster than they are here on the mid-coast. We had to find the Goose Cove Lodge (thank you reader for setting me straight on the name), which was a very cool place, down a long dirt road at the end of the earth it seemed. The view was spectacular from what I could see of it. What a place with cabins nestled in the woods and a small main lodge. Anyway, there was a wedding there yesterday and we just delivered the blanket for the bride and groom and took off. (This from a reader who shares all sorts of restaurant tidbits and recipes with me: [Its a ] great place with a decent chef.)

We decided to stop in Blue Hill for lunch and went into the first place we found, The Blue Moose. Whether it was late or just a slow day out of season, we were one of only two tables in the place. It was pretty sterile and generic, with art for sale on the walls and pine tables and chairs. The menu looked good and I chose the Chicken salad with raisins and toasted pine nuts on rye. Greg had something called the gobbler which was essentially turkey, cheese, and lettuce and tomato wrapped in a tortilla with guac and sour cream. Typical sandwich place. Service was overly attentive and the ginger smooshy (as opposed to ginger snaps) cookies we got for the car were great.

Atmosphere was a definite C
Service was an A
Food was a B

Enjoy,
Seth

Its comfort food season again! For me that means using heartier vegetables with dinner. Last night we had chicken breast, floured, seasoned and browned in butter and olive oil and then simmered in lemon juice until tender and juicy along with fresh butternut squash and spinach. For the squash, I took a vegetable peeler and removed the skin, chucked the whole squash on a plate in the microwave for about 2 minutes to soften and then cut, deseeded and cubed it. The whole went into a pot with about 1/4 cup water, olive oil, a tablespoon butter, and salt, pepper, ground sage, garlic, and just the tiniest amount of brown sugar. I then simmered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. The result was a very flavorful, hearty and healthy vegetable alternative. Mmmm mmm good.

Enjoy,
Seth