I’ve been to Maine three times in my life. For the first time last year for my best friend’s Bachelorette, then again for her Wedding a couple of months later, and most recently, I went with the same friend for five days over Labor Day Weekend.
We’ve been back home for over a week now but Maine lives on in my head. I keep finding myself drifting back to picking up scones, apples, and tomatoes from a farm stand. Asking if anyone else wants eggs before scrambling a large pot for breakfast. Watching the waves beat on tirelessly. Pink skies, oysters for the table, baby turkeys running, and yes I’ll have the lobster roll, chilled please.
It’s an idyllic place, especially late summer, and in the rear view mirror. I genuinely think I could live there from April through October every year but I know my limits and I’m not made for a Maine winter.
We ate a lot of lobster but we didn’t end up cooking it ourselves so that’s still on my list of things to try. I made a Calabrian chile caesar this week that I think would go beautifully with a lobster tail on top. Speaking of caesar salads with lobster - I had one in Maine. It was described as a “little gem caesar” but what came out was half a head of romaine that had not been cut at all. This concept plagues me. A caesar is not a wedge, do not send it out to me uncut with a measly butter knife. It’s a cringe attempt at trendy presentation at best and a humiliation ritual at its worst.
One thing I did try cooking for the first time, which was the most successful group project I’ve ever been a part of: grilling an entire fish that had been caught just the day before. One of the guys knew roughly how to cut it, I managed the seasoning, and another wrapped it in foil and threw it on the grill. Kris took the opportunity to cut off a few pieces of raw striper for a crudo. The fish turned out incredibly which is mostly a testament to really fresh ingredients and the power of a grill. It was also the highlight of the trip for me.
What did I bring home from Maine? A few antiques and a renewed excitement for scones. From the ages of 24-28 I developed an odd hangover habit. I would wake up with a denial-fueled burst of energy and start baking a batch of scones. By the time they were done, my adrenaline would be replaced with a headache and a need to be horizontal. I’d chug water and sleep for another hour or two then wake up ready for a scone and there they were!
I made all sorts of flavors - lemon blueberry, maple bacon, garlic scape, and dark chocolate cherry. My favorite is still Cheddar + Chive which is what I returned to this week.
And to continue the trend of simple savory baking, I used a sheet of puff pastry to make some boursin + zucchini tartlets. Of all the summer produce this year, I’m finding myself, for the first time, being most sad to say goodbye to zucchini. They’re still in season through the end of September but the ones I’m seeing at Whole Foods are looking less glorious each week. It feels like something that should be in it’s prime from August - November.
I used this same method to make both mushroom and fig tartlets with a drizzle of honey on the figs and extra red pepper flakes on the mushrooms. I finished them with a touch of truffle oil and oh my.
It’s starting to feel like fall in DC. It was 60° on my walk a few days ago, leaves are falling in our yard and I am SO looking forward to all of the fall produce, cozy recipes, open windows, and candlelit nights at home.
A few things I’m looking forward to
In 5-8 days I get to pick up the bowl I painted at a pottery painting studio this week. I was in the mood for a crafty little project that didn’t require buying a bunch of art supplies that will eventually sit in a closet with all of my other art supplies. I found a studio nearby and some inspo on Pinterest and got started painting! I was hoping to paint a platter but they didn’t have any large ones so this bowl was the closest thing what I had envisioned. Would I go back to this particular studio? Probably not. Most of their ceramics were shaped like animals and other very-specific-and-clearly-meant-for-children items rather than a generic bowl or platter. But I did enjoy the two hours I spent painting three layers of florals so if you’re in the mood for a field trip!
Next week I’m heading back up to NYC for just a few hours to get measurements done for my wedding dress!! I’m so excited to see it in person again now that I know she’s the one. Side tangent because this is my newsletter - I didn’t have a big aha moment when deciding on my dress. I mostly enjoyed dress shopping but I started to feel fatigued - dresses run together, or often have 92% of what you want and you have to decide if it’s worth pursuing something that has 96%. Opportunity cost is real!!!
And oh my gosh there’s a lot of pressure to pick the perfect dress for the perfect day!! “When you know you know” did not apply. I love dresses so much and really struggled to differentiate between different idealized versions of what a dress might say about me as a bride. I also felt a lot of pressure to know how I felt about dresses in the moment.
It was through chatting with friends and reviewing photos that I made my decision. I won’t say what exactly because I did subscribe Kris to this newsletter and wedding dresses are meant to be a surprise, but part of the design has a sweet and special meaning to it that I’m really giddy about.
Tonight - sleepover!!! I am lucky in life because my best friend MC lives only three miles away. There’s something so sweet and silly about a sleepover with your best friend. I don’t think we’ll ever be too old for it. What’s on the docket? Downton Abbey, Thai food, and probably a bottle of bubbles. Our snack spread from dinner on Wednesday serves as a perfect teaser:
I truly never thought I’d be promoting caviar but once again: Imperia Caviar is that girl. It’s briny and buttery - I could lick it off the spoon (and I have). Caviar feels indulgent. It’s certainly not something I grew up eating - in fact the first time I tried caviar I was around 20 years old and disliked it so much I was convinced there was a mass conspiracy theory at play. Thankfully, my taste buds have evolved.
Like lighting your favorite candle or popping the nice bottle of champagne you’ve been saving. Sometimes, you want life to feel special and celebrated on a random Wednesday. Sometimes! that random Wednesday means more than big night out.
And a shameless promotion: my code HONEY15 will get you 15% more caviar in your order!
Coming soon: mini twice baked potatoes, coconut curry bowls, ricotta gnocchi, and a fall pasta dish. Stay tuned!
Until next time,
Anna