Day 079 LocalrootZ Project (March 20, 2010)

Breakfast

Swallowtail Plain Yogurt

w/ Honey

I started the morning up early as usual...with a hunger in my stomach and hours till Cassi would rise for our traditional walk to the farmers market and after we would eat brunch.  I scooped a cup of Swallowtails plain and creamy yogurt and then folded in a tbs of honey.  This combination never gets old... I mean as you see I eat it almost everyday.  You begin tasting the nuances of one farm from teh next... when the animals are pastured heavier and clover is sprouting in the pasture  the flavor changes.  So far I think my top three yogurts would be Swallowtail Farm, Townhouse Farms Ewegurt and Smiths Farm.  The cream on the top rich jersey cow flavor gets me everytime !

Anyhow like clockwork Cassi rolled out of bed and off we went to the Winter Farmers Market...
this is what we snagged this week !

Swallowtail Farm
1/2 # Butter
Loaf of Spelt Bread
(spelt grown at Webb Farm)

Goransen's Farm
Red & Yellow Onions
QT Maple Syrup

Buckwheat Farm
Bunch of Leeks
Dozen Pastured Eggs

Fishbowl Farm
Winter Spinach

Port Clyde Fisherman's Co-Op
Lobster Tails
1# Maine Shrimp

with a bag full of great food and a beautiful day we were off on foot, back to our west end hideaway.  Upon returning we assessed our stock of food and Cassi suggested something with the lobster tails and hollandaise sauce for brunch... OK that was easy to talk me into ! I was off into the kitchen....

Brunch
Wild Mushroom & Lobster Tail
Eggs Benedict

over Swallowtail Spelt

here's what the ingredients looked like at the start....

 here's those ingredients put together....

 

 

After brunch we spent sometime picking up the rooftop garden and seeding a couple little boxes of spinach and arugula.... 

 

 

 

and then I got some of the pellets and soaked em in water in preparation for some germination...

Transportation Today

Errands : 7 miles walking

Day 045 LocalrootZ Project (February 14, 2010)

 Valentine's Day

Breakfast

Lobster Eggs Benedict

w/ Garlic & Arugula

bottle of Mont Marcal Sparkling Rose

vintage 2005

Dessert
Homade Stawberry Ice Cream
ontop of a Fudge Brownie
from Aurora Provision's

Today was Valentine's Day and Cassi had to work for the evening so I had the task of making our morning the special part of the day.  What better way to celebrate my love for such a wonderful girl than to make her absolute favorite breakfast... "Lobster Eggs Benedict".  Now Im getting pretty good in the kitchen but I had yet to poach an egg or make hollandaise sauce.  So I looked up a few how to's on you tube and read a few recipes in the cook books I have laying around in the kitchen... planned a point of attack and hopped to it after a early morning bicycle ride around the peninsula, down to the flower shop for a nice bunch of sustainably grown roses... As I rolled back home Cassi was rising out of bed and was greeted with her bouquet and the menu for her breakfast !  Needless to say she woke very quickly with the news and off I went into the kitchen to prepare the feast.  Cassi was quick to help with the more time consuming part such as picking the lobster meat out of the two pounders I picked up off the wharf the prior day.  That's right fresh lobster meat... I don't cut corners on Valentines Day !  We kept it 100% local except for the special bottle of bubbly rose to add color to the table and a little morning buzz... We used Sage toasted Spelt Bread from Mother Oven for the base and fresh local eggs from Sunset Acres, Arugula from Laughingstock Farm and butter from Nezinscott Creamery .  The hollandasie came out wonderfully... whisked over a pot of simmering water... the poached eggs came out tasty but the white never enveloped the yolk... I used cider vinegar in the simmered water that I heated to 180˚ and I also whisked the water before I slowly added the eggs, but in hind site I think I got the water moving a little faster than chef Ramsey had advised... oh well they tasted delicate and perfect, they  just didn't look as wonderful as I had hoped... Im gonna start practicing every morning next week and learn how to master the technique for next time.
For the evening agenda...with Cassi having a long night of working hard, I wanted to satisfy her constantly suppressed craveings for chocolate. Seeing as it was Valentines Day I thought a nice cheat from the local diet would be a luscious fudge brownie, homemade by our favorite local delicatessen, Aurora Proviosion's, would fit the bill.  Topped with some 100% local strawberry ice cream and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful day !

Transportation Today

Errands : 3 miles Walking 

5 miles Bicycle