Tag Archives: photos

The donut review.

.

On our way back from the disappointing brewery the other day I made the husband pull into The Holy Donut…. because I’ve posted about them a few times but haven’t had the chance to try them.

.

.

The almost $24 half dozen box cradled comfortably in my lap, we made for home.

.

.

I was excited to try these extremely popular, much talked about, potato laden famous Maine treats.

Flavor assortment from top to bottom:

Apple cider glazed, apple cinnamon, toasted coconut, maple bacon, vanilla chai and the one slot I afforded my husband… an old fashioned. Yes, the only donut he likes is plain, to which I respond – why bother.

.

.

As I dove in to taste test, the first thing I noticed was size. These things are big.

.

.

But sadly, like everything else…. quantity does not equal quality. While the apple cider glazed and toasted coconut were tasty enough, I have to admit I was underwhelmed. The donuts were heavy, thick and generally nothing special. I admit to trying a chunk of each one while they were fresh and can’t say they were worth the effort or price (3.75 per). People go nuts for these things in Maine and will stand on line outside the stores in order to purchase them but honestly, after trying them? I don’t understand why.

.

Good morning!

.

It wasn’t for me as I spent a miserable night wide awake and trying to get comfortable with sciatic pain.

.

.

I’m never sure how I tweak that particular nerve, but boy it lets me know when I do.

.

.

Rolling out of bed this morning was a slow painful process…

.

.

But I definitely had a gorgeous view.

.

.

I’m off to sit on an ice pack and crunch some Tylenol.

.

.

Hope your day is starting a little better.

.

I found a good one.

.

Yes, I tried another recipe I found online.

I can’t help myself at this point, but at least this one turned out to be tasty.

I don’t know the name of it so let’s just say it’s an Italian-y tortellini soup.

.

.

Easy to make and quick… at a little over half an hour cooking time… I’d say with a few tweaks this one’s a keeper.

.

Ingredients:

½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves
chopped
⅓ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to
taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Instructions:


Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven
over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook
until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure
to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess
fat.
Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook,
stirring frequently, until onions have become
translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt
and pepper, to taste.
Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato
sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer,
stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly
thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tortellini; cover and cook until tender,
about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir
in heavy cream and basil until heated through,
about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to
taste.
Serve immediately.

.

.

I only changed one thing when I made this and I’m sure you can guess what that was.

Yes, I axed the noxious green devil’s weed called kale and substituted spinach.

When I make this again I think I’ll cut back on the sausage. If you like it really meaty, leave it as is… but a little sausage goes a long way for me.

.

Royal feline or arctic fox? You be the judge…

.

Since the renovation project is at a standstill, walkies have resumed at Casa River.

And with cooler weather coming on that means mouse hunting.

.

.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten can hear them scurrying under the foliage and through the rock wall and after long patient observation…

.

.

He’s airborne.

Straight up in the blink of an eye.

Just like an arctic fox.

.

.

He chases birds in the burning bush as well but that’s not nearly as entertaining, though it is more colorful this time of year.

.

.

No worries, he never catches any.

.

.

Catching His Lordship in full arctic fox mode is difficult but I managed one good shot.

.

.

Unfortunately for him none of these flying leaps resulted in a captured mouse.

.

.

Maybe next time…

.

I love my state.

.

It’s a sad irony that the following post was scheduled for today. A mere 41 hours after a gunman murdered 18 of my fellow Mainers.

Our beloved state is still reeling from the shock and my area is still sheltering in place. Crazy times.

My neighbor posted this on FB today.

.

.

Another child has lost another parent. It’s heartbreaking… and no state, no city, no town can ever be immune.

We thought we were.

We were wrong.

And now… my post.

Even with all the bad luck we’ve been having trying to renovate our house, there’s no place I’d rather make my home than Maine. It’s laid back, scenically beautiful, has abundant seafood and the most craft breweries per capita in the nation.

Here are a few other reasons I love it.

.

.

That’s my kind of library.

.

.

🤣

.

.

Thanks mom.

.

.

Someday I’m going to have to drive by this woman’s house and take a peek at her gardens. Judging from the amount of flowers she gives away, it must be amazing.

.

.

Halloween is right around the corner and these are some pretty impressive arachnids.

.

.

Yes sir.

That’s a spider.

.

Dinner in Bath.

.

When we were finished finding a suitable microwave oven replacement, we strolled down the street.

.

.

Downtown Bath is a quaint waterfront area filled with quirky shops and restaurants and we were hungry.

.

.

J R Maxwells us a family run place that’s been a mainstay for 44 years. We’ve had many meals there… some were perfect, others less so.

.

.

Starting with their signature Cosmo…

.

.

I opted for a less than satisfying cup of clam chowder. Thankfully the homemade bread made up for the soupy disappointment.

.

.

Bath is a shipbuilding town with a rich maritime history and the restaurant’s decor reflects that.

.

.

But while the husband’s prime rib looked wonderful it turned out to be chewy and flavorless. Talk about disappointing.

.

.

Thankfully I ordered crab cake stuffed jumbo shrimp and they were heavenly. Rich and buttery, filled with tender crab. A definite win.

.

.

Photo of the second largest employer in the state, Bath Iron Works. A defense contractor that builds the Navy’s battleships.

.

They’re so innocent. Until they’re not…

.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten likes to nap in the sun.

.

.

He’ll happily follow the beams of light around the house and looks oh so cute doing it.

.

.

As I was reading in the living room the other day, he snoozed in front of the television cabinet.

.

.

So quiet. So innocent.

Until I heard a scraping sound…

.

.

Cats.

They’re always up to something.

😉

.

I really wanted it to be true…

.

Of all the awful real life pickle abominations my algorithms make me view, I finally found one worth my time.

.

.

The Pickle Sisters!

.

.

This was just silly enough to be true…they didn’t call them the roaring twenties without reason…. but sadly it wasn’t. Further research showed it to be a complete fallacy.

Very disappointing, that.

I mean, look how beautiful they are in technicolor.

.

.