For me, Portland, Maine had in store rain and sun, beautiful changing leaves, revitalizing discussions with friends, crisp fall air, a race to the airport only to miss my flight home and the best bagel sandwich I have ever eaten.

It is wonderful to eat the “best of the best” of your favorite foods. It is even more wonderful to know it is happening while you munch away. I love playing the game of “best” and “favorites” but often I find myself looking back and thinking, “I guess the best burger I ate was that one….” In the case of this bagel sandwich, I could see from the minute it was put in front of me that it was something special. One bite in, I knew to savor each additional morsel and fully enjoy the experience.

At 158, also known as 158 Pickett Street Cafe, bagels are made fresh in the small back kitchen. Students from Southern Maine Community College are rotating in and out the door, the smells of good coffee and baked goods permeate the quaint shop and friendly, casually-paced Maine folk are enjoying the delicious offerings. I was lucky enough to enjoy this bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich two days in a row and not a single swallow disppointed.

Other recommendations in Portland:
~Fore Street is a must-try for dinner. Every single dish at our table was a standout. The mussels were some of the best I’ve had cooked in a buttery, garlic almond sauce. The chocolate souffle cake was sprinkled with sea salt and after my first bite, I literally dropped my spoon on the table in awe.

~Maple’s Organic ice cream is worth every calorie and gram of fat. I suggest a double scoop even at the risk of a tummy ache.

~Bresca is a newish restaurant that only seats 20. Call for a reservation and expect outstanding food and wine. The owner and her sous chef personally cook every dish that leaves the kitchen and the smile of the wonderful server lights up the room.

Portland may have more delicious food options per capita than any place I have visited. The culinary delights paired with the easy-going attitude and sea air were just what the doctor ordered for me this week!

Lately, I have been so frustrated with photography! A few weeks ago, I determined that I would not post things that did not have a decent photo. I just adore sites with beautiful photography like this one and this one and this one.

I was feeling really sad about the ugly old Horitiki image that wasn’t even 1/100th as appetizing as the actual salad. But, I wanted to post the recipe, so I did it. When I scan back over old posts, I cringe at the over-flash filled Greek salad bowl.

It guess it is all about the natural light and as the days get shorter and I spend most of my natural light filled hours at work, I fear the problem will get worse. Finally, I posted the little story about my neighbors even though the photo was dark and blurry but I was a little sad about it. In the past weeks, I made a yummy tomato and basil soup and a delicious Pork with Marsala Sage Sauce. The recipes were good, the photos were not.

Bad photography…To post or not to post, THAT is the question. Luckily, I am going to spend a few days with a photo expert where I hope to revive my inspirations and pick up a few tips!

The Would You Rather game… back by request.

Would you rather magically have the skills of an expert pastry chef OR inherit fifty bottles of old, rare wine?

A few weeks ago, while I was just starting to boil pasta for dinner, I heard a light knock at the door. It was my three-year-old neighbor accompanied by her father inviting us to come down and eat homemade pizza with them for dinner. My initial instinct was to turn them down since I was already cooking and perhaps a bit because the invitiation was a last-minute surprise. Sadly, I have realized the older we have gotten, the less spontaneous life seems to be. I remember in university days when life was a series of deciding what to do next with just moments notice. Eating was always a group activity and turned into a potluck by near necessity based on what resources each person had.

Excited to reignite my comfort with last-minute, casual meals together with friends and neighbors, I said yes. I offered to finish my pasta, whip up a salad and bring it all down to their apartment. I called my husband and told him to report to the neighbor’s place for dinner when he got hom. We had a delightful, relaxing evening together eating a little of this and a little of that. It reminded me not to plan so much, keep the calendar open, feel comfortable with less programming, be open to spontaneity and enjoy food with other people more often.

My friend Stephanie (who is a co-founder of this amazing non-profit in Portland, Oregon) has been telling me for ages about her awesome cheesecake recipe. She emailed it to me months ago and I never made it, mostly because I had lost half of my spring form pan.

So, this weekend, during Steph’s visit to Chicago, we got down to business by buying a new pan and making her cheesecake. I have not been much of a cheesecake fan in the past which was always a confusing mystery because I LOVE cheese danishes, cream cheese fillings and less sweet desserts. This past weekend, the mystery was solved. Rarely had I eaten really wonderful cheesecake. Restaurant and bakery offerings are usually too cold, too hard and too old. Sinking my teeth into this fresh, light delicacy was a whole different story.

Not having tried any other cheesecake recipes, I can only guess at what makes this one so special. I suspect it is the long whipping time, which makes for a light, fluffy cheesecake and the sour cream topping that is baked on at the end. Steph’s Scrumptious Cheesecake will be a regular fixture in my baking repertoire… as long as I can keep track of this new spring form pan.

Steph’s Scrumptious Cheesecake
Ingredients:
24 oz cream cheese
4 eggs
1 3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
1 T brown sugar
1 pint sour cream

For the topping, beat together the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the
sour cream for no less than 10 minutes. (Don’t scrimp here on the time
you spend with the topping either; it gets fluffier the longer you
beat.) Pour over cooled cake and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool cake completely before slicing and serving.

Note: I used a 9 inch pan and had to adjust cooking times. It definitely needed a good 10+ minutes more. You can tell that the cheese layer is done as the top will be lightly browned. It will continue to cook as it sits in the open oven. The topping should be set when it is done. It will also continue to firm up a bit while cooling.

Find a list of baking tips here.

Do you ever have one of those nights where you think that you are going to whip up something quickly and over an hour later with a kitchen that could qualify as as a federal disaster area, you wonder what the heck happened? That was my night.

My intentions were to use up a beautiful bunch of asparagus and incorporate some of my fresh herbs. I have been neglecting my herb garden a bit which I know is reaching its final days with the quickly cooling weather. After a bit of searching, I settled upon this recipe.

Once you read the recipe below, you may wonder why I encountered such difficulty since it seems relatively easy. I think that exhaustion from a long day and a blender with a loose lid (yikes…hot soup shower) were a few of the hurdles in making this recipe quickly and painlessly.

Despite my slight struggles in the kitchen, I will make this recipe again and again as it was perhaps the best asparagus soup I have eaten. The fresh basil cream was such a perfect combination and it looked so beautiful in the bowl!

Asparagus Soup with Basil Cream
from Gourmet Magazine, April 1995
3 pounds asparagus, ends and tips cut off and reserved separately
and stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups water
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chicken broth

Makes about 7 cups.

My first soup of fall! The truth is, I was starting to make Red Lentil Dal and added too much chicken stock. So, I just adjusted the ingredients a bit and turned it into a soup. It was delicious and made me even more excited for fall flavors and foods.

Now, why is it that they are called red lentils when they are a beautiful orange? Would it be so bad to call them orange lentils? A further mystery… they turn yellow once cooked, even without the addition of curry. hmmm (All this speculation from a redhead who spent much of her childhood announcing that her hair is more orange and not red and that carrot tops are actually green.)

I served this soup with a yummy nibbling plate of cured olives, crunchy toasted bread and slices of sausage.
Curried Red Lentil Soup
1 1/4 cups red lentils
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon curry
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and drain lentils. Put them in a pot with chicken stock and curry. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in additional ingredients and simmer for an additional few minutes. I like it garlic-y and spicy. Add more of any of the spices to your liking.

One of my favorite things to do while traveling abroad is to visit a common grocery store. I could spend hours wandering the aisles inspecting the food selection, looking at packaging, observing how the store is organized and watching people shop.

This will be the last of the posts about my Netherlands vacation since after this, my camera ran out of batteries. And, I am just now back in the States, anticipating fall and excited to start cooking again!

Dutch Cheese
This is the most obvious place to start. Your tour is through an Albert Hein grocery store. Like everything in the Netherlands and much of Europe, the store is much smaller than your typical American store. However, there is no shortage of room for the cheese display. No matter how many times I have visited this store, I am drawn to this wall of cheese like a bug to a bright blue zapper. Standing in front of these rounds of heaven, salivating profusely, I am dazed and in awe. In the states, Dutch cheeses are always categorized by region (Edam, Gouda, etc.). However, the stores I have been to in the Netherlands sell cheese by age from young creamy cheese to middle age to sharp older cheese. Also common are cheeses with various spices mixed in such as cumin seed or mustard seed. This year, we were able to stash a few large wedges in our suitcase to enjoy at home. Now I will have to start the perfectly timed process of savoring the cheese to make it last while not letting it mold. You can read more about Dutch cheese markets here.

Condiments
One of the most fun aisles to inspect is the condiment and spice section. As you learn to cook international foods, you start to learn what the common spices are in the cuisine. As far as Dutch food goes, much of it is not heavily flavored. But, one condiment they are serious about it is the frites saus. If you have seen Pulp Fiction, you heard the banter about mayonnaise on French Fries. Well, it is true that the main condiment for fried potatoes is much more like mayonnaise than ketchup. I wouldn’t describe it exactly the same as mayo but I can’t say what is different either. Snack shops throughout the country sell French fries with frites saus on the top or on the side. My favorite are those served in a paper cone, hot and salted with a dollop of frites saus and a mini fork for eating.

Indonesian Food
Indonesia was a Dutch colony for hundreds of years until becoming independent 1942. (read more about the history here) The relationship of the two cultures in evident through the prevalence of Indonesian cuisine in the Netherlands. During our visits, we often enjoy an evening at an Indonesia restaurant while in the Netherlands. This section of the grocery aisles contains delicious spice mixes for meats, vegetables and rice dishes. It is an interesting juxtaposition to the less flavorful, less spicy traditional Dutch dishes.

Beer
Last but certainly not least, how could I not discuss the beer! Most famous for the lagers such as Heineken and Grolsch, the Netherlands is the world’s fourth largest beer producer. Take a look at these cute little kegs lining the top shelves. And, the bottled beer comes in large plastic crates - forget six packs! Another big plus is the cost - the beer is SO much cheaper than it is here at about $.25-$.40 per bottle. I’ll drink to that!

Well, this is where your tour ends for today and I finally close my book on the Netherlands vacation. My grocery store photo tour could go on showing the hundreds of cold cut meat options, the magical pudding called vla and the produce weighing station. But, I must head off to work today and back to my Chicago reality. Thanks for reading!