Signs of the Season

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

If your garlic looks like this:

GarlicIt’s a sign.  Don’t forget to cut (and use) your garlic scapes!

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The Monuments

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

My paternal grandparents have been dead for a long time. They’re buried in a little cemetery in my hometown and Uncle Bob places two cement urns with geraniums next to their headstone on Memorial Day every year. In a sunny spot with no shade, it’s a tough summer, even for geraniums.

Last May, when Aunt Rita visited from Bangor for my father’s “Big 80” birthday party, she tried to give Uncle Bob some money for the flowers on “Mamma’s Grave.”

Well, of course he didn’t take it. Nothing is going to change his routine.

Mamma's GraveWhen I lived away from home, I kept a picture of my grandparents’ headstone in my planner. It was a talisman for me, reminding me of where I came from and where I was going. Now that I’m home, I keep a couple of jugs of water in my Jeep and I stop by and water the geraniums on my way to the post office. It’s nice to “visit” Nana and O’Pa and although it’s not like sitting on the porch with them in the cool of the evening, until I see them again in glory, it will do.

No more talk of cemeteries and funereal geraniums.

Full steam ahead to MOXIE!

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A Few Sharp Words

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

On Friday, I alluded to a two-day “missionary trip” I was taking to promote the Moxie Recipe Contest.

I have returned from the Scarborough kitchen tour and I have a few sharp words for everyone who came to my granite-countered island at a planned neighborhood somewhere in Scarborough and said “I didn’t know they still made Moxie. The last time I had Moxie was with my grandmother.”

To these folks I say:  “Moxie is alive and well.”

As an ambassador for Moxie, the Moxie Festival, and my hometown, I had to keep my ire and my sharpest words inside and smile happily while providing a brief and informative “talking point” or two. Things like “Moxie is the official soda of the state of Maine,” and “Moxie is more than a soda; it’s a state of mind.”

You've either got it or you don'tI could say a few more sharp words and I could even say a few mean words, but I’m going to sail forth on this glorious Monday with positive pep and vigor. Yes, Moxie is alive and well and it’s a beautiful day in Maine.

Here’s a recipe by one of Maureen’s friends and relatives three times removed. Dawn King serves on our local library board; she’s a gardener and a stained glass artist. And she makes delicious cookies!

No-Bake “Moxie” Cookies

1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine
½ cup plus 4 Tablespoons of Moxie syrup*
½ cup of peanut butter
3 cups of quick rolled oats

Bring sugar, butter, and ½ cup of Moxie syrup to a rolling boil, then boil for 1 minute, and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Stir until smooth then stir in 4 tablespoons of Moxie syrup.

Stir in 3 cups of quick rolled oats.

Drop onto waxed or parchment paper and set aside until cooled.

*Dawn makes her Moxie syrup by bringing 1 liter of Moxie to a medium boil in a saucepan and boils it continuously until a spoon coats with a thick layer of syrup. She says it’s about an hour on medium heat.

Wear your Moxie orange and blue loud and proud today, my friends!

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m. For more information, click here.

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Shaking the Moxie Maker

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

Some blog readers might recall that I live on a family compound.  It’s not my family compound, not technically.  But by virtue of growing up in this small town and six degrees of AYUH, I feel like I’m part of the family.

I’m not sure of the exact acreage and the total count of Mason brothers, brides, cousins, and chickens, but it’s a peaceful compound out here in the country, with a steady rhythm of activity.  Family coming and going, lots of hard work getting done daily.

Lately, though, there’s been more than the usual amount of coming and going.  From sun up to sun down, it’s been non-stop buzzing and whirring.  Lawnmowers parade across the sloping yard, trucks come and go, and heavy equipment I can’t identify goes chugga chugga chuggas around the driveway.  I may even have heard the sound of gun shots.  Maybe it was just an old truck backfiring.

I can’t be sure.

When the sun goes down, the pond comes alive with an obnoxious group of bull frogs.  One night, I had to go over to the window and yell “SHUT UP!”  Good thing it wasn’t the night a roving gang of young people were torching marshmallows on sticks in the fire pit.  And drinking Moxie.

Yep, it’s that time of year.  The Moxie Festival is less than a month away and my friend and neighbor, Gina Mason, is in charge of the parade.  Plus, both her son and her cousin are running for re-election; did I tell you Gina likes politics just a little bit?  The compound is being Moxified because this year is…ELECTION YEAR MOXIE!

Wait…I almost forgot to remember that Gina’s husband Rick is entering a vehicle in the Moxie Car Show this year, too.  I’ll keep the details of his vintage treasure for a future blog post.

I hear the sounds of birds chirping, the sky outside is brightening.  It’s time to get my Moxie on.  I’m escaping the compound today, running off to Scarborough to share the distinctively different goodness of Moxie with visitors at the inaugural “Sip and See” Kitchen Tour.

Sip & SeeThe last of the three-part “Divine Series” of home tours, the proceeds for this event benefit The Center for Grieving Children.

Come and sip…and see!

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Pick a Color

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

I’m interviewing paint colors this week.

Paint ChipsMannequin Cream versus Pale Straw.  Pick a color.

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The Year of Moxie Quinoa

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

Sometimes when I’m out in the world, promoting Moxie soda, a ornery person will confront me with claims that soda is unhealthy.  What is the best way to respond to something like that?  Tell them to stop being a hater?  I don’t always have the best answer, but my general focus is on the practice of moderation in most things.

It’s not like I’m promoting Moxie cyanide cigarettes.

Last year, one of the surprise entries in the Moxie Recipe Contest was a healthy quinoa salad.  Submitted by a friend’s daughter who we’ll call Sierra, it was full of healthy goodness.  And quinoa.  And Moxie.

It was delicious.

The best part of Sierra’s recipe was its flexibility.  Her recipe doesn’t tell cooks exactly how much of everything to include in the salad; no micro-management of spoons and measuring cups.  Just moderation.

Quinoa, Grape, and MOXIE Salad  

Salad:
Water
Red quinoa
Kosher salt
Red grapes, halved
Celery, thinly sliced
Walnuts, chopped and twisted
Radishes, thinly sliced
Scallions, thinly sliced
Fresh dill, chopped

Dressing:
Olive oil
Garlic, minced
Black pepper
Moxie!

Prepare red quinoa with water and salt, according to package directions.  Mix with other salad ingredients and top with prepared dressing.  Let sit overnight.

Quinoa and MoxieI think Sierra is busy planning her FIFTH high school reunion, so I wasn’t able to interview her.  I wonder what she is cooking up for this year’s recipe contest?

Time will tell.

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m.

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Monday Moxie Pop Pop

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

Oh these creative people…where do they come from?  You know who I’m talking about.  The people who see something on Tee Vee or in a magazine and say “I can do that.”  They research, experiment, and deliver.  Some call it a “spirit of invention.”

In my hometown, we call it “Moxie” and Dawn Hartill has it.  When she moved to Maine from upstate New York in 1997, everyone told her she had to try Moxie.  After almost twenty years here, she’s the one explaining Moxie to folks “from away.”  She’s not a big Moxie drinker, but she enjoys cooking with it and says “it pairs really well with chocolate in dessert recipes.”

She has a busy life.  Cooking and baking since she was 9 year’s old, she’s married with three teenage boys and she works full-time as a Regulatory Compliance Manager at a bank.  With four men in the house, she says “basically, I am ALWAYS cooking.”

Last year, she entered two recipes in the Moxie Recipe Contest.  One was for Moxie BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and the other was for Moxie Cake Pops.  Little pieces of frosted cake on a stick.  I can’t even fathom how to put cake on a stick, but Dawn did.

Photo courtesy of Dawn HartillMoxie Cake Pops

1 box of chocolate cake mix
1 12 oz. can of Moxie
½ can of chocolate frosting
12 oz. bag of Wilton Light Cocoa Candy Melts
Cake pop sticks
Orange jimmies

Mix cake mix with Moxie soda, mix until there are no lumps in the batter, and bake in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan lined with parchment paper for approximately 35 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.  Cool completely.

When the cake is cool, crumble it into a large bowl.  Add frosting and mix with your hands until it can hold a ball shape.  Roll the cake and frosting into a tight ball and place on a plate.  Repeat until all the cake mixture has been used.

Melt 2 – 4 ounces of candy melts in the microwave.  Dip the tip of the cake pop sticks into the chocolate and insert into the cake balls, approximately halfway through.

Freeze for 20 minutes.

Melt the remaining chocolate in a large cup in the microwave.

Remove cake balls from the freezer and dip carefully into the chocolate until covered.

Let the excess chocolate drip off; swirl and tap gently if needed.  Add the jimmies before the chocolate sets.

Once the chocolate sets, store in an airtight container.

Wow…I made a necklace out of watermelon seeds once, but this creation is nothing I would have ever attempted.  You’ve just got to love these people with Moxie!

What will Dawn Hartill do this year? Stay tuned.

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m.

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Your Friday Moxie Snack

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

After I made Maureen’s Moxie Crinkle Cookies, I was on a sugar high.  I needed another fix.  I started sorting through last year’s recipes to find one of my own personal favorites, Leanne Pinkham’s “Peanut Butter Caramel Moxie Ice Cream Topping.”  After last year’s contest ended and we cleared away the debris, there was half a jar left and since Leanne hadn’t picked it up, I took it home and ate it straight as a snack.  Oh, not in one sitting, of course…

I looked at the recipe and like a junkie, I zipped down to Food City and picked up the ingredients for some ice cream topping.  Between measuring and stirring, I sent Leanne an e-mail and asked her to give me her Moxie credentials.  She happily obliged and right out of the gate she said “First, I love Moxie!   I have ever since I was a little girl.  My father used to work at Ruth Jackson’s store in my hometown of North Anson.  I would go there to hang out with my father and the old folks would pay me to drink Moxie…”

(A promising beginning!)

Leanne entered her first Moxie Recipe Contest about ten years ago with her Moxie Cream Puffs with Moxie filling.  She still has her second place ribbon and so inspired, she entered the following year for her Moxie Bar-B-Que Sauce.  Narrowly missing victory, she again took home the second place prize.

She put her Moxie cooking career on hold for a few years when she got married and had a daughter.  Allison is now 7 years old and Leanne says “she is a true Maine gal.  When she was 5, she left Santa a can of Moxie and a PB & J sandwich!”

(No one needs to pay Santa to drink Moxie!)

She and her sister Kathy (who entered her Smokey Moxie Pork Wings in 2013) have a day planned to work on their entries for this year’s contest.

(They’re planners…I like it!)

Speaking of “true Maine gals,” Leanne has lived in North Anson all her life.  She works in town, too; she, her husband Redmond, and daughter Allison now reside in the house she grew up in.

When I asked her if she had any “little Moxie secrets” she confessed that her favorite way to drink Moxie is at room temperature and “Allison isn’t given soda as a general rule, but I do let her sip Moxie from time to time!”

Peanut Butter Caramel Moxie Ice Cream Topping

1 ½ cup salted peanuts
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
½ cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup peanut butter
1 cup of Moxie

Mix sugar, milk, Moxie, corn syrup, and peanuts in a pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 ½ minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, baking soda, and peanut butter. Mix well. Store refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before using.

Peanut Butter Caramel MoxieI’ve got only one modification to this delicious Friday Moxie snack. Add pretzels! Salty, sweet, and Moxie, the way food should be.

Special thanks to Leanne Pinkham for sharing her Moxie story with blog readers.  Memo to Leanne’s sister Kathy…start working on your Moxie biography because I’m going to make some Smokey Moxie Pork Wings next week!

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m.

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Lupine Rocket

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

Getting ready to take off…

Lupine RocketLet’s go!

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Crinkle That!

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Julie-Ann Baumer

I hate it when someone says they’re going to do something and then they don’t.  I hate it even more when the person gassing on about doing things is me.

About a few weeks ago, I said I was going to post recipes from the 2013 Moxie Recipe Contest.  I explained how to make a Moxie Reduction and I posted a recipe for Moxie Cream Frosting.  I had every intention of posting more recipes and telling a few stories about some of the cooks.

Then I bought a big old four bedroom house on practically an acre and the grass started growing.  I was briefly overwhelmed and I took a “leave of absence” from blogging to mow the lawn.

Maureen King would never take a leave of absence to mow the lawn.

Maureen King, 1979With a big cheer, Maureen gets more things done than almost anyone I know.  She lives in a big old house and although she doesn’t have a giant yard, she does have a hungry wood boiler in her basement she feeds all winter long.  She has a job and a daughter who just graduated from high school; her son is getting married in a few weeks.  She’s been making shower centerpieces, planning a graduation party and a wedding, and mowing her lawn.  She’s probably found time to make Uncle Bob a strawberry rhubarb pie, too.

Oh, Maureen! How do you do it?

Here’s Maureen’s recipe for “Moxie Crinkle Cookies”:

Oven temperature is 375°

5/8 cup shortening
¼ cup applesauce
¾ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup MOXIE syrup
1 egg
2 ¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix first 6 ingredients together and then add next 5 dry ingredients.  Mix well, form into round balls (a little smaller than ping-pong balls), roll in sugar and bake 7 – 9 minutes for soft cookies.

Recipe makes 2 ½ dozen cookies, depending on size.

Even though she’s got a million things to do, I hope Maureen will have time to enter the Moxie Recipe Contest again this year.  You should too.

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m.

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