Category Archives: Food

A Cape Cod Birthday Celebration

Posted on by

A Cape Cod Birthday Celebration

What more could you ask for than spending summer time on Cape Cod. Throw in a birthday to celebrate and you have the ingredients for a perfect day. The question is, can you get there?

First there is the driveBourne Bridge to Cape Cod

 The only way on or off the “Cape” is over one of 2 bridges, the Sagamore and the Bourne. Which one you take depends on where you want to go on  the Cape. The Birthday Girl wanted a”lobsta roll” by the sea.  The Phantom Gourmet suggested Captain Kidd Restaurant in Woods Hole. The Cape Cod Birthday Adventure began at 10:30 am in Brockton, MA. About 3 miles from the Bourne Bridge traffic came to a complete stop. It didn’t matter that we were on a highway with a speed limit of 65 mph. Summer Cape traffic had brought our little excursion to a halt.

Cross Over The Bridge

We had reservations at the restaurant for 1 pm. By 12:00 we had the bridge in sight but we were still just inching along. Finally we squeezed into the 2 lanes of traffic to climb the bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. The views from the bridge are amazing, marred only by the suicide barrier installed to keep the depressed and hopeless alive until they can get help. What a depressing thought!

Captain Kidd RestaurantPicture window

Once over the bridge the traffic began to move and in less that 30 minutes we were entering the little town of Woods Hole. We spotted the restaurant as we waited for a draw bridge to close after letting several small pleasure boats pass from the inner harbor out to the open ocean.

With luck we found parking about a block from the restaurant. In spite of the reservation there was no room on the outdoor deck. The compromise was a table right in front of a large picture window looking out over the inner harbor.

 

Lobster rollsLobster Rolls were the lunch of the day as the birthday girl, her son and daughter all indulged in the seasonal delicacy.

 

I had to be different with a plate of fried sea scallops fresh from the boat. Trust me, you can’t mistake frozen for fresh. The difference is huge. Fried Scallops

 

 

 

 

We were all stuffed after that lunch so a break at the Aquarium before we looked for desert seemed like a great plan.

 

 

Downtown Rangeley and the Red Onion

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Downtown Rangeley and the Red Onion

Main St Rangeley Downtown Rangeley is a little, tiny downtown. When I was growing up we used to say our town was so small that if you blinked you’d miss it. That’s Rangeley.   Rangeley is the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region, a resort area. Surrounded by lakes, woods and streams, the emphasis here is on outdoor activities all year round. Gives new meaning to neither rain nor snow, well you know the rest.

Small but Varied

The Red OnionIn spite of it’s small size, Rangeley has  a variety of shops. There’s an outdoor clothing store, the mandatory antique shop, a Real Estate office, a snack bar and ice cream stand and several restaurants. I parked in front of a photo gallery but it was closed. No worries, I was more interested in food at that point than pictures. The local eating establishments have a varied schedule according to the hand out I received  at the resort, but the Red Onion was definitely open.

Outdoor Seating at the Red Onion

 

The Red OnionRed Onion Swashirt

The Red Onion seems to be a landmark in the area.

It’s advertised as a pizza restaurant but I didn’t see anyone eating pizza when I was there. They have really cute t shirts and sweat shirts so of course I had to get one. My one and only souvenir from my trip.

My lunch was a buffalo chicken salad. It was made with a lots of different greens, onions and tomatoes and really spicy buffalo chicken. It was quite yummy and really hit the spot.

The interior of the restaurant is simple but nice with booths and tables and a rustic feel. They also have outdoor seating but it was a little cool so I stayed inside. There’s an upstairs too but the waitress said they didn’t use that since it was hard to regulate the temperature up there with the sun coming in through the windows.

They had a large dessert menu and even though I shouldn’t I had to try the strawberry rhubarb pie. It was worth the sugar and calories. I have to give the Red Onion a 5 star rating.Tables in the Red Onion

booths in the Red Onion

 

 

A New Hampshire Adventure, What’s Joe Got to Do With it?

Posted on by | 2 Comments

What’s Joe Got to Do With It?

My good friend Joe is 13 years younger than I am. He refuses to believe that I’m not as spry as I once was and cuts me no slack. I can’t wait until he’s my age and see how much his joints hurt! That being said, Joe is headed back to Sunny Florida. He was up in the Northeast for 2.5 months  on a job search. During that time he got a reminder of what the weather is like 8 months out of the year…cold, gray, snowy, rainy. But before he left he sent me another challenge. http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-hampshire/waterfall-roadtrip-nh/

The Ultimate New Hampshire Waterfall Roadtrip

Everyone knows that you need water to have waterfalls and what better time of the year in the Northeast than after the spring rains and snow melt? Saturday was a beautiful day with temps predicted to hit the 80’s. I looked at Joe’s Ultimate New Hampshire Waterfall challenge and decided I’d tackle at least part of it. Since its a 5 plus hour drive to even get to the White Mountains I knew I wouldn’t be able to get in more than 2 or 3 stops. I didn’t follow the stops as outlined in the article as I’ve been to some. I wanted the easiest stops since time was limited.

Lincoln, NH

I arrived in Lincoln, NH at just about noon. Although I wasn’t really hungry I knew my first stop would be Sabbaday Falls and I didn’t want to chance having my blood sugar drop after hiking up to the falls and back. (As a diabetic you have to be aware if these things)  For a cheap, quick stop I grabbed a cheeseburger at MacDonald’s. I know yuck.

Time to head up the Kancmagus Highway.

Finding Sabbaday Falls

Even though it has been 6 years since my New Hampshire vacation, the Kancamagus still felt  like an old friend. I recognized so many places along the way to the  Falls. As I drove the Kancamagus rose, eventually reaching an elevation of just under 3,000 feet at its highest point at Kancamagus Pass on the flank of Mt. Kancamagus near Lincoln, NH.

Sabbaday Falls is on the downside after you pass this high point. Coming from Lincoln you’ll see a sign for the Falls and Picnic Area on the right.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p247808837

It’s a Nice Walk

The parking area was packed with cars and as I prepared to hike up to the falls I met lots of dogs  and their people, families and serious hikers. One photographer with his tripod over his shoulder charged past me in a big hurry. I’d soon see why.

 

 

 

Its All About The Maple in Vermont

Posted on by

Its All About The Maple in Vermont

So what did we learn after our oh so sweet adventure? When it’s spring in Vermont, thoughts turn to maple sugaring. From back yard buckets  to big commercial evaporators, its all about the maple. Warm days and cold nights get the sap running and when the governor thinks its going to hit peak, he announces the annual Maple Sugar Festival. Sugar Houses, inns, restaurants, craft fairs all join in with special hours and events.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h876db251

Its a culture of Maple

We met down to earth, hard working people who took great pride in their maple products and the Vermont Maple Products reputation. Even in the city (Brattleboro) there was still a hard working rural ethic. We even found one sugar house that sold their products on the honor system. Their cash sat out on a table in a basket. You were trusted to pay for your purchases and if you made change to be honest. No credit cards required.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f06794

We Learned about Grades

No, not the kind you get in school. We learned there are different grades of maple syrup. I learned that I like the most refined grade, the Golden,  the best although the Amber was a close 2nd. We talked about apples and orchards as well as maple and sampled maple cream, cider donuts and maple cookies.

Photo by Jr St Jean, Take Pride Photography  https://www.facebook.com/JRStJeanPhotographer/

To sum it up

We had a great time but to really get the most out of the Festival I’d like to get a room and spend the weekend. I’d drive up Friday night so I could get an early start on Saturday.  http://vermontmaple.org/ Enjoy a pancake breakfast, explore more of the Sugar Houses. Some example of activities offered at participating sugar houses include:

  • Tours of sugar house and woods
  • Pancake breakfasts
  • Maple candy-making demonstrations
  • Live music
  • Horse-drawn sleigh rides
  • Sugar-on-snow
  • Sampling of maple syrup
  • Maple donuts, maple cotton candy, maple creemees and other maple goodies to try
  • Maple syrup and maple specialty products to purchase

I’m sure I’d make myself sick with so much sugar but it’s only one weekend, Right?

One last thing I learned. I understand why reporters don’t take their own photos. I felt very rude taking out the camera while someone was busy explaining about their business. I missed  quite a few photos and Joe was nice enough to share his pictures to fill in what I missed.

Travel Blogger by JR. St Jean

Maybe next year I can spend the weekend in Vermont for Maple Sugar Festival.

 

 

 

Time for One More in Jacksonville, Vermont

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Jacksonville Vermont Sugar House

After a brief lunch just to prove to my stomach that there are foods other than donuts and sweet maple candy we figured we had time for 1 more stop before the sugar houses began to shut down for the day. Joe pulled up his little map for the next closest Sugar House and found Sprague & Son Sugar House in Jacksonville, Vermont.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f71659

I was still looking for the sugar-on-snow, a treat from my childhood. We’d had the snow all day but so far only our first stop had boiling sap and it wasn’t ready to be poured over snow. It had a lot more cooking to do before then.

Sampling more Maple

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f71451

Our wintry mix had turned more to rain when we spotted Sprague & Son. They had some nice decorative touches with a wood carving out front and a miniature sugar house.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f71455

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f7144e

This sugar house was busier than the first two and quite crowded. Their samples were something called maple crunches which looked to me like crumbled maple sugar candy. A great way to recycle broken maple candies. But the big item they were pushing was called Maple Creme. They had a large bowl of it and lots of little wooden spoons. It has a thick, smooth consistency like frosting. Another hit! It wouldn’t take too much of this to overdose on sugar!

The Evaporator

Their evaporator was right there in the main room. Something was steaming but it might just have been water. They said they had run out of sap to boil. They too use the plastic tubing to bring the sap from the trees to the evaporator. I didn’t hear anyone say what they use for fuel but I’m guessing wood if the wood piles outside are any indication. They had some very attractive product displays.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f716d1

Joe got the picture of the day here when he noticed a window covered in condensation with bottles of syrup balanced on the panes.

Photo by Joe St. Jean, Take Pride Photography https://www.facebook.com/JRStJeanPhotographer/

Maple Walnut

Behind the cash register was a soft serve machine. The only flavor, why Maple of course! Buy a cup of maple soft serve, sprinkle in some maple gazed walnuts, top with a splash of maple syrup and voila! Maple Walnut soft serve. (that’s for my sister, Sandy).

All About Sprague & Son

I couldn’t find a website that worked but I did find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Sprague-Son-Sugarhouse-290671490950920/

There was also a nice write up on their history at http://www.whitingham-maplefest.us/sprague.html

Locate at 1631 Rt 100 this was the easiest of the 3 sugar houses to find. Open daily during Sugaring season. Weekends and Holidays the remainder of the year. Free samples of all of their products are always available.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p362485518/h87f71451#h87f716e7