The Black Bean Cafe

Directions

2010-05-16T00:44:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to not have blogged in awhile. I have spent much of my free time podcasting!! Please go to this link to listen. blackbean.podbean.com. I hope you can all stop by for a listen.

the secret

2010-03-22T03:41:00.000-07:00

I must hurry the sun is beginning to come up and I feel like I lose my ability to write then. It is a Monday morning and I have gotten to the bean later than usual. In fact I toyed with the idea of driving in today. I made two moves to the car I even opened the door, but alas felt walking would be a better choice.

I hate to use cliches but Spring is in the air! When I take my first step towards Rollinsford the first sound I hear is of water being pumped from the houses around me. I don't know but for some reason it is always better when you are not alone. It is comforting to know that the water in the basement was not my fault. I move along contently knowing that others are suffering like me.

It is late for me as I make my way toward the Bean. I hear birds chirping and at first it is a nice sound then it gets louder. I wonder where they are and then think people are trying to sleep, this is loud!! So once again I am briefly transported back in time. It is sometime in the 1990's and I am living on the 3rd floor of an old Victorian home, I assume it was at one time the helps quarters. It is up amongst the trees, I am up amongst the trees! For the first time this is where I am called awake by the sounds of birds in the morning. It is cool. I feel so lucky to be here. When winter comes and the sounds subside I find a radio show that starts with the sounds of birds in the morning. It is all beautiful. Then something happens and it is no longer that way. When I hear the sound I get angry I just want to keep sleeping. Cut down these trees so that they will move. I do not have to get up this early stop stop stop!!! This goes on for weeks, then suddenly I do not notice it and carry on as before.

That was my time travel story. This for some reason brings me to the movie/book The Secret. I have not seen nor read it. It's story from what I have heard is something that I have known of since my teen years. I think that it is basically this, If you want it, believe that you should have it then you will have it. This is something that floats in and out of our consciousness. This book was popular a few years ago. It is funny I think that many people saw the power of the secret at first. Believe it and it will be, it is the secret of the universe. Like the birds chirping this secret slowly dissipates and you wake up one morning and it is gone.

This week I think that I have noticed how some people have lots of money. It seems like whatever they do they just make more and more money. I am not talking about friends and neighbors (of mine anyway). I am talking about people like Martha Stewart, Donald Trump and Bill Gates. (In fact I think that it was Windows that got me thinking of this, and how we all feel like we have to buy things produced by them. That is a whole other story though. And now I can tell that my writing powers are waning I am hitting the back button more and more to correct my typing errors, so I must hurry and get this done. If I do I will save the world.) So what do this people have that I/we don't have?

It is very simple they live with the knowledge that they can have and do deserve what they work for. You don't just get it by thinking it though. Your whole being must feel it and live it. You must embrace the power that is life, that is you!! When the sump pumps are pumping feel the power of a problem being fixed. I hope that I will be able to always hear the birds chirping and know what it really means....oh know the sun is up and i cant find the writne keys tho ohik the order is all wrng wjat am O suppsed tp did i get my massege out?

stay tuned...

Blogette (mini blog)

2010-01-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

I did a podcast check it out at blackbean.podbean.com/

No.3

2010-01-20T02:26:00.000-08:00

The walk into work this morning was beautiful. I walked down the streets staring at the snow covered scene. From the snow on the houses to the cat prints in the snow it was mesmerizing. When I rounded the corner to Main Street I saw the church steeple sprouting from the treetops . (I wondered why were there no Christmas lights. Less than a month after the holiday most signs of it are gone?)It felt like a movie set. Was I in South Berwick Me or Ridgefield Ct or, I thought, even Europe.

Recently I heard a report on how babies cry with accents. You know like here in the states a baby goes wah wah wah, but in France it would go wa wa wa. Liz says that that makes perfect sense. After all when the baby is invetro(?) it hears what is around and then when it is born it will mimic those sounds.

I continue my walk to work. I think that I go to work early in the morning for many reasons. It is peaceful and serene and most importantly I feel that it is a "magic" time. Things happen in these hours that we do not even know but somewhere in our bodies we appreciate all that happens when we are unaware. Things like snow removal, street cleaning, road maintenance, stocking of the grocery store, baking of morning pastries.....These things happen and we are not aware so it makes it seem like magic.

For some reason I think that the brain operates on a different level at this time. Things that to me seem impossible suddenly might actually be possible. I will never get tired, be able to work all day as if it was the beginning, make croissants, be finished before we open, over come the time space continua m, take a vacation, live in Italy....Why do I think that these and much more is possible in the middle of the night but as soon as 6 am hits they are not?

The answer my friend is blowin in the wind!!! It is because somehow during this magic time we(I?) am more us. The outside forces are removed. There is no one telling why this can't happen. The humming of man made forces is far less than in the middle of the day. Liz says that it is because I do not get enough sleep and I start to see things a little askew. And as the 6:00 hour approaches I think she may have a point!!! But it isn't 6 yet so I still hold onto the magic theory. I know that anything is possible.

I pass the picturesque church. Where am I? If babies can have accents can trees or any plant? What about the items made with those trees? What about the energy of the builders? What about my own energy? This scene I am walking in is sparking a memory, whether it is a real memory or just a dream I had I am not sure. I am now walking down lower main street in South Berwick Me USA. If I close my eyes and breath slowly and think of this memory I can time travel. I know I can do this. I continue to walk, my eyes closed, breathing, thinking of the countryside covered in snow. I can see the smoke coming out of the cottage in the distance. I can smell the cocoa being heated on the stove. Holy cow I have done it!! I am in the swiss alps!! Wait this isn't real, it is a painting. It is the package of Swiss Miss cocoa from my childhood!!!

The timer is going off and the sun is coming up. Maybe I can't do anything, but maybe I can, or maybe I can do anything when the stars are out and the wind is blowing just right.

#2

2010-01-12T01:43:00.000-08:00

We are entering the second full week of 2010. In keeping with my promise to myself I am writing this now. I am hoping that as I write something will come to me.

It is 4:44 in the morning and I have about 15 minutes to spare. At a New Years party there was a conversation about routine. The discussion had to do with whether or not it was how one operated and is it good. As I write this I easily say routine is good. In fact it is the best part of Tuesday. On Tuesday there is an actual baking schedule. What that means is that I do not have to think about what to make. It is always the same, The Best Bran Muffins, orange scones, cardamom cake and sticky buns. Knowing this is why I have time now to "play". The idea of the same thing all the time does not appeal to Liz though. To her and others I think it means no growth, boredom and monotony. To me it is safety. I like knowing what to expect in my day. Generally there is always a feeling that something is going to go wrong with my day, that someone is going to show up with bad news saying that I forgot to do what I said I was going to do. The same routine helps to eliminate this. Isn't it best to know what is going to happen?

On the other hand yesterday I was thrown a wrench into my routine. I had to go to Boston. This was not planned and inside I was angry Monday is paperwork day, play day and no worry day. There was however a sense of excitement in going into the city. I love to stare at people and try to figure out who they are and what they are doing in the same place as me. While in Boston (it was for a trip to the dentist) I threw caution to the wind and walked a different to the T!!! There was definite apprehension in this decision, like would I be able to get on a mile down the road and I don't come here that often what about lunch at BOLOCO? Well as you can tell I made it back and I actually got a reward for going a different. Yoplait was handing out 4 packs of yogurt! So what if I didn't like it.

My time is up!!! It is time to start the breakfast routine! I do want to mention that I did try to podcast last week, but pushed the wrong button and erased the show. I will try again later this week. I also broke the microphone so I have to take care of that issue.

In trying to keep this somewhat related to food. I want to mention what I am thinking about having this week. A curry of some sort, fajitas, figure out what lemongrass is and how to use it, of course some use of a tomato sauce, and maybe I will figure out how to break the bread routine and make cheese bread too!

2010-01-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and things seemed a little different. The house was very quiet. I heard none of the sounds that I generally equate with waking. Their were no breathing sounds, the clock made no noise, the wind was not howling, the refrigerator made no humming sound and the clanking of the furnace was not there. As I proceeded to the bathroom the sound of me was there, but nothing else, my feet across the carpet, the creaking of the door and the water making its way down the drain. Outside there was a fresh coat of snow on the ground. It was as if today was fresh, everything was new, waiting to be discovered.

The silence continued as I made my way down the stairs, (backwards saying rabbits, rabbits of course!). This is when i realized why no breathing sounds. The family made it to midnight as I conked out at 8:30. They were all sleeping quietly on the couches. I knew they were there and as i focused in on them I heard their slumbered breathing. The cat starts to move, the refrigerator awakens for a moment and the furnace begins its morning battle to start the day.

Why am I awake? There is no work today,everyone is asleep yet I want to move about and do something. There is always work to be done here at the BBC. During my walk here I think of all the things I can get done in the dark while all is quiet. I will organize the kitchen, prep the tomorrows specials, mop the floors, re-stock the paper items, do some bookkeeping the list is endless. The walk down as always awakens me and I am ready for the New Year to start with me in control beginning now!!

Well maybe before I start I will play one game of solitaire and free cell. Oh yeah I have this silly Sponge Bob camera of Owen's that I need to figure out. I also have been trying to set up a skype time with my sisters and parents. I should check on those things. Four hours later it is time to get ready for the family events of the new year and besides winning $182 in solitaire, playing and winning 3 games of Free Cell , hooking up this camera that takes blurry pictures I have done nothing productive. I still know that this year is going to be the year that things get done. Maybe they wont all be done today but they will get done, really right after this game of solitaire.

PS I did manage to make a gingerbread trifle for today, and took 2 pictures of it with Owen's Sponge Bob camera!!!

december

2009-12-21T03:06:00.000-08:00

i do not feel like following rules now. that means i am not going to capitalize or check my spelling!! i am just ;going to type. I have been sitting here for about 2 hours now. I found this thing to download on the internet a few months back. it is to make a podcast. why would i want to podcast? I hav no idea. i think that it must have something to do with wanting to hear the sound of my own voice, yet i feel uncomfortable hearing my voice.

back to the subject at hand. did you ever want to learn to do someything and tried but just couldn't get it. I can remember learning how to make bread. i just couldn;t get it right. didn't rise high enough it was lopsided, it was un even or to dry. Forget about rolling out a baguette or tieing a not to make a roll. Then one day it just happened. You don't know how, but all of the sudden you are doing it. You wonder what was so hard about doing that.

This morning on my way into work i was talking to my self and thought you have to get a blog out. as i was talking i remembered about this podcast thing. i had tried it once or twice before but it said things that just didn't make sense to me. the site that runs the software is no longer up so i thought oh well it is free i will try anyway, sounds kinda a cool, I can be that talk show host that i always wanted to be. It was like looking at a foreign language, I would stare at the screen with my mouth open drool coming out and just push buttons. Nothing made sense, what is the point it is just sounds and it doesn't go anywhere. Today was different. It was like I could finally see my face in the shirt!!!

After 2 hours of play ing with it i got it!!! and it is really cool. I feel like i just got my christmas gift and just want to play with it all day. But alas i have spent way to much time on this and now i abslolutely have to start work. If you are curious as to what took me 2 hours to do go here. I think that i can customize the page, but of course that will be another couple of hours!!

PS We celebrated six years in business this month. it has been a great six years with lots of changes and growing. Thanks for all of the support we would be nowhere without all of the encouragement and patronage of all. I was thinking about what is my favorite thing about doing this and it is the sounds of a bustling restaurant. While i am cooking and can hear plates clanking people chattering and laughing it warms my heart and makes me know why i am doing this. Merry Christmas!!

To Be or Not To Be

2009-09-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

I was watching When Harry met Sally the other day. There were many things that I wondered about when watching this movie. One was, how could this be on ABC Family? Then of course I thought have I turned into one of those prudish parents who likes to keep sexually oriented things away from my kids? Or maybe it wasn't family time (3:00 Sat. afternoon) the kids should be outside playing, the parents inside watching tv . I just found this to be odd.

What I really got out of the movie was all the people in the background!! It is weird, I think that I have spent the last 20 years of my life figuring out how to do things when no one is around! Before the BBC I would always work nights and weekends. My time off was when everyone else was working. No lines at the grocery store, how many people would go to a matinee on a Tues afternoon!!, when i would venture to the mall there were not as many people and the bars were not nearly as crowded or noisey on a Monday or Tuesday.

Now I am a business owner. My business is nestled between two small communities, I believe the population of the two towns is less than 5,000? I generally think it is the perfect situation. Then I see this movie, I also spent a day in downtown Newburyport MA over the summer, and wow there are people all over the place!! Do I want this? What would it be like to have a business in a place where people hang, not a business where people hang. Don't get me wrong the best part of this place is that people come here to hang. I guess it is just that I keep thinking I need to try hard,to do better and more is better.

Shoot I have only been here for six months. We are doing better than before, we see way more people come through our doors than at the old place 1 block away.

That was last week. I am not really sure where I was going with all that. Here is my re-cap so that I can move on. Seeing people in bustling downtowns over that past few weeks made me wonder, would the Black Bean do well in a well traveled area. My conclusion is that I don't want to find out just yet. We are a great business in a great local. I am a lucky man to be able to do what I do and to do it where I do. When I need a fix of crowds I will take a trip to Portsmouth. Now I will relish my life in the hamlets of South Berwick and Rollinsford.

Shine a Light

2009-09-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

So someone mentioned this "contest" to me a month or so ago. I paid no attention. Then I saw an ad for it. Then Alice nominated me. Now I am curious. I think the BBC is a very community oriented place, the kind of place that every community needs.What the hey, I really want to see what happens with this. If you think it is at all worth your time check out the website below and shine a light on the black bean cafe!!!

Now for a brief blog update. Even though I have not blogged here all summer I have kept it up in my head! the summer has gone very well. the move has worked out well, in all ways, so far.

Josh, the cook behind the scene is off to culinary school in CA. I still keep waiting for him to stroll in and start working. We now have Heidi in the kitchen. She worked for us the first year we opened and is giving us another try. The breakfast this weekend and last weekend were amazing. California Benedict, Apple Pie French Toast and of course she has already mastered out famous corned beef hash. Like Owen says about 2nd grade, "if things go the way they have it will be the best year ever"

We have a few things in store over the next couple of weeks. We all look forward to the onset of Fall. the food starts to come alive this time of year!! Orange,greens, red and yellow show up in the food as well as in the trees. Kate, my daughter, will be getting married in October. Family will be around, and I have to get the wedding cake made!!!

I have been trying to ride my bike farther. I went about 12 miles last Monday. And 6 on Tuesday. On Friday I had a fall!! Minor injuries, unfortunately i am the only one who can see them, remember when you see me that the slow movement is from the fall, not age or is the fall from age.

I am not correcting this or anything,, if i do it will never get posted!!!!

I hope to see you all at the bean soon, the soup is on!!!!

Widget

2009-09-12T11:01:00.001-07:00

Straight LIne

2009-05-21T14:23:00.001-07:00

I have been making it a practice lately to ride my bike more. As it turns out I do not go very far!! While riding home from work the other day I was thinking of different routes to take. As my mind did it's usual meandering I was brought back to elementary school days. My brothers and I were going to go to the high school(which was behind out house at the time) to watch a baseball game. Uncle Joe Pacific came by and said he was going to, did we want a ride. I thought why of course why walk when you can ride? big bro said he would run there and beat us!! Wanna bet I said. Sure, and the race was on. While going there Uncle Joe said he that Johnny would win!! Not if you don't let him I thought. Then the math teacher in him came out. How could he beat us this car can go like 30mph there is no way he can run that fast. Yes but the shortest distance between two places is a straight line. Huh? Well we got there and golden boy was sitting watching the game before us, and Joe got out a paper and pencil and drew me a diagram to show me the straight line rule.

This has fascinated me for the past 40 years. I think from that day on I always looked for the straight line to places. I think it is an obsession when traveling with many people. Then many I heard the phrase you will go straight to hell if you do that! Yikes, I certainly don't want a short cut there!! While riding I think shortest distance, shortest distance, shortest distance... to success is... a straight line? Hmm what does that mean? There has to be a message here somewhere.

Okay this stuff is in my head for a week. Tuesday Becky comes in like usual. We have this sorta bartender relationship. She talks and I listen and talk back with my deep thoughts. Well she mentions how she wishes that she had just gone to baking school right off the bat instead of waiting 20 years. I being in my straight line mode am THINKING yeah then you would have gotten to this point years ago and have a successful baking business, now it will take to long and you may never get there(am I thinking this for Becky or me?). What I said was, "did you want to bake 20 years ago?" "No, it wasn't even on the radar," was the response. The conversation continued us coming up with the whole life is a journey thing and you have to take different routes to find yours blah, blah blah. This didn't really sit well with me, but I had to make breakfast for people and think of lunch specials so it was going to be the end of it for today, or at least till the bike ride home.

On the ride home I realized that there is no way to get from point a to point b in a straight line without cutting through someones yard or even house! I don't think that would be a good idea, Forest!! Now at home I look out the window ant think do I see any straight lines? Yes but not in nature? Or is that what I heard somewhere so that is what I am seeing? The tree trunk starts out straight then branches out? I am supposed to learn something here. But what. Oh well it is bed time, maybe I will figure it out tomorrow.

Okay it is now a month since I wrote this. I am to tired to re-read it and have no idea what it says anymore. Yet I have posted because I have not in so long. I hope it makes sense. I am also going to post one that I thought I posted months ago. What the heck!!

The picture was sent to me by two Black Bean customers. What a shiny place. It is fun to see it from a different perspective.

Off to bed now to read Moby Dick, this time I WILL make it past "Call me Ishmael"!

Not Again

2009-05-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, it has happened again. I set out to write this blog as soon as I got home from work today. The computer was not working properly, Owen was starving, Eliza is in her room wondering about prom, Liz is off working out and I am in charge.
Soup made,Pizza ordered, Eliza hugged (and lectured), computer re-booted. I am in business. We eat and chat. I sit down to do this and of course have to check out facebook and other blogs. Now it is 7:30 and time for me to get ready for bed. Wash up, read and lights out by 8:00.

I am forcing myself to get something written down. Everyday when I leave work I look around me in gratitude. The Black Bean is such a beautiful place. It is not just the space that makes it, it is every person who comes into the space. I thank... , whoever, for giving me this opportunity. I think that when we first re-opened I had reservations about the change in focus. That has subsided and I feel that we are well into establishing ourselves as a destination restaurant. This weekend we had the place blessed and smudged. This was done to bring us and the space's energy into sync. There has been a large amount of craziness surrounding this new space. I hope that this weekends energy work has put it all in its place, the past.

Here is to the future. This week Josh has a few neat things in store for us. Today we enjoyed a Roasted Beet salad. I think that Weds. we will have a grilled chicken with prosciutto and mushrooms. Liz is looking forward to us making her pork and tszaki greek salad. I want the roasted veggie sandwich with pesto sandwich. Also I will attempt to make a Loaf and Ladle bread that I always had a BLT on, Orange Cottage. This week for dessert we will have a peanut butter brownie, chocolate cake Jennifer's Lemon squares and peanut butter and jelly bars!!

Oh yeah it is open studio day on Sat.May 9th. We will be open till 4 !!!. This week also marks the return of Cindy in the kitchen!!! Oh what a wonderful life!!

Check In

2009-04-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here with an ice pack on! I think that writing the blog will take my mind off of the throbbing tooth.

It has been 1 month since we re-opened and I have to say I am happy!!! Things are going better than expected and seem to be getting better. We are assimilating in the space. Everyday I am blown away at the space and how it is evolving into the restaurant we planned.

The breakfast and lunch continue to grow and there are new faces all of the time as well as the familiar. I have heard that 5 years is when it will start to happen. Meaning that if you get past the 5 year mark you should start to make a profit. This seems to be true. That combined with the move seems to be working for us. The Black Bean philosophy of fresh made to order real food goes well with the new Black Bean environment. What ever the reason I am slowly learning to accept it, relax , enjoy and not wait for the bottom to fall!!

Speaking of enjoying I think that we have had some pretty great specials. The Sticky Bun French Toast was delicious. We have enjoyed coming up with interesting poach specials too like the one with asparagus, tomatoes and a maple wasabi mustard sauce or Easter weekends with the fennel infused pork tenderloin with leek and mushrooms topped with sage hollandaise and fried fresh sage, yummers!!

I am looking forward to the next month and the years to come. We are slowly working out the kinks of working together and how to make it all flow efficiently in the dinning room. Right now though it is time to take something for my tooth!!

See you at the Bean!! Or see you at the BBC!! What is a better tag line? Should I have a tag line? Am I taking all of this to seriously or not seriously enough?

Are you Happy?

2009-03-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Have I posted this already?

It has been three weeks since we re-opened and it seems like we never closed! The environment has changed tremendously, yet it is still the Bean to me. Liz has walked out 4 times, called me numerous names I can't repeat,and yet still shows up for work everyday at 6:45 or 7 or there about! I have gone in as late as 4 and as early as 2:30. It seems that the work gets done no matter what time we get there, sometimes it is easier that others, getting to work on time helps this!! The responsibility of having a restaurant with matching silverware and chairs is incredible.

When a regular comes in and sees the difference the look of shock is always apparent. Wow this is... nice, beautiful,shiny, clean,different,bigger, smaller, the response is mostly positive. There is no denying that it is not the old Black Bean aesthetically. It is indeed really really nice. I have a hard time having all that I have there. The ability to breathe fresh air by opening a window is so great. The way the smoke just disappears through the hood when I burn something, or washing a load of dishes in under 3 minutes is mind boggling. The counter tops, the chairs, the flatware, the china, the grill, the list goes on and on.When seeing the new Black Bean many people have said Are you happy?

At firs I don't think that I really understood the question. Am I happy? When someone asks that I don't think am I happy now this instant I think am I happy in whole. Then I think why are you asking this, do I seem sad? This seems so silly, but I truly started to think about the whole question. Why would someone want to know if I was happy (with my life). Gosh there are so many things that I worry about and so many things that I would like to control and cannot, how could I possibly be happy. When I asked a few people the question most, if not all, said they were happy with their lives, content. Again I thought wow how could anyone be content with all that is going on in this world? The funny thing is I think of my self as someone who rarely takes anything seriously. Why then is this simple statement/question nagging at me? If I were to say that I was happy would I have to remain happy? Doesn't happiness come and go? Or if I said I was content would it all become boring?

Over the past 3 weeks I have come to view the question differently. "Are you happy" is not are you content, nor does it mean to encompass my life in its entirety. It is simply a question are you happy with... the change in your business? Duh, why would I think that the question had to have such poigancy? Maybe because I am so self centered and think that everyone wants to know about me? Three weeks ago I was in such a state of shock that I was not able to comprehend what was going on around me. So to answer the question, Phil are you happy (with the way it has all turned out? Yes!!Never in a million years would I have thought that I could bring to fruition such a place. It is definitely not the old Black Bean with the living room to lounge in. It is indeed a cafe/restaurant.

To be in the new place is truly refreshing. It is bright and the air flows through it. The counters and tables remind me of an era past. The new equipment makes it seem like I am playing. With all the newness around me it has been hard to remember where I am, at The Black Bean. A cafe we bought 5 years ago on a wing and a prayer. Where it would go we had no idea!! Through those years we did develop a plan. Over this past 6 months we were forced to put that plan into action. If we wanted to survive and continue we would have to change.

In all honesty I was unsure about the change. I miss the old Black Bean. I miss the relaxed atmosphere that it had. I miss the eclecticness of the place. I miss the two separate rooms, one for lounging and one for eating.I miss the peeling floors. I miss the colors. I miss the couch!! I am glad that I have so many Black Bean memories there. Like when my parents came up and blew up one of those giant snowmen in the living room, or Friday night dinners and game night(nor cross buns),open mic and potluck dinners.

I am happy. I am happy

Great Day

2009-03-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

The re-opening went really well. Great to see familiar faces. Liz and I are out of practice, though. ( I wonder how Taintor feels? she did prep today) I even had a guest chef!! Evan from Black Trumpet came in and stayed for awhile. He made some mushroom and roasted eggplant soup, then Dad said he had to leave!! Thanks Evan the soup was great. '
Well itis time for the kids to put us to bed!!
Good night.

Hip Hip Hurray We are open!!!!!

2009-03-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

It is the eve of the Black Bean Cafe re-opening. We were able to sit down with Phil for a few minutes and finsh off an interview we started last year!! A lot has happened since then, but Phil and family are excited to jump back in and get things rolling.

So how does it feel?

Crazy, we are all so excited and scared. There is so much riding on this and we have been away from it for what seems an eternity, can we do it?

Of course you can. You did it before, why would you be so nervous?

We were all so much younger before!! It is hard for us to believe that Owen was only 2 and Eliza 10, never mind Liz and I.
It is scarier this time because the expectations are different. We established ourselves and now even though we are just down the street the setting is very different. When we set out to do this it was going to be a simple move. One party moves out another cleans, repairs, paints and moves in. It was in no way that simple.

Can you elaborate on that, like why not?

Oh gosh where do I begin? Niether party left when expected, I was hoping to be out by 12/14 and hoping they would be out by 11/1 then 11/14 then 12/1 then 12/5 then...
For me there was the landlord not keeping his word about the price then wanting a temporary lease for 24 days then an ice storm and a week later a snow storm then the Holidays.
Well we both seemed to get out by the end of December. Then it was how long will it take to re-hab Mayo's? She took everything right down to the light bulbs. I would like to say if it wasn't nailed down she took it, but she even did that. She did leave a leaky hand sink, and urinal!! The walk in was left behind minus all of the inards. (One of my favorite things that Police chief Duchane said was, that she probably owned the compressor motor and coolant!) Then of course there was the sink fiasco (again a Rollinsford PD moment, I being accused of stealing,the police taking someones word and then helping to remove the items in question from my premises. When shown proof of ownership it was no longer a police matter!). But we still thought 3 weeks. How naive. Three months and lots of money later we are opening.

What is it like?

Liz and my plan to marry the two places didn't pan out as well as we would have liked. It turned out that the major pieces of furniture and counter would not fit or were just to hard to move. All said and done we are delighted with the final outcome. Tthe old Bean is still there and will be found in the food and company, we hope. Uh it is getting late and I have to get up early, it is Sticky Bun day tomorrow.

Ok. Thank you for takin some time this evening. Your hours are the same?

Yes, Tues -Fri 7-4 and Sat and Sun 7-12. Hey i gotta get to sleep. See ya and thanks for doing this.

No promblem. I will see you at the Bean in the am!!!

Blogger: I want to start off by letting you know how honored I am that I am here to talk with you.
Phil: The honor is all mine.
Blogger: How exactly did you get here?
Phil: I am not sure what you mean by that? Did I walk or drive?
Blogger: No no no. You are 46 years old father of 4 children and owner of The Black Bean Cafe. Was this a long time dream of yours or something that just fell into your lap?
Phil: Oh I see. When Liz and I first "got together" we always talked about having some type of eatery. We met while working at Bob's Clam Hut in the late 80's, so the restaurant business is what brought us together. I could never quite figure out what kind of place I wanted or how to make it work. The last three jobs that I had helped me to realize that I could actually do it. They were Ceres Bakery, The Loaf and Ladle and Flynn's News. Then in October of 2003 this opportunity presented itself to us. We jumped and have been jumping since December 2003.
Blogger: So would you say that you are livin the dream?
Phil: On a good day I would. This is something that we have always wanted and it is what we have always been warned about. It is my life. It is all consuming. Push come to shove I cannot imagine being anywhere else.
Blogger: What is your favorite food to eat?
Phil: I don't really know that I have a favorite. Tonights dinner at home was pasta with a red sauce and sausage. It reminded me of Sunday dinner at Nonnies. That is what I look for when I eat. A memory.
Blogger: Is this what you have always wanted to do?
Phil: Not sleep, worry all the time, not know if anyone is going to come in for coffee or lunch and not spend time with my family? That is what I have always wanted to do.
Blogger: You have a little sarcasm in your voice? Where does that come from?
Phil: See above.
Blogger: Moving right along. The Black Bean Cafe is in a small town in southern New Hampshire. Do you have enough of a customer base to make it?
Phil: You know it is weird, but since we opened people seem to come in. At first it was a good mix of Mill people and towns people. It was a place for parents to come with their kids and the mill workers to meet over a cup of coffee lunch or snack. I think that in the beginning we did not really have a clear picture of what we wanted to do. My thought was a cafe that was more like an old fashioned coffee shop. Liz's idea was a vegetarian restaurant. With those two thoughts we opened.
Blogger: And????
Phil: And we had a wide variety of baked goods and a limited sandwich menu. Soup was a natural addition. Then a hot entree seemed a smart addition. After the first year I think that we had established ourselves as a lunch spot not only for locals but for "out of towners" too.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
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We are back with Phil from the Black Bean. We started this interview with him in April. It is now Nov. 9th.

So Phil what has been going on?

Phil: I think the last time I talked to you was in April, right?

Just a quick note

2009-02-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

First off I want to apologize for not keeping up on this! I have missed the Black Bean and all of the people that make it what it is. We have made much progress with the renovations and the new place looks spectacular. Unfortunately we were not able to bring any of the decor from the old place and there will be not living room area. There is a waiting area and the dining area. The kitchen area is partially in the open so that you can actually see what Liz and I are doing. This makes us both very scared. Everyone will finally see how mean she is to me!!!

We have passed all the tests necessary to open. We are now awaiting the dishes, glasses and most importantly the gas for the stove and grill! Yes grill, that means burgers!!! The opening day is scheduled for March 10th, a far cry from January 20th as we hoped!!! I will try to scan a new menu over the next 2 weeks.

I have a few things to wrap up at the Lollipop Tree. What a godsend that has been. I will never turn my nose up at baking mixes again!!! It is like having a prep kitchen in a bag!! I have also gotten some great ideas for the BBC, like chocolate peppermint whoopie pies, nutter butter cookies, red velvet cake (messy to make) and I think we will add Raspberry Sauce to the carrot cake center!! I made that for Kathy over the weekend, out standing.

It has been a long time. I am getting anxious just thinking about all that I want to do and all that has yet to be done. We will see you March 10th.

PS. I hope that Josh and Jennifer are ready?

finecooking

2009-01-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

Ok I get this magazine Fine Cooking. It is a terrific publication. They have a challenge in it this month, cook the magazine. Great that sounds fun. So I start out and make a sandwich, I take a picture and I go to submit it. I find myself at a different website? Still Fine Cooking but it is like last months issue? I try to get on at work same thing but I am logged in, you know the" Hi Philip" at the top of the page. I can't find where to talk about my experience? I try re-signing in. It wants money? I have been a member for a few months now, I think, I get e-mails, I get recipes so I must have a membership. So I guess the challenge is probably some hoax or a way to get people to spend more money at the site. I am going to do it here.

Turkey Reubens

,,
You can get the recipe, if you like, at their website finecooking.com, I think it is there?
In any case the sandwich was nothing special. The components of the sandwich were all good. I like a sandwich with coleslaw. I think a regular cole slaw would have worked better, I like Kentucky Fried Chickens cole slaw!! The russian dressing used here was great, some sun dried tomato with mayo thing. When put all together and grilled with the mayo on the bread it was somewhat lacking. I have decided that no matter how nicely brown mayo on the outside of a grilled sandwich looks I do not like the taste. I had made an extra sandwich for Dean. He never came by and 2 days later I brought it to work. No mayo on the outside and the sandwich was much better. All in all I would prefer the traditional reuben. IN fact I think Saturday that is what we will have for lunch!
For diinner we will be having the cover recipe Chicken with shallots and Pancetta.

I can't seem to not mention mayo!!

The Work Begins

2009-01-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have been busy at LTI (Lollipop Tree Inc.)getting ready for trade shows and testing new products. At the same time I work the paying job there is the business to close up and get ready to open.

Much to my dismay none of the furniture or counters are going to work out in the new place. I have been able to disperse the tables to friends. The counters however are being left behind. I tried my best to dismantle and move and came pretty close but in the long run it was easier for all to leave them. The saddest part of it is that they are being left to people who do not appreciate the craftsmanship of it all. They are getting the antique? light fixtures too!! I am sure that it will all be replaced with Home Cheapo shiny new things.

Some of you may know of the trial and tribulations that have been going on at the new place (76 Front Street)for those that don't let me say the previous tenants have been less than kind over the past few months. After putting us through agonizing times they have vacated the premises.

We were able to get in and get a good look at the space for the first time the Monday after Christmas. They took practically everything and the kitchen sinks!! Every light bulb was removed all sinks had been severed from the pipes,the exhaust fan was removed and the walk in was destroyed. They took out the condenser and the blower in the walk in and severed the freon line!! They did leave the big counter for us to remove though.

With all that was done it seemed the best thing to do was gut the place. With one week worth of work done the bathrooms, kitchen and dining room have stripped and ready for the re model. Some sheet rock and bead board have been put up and the design is taking shape. There is one thing that I may have done that seems to be a bit controversial, I removed my sinks from the old Black Bean.

I was not planning on taking them. When we got to the new place and saw that she took everything I wondered why couldn't I take the sinks that I bought 5 years ago? So I checked with a couple of plumbers and they looked and said that they were not attached at the wall and all joints? were screwed on and that since I owned them it was well within my right to take them, so I did. Today they (Cutter Family Properties) started with calling me a thief,liar and an a--ho--. I take that from the source. Where it gets gross is that they made no attempt to contact Elizabeth or I. Instead they went up to the police station and then went to 76 Front Street and took them back. So if I did steal them how come I do not have them now? Were they stolen from me? Why would the police get involved so quickly? Theft, arrest, court and then ownership is determined? It seems that things are different in Rollinsford NH. Maybe the former tenants of 76 Front street should have moved into a Cutter Family Properties store front.

In any case we are still on course and plan on re-opening at the beginning of February. I will try to keep you informed of any other happenings. And if anyone knows where I send my protection money let me know.
Phil

2008-12-23T02:32:00.000-08:00

Once again it has been awhile. Not because there is nothing to say, quite the contrary. I have not been able to organize my thoughts, it has just been go go go since I started at the Lollipop Tree. I wanted to say since the Bean closed, but that has not exactly been true. In the beginning there was a bit of depression. So for the first week it was hard to get out of my way and make things happen. There is still a bit of that going on with the in flux situation. So that we can be organized I will start with that.

Moving out has been both hard and easy. What has been done has gone smoothly if not timely. The move of the "small" stuff was well orchestrated and done quickly. For a couple of days we packed boxes and got it all together to get out. Then things started to fall apart. The trailer that we were supposed to store everything in fell through. So it was onto a back up plan and everything went to a friends garage.

Now on to the "big stuff". What happened next, an ice storm!! No power for 3 days down there and people were busy helping others so we were on hold. Finally it all got figured out and we could store the rest at the garage of Bear Electric (I think that is the name?) it is up the street from the Bean. One or two small problems. It would not be the size space I had expected and I can't for the life of me figure out how to dis-assemble the counter and cabinet. We did manage to move the counter from the wall and moving the stove and refrigeration out went unbelievably smooth. It was however the day I was to start at The Lollipop Tree. We had to be done quickly and we were.

Determined to get the counters out along with the tables an chairs over the weekend I focused on work. The Lollipop Tree is a great place to work at, right now. I think knowing that my future is possibly limited there makes it easier, but the first to days flew by and I went to the company Christmas party!! I will talk more about the Tree later.

There was a snow storm somewhere in there and a real whopper Sat/Sun. What was move was limited. My ability to move these last items is somewhat lacking. I think it is the thought of moving these awkward items twice and the storage of them is not conceivable in my mind. That is where I am with the move, here, there and everywhere.

Meanwhile the current squatters at 76 Front street have begun their move! Maybe I will be able to just move things things down there? I looked in the window yesterday it is pretty bare, nice. These people are not making things easy, I can understand not wanting to leave your place of business after nearly 13 years, I can't understand having a mean attitude towards me or anyone else who would be willing to accept the terms of renting there. That not being said I still do not think she will turn over the keys on her own. The law will have to be brought in to force here to give back the keys to the place, and she is the only one to hold keys to the place. (when all this started she changed the locks on the doors, not giving keys to the proper authorities!) I think I am getting into a weird territory here.
I just have to keep Brian and Leeanne, my landlords up to date with what is going on. What is going on? Now it is wait till after Christmas, then see if I can get this stuff out.

Wow it is time to get ready for work!! I will write more later.

Thanks everyone for all that has been done and all that will be done. Isn't that part of the Lord's prayer? Funny how certain phrases hit you?

Bye

The Move part 2

2008-12-16T13:09:00.002-08:00

Hey we are 1/4 of the way there. I would like to say 1/2 way but then we have to move into the new place. So by 1/4 I mean half way out!! We are moving the big stuff (and the little stuff that we forgot in the dark on Sunday) on Thursday at 8:00.

I was down there today and there is more there than I thought! So Wed after I get back from the dentist I have to get it all tidied up so that it will all go as smothly as it did on Sunday.

If anyone is around what is left is a refrdgerator, salad unit and stove. That is what I like to think what is left. There is also the couner and bar. I just stopped by the storage space and there is no room for these things. I can store the bar here, against Liz's wishes! The counter is a little odd. But if we actually get it out intact I am sure that I can move things around in the shed.

The catch to it all is, that I will actually be starting my job on Thursday too. Can it be finished by 10? Sure, why not? I am certain that it will all work out, what other choice is there?

The Move

2008-12-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

It is harder and harder to write these. I think the thought of what is going on makes me crazy and when I sit down to think it all through it really is overpowering.

In any case we have closed the doors at 20 Front Street!!! This week has been set aside for clean up and moving. We have been doing very little of each. Monday I went to check out the situation at what I was assuming would be my job at the Lollipop Tree. I have not heard back from anyone there since. That is really ok because I am only up and around today.

Tuesday was my big dental day. I was to have 4 teeth pulled. As it turned out I only had 3 pulled, the 4th one would require surgery. I tried to get up and do things on Wed. but was in bed for the night by 3:30. Of course that meant I was up by 1:00 and down at the Bean cleaning up. I was home and in bed once again around 4 and up at 7.

I really do not like packing to move. Over the past years I think that I have become very linear. By that I mean everything need to line up. If things are not lined up I get alittle crazy. Like when I am working I start with everything in front of me in a row. As I work it becomes a circle then it is chaos and I have to start all over, put everything away wash up and then start fresh. With moving it isn't that easy. There are 4 different sections and a few counters that need moving. I clear out one spot which fills another so I have to go to work on that then I realize that it is all on the counter and that has to go too. So I move that then I am out of boxes so what do I do? Put everything in an organized way on the counter. Then I take a look at it all and think have I done anything? It just looks like a big mess. So I decide to change the gauze in my mouth and it is really hurting so I sit down and fall asleep.

Today it will me different. My mouth doesn't hurt as much and I am well rested. So by tonight we should be closer to the big move. Speaking of the big move. We have to store things for a few weeks. I have been fortunate enough to get a trailer from Mick construction to store it all in. I will need help loading everything though. So if you are free on Saturday am of Friday please give me a call, 603 822-2593.
I could really use all of you who helped move the fridge in in July!

I guess I am not doing as well as I thought. Time for more Ibuprofen.

Dinner at the Bean

2008-12-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

This Friday is the annual Home fo The Holiday Craft Fair in South Berwick. In conjuction with this event we will be having dinner at Black Bean. Liz has a lovely holiday meal planned. I will post it as soon as I find it underneath all these papers on my desk! I think it includes a veggie option,ham,chicken,salad,and desserts. Space is limited and this will be our last dinner at the old Black Bean.
Time is short today. I will post more, soon? The exact date of the move has not been set. There is a small drama being played out here. When it is all over I will be talking more about it. I have imposed a slight gag order about the whole thing. Once the DNA test comes back from the lab from the warning letter I can again talk.

The sad thing about it all is that I get a kick out of the drama!! I am losing sleep over the whole thing though. And it is disturbing how much we (people) rely on gossip for the truth. In any case I am resigned to this happening in January, mid January.

Goota get dinner ready for Owen and me.
See Ya,
Phil

A New Year

2008-11-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Bean is in limbo. Which of course means that Phil and Elizabeth's lives are in limbo. It is not the first time that the Holiday season has brought about change. Considering that The Bean officially opened five years ago, in December, it seems somewhat fitting that a rebirth should happen now (or in the near future). Unfortunately, all the bullshit surrounding this particular change is making it less than pleasant, and Bean regulars, and even semi-regulars, are keeping close tabs on the situation and sort of circling the wagons, ready to protect and defend our beloved friends.

It's not the cafe we feel the need to preserve, though the original design, decor, and atmosphere make us feel welcome and at home, it is the heart. The heart that beats in the kitchen, producing life-giving blood and sending it out to the dining room not just in the form of nourishing food, but with laughter, camaraderie and friendship that makes us feel like family. Most regulars would go to the ends of the earth for Phil and Elizabeth, happily, with no thought of receiving anything in return. I personally feel that even though my monthly food tab is astronomical, I owe them. I owe them for welcoming me into their kitchen to chat. For listening to my drama. For enjoying my children, (Yes, Phil, once in a while you slip up and I see that glint in your eye!) For sharing their recipes. For engaging me in discussions on politics and world news that have broadened my understanding of the issues. For creating a little piece of the Universe where community still matters.

This heart is what matters most here, and it can travel anywhere. Of that I feel assured. However, none of it would be possible if the food sucked. And it does not. It's not even okay. It's wonderful, and that is what draws new people into the fold every day. It is food for the soul. I've gained weight on Phil's pizza, his Front Street cookies, chocolate bread pudding, calzones, scramble specials and scones. Phil's also helped me lose weight with his salads, veggie sandwiches and soups. I am a comfort food addict and nothing restores my sense of warmth and health and peace like a big bowl of Mulligatawny stew with a hunk of Phil's fresh baguette.

It is no secret that Phil's bread, scones, and just about everything he bakes is remarkably good, and I can't help believing that the craft is only part of it and that the main reason everything's so good at The Bean is that Phil LOVES to cook and he loves the people he cooks for. He can call himself a cynic and a skeptic, he can be bitter and crabby on days when his friends tease him too much or his employees ignore his direction, but the fact is that Phil is so well loved because he has a heart of gold. You can taste it in the food. You can see it in the way he greets new customers. You can feel it when he splits an experimental brownie with you or sends you home with leftovers from the kitchen for dinner.

With Liz, it's a bit more obvious. Her soups, pasta creations, and magical turkey-stuffed delicata squash are amazing, and when you meet her, her warmth, compassion and wisdom are obvious. She makes you feel special, right from the start. She is an instant friend, mother, or sister.

Anywhoo... all of this is just my way of explaining why I go to The Bean every day and will continue to do so, no matter where it goes or how it's reinvented. While the "simple" life that Phil claims to live seems at times precarious and chaotic, it is also charmed, and even if the new location doesn't work out, something else will. Phil and Liz have touched too many people, creating a net of friendship and support that will catch them wherever they may fall.

Cornbread pudding

2008-11-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have been sitting at this computer for 3 hours and not typed a thing. I did win 208 dollars playing solitaire and just broke my 12 game winning streak on free cell. I also found a blog that could be fun to follow. It is south bronx foodie. I think that if anything says New York on it it has to be interesting, how silly. This one looks like she has some nice recipes. The hot dogs look fun as does the cheesey popovers. So as long as this person doesn't have children it may be interesting to follow.

Does anyone out there follow blogs? I signed up for the one above and one called life and times of leslie. I have no idea why. The only thing that caught my eye was the fact that it just started. So I can find out what is happening with Leslie from the beginning. She is 27 years old, lives in TX, and is out on her own. I think she is at the point in her life where she is tring to take control and release the past good and bad. God was a part of her childhood and she is maybe ready to let him back in. Is this stalking? Like I said I signed up to follow only because I was there at the beginning and I really haven't looked in a while, really. I think all this reality tv makes us think it is ok to put ourselves on display and watch strangers. I am going to stop it is crazy. Really right after I read about Leslies car note I will stop following her. (on her page there is a spot that lists the followers. At the top it says STOP FOLLOWING). I thought she was yelling at me to "stop following" her!! it is just a place for me to click to put an end to this stalking, I will even though that is where I was able to read Obama's speech. Leslie has taught me so much.

I mentioned cheesey popovers, remember. I have a secret job working with products from the Lollipop Tree. Last night for dinner we tried the popovers. We did not make popovers however. We made it into Yorkshire pudding, with turkey drippings!! It was crazy good. Owen and I were fighting over the last of it!! Not to hard to make either. Yorkshire Pudding

1 Package popover mix
3/4 Cup warm milk
3/4 cup warm water
3 eggs
1/4 tsp bells seasoning

1/4 cup pan drippings

empty package of mix and seasonings into a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add
the milk and water till fluffy. Add the eggs and beat till bubbles form on surface.
Let stand for 30 min.
Have ready a 9x13 ovenproof pan with the drippings. With the oven at 400 and the
drippings HOT pour batter into pan. Bake 20 min then lower to 350 and bake another
10 to 15 min. Serve immediately.
A little time consuming but very delicious.

Today I am making cornbread pudding. I didn't realize people call cornbread with some enhancements pudding. I thought bread pudding with cornbread. Here is what I did:
Corn Bread pudding

4 cups cornbread cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Cups milk
2 apples, peeled cored and cubed
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup craisins
3 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 Tb bourbon
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Scatter the cornbread in pan. Pour half of the milk over
cornbread. Let sit for 20 minutes. Mix fruit together in a bowl and scatter on bread.
Mix together with a wire whisk the eggs, sugar,salt,remaining milk,cream,bourbon
and vanilla. Pour over bread and fruit. Let stand for a few minutes for the bread
to absorb some of the milk mixture. Bake in oven for 1 hour, till golden and custard
is set.
Let rest for at least ten minutes.

Serve with Lollipop tree caramel sauce!!

I love this job!! It can be difficult though. I have to learn new things. I know baking and can cook, but I have to outside my box here. This is good I have become to complacent with things.

Speaking of complacency. Many of you know that the Black Bean is going to undergo a major change. Our lease is up Dec.1 and we have opted not to renew with the changes that were proposed. There has been tremendous support from everyone. A change is what the Bean needs. It is time to pump some new life into the "place". I have been given many choices on what to do. I want to try them all, hence the "secret" job. It is important that we keep the base that we have built over the past 5 years so a move of the resaurant would have to be close. In fact I hope that it will be down the street from where we are now. The other Rollinsford restaurant will be making changes too. I think it would be great to remain in downtown Rollinsford. It is also my hope that Mayo's (the other place) is able to keep doing what she wants. It is a very strained time right now for us all. I think it funny that it happened to us both at the same time. I say it was ment to be that we move down there. I am not so sure that they want to leave as happily as I do. I am not even sure what it looks like inside there, but the landlord is going to be making updates and the rent will still be reasonable. Whatever happens it will be for the best.

In the meantime we do have a few events coming up. Open mic is sat nov.22 and our first Friday night dinner is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 9th. It will be a reservation thing only so check back.

And as always we will see you at the Bean. Thanks!!!

(did I use a lot of quotes and exclamation points?!!)

Something weird is going on and I can't put pics on or do spell check. Sorry

2008-10-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Gosh here we are again. How long has it been this time? At least two weeks I think. So much has gone through my head and as always the blogs are easier thought than written. I am coming into this one with no idea where I am going, is that the norm?

Election day is not to far away, I think 2 weeks. Dad has not sent any McCain mail in awhile. I take it back I didn't get any for a while until last week with the usual Obama bashing. I guess that is their tactic now. Confuse the whole thing. Say he is not a threat then have people spread questionable thoughts. I received Charles' newsletter this weekend. At the same time the Chicago Tribune, Colin Powell and numerous others are figuring out the attempts at bad mouthing Obama are just ignorant tactics to confuse the issue Charles spells it all out. Some of my thoughts about this whole game are articulated nicely in this newsletter. Rather than get into it if anyone is interested you can send me your e-mail and I can forward a copy to you. I know that this is vague but I do not want to type out an explanation of what the BULLETIN is! I will say that it is full of facts and figures on the world.

We went to breakfast today. For some reason we tried Weeksies? in Dover. Once again I like the BBC more!! I think that the problem is is the product that is used to begin with. To save time and money short cuts are taken. I would be willing to bet that the eggs came from a carton the same shape as the ones used for milk. The mushrooms are not fresh and the sausage was not cooked specifically for me. The potatoes were purchased cut and ready to use and then thrown in the fryolator or on the grill with no spice added. The toast was of the country kitchen variety. When the food arrived we both looked at each other and thought look at all this. Then we tried it and said once again tasteless. Is it really so hard to make scrambled eggs and toast like me? Oh well another waste of $25 (Owen was with us).

I think that I had other things to say but cannot remember a one of them now.

Oh hey does anyone want to be a guest blogger?

e-mail to bakerphil@earthlink.net

Lost in Space

2008-10-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

As usual I do not have time to do this. But no one is home and I can do the paperwork later,right?

The other day I went to the elementary school to pick up Owen. Oddly enough I got there early! I sat on a bench under the tree and just stared at my surroundings. As we go deeper into the fall season I am more and more amazed at life. Some on said tome many years ago, "if you have any doubt as to God's existance, this is the proof." It may have taken me 25 years but I understand what she was saying now!!

The leaves are changeing color, the temperature is cooling and there is a sense of preperation in the air. The sun beats down on you and you are not hot. The air is crisp and clean. School is back in session. You smell the change all around.

I am reminded of an episode of Lost in Space. They land in what appears to be a shopping plaza. It is evening time and there is no life. The Robinsons feel like they are home, but it isn't right? Then they see themselves getting ready for take off. How could this be? Do they try to change things or let things go as before? I don't remeber much else about the episode, except that it made me feel that there are many dimensions of our lives.

While I am looking around I feel as if I am not really there. I feel as if I am the six year old at my elementary school in Ct. I stare out at the life surounding me it may as well be 1968 (it seems strange that 1968 is the past and I was a part of such a long time ago?). The buildings are not structures of this era. They are from a time before plastic, when education was not about cost but about the growth of children. There are columns at the entrance to the school. Etched into the wood above is CENTRAL SCHOOL. The kids look out of huge windows that let sun in and where, occasionally, minds wander out.

The two who have been chosen to bring the flag in come out with the principle. The flag is lowered and she shows the children the proper way to put away the flag for the day. Families begin to arrive to pick up their kids. The sound of the school yard is changeing now. Little brothers and sisters are runing around. Busses are arriving. Cars continue to buzz past. The crossing guard is taking her position. There is no bell but we know they will be coming out soon. The conversations wane and the attention is given to the opening doors of the school. They are coming!!!! Running out of the gate and onto the field. The games begin!!

The trance is broken with the scream DAD. I am suddenly transported back to 2008. The fall colors are still bringing me wonder, I still feel the autumn air through my body, I still feel like I am a kid, but I know that I too am participating in the changes. As I look at a part of myself asking me if he can go on a bike ride with his friends I want to say," can I come?", but instead just say "sure". While I head on home I think that I have to make something that will make the house smell like fall. Of course, roast chicken and pumpkin pie!

Cardamom and coconut

2008-09-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

Mondays are like a holiday for me. Liz has started to take on the responsibilities of work for the beginning of the week and I for the end. I got up late on Monday,6:30! saw the kids off to school and then it was a free day. While Owen was getting ready Liz signaled to me that she wanted to go somewhere. I wont say that I said oh great lets go, but we did go and I was happy about it. A nice morning drive up the coast would be beautiful. When I took that first left she said, "where are you going? " "To Reny's," I said. She seemed puzzled. "didn't you spell R-E-N-Y-S". I said. "R-E-N-E-E-S" She said laughing. Renee's is a new bad breakfast place in Somersworth, NH. Reny's is a fun discount store in Wells, ME. I guess I finished her spelling for her or maybe only half listened?

We went to Reny's. We still had to have breakfast. If we do not say what we are going to do when we get in the car we are lost, we are lost. Let's try here or here oh what about there. And it is drive, drive,drive. That looks expensive, where do we park, they are crowded. So we settled on finding the parking space first then we would look.

We found ourselves in downtown Ogunquit Me. in front of Bread and Roses bakery, who,by the way, has taken some business away from me at Robert's, I was curious. I didn't really care where we went I just wanted coffee. Naturally I saw some similar items to what the Black Bean carries, but this place is nothing like the Black Bean. Coffee was excellent, Carpe Diem. We got a cinnamon roll and whoopie pie. The roll was like hard white bread rolled in cinnamon sugar and with a glaze on it. I thought it was more suited for a pretzel. The whoopie (which we ate much later) was dry,dry dry. The filling however was a nice butter cream frosting. Of course we found our breakfast destination before I could finish my coffee. All in all a waste of $7.00.

Onto breakfast at Bessies's. Per usual this was not the best choice. At first when we walked in something was amiss. It was bare and lacked a sense of success. It was as if they were going out of business or just starting. The waiter was of no help in figuring this out. He did not know the history of the building or story behind Bessie's. We would have to make up our own.

Fact:This used to be a place that we frequented when we first started to "date". It was known as Einsteins. You could always get a great breakfast, coffee , and bagel. You could not always get a seat though! Not the case now.

Story: The place was sold in the mid 90's then sold at least twice. They tried to make it into a cool gay diner. It never quite worked. They focused more on the track lighting and pastel colors than the food. Recently a southern family of color purchased the business. They sunk everything they have into the business and don't understand that the environment the food is served in is an important ingredient in the restaurant.

The confusion of the day continued as we walked to our booth or was it a table? We walked past the carpeted dining area into the counter area with linoleum flooring. On the way there Liz noticed the unavoidable smell of a dining area with carpets I noticed the Einstiens sign on the wall. In the lunch counter room I noticed the 1940's clock with Bessie's on it (similar in style to an old Borden brand clock?)Liz noticed the fabric corner decorative{?)thing a ma jiggers. We both noticed the homemade southern looking desserts in the otherwise sparse corner behind the counter. Where is this going to go? Yes coffee! Yuk coffee! Not weak, not strong ,just bad. Then the menu. I cannot read a menu for the life of me. This was one of the worst. Home computer generated, multi colored and just plain confusing. I just wanted 2OE/Saus/toast and home fries. By the time I found it I was already planning on the scramble with sausage peppers, onions and cheese. It was the same price so I got that. Liz got her usual 2scram/toast add cheese and sub bagel.

The food was delivered quickly and hot(how review like does that sound)and looked ok. It was ok. Liz did not get what she asked for. This took a while to figure out, actually when we got the bill. Her 2 egg scramble was clearly not 2eggs but maybe 5!! The cheese was american as requested, you could easily tell because it was placed on top of the eggs after cooking. They also contained cream cheese. Tasty. My guess is that they use eggs from a pourable container to fluffy and consistent in color. Homefries were good, they did include onion which is a good thing, but they needed to be cooked more. The bagel was clearly a frozen Lenders bagel.
The only thing different in my meal than Liz's were the ingredients in the scrambled eggs and my toast. As in the home fries the veggies in the scramble needed more saute time. Toast was country kitchen white served dry and there was no butter in site. I ate it all and half of Liz's. So it wasn't all that bad.
Remembering that we chose this spot because it did not seem as fancy as the others and would probably be less expensive. To sub the bagel for toast was $1 on the menu. The waiter did not sub he added a bagel $1.50 (we did not get toast too). So Liz's $4.95 2 eggs scrambled with cheese and bagel add $1 total $5.95. With their (I say convenient) errors came to $7.45. Mine was $6.95. Add the coffee, $2.00 and tx for a total of $17.65 plus tip (small tip to make up for errors!) equals $20.00. I left full but not satisfied. How much would it have been at the Bean? With the error being the correct order, total including tax $15.65. Tip is optional, so add $2.00 total $17.65. Save $2.35 at the Bean. I think that makes me feel more satisfied. Black Bean lower price, better quality and better taste. In my opinion!!

We got home. I had two errands to run and then we would just hang and watch a movie. One errand brought me to Mr. Lucky's for coconut and cardamom. Oddly enough Mr. Lucky is next door to Renee's, full circle. The movie was RUNNING WITH SCISSORS. We booth enjoyed it. Of course there was one thing said in the movie that struck us both. It had something to do with having a mom that would make hamburger helper for dinner. This was a good thing for both of us. Naturally we had hamburger helper for dinner. The kid's loved it we both added to it to make it seem more real (riccotta and tomato sauce). For dessert we had to have our favorite cupcake...Coconut and Cardamom.

It was an awesome day!

Recipe from Vanilla Garlic blog!!
Apple Cardamom Cupcakes
Makes 22 cupcakes / 350F oven

What You'll Need...
4 cups chopped apples (varieties that are good for baking - i.e. granny smith, gravenstein, Fuji)
2/3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups of sugar
4 egg whites
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of ginger

What You'll Do...
1) Chop the apples and combine them with the sugar and let them macerate for one hour. Next add the oil and stir.

2) Preheat over to 350 degrees F (165 C).

3) Slightly beat egg whites just until a light foam appears. Combine them with the oil and apple mixture.

4) Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices together. Stir into the apple mixture, and then place into cupcake papers about 3/4ths full.

5) Bake for 15 minutes undisturbed, then rotate the pan and cook for another 3-7 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness. Careful, as if the toothpick goes into an apple it will not come out clean, but cupcake may be done.

Salted Caramel
What You'll Need...
6 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cup of sugar or vanilla sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

What You'll Do...
1) Melt the butter in a large, deep heavy-duty saucepan. Stir in the sugar and and stir until golden brown.

2) Take off the heat and pour in half the cream and whisk like a crazy person until the caramel is smooth. Whisk in the rest of the cream and the salt. Strain into a bowl and then spoon over cupcakes. (The caramel will thicken if you let it sit in the fridge, which is also yummy.)

Variations
Feel free to switch out the cardamom for cinnamon, or apples for pears. The recipe is flexible and forgiving. Freshly whipped cream is also an ideal pairing.

2008-08-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Oh boy. I don't know why it takes me so long to actually sit down and write this thing. Probably the same reason I don't jump out of bed in the morning, I am a procrastinator.
I have to say I think the happy thoughts thing works. I do seem a bit more up and the things that bug me were a little easier to take last week. Someone also gave me a really happy website. I do not mean to say that it is like just full of sunshine and so over the top with positive stuff that you would think it to be a joke. Here is the location. She just seems to have a healthy outlook on life. I am told that the health bars are great and easy!! Also a few years back Liz and I tried our hands at making cheese and it is nice to find others who do those things maybe it will inspire us.

A blog or two ago I wrote about a dream I had. Someone left a comment. I thought it was hysterical. It was left by brusselsprout? This sounded familiar, but I could not place the person. So I did a search on brusselsprout. All I could find was a conspiracy theorist in West Bend Ind. It was not so funny any more. Was it for real?
Turns out it was my big brother John (B)Russell(sprout) Hughes.

That was very funny. I am glad the mystery is over. I started this post weeks ago. I cannot think of what the purpose of this was so I will end it and start another.

Remember Happy thoughts!!

sunshine

2008-08-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Do we all have a correct view of who we are? I think of myself as very objective even when it comes to me. Although this past two weeks I am questioning my abilty to look at myself the way others may see me.

This started from many things. The biggest being that it suddenly occured to me that a few people in my life do not see in themselves what I (and I assume the rest of the world) see in them. For example someone who is offering advice on health, yet they do not realize that they are always having health issues. Or someone who talks about serenity and keeping centered and they come across as anything but centered and calm. Naturally for me I started to think what is wrong with everyone? Am I the only clear person out there. Then I remembered one of those wise offerings from an elder in my life many years ago, "what seems to bother you in others is what is bothering you.". Could it be true? Am I not what I think?

I started to pay closer attention to myself and what I got back from others. It is true I am not the happy go lucky person I think I am. The person who nothing bothers,the one who sees the positive in things nor am I always as clear as believe myself to be.

So I am going to try and correct the problem. I could take the easy way out, and just accept my perceived persona. The problem is that I do not think that I am really that negative and I do not want to be a down sort of person, although I do get off on complaining and whining!! As of now a more positive and up person I will show to the world.

To kick off my new attitude I would like to happily share an old family recipe for corn bread. We call it Spider Cornbread.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups white or yellow cornmeal
2 Tbs. sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 cups buttermilk or soured milk preferred or regular milk
Turn this recipe into a puzzle! [click]

Directions:

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder and mix well. Melt butter in a 12 inch black cast iron skillet with oven proof handle in a preheated 400F. Beat eggs well and beat in 2 cups buttermilk. Then combine with dry mixture to moisten well. Remove skillet from oven, tilt pan to evenly coat the butter in the pan. Pour in the cornmeal batter and immediately pour on the remaining cup of buttermilk. Do not mix in. Return to oven and bake about 30 minutes or until top is pale golden and tester inserted comes out clean. Don't overbake. Serve hot, cut or scooped from the pan with additional butter. Note: stone ground cornmeal will have a different texture than other types of cornmeal. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, cornbread may be baked in a 9 x 13 pan. The name "spider" refers to the type of pan, an old cast iron pan with "feet"

Spider Cornbread serves/makes 6

Enjoy yourselves!!! I'll write again soon!
Phil

2008-07-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night. There was this party in the basement of a building. It was dark and to get in you needed to know someone. Everyone was standing around eating Whoopie pies, french fries, fried chicken and twinkies. Everyone was laughing and having a ball. But there was a feeling of unease. Then it happened the police came barging through the door, it was a raid!!. We were all brought down to the station and booked for eating the Bad Fats!! We were given government issued pamphlets on healthy eating and released on personal recognisance.

This dream was based on the recent ban on use of trans fats in California. The ban itself is not what was nagging at me it is the Government deciding what we can and can not eat. I for the most part am and always have been opposed to the use of hydrogenated oil and other trans fatty acids. Back in the day those who did not use Crisco or margarine were food snobs. After all it was a cheaper alternative to "natural" fats. I guess now the healthy people are running things in CA. And we all better shape up.

Again my gripe not with the use of trans fats, but in making laws that tell us what is right. Why must congress bail out the banks? I for one do not understand the whole money game. It would seem to me that the right thing to do if millions of people are not able to make their monthly payments and the banks are failing that maybe we could meet in the middle. Are lower profits better than no profits? Is allowing Joe to pay 7% on his loan and keeping his home better than taking his home and selling at a loss?

I don't know if I am just paranoid or what, but are we being controlled by our government or some other force. Could it be mind control by big business? Does big business own government? It is kinda weird when the little things that come into our heads through education and daily life. Is school just another big ad. So many things run through my mind in the course of a day. This trans fat thing, gas prices, the banking issue, the election, right and wrong....

It is all the same. How can we make more money to buy more things or control more things. I am worried that natural and organic will soon lose their meaning once big business gets involved and everything will be natural and organic hence everything will cost more and natural may mean the use of something that is not all that good but still falls under the government guidelines thus tricking us once again then a law will be made to say what exactly it all means and.... Do you get my point? Do I get my point?

There is an ad out there with the tag line that has something to do with Do the right thing. I think it is for State Farm Insurance. Now these people are not dumb. If they can get people to do the right thing they will pay less in claims. If the ads are so catchy that we are to believe that State Farm is doing the right thing then they will become our insurance company. But what is insurance? Paying money to some entity in case something goes wrong. It seems to me that things cost a little more to fix when an insurance company is involved. And aren't many of the wealthiest people connected to the insurance industry. Of course that just happens and they wouldn't take more than they should because that wouldn't be the right things.

Ok I am rambling now. I will stop, but one last thing. When you ride your bike do you wear a helmet? Did you 20 or 30 years ago? How many lives have been saved with helmet use? Who makes all the money from helmet sales? Would we save more lives if we wore helmets when in a car? Could that be the next law, helmets must be worn when in a moving vehicle!!???

Whoopie Pie recipe submitted from Carol Roberts
1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup sugar, 2cups flour,1tsp baking powder,1tsp baking soda,1tsp salt 6TBL cocoa, 1cup milk, 2 egg yolks, 1tsp vanilla

Mix all. Scoop onto cookie sheet into equal "blobs"
bake 375 for 10 - 15 minutes

Filling
1/2 cup shortening, 2cups powdered sugar 2 egg whites (Beat till stiff) Add 1 tsp vanilla. Beat together until white and smooth.
Enjoy, behind closed doors?

Les Moore

2008-06-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it has been a 2 months since I have written on my weekly blog. It is hard to think of what has gone on in the past month, or what will be going on for that matter. I will just start with my recent thoughts.
One would think that leading a simple life would be easier than living a complicated life. I don't think this is true. There are numerous venues devoted to teaching us how to live simply, magazines, television, books and radio. Simple living is big business. I have always tried to keep it all simple in my life. It is getting to me!!
I left work the other day and saw a bumper sticker that said Less is More. That brought me back to my youth. The time when I was forming who I was to become. My goal was not to have the big house, money and vacations. It was to have what I had as a child...nothing!!!
That is how I felt then. We did not have a large new house, a beautiful car, I can remember only 2 family vacations and many of my clothes were hand me downs with some strangers name on the waistband. I did have 8 brothers and sisters, grandparents and aunts and uncles who lived down the street, a bike, a paper route and most of all a sense of community. This is what I wanted for my family. As the years went on I worked at this. My brothers would say that it was a cop out. That I believed in these things because it was an excuse for my financial failure. Maybe it was. I didn't know how to make a decent living and have a family, without having someone that was not a family member raise the children.
I have been at it for over 25 years now. Life has been lived simply. And I am not having fun anymore!!! That is not exactly true. I do have fun and enjoy much of my life. But how do I enjoy it more with less? It is BS. I know that money can't buy happiness, but how do you buy freedom. Whether it is being busy with my business or working for someone else there is always an obligation to be fulfilled.
Maybe the key is to slowly go into the simple life. It is strange that when you are in a certain kind of space related "things" show up everywhere. For example when you are interested in a new car all of the sudden they are everywhere. Or you hear of a "new" food and then it is on every menu all the magazines and TV shows. The truth is these things are always there and when we focus on ourselves we see that we are not alone. That others are like us. This sometimes gives us a sense of security other times it is proof of the brainwashing of all of us by big brother and you know that all of the conspiracy theories out there are probably true. Ok ok I know where am I going?
Last week Liz had a friend staying with us. I am struggling with the "How do I make this life work" thing. Simple, but how. I go to bed and in the bathroom is an old book on the window sill. Living the Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing. Oh yeah I thought that was the answer 15 years ago. Back to the land. Live off of what you produce. I love this thought and have always wanted to do it. But aren't there bears in the outdoors, would I need to use a gun? Could I really cut myself of from it all. Some would say that I have cut myself off from the rest of the world. I think that I do live off what I produce. Wholly cow without even knowing I am on my way to living the Good Life.
I am running out of time so I am just sort of closing this. But I will offer a quick and simple recipe for life. The Half and Half. Fill a large glass (16oz)with ice pour 3/4 full with lemonade and ice tea till full. Add a wedge of lemon,a sprig of mint and sit back and enjoy the good life.Phil

American Cheese

2008-05-16T04:24:00.002-07:00

On the way home from work this morning I stopped at my favorite spot, The Black Bean Cafe, and got a breakfast sandwich. It was delicious. When I worked in Exeter I would stop at the Great Bay Campground Citgo and get one. They epitomize breakfast. There are so many ways to have them too. The classic is sausage. egg and cheese, bacon and egg, egg no meat, scramble the egg, over hard,over med,over easy (not to be eaten while driving!)..... For the daily E/A (short for egg amuffin sandwich)it should be on an english muffin and always the cheese has to be American.

The reason for the american cheese is the melt. It is like having a cheese sauce on your sandwich. Many people disagree with the american cheese thing. The thinking is that american cheese is not real cheese. I want to make it clear that that statement is not always true. There seems to be a muddled explanation of american cheese. Cheese food, cheese product, processed cheese, cheese spread, and Kraft. I think that the use of all of these words is what makes it difficult to figure out. While the first american cheese came from the combination of cheddar and other cheeses to produce a creamy textured and smooth melt today it is hard to find an american cheese that is american cheese. I believe that the desire to make everything the same is the reason for this confusion. When Kraft started promoting their cheese products it was rare that we would question what this was. We just knew it was easy to work with to get the desired results. Now adays we seem to be a little more aware of what we eat. The big companies went after money at the expense of taste, slowly changing the original product to something unrecognizable, yet we love it. For an interesting "discussion" on the subject go to Accidental Hedonist.

In any case The Black Bean uses the deli american cheese. It is white and usually Hoffman's sharp. The salespeople say it is cheddar. It is not the cheddar I know, but I like to believe it is cheddar. I do try to watch what I eat, from a natural perspective and more recently how much and often!!. Slowly I am leaning to organic products, but cost still gets into the way of always choosing. I also think that it is becoming such big business we have to watch out for what is and isn't even if labeled so. Perhaps slowly we will not know what labeled organic, natural or pesticide free means. Similar to how no one seems to really know what american cheese is.

When I began to write about the attributes of the breakfast sandwich I felt the importance of the american cheese to its greatness. I still believe that it is the ingredient that holds this sandwich together. I have tried cheddar, provolone and swiss. They do not work. Nancy has tried to take it to another level and made them with veggie sausage, whole wheat english and soy cheese and her eggs, of course. The results, cardboard between cardboard. This sandwich was meant for real american cheese. I will make them with cheddar for others, but will still have them the right way myself.

PS What about cheddarella?

2008-05-15T13:34:00.002-07:00

I don't know where to begin. Since the last time I blogged there have been a few things happening. The biggest of which is that Liz has decided to stop Friday night dinners. This makes her very sad, but it was getting to be to much for her. I am certainly glad that I will not have the worry any longer. They were a great thing and a lot of fun for her to do, but not enough payback for all the effort. Her thought now is to do them on a monthly basis. We will see.

We had our second open mic of the season. It went really well. I would say even better than the first. There is a lot of talent in our schools as well as in the neighborhood. I guess this one went on a little longer than some expected. I left just before the end of the first go round. They didn't wrap things up till after 11:00!! Sorry to all the parents that did not get a call from their offspring to let them know what was going on. Sarah says that she is planning another for June, sometime after graduation.

Speaking of graduation. Marshwood's is June 14th. Sarah will be graduating and going to UNH in the fall. UNH's graduation is May 24th. My daughter Kate will be graduating with honors then. Oh yeah I better put up a sign that we will be closed on Saturday for this!!! Unless you would like to cook breakfast? two through college and two to go. Megan will be home for the graduation and we all look forward to seeing her and catching up with what is going on in NYC.

I have not written lately because I have been getting caught up in just reading other blogs. One that I have enjoyed is Vanilla Garlic and from there he has other places to go.

It is weird to read or even just peek in on strangers lives. I wish that everyone would write where they're blogs originate from. The personal blogspots are the most boring though. I suppose if you are family you would be interested in know what your grandkids are up to (unless you are my parents!). But knowing that little Betty said "Sky go boom" is not all that interesting. Unlike reading about Garret's cat Mace getting lost for 5 minutes?

I think that will do it for now. Till next time.

Hip Hip Horray we are open!!!!

2008-04-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Open Mic

2008-04-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

Well it has been awhile since I posted. The open mic last week was great. The turn out was better than expected and the tallent was top rate. These are afew pics from that evening. The next one is scheduled for May 10th.

To view some pics of the art on the wall check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/artstreamstudios/sets/72157604268382556

Happy Birthday Dad

2008-04-10T12:51:00.001-07:00

My father turned 70 last Monday. Have you ever sat and thought about life and it took you over? Sometimes when I think about being, I nearly lose my breath. For Jack's 70th birthday the family got together at my sister Heather's house in PA. over Easter holiday. Everyone was there,but me. I was not able to make it due to work obligations and various other things (like not realizing that Easter was even here yet).

Okay, back to my point? For this gathering my mother asked us all to write a memory of Dad. Once again being the procrastinator that I am I did not get it done in time. There is no time like the present! I have thought and thought about this. I did not want to write about some disciplinary thing like the time Dad chased me down the street with a baseball bat. I think there was a broken window involved and if I really think about it, it might not even have been me, it was probably Harry(my youngest brother). Then I thought I could write about when I was a senior in High School and I was going to the library to study. I said I was going to the library anyway. I had seen an add in the paper for a car for sale it was $3000.00. I did not have the money. There was a wrestling match at the arena and they would pay someone $3000.00 to stay in the ring for three minutes with the crusher. So Dad dropped me off at the library, but before he left he said to me, "Philip, remember with great power comes great responsibility." OOhh wait that wasn't me and it wasn't Dad. I think it may have been my uncle Ben to my cousin Peter Parker.

I guess I could write about the time I went to a party with the "adults" from work. There was drinking involved and I was driving. I got to have the car but only if I would pick Terry up at 9 from his girlfriends. I was in no condition to drive I had better call home. An hour later I went to the car it was not there. Oh well, it wasn't that far, I could walk. After a shortcut threw the dump, a field and past my house (I still was not ready to go home!)I ended up down town. A police officer found me and offered me a ride. He asked my name so naturally I told him Johnny Hughes, of course he knew Johnny he cleaned the station on Saturdays for $25. Now that I was home how could I sneak in the house? They were all in the living room the kitchen door would work. Out of nowhere Dad appeared as I was making my way to the stairs and the "safety" of my room. I was caught. With one fell swoop I went over the couch onto the coffee table, and then it was up to bed. Mom and Dad were off to Md. the next morning to visit #1 son Johnny. The situation was not discussed again, however the school psychiatrist wanted to see me the next week?

So what was the topic? I have known this man for 45 years. I must have some type of memory that was not disciplinary. As I start to think about this my mind drifts once again. He is 70 I am 45. I moved out of the house when I was 20. It has been 25 years since I have lived at home. Dad was 45 when I moved out. Where was he in his life in 1983 compared to me in 2008? He had 7 kids at home and 2 that were not at home. Back then he was my father. Now as well as being my father he is a fellow person to me. Someone whose life was once intertwined with mine, but now exists without my presence and vice versa. Twenty years prior to me leaving he was an expectant father two years prior to that her was a single man figuring out where he wanted his life to go. Five years prior to that he was in High School. Four years prior ....

They say we "change" our skin every 7 years. It is hard to remember that I was once someone else. I am who I am because of the people in my life. Jack being one of them. I remember the stories above because they were not the norm. My father is not an excitable man. He is not prone to acting out his aggression on his family. Although who wouldn't be upset when one of your kids throws a ball through a window or when your son got so drunk that the police drove him home? It is the things that I learned from him without knowing, that mark who he is to me.

Thank you Jack for being the man in my childhood that showed me how to be a man. You have given me an appreciation for food,a work ethic, my love for children, a receding hair line and allowed me to become who I am. We did not always agree on what path to take, you never forced me to take any path I did not want to.

Happy Birthday Dad
(Sorry it is late)

Quick update on going ons at the BBC

2008-04-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey ,

I just wanted to quickly put up some info.

We have a great art show going on now. It is from Susan Schwake-LaRochelle of Artstream in Rochester NH. Here is a link to her web site. Artstream

Saturday night we will be doing our first open mic in awhile. It should be fun. There are a few people signed up already. If you would like to you can come on in and ask whoever is working up front for the sign up sheet.

Speaking of music I hear Jen Adams will be stopping by Friday night during dinner. She is a great singer song writer and we love when she happens in and plays some of her songs for us.

As for dinner Friday. Liz has not told me for sure but I found her scribble pad.
It looks like a baked Haddock, Rissoto and Stuffed Peppers will be on the menu.
Of course her salads are always wonderful no matter what they are.

Owen says:
spiderman pop

See you there,
Phil

Scones

2008-04-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to try and write about food. That was what I was planning all along, but sort of have strayed.

Scones.

What is a scone? Is there an original recipe? I know that scones originated in Scotland back in the 15oo's. I began making them a bit more recently.

In the mid eighties I was a stay at home dad. This is when I decided to learn how to bake/cook. I did not live near any relatives and I wanted to create the feeling that I had when I was a kid. The smell of something cooking for dinner, a fresh baked treat for after school, cookies cooling on paper grocery bags and there was nothing like melted butter on fresh baked bread. During this time I found a recipe for drop scones. (was there ever a magazine called HOME the size of the old TV guide?).

It took a lot of playing around and searching for different recipes before I began to like scones. It is weird, but now I have this strange affection for them. Owen asked me if I invented Sticky Buns. I feel that I did discover scones.

The scone that I learned to love is a sweet buttery biscuit. In my mind it is reminiscent of farm food. Now you can find scones everywhere. When I see them I am always curious. Most of the time they are a cross between a muffin and a scone, call it a mone or a scuffin. The reason for this is that a muffin and a scone are very close in ingredients. But with them you are striving for opposite effects. A muffin light and moist a scone dry and dense. I find that I might be the only one that is looking for this. Lately I am seeing recipes that use eggs in the scones. This is new to me. I am beginning to like these scones but they are not a true scone or are they?

Before writing this I Looked up the origins of scones. The recipes that I found contained eggs! I guess I have been wrong all this time. It makes it easier for me to accept some of the newer recipes that I have found. They are good, what I think of as the origonal scone is still the best. I do remember reading this recipe in the Foster's a few years ago. It turns out someone from South Berwick won a contest with her recipe for scones. It was the same recipe I use. I wonder if she came into Flynn's once and maybe...

This is that recipe:
3cups flour
1T baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/3Cp sugar
8T butter (cut into pieces)

Put all in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until it is like coarse cornmeal.
Pour into a mixing bowl.
add

1Cp buttermilk

mix till no flour shows. Knead till it just comes together. Roll out to a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 6 wedges. Bake in pre-heated 400 oven till done (about 20 min.)

Enjoy with butter, jam or honey (or a combination!).
This is the basic recipe. It is easy to vary the recipe. Add some raisins or grate an orange rind into the flour mixture, add some almonds, cranberries, lemon, I think you get the picture. Play around with it. A simple rule to remember for rising purposes is 1T baking powder to every cup of flour.

This week no eggs in the scones.

SO

2008-04-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

The weather is really getting to me.....
The cheesecakes are to dark....
This is the best breakfast sandwich ever...
It is going to snow tomorrow...
The super delegates are a mystery to me....
The whole primary thing is not making any sense to me....
Peter Gabriel...
Time travel is possible...
My car is on its last leg...
April 15th is in a few days....
Eliza doesn't feel well..
I don't know what is for Friday night dinner..
SO
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SPRING CHICKEN

2008-03-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

On Weds. Liz wasn't feeling well and went to bed early. I took the kids with me to shop and grab something to eat. When we got back it was well past my bedtime (8:15). "OK every one in bed, now". Somewhere along the way the TV got turned on. Dancing with the stars was on. Penn from Penn and Teller was dancing. Tall, geeky and awkward, "mom that guy dances like dad!!" I was hooked.

It turns out that this was the re-cap portion of the show. They started with the lower scoring dancers and ended with the high scorers. One of the better dancers was Priscilla Presley. I could not believe my eyes. Not because of her dancing, but the costume or was it a costume. The face didn't move. It was like in the movie Brazil. It was horrific. What is going on here. Earlier in the week I had heard how cosmetic surgery is on the rise. I don't get it.

Last season it was Marie Osmond that people tuned in to see. She was someone we "knew" when we were younger. "What is she up to, I wonder what she looks like these days." Say what you will about her, but she put on a good show. This year it is Priscilla Presley. "What is she up to, I wonder what she looks like these days." I really am disturbed by her appearance. Why is it so hard to face reality? Life is change. Changing looks is part of the deal. I look at myself sometimes and it ugh how tired and old I look. On these days I don't think, "if only I could freeze my face to how it was when I was 18". In fact my brothers swear that my senior portrait was air brushed, so even old and tired is better than my younger years. Other times I see the age in myself and I think , I am an adult. There is not much of the boy left in my looks. This is what happens to all of us. It is a good thing. It is something to accept, no to embrace.

It seems as though everything must be new, stay fresh or be perfect in our lives. I was reading an article the other day about baking. They were talking about how to make a good yellow cake. Today it is hard to make one for a few reasons. People's idea of what a good yellow cake is, is messed up. The average person thinks that cakes come from boxes, not chickens!! The box produces a nice consistent yellow color along with the moistness that one comes to expect from these massed produced mixes that use the cosmetic surgeon's ingredients (plastics). This way the cake Mary makes will be that same as the cake Mariah makes. These cakes taste and look the way they do not because of the eggs and what we add but from the chemicals used to achieve uniformity.

To make a yellow cake from the chicken you cannot even use store bought eggs. In our quest to make everything the same the eggs at the store no longer produce eggs with yolks that give us the yellowness in yellow cake. For this we need to go to the farm and get Nancy's eggs. I tried this a month or so ago. I made the best yellow cake I ever made, I am not known for my yellow cakes. The cake tasted like when I was a kid. Flavors that seem to be long gone, but not forgotten.

The theme for dinner at the Black Bean on Friday was Spring Chicken. Spring Chicken? That is where my mind was all week too. What does Spring Chicken mean. The phrase first appeared in 1711 referring to the age of a woman. It is generally used in the negative, "she's no spring chicken". It was based on the fact that a spring chicken was a young chicken, ready for eating, originally this was in the spring.

It seems to me that we have moved away from many traditions. The art of feeding our family and friends fresh real food for one. The art of growing up gracefully is another. It is time to live more in tune with our lives. This week I am going to make it a point to watch another episode of dancing with the stars and find a nice fresh Twinkie to eat (unless I come across chocodiles).

blah blah blah

2008-03-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Harbinger of Spring

Oh boy what a week, a very trying week. It started with running out of oil on Saturday. I was not going to pay extra to have them come on the weekend, besides I couldn't afford the minumum 100 gallons at $3.79. So being resourcefull I did have $20 bucks on me and they sell k-1 right around the corner and naturally I have a container specifically for this purpose (like this is the first time this has happened). I did this for 3days. It was a pain but to be honest I got a charge out of doing this. There is something enpowering about being resourceful, so what if it made my life more difficult! and cost more. Oh and I ran out again and wasn't able to shave for work on Tuesday. That made three days of growth for opening. I did not look my best.

As the work week got underway the drama of living with a 14 year old daughter was very apparent. To resolve the big problem the following days would have to be re-organized, it is St. Patrick's day and Easter week. It is cold and snowy and Mrs. Roach is having a book signing, fortune telling evening at the Black Bean. My tooth hurts and everyone wants to get paid. Spiderman 3 came from netflix on Wed. Liz and Eliza are getting colds and of course the drama of being is still going on.

So much going on in my head by the time Thurs (my half day) rolls by it is over before it has really gotten started. Liz isn't feeling well. More school drama, project is due things to buy and make and business has been extremely slow. Friday can't sleep. Went into work at 11:30. Liz not feeling well (it is Friday), I was suddenly feeling better.

The evening at work went well. Just had the hot cross buns to put in the oven and I was done. So I took a nap. Set the timer and reset the timer and reset the timer. What is that I see oh no it is sunlight oopps the hot cross buns. I got them in a nick of time well maybe a little late.

Time to make the switch and Liz to start work. Not an easy transition for her (she overslept). As far as I was concerned it was done and my time off was now mine. There were no problems. Everything went smoothly. As did Saturday and now Sunday. Spring is here, the sun is shining (it is a little cold though), life is good. It must have been the moon shifting it is all better now. Maybe it wasn't the moon maybe it was the rabbit shortbread cookies or it might have been the grilled pb&j sandwich I had at the Bean on Wed.

Enough for now.

Phil

JELLY BEANS AND CUPCAKES

2008-03-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hey. This will not count as my first blog. I will call it my first practice blog?!! The purpose of this is to sort of share who we are at the Black Bean and what we are thinking about.

Whenever I am told or asked to think about something the first thing that happens is that my mind goes blank!! That is where I am now. One thing that does seem to keep popping into my thought is Easter/Spring.

Last week Robert's Maine Grill asked about a dessert that says Easter. Once again on the spot thinking not my forte. Easter means jelly beans and cupcakes. Does that sound like a Miss America answer or what? I think that I also would think lemon which then takes me to spring thoughts green, new beginnings.

So I came up with a dessert that puts all of that together. An orange cupcake with lemon glaze coated with toasted coconut and jelly beans in the center. Not baked into the center, but the cupcake is rather a mini bundt cake and the center hole is filled with the jelly beans. This gives the effect of a nest with eggs. Liz thinks that blue candy coated malted eggs would actually be better. So that is on the dessert menu at the Black Bean tonight.

I think I will take a photo and post. Can I do that?....stay tuned

Phil