Just for the Halibut...

We splurged and bought halibut and sea scallops at the farmers market. Jeff did a perfect job with the grilling. We also bought some little patty pan squash that I stuffed with panko bread crumbs, garlic, and herbs. This is our last night in New Hampshire. Tomorrow we are off to Connecticut.

Indulge

I ate fried clams for brunch this morning.

They were calling me from the refrigerator and I thought, heck, I am in vacation mode and I can eat what I want.

We took Dad to Newick's Lobster House last night. The portions are huge and I brought home nearly half of my fried clams. He ordered baked scallops and ate them all! I was so happy to see him and his new nursing home digs. It's a great facility, super clean, nice decor, and excellent staff. Dad has adjusted well, and has gained over 10 pounds since he moved there. I like that I can now envision him in his environment when we talk on the phone. For the past 8 months all I could picture in my mind was the rehab facility he was in when he broke his hip. This place is much nicer and it should be, it costs a fortune to be there.

Today we are off to the farmers market to hopefully buy some fresh haddock for dinner. We have to keep up this "eating seafood everyday" challenge... let me tell you, it isn't hard.

Another Year at the Fair...

Last night we packed up our booth at the 85th Annual League of NH Craftsmen's Fair at Mt. Sunapee Resort in NH. Despite the heat and humidity and occasional torrential rain shower, we sold lots of pots.

Our friends David Ernster and Alicia Bergeron, were kind enough to offer us lodging for the duration of the event. Their home is a nice respite after a busy day of interacting with people. They have a deck with a beautiful view and this very cool canopy of hops growing over it and up to the roof of their home.

Dave is an awesome potter. We have collected quite a few of his pieces over the years.

This year I picked out this "birch tree" mug from his booth at the fair. The birch design will remind me of my New Hampshire roots.

When the trailer was packed we headed to Wolfeboro to spend a few days with my sister and visit my Dad. We stopped on the way to pick up food for dinner and found lobster for $4.99 a pound. We bought two, along with the ingredients for a quick pasta dish. Way better than a frozen pizza! I sure do miss affordable lobster. Our plan is to buy a few more, the day before we leave, to cook and carry home in a cooler. Tonight we are taking my Dad to his favorite seafood restaurant on Dover Point. We are going to indulge while we can!

Seafood Heaven

Jeff and I took full advantage of being in New England and enjoyed lots of fresh seafood. North Carolina has a beautiful long coastline, but we live three hours away from it. While the seafood is delicious, it is different from what I grew up with.

We had two lobster feasts, one on Bow Lake with our friend Roni, the other in New Haven, CT with Danielle and Jason. The Connecticut feast included steamed clams and crab cakes. The lobster this year was just $5.99 a pound! We cooked a couple extras to take home with us.

It was hot and humid in Connecticut. It felt like home, minus central A/C! No A/C meant dinner on the waterfront. Shell & Bones was the choice, cool inside with a beautiful view. 

More seafood was consumed, this time it was a filet topped with crab, bernaise sauce, and other delectable things. Fancy cocktails and great bottle of wine rounded out the meal... don't worry, we take advantage of Uber when going out on the town. It's was fun to go to a swanky place, something Jeff and I rarely do. Thank you Danielle and Jason for a wonderful treat!

It seems to have become a tradition that we visit a winery when we get together with the family. This year it was Chamard Vineyard in Clinton, CT.

The grounds were quite lovely, as well as the tasting room. The service was "meh." The server doing the tasting seemed rather uninterested in talking about the wines. Danielle's observation from her first visit there 4 years ago to now, is that it has become more of a wine bar. We probably would have been better off ordering a bottle of wine at one of the tables.

I fell in love with this fire pit! During the summer months they have music outside. This thing must look pretty cool with a glowing fire inside of it. There were a few smaller versions of it scattered around the patio.

The next morning Danielle and I went to Rocco's Italian bakery, walking distance from her home, and picked up some yummy breakfast pastries and a couple of mini stuffed breads for the ride home. We hit the road at 11:00 am and were home by 11:00 pm. A long drive, but it was smooth sailing with few delays. 

the swirly girl cooks!

ooh la la... the dinner i cooked was wonderful!
arugula/tomato salad with lemon parmesan dressing, seafood newburg served over puff pastry, sauteed green beans with bacon and slivered almonds... accompanied by a nice bottle of ferrari carano chardonnay.
... served on a beautiful table setting of handmade dishes - tonight's setting features tableware made in north carolina (except the wood fired vase of tulips made by jeff brown here in nh).

dessert was spicy toffee compliments of winnipesaukee chocolates

dinnerware credits:
tom gray
stephanie martin
mark hewitt