Perfect Picnic on Monhegan (Conclusion)

The perfect picnic isn't complete without divine desserts and complementary spirits. Here are a few suggestions to finish off the idyllic day on the island. Beverage suggestions follow recipes.

Perfect Picnic on Monhegan (Part 2)

Here are a couple more sides to add to your picnic basket. Delicious, simple, and perfect to pack for your day trip over to the island.

Perfect Picnic on Monhegan (Part 1)

IF there is a better moment in time to visit Monhegan Island, I cannot imagine what it is. When the last of the lilacs bloom coincides with the lupine show, it's pure magic.

It's no wonder that the island continues to spawn generation after generation of artists...locals and rusticators alike. Not having any real connections to Monhegan, a day tripper like myself must be content to spend a full and glorious day or two hiking, and give careful consideration to one's own provisions.

Rockland's Renaissance, indeed!

With a decisive stamp of culinary approval, the Portland Press Herald devotes two full pages to Rockland in today's food section. Finally putting to rest the reputation for which Rockland has suffered for too long (smelly, low-brow, depressed), food editor Meredith Goad declares Rock City a go-to destination for good eating and good art.

From our offices on Rockland's Main Street, we have first-hand access to today's vibrant scene of bistros, galleries, and boutiques that keep the sidewalks thrumming with visitors. Early this morning, the coffee shops were packed and already running low on muffins. A 3-story crane was installing a jazzy, new free-form awning on the entrance to the Farnsworth Museum, and people were still gawking at the Robert Indiana "EAT" sculpture that had been mounted on the museum's roof only yesterday. The aroma of roasting coffee beans was in the air, and it didn't hurt that bright sunshine was making everything sparkle like new.

Maine Farm Gets the Nod from Martha Stewart

Here in Maine we're aware that our local restaurants, antique shops, crafts, and farmers' markets are cherished by urban renegades who flock here to enjoy "life the way it should be." Among our more high-profile part-time residents is none other than Martha Stewart who runs a media empire and escapes to Bar Harbor whenever she can.

"Logger" family to dish up eats in Millinocket

The Pelletier family, nationally known for their Friday night show “American Loggers" on the Discovery Channel (except to me, who had no idea that this show existed before today, but will now surely become obsessed with it), has purchased two shuttered, adjacent businesses in Millinocket and started to merge the spaces into a "large eatery." With logging work slow, the family and a contracting team have thrown themselves into extensive remodeling work in hopes of opening the restaurant later this year.

Favorite Place on Earth: Maine

Midcoast Maine is abuzz this summer with all things Wyeth. I had just attended the opening reception at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland for Jamie Wyeth’s exhibition “Seven Deadly Sins” when I received an email from a longtime friend whose new book had just been released by National Geographic. “My Favorite Place on Earth: Celebrated People Share Their Travel Discoveries” was written by Jerry Dunn, a former neighbor of mine who had told me a year ago that he planned to include two Mainers in his book, Jamie Wyeth and Paige Rense.

Isle au Haut – A Memorable Culinary Getaway

Our Island Gourmet Girls Culinary Getaway on beautiful Isle au Haut on June 13-15 and June 15-17 is an event we know you will enjoy. Join me, along with Linda Greenlaw and Kate Shaffer for a weekend cooking extravaganza. You will learn to perfectly prepare and cook succulent Maine fish, make delicious complementary side dishes, and finish off with an artisan chocolate making class. Walk away with recipes and memories to last a lifetime.

I love dinner parties: the planning, decorating, preparing, the laughter and fun. The satisfaction and happiness I get feeds my soul as well as the bellies of my guests. Heck, I even opened an inn on an offshore island with no restaurants so I could do it 7 nights a week!

Mary Lake in the News!

Today's edition of the Bangor Daily News features an article on Mary Lake, our own vegetarian blogger and writer of the Creative Vegetarian column for our Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine. The BDN article, She's Firmly Planted, tells the story of how Mary began her travel down the vegetarian road and where she is with it in her life today. She's a teacher and writer, with an omnivorous husband and two Sheltand sheep dogs (who are dedicated carnivores).

We love Mary here at the magazine, and know you will also. You can read her columns here at our blog by clicking on the Mary Lake contributor's banner, and more recipes and reviews at her own vegetarian blog, Mitten Machen. The BDN article also links to some of Mary's recipes.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Asparagus & Rhubarb: Acquired Tastes and Found Treats

Among the piles of rope, buoys, scrap iron, stainless steel sinks and other treasures bequeathed by previous owners of my home, there is a rhubarb patch.

Actor Gary Merrill (Conclusion) and Irish Lobster Pie

“Raspberry pie, lots of sugar, and the most elegant crust of flour, cider vinegar, and lard for the shipwrecked. “ I had learned the love of cooking at this early age under the unconventional instruction of  Miss Ada. (Nana could not cook a bit nor did she ever try to, but she could dance and sing and swim.) Ada’s dishes were a delightful hodgepodge of Jamaican, Irish, typical Maine fare, and a new found flair for Italian. With the resources of the barn, coops, slaughterhouse, and lavish gardens up at the “Big House", meals were always a well orchestrated event. Ada had recently learned to make pasta from one of Grandsir's card buddies, Rome Cabone, a local store owner and native Sicilian. For a couple of weeks, long strands of pasta hung over a wooden clothes-drying rack. Her favorite way of preparing it was with  Campbell’s Tomato soup. (That recipe needed some work!)

Actor Gary Merrill Puts Yacht Aground in Back River (Part 1)

I lived a charmed life as a child in Boothbay. My grandparents' home on Murphy’s Point sprawled from the formal and elegant big house (and I mean “big”) down through the fields abundant with blueberry bushes and rustic (wine grape) arbors, to the shore via the well worn dirt road. My grandfather, who was in his 70’s when I was born (my grandmother was 30 years younger~a story for another time), had lived his life, amassed his wealth, and took pleasure in creating fun for his family. At the shore he had built a summer cottage to resemble the home he had grown up in on the Irish coast. 

Small Business, Small Food, Hands On

This is my first post. I’m in the food industry in Maine. I’m beginning my fourth season as a sternman aboard a Matinicus Island lobster boat. We are a small business, 2 people in an open boat.

 

We gather wild, healthy nourishment. There are no pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, concentrated animal feeding operations, runoff, bycatch mortality, deforestation, salmonella, e coli, bad mojo or dress code violations involved.

SEAsonings: Empty Harbors

"Empty Harbors" is a generational story of perseverance in the face of changing times and tides. Proctor Wells and his family have fished the waters of Phippsburg for two centuries. Fishing has been their way of life for 6 generations. Now that Maine lifestyle is seeing some major changes.

Theirs is a story all too familiar in many coastal towns in Maine where fishing was once a prosperous industry. Now, overfishing, increased regulations, and the swelling cost of equipment and permits have caused a shift in culture. Many have been forced to rethink, or in some cases abandon, a livelihood which once flourished. Read more to learn how Proctor Wells is staying “Tenacious.”

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Chainsaw Artist Ray Murphy

He’s a man with mission: to never stop growing, creating, and expressing his love for his art. When artist Ray Murphy of Hancock wields a chainsaw, and there is wood in his midst, things happen. Read about him in the latest issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

As the sawdust clears, amazing wooden art appears. Read his story and see his show. We’re sure you’ll be as impressed as we are by the man, his talents, and his philosophy.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Food of Art: Daunis Jewelers

Daunis Jewelers in Portland, Maine is a dazzling place. It is elegant and crafty and just plain beautiful. We traveled there for the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine to learn the art of jewelry making, and found the “Food of Art” as well. 

Local jewelers Patricia Daunis Dunning and husband Bill Dunning, whose jewelry is inspired by all things in the natural world, showed themselves to be worldly cooks as well, with decidedly local and organic values.

Enjoy their “Everlasting Duck,” a favorite meal at family gatherings and a nod to “green” home dining, as utilizing the entire duck means nothing is wasted. Their recipes are included in this feature article.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Earth Day 2009: Take Time to Celebrate and Appreciate

I'll admit, I don't spend much time thinking about the earth. I'm sure happy to see it reappear when winter recedes the white blanket in favor of the green, however. And living here in Maine, year round, I do appreciate the change of seasons. But winter always disconnects me from thinking much about anything more than surviving the cold and barrenness until spring.

"A Sense of Wonder" Continues: Portrait of Rachel Carson

In March, the National Women's History Project and President Obama honored women leaders of the environmental movement, observing in particular the pioneering work of Rachel Carson. In conjunction with this celebration, over 150 public screenings are being held around the country of the critically-acclaimed film "A Sense of Wonder", an intimate and poignant portrait of scientist Rachel Carson's life as she became a passionate advocate for the natural world after her publication of Silent Spring in 1962. The film was shot at Carson's cottage on the coast of Maine.

Old-fashioned Spice Doughnuts

Doughnuts have had a lot of press lately, both good and bad. Homemade doughnuts are as much a piece of our local lifestyle as lobster meat in a hot dog roll. A real homemade doughnut (or donut, I’m not fussy,) bears absolutely no resemblance to the cold, trucked-in, over-sugared pastries so often decried in the press as the worst example of America’s poor diet. I submit that we who fry doughnuts should resist this defamation and… fry even more doughnuts. They are a respectable piece of New England culture, for some people an uncommon treat which can evoke warm memories (or create new ones,) and a fine snack for the hardworking woodcutter, lobsterman or potato digger. Let’s not allow the frying of doughnuts to become a lost art. On Matinicus, I make these for all sorts of community gatherings, especially elections.

Gifford's Ice Cream Reminds Us That Shopping Local Means Supporting Family

As a Mainer and part of a family-run business, I’ve been reminded recently of what a warm and welcoming community we have here in Maine. Bad news is all over the television and newspapers, but each and every day, I see that people are really supporting one another and trying to make sure that Maine businesses – farms, restaurants, stores, you name it – stay open. In the middle of a frightening recession, Maine families are focused on supporting local companies, and Maine business owners are working together to create opportunity in our state. It’s “bootstraps attitude,” and I admire it greatly.

The Outlaw Doughnuts of the Resistance

I know that nearly every magazine and newspaper in Maine, and practically every food writer in this area, has tackled the subject of homemade doughnuts. About the same time that I wrote “The Doughnut Rebellion” in Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors a while back, there were doughnut articles in half a dozen publications, including Maine Food & Lifestyle. One might assume that anybody who had even the slightest interest in learning anything whatsoever about doughnuts…how to make them, why they have holes, what they’re called in Portugal, and why it matters so much in Rockport…would have done so already.

So, why more writing on doughnuts now?

McLellan Appointed Executive Chef of Linda Bean's Perfect Maine

Maine Lobster Chef of the Year, Margaret Salt McLellan, has been named Executive Chef of Linda Bean's product brand, Linda Bean's Perfect Maine. Hired by Linda Bean, who is the granddaughter of L.L. Bean, McLellan's appointment puts her in charge of the culinary aspects of the business: a vertically integrated shore to table group of companies specializing in Maine lobster.

Portland Maine Tops Forbes List of America's Most Livable Cities

We are excited to share some hot news with you! Congratulations to Maine's city of Portland, home of some of this country's finest dining experiences. Portland received high marks in the areas of food, income, growth, and culture, and its low levels of crime and unemployment put it at the top of Forbes List of America's Most Livable Cities.

Again, congratulations to all businesses and the wonderful people of Maine who remind us every day why we're labeled "The Way Life Should Be."

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

"A Sense of Wonder" Screenings in Maine

This March, the National Women's History Project and President Barack Obama honor women leaders of the environmental movement, observing in particular the pioneering work of Rachel Carson. In conjunction with this celebration, over 100 public screenings are being held around the country of the critically-acclaimed film "A Sense of Wonder", "an intimate and poignant portrait" of scientist Rachel Carson's life as she became a passionate advocate for the natural world after her publication of Silent Spring in 1962. The 2008 film was shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler at Carson's cottage on the coast of Maine.

Any Excuse for a Cake

On Matinicus Island, particularly during the winter and (even worse) early spring, some of us will settle for just about any reason to bake a cake. We might have to bring something to enliven an otherwise dull meeting, make something as a “thank-you” for the friend who gave us the spare furnace cement, tip the propane driver who endured the two-hour ferry ride, or celebrate Saint Melvin’s Day. It doesn’t take much.

MOFGA Director to Introduce Showing of "Tableland"

The public is invited to attend a free talk and movie, part of the Eat Local Challenge Film and Discussion Series sponsored by the Belfast Free Library and the Belfast Co-op.  The movie "Tableland", which goes in search of the people, places, and tastes involved in North American small-scale food production, will be shown at the Belfast Free Library on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30pm.

Giving an introduction to the film will be Russell Libby, executive director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Libby's involvement with MOFGA in 1977 began because he saw a strong connection between local, organic food and a healthy Maine economy. With his family, he operates Three Sisters Farm, a small diversified farm, in Mount Vernon.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Matinicus Island Welcome: home-cooking-just-for-fun

An island homeowner rather new to Matinicus was chatting in his yard with another islander who’d been here longer (a mere couple of decades; hardly a “native.”) The relative newcomer asked the veteran about the long-standing reputation for lawlessness and independence which the island enjoys. “I keep hearing these comments about it being sort of… anarchy out here. Is it really anarchy?” His neighbor reflected on island life since the mid-eighties, and was silent a moment.  “It is anarchy,” remarked the long-term resident at last, “except when there are going to be refreshments.”

Savvy Maine Gift Ideas

Searching for a thoughtful gift for a special hostess? How about a gift that says Maine for that friend or relative who lives far away? Or maybe you'd just like to indulge in a bit of retail therapy for yourself. Whatever the occasion, here are a few simple ideas.

Razing Questions

Town meeting on this little island off the coast of Maine is coming up, and I have a hunch the hot topic of the evening is going to be cold drinks and sandwiches.

YouTube Music Video Album

Those who know me are aware that music is an important ingredient in my life. Ditto for visual imagery. So imagine how amazed I was to read Virginia Heffernan's post at her The Medium blog on the New York Times Magazine site today. She raves about ThruYou, a seven-track album created by musician/producer Kutiman consisting entirely of samples from user-contributed YouTube videos. Can you imagine the work that went into finding these clips and then creating a video album from them that actually works? How cool. What talent. What fun! Check it out!

Jim Bazin is the creative director of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine

Station Maine: Support Local Youth Boaters

The public is welcome to join Station Maine for their annual Saint Patrick's Day Auction featuring Rockland's Senior Auctioneer Bruce Gamage. Proceeds from the event will benefit Station Maine, an organization of community members committed to providing boating experiences for youth of all ages in the mid coast area.

This year’s auction will be on board the Motor Vessel Monhegan, at the Middle Pier in Rockland, Tuesday, March 17, 7 p.m.

For more information, photography, or reporter inquiries, call Station Maine at 691-2037. www.stationmaine.org

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

U.S. Toboggan Championships in Camden This Weekend

Looks like it's going to be perfect weather this weekend, February 6-8, for Camden to host the 19th annual U. S. National Toboggan Championships. Each year, this event brings fun and excitement to the small coastal town, just when Mainers need it most!!

People come from all over to compete and enjoy a few days of winter amusement. If you've watched or been involved before, you know what we're talking about. If not, check out the video clips from the 2007 to see what you've been missing.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Ice Fishing: A Real Maine Winter Sport

I remember going fishing with my Dad. It was something he enjoyed and taught me about. And it was something we did together. Most of the things I remember my Dad doing with me involved sports or some form of competition: shooting hoops, bicycle riding trips, target shooting, walks and hikes through the woods. So, when my dad came down with Alzheimer's Disease about five years ago, at least the one thing he still had was his physical health.

D.E.W. Animal Kingdom: Where the Wild Things Are

Maine is a pretty wild place. And it doesn't get any wilder than D.E.W. Animal Kingdom in Mt. Vernon.  Words barely do justice to the visit we had there with Bob and Julie Miner and all the animals (Domestic, Exotic, and Wild, hence the name D.E.W.) with whom they share their life.

An inspiring story (see first page) with some amazing photos you won't want to miss. We can't wait to go back again to meet some of their new arrivals. Read all about this unique Maine refuge in our latest issue!

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Lobster Weathering the Storm

In our new issue, we devote a lot of attention to the crisis in the Maine lobster industry. As everyone is now aware, a perfect storm of depressed demand, low prices, rising fuel and bait costs, and tougher regulations has combined to plummet what has been the cash cow of our fishing industry into an economic disaster.

Maine Food Up for Bid

I never knew I always wanted to ride in a dump truck until I saw it on the auction block.

The Penobscot Bay Region Chamber has pulled together an amazing smorgasbord of products and adventures and put the entire collection up for bid. Their online auction ends tomorrow night, and the live auction takes place Friday evening when all these goodies will disappear. Unless you've been smart enough to grab up some of these gems.

Dinner for One in Portland

Single and stuck in the TV dinner rut? 

We just discovered a new lifestyle website "designed to help singles lead powerful, positive, productive, and passionate lives." That's a tall order, but a great feature of the website is an online interview with a prominent chef who provides a one-person recipe that uses local and seasonal ingredients. Their first chef in this series? None other than Steve Corry, chef and owner of Portland's famed 555 restaurant.

You can read Steve's interview and recipe for Scallop Ceviche at this location.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

The Sustainable Kitchen in Maine

The Maine Literary Festival took place this weekend in Camden, and it was a doozy. The theme, “For This Earth: Visions in Literature” featured writers who tackled topics like Science and the Environment, Spirituality and the Environment, and Eco-Poetry. But it was the session entitled “The Sustainable Kitchen & Table” that knocked my socks off.

Ten Best Markets for Healthy Food

In the new issue of Health magazine, the editors reveal a nationwide survey of supermarkets they deem to have the healthiest food products and in-store consumer education programs designed to help shoppers make the best choices. A regular inventory of organic, seasonal, and local produce, meats, and poultry was a big consideration.

It comes as no surprise that Whole Foods, a valued advertiser in Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, ranks as the top supermarket for finding the widest selection of healthy food. Whole Foods in Portland has become a mecca for people in Maine who seek high-quality and organic foods from the store's worldwide sources. We're hoping Whole Foods will open a second location in Maine, then a third, then....

Coming in second in the survey was Safeway, followed by Harris Teeter, Trader Joe's, Hannaford (#5), Albertson's, Food Lion, Publix, Pathmark, and SuperTarget (#10).

Although some of names on the Top Ten list surprised us at first, it's good to know that even the biggest food chains in the country are yielding to consumer demand for good, clean, healthy food choices. And we're glad to see that Mainers have plenty of choices for finding healthy food wherever they live in the PIne Tree state.

Merrill Williams is the publisher of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Maine Farmers' Markets: Fall Listing

We were pleasantly surprised to find that, although we are turning a corner on seasons, some Maine Farmers' Markets are still going strong. Here is a sampling of what is still out there to enjoy. Make your way to one of these markets while you still can!

Maine Lobster in Troubled Waters

In light of the current downturn in Maine’s lobster industry, I spoke with a local fisherman to get his take on the situation. Captain Gary Libby is a groundfisherman who also lobsters out of Port Clyde. His thoughts:

“It’s very alarming that the number one fishing industry in our state has fallen on awful economic times at a time of year when the lobstermen make most of their income.

Maine Ghost Hunters

Ok, so where was this blog when I was a kid and so interested in otherworldly stuff like this? Well, back then I didn't have a computer, no one even knew what a blog was, and I guess I was too busy exploring the neighborhood and trying to find my own spiritual connections by visiting the local graveyards, doing grave rubbings, and studying up on local lore. This site is awesome, especially as All Hallows' Eve lurks just around the corner. This is the coolest thing since "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"!

http://www.maineghosthunters.blogspot.com/
Happy Halloween, Boys and Ghouls....

Melanie Hyatt is an editor at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

MF&L Staff's Favorite Read of the Summer

Jim Bazin: I read close to 20 books this summer, mostly from the mystery/thriller genre. There have been some very enjoyable ones by the likes of John Sandford, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Stephen King, David Baldacci, James Patterson, and so many more. It would be hard to pick a fave, so I'll go with the last one read (finished last night), Heat Lightning by John Sandford. A good read for sure.

Maine Maize Mazes

Several Maine farms are getting very creative about harvesting their corn fields this year. Mazes are all the rage! When seen from above, these 8-12 feet high corn stalk labyrinths appear in the design of lobsters, lighthouses, moose, emblems and logos, and trains, just to list a few.

Try your skill at navigating some of these great family-friendly fun spots.

http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/travel/new-england/corn-mazes.html

Melanie Hyatt is an editor at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Energy Saving Tips

With winter around the corner and fuel prices heavy on our minds, The Portland Press Herald recommends  energy audits to make homes more fuel and energy efficient. An audit will set homeowners back $300-$500 but could wind up saving them 30% off their energy bills. There’s also a checklist for DIYers.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Name That Tuna!

We have a couple of new friends here at the magazine. This summer, our Creative Director decided we needed some more office excitement (like there wasn’t enough already). So what did he do? He went to the Knox County Humane Society and adopted not one, but two cats!

So, now that we are dodging chirping cat toys, playing with laser mice, sweeping up fur balls, doing cat food brand taste tests and refereeing wrestling matches as part of our daily routines.

We need some help from you, the reader. (No, we’re not asking you to come in and clean the litter box!) We’d just like your suggestions.

You see, one of the cats we’ve renamed Wolfgang (Wolfie). He's an adorable, gray 4 month old bundle of energy. The other, well...she needs a new name. She came to us as 2-year old dainty calico miss, having been named "Tuna Platter" by the Shelter folks. And we think she is far too pretty and sweet for such a lame name. Please help us give her an appropriate new one!

Here is her photo...send us your ideas for her new designation. Make it cool, make it original, and above all, help us make it more fitting!

She’s entitled to a new title...

Our lovely female cat, currently known as "Tuna Platter"

Melanie Hyatt is an editor at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Meet You at the Farmers' Market

It used to be that when friends or neighbors wanted to meet up with each other, they’d usually say, “See you at the coffee shop.” And there they’d sit, nursing a latte and catching up on each other’s news.

While visiting California last month, I was eager to connect with longtime friends I hadn’t seen for many months, and suggested getting together at the corner coffee emporium. I was surprised – and delighted – when my idea was amended to, “Let’s meet at the farmers’ market.”

Maine Labor Day Thoughts

Maine Labor Day

The traditional holiday signaling the end of summer is upon us. And though we have many more warm days ahead to look forward to this fall (I hope!), Labor Day heralds us into an inevitable transition of the seasons.

I am not looking forward to what the Farmer’s Almanac foretells...

Here we are, the beginning of September, which means what? To everyone, regardless whether they just graduated last spring, or like my Nana, nearly 70 years ago, it means school starts. The nostalgia hits us with nearly tangible anxiety. Like a quick, swift kick to the stomach, comes the nervous sting of loss flying in on the last butterfly wings of summer which alight and flutter in the pit of our stomach.

Something new is about to begin...

Back to school sale flyers have been kicking around since the the end of June. I’ve become annoyed with the Halloween masks and fake Christmas trees which never really seem to leave the store shelves anymore.  We are definitely on the move toward fall and it is closer now to us than the lingering, lazy days of summer. And yet with strength, and great irony, we attempt desperately to live in the moment.

Life moves far too fast...

I was just waiting to smell those lilacs, it seemed like forever before my delicate daffodils and tulips made their brief appearance before being drowned out in torrential spring winds and rains, and now hardy mums are staring my squarely in the face. The mornings and evenings are undeniably cooler, and the shadows of fall are already haunting the russet-hinted landscape. I found one bright orange leaf on my front lawn last weekend as testament.

Foreshadowing has begun...

So, before we all think of hunkering down for what’s ahead, bringing wool sweaters out of storage and watching for the first frost, let’s remember to indulge in the season at hand. Labor Day means BBQs, lobster and clam bakes, blueberry pies, country fairs, enjoyment, celebration, relaxation, time with family, the historic last good beach day, the last hurrah... and the pang of regret for all those undone summer plans.

Melanie Hyatt is an editor at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Return of the Yoga Goddess

Ok, so one of my great intentions as the weather got nicer this spring had been to exercise again regularly after my grueling winter stint as a couch potato. You see, I have an excuse for everything. In the winter, naturally it was too cold and too icy to take walks, and an indoor gym membership was just too expensive and impractical, as it would ha€™ve involved driving at least 15 miles to get there... and in all the snowstorms we had, forget that. So, I waited it out and wintered well like a good Mainer.

As soon as the coast was clear, I laced up my Asics and started pounding the pavement. I walked gung-ho, 3 miles a day, for a surprising 2 weeks straight. It felt good, it was a natural high, and I was addicted once again to feeling positive about myself. Then the excuses came. Too much housework was being neglected, the fridge was empty, I was so tired, I had work to do and that 1/2 hr. I was walking would just have to wait... until tomorrow.

Summer Reads: What is our Staff Reading?

Jim Bazin: My current reads are Rift by poet Barbara Helfgott Hyett, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Real World Camera RAW CS3 by Bruce Frazier and Jeff Schewe, and David Baldacci's latest ... The Whole Truth, which provides a nice balance (escapism) to the more serious reads.

Sean Chung: From my in-law's bookshelf, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain's rollicking account of cooking and general bad behavior in the underbelly of New York restaurants and his eventual arrival at chefdom.

Katherine Emory: Anything by Isabelle Allende. Pillars of Iron and Three Cups of Tea await me.

Melanie Hyatt: Augusten Burroughs’ Magical Thinking is what I carry around at the moment in the car and read in places like the laundromat or while I’m waiting for appointments. I have Maggie Scarf’s Unfinished Business on my night stand for a little light end of the day reading. I think I’ve currently read all there is to read on Sylvia Plath.

Melissa Leiter (summer intern): The Secret History of the American Empire. I think anyone who wants to get involved in big business should read it.

Merrill Williams: I usually have a couple of books going at the same time. I just finished a spiritual autobiography by Sidney Poitier, which reveals a side to his personality that is the opposite of his screen image. Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is not only beautifully and humorously written, but manages to also provide excellent reader service with recipes and cooking tips.

Random thoughts from the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.