The Nor'Easter Restaurant

The Nor'Easter Restaurant in Dover-Foxcroft is a great lunch spot. The decor is nothing fancy, but it is neat and tidy, the service is great, and so is the food.

My daughter, now 15 weeks pregnant and finally not tossing her cookies all the time, has just been dying to eat real food. With her last three pregnancies I used to take her out for lunch once in awhile and she swears it's the reason she has three healthy girls. We aren't taking any chances on this one, so at least once a month we'll go out.

I had one of their specials, Coconut Shrimp, which was served with cole slaw and french fries. Everything came out of the kitchen hot and delicious. They served an orange aoli with the shrimp which was very tasty. My daughter had a fried haddock sandwich, which she declared to be one of the best she had ever eaten. I know her to be a fried haddock lover, so she knows her stuff. Her sandwich came served with potato chips which she couldn't eat because she had just had a tooth pulled the day before.

They have a good menu; something for everyone. They do have a full bar, and are open for breakfast lunch and dinner and are located right across from the post office at 44 North Street.

You'll see many locals here and if you happen to start up a conversation, you'll have a new friend.

Choo-Choo! All Aboard!

A new restaurant, All Aboard, opened in Dexter last year and I've been there a few times; enough that I feel like I can accurately and honestly give an opinion of it.

The tried hard on the decor; there are train tracks right behind the place, but they were pulled up years ago and a recreational trail was put in. The ATV-ers, bikers, and dog walkers love that trail that runs for miles and miles between all the surrounding towns.

The interior is train themed, and they have done a good job of collecting old photos of trains, and the decor has miscellaneous train stuff all around. I'm happy to say it didn't do what some places do and have an annoying miniature train running on a track by the ceiling in every damn room.

The menu is good, offering several choices of Maine seafood, pasta dishes, dishes for the kiddos and offer steaks, chicken and pork. I chose the Almondine Shrimp which was perfection. The linguini was al dente and the sauce was a rich brown butter sauce, My husband kept swiping my pasta thinking I couldn't eat that much, but I fooled him. I had to stop myself from licking the plate.

Hubby had the Chef Salad with grillled Shrimp which he would have liked more if the salad hadn't been overdressed.

The dessert board looked wonderful but I've been trying to lose weight for so long that I no longer am tempted, although I do love Red Velvet Cake and it was on the board.

The have a full bar, and many more beer varieties than wine.Service was very good. It Saturday night at 6:00pm and it was not at all busy.

Would I go there again? You bet! They have a back deck where you can eat and I would choose a sunny day and sit outside. I could probably be talked into an ice-cold Corona while looking over their menu. I even take my good buddy Cooper. He has better table manners than I do!

Graves Seafood in Greenville, Maine

As you look out over Moosehead Lake, you must realize that most of your lunch doesn't come from there: Lobsters,Clams. crabs,haddock come from the ocean hundreds of miles away on the coast waters of Maine, but it's still tasty,The transportation company keeps it on ice so arrives fresh to stores like

Graves Seafood

I had been craving a lobster roll,and it came with cole slaw and french fries. Both were delicious. Hubs had a haddock sandwich and sweet potato fries that were very good.

The outdoor seating is great on a dry day; it was most enjoyable making conversation with the locals.

Graves Seafood

As a friendly  place to have a great lunch of fried seafood, I would highly recommend Graves Seafood. They have beer, wine and stronger alcohol beverages available, and the food is really dekicious

A New Adventure-Retirement

Yesterday, my dear husband worked his last day. He is officially retired and I couldn't be more excited.

His days of drawing a real paycheck started when he was 13, helping his father in his job as a delivery driver. He worked full time during his high school years, working second shift in a woolen mill and often worked three jobs while in college. He certainly doesn't shy away from hard work, and the bigger the bank balance the happier he is.

He spent much of his adulthood working in sales, then he started his own office equipment business, which eventually was bought from a Fortune 500 company. He then steered his career towards economic development for one of Maine's poorest counties, which he has done for the past 13 years. He found great personal satisfaction in that position and wasn't really sure he wanted to retire.

Last year, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and our little world went into a tailspin. He didn't want to give up his summer of golf, or his autumn of bird hunting, so he had a hormone shot and prostate removal surgery was set for November. We grew incredibly close as the months went by; the hormone shot had put him into man-o-pause. He had huge fluctuations in his mood and his body temperature (something I had already been through). We talked for hours, alternately laughing and crying and sharing our most personal thoughts. He really suffered and told me he wished he'd forgone the shot and had just had the surgery when he was diagnosed.  He continued to suffer months after the surgery in November with mood swings and hot flashes; now he had a painful catheter (he said it felt like a garden hose) in his penis and couldn't sit up straight for very long. He had to wear a diaper as well, since urine leaked around the tube.

We discussed life in general and our dream since our first trip to Bermuda 25 years ago was to travel a great deal once we retired. I became disabled in 2004--thus I was already retired. He is Scottish and very frugal with money and it was because of his money management skills that we were able to reach our magic number before he turned 65. I asked him if he still wanted to travel and he was definite about his answer-YES!  Then why would you keep working?

The cancer had scared us both and made us ask ourselves some hard questions. Honestly, I was ready to sell our home because if he were to die there was no way I could handle the maintenance, and frankly I didn't want to. What if he couldn't get back to "normal" and keep up with the maintenance? We agreed to put off the decision for a few months and see how things worked out.

He felt he needed to let his board of directors know that he would retire at the end of June, so they would have ample time to replace him.  I was the only one who knew how much he struggled with his decision. The plain truth was that he truly loved his work, and the thought of not getting a regular paycheck twice a month scared him, and why wouldn't it? He'd been working for over 50 years!

He signed up for Social Security and had collected his first check. He is cancer-free! Our first trip is next month when we drive up to Cape Breton Island in the Canadian Maritimes for ten days. He is going on a fishing trip in Canada in September, bird hunting in October and November, and right after Christmas we head south with the rest of the snowbirds. We decided to keep our home for now.

2014 was a terrible year for us. There were several family crisis' that we got through with God's help. The cancer was just one of the year's many challenges.

 It's July 1, 2015 and so far the year is going great. One of our three daughters is flying up from Miami in just a few days, and we are so excited to see her and her four children. She is staying at a huge home on Moosehead Lake and will celebrate her 40th birthday and marry her wonderful Scott. I will be performing the ceremony--now how cool is that?  Another of our daughters, who has three beautiful daughters, discovered a few weeks that "surprise!" they are having another baby in January. This will be number 10 grandchild for us, and we will have plenty of time to spend with all of them.

I've always said that God loves me best; my blessed life proves it.

The Best Cheeseburger

I know, I know, only men are supposed to handle the grill, but not in this house, and especially not when I want a burger.

One of my brothers turned me on to carmelized onions years ago and a hamburger or hot dog isn't edible without them.  So before I even turn on the grill, I've cut up about five Vadalia onions and have them slowly cooking in a cast iron grill on the stove.

The hamburger must be grass-fed and cooked until it's still just a little bit pink inside. The bun must be grilled, and the cheese must be provolone. The bacon must be crisp.  While I am assembling my little beauty I am frying an egg; in my case, the yolk has to be cooked. A little salt, a little Raye's Sweet and Hot Mustard and I've outdone myself once again. Best sides are bread and butter pickles and Maine's Own Humpty Dumpty BBQ potato chips.

The Chopped Kitchen

I love the show "Chopped", but I find myself just wanting to have my chance! I can hold my own in my kitchen, but wouldn't it be a blast to have a chance to cook in THAT kitchen!  Of course, I'd want the whole shebang and have a prep cook and a cleanup crew. All that lovely food in the pantry! All those spices!  A flash chiller and an ice cream maker!  

I would have to say that my kitchen is better designed; the sink is actually where I need it, not on the other end of the kitchen, and there is counter space beside the stove. And I have a dishwasher--ever see one on the Chopped set?

I'm not interested in the part where I actually have to open the basket and cook the ingredients. They come up with some weird stuff that I just wouldn't have a clue what to do with. Just my luck they'd give me eye of newt, pig cheeks and jelly beans,

Maybe I'll just stay in my own kitchen, and buy my own groceries.

Retirement

I never truly believed my husband would retire, but at the end of June he is done.

It shouldn't be a surprise that his frugal ways have enabled us to retire with a fairly large nest egg. He's Scottish and the Scott's hang on their money quite tightly.  I grew up thinking I was Irish but I did my family tree and found out I'm Scottish as well. So much for my spending ways; I have to be frugal now too!

He's been wondering what he will do with his time once he is retired, especially on rainy days. We have already decided that we will winter in Florida and summer in Maine, so he'll see a lot of time on the links. I suggested to him that he rediscover his passion for photography which he had before he found his passion for moi thirty five years ago. Of course, he had no new equipment so he sold his old camera and lens, a canoe and a rifle to come up with the money for new stuff.  The whole kit and kaboodle came the other day and I am so happy to see him as excited as a little boy as he learns what the new camera and lenses will do.

Next month, one of our daughters is remarrying on beautiful Moosehead Lake, about an hour north of us. My favorite times are those when all of my grandchildren are together so that camera is going to get a lot of use. We found out last week that we have another grandchild on the way, which will make an even ten.  We have four grown children, one of which is unable to have children, so I'd say the other three children have figured out where babies come from!

Four of our grandchildren live in Miami, so we don't see them as often as we'd like, but starting this winter that will change.  I can hardly wait!

Favorite Taste Combinations

I know some people swear by Chocolate and Peanut butter, or tomatoes and basil.  My favorite taste combination is a little strange, since I'm normally not a person who likes wild greens, strong cheese or champagne.

My absolute favorite taste combination is Asiago Cheese, Arugula and Prosecco. If I should ever end up on death row, my last meal had better consist of Asiago, Arugula and Prosecco. Otherwise, there will be hell. to pay.

One year, I had the pleasure of staying at Chadwick's Inn in Portland and took part in making dinner. Erica Archer, a fine sommalier was there to pair foods with wine and I just wanted to bring her home with me. The entire evening was so relaxed and fun but I found myself hoping I would find just one more serving of Asiago, Arugula and Prosecco in my room when I called it a night.

This year I planted Arugula seed and have been eating it practically as it comes up through the dirt. I just had to buy a hunk of Asiago cheese and some Prosecco to wash it down with. What blows me away is that I normally hate greens of any kind, I'm not a huge cheese fan and I never cared much for Champagne.  Now that I know what green goes with what cheese and with what wine, my mind has been opened to lots of new possibilities.

I now know that Baby Kale is heavenly! Now, to pair it with something scrumpcious.

Too Much Poundage

The day started out gloomy, and for me, achy. I have fibromyalgia and any number of triggers can bring it on; I suspect this one was two days of cold rainy weather. After an hour of being up this morning, I took my best buddy, Cooper (a Shihtzu/Maltee mix) back to bed and with a couple hours of sleep. I feel much more human now.

One of my favorite places in the world is my own back yard. The road we live on is not widely traveled, and our home is back from the road. I've taken special pains to keep our backyard more like a retreat than a fancy flowerbed, and we love it. An old fence creates a boundary between our yard and the woods, and over the years I have scattered seeds of forget-me-not, bleeding heart and knotweed. The lawnmower keeps it all in check, yet it looks natural. I keep three birdfeeders filled, two with a mixture of songbird food and one with hummingbird food. I don't know what I did differently, but this year we have managed to attract two pair of Indigo Bunting and several Pileated Woodpeckers. I am keeping the birdbath cleaner this year, which I think has helped, since I've seen many birds using it.

 Jim just purchased a super DSL camera this week and I just know I will have some stunning pictures to share once he gets the hang of it.

An upcoming wedding has me excited, especially since they decided they didn't want anyone doing anything and have engaged a caterer.  It is supposed to be a very low-keyed wedding, centered on the family more than the ceremony. On the shores of Moosehead Lake in mid-July, what possibly can go wrong?\

I'm hoping to lose ten pounds by then (it's just about a month) and see no reason why I can't do it. I've been going to Zumba, which I LOVE, and doing yoga at home, aerobics at the gym.  If I can lose then ten pounds, I can feel fairly comfortable in a dress I own. Otherwise, I am going to have to go buy something (in a larger size). I'd like to puke at that thought.

So, that being said, I think I will take Cooper for a long walk.

Paddy Murphy's Irish Pub, Bangor, Maine

Paddy Murphy's in downtown Bangor is a fun place to be. Of course, they have all the beer and wine you could ever want (liquor too) but the atmosphere and food are what makes it fun. I have to preface my words with the fact that my son-in-law Sean was responsible for making the interior look like a real Irish bar; the workmanship is beautiful. That being said, the food is delicious. They have specials most days but I keep coming back to my favorite, the good old American Hamburger. They do it up well. The fries, be they white or sweet, are always hot and good, and the draft beer is always cold with just the right amount of foam.

The staff is friendly as can be and the food always comes out hot and on time. Prices are reasonable. What's not to love?

Paddy Murphy's is located right smack downtown in Bangor Maine. You can't miss it.