Frog Casanovas

Every night as soon the sky turns pitch black, the serenade begins. The male frogs start their mating call to the all lady frogs. It starts out soft, then grows in harmony as they all join in. It’s a rhythmic song that amplifies on the pond. I feel like Barry White should be singing in the background.

The air is different, the sky is different

When I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico for the first time, I read a quote at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum that I instantly connected to. She loved the new land that she discovered and said, “As soon as I saw it, that was my country. I’d never seen anything like it before, but it fitted to me exactly. It’s something that’s in the air, it’s different. The sky is different, the wind is different.”

While I’ve visited many places in my life and hope to see many, many more, The Cape is my country. I am connected here through generations of family history and experiences. The air and sky and wind are different for me here too; It calms and transports. I keep coming back hoping someone will whisper a secret to me during this quiet time and I will discover a new thought or idea.

I keep waiting.

The Cape Cod Diet

Eat fresh local seafood, low sugar fruits and vegetables from Orleans weekly farmers’ market, spend 5+ hours in a bikini and voila = annual summer shed without even trying. (above: lunch on the back porch. Seared Scallops with olive oil and white wine reduction, baby greens and micro greens with raw snap peas + dijon vinaigrette, sliced avocado w/ sea salt.)

In search of the perfect kayak

I’m searching for the perfect kayak to have on our pond. I have a Sunfish sailboat, but it’s not that easy to get in and out of the water solo and I find myself getting rusty with the sailing skills. My brother is a much better sailor and I need him as my captain, I hate to admit. I’m combing Craig’s List to see if someone has a well-loved kayak for me to adopt and provide a new welcoming home. In the meantime, I’ll head to Swan River and rent for the day on my annual stroll up and down the river.  (Or “The Riv-ah” as the locals say…) I also found a complete guide of kayak rentals.

How to eat a Lobster: Claw, Tail, Claw, baby.

I will never tell someone how they “should” do anything. To each his own, really. But when people come to visit my house and watch me eat a lobster, they often ask how to make it happen. My friend Amanda still calls me after dining on crustacean and says, “Claw, tail, claw, baby! Just how you taught me!”  So I will share the Hagopian technique and you can share yours with me. We can compare and maybe I will try your style? But Claw, Tail, Claw works for me and I hope it works for you too.

So here goes:

1. Take your lobster out of the steamer and slide it on its back. Take a sharp knife and split down the middle in the grooves between the claws down to the tail.

2. I start with one claw as a warm up to the whole lobster. Twist off the claw at the base of the body and twist each knuckle apart at the joints. I grab the thumb of the claw and pull it apart and crack the middle of the claw to pull it out of the shell in one piece. Eat one claw and save one claw for later.

3. Twist off 4 legs from one side and dip into your butter. Suck all the juice and slide the meat out with your teeth.  (N.B. I also squeeze my lemon into my melted butter warmer so that each bite has a light citrus flavor and you don’t have to squeeze on each piece individually. I appreciate the efficiency here ; -)

4. Twist the tail off at the point where it meets the body. Spread the cavity apart where you split it down the middle. Pull the tail out in one big piece and savor every bite slowly. Don’t forget to twist the little tail knuckles apart at the end of the tail. There are little bits of  meat in there too!

5. Work your way back up the body with the other set of legs. This is where I also pull the legs apart from the cavity and run my fingers through the ribs of the lobster. If you can stomach sifting through the gills and green tomalley, there is a reward for your persistence in the ribs. (My Chinese friends believe the tomalley is the best part of the lobster along with the red roe in female lobsters. I can’t do the green innards myself, but I do enjoy the roe.)

6. Devour your last claw that you reserved like a happy ending/dessert.

7. Sit back and sip your wine after a job well done. Rub the squeezed lemon wedge all over your fingers to jumpstart the cleanup process. Honestly, I need a full-on hose-me-down shower after a lobster dinner because this woman does not mess around after getting down and dirty…

Hello, Summer picnic!

Does it really get any better than this?! Crossing the bridge around suppertime, we weigh our options. We decide to stop for lobster rolls and a side of fried scallops from George’s Fish Market in Harwich and head to the corner gas station for ice cold summer brews, (classy, I know ; -) Denise and I b-line for Bank Street beach and have the most perfect summer picnic as the bright sun starts to lower over the Nantucket Sound. What I love about George’s lob rolls is how meaty and decadent they are– very light on the mayo with TONS of super fresh chilled lobster and served on a buttery croissant. Yes, croissant. As if lobster could get more indulgent. SO good!

Summer 2010

Gearing up for my favorite time of year. 4th of July on Cape Cod. Maid Pro is scheduled for the annual house opening cleaning and I’m ready to fire up the grill for fresh seafood dinners. More to come.