Share our Strength Maine

All posts tagged Share our Strength Maine

Beach Pea Baking Co.’s Cowgirl Cookies

Posted by spoonandshutter on April 3, 2012
Posted in: Kitchen, Out & About. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 comments

From Spoon: In my fantasy life, I own a bakery. I get up before dawn to roll out pie crusts, stir chocolate chips into cookie dough and slather cupcakes with icing. Happy customers line up to buy my famous scones and my days are spent in a swirl of cinnamon scented air. Screeeech (think brakes slamming) … reality check!! As much as I love to bake, I could never own a bakery – no way could I get out of bed in time to make the doughnuts. And, as a former restaurateur, I know all too well how much hard work it is.

Thomas Roberts, owner of Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery, Maine

But every so often, when we visit a great bakery, the fantasy kicks in. It was running at full throttle the minute we walked through the door of Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery, Maine.  Run by Thomas and Mariah Roberts, an adorable young couple committed to making high quality, natural baked goods and offering a delightful environment for the community to gather, Beach Pea is the place to pick up artisan bread, stop in for a morning coffee and croissant or meet a friend for lunch. We discovered it when Ted photographed Thomas for Share Our Strength Maine.

Thomas was kind enough to give us a copy of Beach Pea’s cookbook, “Artisan Breads, Pastries, Cookies and Desserts.” These cookies (with a few tweaks by me) are representative of the bakery’s philosophy; they are both a sweet treat and wholesome.

Beach Pea Bakery’s Cowgirl Cookies

2 1/2 tablespoons crushed pineapple (I used apricot jam)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 cups evaporated cane sugar (I used light brown sugar, loosely packed)

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup shredded coconut

Combine all dry ingredients except the sugar in one bowl. In a second bowl, combine the chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut.

In a mixer, cream the butter until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the pineapple puree and mix on medium speed until combined.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the sugar. Mix together on speed one, stop and scrape down the bowl again, then continue mixing on medium.

Add the eggs and vanilla, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Pulse the mixer on low until the dough begins to come together. Stop and scrape down the bowl, add the chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut, and mix again to incorporate (Because there was a lot of dough,I had to take the bowl off the mixer stand and do this by hand.)

With a large spoon or ice cream scoop, portion the cookie dough onto a sheet pan, leaving enough space for the cookies to double in size.  Gently flatten the dough with the heel of your hand for consistent baking.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are light brown. Cool on a cooling rack.

Makes about three dozen.

Chefs rally for Share Our Strength Maine

Posted by spoonandshutter on March 13, 2012
Posted in: Out & About. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

El Camino Restaurant, Brunswick, Maine, owners, (L to R) Paul Comaskey, Eloise Humphrey, and Daphne Comaskey

From Spoon: In a country of so much abundance, it is an outrage that more than 16 million children are at risk for hunger. In Maine, 1 in 4 children is unsure about where their next meal is coming from. We are very proud to be volunteering – me doing publicity, Ted taking photos – with Share Our Strength, Maine, the local chapter of the leading national organization working to end childhood hunger in America. Share Our Strength Maine raises money through chef and restaurant events like Taste of the Nation® and Dine Out For No Kid Hungry®, and with the support of our generous sponsors, administrative costs are kept very low because everything is run by volunteers. Want to get involved, or know more? Visit the Share Our Strength Maine Facebook page.

These photos of chefs and owners were taken by Ted to mimic the national No Kid Hungry campaign with actor Jeff Bridges.

I’ve been met with some skepticism about kids going hungry in Maine because like everywhere else where families live in poverty, we also see children who are obese. Those children may be eating something – $1 meals from McDonald’s, cookies, crackers, chips. Because their bodies are not getting the nutrition they need, they crave more food, so they keep eating whatever is cheap and available – and gaining weight in the process. Share Our Strength helps stock food pantries with nutritious food, but that’s just part of the solution for many families who don’t have cooking knowledge or even access to a full kitchen. Share Our Strength is meeting this vital part of the challenge through the Cooking Matters® program, which teaches families how to prepare healthy meals.

Share Our Strength Maine’s major annual fundraiser is Taste Of The Nation®, scheduled this year for June 24 on at Diamond’s Edge restaurant on Great Diamond Island in Portland Harbor. If you’re planning a trip to Maine this summer, we urge you to schedule it around this spectacular event – you’ll get to experience Maine’s best chefs, restaurants and mixologists in one location, and contribute to a very good cause.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For all the details on Taste of the Nation® Maine 2012: Continue Reading

Chef Rob Evans for Share Our Strength Maine: Photo of the Week

Posted by spoonandshutter on January 20, 2012
Posted in: Photo of the Week. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 comment

Chef Rob Evans shows his support for Share Our Strength, Southern Maine Chapter

From Shutter:  I am very fortunate to make a living combining two things that I love: photography and food.  I feel very strongly that there is an obligation to give back.  I am blessed in so many way and fortunately in addition to not going hungry, I get to eat and experience some of the best food grown, cooked, served, and enjoyed.  It seems logical to me, since I make my living around food, chefs, and restaurants, that I give back by donating my photography skills to a food-related organization.  What could be more important than making sure no child goes hungry?  My choice of charity is Share our Strength of Maine.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to start photographing a series of Maine chefs that are willing to get involved with Share Our Strength.  The concept is to play off of the National Share our Strength campaign with actor Jeff Bridges.  The first chef is Rob Evans, owner of Hugo’s and Duckfat, both in Portland, Maine.  You would think that being at the helm of two restaurants, the James Beard Award winner and Food Network “Chopped” Champion would be too busy.  But that is not how Rob thinks.

Since 2006 Rob has made it a personal mission to raise funds to feed hungry children across Maine, which despite its beautiful summer homes along the coast, is a very poor state. In addition to having taken the lead of the Taste of the Nation events for the past three years (with fellow chefs Sam Hayward and Larry Matthews), Rob is taking things one step further. He is expanding the Share Our Strength dinner series across the state to raise awareness and money for this important issue. He believes that no child in America should grow up hungry.  And I agree.

Over the coming weeks I will be sharing some of those photos with you.

To find out more about Share our Strength please go to the National site or Share our Strength, Maine. They can also be found on Facebook here.