Recently on a brief trip to Portland, Maine to celebrate my friend Holly’s graduation from Grad School (and also to thoroughly scope out the layout of her house so that I can covertly sneak in and “borrow” her brand new Corgi puppy) CK and I decided to make a quick stop in Freeport. Now for any of you that have had the pleasure of visiting Freeport, you know that it’s impossible for the time you spend there to ever be brief. Freeport is not only home to the Flagship L.L. Bean store, but it’s also packed with fabulous small boutiques and outlets. When I was little I loved visiting so I could check out the in-store open aquarium at L..L. Bean and watch the trout swimming at the base of the spiral staircase, and when I got older I loved having the chance to refresh my wardrobe. Therefore it’s been one of my favorite spots in Maine for most of my life.

CK had never been to Freeport, so I made sure to give him the full touristy tour and while we were checking out the large “Home” section at L.L. Bean I lost my mind, apparently forgot momentarily that I actually was from Maine, and bought a New England Maple Baked Beans gift set. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was seduced by that mini bottle of Maple Syrup and the cute red bow. In case you aren’t aware, Baked Beans are the traditional Saturday night fare in New England and my grandparents always served them with hot dogs and B&M Brown Bread. Yes that’s the bread that comes in a can. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Honestly, growing up, I hated homemade baked beans, and would avoid them at all cost in favor of the one’s that came in a can. But this little gift set has changed my tune. After following the directions for sorting, soaking, prepping, and baking I was rewarded with the most delicious bowl of baked beans I’ve ever had. It probably didn’t hurt that they were full of brown sugar, tart green apple bites, Vermont maple syrup, and a really obscene amount of thick cut bacon. I served my bean “supper” with ridiculously overpriced hot dogs from Whole Foods and whipped up a loaf of Mark Bitman’s Quick Whole Wheat and Molasses Bread, which tastes eerily similar to that bread in a can I have such fond memories of.

So in the Fall, if you’re looking for something hearty to serve a small army than definitely consider trying out this set or whipping up your own homemade batch of baked beans. If you do order the online kit just keep in mind that they’re calling it “Vermont Maple Baked Beans.” In addition, that cute little bottle of amber colored syrup is only a third of the amount that you actually use in the dish so be sure to stock up on your favorite real maple syrup before you begin the time consuming, but definitely worthwhile, cooking process.

Guess who’s back, back again!

Erin and I have a weekend morning tradition of starting off nice and slow with some sort of breakfast and a freshly pressed cup of coffee. As much as we’d like to take credit for starting this trend in our home, it really was something I “borrowed” from elsewhere.

I have a lot of family in Connecticut, and one of the places I love to visit while there is Uncle Bob and Aunt Leslie’s house near the shore. Occasionally I would stay over, and in the mornings, they would have a big pot of French press coffee off to the side in their kitchen all ready to go. I was always impressed by the flavor of the coffee, and this was just about the time that I became more interested in coffee and coffee drinks, thanks to the Starbucks near my work. It wouldn’t be long before I decided to start brewing my own.

When it came time to start really making coffee at home for Erin and myself, there was really no other choice but to get a French press.

The Press

In deciding to go the French press route, I was already partial to Bodum’s Chambord line, specifically the Chambord 8-Cup model. The 8-Cup model is 32 ounces, and makes 4 US Cups, or 2 CK and Erin “Weekend” Cups of coffee. While I haven’t tried too many other French Press variants, I am a huge fan of the glass models, as opposed to something like the all-metal variety, which I feel cools the coffee down too quickly for my tastes.

The Coffee

Once you’ve decided on a press, the next logical portion of the coffee brewing experience is, of course, the beans. Rule number one when it comes to coffee is to make sure your coffee is fresh. This can mean as little as buying freshly ground coffee beans from a shop like Starbucks or Peet’s to as much as roasting and grinding your own beans. I like to take the middle ground and buy freshly roasted beans from Peet’s (we’re currently enjoying their Anniversary Blend) and grind them up right before brewing.

The Grinder

I’ll admit I haven’t spent as much time in picking out a grinder as I probably should have - This will undoubtedly change once I start inevitably dabbling in espresso and espresso drinks. For now I am content with the Braun KSM2 grinder, which definitely gets the job done, and was even capable of doing a fine grind of espresso beans for Erin’s infamous Flourless Chocolate Cake.

The Process

After many rounds of trial and error, my basic process for making coffee in the 8-cup press is as follows:

1. Bring a kettle of cold water to a whistle, and then let it sit while preparing the rest.
2. Put 5 Bodum Scoops of coffee beans (translates roughly to 8 Tablespoons) into the grinder.
3. Grind for approximately 8 seconds, or a medium-coarse ground.
4. Take the grounds out and pour them into the press.
5. Pour the hot water from the kettle over the grounds, filling to the top (in the Chambord, you can pour to the metal ring near the top), Then stir in the grounds so they mix with the water.
6. Let sit for 4 minutes (I usually last about 2, so 2-4 minutes will definitely suffice).
7. Plunge the top in and pour into mugs.

Let us know what you think of the recipe and be sure to share your own coffee secrets!

Ingrid Hoffman inspired me so much on Saturday that I promptly left the house after viewing her new program on the Food Network and picked up everything I would need to make the spicy Chipolte Tamale Pie. Unfortunately my local grocery store is Whole Foods so there isn’t a box of Jiffy Cornbread allowed within 500 feet of that place so I ended up purchasing the Arrowhead Mills Muffin and Cornbread mix, which I wasn’t really thrilled with. The batter was ridiculously runny when made to the package instructions, so much so in fact that I ended up adding additional mix to thicken it. I just wasn’t feeling “brave” enough to see if batter the consistency of water would bake adequately, especially with all of those peppers and lean ground turkey on the line. Ultimately, the dish turned out quite well, with the exception of a cracked top (once again I’m totally passing the buck here and blaming Arrowhead Mills) and also possibly the fact that I used a round deep cake-pan as opposed to a square dish. Pair this hearty pie with a Corona and you’ve got a quick and festive summer meal to feed your starving beach combing crew.

Peppers, Onions & Turkey	Add Spices, Chipolte and Beans; Simmer
Pat Firmly Into Baking Dish	Top With Cornbread Batter
Bake & Cool Slightly	Caliente!