Maine Adventure Sails Blog

Rhubarb-Raspberry Crisp with Pecan Streusel

Recipe by Anne Mahle.

Click recipe title for printable version or At Home with Annie for an archived copy of the e-newsletter.

This dessert includes one of my favorite fruits – maybe it’s really a vegetable – foodies are still haggling over which. Whatever it is, I love it and I have great family memories of rhubarb growing behind the garage at my childhood home. My mom wasn’t much of a green thumb, but she couldn’t kill the rhubarb. I’d love to eat the stalks raw and was a little bit titillated by the fact that the leaves were poisonous to eat. We’d make small houses, boats, hats, wings and clothes with the leaves and they were fascinating because they were so big to us. Rhubarb is great on it’s own or combined with other fruits like strawberries, apples, blueberries and here with raspberries.

Rhubarb-Raspberry Crisp with Pecan Streusel

Filling:
6 cups or 6 stalks rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 – 3/4 inch pieces
2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2-teaspoon cloves
1-teaspoon cinnamon

Streusel:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2-cup pecans, chopped
1 stick butter
3/4-cup sugar
1/4-teaspoon salt

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine all of the filling ingredients and spread evenly in an ungreased, non- reactive (enamel or stainless steel) 9x13 pan. In a separate bowl, combine the streusel ingredients and coarsely blend. Mixture should be crumbly. Spoon streusel mixture evenly over filling mixture and bake for 1 hour. The edges should be bubbly and the top golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream or vanilla flavored whipped cream. As a garnish you could chop a few more pecans or grate some fresh nutmeg over the ice cream or whipped cream.

Serves 8

Copyright 2006 Baggywrinkle Publishing

These Boats Just Get Into Your Blood

As a very few of you may know, the boys who vandalized the Riggin this winter have been down working on the boat this outfitting season helping us get ready to sail.  Many of you who called with support or wrote your wonderful letters thought this would be a fitting consequence for the deeds done and we thought so too. 

We offered this possibility early on in the process and have now been asked to participate in the Restorative Justice program with the boys and their families.  The boys have been down every day after school and on weekends.  They show up, on time (most days), push up their sleeves and do what we tell them to do with a good attitude.  They've been doing a good job.  It's been really a pleasant surprise for us all.

I just got a call from the D.A.'s office concerning one of the boys.  It seems one of them brought something "inappropriate" to school (for what seemed like a good reason, but right now there is no slack in this line) and he was at court reporting the issue to the authorities.  Best case, he was going to be late, worst case, he wouldn't be there today. 

The D.A.'s assistant let me know the situation and then said that this boy was clearly enjoying what he was doing with and for us because, as she put it, he was "in the D.A.'s office have a COW because he might be late or not show up at all.  He's seriously having a COW!"

It's a funny story AND I see responsibility there.  A pride and ownership of work.  Exactly what we were aiming for.  It's not perfect, just better than it was before.

Annie

Chef Annie cooks on 207 tonight!

Chef Annie is going to be cooking on "207" once again tonight with Rob Caldwell of WCSH - our local NBC affiliate. She is making Asparagus and Pesto Lasagna and since asparagus is in season and is coming up in her garden, this was a great recipe to do.

She first created this lasagna recipe as a Riggin Work Week lunch a few years ago and "Wow" was it good. I remember several volunteers asking for the recipe as they left. I've never been brave enough to attempt making lasagna, but if I ever do - and there's no time like the present - it would be with this recipe.

After the show airs tonight at 7pm the recipe will be available online at the WCSH website and we will post it here with a video of the episode. You will also be able to see the show at Chef Annie's YouTube channel - where you can see some of her past episodes and other projects she is working on.

~Elizabeth
Loving all the green!

Maine Coast Maritime Heritage - 1977

This 2008 work week we had a surprise visitor from the past.  Not our past, but the Riggin's past.  Dave, a man who helped rebuild the Riggin in the mid-seventies, came to do similar work thirty years later.  He crewed on the Riggin for Dave and Sue Allen, previous owners in the Maine windjammer fleet, their first summer.  Everyone in the pictures has more hair and fewer wrinkles, but the smiles are the same. 

Her first sail after the 1970's rebuild.  Photo credit Dave Pearson.

Several more pictures are posted in the Riggin Launched as Maine Windjammer photo album.

Annie
Thank you for these treasures, Dave!

Riggin Work Week - 2008

Each year we host an annual work week.  This was our fourth, sponsored by the Portland Time Bank and Association for Maritime Preservation.  We had a record number, 240 volunteer hours!  Thank you so much to all of you who came from Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maine to help.  We worked hard, laughed a ton, enjoyed the sun shining on our pasty, winter- white faces and ate really, really well.  Now our crew is all saying, "Hey, Annie, what happened to the big lunches you got us used to?"

There are a few reasons we organize work week, not the least of which is we can use every set of hands available to help get these vessels ready for our summers.  Every year there are more actions on the to do list than there is time to complete them.  Just like every "to do" list, ours on the schooners is, well, very very long.  About two weeks before our first sail date, things that haven't gotten done this year, move to next years list. 

In addition, we have passengers who are interested in what goes on behind the scenes.  They want to see what happens before the last shiny coat of varnish is smoothed on, the final piece brass is polished to a golden hue, the unruly lines are flemished and tidy.  While, when we are sailing and here on the blog, we do talk about all of the interesting pieces of wooden boat maintenance, we don't talk much about the sheer volume of work, and by work I mean sanding and painting, that has to happen in a really short period of time.  One passenger who has sailed with us 35 times, but who had never been to work week, was impressed with the sheer volume of details and work that is involved with maintaining these Maine windjammers.

These two pictures are of volunteer Tom learning about how to caulk the peapod from Capt. Jon.  Photo credit:  Elizabeth Poisson.

Annie
Just wait, those lunches will be back in a few weeks

Affordable Travel - Rockland, Maine

Rockland, Maine has been judged one of the top ten budget destinations in the world!  If you are thinking that a vacation might not be in the cards for you this summer, take note that there are still affordable vacations out there for budget travelers.  And who isn't a budget traveler these days? 

At a time when fuel, food, and even the price of postage are more expensive than ever, an affordable summer vacation may seem to be slipping out of reach. But there are still plenty of places, both in the U.S. and abroad, where travelers can enjoy beautiful beaches, outdoor adventures, wine tastings and spas, and unique cultural experiences--without breaking the bank. Pauline Frommer, series editor of Pauline Frommer's Travel Guides, has selected ten top budget destinations, from romantic getaway spots to family faves to exotic destinations for adventurous travelers.

It's worth noting that a windjammer vacation uses very little fuel and is therefore somewhat immune to the volatile cost increases that we've seen in other industries.  If you haven't taken an adventure with us yet, this just might be your year!

Annie
Only two more weeks until we are sailing

Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes

Recipe by Anne Mahle.

Click recipe title for printable version or At Home with Annie for an archived copy of the e-newsletter.

Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 potatoes or 6 cups, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red pepper or 1 1/2 cups, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 eggplant or 2 cups, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, or 1 tablespoon, minced
1-tablespoon salt
1/2-tablespoon fresh black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil and then the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring infrequently. Add the peppers, eggplant, garlic and salt and pepper and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about15-20 minutes more.

Serves 4-6

Two-for-one:Red Pepper, Eggplant and Potato Frittata   

If you’ve got leftovers of this dish, you already have yourself another quick meal. If you are serving lots of folks in your family, plan ahead and double the Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes recipe. Serve with a green salad and fresh French bread

1/2-tablespoon butter per person
3 eggs per person, scrambled
1/2 - 3/4-cup Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes per person
1/4-teaspoon salt per person
2 tablespoons goat cheese per person

Pre-heat oven to 350º. Heat a medium or large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Melt the butter and add the Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes. When heated through, add the eggs, salt and pepper and stir gently. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top and put in the oven for 5-15 minutes depending on how many folks you are serving. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

Copyright 2006 Baggywrinkle Publishing

Replacing Decking

Our decks are 80 years old and you might need a little work if you were that old too.  We've got the wood to replace all of the decks, laying in wait for a big winter project.  Another big winter project I should say.  Meanwhile, we still have work that is necessary to maintain the decks we have now. 

The process goes something like this:  Reef out caulking that looks suspicious.  Fix the butts ends of the planks that shatter when you do this.  Replace bungs, which are round plugs that fit over the metal nails holding everything together.  Fix the decking that shatters when you do this.  Caulk with cotton first, then oakum.  Pitch the seams. 

Here's Julie a veteran crew member, pouring pitch.  The last part of the process.

There are a couple of pictures of Danny, who's worked for us for 6 years, more on than off, spinning oakum for the deck in the new photo album.  A process by which you take a fat "worm" of oakum and turn it into a skinny worm.  Many of our work week volunteers helped spin oakum one rainy morning.  They all came back to the house for lunch smelling of linseed oil and pine tar.  Ahhh, perfume to a sailor's nose.

Annie

Blogging - Just Barely a Clue

We are now on Facebook, My Space, Twitter and Linkedin.  We get Digged and Stumbled Upon.  We have message board, our own photo albums on Photo Bucket and Flikr and have an account with You Tube.  I've been blogging for a year now and while I have a much better understanding of what I'm doing, most days, I still barely have a clue.  My biggest accomplishment is that I now do know the difference between the message board vs. the blog and between Technorati vs. Google, something I couldn't grasp a year ago.   But, honestly, I'm still thinking in terms of picking up the phone rather than Skyping someone.  Yep, I'm old-fashioned and we run an old-fashioned business where we still like to have face to face and voice to voice conversations.  And yet, when it comes right down to it, blogging is fun and it keeps us in touch with people in a different way.  Thank you for being our audience for the past year.

Annie
A Maine Vacation the Old-Fashioned Way

Riggin Contest Update - Pismo Beach

"Where in the world is the Riggin?" contest.  You've got until October of 2008 to send us your pictures of you or your buddies in Riggin gear.    We want to see how far we can travel even if we aren't there ourselves! 

This is Sandra in Pismo Beach, California with her Riggin Captains Hat on.  Looking good, girl!  See you again this summer!

The contest will run October through October so you have four full seasons to travel with your Riggin gear. Send us a photo of you on vacation wearing the Riggin logo. Next November we will announce two winners, one for the furthest traveled and the second for the most unusual place. The winners will get to choose 5 items from the Riggin bakery. Yum!

Click here to view the original e-newletter on the contest.  While you are there go ahead and subcribe.

Annie
Dreaming of other shores