And The Rockets Red Glare.....

Oh No, That Was The Lobsters

It happens once a year, which is both good- because it's lots of work, and bad- because it's lots of fun.

The fourth was super muggy and hot. This is how it goes.

Gar gets up in the 6am hour and goes to meet Ralph on the rocks in Rye to cut seaweed for the bake. Why the 6am hour? That would be low tide this year. It usually is at an early hour. Go figure.

Then one of us picks up the lobsters and clams at Defiant Lobster and the keg at Joe's Meat Market. This year it worked out that Gar swung by both places on his way back with seaweed. While he's gone I'm prepping my appies and starting to haul stuff like paper plates, utensils, grilling supplies and more out to the backyard, putting table cloths on tables, setting chairs up, etc.  This year I even had a chance to hop in the pool for some brief downtime. Then it was back to the kitchen to make Watermelon George, who makes everyone pleased as punch.

Then people start rolling in, dropping their lobsters off early so they know they make it on the bake. We bag and tag 'em in big old onion bags with clothespins, so everyone gets their own lobsters and clams back.  After Tom puts the 800 pound plate over the fire pit, the guys get the fire going good and hot.  Then the lobster/clam bags, corn and potatoes are all put into the baskets (square wood frames with screening on the bottom) that are loaded with seaweed. 

Then the bake goes on the plate, and it's wet down to bring up the steam.
Then we mingle and schmooze; enjoy a cocktail, Watermelon George or a red solo cup of draught beer; swim in the pool, nibble on some appies; eat stuff from the grill; melt the butter and then finally, we dig into the lobster and clams!

Good times and a great way to celebrate America's indepedence. Our furthest travellers this year were Aunt Joan and Uncle Bobby who came up from Yonkers, NY.  Yay!  Thought Aunt Joan was going to run all the way home when Uncle Bobby did his best redneck impersonation with my cowboy hat on.

It sounded like you all celebrated in perfectly wonderful ways. So happy to hear it!  I think it's a holiday worth celebrating. It makes me think of the hard fought battles to win this country's independence. It also makes me think of all the servicemen and women that aren't home to celebrate and it's a good way to honor them I think, in true American style.

Hope you enjoyed the weekend too. We pretty much hung low, other than a ride on Sunday morning.  The sunsets cooperated, as usual, giving us quite a show.

Sunset Meadows

What a day yesterday was. Beautiful summer day. Couldn't have been anymore perfect. It ended perfectly too.

So beautiful.

So blessed to have this view.

After a few days of vacation, this week the to-do list is long, but it's all good including ad design, bookkeeping (ok, maybe not all good...blech!), marketing, tomorrow's post on 4th of July chowder making and more. What do you plan on accomplishing this week?

Have a great day,

Preparations

Getting Ready

It's only a week until our big party to celebrate Independence Day. Next Wednesday on the 4th of July our yard will be full of people enjoying a real New England Lobster Bake. You want to know something? I can't wait.  Let me elaborate......I can't wait to sit down at the table with my bag of steamers and lobsters, my serving of drawn better, a nice frosty draft beer and have at it.

Yes. I have lobsters on the brain. I haven't had any yet this year so I am nearly salivating at the thought.

One thing you should know about lobster bakes, when the lobsters come off they have the smokey goodness imparted from the seaweed (which they're baked in). Oh my, it is Good with a capital G.

If a lobster bake sounds like too much work, how about lobster dip?  I posted my Smorgasbord Lobster Dip a while back, and thought some of you may have missed it. I made it up on the fly and it is a keeper.

It's downright decadent.

Keep in mind that my measurements are approximate (since I was 'winging it'), but you'll get the idea. Adjust as you see fit according to your own taste.

Smorgasbord Lobster Dip(so named because you'll want to put it on anything and everything)

1.5 - 2 cups of cooked lobster meat, chopped (not to small- you want some good sized chunks in there)
1 cup of low fat Hellman's mayonaise
1/2 low fat sour cream
1 8 oz block of low fat cream cheese- allow to soften at room temp for awhile
1/2 cup to 1 cup of crumbled feta
1/4- 1/2 cup of parmesan
sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne
(no salt required, the cheese makes it salty enough)

Make some. Soon. You'll be the hit of the party.

Here's to summer and all that it brings, including our 4th of July Lobster Bake.

You'll be hearing and seeing more about it in the coming days.

What are your plans for the 4th? Are you having close to 100 people over to your house like us? Watching fireworks?  BBQing? Picnicing? Going to a parade? Do tell.

On another note, if you have an online shop, stop over to 'Trees. Hides.' for the link up that Shirley is hosting!

Ciao for now,

FurBalls & Tumbleweed

When my friend Tina was recently here, I had to laugh when she said I might be 'addicted' to Sharking the house.  Sharking, as we fondly call it, is giving the house the vacuum once over with our Shark (love that thing- picks up quite a bit for a small, motorized sweeper and it's battery powered- no cords!). I told her that I was not addicted per se, but rather Sharking out of necessity. If I take a few minutes to Shark each day, it cuts down on the furball tumbleweeds that adorn my home thanks to the hounddog.  She wasn't really buying it. However, when you consider that Lucan (our pointerX mutt) is probably about 5 times as big as her jack russell Buster, it would would equate to that much more doghair tumbling around. Need I say more?

So after having to pull out the heavy hitter vacuum yesterday because I hadn't Sharked in two days, I thought I'd take the dog comb to Lukes.  Viola, proof for Tina.



Lucan with his pet cat Fluffy.
No, not really.
That's what came off him after a
3 minute combing. Can you take it?

I can honestly say, I don't have an addiction to Sharking. I just know it makes my housekeeping job easier.  That said, even with regular Sharking, there really is no keeping up. Perhaps that's why I like the sign my sister Gloria gave me a few Christmases ago so much.  It hangs by our front door as one last reminder.




What? You can't see the sign?



Still can't see the sign?



How about now?

So, since I worked the heavy hitter vacuum yesterday, I'm hoping to only have to shark the next few days. I'll be too busy to care about dog furball tumbleweeds anyways. You'll find me checking things off the 'Get Ready For the 4th of July Lobster Bake' list. 

Yesterday I checked a few things off the list, including the lobster/steamers order from Defiant Lobster. The only place we get our bugs and clams. Right on the Hampton marsh.  Been going there as long as I can remember.

Beyond the list, took a moment to enjoy the sunset last night. It wasn't 'brilliant', but rather subdued and quite pretty in it's own right with rays of lights streaming down.



This particular shot didn't show off the rays of of sun the best,
but I love the way the hues and lighting give it a 70s kind of vibe.

Have a wonderful Friday where you are!