Field Trip, A Recipe, And Marbles

Wednesday, which started out nice and sunny, turned gloomy, then snowy followed by three days of cold, wet weather that has informed our activities this week.  While it was still sunny Wednesday morning, we decided to take a "field trip".  I had read about a fairly new restaurant some months ago called Leaven, located in Somersworth NH, right down town there.  The article I read raved about their fabulous sourdough breads baked right in house as well as their beer.  Well, we don't care about the beer, but Bread!  They supply breads for many local farmers' markets too it seems.  I looked up their menu online and the sandwiches, soups and salads sounded divine so we made a plan to head there for lunch, then take a leisurely drive on the Maine side (Somersworth and Berwick ME are separated by the Berwick River and a cute little bridge) back to Portsmouth to the cinema to watch "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".

 The interior is dark and cozy.  We ordered soup to start; I got the kale, potato, sausage and Dan got the chili.  Both were served with dark rye bread and both were excellent.  I ordered a BLT (lots of thick bacon) with side salad and Dan ordered the avocado chicken salad with Asian noodle side.  Both were served on the original sourdough and we enjoyed every bite of all of it.  The bread was so good we bought two loaves to take home; Rye and original Sourdough White.  Their bread is not the super chewy sourdough like San Francisco type but rather meaty, dense, moist, flavorful and definitely sour but not super sour.  We have been eating the rye all week for leftover Easter ham sandwiches - yum! There was a little bakery/cafe across the street (picture below) so we crossed to check out the bakery goods.  The place is adorable, smells heavenly, the lunch menu looks intriguing and we ordered up two chocolate chips cookies.  We were so disappointed!!!  One little bite and in the garbage - not worth the calories ).  I can name only a handful of bakeries (just 5) out of the dozens and dozens and dozens from which I've purchased chocolate chip cookies that were any good and the rest have been so inferior - I don't understand this!!  How can a bakery fail at a cookie that anyone can make well at home even if they just follow the Toll House recipe.  Butter, vanilla, good chocolate, not too much flour.  These cookies tasted like they used shortening and there was way too much flour so they were dry and flavorless.  Cute place, poor cookies.  This sounds a bit harsh I know - sorry.

Eat lunch here but don't get the cookies.  

 After we our drive in Maine, and by then the sun had long disappeared, we headed to the cinema at Newington.  The movie was really cute.  Not brilliant, but fun.  When we came out, we were surprised to see this going on as we headed to the car.  We weren't expecting snow!

There's Bonnie with a dusting.  

 Thursday and Friday have been days where I just wanted to bake and paint and putter around the house doing cozy house things.  Dane was around now and then to entertain us with his cheerfulness, stories, and ukelele playing and Dan prepared for a colonoscopy by miserable fasting and then drinking the yucky stuff, and you know all the misery that follows.  I did some painting and made a really, really good chocolate chunk muffin (whole wheat and almond flours, tons of chocolate chunks!) recipe that I got out of a new cookbook, Huckleberry, and between the three of us, we ate a dozen, they are that good.  Dan had to wait until today to eat his.

I painted marbles (glass is hard to paint - my first time attempting it) and a boat.  Here's the recipe for the muffins.  You can use white unbleached flour but white whole wheat flour is even better I think (and better for you).  The almond flour gives the muffins a very tender crumb and mouth feel.  These were even better the second day and especially wonderful cold right out of the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK MUFFINS (Huckleberry Cookbook)

1 1/2 sticks soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour (white whole wheat, even spelt is a good substitute)
1/4 cup almond meal (flour)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 cup whole plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 heaping cups chocolate chunks or chips 60 to 70 % cacao

Beat the butter with sugar and salt 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time beating after each.  Add all the dry ingredients at once and then beat until just incorporated  Stir in the yogurt and chocolate.  Mix until it just comes together.  Fill muffin liners up to the top, they can heap.  Sprinkle some sugar on top of each and bake 22 to 25 min at 350 degrees.  Mine were done in 22.  They are best if allowed to cool completely and are amazing the next day cold.  Keep chilled and tightly wrapped if they last that long.  You can also forgo the chocolate and load the batter with berries or any fruit you like.  One plus dozen.

I doubled the recipe and got more than two dozen.

Lotsa Chocolate!  

Spring inside, snow going on outside.  (Today it rained and now whatever snow we got is all gone).  Tomorrow spring returns again outside they say.  Sunny and 60s or more.  Bippity!