A Day at the Shore!

That's the famous Goldenrod restaurant on the right --

more than 100-years-old and famous for its salt water taffy!

We pointed excitedly as we drove into the little New England community of York, Maine

We visited York and Short Sands Beach last July, continuing our exploring adventures as new "Mainers!" This was the place to be last summer. As you know from previous postings, we are a die-hard Florida beach family. The expression of "let's go down to the shore" sounded foreign to our ears...something that you would hear someone from the "Nawth" say...like from New Jersey and New York.  However, it was a great visit and it felt as if we were spending a day on vacation in the summer of 2010.

A Maine House Mosaic

 It is still so odd to think we live here with all these New England villages just a hop, skip and a jump from The Maine House. People were walking hand-in-hand along the sidewalks, window shopping, eating at little outdoor cafes, relaxing over glasses of wine and cocktails as the summer bands played their music...the aroma's of seafood, candy apples and salt water taffy filled this community! All of the beach type rentals were filled with white Adirondacks and colorful flower pots of mandevilla's, candytuft and petunias! It is definitely worth the time to visit this quaint seaside town! Family visiting in July will find the Short Sands Beach area something they have not experienced before, with brownish sand and the rocky shoreline. On our visit, the shoreline was packed full with all ages sunning under colorful beach umbrellas...it was fun in the sun for these New Englanders!

Estelle's is going to welcome family arriving from Boston with some of their

 favorite summer appetizers!

Upon arrival for these tired travelers will be cool Watermelon Mojitos!

Estelle's Summer Baby Hot Browns

24 pumpernickel party rye bread slices

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups diced cooked turkey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 bacon slices, cooked, crumbled, and divided

5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add Cheddar cheese, whisking until cheese melts. Stir in diced turkey, salt, and ground red pepper. Place spoonful of this mixture on top of each bread slice and top with tomato slice. Arrange bread slices on a lightly greased baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

Estelle's Summer Tropical Fruit Salad

2 cups (1-inch) cubed fresh pineapple

1 cup chopped peeled papaya or mango

1 cup sliced peeled kiwifruit (about 3 kiwifruit)

1 cup red seedless grapes

2/3 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carambola (star fruit; about 1)

1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes.

Combine honey and juice in a small bowl, and toss with fruit just before serving.

Estelle's Fresh Lemon Marinated Asparagus

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke heart quarters, drained

1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained

2 pounds fresh asparagus

Garnish: lemon rind strips

Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add artichoke quarters and diced pimiento, and gently toss. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Snap off tough ends of asparagus; cook in boiling salted water to cover 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain asparagus, and plunge into ice water to stop cooking process. Place cooked asparagus in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and store overnight in refrigerator, if desired. Add asparagus to artichoke mixture, and gently toss. Cover and chill 2 hours. Garnish with fresh lemon rind strips.

 

Watermelon Mojito's

5 cups cubed seeded watermelon

1 cup sparkling water, chilled

3/4 cup white rum

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1 (6-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, undiluted

Fresh Mint sprigs

Fresh Lime slices

Arrange watermelon in a single layer on a baking sheet; freeze 2 hours or until completely frozen.

Combine frozen watermelon, sparkling water, rum, mint, and limeade in a blender; process until smooth. Garnish with mint sprigs and lime slices. How pretty and refreshing!