Making a Rudraksha Mala - Bead Board, Tools, & Rudrakshas - Fall 2010

My dog Captain came by to say a mantra too!

This is on the floor of my meditation room ~~

I have been making malas for over 18 years and it is a wonderful meditative practice which lets me say one mantra at a time. I started doing this at a famous meditation ashram in NY. where I trained for several years. I sell these malas for those who are interested, on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Rudraksha-Prayer-Wrist-Bracelet-5mm/dp/B000NCOG50/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1286624034&sr=8-14

This is an example of me making a sterling silver wrist mala with 5-6mm nepalese rudrakshas. I am using pearl accents. Each bead is meticulously matched and wired wrapped using the same tools I have used to make thousands of malas. Each bead have 2 Om Namah Shivayas said (internally) as the link on each side is made. This is done with a high degree of focus and awareness. A wonderful practice :)

Dyelot Stimulus Package Winterberry & Colinette Mohair Meditation Shawl

This was an extremely enjoyable project to knit because of the gorgeous textures and variations. It was knit over the latter part of the Summer of 2010 mostly on weekends while spending time on our boat "The Blue Pearl" in Gloucester Harbor.  I used Dyelot Stimulus Package Winterberry yarn purchased at Coveted Yarn www.covetdyarn.com in Gloucester Massachusetts. I used the free pattern that came with the yarn (also available at www.dyelotyarn.com ) but boosted the width and length of the shawl by adding a skein of Heather Colored Collinette Mohair which is a beautiful yarn from Wales, UK. This was a very meditative and introspective project. Although a simple pattern, the interest of the yarn was striking to put together and easy to pick up and put down between swims and activites on the water. I knit part of it on a trip to The Isle of Shoals  in New Hampshire which is a lovely set of islands off the NH and Maine coast. The islands are wild and desolate. Every stitch has the awareness of mantra remembered and vibrated during knitting.  A very lovely shawl for early morning meditation. Very protective and warm. Inspiring :)

Heather Atwood from The Gloucester Times

http://blogs.gloucestertimes.com/foodforthought/2010/08/22/anadama-bread-from-the-three-melissas-a-culinary-treasury-of-cape-ann/#more-1500

Check out this link. Heather Atwood from the Gloucester Times writes an excellent weekly column called "Food for Thought" and I was thrilled when she featured me today!

Melissa Smith Abbott Interview Part I

Part 1 Video Interview of myself talking about The Legacy of Three Melissas, a book I recently published about history, commentary, and recipes of Cape Ann Massachusetts. The interview is done for a very popular local Gloucester blog called "GoodMorningGloucester" my life on the dock by Capt Joey Ciametaro. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow night.


The book is available at www.anadamabreadbook.com

Book Signing at Cape Ann at Cape Ann Museum

The Book Signing on Saturday made the Gloucester Daily Times this morning with this little "blurb"

Author talks about local inns, food

The Cape Ann Museum presents a book signing with Gloucester's Melissa Smith Abbott, author of "The Legacy of the Three Melissas" on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 11 a.m. to noon in the special exhibition gallery featuring the show "Ars Longa, Vita Brevis: Rockport Artists in the 1930s." The book signing is free to the public.

Years ago, the author's family on her father's side ran the Anadama Bread Bakery, Blacksmith Shop Restaurant, The Cable House Bed & Breakfast, The Faraday Inn, all in Rockport, and The Easterly Inn in Gloucester. Her grandmother, Melissa Collins Smith, along with her husband William P.C. Smith, ran food businesses on Cape Ann for 70 years. The Blacksmith Shop Restaurant was a favorite haunt of Rockport artists during the 1930s. Abbott has put together her family's collection of menus, recipes, photos, artwork, cookbooks, historic documents, and memorabilia in her new book. The museum is located at 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester. For information, call 978-283-0455 or visit www.capeannmuseum.org.

For more information about the book: www.anadamabreadbook.com 

The Legacy of Three Melissas www.anadamabreadbook.com

Announcing the release of my cookbook which I have been busy with for the last few months! Over 300 New England Historic Recipes with history and commentary on Cape Ann Massachusetts. It is available on my website www.anadamabreadbook.com and locally on Cape Ann at The Bookstore, Toad Hall, Harbor Loop Gifts, and Cape Ann Museum. There will be a public book signing at 11AM, Sat. Aug. 14th at The Cape Ann Museum, Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA 01930


The book includes a chapter on the history of Anadama Bread which my family baked commercially from the 1930's to the 1970's on Cape Ann and distributed the bread regionally, throughout New England during that time. 


There are also recipes for such favorites as Joe Froggers (a rum and molasses cookie taken to sea by sailors), Easterly Inn Popovers, Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins, New England style Clambakes, Clam Fritters, Chowders, Melissa's Garlic Dressing, and many more regional favorites with interesting commentary and history.

Mini Lowfat Blueberry Cheesecakes

8 Cinnamon Graham Crackers

2 Tbsp good oil like Grapeseed Oil

8 oz fat free cream cheese

2 egg whites or 1/2 c. eggbeaters

1/4 c. fat free soup cream

1/3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/4 teasp scant - almond extract (just a drop)

Blueberrys

Muffin Tin lined with paper Muffin Liners

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Grind in a food processor the graham crackers until completely crushed. Then add Grapeseed Oil until blended well. Place Tbsp of graham cracker mixture into each paper lined muffin cup and press down with the spoon. Combine everything else except the blueberries in the food processor until creamy smooth. Pour over crushed graham crackers. Decorate the top of each mini cheese cake with blueberries. bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Chill before serving. Delightful and lowfat.

Carrot Soup

10 Lg Carrots pealed, trimmed, and chopped
1 Lg Onion Sliced and Chopped
4 Cups Vegetable or other Broth
Fresh basil
Fat Free Sour Cream
Salt
Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except Sour Cream into a Slow Cooker Crockpot and set on High. Cook for 3-4 hours. Puree with a handheld food Processor on put soup into a food procesor or blender to puree. Cook a little longer in crockpot until ready to serve. Serve with a dollop of Fat Free Sour Cream and chopped basil in center of bowl. Cracked Pepper to taste. This is a healthy lowfat inexpensive recipe. Perfect for lunch with a sandwich or for a first course at dinner.

Wrist Mala du Jour - made this one today!

Amazing Oatmeal White Chocolate, Butterscotch, Chocolate, Nut, Cranberry Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbs Vanilla

1 Tsp. Almond Extract (secret ingredient)

2 cups oatmeal

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3 oz. White Chocolate Chips

3 oz. Butterscotch Chocolate Chips

3oz. Dark or Milk Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup Cranberries or Raisens

1/2 cup chopped Nuts - Walnuts, Almonds

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees, Cream first 5 ingredients in a mixer, add the rest of the ingredients except for Chips, Cranberries, and Nuts. When flour is all mixed in add the rest of the ingredients so that they are inorporated into the dough. Scoop Tablespoons onto cookie sheets and flatten with palm a bit for best results. Cook 8-10 minutes, remove and cool on racks. Moist, Delicious, and Wonderful!

Two Seals at Braces Cove, Gloucester, MA - Valentines Day 2010

Valentines Day 2010 at Braces Cove

Charlie looks a little grumpy (was probably cold)

See the two seals on a rock and the lovely Orchid Charlie gave me for Valentines Day!

Easterly Inn Popovers

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup flour

This recipe was my grandmother's Melissa Collins Smith who ran a place called The Easterly Inn in Gloucester, MA during the 1960's. This was her recipe and I make it at home in vintage cast iron popover pans I bought on ebay. I believe that one I have is 150 years old.
1. I use a blender to mix the 4 eggs at the highest speed. Count to 10 and turn off blender.
2. Pour in 2 cups of milk and turn on the blender to the highest speed and count to 10 again. Turn off Blender.
3. Add 1 cup of flour and turn on the Blender and again count to 10. Pour into popover pans, muffins tins, or custard cups which have been either heavily greased or sprayed with Pam.

I preheat my oven to 425 but do not heat pans first (some people do this). I put the cold pan in the hot oven, close the door and in 15 min I reduce the heat to 350. Cook an additional 40-45 minutes. Please watch your oven but do not open the door if you can help it or your popovers may fall.

Baked Haddock in a Pate Brisee Crust with Mushrooms, Red Pepper, & Asparagus Stuffing

Crust - Pate Brisee without sugar in a Food Processor
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup plus a few spinkles if needed very cold water

Cut butter into small pieces and put in food processor with flour and salt - pulse several times until the flour adn butter are blened and it looks like small pea size or smaller nuggets, sort of like a coarse meal (but not too small). Please do not over pulse because one of the tricks with Pate Brisee is not to over handle it too much. Next ad water to the food processor whizzing away steadily (not pulsing) until a ball mass is formed in the processor itself. If you do not get this quickly ad a few more sprinkles of water. This comes together very quickly. Wrap the dough up in plastic wrap and put into the freezer for 10 minutes or in the refrigerator for 2+ hours. Then roll out with a little flour into an oblongish shape

Filling:
olive oil
1 small chopped onion
1/4 red or green pepper (red looks very pretty)
6-7 button mushrooms sliced
10 asparagus spears cut into small pieces
any fresh herbs you feel guided to ad such as parsley or basil - works well with out herbs
a little white cooking wine (I use leftovers I didn't drink) Everyone says, I never have leftovers but I don't drink so much so I usually have a little leftover. If you don't have leftover, then open a new bottle and drink a little of it while you make this dish. Saute everything together in a nice cast iron pan, salt and pepper and add a little wine.


Fish: Use any firm white fish available. I think this would be good with just about anything. I have made this with halibut with great success but for this recipe I used 2 fillets of Haddock which is about one lb. You could make individual portions but for this I made one large fish pasty shaped like a fish (just for fun!)
Wash the fish and pat dry. I fresh it with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Set to the side and create the crust.

Roll out the crust and cut a portion of it off for the bottom layer of the pastry.

Lay 2 Haddock Fillets (about 1 lb) on top of pastry layer.

Layer the mushroom, red pepper, onion, and asparagus filling on top of fish

Cut the remaining pastry to a shape of a fish (be creative!)

Lay the pastry on top of the fish and stuffing. Use extra pieces of pastry to decorate the fish and make eyes, fins, gills, and tail. Pinch around the edges. Place into a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes and then reduce heat for 15-20 more minutes until browned and looks and smells done.

Brush the pastry with Milk and Pop into the Oven

Serve with sidedishes of choice great with everything. I am serving this with butternut squash, popovers, and an almond rigatoni herbed pasta.

Cardigan Sweater Knitting Project - Audrey Cardigan

This is a Free pattern from Lionbrand.com called the Audrey Cardigan and Scarf. I have been knitting the back since Christmas in a Silk Wool Blend yarn I bought on ebay from Colourmart UK. It came on a spool and is a pleasant fallish rust color. I am in process and the project is very easy as there are no constant changes and it is knit on fairly largish needles size 7 and 8. It has been something I can just pick up and knit a few mindless stitches here and there and it is a good balance to other more stressful projects.  Apparently the spool was a left over from some industrial knitting for Burberry and it was said that there are oils in the yarn which when washed make the yarn bulk up a bit. I did a small practice swatch and it did in fact bulk up slightly and the color became a little lighten. The yarn as a rustic look and the silk makes the wool softer and finer.

Pair of Rudraksha 109 Bead SS Neck Malas (Prayer Beads) with pearl accent

This pair of 109 Bead Sterling Silver wrapper Nepalese Rudraksha Prayer Beads were made this New Year's Day Weekend for a customer in Florida who bought them from me on Amazon.com . I made them as a custom order and it was a sweet job because they were made during a snowstorm here on Cape Ann with the wind whipping wildly around the house.  The time was perfect for the work because of the introspective energy of the weather. They were made with great attention and focus and were meticulously handpicked for matching size and color. Each wire wrap is uniform in size and shape and the links are perfectly matched. Both malas are accented with pearl. It is belived in India that saying your prayers and mantras on the Rudraksha Bead are influential and energetic spiritually. It is also believed that the Rudraksha Necklace is a powerful protector and aligns the subtle nadis and energy centers of the physical body. I have made these prayer beads for many years for spiritual seekers and yogis. It is always an honor and a great service to make a mala. Making these two neck malas this weekend was pure bliss!

Stella Artois Walnut Ginger Cake

Stella Artois Walnut Ginger Cake

A Rich Dark Tasty Gingerbread with the consistancy of a Brownie

There is no chocolate in it but tastes almost like you are eating chocolate because of the richness!

1 cup Stella Artois Beer

1 c. molasses

1/2 Tbsp. Baking Soda

3 Lg Eggs

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. olive or other oil

2 c. flour

1 1/2 teasp. Baking Powder
1 teasp. cinnamon
1/2 teasp. nutmeg
1/2 teasp. Allspice
2+ Tbsp. Grated Fresh Ginger

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Prepare a Loaf or Bundt Pan by spraying with Pam or other oil

In a large metal bowl or saucepan combine the beer and molasses and heat, Turn off heat and add Baking Soda. It will foam up. Allow to sit for a few minutes and foam will subside.

Combine flour, spices, and Baking Powder. Combine egg and beer/mollasses mixture. Then add flour and spices

Combine eggs, oils, and sugars in a separate bowl. At the end whisk in nuts and fresh ginger. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. The batter will be thin. Bake for 1 hour. Do not open oven or cake may fall. Cool on wire rack. Delicious with Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

grated gingerchopped walnuts