So my first official book signing wasn’t a huge success in sales, but it was a great opportunity to meet some fellow authors.  I was hoping to have some pictures of the Beyond the Sea Book Festival to post and share, but alas, the excitement clouded my thinking and I forgot about the photo ops until the drive home.  So much for capturing the moment!

The only shots I did manage to get that day, were taken in Camden, Maine where we stopped for lunch before the book festival and an afterwards photo at our celebratory dinner in Bath. 

Cooking with seasonal ingredients is fun and with the blueberry season upon us, I thought I would share a recipe showcasing these blue gems. 

Bursting with Blueberries Bundt Cake

2 ½ to 3 cups of fresh blueberries

1 heaping cup of sugar

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 extra-large egg, beaten

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon each of allspice, cinnamon, cloves

1 cup of whole milk

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting baked and cooled cake.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a bundt pan. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the beaten egg and mix well.

Take two tablespoons of the flour and toss it with the blueberries.  This will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan. 

Sift the remaining flour and dry ingredients together.  On low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Placed on a wire baking rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack.

Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with a scoop of ginger ice cream.

My first official book signing takes place in Lincolnville Beach, Maine this Sunday, July 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Beyond the Sea Book Festival.  This is being held at the Beyond the Sea Gift Shop Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Each day covers a different genre.  Check out the website and see the list of authors and their works that will be available for signing and purchase.  Happy Reading!

What better way to kick off my blog than by introducing you to my first published work, Rescued Recipes From My Grandmother's Trashcan.  A tribute to Mildred Arline (Knox) Austin, a very special Maine lady, whose positive influence helped shape my life.

Filled with good old Maine recipes and anecdotes of life with Gram, this book was a true labor of love from start to finish.  (It took me three years of testing, tasting, and consuming calories.)

It is available on Amazon and would make a wonderful gift for that special cook in your life.

This book was the inspiration for the title of my blog. Gram was always happy and content when she could smell the salt air and sweet ferns of Maine.

This blog is dedicated to bringing you new recipes to try, photographs to enjoy, and tales to entertain you from the Coast of Maine and beyond.  Stay tuned, as it is a work in progress...