Brewer Waterfront

I hope that everyone had a lovely and safe holiday. We spent the Christmas morning at home and the evening at our friend Rhonda's home. The day after Christmas was quite relaxing. We watched Star Wars Episode IV and then went for a short walk on the Brewer Waterfront.

The Brewer Waterfront has a nice walkway and a cute little garden area where people can actually plant their own flowers or herbs. It is a nice spot and good for a brisk but refreshing walk.

Christmas Light Chasing

Home on Eastern Avenue in Brewer

 Christmas light chasing is definitely a tradition in my family. We love finding the gaudiest neighborhoods and the most elaborate homes. For those in Brewer, go to Gettysburg Avenue. Those people really go to town with their lights!

Home in Gettysburg Avenue neighborhood

Home in Gettysburg Avenue neighborhood

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

I love pumpkin. I love pumpkin seeds, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin ice cream, and especially, pumpkin bread. This recipe is perfect for pumpkin cravings and for the holiday season. It is adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 can squash puree 
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans or two
   9 x 5 pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together  purees, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50-70 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

A Christmas Photo Shoot.

I made an advent calendar for Christopher this year. It has a mixture of candy and holiday activities. I tried to choose activities that I knew Christopher would enjoy. So far we have gone to a brewery, had a game night with Christmas music and watched a Christmas movie (The Holiday Inn). Today we did a photo shoot because Christopher and I both love fiddling with the camera.

 We are not going home for Christmas so we have made a real effort to do festive activities. The holidays can often be a quite depressing time of year, so I think it is important to have fun and remember what the season is really about.

Monks and Beer

In case you had not noticed, Christopher and I love beer. We love tasting new beers, going on beer tours, and showing our love for our local breweries. We could not resist when we heard that Friar's Brewhouse was doing an open house.

Friar's Brewhouse is run by the monks of the St. Elizabeth Monastery in Bucksport, Maine. Their Whoopie Pie beer won an award at the Bangor Beer Festival this summer. This was their first open house and they plan on hosting one each season.

Christopher and I loved talking to the monks. They were incredibly friendly and were willing to talk about anything and everything. Their Saint Nicholas Ale was simply delicious and we purchased a bottle to crack open on Christmas Day.

It doesn't hurt that their monastery is absolutely peaceful and beautiful.

We are looking forward to trying out what else they have in store!