Lobster for Thanksgiving

From the Free Press

Lobster Pot Pie

This is a classic with a twist for those chilly evenings

and can be cooked the day before and reheated.

6 tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped celery

Salt

Ground white pepper

6 tbsp. flour

3 cups seafood or chicken stock

1 cup milk

2 cups diced potatoes, blanched

1 cup diced carrots, blanched

1 cup sweet peas

1 cup diced baked ham

1 pound lobster meat, cooked and diced

½ cup to 1 cup water

Note: This recipe doesn’t show a pie crust, but I assume you would use a double crust as usual with a pot pie. Adjust the directions as necessary.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a rectangular glass baking dish.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and sauté for 2 mins. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flour and cook for about 3-4 mins. for a blond roux. Stir in the stock and bring the liquid up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 8-10 mins., or until the sauce starts to thicken.

Stir in the milk and continue to cook for 4 mins. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, peas, ham and lobster. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the filling thoroughly. If the filling is too thick, add a little water to thin out the filling.

Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Place the crust on top of the filling. Carefully tuck the overlapping crust into the pan, forming a thick edge. Crimp the edges of the pan and place on a baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, make several slits in the top of the crust. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 25-30 mins or until the crust is golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 mins. before serving.

A Tale of Twin Cousins, A Special Note

I wrote this tribute to my cousin, Diane, before she passed away so that she could enjoy it. She passed away today,  early on Thanksgiving Day. She did get to read it and enjoyed it very much, and asked that it be read at her funeral. As I can't be there, my brother, Ted, will read it for me. 

A Tale of Twin Cousins

(For Diane)

By Sandra Sylvester

Once upon a time two little girls were born…

One in February… one in March.

Only 26 days between them…

Twin cousins they became…and never apart

For even though one was born of the city…

And one of the country…

Their mothers made sure of it

They were raised together.

Twin cousins…much loved from the start

Some say much planned  to boot.

Two mothers wanted them close…

To grow up together…

To form a “twin” friendship…

To create memories to share…

Memories to last a lifetime.

Two little girls, dressed alike in pinafores

With sun-baked toes and sun-bleached hair

Blowing in the summer breeze…

Lying on their backs in the fields

Of the farm looking up at the clouds

And discovering whales and camels and rabbits.

Two little girls who grew to

Learn together…

How to dance…how to ride horseback…

How to swim…row a boat and…

How to paddle a canoe.

The twin cousins picked strawberries,

Raked blueberries,

Planted pumpkin seeds,

Tramped hay, and once in a while

Got to swim over at Biscay.

Memories of summer camp…

And family reunions…

And Thanksgiving turkey around the big table

On the farm……

And Christmas snow…

Memories of skating up at the gravel pit…

Of making angels in the snow…

Of cutting Christmas trees in the woods…

Of singing hymns around the piano.

The city twin and the country twin

Grew up in a family of love.

The memories they shared

Were stored in a special place

In their hearts.

Their twin friendship

Stayed with them

Through all the days that lay ahead.

Twin friendship,

     Twin love,

         Twin memories.

The mothers started it all…

The twins continued it,

Nothing will stop it…

They will be twin cousins…

Forever.


Rest in peace, my dear twin cousin. Say hi to the folks, to Harlan, and to your folks, Freda and Carl Hilton, who I loved very much. I will miss you...your twin cousin, Sandra

Cousin Diane Hilton O'Connor (on the right) and I at age four.

"Going to the People"

We begin a new feature this month on “On Being a Southender.” Many of you remember my brother, Ted’s, column in the Bangor Daily News, when he was Bureau Chief in Rockland, which was called “Fish and Chips.” When he was Assistant Bureau Chief in Presque Isle, he wrote the same column but called it “Potato Chips.”  I will include excerpts from his columns once in a while. The blog will be titled “Fish and Chips”—Guest Blog, Ted Sylvester.”  My mother sent me many of his columns when he was Bureau Chief in Rockland. Unfortunately, I’ve misplaced most of them. Ted will help me with his own files later on.

First, I would like to share a story with you that was in the BDN when he was still Bureau Chief. Doing the math, since he worked for BDN from 1971-1991, I’m guessing this story was written in 1990. (My dear mother never cut out any dates when she sent me clippings.) Then please read his first guest blog. This is the picture that accompanied the story. I have better pictures of my brother, but I really like this one because of his great smile and those gorky glasses. He looks a lot like a teacher doesn’t he or maybe Peter Sellers when he wore similar glasses in his movies.

This story was called “Going to the People”

“Ted Sylvester has spent 15 of his 19 years with the NEWS as Rockland bureau chief, and as such has had the unique opportunity to report and cover the activities of the city in which he war born and raised. His weekly “Fish and Chips” column on coastal happenings has gained a large following.

“Sylvester has been involved most of his life with some facet of the newspaper industry. In fact, his career in newspapers was launched when he was very young. Starting as a newsboy, he later held a variety of jobs at the Rockland Courier-Gazette.

“During the 12 years before he joined the NEWS, Sylvester worked as a Linotype operator. It was then that he developed an interest in journalism and devoted much of his own time to studying textbooks on the subject.

“Outside of the news business, he finds time to play pool and dance with his wife, the former Natalie Wall.”

I’m told by those who worked with him in the Rockland bureau, that if his column didn’t appear when it was supposed to, you didn’t want to be in the office, because the phone would ring off the hook.

I’d also like to add that Ted was honored for his heroism while working for the NEWS by helping to stop a riot at the old Maine State Prison in Thomaston. More recently, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Maine Press Association.

Please enjoy his first guest blog.

Fish and Chips--Guest Blog, Ted Sylvester

By Ted Sylvester

This column was probably written in the 70s when Ted was covering local politicians in Washington D.C. Here is an excerpt from the column which was called, “Catching up on the real news and leaving Washington behind.” 

“A postscript to a recent trip to Washington, D.C. The capitol is famous for its fine restaurants and night spots. But staying at a convention center and taking meals there every day was an adventure. This restaurant apparently fashioned itself as a culinary expert. Each day, the buffet featured different specialties. One day it was Mexican food, another Chinese food. One day, they decided to feature seafood. That was a mistake. The scallops were tasteless, over-fried and greasy. Sure wish those cooks would visit The Haven up on Route 90. If you want some nice tasty fried seafood, this is a great place.

‘The Chinese food was so bad that many of those who sampled it did not finish. I was smart enough to poke the egg rolls before forging ahead. Anybody who has ever been at the Mai Kai in Rockland will tell you that egg rolls are not supposed to be soggy. Thank God we have such a nice Chinese restaurant in town.

“One night, after having had enough of the place, I thought why not just send out for a pizza. I called the famous Domino’s place down the street and ordered a small pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni and hamburg. The girl at the other end of the phone was in a tizzy. She had no idea whether they had hamburg. She said she would have to check. When she came back on the line, she inquired again what it was I wanted. I then just asked for a list of toppings. When she got to ground beef I stopped her and said I would try that. The cost was $8.20, plus a tip for delivery. The thing was hot, but rather tasteless. We people around here are really spoiled. Once you taste the likes of a Snappy’s pizza, these franchise places leave you flat. The prices at Snappy’s also are cheaper.

“It was good to get back to Midcoast Maine.”