A few weeks ago it was Jim’s birthday and we decided to go out to dinner with friends at Warren’s Lobster House at 11 Water street/U.S. route 1 in Kittery Maine. We have been going to Warren’s for a very long time, they have been in business since 1940.
Our friends are part of the frequent Diner Program and reserved a table overlooking the water. Only people in the frequent diner program can reserve tables, great perk to have!
We went on an early Sunday afternoon and it was busy! All of the tables were filled, the salad bar that they are known for was open with over 60 items to pick from! We all knew we would be having the salad bar but we decided to start with an appetizer of Lobster Rangoons. We ordered 13 rangoons for $14.99, this is served with sweet and sour sauce. What a great start to a birthday celebration. The rangoons are crispy on the outside and creamy with bits of lobster on the inside!
I ordered the salad bar ($13.99) with one of their “light ideas” options and added 3 baked stuffed shrimp for an additional $9.99. The shrimp stuffing is buttery and rich! The salad bar comes with fresh baked rolls and their famous pumpkin bread! I can attest, they have the very best pumpkin bread, we have had it many times. You can take a loaf home with you too!
Birthday Boy had the beer battered Haddock and chips ($19.99). He opted for the half order, that was more than enough with the salad included. It’s served with their home made tarter sauce. The fish was crisp on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. Jim had an empty plate so I know he enjoyed his lunch!
We did not get dessert BUT our friends know Jim all too well and brought him some dessert to go from one of their favorite diners in Massachusetts. They brought him his favorite cherry pie! This is a dessert we have when we are traveling together in the spring and summer months! We could not have asked for a better day!
One of the fun things Warren’s does at the end of the dinner is give everyone a small card that you take to their gift shop and see if your card open the treasure chest. Sadly none of our cards opened up the treasure but we thoroughly enjoyed visiting the gift shop filled with candy, books, kitchen items and lots of Maine goodies!
Warren’s Lobster House is currently extremely understaffed by close to 30 employees so the hours of operation are not the usual business hours. Check their website or Facebook page for open hours, their menu and their frequent Diner Program. For being so short staffed we would have never known the service and food we had was impeccable.
They have inside seating but in the summer months you can dine outside on the deck over looking the water.
Enjoy!
These Strawberry Cobbler Bars come from Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman. I made these bars on Valentines weekend and let me say they were gone by the end of the weekend! They were absolutely delicious. Jim had one bar warm right out of the oven and a second one not much later. I loved the sweet lime icing on the top it added such a zing of flavor! I’ll be making these again for Easter!
INGREDIENTS
FILLING
3 cups chopped strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Lime, zested and juiced
CRUST AND TOP CRUMBLE
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 sticks salted butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
ICING
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.
Add the strawberries , granulated sugar, cornstarch, lime zest and lime juice to a bowl. Toss to combine and set aside.
For the crust and crumble- in a food processor combine the flour, butter, brown sugar and baking powder. Pulse until a loose crumble is formed. Continue to pulse as you add the cream.
Spray a 9×13 pan with non stick spray. Dump 2/3 of the batter into the bottom of your baking dish and press flat forming the bottom crust. Top the bottom layer with the strawberry mixture, spreading it to make an even layer over the bottom. Sprinkle over the remaining crumb mixture followed by the turbinado sugar.
Bake the bars until the top is golden brown and the strawberry layer is thick and bubbling. 28-30 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool.
For the icing , whisk together the powdered sugar and the lime juice until smooth. Once the cobbler has cooled drizzle the icing over the top.
Enjoy!
These puff pastry twists were SO good! Light, lemony and crisp all in one bite! This dessert makes you dream of spring! Lemon puff pastry twists would make a great dessert for Easter or on any brunch table!
They are a little messy to work with but well worth it. These are BEST eaten the same day you make them as they do not store well. I only used one puff pastry sheet but you can double the rest of the ingredients to make a bigger batch and use the second puff pastry sheet.
INGREDIENTS
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
2 lemons, zested
1/4 granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
INGREDIENTS FOR THE ICING
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice , or enough to your desired consistency.
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with a silo at mat or tin foil sprayed with non stick spray. Set aside.
Mix the lemon zest with the sugar and set aside. Unroll the pastry sheet and place it on a large cutting board.
Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle the lemon sugar over the butter.
Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch in width, I used my pizza cutter for this. Pick up each strip and twist a couple of times and place on your baking sheet. Do this for each pastry strip.
Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.
While the puff pastry is cooking mix your icing ingredients together mixing well getting the desired consistency. I like this icing on the thicker side.
Allow the lemon twists to cool then drizzle with icing.
Serve the same day.
Enjoy!
Today’s recipe is a great way and faster way to have all the flavors of lasagna without all the fuss. This dish is rich and full of flavor, I used a local ravioli company “Terra Cotta Pasta” if that’s not available use any of your favorite frozen cheese ravioli. This is also a great dish to share! I served this with a salad and garlic bread.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound “hot” Jimmy dean Sausage or 1 pound Italian sausage
28 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce. I used Rao’s brand
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 (8 Oz.) package cream cheese, softened or whipped cream cheese works too!
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
25 ounce package frozen cheese ravioli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 inch casserole dish with non stick spray and set aside.
In a large skillet brown the sausage breaking it to crumbles while it cooks, drain the fat from the pan and stir in the spaghetti sauce, heat through the. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Add the frozen ravioli and mix well coating the ravioli. Add the ravioli mixture to the prepared casserole dish spreading the ravioli across the bottom of the dish.
Pour the meat sauce all over the ravioli and top with the remaking cheese.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for just a couple minutes and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Robby LOVED these muffins, he loved them so much he has asked for them two weeks in a row….that’s almost unheard of for Robby. I also tried them and have to agree these muffins are very good even if you don’t have a gluten allergy these are excellent.
Makes 12 muffins
INGREDIENTS
4 large ripe bananas, mashed. 1 1/2 cups
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (I used earth balance, keeping it dairy free)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup all purpose gluten free flour. I used Bob’s red mill 1 for 1
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, I used good life brand
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon raw course sugar
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line your muffin tin and set aside.
Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl. Once mashed whisk in the eggs, vanilla and cooled butter until well combined.
In a separate bowl stir together the gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon until combined. Pour the dry mixture into the mixing bowl with the bananas and stir until incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and combine.
Fill your muffin cups about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the raw course sugar and bake for 22-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Store in air tight container.
Enjoy!
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