Independence Eats

Last weekend I officially celebrated my independence from the land of my DINNERGEDDON brothers and sisters across the pond. It's not that I don't have a deep place in my heart for them. But you know, it was the Fourth of July, and I was hungry. Even though I had an Independence Day to celebrate in the States, I gave props to my English DINNERGEDDON crew by heading to - where else - NEW ENGLAND.

In past years, I may have headed to a hometown celebration in Virginia, where I would have taken in a parade and concert featuring these guys...

Or I might have grilled and munched on some of these puppies...

One year, I even took in a holiday-inspired movie starring this dude...

And I almost always set off or witness plenty of these dudes...

This year, thanks to some solid pals who invited us up to their family home and camp, I enjoyed a long holiday weekend in the great states of Vermont and New Hampshire. It was a most excellent Independence Day weekend.

I was excited to go to Vermont again now that this blog has come into existence. The state is a food and drink megaworld, thanks in part to its abundance of fertile land, its artisan spirit, and its independent small farming mentality. Vermont is perhaps most notable for it's maple sugar, and it also produces some of the best dairy in the USA (try some Vermont Cabot Cheddar, or a pint of Ben & Jerry's). More recently, the state has taken center stage in the American microbrew scene. Try a Magic Hat, Long Trail, Switchback, Otter Creek, Trapp Family, Hill Farmstead, Harpoon, or Shed beer (just to name a few) when you have a chance. All produced in the great state of Vermont.

On Friday afternoon we piled into a car drove far into the beautiful countryside of central Vermont, six or seven hours north of New York City. Our friend Sam grew up twenty minutes outside Vermont's capital city of Montpelier, in a tiny rural township with only one general store to its name. Her folks built their house from the ground up.

We got to the area around midnight on Friday. Before heading up the dark mountain through the winding dirt roads to to our resting place, we stopped in Montpelier for a pint or two at the Three Penny Taproom. We sampled exciting local beers from Hill Farmstead and Trapp Family (yes, the von Trapps - the family that The Sound Of Music is based on - relocated to Vermont AND they make their own beer. How fucking cool is that??).

On Saturday morning we headed down the mountain and into Montpelier for the Capital City Famer's Market. It easily rivaled many NYC greenmarkets, yet had a vibe all its own. Local goods were everywhere, and they looked amazing. We ate some great food, took in some live banjo pickin', and stocked up on produce for the rest of the weekend.

While I'm not the biggest fan of pizza for breakfast, here is where I make an exception. These vendors bake their goods from scratch in a giant portable wood-fired oven, which is attached to the back of their pickup truck. Badass and really tasty. On the left is a breakfast pizza, complete with bacon, eggs, peppers, and cheese. On the right is a more traditional-style tomato, cheese, and basil slice.

This vendor sold homemade Chicken Mantu, a south Asian fried wrap or dumpling filled with chicken, cabbage, garlic, curry, and cheddar. It's served with this spicy red sauce. It was delish.

Our hosts had some good friends that opened a taco stand near the market. While I was pretty full, I somehow found room for this smoked trout taco, and I'm really glad I did. A corn tortilla filled with fresh picked greens, a hunk of trout, and topped with guacamole. Very simple, very fresh, and totally awesome.

...then, back to the house...



Sam's mama makes Limoncello from scratch. I'd only had Limoncello once in my life - Danny DeVito's signature stuff - and I'll admit that I didn't really get it. I thought it was way too sweet for my tastes, and I just sort of wrote it off. Thankfully, this Limoncello changed all of that for me. Really nice.

Remember that last DINNERGEDDON post - the one about getting shrunk by a crazy scientist? Well, here is where I was temporarily blown up by the same scientist (for a sequel film), and I'm enjoying my Limoncello from a teeny glass while sitting in a teeny rocking chair...

Fresh berries were eaten in the garden...

... and the snap peas were ripe for picking (and eating!).

The neighbors picked zucchini in the morning and popped out these fresh zucchini muffins by 1pm! They were too good. Serious. Excellent balance of sweet and savory. Find some shade by the muffin tree. It's a good tree to hang around.

I've said this before. I'm not an authority on much of anything, but I do know a good margarita when I taste one. THIS is good margarita. We picked up some tequila in town, squeezed a zillion limes, and added the special ingredient. In addition to her Limoncello skills, Sam's mama makes Triple Sec orange liquor from scratch. Man. Oh. Man.

We took the margs and the muffins to the pond, where we met a nice gang of kids. We swam, floated, and paddled around in the afternoon sun.

At night we sampled more local brews at another pub, split some burgers, and enjoyed some early fireworks.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ALERT: Change of State.

Early on the morning of the anniversary of the day of my nation's independence from these dudes, we drove to our friends' family's camp in rural New Hampshire. The car was abandoned on a dirt road near a gorgeous body of water. We took a tiny fishing boat out to the camp - the only way to access it.

Camp was beautiful. Also built from scratch, out of the surrounding trees. No electricity or plumbing. There was a small fridge and stove for minimal cooking, powered by propane gas. Outhouse in the back woods. It's a simple wooden haven in the middle of the woods on the edge of the water - everything one could want or need.

This grilled cheese at the camp was one of my favorites I've had or made. Very simple and very delicious. Maple walnut bread, baked in Vermont with local maple syrup. Vermont Cabot cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. An onion from the garden. Some spicy mustard.

It can be difficult to cook large meals at the camp, so Sam's mama brought some serious eats that she had semi-prepared beforehand. This pasta salad was cooked in Vermont and we brought it in the boat over to camp in a bag. Toss it with fresh greens from the garden, garlic, olives, and olive oil, and it's a delicious dish that can feed an army.

This caprese salad, also made from fresh-from-the-garden veggies, was a smash hit too. Seriously refreshing on a hot July day. Add a baguette, some wine, and BLAMMO - it's a seriously good vibey meal.

As night fell, we enjoyed our camp feast by lantern and candle light.

Magic Hat Brewing Co. did not, to my knowledge, pay Kip for this shameless endorsement of their beer. But hey, who doesn't like some Magic Hat? We also sampled creations from Long Trail, Switchback and Otter Creek. All awesome.

The legendary summer salads return for lunch the following day! We love it.

Top the weekend off with some fireworks and stories around the campfire, and there you have it!

Independence never tasted so delicious.

** Special thanks to the Jacobsons and the Mortons for all their hospitality and good vibes!