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I’d love to hear from you! To get in touch with me regarding work, questions, collaborations or just to say hello please email me at:

amber@downeatsblog.com

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Downeats is a journal that shares food stories and recipes, and photography. It is devoted to home cooking, gathering with loved ones, living slow and imperfectly. The name Downeats is a foodie play on the Downeast region of the coast of Maine- so everything is New England inspired.

Slow Living & Family Recipes

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French Crepes Recipe (Easy and Classic Crêpes!)
Buckwheat Flour Banana Bread
Gluten free Potato Soup
Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry (No Xanthan Gum)
Banana Buckwheat Pancakes (Gluten Free)

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November 2020

Succotash, part 2. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Whe

Succotash, part 2.
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When I started learning how to cook I become very snobby about "traditional" or "authentic" ways of doing things. I read all the books, watched tutorials... I followed my nose- and my taste buds. This is the French way. This is REAL Italian. This is not authentic Thai. Like I said, snob snob snob. I have a love/hate relationship with my food snobbery, ok? It's taught me a lot, but not always in the best of ways. I digress.
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Now I know-and love- that there are a lot of different ways to do great food. Yes, there are rules and reason, and often staple ingredients that make a good dish what it is. But outside of that, I've let authenticity drift out of my kitchen like the steam from last night's pasta water. When I was in fashion design school, my illustration teacher always told us "You have to learn the rules before you can break them." This is true for cooking. Don't get hung up on what is "authentic". Good cooks follow the basics, and then add their own flare (in the cooking world we call it a secret ingredient). What makes sense, what tastes good, what works for YOU? Follow that.
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Succotash has been passed down through the ages. In the New England area, Native Americans showed struggling, starving colonists how to make it. We have ever since. At its most basic it's a mixture of corn and beans, with vinegar and herbs. But there are lots of ways to make it! I've seen it very dressed up with lobster meat, sweetened with chunks of apple and many variations in between. My philosophy in cooking is that simple and fresh is best, so mine will be dressed with lots of herbs (like this basil), and a couple other things. Stay tuned for the recipe, in Part 3 🙂
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#cooking #succotash #fallfood #mamachef #basil #selfportrait #foodstylist #foodphotographer #fresh #maine #newengland #slowliving #ootd #linendress #outfitshare #momstyle #foodie #eatrealfood #thewaylifeshouldbe #f52community

For people who are overwhelmed or uninspired by co

For people who are overwhelmed or uninspired by cooking or family meals-what is your struggle? Is it thinking of what to make, or the timing of everything? Are some of the best looking recipes too daunting when you approach them? No time to cook?
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I'd love to know, but as a general suggestion, if you find cooking family meals overwhelming, start with just one meal one day a week. Sunday breakfast, Friday night dinner, or whatever works best for your family schedule. Start small.
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This is what Sunday mornings usually look like in our house. Eggs from local farms, in this case from dear friend @gabrielle.hymes usually turned into something fairly simple.
Omelettes, scrambles, or frittata alongside toast and sausages. Sometimes (the kids favorite) we whip them into waffles.
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What's your ONE biggest obstacle when it comes to cooking?
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#cooking #familymeals #familytime #familygoals #eattogether #slowliving #maine #supportlocal #mainefarms #eggs #breakfast #foodphotography #foodstyling #f52community #mamachef

Succotash. Part 1. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It

SUNDAYS CAKE: Late Summer Cake
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This cake is all the things I’m feeling now: ready for fall but wanting a few last hurrahs of summer before it’s over. This is a light, fluffy, olive oil cake. I added just a few spices to tease the palette for the upcoming fall flavor comforts; ginger, nutmeg, and a little cinnamon. It’s a bit reminiscent of strawberry shortcake- thick cake layers, and fresh fruit with whipped cream. I used end of summer fruits here: late season strawberries, blackberries, and fresh figs. Make it! It’s such a treat.
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If you’re on my email list, you should already have this recipe in your inbox. 🍰 Enjoy!
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#cake #yum #summer #shortcake #berries #baking #bakersgonnabake #f52community #dessert #cakerecipe #recipeshare #maine #newengland #thewaylifeshouldbe #foodie #sweets #sweeeeets #f52grams #foodporn #baking #yum #slowliving #weekendbaking #weekendbakes

The lilacs have long come and gone but a dressed t

The lilacs have long come and gone but a dressed table is one thing that remains. Family meals are something that I hold very dear, so I try to make it special whenever I can. To be clear, I can’t always. Life is busy, and not every night is a three course meal complete with bread, cheese, candles, linens, etc. But some are. Many are. Again, I try.
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The most important thing to me is that our family feels connected and that we have a positive and nourishing experience together. It doesn't have to be fancy, expensive or take hours of time, either. Here are a few simple ways to create a fun, connected and/or positive experience at family mealtimes:
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1) Dress the table. A tablecloth, flowers, candles, placemats create a mood that makes dinner feel a little bit more special when you sit at the table. Doing something slightly different than normal also makes it special, so keep that in mind if you're a person that always has flowers on the table!
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2) Music, of course, it's a whole mood.
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3) Play a game. We do a lot of 20 questions (Fiona's current favorite), or a lot of conversational games. Would you rather/If you could have one superpower/Who would you invite to your ideal dinner party/etc. Games with cards or pieces we save for after dinner.
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For us the goal is connecting and enjoying time together, but I do also think little things make it more special and memorable for the kids (any myself). What did I miss? What are some things you do to make dinners feel more connected or special?
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#familytime #familymeal #familygoals #dinnerideas #dinner #suppertime #familydinner #foodblogger #foodphotographer #maine #foodie #momlife #parentingtips #momsofinstagram #momchef #maineeats #eatmaine #f52community

Do you bake much on the weekends? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Do you bake much on the weekends?
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Years ago there was a blog I read that would post a cake recipe every Sunday. I always admired it because I love weekend baking with the kids. I didn't always make her recipe, but it was enough to inspire me to make something. Plus, you have a yummy cake to enjoy throughout the week.
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With a delicate mixture of nostalgia and inspiration, I've decided to add a cake recipe every Sunday to send to my email list. The recipes will be seasonally inspired, from scratch, and you don’t need any crazy cake decorating skills or anything like that. Pictured here is a spiced pumpkin layer cake with a whipped maple cream cheese frosting that I made last fall.
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Interested in subscribing to my Sunday Cake? The link is in my bio!
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#cake #pumpkinseason #pumpkincake #delicious #sweeeets #f52community #foodie #foodstagram #foodphotography #fallvibes #fallingforfall #autumnvibes #newengland #maine #eatmaine #instafood #foodporn #delicious #cakeinspiration #bakersgonnabake #pumpkinrecipes

Two weeks ago Fiona turned five, and in a couple w

Two weeks ago Fiona turned five, and in a couple weeks she’ll be starting kindergarten. Five days a week, all day. She’s nothing less than excited- she loves school- and I’m having that bittersweet moment that comes with watching your littles get bigger. If you're a parent then you can probably relate and I'm not sure that bittersweet feeling ever goes away, but I do find comfort in two things:
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1) Being present. When Roman was a baby people always told me, "Enjoy it now, it goes by fast!" And I truly tried my hardest to take their advice. I relished as many moments as I could. I still do. Now when I look back with that sad bit of nostalgia, I confidently tell myself that I made the most of it.
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2) Wonder. Sometimes and more recently when I am feeling like baby days, childhood, and life overall is fleeting I try to focus my attention on the positive of who my kids are growing into. They all have their own unique and equally fun sense of humor. They are kind, polite, gracious. I could go on and on about their creativity. And when I shift my focus, I find myself in a sense of wonder over who they are and who they're becoming, and that sad nostalgia fades away.
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“Slow living” is something I’ve been adapting into my life a lot this past year or so and i highly recommend it to anyone. A big part of slow living is being present. You will find it easier to live with this sense of wonder and gratitude- and less stress, even in times of chaos. It becomes more natural to make peace with the negative, and embrace on the positive. ❤️
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#slowliving #maine #bepresent #familyfirst #familygoals

Sometimes mornings in our house look like crepes w

Sometimes mornings in our house look like crepes with all the fixings. I grew up on these, filled with strawberry jam and a dusting of sugar, and I love that my kids enjoy them just as much as I did.
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They’re really simple, delicious, and a French classic. I shared the recipe on my blog yesterday, so if you want to make them one morning check it out! 😊
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#crepes #frenchfood #frenchcrepes #pancakes #morningvibes #goodmorning #breakfastfood #breakfast #recipeoftheday #recipeshare #delicious #raspberries #chocolate #foodblogger #foodie #foodstagram #instagood #foodporn #foodphotography #yummy

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