Foiled Again

In plotting out our week and knowing that the daytime temperatures were going to be in the 90s with high humidity, I figured Denny and I could spend an hour or so at the factory tour of Tom's of Maine. Denny and I both enjoy learning how various products are made and the actual equipment used fascinates us. I mean how can you not be impressed by the ingenuity it takes to invent a machine to do at warp speed what man used to do laboriously by hand? Since the factory tours web site said reservations were necessary to tour the factory, I left a message requesting a reservation for tomorrow.

Imagine my surprise when the return phone call was to tell me that Tom's is no longer offering public tours this summer, but they hope to restart the tours next summer and "please come back and see us then." Umm, I don't think so!

So there will be no blog post describing how one gets toothpaste into a tube. Instead, I'm offering another bit of Maine-ia. When Denny and I first start traveling as full time RVers, we were still in the habit of buying and reading the local newspaper from cover to cover. It had been our habit at home and we maintained that habit for several years before the advent of easy access to online newspapers. One of the nice things about buying a newspaper is that you find out local events and usually once a week in the "living" section there will be a recipe or two showcased. We happened to be in central Maine during blueberry season (and oh, how hard it was not to pick the wild blueberries by the roadside that were on private property and signed thusly) when I discovered a dessert recipe that turned out to be one of our favorites. So I'll share it with you since we're back in the land of blueberries once again.

Blueberry Crepes (Tortillas) Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, divided

8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons butter, margarine or Smart Balance
8 flour tortillas, regular or low-carb

1. Prepare the sauce in a small saucepan. Combine the sugar and cornstarch, then stir in the orange juice. Cook and stir over medium heat u til the sauce is clear and thickened (about five minutes), stir in one cup of blueberries. Return the sauce to a boil and stir for one minute.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light. Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla: beat until smooth and creamy.

3. Spread each tortilla with about two tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Place about six blueberries across the center of each tortilla and then roll jelly-style.

4. In a medium skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Place half of the wraps seam side down in the skillet and cook, turning occasionally until evenly browned (about three minutes). Repeat with the remaining wraps. Top the wraps with the sauce. Whipped cream is also an option. Easy and yummy.

Note: While this recipe makes 8 "crepes", Denny eats two of these at a time, I eat one, therefore I only cook up three at one time. You can make as many or few as you like in one sitting, as the cream cheese mixture and blueberry sauce can both be refrigerated and the sauce reheated for use later.

And there you have a little piece of Maine. Because I'm not sending out lobsters.