Norman Makepa Gonsalves

To make this chili, I caramelized the onions in butter and added more butter when I cooked the beef, which browns it up more because of the milk solids. When the onions were cooked down, I added a finely minced spicy red pepper and lots of garlic and fresh oregano and sage from my garden. I added the beef after. When it was well browned, I splashed a teaspoon of tamari in it to boost the umami, then added and caramelized the tomato paste before adding the vegetables. To finish, I put brown sugar in it, and I toasted the spices before adding them. I added a can of diced tomatoes in liquid with a few cans of water and it just cooked down slow and low in the oven for two hours. It was a little thicker than I wanted, so I added more water and because it is was so rich, the flavor held up to the dilution. I finished it with a little cayenne at the end to add another dimension of spice to the spicy red pepper and loads of freshly ground black pepper I added throughout the cooking process. The beef is silky and flavorful! Delicious!

I’ll never not braise chili again! This will be the winter of experimenting with the flavors and spices of chili with a French technique twist.

Thrilled with the election results in both Maine snd the state’s largest city, Portland. #election #elections

For those who follow me, my only function is to post photos and no -real world consequence stuff. I can’t bare trekking into my feed or any content. But I want to be a part of the Bluesky mix. hope to be posting more photos soon!

Law & Order SVU (@lawandordersvu.bsky.social)

Please do not let Tutuola retire! 2025 is too delicate enough already. #SVU @lawandordersvu.bsky.social

How researchers restored a thriving habitat for Atlantic puffins in Maine Atlantic puffins face an increasingly precarious foothold due in part to a loss of habitat and to troubles tied to warming ocean waters and climate change. But an effort off the coast of Maine continu...

Puffins in Maine, thriving, but with human help. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

From the Nightshift community on Reddit: Sweet dreams are made of this! Explore this post and more from the Nightshift community

Not my normal post, but I totally get this joyful feeling when I don’t have to work the next day, no alarm set, nowhere to be early the next morning, snug in bed for the night feeling. Ahhhhhh….. www.reddit.com/r/Nightshift...

A bountiful brunch with @shaneisland.bsky.social is a #Pride #pride dream. Also, air kisses to the those in Budapest for their courage and fun! #portland #maine #portlandme

I got to meet Governor Janet Mills! #maine #governor #seeyouincourt

Very confused on how Juneteenth presents logistical issues that St. Patrick's Day does not.

Also, can we stop using DEI as a euphemism for Black and just be honest? Juneteenth is not a "diversity initiative" it's a holiday celebrating Black folks' freedom. Full stop.

Happy #Juneteenth ✊🏾

Donald Trump and them tried to cancel Juneteenth and every org in the state of Maryland decided to have a Juneteenth event. Signed, a person trying to track Maryland’s Juneteenth events 😩😂

#nokingsday
#nokings
#savedemocracy

Portland schools say they’re the nation’s first to offer daily halal meals for all ages Portland Public Schools, which began offering the meals in April to address concerns that Muslim students weren't eating lunch at school, believes it's the first district in the country to offer halal...

We all want to feel welcomed and that we belong. I’m proud of PPS. #portland #maine #portlandme www.pressherald.com/2025/06/14/p...

I voted today. #portland #maine #portlandme

This summary should be the epigraph of a book of US history.

Everything all at once, hour by hour, adds up to this moment on a gloomy Sunday under the vastness of the coastal Maine sunshine. Time is moving fast, yet not fast enough. Slumberless. #portland #maine #losangeles #la #billieholiday music.apple.com/us/album/glo...

Under Texas’ Abortion Ban, Where a Woman Lives Can Determine Her Risk of Developing Sepsis While the rates of dangerous infections spiked across the state after it banned abortion in 2021, women in Houston fared far worse than those in Dallas, according to ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind ana...

NEW: The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose just 29%.

This needs as much coverage as protests or ICE raids. Los Angelenos FTW. ❤️🙌

Split Rock Lighthouse splendor along Lake Superior. #Minnesota

Views of beautiful Duluth, Minnesota in the merry merry month of May, Lake Superior splendor and all!. #Duluth #Minnesota #MN

Tabitha Brown Says Target Boycott Is Hurting Black Authors, Christianly Claps Back At Allegations She's 'Guilting' Shoppers Into Reentering Retailer On Tuesday, Tabitha Brown took to Instagram to talk about the Target boycott, this time highlighting its harmful effects on Black authors.

Remember, the shame should be on #Target, not those of us boycotting them. bossip.com/2995509/tabi...

George Floyd should be alive today.

He should be raising his daughter, living his life.

5 years later, we owe him more than thoughts and hashtags.

His daughter said, “My daddy changed the world.”

Let’s stop failing her, and him.

Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

After four years of living in Portland, it took a visit from a cousin who traveled from Hawaii to finally have an Eventide Oyster Co. lobster roll. It was amazing. And of course we feasted on oysters. #Portland #Maine #lobster #oysters #food #drink #family

This morning’s cheese soufflé, shared with a friend who visited me from far away….

May 18, 1980- Mt. St. Helens Ian Curtis Day

Gratitude for the first day of eating local #asparagus. #Maine #springtime #cooking

The first transgender woman to compete in Miss #Maine is a farmer who loves to dance
#trans #rights #human #rights

Springtime quiche! My once a year #fiddlehead and wild #ramp #quiche. The ramps grow on a 7-acre patch on farming property. I have my own custard recipe, but this is when I use Julia Child’s quiche custard recipe. #maine #local #ingredients #spring #cooking #baking#

Once a year fiddlehead and ramp quiche!

Ethically harvested #fiddleheads and wild #ramps sourced from a property owner’s 7-acre patch for my once a year #quiche. Roxanne Cheese coated in native sumac from Oaklands Farm, local butter, eggs and wheat make this an almost all #Maine dish. #springtime #French #cookery #baking #PortlandFoodCoop