Cleary’s love of baking leads to community giving

Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
SCRUMPTIOUS MUFFINS — Marie Cleary of Oakfield displays some of the many muffins she bakes as part of “County” muffins such as Raspberry Loon, made with nothing less than freshly picked raspberries, the Kahlua Bear which is made of fresh coffee beans, chocolate, dried dates and nectarines soaked in Kahlua to infuse the fruit; Blueberry Basket, made of fresh berries and cream cheese. For more information, contact Cleary at 757-7086 or visit www.cozymurders.com.
Oakfield resident pens culinary mystery novel, hopes to bring folks together through food
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    OAKFIELD — Leaving 80-hour work weeks and six lanes of traffic behind, Marie Cleary and her husband, Dan, found their haven in Oakfield.
    When you go to their home, you never come away hungry. Cleary has an arsenal of food choices ranging from fine dining to her specialty muffins, which will awaken your palate.
    After retiring, Cleary and her husband bought a house sight unseen and packed up and moved to the northern exposure.
    “We were there four and a half years,” said Cleary. “We put marble floors in and beautiful fountains. We redid the whole thing. It looked gorgeous. Then, we decided to move to get more outdoor and garden space.”
    The couple had seen a site in Oakfield, while rebuilding their present home.
    “There were 25 or 30 acres,” said Cleary. “It was in the wintertime. We didn’t know what we had bought until the spring. When we saw what we had, we fell in love with it. It’s beautiful. It’s like serenity, nothing but relaxing woods, ponds and the sound of refreshing streams. You wouldn’t be able to pry me out of here. It is so quiet and the people are so nice.”
    Cleary said she has been cooking since she was “knee high to a grasshopper.” Her parents are Canadian immigrants with a French background.
    “I was brought up around food, my father was a great cook.” she said. “Everything he made smelled so good like the Sunday roasts and all the pies my mother made were fresh off the vine, made from scratch. I grew up licking my plate.”
    Through the years, Cleary worked in numerous food service fields, including the health field. She even took time to go to hair dressing school on her mother’s request. But, she came back to her first love … delis.
    “I was exposed to a lot of fine dining, but I always loved the deli scene.” she said. “For me it was always about that New York style deli, such mouthwatering foods.”
    Cleary schooled herself at the local community college in dietetics and culinary arts. She apprenticed under a Caribbean chef for several years, where she learned side-by-side how to incorporate liquors in her food dishes.
    “I had a lot of exposure,” she said. “I learned international cooking. French food is my background, but I make a nice Italian and great Chinese, all from scratch.”
    Last winter, Cleary busied herself cooking and delivering about 80 containers of homemade Chinese food to her neighbors. The food items she especially prides herself with is her succulent cheesecakes and hand-done gourmet muffins.
    “I have researched my muffins for 20 years,” she explained. “I have at least 100 flavors and I am still working on them.”
    She has the County muffins namely Raspberry Loon, made with nothing less than freshly picked raspberries, the Kahlua Bear which  is made of fresh coffee beans, chocolate, dried dates and nectarines soaked in Kahlua to infuse the fruit; Blueberry Basket and even a Lemonade Stand in honor of Lemonade Day held June 3, sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank.
    Each delicious muffin has more or less around 250 calories made of basic ingredients, but is made with a totally different technique than most. But the very important ingredient is love.
    “It gives them that special flavor,” Cleary added.
    She also makes special muffins such as gluten free, keeping with her two lines of sweet muffins and savory muffins such as her Golden Harvest, made of nothing less than fresh ruby pear and artisan cheeses.
    Why such exotic names for her muffins I asked?
    “It gets someone’s attention, it’s a lot of fun, but more than that, it really reflects what your taste buds will find in that product.” Cleary said. “I make something for everyone’s taste. I have found that people are very receptive to them. But more than that, once they have had one bite, it truly tells the story. They can’t resist. They’re a fresh taste that will make your taste buds sing with delight without a doubt.”
    At one point, Cleary was all set to make a presentation to L.L. Bean to sell her product in the past, but what happened was unfortunate.
    “An accident happened on our way to the presentation.” she said. “That unfortunately was the end to that story, but life goes on.”
    Her next endeavor is to write a cookbook with all of her scrumptious muffin recipes.
    “I have been researching these formulas forever,” she explained. “The research was long, but making the muffins is an enjoyable task. I have always wanted to write a cookbook.”
    And that is where she is taking it.
    Cleary is a newly published author with her culinary mystery “Death by Artichoke.” It has just hit the book stores (York Books, Cary Library and The Shiretown Inn and Suites, all in Houlton) and is also available online through Amazon.com.  Her new cozy mystery book is also part of the Maine State Library.
    “Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is my idol.” she said. “I love the way she puts mysteries together. She has inspired me.”
    Cleary’s book has already sold over 68 signed copies so far. From the book, she would like to develop a “Death By Artichoke” Foodie Group where others can come and share great foods.
    “I’d like to feature one tantalizing new artichoke dish every time that will become part of our namesake collection.” she added.
    During the long winter months, she will be hosting a supper club for those into literature who love and read books, but above all, for anyone who truly loves and enjoys great international foods.
    “We’d like to meet once or twice a month,” she said. “Smoke some delicious cuts of meats, along with varieties of fresh foods and good stories. Come and bring your appetite.”
    Cleary is offering news of the club on her website www.cozymurders.com. Joining is free. Donations will be accepted, based on the plate being offered. Private signings will also be offered at each Foodie meet.
    “All of the money will be collected and donated to a needy charity in the community,” said Cleary. “At this site you will also find much more information on book signings, club information such as dates and menus as well as where to purchase my new book.”
    When you visit Cleary’s site, you will also find recipes, which are posted from time to time, as well as  always something new.
    “I love cooking! It’s an exclusive art, but you can also learn so much from other people when you share your knowledge of foods together,” she said.
    She is the mother of two sons, who reside in the central Maine area. Besides her two hobbies, cooking and writing, she likes to spend time doing gardening. She is playing with ideas for her second and third books called “The Murderous Muffins,” “Lavender Moose,” and writing “The Oaky Hollow Postal Murders.” Her husband Dan is also a writer. His sci-fi book “The Android Chronicles, The Beginnings” was published in 2010.